Chapter 82: Treasure-seizing In Lotus Cave
However, Wukong used the Golden Rope, which flew like a dragon through the air to bind Ao Tu.
Ao Tu laughed and sacrificed the Purple Gold Red Gourd into the air, chanting “collect” once, and whoosh, it sucked in the Golden Rope.
Seeing this, Wukong cried out in great alarm: “Oh no, that Silver Horn Great King deceived me!”
Before, Wukong had sneaked into the Cave Mansion and heard Silver Horn Great King say that this treasure required calling someone’s name, and only if they responded could it collect them, but he had not expected this to be a lie.
This treasure could clearly collect people directly just by picking it up.
Wukong did not dare stay and turned with a somersault and left.
Ao Tu did not pursue, but flew down below holding the gourd, where he saw Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing locked in fierce battle with Golden Horn Great King and Silver Horn Great King.
Ao Tu released the gourd and chanted “collect” once, drawing both Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing into the gourd together.
Ao Tu seized Tang Sanzang and returned to the Cave Mansion, released Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing, and locked them up together with Tang Sanzang in the Prison Cell as before.
Golden Horn and Silver Horn drank heartily with Ao Tu, unmentioned; the three discussed that once they captured Sun Wukong, they would eat Tang Sanzang’s flesh.
On Wukong’s side, with one somersault, he leaped to the South Sea.
He descended from the cloud, only to see Guanyin Bodhisattva sitting in the purple bamboo grove on the Nine-Ranked Lotus Platform, not yet having dressed. The poem says:
Lazy and afraid to dress, her countenance most graceful.
Loosely coiled a nest of silk, not yet adorned with tassels.
Not wearing the plain blue robe, a close-fitting jacket bound.
Casually a brocade skirt girded at the waist, bare a pair of feet.
Wukong hurried forward, but Hui An Pilgrim Mu Cha and the Pearl-Holding Dragon Girl all came to block Wukong, not letting him approach, so Wukong called out loudly:
“Bodhisattva, my Master is in trouble at Flat-Top Mountain; quickly come with me to save my Master.”
Hearing this, Guanyin Bodhisattva rose and said: “Is it that Demon Dragon again?”
Wukong said: “Indeed, I beg the Bodhisattva to help!”
Guanyin Bodhisattva stood on the Nine-Ranked Precious Lotus Platform and flew out, saying:
“Let’s go; this time we must capture that evil beast.”
Wukong said: “Bodhisattva, how will you capture him?”
Guanyin Bodhisattva said: “I will lure him onto this Nine-Ranked Lotus Platform, close the lotus petals, and suppress the top with the Precious Pearl granted by the Buddha, so he cannot escape.”
Wukong said: “Good plan! Please, Bodhisattva, adjust your attire, and we shall go at once.”
Guanyin Bodhisattva said: “No need to adjust attire; go quickly, lest that evil beast escape.”
Guanyin Bodhisattva rose on an auspicious cloud, her feet on the Lotus Platform, hurrying toward Flat-Top Mountain.
Wukong hurriedly followed.
In a moment they arrived at Flat-Top Mountain, where Guanyin Bodhisattva and Wukong stood in the clouds.
Wukong asked: “Bodhisattva, how to lure that Demon Dragon onto the Lotus Platform?”
Guanyin Bodhisattva said: “I will place the Lotus Platform here, hidden underground. Wukong, you go down to challenge to battle, lure that Demon Dragon out; as long as he stands here, it will be fine.”
Wukong said: “That’s difficult! That’s difficult! Bodhisattva, whenever I fight that Demon Dragon, we always battle in the sky; how would he come down? This plan is somewhat hard to execute!”
At this time, two little demons were seen passing below, carrying a large chair toward the Lotus Cave.
Seeing this, Wukong’s eyes lit up, and he said: “Bodhisattva, a business deal has come.”
Wukong leaped down and also transformed into a little demon, blocking the two little demons, saying: “Stop; what are you doing?”
Fine Ghost and Clever Worm set down the chair and said: “What are you doing?”
Sun Wukong said: “I am a monster from the Lotus Cave!”
Fine Ghost and Clever Worm said: “You are a monster from the Lotus Cave? How have we never seen you before?”
Sun Wukong said: “I am a monster under the Greatest Great King; I just arrived today, so you do not recognize me.”
Hearing he was under the Greatest Great King, Fine Ghost and Clever Worm hurriedly fawned: “So we are all family!”
Sun Wukong said: “Do not rush to get familiar; I ask you, what are you carrying this large chair for? Did you steal it from somewhere?”
Fine Ghost hurriedly said: “Not stolen, bought! This is a fine seat procured from the foot of the mountain on orders from the Greatest Great King and Second Great King, wrapped in gold, weighing a thousand jin!”
Clever Worm said: “This is specially for the Greatest Great King to sit on! Because the Greatest Great King has no suitable seat in the cave, the Greatest Great King and Second Great King specially ordered us to go down the mountain to procure it!”
Hearing this, Wukong grinned, revealing a monkey face, and said: “Good, good, good! Good chair, just right!”
Seeing this, Fine Ghost and Clever Worm were startled and said: “Sun Wukong!”
The two hurriedly ran back.
Wukong drew out the Golden Cudgel and struck at Fine Ghost and Clever Worm.
Guanyin Bodhisattva said: “Hold on, Wukong; do not harm their lives.”
Guanyin Bodhisattva descended from the cloud and with a wave of the willow branch made Fine Ghost and Clever Worm fall asleep.
Wukong laughed: “Still the Bodhisattva is merciful. Would the Bodhisattva condescend to transform into the appearance of this little demon, and turn the Lotus Platform into a chair? We can sneak into the cave and trick that Demon Dragon into sitting on the chair. How about it?”
Guanyin Bodhisattva said: “Very good!”
She shook and transformed into the appearance of Fine Ghost.
Wukong transformed into Clever Worm.
Guanyin Bodhisattva turned the Nine-Ranked Precious Lotus Platform into a chair, and the two carried the chair toward the Lotus Cave.
Entering the Lotus Cave, Ao Tu was drinking together with Golden Horn Great King and Silver Horn Great King.
Guanyin Bodhisattva and Sun Wukong carried the chair forward and offered:
“Greatest Great King, please sit on the treasure chair!”
Ao Tu said: “What is this?”
Golden Horn Great King explained: “Elder Brother, there was no seat in this cave fitting your status, and you were inconvenienced. This is the throne I sent Fine Ghost and Clever Worm down the mountain to procure. What do you think? Does it suit your taste?”
Ao Tu looked; it was a throne fully four feet six inches wide, two feet eight inches high, laid with gold, inlaid with jewels—truly excellent.
Ao Tu laughed: “Good throne, Virtuous Younger Brother has taken pains!”
Golden Horn Great King said: “Quickly bring the throne up and invite the Greatest Great King to sit!”
Wukong was delighted and hurriedly carried the throne up.
Ao Tu glimpsed this hint of delight and felt it somewhat familiar.
He grew vigilant and did not sit immediately, but instead picked up the wine cup before him on the table, poured a cup of wine, and said:
“Fine Ghost, Clever Worm, you two carried the throne all the way, your merit is great from your labors; I reward you two with a cup of fine wine!”
Guanyin Bodhisattva’s brows slightly furrowed, but to capture this evil beast, she still pretended to be the little demon and said: “Many thanks to the Greatest Great King for the reward!”
Then she and Wukong vied to drink the fine wine.
But Ao Tu recognized her at once, seized Guanyin Bodhisattva’s wrist, and laughed:
“Guanyin, why are you not reciting sutras in the purple bamboo grove but come to trick my wine?”
Seeing the scheme exposed, Guanyin Bodhisattva revealed her true form and in turn seized Ao Tu’s wrist, angry and embarrassed, saying:
“Evil beast, this time you shall not escape again; I must capture you!”
Seeing it was Guanyin Bodhisattva, Golden Horn and Silver Horn were greatly frightened.
Ao Tu was unafraid and extended a Dragon Claw, slapping a palm toward Guanyin Bodhisattva’s chest.
Guanyin extended her palm, not as ferocious as Ao Tu’s Dragon Claw but cultivated to be pure white as jade, meeting Ao Tu’s Dragon Claw.
The two palms met, magic power colliding.
Ao Tu immediately felt his qi and blood surging.
The two contended in magic power; at first Ao Tu’s strength held the upper hand, but Guanyin Bodhisattva’s magic power was stronger and soon reversed to suppress Ao Tu.
On the other side, Golden Horn and Silver Horn joined forces to fight Sun Wukong.
The Lotus Cave was in chaos.
Ao Tu’s eyes shot out two beams of golden light toward Guanyin Bodhisattva.
A divine light appeared at Guanyin Bodhisattva’s brow to protect her body, blocking Ao Tu’s Golden Light. She in turn opened her vermilion lips and spat out a Precious Pearl, smashing toward Ao Tu.
Ao Tu tried to withdraw, but Guanyin Bodhisattva tightly gripped his wrist acupoint, not letting him go.
But Ao Tu turned into a beam of rainbow light; no matter how tightly Guanyin Bodhisattva gripped, he flashed away and easily dodged the Precious Pearl.
Ao Tu shook his wrist and brought out the Purple Gold Red Gourd, aiming at Guanyin Bodhisattva and saying: “Collect!”
Guanyin was unprepared and whoosh, was collected into the gourd.
Ao Tu affixed the label “By decree of Lao Jun, Taishang Laojun commands with utmost haste as the law decrees” and laughed: “Guanyin, this time you shall not escape again!”
Seeing this, Wukong was utterly shocked and hurriedly left with a somersault.
Golden Horn Great King and Silver Horn Great King were equally astonished and said: “Elder Brother, you put Guanyin Bodhisattva inside?”
Ao Tu said: “Indeed!”
Silver Horn Great King said: “But just now you did not call her name, nor did she respond; how did you collect her?”
Golden Horn Great King said: “Right, come to think of it, last time collecting Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing seemed direct too!”
Ao Tu explained: “Last time while comprehending this gourd, I luckily grasped one of its laws, so now I can collect people directly without restriction.”
Silver Horn Great King said in shock: “Elder Brother, what talent! What aptitude!”
Ao Tu said: “It is nothing.”
Golden Horn Great King said: “Now that Guanyin Bodhisattva is inside, in a short while, will she not turn to pus and blood?”
Ao Tu said: “She has divine light protecting her body; she cannot be dissolved.”
With that, he shrank the gourd and placed it in his bosom, lest someone release her.
He also picked up the Precious Pearl from the ground; was it not another innate treasure?
Ao Tu activated the Precious Pearl, from which waves of Buddha’s Light emanated, containing within a complete world of the Heavenly Beings, all Buddhist realms, with supreme Buddha power contained inside.
Merely seeing that Buddha’s Light, Golden Horn Great King and Silver Horn Great King clutched their heads, feeling headaches.
Ao Tu was unaffected.
Although he had long been at odds with Buddhism and had some conflicts, he was truly a High Monk!
He looked again at the throne; after Guanyin Bodhisattva was collected into the gourd, the throne’s magic naturally dissolved, reverting to its original form—a Nine-Ranked Lotus Platform.
This Lotus Platform was a post-innate Merit spiritual treasure, refined by Guanyin Bodhisattva with merit when she attained the position of Bodhisattva.
Ao Tu sat cross-legged on the Lotus Platform and felt his body clear and bright, waves of lotus pure qi coming, resolving layers of doubts from his past cultivation that had been hard to unravel.
“Good treasure!”
Ao Tu was greatly delighted and claimed the Lotus Platform for his own use, planning to sit on the Lotus Platform in the future to comprehend the Purple Gold Red Gourd and Precious Pearl.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Wukong escaped the Lotus Cave and sighed:
“Alas! Alas! Even the Bodhisattva has fallen; this Westward Journey is truly difficult!”
He leaped to Spirit Mountain, to the Great Thunderclap Temple, to seek audience with the Buddha Ancestor.
Diamond guardians at the gate, bhikshus to welcome, Bodhisattvas and Arhats standing on both sides of the treasure temple.
Tathagata saw Wukong and asked: “Wukong, why have you come again?”
Wukong sighed: “Your disciple traveling to Flat-Top Mountain encountered another group of demons colluding with that Demon Dragon Ao Tu to eat my Master. That group of demons has a treasure, extremely powerful, truly hard to overcome. I beg the Buddha to employ great magic power to subdue demons and save my Master.”
Hearing this, Tathagata used his wise eyes to gaze toward Flat-Top Mountain, seeing Golden Horn and Silver Horn, fully aware, and said:
“I have seen those demons, but I cannot help you. Go to the South Sea and ask Venerable Guanyin for assistance.
