The Corpse Fiend Thrice Tricks Tang Sanzang

The Holy Monk Angrily Dismisses the Handsome Monkey King

At dawn the next day Sanzang and his three disciples packed their things before setting off. Now that Master Zhen Yuan had made Monkey his sworn brother and was finding him so congenial, he did not want to let him go, so he entertained him for another five or six days. Sanzang had really become a new man, and was livelier and healthier now that he had eaten the Grass-returning Cinnabar. His determination to fetch the scriptures was too strong to let him waste any more time, so there was nothing for it but to be on their way.

Soon after they had set out again, master and disciples saw a high mountain in front of them. "I'm afraid that the mountain ahead may be too steep for the horse," Sanzang said, "so we must think this over carefully."

"Don't worry, master," said Monkey, "we know how to cope." He went ahead of the horse with his cudgel over his shoulder and cleared a path up to the top of the cliff. He saw no end of

Row upon row of craggy peaks, twisting beds of torrents. Tigers and wolves were running in packs,

Deer and muntjac moving in herds. Countless river-deer darted around. And the mountains were covered with fox and hare. Thousand-food pythons, Ten-thousand-fathom snakes; The great pythons puffed out murky clouds, the enormous snakes breathed monstrous winds. Brambles and thorns spread beside the paths, pines and cedars stood elegant on the ridge. There were wild fig-trees wherever the eye could see, and sweet-scented flowers as far as the horizon. The mountain's shadow fell North of the ocean, the clouds parted South of the handle of the Dipper. The towering cliffs were as ancient as the primal Essence, the majestic crags cold in the sunlight.

Sanzang was immediately terrified, so Monkey resorted to some of his tricks. He whirled his iron cudgel and roared, at which all the wolves, snakes, tigers and leopards fled. They then started up the mountain, and as they were crossing a high ridge Sanzang said to Monkey, "Monkey, I've been hungry all day, so would you please go and beg some food for us somewhere."