Now we will return to Chen Jinggu, who, after summoning the earth god, went straight to Antai Bridge.¹ Suddenly her older cousin Shouyuan clapped her on the shoulder from behind, saying, “Worthy little cousin, what are you doing here?”

Jinggu turned to look. It was none other than her elder cousin. She asked, “Elder cousin, what are you doing here?”

Shouyuan replied, “Yesterday I performed a Rite of Cosmic Renewal (Jiao) for the Hu family of this locality at Pingyuantai (present-day Jiugao Mountain). It was for expelling the bloody and poisonous malevolent forces. Because I lacked paper, I’ve come here especially to buy some to use.² The day before, I heard that my worthy little cousin had gone to Yangzhou to exorcise a monster. Why are you here?”

Jinggu then told him in detail about capturing Cinnabar Cloud in Yangzhou. She said, “Cousin, go home. Could I trouble you to let my parents know that I have heard there are fiends at Black Stone Mountain? I am going there now to capture them, and will return tomorrow. Since you, elder cousin, have work to do, please go ahead first. I, your younger cousin, must now travel in another direction.”

When Jinggu arrived at Black Stone Mountain, she saw that the grass was deep and the people few, so that it felt desolate. She summoned the mountain god to ask him about the fiends. He answered, “By day the fiends hide themselves in the Rock Narrows, so it’s very hard to see them. You have to wait until dusk, when the two fiends turn into beautiful women and beguile people, luring them to the mouth of the grotto. Then the two rocks suddenly come together, crushing the victim between them. The two fiends squeeze out the thick blood and pieces of flesh, and eat their fill. When the two rocks open, the victim who has been crushed to death looks just like a flattened magpie.”

When Jinggu had heard the whole story, she again questioned the mountain god, asking, “What is the name of the mountain below this place?”

He answered, “It’s Panther Head Mountain. There’s a grotto where monkeys lodge. One of them is a red-haired monkey fiend who calls himself Cinnabar Cloud Great Sage, but never once have I heard that he harms people. All day long he cultivates himself.”

Jinggu was delighted to hear this. “So that is Panther Head Mountain,” she said. Then she ordered the mountain god to go to the grotto to convey a message to Cinnabar Cloud.

In an instant, Cinnabar Cloud arrived, bowed to Jinggu, and said, “Daoist Master, you have already arrived. I, your slave, was not able to go out to meet you. But what instructions do you have for me?”

Jinggu said, “At Black Stone Mountain there are two fiends who kill living souls. I want to send you ahead to secretly lie in ambush at the side of Xue Lao Peak. When the fiends come out, intercept them on their way.”

Cinnabar Cloud received the order and immediately started up the mountain. He uprooted a mulberry tree, stripping off its branches and leaves to make a weapon. Then he went to lie in ambush. Jinggu ordered her two bodyguards, Wang and Yang, to conceal themselves next to the Rock Narrows, and when they met the fiends trying to escape to cut off their escape route and absolutely not let them get away. The two bodyguards received their orders and went to lie in ambush.

Jinggu disguised herself as a young man. Hidden on her person she carried the demon-binding rope and the demon-slaying sword. The other magic implements she entrusted to the mountain god for safekeeping. Then she pretended to go sightseeing. On either side of the Rock Narrows at Xue Lao Peak she heard the sound of happy laughter. Jinggu thought to herself that it was surely the fiends approaching, and in a moment she saw two young women, aged around sixteen or seventeen. Both were very refined; they were as beautiful as Xi Shi and Feiyan, like flowers and jade.³ If you matched them against a flower, the flower would not dare to open; and in comparison to jade, it would be flawless jade. Truly their appearance was such that it would cause the moon to hide and put blossoms to shame; their faces would cause fish to drown, and wild geese to fall from the sky; their eyes were like autumn water, their eyebrows like spring mountains. They were lovely! Truly it was an instance of:

Even for a thousand cash one could not buy Bao Si’s smile;

Wang Zhaojun went off ten thousand li to make peace with the barbarians.⁴

The two women approached Jinggu. “Sir, why do you come here?” they asked.

Jinggu replied, “I have come to wander here in order to dispel my melancholy, because I admire the beauty and elegance of mountain scenery. Please tell me, what are you two young women doing here?”

The fiends said, “We are sisters. Our father’s name was Shi Zhen (Rock Shaking) and our mother was Madame Yan (Large Rock). Both died long ago. When our father was still alive, he loved landscapes and pleasing vistas. We sisters were born here, and our house is by Xue Lao Peak. Since you have come, if you look on us with favor, we would like to invite you to tea. Then you would not have come to see the scenery in vain. It would be a pleasure.”

Jinggu, hoping to spy out their lair, replied, “But I am not a relative, so how could I dare trouble you?”

The two women said, “Don’t be so humble. You have come here, sir, in order to admire the mountain scenery. You are indeed a refined scholar. Since you encountered the two of us, what reason is there for you to go back in vain? We must offer you tea in order to express our sincerity.”

Jinggu answered, “Having already accepted your kind regards, I have no alternative but to do as you say.”

The two women of the Rock clan invited Jinggu to come to Lingxiao Taipan, where there was a very narrow door.⁵ The Rock fiends said, “Inside is our miserable house. Please go in first.” It was already dusk and Jinggu, seeing that the cave was extremely narrow and small, figured that it was so deep as to be bottomless. Furthermore, it was dark, and there was no light at all.

She asked, “It’s so dark, how can I go in?”

One Rock sister said, “There’s no problem. You only need to take a few steps. Inside there is a lamp for your aid.”

Jinggu came to a stop and proceeded no further. She said, “Since there is a lamp inside, why don’t you bring it out to light the way? How can you be so impolite?”

The two Rock sisters said, “Since you don’t know the way, let the two of us lead you in together, how would that be?”

And the Rock sisters took hold of her hands. Jinggu quickly caught the hands of the two sisters, and tightly pressed them at the pulse.⁶ She thought to herself, “If now is not the time to act, when is?”

The two Rock sisters, their hands grasped tightly by Jinggu, could only try to trick her into entering the Rock Narrows; then she would be done for. How could they have known that Chen Jinggu would press the pulses of their hands with her fingers and, with all her might, in one pull drag the two Rock sisters outside the Rock Narrows to the front of Xue Lao Peak? She shouted, “Cinnabar Cloud, where are you?”

Cinnabar Cloud heard her call and promptly arrived. “What is your command?” he asked.

Jinggu looked down at her two hands, but the two fiends weren’t to be seen! Instead, in her hands she held two stone eggs. Furious, she said to Cinnabar Cloud, “What powerful fiends! They were still able to get away! One moment I had hold of the two fiends with my hands. How could they turn into two stone eggs and slip away?” Summoning her two bodyguards, Wang and Yang, and Cinnabar Cloud, she told them, “These fiends can only be captured through guile, not by force. All of you stay at the foot of the mountain, and tonight I will search for their tracks. Only in this way can they be dealt with.”

The two bodyguards and Cinnabar Cloud led the spirit soldiers down the mountain to wait. That night was the middle of the lunar month, so the moon was as bright as a painting. Jinggu put her sword on her back and, alone, stealthily searched the side of Black Stone Mountain and all around Xue Lao Peak. When she reached the back of Xue Lao Peak, she heard the sound of people talking. She opened her supernatural eyes wide and spotted them far in the distance. It was none other than the two Rock clan fiends. Making herself invisible, Jinggu hid behind them. When they drew near, she flung her arms wide and shouted, “Now where do you think you’re going?”

Frightened, the two fiends took to their heels with Jinggu in pursuit, running toward the front of Xue Lao Peak. At the side of the peak, Cinnabar Cloud Great Sage lay in ambush; in the distance he saw them coming, pursued by Jinggu. Grasping his mulberry club, he quickly moved to cut them off. The two fiends saw the hairy monkey blocking their escape; unable to either advance or retreat, while still keeping their distance, they escaped to the side of Xue Lao Peak. There they transformed themselves into two vertical slabs of rock standing side by side.

When Jinggu caught up with them, she saw Cinnabar Cloud barring the way. She said to him, “Just now the two fiends I was chasing came this way. Why didn’t you cut off their escape route?”

Cinnabar Cloud replied, “Just now I saw two fiends being pursued. I brandished my club in order to kill them, when they suddenly vanished without a trace.”

“I suspect these two fiends haven’t gone far,” Jinggu said and, employing her supernatural illumination, she searched all around, but didn’t see them. When she reached the side of Xue Lao Peak, she saw two rocks standing erect that resembled human forms. She ordered Cinnabar Cloud monkey to use a stone as a chisel to break the two rocks to pieces. In his left hand Cinnabar Cloud held a hammer, and in his right hand the chisel.

The two Rock clan fiends inside the slabs of stone tearfully entreated Jinggu, “Daoist Master, don’t use the chisel! Remember that we fiends have already assumed human form, but we are unable to convert to Buddhism. Now, we beg you, Daoist Master, not to kill us. We want to throw ourselves at your feet as slaves.”

Jinggu commanded Cinnabar Cloud monkey to stay his hand. She said to them, “Then I won’t kill you for the moment. You should transform yourselves once again into human form. There are things I want to ask you.”

The two Rock clan fiends then took the forms of two women and prostrated themselves before Jinggu, imploring, “Master, if you would be willing to receive us sisters as disciples, it would be our great good fortune.”

Jinggu asked, “In fact, what thing magically affected you that you could transform yourselves into human shapes? Speak up!”

The two women of the Rock clan said, “We two sisters were originally one body, that is to say a rock that was split in two by a bolt of lightning. Then, stirred by the qi of yin and yang, we obtained the essence of Sanshan. Receiving the soul of the moon, and emulating the body of Chang E, we were able to take human form.⁷ We wanted to seek refuge in the true teaching to perfect the fruits of its dharma, but we had no way to get into it. Now it has happened that you, Great Master, have come here. If you will accept us as disciples, we will be your servants and obey your commands.”

Jinggu replied, “I am none other than a master of the true teachings of Mount Lü. I was instructed that when I met a fiend, I should capture it, and when I encountered a monster, I should seize it. You are not human, and you constantly like to harm people so, in principle, I should kill you. How could I take you on as disciples?”

The two women of the Rock clan tearfully beseeched her, saying, “We servants have not yet obtained the true dharma, so we still don’t understand anything. We have offended you, Master. Today we have found a master to guide us out of our errors. It is as if the weeds have been pulled from our brains, as if we have awakened from a dream. We ought to learn your teaching and cultivate the true Way. How could we dare do wrong? We beg you, Master, take pity on us two sisters. We are like rebellious ministers who have lost their ruler, like runaway dogs who have lost their families.” With these words, they wept pitifully.

Jinggu said, “Since you have agreed to embrace my laws and regulations, first, you are not allowed to harm the children of good families. Second, you are not allowed to harm the neighbors. Third, you are not allowed to wander around causing trouble. You are only allowed to cultivate the true Way here on Black Stone Mountain. If you obey these three rules, I will accept you as sisters. If you do not obey, my magic sword is right here. You’ve heard what I have to say. Now it’s up to you.”

The two women of the Rock clan together assented, saying, “These three principles are the true instructions for cultivating the Way. How would we dare not follow them?”

Jinggu said, “Since you have agreed to obey these three matters, you ought to swear to do so before Heaven.” The two women of the Rock clan then swore an oath before Heaven, saying, “We are none other than the sisters of the Rock clan. Now that we have a master who has accepted us as disciples, we resolve to cultivate the true Way at Black Stone Mountain. If we ever have evil intentions or again harm people, may the Five Thunders destroy us.”

When Jinggu saw that they had completed their oath, she sent Cinnabar Cloud back to Panther Head Mountain. When Cinnabar Cloud heard his assignment, he accepted his instructions and took his leave. Jinggu then ordered the two Rock Press Women, “You two sisters stay here and cultivate yourselves. Wait for me to return. When I have need of you, of course someone will be dispatched.” The two Rock Press Women assented and departed. Jinggu said, “I will leave now.” She ordered her two bodyguards, Wang and Yang, to lead the spirit soldiers back to Xiadu. Kneeling, the two Rock Press Women saw her off. When Jinggu reached the foot of the mountain, she went to the mountain god to collect her bundle of magic implements and, using the technique of traveling through the earth, returned to Xiadu.

From this time on, the two Rock Press Women of Black Stone Mountain cultivated themselves on the mountain. They gave up their evil ways, returned to the correct path, and no longer harmed people. Several months later, they conveyed a message through a dream to a rural medium that they would aid women suffering difficult childbirth and fetuses in peril.⁸ The people, responding to this stimulus from the northwest, burned incense without cease, and obtained miraculous responses. They were collectively called the Rock Press Grandmothers.

Now we will take up the story of Miss Jiang of West River. From the time she found a teacher in order to study the Way at Flag Mountain, she practiced diligently from morning till night, mastering the true and marvelous Daoist arts. One day, wandering at leisure, she reached the rear mountain, but did not see the golden-haired tiger at its foot. She did not know when it had run away, and reported it to her teacher. She wanted to search every mountain in order to capture it. Acceding to her wish, her teacher gave her a magic sword and a tiger-binding rope. Miss Jiang took the rope, put the magic sword on her back, said goodbye to her teacher, and went down the mountain, searching everywhere for the golden-haired tiger.

Let us now turn to the golden-haired tiger, which had secretly run away down the mountain. It went due south to Guojie Mountain in Nantai, where it nourished itself in secret. In the evening, it would go down the mountain to look for food. In each and every neighborhood in the vicinity many pigs, sheep, chickens, and dogs were eaten by it. The villagers knew that there was a tiger in the mountains, so people from several villages joined together to prepare gongs and drums, firecrackers and pitchforks, and other weapons. They surrounded the tiger, and were just about to capture it, when it opened its mouth and they felt a gust of demon wind spring up, and it vanished. Alarmed, the crowd of people looked among themselves, but still there was no trace to be found.

Consequently, the villagers from this time on, family by family, moved to their relatives or fled to other places, and in this way it became a deserted countryside. Moreover, a villager wrote a notice warning people not to go there. The notice was put up everywhere, and Guojie Mountain became lonely and deserted. Any travelers had to wait until they could form a group and set out together. If a solitary traveler set out alone, he was eaten by the tiger every time. It often harmed people, but there was no way to capture it.

One day two students named Zhang and Li were taking the road through the mountains to go to the provincial exams. The tiger saw the two men approaching and transformed itself into a young girl of about seventeen or eighteen years of age. With almond eyes and peach cheeks, she was arousingly beautiful. Blocking their way, she wept pitifully. Student Li approached to have a look, and saw that the girl was very beautiful. He asked her, “Young lady, why are you crying so piteously?”

The girl replied, “I am suffering from pains in my heart. Now the pain is such that I can’t walk even a single inch. Young gentleman, if out of compassion you will give me your arm and help me home, then I will be deeply grateful. I don’t know if you are willing.”

Student Zhang caught up with them and saw Li chatting with the young woman. He cried, “Men and women must never touch each other! What are you talking about here?”

Student Li said, “Nothing of any importance.” He said to the girl, “I will give you my arm to help you home. Who else is in your family? What will they give me as thanks?”

The girl replied, “My mother died long ago. My father tired of the noisy city and loves retirement, living as a recluse. For this reason we moved here. I have no brothers or sisters. Yesterday my father and a retired friend went out to travel around looking at the scenery of famous mountains, and will return only after several days.” Student Li gave her his arm and they set off.

Student Zhang cried, “Speaking to each other is not suitable! Moreover, walking arm in arm is completely unacceptable! How can you behave in such a manner in broad daylight? Not to mention that it is entirely out of keeping with the law of the land!”

Student Li pretended not to notice. To the girl he said, “Since your father is far away and you have no brothers and sisters, that leaves only you spending the night deep in the mountains. Aren’t you lonely and miserable?”

The girl replied, “As long as one knows how to live, how can one be lonely?”

When Li heard her say this, he was as happy as he could be. Holding her by the arm, he caressed her. He said, “Doing this is knowing how to live. When I do this, you don’t dislike me? Tonight, let us keep each other company. How would that be?”

The girl replied, “If you, young gentleman, are willing to be my companion, that would be my great good fortune.”

When student Zhang, who was following behind, heard this, it was intolerable to his ears. He loudly scolded Li, shouting, “Talking such nonsense, what sort of insanity is it?”

Li, feigning deafness, did not answer. To the girl he said, “If I keep you company tonight, that means you will sleep with me.”

The girl said, “Of course! I, too, can’t wait till tonight. When we reach my house, I will teach you to enter my belly to sleep.”

When Li heard that she would show him how to enter her belly to sleep, he felt even happier, and he caressed her again and again. When they were halfway up the mountain, the tiger fiend could no longer stand Li’s groping, and let out a great roar that rocked the mountain and shook the earth. Then it appeared in its original form: a golden-haired tiger! Terror-stricken, the two students Li and Zhang tumbled down the side of the mountain. The tiger took Li in its mouth and shook him back and forth, playing with him but not eating him. Then it put him down, and paced back and forth on the mountain, watching from a distance as Li regained consciousness.

Having been tossed senseless by the tiger, and turned head over heels on the mountain, Li gradually came to. Little by little he felt his entire body tremble all over with terror. He saw that the tiger was gone, and had no alternative but to risk his life crawling down the mountain, as he was unable to walk. He had crawled half a li when the golden-haired tiger again seized him going down the mountain. Holding Li in its mouth, it put him down in the original spot and played with him, shaking him back and forth.

Now we will take up the story of Jinggu, who had captured the two women of the Rock clan, and returned to Xiadu by means of the Earth Vein Method. She emerged from the earth vein and slowly set off. Before she had reached home, she saw that a notice was pasted on the wall at the corner of the lane. She went to see what it said and exclaimed with alarm, “This is extraordinary!” When she had finished reading it, she hurried home.

After she had seen her parents, she asked about the matter of the tiger fiend on Guojie Mountain. Her father, Chen Chang, said with surprise, “Daughter, you’ve only just returned! How did you know about this?”

Jinggu replied, “Just now on my way back I saw a notice posted at the side of the road. That’s how I learned about it.”

Chen Chang was astonished and said, “The tiger fiend has injured many people. It is difficult to live in the countryside, so everyone has moved far away.”

When Jinggu heard his explanation she was very angry. She vowed, “If I don’t eliminate this evil, I will never come home.” Then she collected her rope, took her magic sword, and set out for Guojie Mountain. Her parents tried to stop her, but she did not obey.

Jinggu reached Guojie Mountain just as the tiger fiend was tossing Li back and forth. She concealed her sword and rushed forward, shouting, “Evil tiger fiend, drop Student Li immediately!” She pulled out her sword and stabbed the tiger, which immediately retreated. Using all her strength, Jinggu attacked fiercely, stabbing the tiger three more times. The tiger’s strength failed, and it thrashed around in confusion. Jinggu threw her demon-binding rope, and with a shout bound it fast. All you could see was the tiger, right there, rolled into a ball on the ground, its four legs tied together.

Speaking human language, it begged Jinggu, “Master, spare my life!”

Jinggu replied, “Evil creature, where are you from that you hide out and dare to harm people here? Tell the truth!”

The tiger said, “I live on Flag Mountain. Originally, I didn’t hurt people. Only when the Old Woman of Li Mountain came to live at Flag Mountain and accepted pupils was I subdued.⁹ When Miss Jiang of West River became a disciple, I was given to her as her mount, and every day she rode me back and forth on the mountain for amusement. In the past I lived on Flag Mountain. At first, I was completely unconstrained, and from morning till night I wandered freely. But from the time I was subjugated, how I have been restricted! Because I was kept running to the point of exhaustion, I ran away, and have been staying for the time being on this mountain. Today I met you, the great Master, here. I only beseech you who love life to spare mine.”

Jinggu said, “This is nothing but deceitful talk. I certainly love life, but you entirely lack the sense of loving life. Today with my own eyes I saw you dragging a man and eating him greedily, as if it were a game. If I had arrived any later, these two students would have been a tasty meal for your belly.”

Then she ordered the two students Zhang and Li to leave at once. Zhang and Li, having escaped with their lives, ran down the mountain as fast as they could. When Jinggu saw that the two were gone, she said to the tiger, “In running away you turned your back on your master. That is an unforgivable crime. It also involved harming people, so there is absolutely no way to excuse it.”

When she finished speaking, she took her sword intending to kill it, when she heard a shout from above. Raising her sword, she looked up. The voice said, “Worthy younger sister, wait! Not so fast! I will briefly explain the circumstances.”

When Jinggu heard the voice, raised her sword, and looked up, she saw a Daoist young woman come down from the sky, holding in her hand a yak-tail whisk. She was around seventeen or eighteen years of age, delicate and pretty. She came forward and bowed to Jinggu, saying, “Worthy older sister, aren’t you the Miss Chen who studied magic at Mount Lü?”

Jinggu was dumbfounded. She quickly put her sword away and replied, “I was just about to ask what Daoist master of what famous mountain taught you the arts. What is your name? Why have you come here? How did you know my name?”

The young woman replied, “My ancestral home is West River. My late father was Jiang Qing and my mother was Madame He. Both died long ago. I was fortunate that the Old Mother of Li Mountain passed on to me her marvelous arts and accepted me as a disciple. I stayed for a time at Flag Mountain Hall. When I heard my teacher say that you had been taught the true arts of True Lord Xu of Mount Lü, and since leaving the academy have been capturing fiends and saving people, I so regretted that I had no chance to meet you. Only a few days ago I came into the mountains because my tiger mount had run away. I was afraid I’d lost all trace of it. As ordered by my teacher, I searched everywhere in order to capture it. How could I have known it was here? And to unexpectedly have the chance to meet you! It is the greatest possible good fortune of Daoism.”

Jinggu said, “Truly, it is fate to have the opportunity to meet you. Let us become sworn sisters, and only in this way will we not disappoint the good fortune of our Daoist schools. There is fate in good fortune that we cannot allow to slip away. I don’t know if you will consent.”

Miss Jiang said, “If you will accept me, it would be my great good fortune.”

Then the two sisters each took a pinch of earth and before Heaven swore that Chen Jinggu, being older, would be the elder sister, and Miss Jiang, being younger, would be the younger sister. Thereupon, they became more than even full sisters. Jinggu said, “Little sister Jiang, my home isn’t far from here. Let us go together and I will serve you tea.”

Miss Jiang replied, “I would like very much to go to your home and pay my respects to your parents. Let us trouble the god of this mountain to keep an eye on this evil creature.” And then she went home with Jinggu.

Miss Jiang paid her respects to Chen Chang and Madame Ge. After they had tea, Miss Jiang said, “Today I was very lucky to meet you, worthy elder sister. I would like to go with you to Flag Mountain for a day of sightseeing, but I don’t know if you will agree.”

Jinggu said, “Of course I will, first, to call on the Old Mother and, second, to see the scenery.” Miss Jiang was delighted to hear this, and took her leave of her new parents. Jinggu informed her parents of their plans, and with Miss Jiang returned to Guojie Mountain. There she untied the golden-haired tiger and had Jinggu mount it, while she herself followed the tiger.

Soaring through the air, they arrived at Flag Mountain, and in a moment they alighted on the mountain peak, where a disciple was waiting to meet them. Miss Jiang turned over the golden-haired tiger to the disciple to look after. Then she and Jinggu entered the Buddhist convent, and Jinggu went in to call on the master. The Old Mother asked her to take a seat. Once the disciple had offered tea, the Master said, “Since you, Master Chen, studied the Way at Mount Lü, I’ve heard that you have exterminated fiends and saved people all over. Truly it is the great good fortune of Daoism. I don’t yet know which fiends have been eliminated.”

Jinggu replied, “Shortly after I left Mount Lü I captured the red monkey spirit of Panther Head Mountain, who styles himself Cinnabar Cloud Great Sage. Then I captured the two Rock Press Women of Lingxiao Pan at Black Stone Mountain. They all converted to Buddhism as my pupils. All the other fiends you have heard of did not recognize the true Way, so there was no way to recruit them.”

The Master said, “Eliminating fiends and capturing demons, saving people from disease, and helping those in danger, these are precisely the correct principles of our school of magical arts. I constantly observe the northeastern corner. There is an atmosphere of poisonous vapor, which does not go beyond this single mountain range. I don’t know what fiend is haunting the area. Tomorrow you take Miss Jiang with you and capture it and rid the people of harm. I don’t know whether you can do this.”

Jinggu said, “How could I, your disciple, not obey the command of the master?” Miss Jiang then asked Jinggu to go out of the convent with her to go view the mountain scenery.

Jinggu saw the beautiful cliffs nestled in forests, the emerald grass, the rocks, and pines. Birds took wing and deer roamed. It was tranquil and lovely, and Jinggu repeatedly expressed her admiration. The mountains of this place truly were the realm of immortals and hermits in their retirement from the world. Before they had finished sightseeing, a disciple arrived to say, “The Master sent me to come invite you two to a meal.” Miss Jiang asked Jinggu to return from the rear mountain to the convent. When they had an audience with the Master, she invited them to the West Hall, where a table of delicacies had been laid out.¹⁰ They were all the extraordinary flavors of the immortals. With wines of the hues of agate and jade, it was all inexpressibly beautiful.

Her hands clasped before her, Jinggu bowed to the Old Mother and said, “For me to have the opportunity to call on you is the greatest good fortune. And to be invited by you, Master, to come here, to be so magnificently and generously entertained, I, your disciple, haven’t even the slightest means with which to show my respect. I only trespass on your hospitality, and really do not deserve this.”

The Master said, “You are one of the noble disciples of Mount Lü. As we are of the same rank, I am duty-bound to treat you accordingly. The mountain is a vast empty wilderness. How could this merit any special politeness on your part? I am embarrassed to the utmost. I would have liked to keep you company but, remember, I long ago gave up food and drink, and no longer eat cooked food.¹¹ Therefore I am unable to serve you. Please do not find fault with me.” She bade Miss Jiang to drink with Jinggu, and when she had finished speaking went into the inner hall.

Miss Jiang gave the guest’s seat to Jinggu, and she herself played the role of host. At their side, a disciple poured out the wine. The two sworn sisters toasted each other and drank to their hearts’ content until the golden crow—the sun—sank in the west, and the Jade Rabbit—the moon—rose in the east. Jinggu said, “Miss Jiang, worthy little sister, your foolish older sister is really drunk.”

Miss Jiang answered, “I got the chance to meet you, and we are of the same school, so I would like to persuade you to drink three more cupsful.” Three cups were filled, and she handed them to Jinggu. Jinggu could not refuse, so one by one she drank the three large cups of wine, and only then did the feast end. A disciple cleared the table, whereupon Miss Jiang and Jinggu went inside together and spent the night.

At dawn the next day, Miss Jiang and Jinggu got up. After they had combed their hair and washed, a disciple offered them tea. In a moment the disciple had laid out their breakfast. When the two of them had finished eating, Jinggu called on the Master. She declared, “I have been out capturing fiends for a long time and am afraid my parents are anxious. Now I will go with younger sister Jiang to the mountains in the northeast to capture the fiend, and within a few days I will return home to serve my parents. I am very fortunate that the Master has entertained me in such a manner, beyond my merits. On another day I will come again to call on you and await your teaching.”

The Master replied, “I had hoped that you would stay for several more days, but since you have things on your mind, I must comply with your wish.”

To Miss Jiang she said, “You and your elder sister go together to capture the fiend. Once you have captured it, you must come back. Now I will give you a magic sword and a paper soldier. If you should find yourselves in a precarious situation, burn the paper soldier.¹² Soldiers will be dispatched to help you in an emergency wherever you are, and at that moment there will automatically be a response.” The Master’s instructions completed, Miss Jiang and Jinggu paid their respects to her and went down the mountain. The Old Mother saw them off, watching until she could no longer see them. Only then did she go back inside the convent. Truly it was:

Two teachings transmitted together become a single school;

Twin peaks bestow their magic and respond to the entire world.

This time, to know which fiend the two Buddhist young women captured in the end, read the next chapter.