Let us return to Chen Jinggu, who had cut off pieces of her own flesh to patch her father’s carbuncle and her mother’s ulcer. She was busy packing up her magic implements when someone burst in. Overjoyed, this person said, “Are you really my younger cousin Jinggu? Where have you been for the three years since you left?”

Jinggu realized that it was none other than her elder cousin Shouyuan. She stepped forward, and bowing deeply, said, “I was far away for three years, because Guanyin sent Shancai and Liangnü to take me to Mount Lü to study magic. Since my parents have been seriously ill, I am deeply grateful to you for looking after them morning and night. Elder brother, please step up to receive your younger sister’s obeisance.”

Chen Shouyuan quickly bowed in return, saying, “You are too humble, worthy little sister. We are cousins, and your father and mother are like parents to me. What reason is there to feel gratitude?”

As they were speaking, another person entered. Beaming, he said, “When did you get back?” Chen Chang saw that it was their neighbor Lin Bashu, who traded in assorted goods.

Chen Chang welcomed him and said with a smile, “She has just now returned!”

Lin Bashu said, “Earlier I heard that you were crying out with pain, but now you’re dressed and seem to be in good health!”

Chen Chang told him the whole story of how his daughter had been carried off by a god to Mount Lü to study magic for three years and had only just returned, and how she had cut out pieces of her own flesh to heal her father’s carbuncle and her mother’s ulcer. When Lin Bashu heard this he was delighted. “Now it’s the greatest of good fortune that she has returned! But the son of the Liu family of Gutian County is now fulfilling his duties as police chief in Luoyuan, and I calculate that his three-year posting is nearly up. He often sends letters to Gutian County asking for news of your daughter.”

Chen Chang said, “My daughter is now willing to obey her two aged parents, but she wants to wait for a few more months in order to capture the fiendish monster and demon spirit of Wangbeitai Peak. Only then will she be able obey.”

Lin Bashu said, “They have already waited for three years, so what difficulty could there be in waiting a few more months?” We will say no more about the reunion of Chen Chang and his daughter.

Now we will return to Yang Shichang, who on instructions from the god had come to Fuzhou, where he stayed at the guild at Houpu. In the morning he set out for Xiadu. Encountering a man there, he inquired, “Is this Xiadu? Has Chen Jinggu returned from studying magic at Mount Lü?” Then he asked for directions to the Chen house, screwed up his courage, and knocked on the door.

At that very moment, Jinggu was in the hall describing to her mother and father what Mount Lü looked like. When they heard the urgent knocking on the door they ordered An Tong to open it, and Shichang came in. When he saw the two women, he quickly fell to his knees and asked, “Of you two immortal maidens, which one is the Daoist master Chen Jinggu?”

Astounded, Madame Ge asked, “Who are you?” She helped him to his feet. “What is it you want to ask Jinggu about?”

Yang Shichang described how a fiendish monster in his house had assumed his likeness and usurped his wife, and how he had gone to the yamen to make an accusation. “Because the fiend was still assuming my likeness, the magistrate was unable to make a ruling, and sent away my mother and my young wife together with the fiend. Afterward, I was given five taels of silver and told that I couldn’t return home for fear that I would be harmed by the monster. That night, having no home to return to, I spent the night before the altar of the Five Brilliant Spirit-Officials Temple in the city. All alone, I rested. Although I have a home, I couldn’t return to it, and I was so cold and lonely! Then in the hall of the Spirit-Officials Great God I unburdened myself. That night, in a dream, the Spirit-Officials Great God told me what to do. He told me I had to go to Xiadu, which is on the southern terrace of Fuzhou, and there seek out the Great Immortal, and only then would I be able to rid myself of this fiendish monster. He also said that there is long-standing enmity between the fiend and the Immortal, so if I sought her help, she would surely come. I hope the Immortal Maiden will take pity on me for the great disaster the fiend has brought on me. If you are able to capture this fiendish monster and thereby preserve the life of my family, it will be as if my parents were brought back to life and I was brought into the world a second time.”

When Shichang finished speaking, he knelt and prostrated himself on the floor, sobbing pitifully. Jinggu comforted him, saying, “Never mind. Please get up and sit down. Where are you from? What is your surname and what is your given name?”

Yang Shichang answered, “I am from Yangzhou. My home is five li from the western gate of the city, the local name of which is the Yang Family Village.¹ My surname is Yang, and my given name is Shichang. I beseech the Daoist Master Immortal Maiden to set out. I will go hire a long-distance sedan chair. Please start right away!”

Jinggu went inside. She took her bag of treasures and opened her book of incantations. In vermilion ink she wrote three talismans, which she gave to Shichang, saying, “I have three spirit talismans. You make your way back with all haste. Burn one of the talismans at the Great King Temple in your hometown, burn one in front of the door to your house, and take one talisman into the city and burn it at the Spirit-Officials Temple where he came to you in a dream.² Before you reach home, I will already have arrived there. Hurry! Don’t wait any longer!” Shichang took the talismans and put them away for safekeeping. He kowtowed in thanks, and immediately left for Yangzhou.

Let us now turn to Madame Ge, who said to Jinggu, “How could you deceive him like that? What are you up to? What’s more, it’s a very long way to Yangzhou, a distance of one thousand li. You are just a girl with tiny bound feet, so how could you possibly go there?”

Jinggu replied, “Mother, how could you know that your daughter is one who saves people when they are in danger? Why would I have any reason to deceive him? Because I was at Mount Lü, I learned the art of shrinking distances, so I can move along veins in the earth. It won’t take even a moment, and I’ll be there. I gave him the vermilion talismans and instructed him to go back first. I will delay for half a day and then depart.”

Madame Ge explained all this to her husband, Chen Chang, and both were very happy. After comforting her parents, Jinggu packed up her magic implements, prepared her bag of treasures, and put it on her shoulder. Next she instructed her cousin, Shouyuan, to take charge of the household matters during her absence, and said goodbye to her mother and father. She secretly ordered her two bodyguards, Yang and Wang, to lead the five divisions of spirit soldiers and horses to accompany her. When they heard the order, they gave a shout in the direction of Yangzhou and departed, and in an instant they had disappeared. Mr. Chen and his wife were greatly astonished to see this. The magic of Mount Lü was indeed marvelous! We won’t speak any more of Chen Jinggu’s going to Yangzhou to capture the fiend.

Now we will return to Police Chief Liu Qi, whose three-year term of appointment was up. A dispatch had been sent for his replacement, and the new official had already arrived to take up his duties, so that very day Liu Qi turned over the seal and the official stationery to the newly arrived police chief. Liu Qi got the carrying pole and his suitcases ready, and asked the sedan chair bearer to take him to Fuzhou. When he reached Military Commissioner Wang Shenzhi, he had an audience with him, the commissioner having already received the directive. Since Liu Qi’s three-year term was up, he was to return to Gutian and wait there to be transferred to a vacancy. He received the directive and returned to Gutian.

That same day Lin Bashu of Xiadu also went to Gutian on business, where he heard that Liu Qi had returned home, having completed his term of office. He first went to the Liu family to pay his respects, and Teacher Liu invited him to stay for a meal. After Liu Qi sat down opposite his host at the table, the teacher addressed Lin Bashu, saying, “We haven’t seen you for three years. I don’t know if your business continues to flourish as previously.”

Lin Bashu replied, “I’m busy and overworked. How can I compare to you, elder brother, a scholar at leisure? But speaking of business, I’m just barely making ends meet. Today I heard that your son completed his term of office and has returned home in glory. First, I have come to pay my respects. Second, I have come especially to report some happy news.”

The teacher laughed, “You’ve come to spread gossip.”

Lin Bashu replied, “Would I, your younger brother, dare to joke? Three years ago when your worthy daughter-in-law was about to be married, she was carried off, leaving no trace. Who would have guessed that she had an immortal fate? Everyone said that she had been carried off by a fiend, but it turns out that the bodhisattva Guanyin sent Liangnü to take her to Mount Lü to study magic, and there she mastered all the arts. She returned just a few days ago!”

Then he told what had happened, how she had cut out a piece of her flesh and used it to patch her father’s carbuncle and heal his back. When the teacher and his son heard the detailed account, they were happy beyond measure. Beaming, they asked, “Since she has returned from studying magic, the timing couldn’t be better. This very day let us choose an auspicious day for the wedding.”

Lin Bashu stopped him, saying, “There’s no rush! There’s something I haven’t told you. When your worthy daughter-in-law returned, she recounted to her parents how earlier, when she first entered Mount Lü, a fiendish monster and a demon spirit blocked her way and tried to harm her, and she was only able to escape after Liangnü threw her fiery pearl at them. Your daughter-in-law thought to herself that she had only narrowly escaped assault. She then pulled a pin from her hair, stuck it into the earth at the side of the road, and vowed that if she mastered magic she would certainly capture the fiend and the demon. When she returned, she was asked to go to Yangzhou to capture a fiend, and left just a few days ago. According to what your worthy daughter-in-law said, she wants to wait a few more months, and only then will she be able to obey.”

The teacher laughed and said, “Elder brother Lin, you are joking! Yangzhou is more than a thousand li from Min! She’s just a girl with tiny bound feet, so how could she get there?”

Lin Bashu laughed in return and said, “How could I deceive you to your face? I, too, didn’t believe it. Your worthy daughter-in-law said that she had studied magic at Mount Lü, and learned how to shrink distances. She mastered the five methods of escaping, and of these methods she used the veins of the earth. Although Yangzhou is far away, it won’t take half a moment for her to get there. When she set out for Yangzhou a few days ago, her father and mother and others followed her into the back garden to watch. After your daughter-in-law instructed her cousin, Shouyuan, to serve her parents in her absence, with a twist of her body into the earth, she suddenly disappeared. Isn’t this real magic? For this reason I believe it is true.” When Teacher Liu heard this, the whole family rejoiced. If this were the case, they would wait for her to return from Yangzhou. Only then would they select an auspicious day for the wedding.

And then Lin Bashu came and went as before, on business. When it came to the marriage joining the two families, he also went back and forth. We won’t speak of this any further.

Now we will return to Yang Shichang, who at this time was hurrying back to Yangzhou. There he took the three talismans and burned them as he had been instructed. He looked all around, watching intently. In the distance he saw Jinggu coming, dressed like a Daoist master, with her sword on her back. Only when she drew near did he know that it was her. He rushed to meet her, going ahead to lead the way. When they reached his door, Jinggu first sent the local earth god to ask which fiend was in the Yang house.³ When the local god said it was the Red Monkey spirit from Panther Head Mountain in Fuzhou, Jinggu knew it was her nemesis.

First she ordered her two bodyguards, Wang and Yang, to lead the five divisions of spirit soldiers and horses to surround the house. Bodyguard Wang guarded the front door, while Bodyguard Yang guarded the back door. When the preparations were complete, she opened her cloth bundle and took out the demon-binding rope. Brandishing the demon-decapitating sword, with a twist of her body she entered the house, where she saw another Yang Shichang, whom she recognized was the fiend. In a loud voice she shouted, “Evil creature, today is the day you die! Do you know who I am?”

Cinnabar Cloud was drinking wine with Madame Shen in the bedchamber, when he saw a woman burst into the room. He looked at her in astonishment and asked, “What family are you from? What are you doing here?”

Before he had finished speaking, Jinggu began to revile him, saying, “You don’t recognize Jinggu? Well, I recognize you! How is it that you don’t recognize me? Remember three years ago at Wangbeitai Peak in Fuzhou how you and the Ravine Demon blocked my way and took liberties, and how you ran away when the fiery pearl was thrown at you? I want to ask you: Where did the Ravine Demon escape to?”

When Cinnabar Cloud heard Jinggu’s explanation, he was stunned. “I don’t know you, so there’s no use asking so many questions.” Jinggu said. “Since you don’t recognize me, please step into my rope.” From her sleeve she pulled out the demon-binding rope, threw it over Cinnabar Cloud, and, with a shout, tied him up. Seeing that it was a magic rope, Cinnabar Cloud tried to escape, but could not extricate himself. He was already trussed into a bundle by the rope, unable to move. Jinggu ordered her two bodyguards, Wang and Yang, to keep him prisoner. Then she called Yang Shichang into the bedchamber. Madame Lin and her daughter-in-law saw that it was exactly what Yang Shichang had said, and they knew that he had gone to Fuzhou to seek the help of the Daoist master. Only then did they know that it was a fiend.

The mother, daughter-in-law, and son all wept and bowed before Jinggu in gratitude for being saved. Jinggu helped Madame Jiang to her feet.⁴ “There’s no need for this,” she said. Then she said to Cinnabar Cloud, “Fiend, you are tightly bound. Why don’t you return to your original form? What are you waiting for?” Then she took a bowl of water and on the surface wrote a talismanic spell. Taking a mouthful of the talismanic water, she sprayed it on Cinnabar Cloud. “Make yourself visible!” she shouted, and Cinnabar Cloud manifested himself in his original form—a red-haired monkey.

Cinnabar Cloud begged Jinggu to spare his life, saying, “That day on Wangbeitai Peak, when your way was cut off and liberties were taken, that was all the Ravine Demon’s doing; this vile creature had nothing to do with it at all! For a thousand years I will cultivate myself through suffering. I won’t harm people. I loved your beauty and therefore offended you, Great Immortal. I beg you to take pity on me and spare my life. I will never again dare to behave recklessly.”

Jinggu said, “With a monkey such as this, if I relent, he will inevitably harm people, so how can I show mercy?” When she finished speaking, she seized her sword and moved to cut his head off.

Cinnabar Cloud tearfully implored her, “Master, don’t be hasty. Please permit this creature to clarify the situation. I will hide away and cultivate myself for a thousand years. I will prostrate myself and chant sutras, knowing only hardship. If you will show me mercy, I will become a Buddhist disciple. I will reform my evil ways and return to the correct.”

When she heard his self-appointed mission, Jinggu said, “If sages have the virtue of loving life, how could I not love life? But it is difficult to escape the consequences of your criminality. Of your myriad crimes, lasciviousness is the principal and original one. If you want to live and become a Buddhist, then you must be purified of your lust. Only then can you be spared. If you are not willing to cut out the root of your lust, this magic sword will seek its vengeance here and now.”

At this moment Cinnabar Cloud wanted only to live. What did he care about having his cock cut off? So he declared, “Master, don’t raise your sword! This creature is willing to be castrated and to become a Buddhist disciple.” Jinggu then ordered her two bodyguards, Wang and Yang, to escort Cinnabar Cloud out, and ordered the spirit soldiers to cut off his male organ. The monkey bore the pain, his body purified.

The two bodyguards then escorted him into Jinggu’s presence, where he knelt at her feet and swore an oath. Jinggu ordered the rope to be untied, saying, “Having now obeyed my commands, if you ever again do anything bad or evil, or fail to follow orders, I will carry out my original oath.”

Cinnabar Cloud knelt down. He swore an oath to Heaven, saying, “If I ever do anything evil again, if I fail to obey orders, may the Five Thunders strike me dead.”

When Jinggu heard this, she was very pleased. To Cinnabar Cloud she said, “Go back to Panther Head Mountain in Fuzhou to the cave where the monkeys dwell, and recuperate there. You will in due course attain the correct karma. When I have use for you, I will send an order. Go!” Cinnabar Cloud bowed his head in acquiescence and kowtowed to Jinggu three times. Then, with a somersault, he departed for Fuzhou.

Among the sculptures in the present-day Monkey King Temple, on the left there is a statue of the Monkey King and on the right there is a statue of a man. The one who did such things as have sex with commoner women and offend against the Monkey King was in each instance Cinnabar Cloud Great Sage. It was not the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Sun Wukong. We’ll talk about this later.

Once the fiend Cinnabar Cloud had been captured, Yang Shichang, his family, and neighbors stood astounded in a circle watching. Suddenly, they heard a heart-rending cry from inside. Startled, Jinggu asked the reason for it, and the family and neighbors ran into the house. It was because when Madame Shen saw Daoist Master Jinggu capture the monkey spirit, she realized that for more than a month he had been her husband, and she had been debauched by him. How could she ever face her husband again?

When she saw her husband and mother-in-law in front of the hall and saw Jinggu capture the fiend, Madame Shen went into the house and hanged herself. At this moment Shichang entered the house and found the door tightly closed. He went in and found Madame Shen hanging from a beam. He rushed to call family and neighbors to quickly untie the rope and let her down, but she had already stopped breathing. The whole family, with no thought for Jinggu in front of the hall, all went inside. The sound of weeping was heartbreaking. When Jinggu heard that Madame Shen had hanged herself, she went inside.

“There’s no need to cry,” she said. “According to the correct principle of death, I can bring your wife back to you with her original appearance.” Then she ordered all of the people to immediately leave the room, and they all dispersed. Shichang held Madame Shen’s body tightly in his arms, crying loudly and bitterly. “For you I attacked the fiend. Wretch that I am, I traveled a great distance over land and water, and begged the Daoist master to come to our house to capture the fiend. On the very day that we were reunited, how could I know that you were thinking of ending your life?”

He wept unceasingly. Jinggu comforted him, saying, “There’s no need to be so distressed. With no effort I can return your wife to you with her original appearance.”

When Shichang heard this, he wiped his tears and asked, “Since she has already died, how can she be brought back to me in her original appearance?”

Jinggu replied, “I can bring her back to you as a matter of course. Quickly carry the body into the back hall. The period of two hours cannot be exceeded, so if that period has passed, I’m afraid there could be an error.”⁵

Some of the relatives and neighbors believed her, while others did not believe, or half believed and half disbelieved. The crowd was both suspicious of and amazed by Jinggu. Jinggu urged Shichang to go into the rear hall and spread out a bed cover, and the body was placed on the bed. Jinggu counted on her fingers.⁶ Regretfully, she said, “Having missed the two-hour period, I’m afraid it will be difficult to bring back the original soul.”

She laid out her magic implements and told Shichang to burn incense in the hall. Jinggu put on her cap, unbound her hair, and, grasping her sword, traced a talisman in the air. She ordered her two bodyguards, Wang and Yang, to go after Madame Shen’s original soul and bring it back. Obeying the order, Wang and Yang set off.

Jinggu walked into the back hall. She blew her horn and used alchemy on the corpse to bring back the breath. After performing a sword dance, she pressed shut the openings of the body, closing off the routes of death.⁷ When almost half an hour had gone by and still she did not see the two bodyguards returning, she felt sure that it had been impossible to catch the original soul. She quickly took one of the talismans and secretly commanded the two bodyguards, “Since Madame Shen’s original soul can’t be caught, take the soul of any woman who has just died and bring it back, and I will put it into Madame Shen’s corpse. Hurry! Hurry!” The messenger received the order and left. Jinggu once again used alchemy on the corpse and chanted incantations.

In just a few moments, the two bodyguards seized the soul of the daughter of a certain Wang Jin of Jiangnan. She was about twenty-eight years of age and had married three months earlier. Her husband had died, and Madame Wang, grieving day and night, had hanged herself on the very day that Madame Shen died. As her soul floated in the air, the two bodyguards encountered it by chance and captured it. They reported to Jinggu, who took the retrieved soul and pressed it into Madame Shen’s chest.

On the body she burned the spirit talisman for returning the soul and preserving the body. When she had sprayed it with talismanic water, twice with her hand she struck a tablet with the command on Madame Shen’s chest.⁸ Then she cried, “I can’t get the soul back in!” She called for a quilt, with which she covered Madame Shen, and told Shichang to quickly go heat some ginger soup in order to warm up her liver, spleen, and bowels.⁹ Jinggu again counted on her fingers. With a smile, she said, “The soul is in the body.” Then she lifted the bedcovers and saw that there was breath in Madame Shen’s nostrils and a slight moaning sound. Jinggu called for the ginger soup to be brought, and poured it into her mouth. Madame Shen swallowed several mouthfuls, and her entire body became warm.

At this time the whole family saw that Madame Shen had died and been brought back to life. Wild with joy, they came to stand around the bed and stare. Jinggu collected her magic implements and, after binding up her hair, went to Madame Shen. She saw that her eyes were open wide, and she was looking all around. Frightened, Madame Shen asked, “What family is this? Who are you? Why are you standing around me? Quick, call my father!”

Shichang was under the covers, holding her tight. Madame Shen turned her head and saw that it was a young man holding her. She pulled herself away and rebuked him, saying, “Who are you? To behave like this is to behave entirely without propriety. From ancient times it has been said that the hands of men and women should not touch. Why are you holding me in your arms?”

Shichang said, “Darling wife, please calm down. I am none other than your husband!”

Madame Shen struck the bed in anger, and again rebuked him, saying, “Nonsense! It was just three months ago that my husband took me as his wife. He fell sick and died. How could I have a husband? How can you say that I am your wife?”

Madame Lin, Shichang, and all the relatives were shocked. Shichang asked, “Where are you from? What is your family name and what is your given name? What was your husband’s name? What other members of your family are there?”

Madame Shen replied, “I am from Jiangnan. My father is Wang Jin. My mother, Madame Li, died long ago. I was their only child. My father chose Su He as a husband for me. He, too, was an only child. Unfortunately, he died three months after I entered his household, so I returned to my family to take care of my father. I felt that my fate was a poor one and continuing to live was useless, so I decided to end my life. But you brought me back to life. You saved my life, but how is it that you seized the wrong soul?”

Jinggu said, “We called you because we could wait no longer. I was afraid there might be a mistake, because the period of two hours had elapsed, and the original soul couldn’t be retrieved. Therefore I took Madame Shen’s corpse and put your soul into it.”

Then she whispered a few words in Madame Shen’s ear, who only then understood. She sighed deeply and said, “All right, I will go along with your plan.” Then she got out of bed and took several steps, walking into the middle of the room. The relatives gave a banquet so that Shichang could start his new life.

Now we will return to Chen Jinggu, whose task of capturing the fiend and using the soul of one dead person to revive the body of another was complete. She collected her magic implements, said goodbye to Shichang, and was about to set off for Fuzhou. Yang Shichang tried earnestly to persuade her to stay. The best he could do was to give her fifty taels of silver in thanks, but Jinggu would not accept anything at all, so Shichang and his mother could only kowtow. Shichang said, “Daoist Master, for you to save us from calamity in this way, to rid us of the fiend and bring my wife back to life, our gratitude is as deep as the ocean. This is only a small recompense to thank you. And if you further refuse to accept anything, how can we—mother and son—go on bearing such a burden of gratitude?”

Jinggu replied, “There’s absolutely no need to thank me.” Then she ordered her two bodyguards, Wang and Yang, to mobilize the spirit soldiers and follow her back to Fuzhou. Again, she helped Madame Lin and her son to their feet. Jinggu set off in the direction of Fuzhou, and in an instant she had vanished from sight. Madame Lin and Yang Shichang watched in amazement. Facing the empty spot where she had been, they completed all their kowtows of thanks, and that was all they could do.

We now return to Chen Jinggu, who went back to Fuzhou City through the veins of the earth. When she left the earth vein, she went into the city to look around. Two famous mountains stood on the outskirts. She summoned the local earth god and asked him, “What are the names of these two lofty mountains?”

The earth god replied, “The one on the left is Nine Immortals Mountain and the one on the right is Black Stone Mountain. They are at the side of Xue Lao Peak.¹⁰ Nearby are two fiends, who often bewitch people. From time to time they transform themselves into a pair of beautiful sisters. When there is a young man, elegant and fond of women, they drain his essence and blood, and eat his flesh. We don’t know how many people they have killed. From ancient times to the present, people have often come to Nine Immortals Mountain for excursions, but because there are these sort of fiends on Black Stone Mountain no one dares set foot there.”

When Jinggu heard this, she was extremely angry. “This is a very lively place, and yet there are these fiends! If I don’t capture them, who will?” Then she summoned her two bodyguards, Yang and Wang, as well as the local earth god. She instructed them to go enjoy the scenery and while doing so to capture the two Rock Press Women.

Now we will take up the story of the two fiends in Rock Press Grotto. When they encountered a man, they lured him between the rocks. Then they squeezed his body to pieces and ate his blood and flesh. We don’t yet know how the matter of ridding Black Stone Mountain of its fiends turned out. You will have to read the next chapter in order to find out.