Chapter 88: The Zen Teaching Reaches Yuhua; The Mind-Monkey and Wood-Mother Instruct the Disciples

Tripitaka happily took leave of the magistrate. Riding along, he said to Wukong, "Virtuous disciple, this good result truly surpasses the rescue of the children in Biqiu Kingdom. It is all your merit."

Sha Wujing said, "In Biqiu Kingdom we saved only one thousand one hundred and eleven children. How can that compare to this great rain, which soaked and nourished tens of thousands and countless lives? Your disciple also secretly praises Senior Brother's heaven-piercing power and earth-covering compassion."

Bajie laughed. "Brother has both kindness and virtue, but under all that outward righteousness there is still a heart that likes to cause trouble. If you only travel with Old Pig, you will always make a fool of people."

Wukong said, "When have I ever made a fool of you?"

Bajie said, "That is enough, that is enough. You have always arranged for me to be tired, hung up, boiled, and steamed.

"Now you have done a good deed for tens of thousands of people in Fengxian County, and you should stay there for half a year and let me eat a few good meals in peace. Yet you keep urging us on the road."

The elder shouted, "You fool, why do you only think about stuffing your mouth? Move along and stop bickering."

Bajie dared say no more. He puckered his mouth, took the luggage, and laughed as they hurried onto the road.

Time moved like a shuttle, and it was deep autumn. They saw:

The watermarks had shrunk and the hills were thin. Red leaves drifted everywhere, and yellow flowers were in season. Frosty days made the nights seem long, and the moonlight slipped through the windows. Everywhere the evening fires shone and the water in the lake and streams gleamed cold. White pondweed gave off its scent, and red smartweed grew thick. Oranges were green and tangerines yellow, while willows were faded and grain fields were rich. In the deserted village wild geese fell among broken reeds, and at the inn the cocks cried over beans and millet.

After they had traveled a good while, they saw city walls in the distance. The elder raised his whip and pointed, calling, "Wukong, look there. There is another city ahead. I wonder what place it is."

Wukong said, "We have not been there, so how would we know? Let us go closer and ask someone."

Before he could finish, an old man came out of the trees, carrying a bamboo staff, wearing light clothes and a pair of brown shoes, with a flat sash around his waist.

Tripitaka hurriedly rolled down from the saddle and went forward to ask after him. The old man leaned on his staff and returned the greeting, then asked, "Holy master, where have you come from?"

Tripitaka joined his hands and said, "This poor monk is one sent by Great Tang in the Eastern Land to worship the Buddha in Thunderclap Monastery and seek the scriptures. Now we have reached this honored place and can see the city walls from afar, but we do not know what place this is. I beg the elder to instruct us."

The old man said, "Holy master, I live here in a lower county of India, in a place called Yuhua County. The city lord in this county is a relative of the emperor of India, and he is titled the Yuhua King. This king is very wise, devoted to monks and Daoists, and kind to the people. If holy master goes to see him, you will surely be received with great respect."

Tripitaka thanked him, and the old man went on through the woods.

Tripitaka turned back and told his disciples what had happened. The three of them were delighted and helped their master mount up again.

Tripitaka said, "It is not far. No need to ride."

So the four of them walked to the city streets and looked around. The people in the outer district were buying and selling, and the crowds were thick and busy. Their speech and appearance were no different from those in Central China.

Tripitaka instructed them, "Disciples, be careful. Do not act wildly."

Bajie lowered his head, Sha Wujing covered his face, and only Sun Wukong kept his hand under Tripitaka's arm. People on both sides came crowding to stare, and all cried out, "We have only seen monks who can subdue dragons and tigers. We have never seen a monk who can subdue pigs and monkeys."

Bajie could not hold back. He lifted his snout and said, "Have you ever seen a monk who can subdue the Pig King?"

The whole street was so frightened that people stumbled and stumbled backward, dodging to either side.

Wukong laughed. "Fool, hide that mouth. Stop making a rustic display. Watch your step on the bridge."

The Foolish One only laughed with his head down.

They crossed the suspension bridge and entered the city gate. Inside, they saw teahouses and singing halls along the main street, busy and prosperous. Truly it was a city of the divine realm. There is a poem to prove it:

The fortified city is strong as iron for ten thousand years, and set beside water and mountains it is bright in every way.
Boats from the lake carry goods into the marketplace, and every house hangs a curtain in front of its wine shop.
Towers and pavilions rise everywhere, and the streets and lanes are full of merchants and travelers from morning to night.
It is no less fine than Chang'an, and the crowing of cocks and barking of dogs are all part of the scene.

Tripitaka was secretly delighted and thought, "People say the western regions are full of foreign kingdoms. I have never before seen a place like this. Looking closely, it is no different from my Great Tang. This is truly what one might call a Blissful Land."

He also heard people say that a peck of white rice cost four cash, and a jin of sesame oil cost eight small cash. It was truly a place where the five grains prospered.

After walking for some time, they reached the Yuhua King's yamen. To the left and right of the gate were the offices of the chief clerk, the judicial office, the kitchen office, and the guest hall.

Tripitaka said, "Disciples, this is the yamen. Let me go in and pay my respects to the king and have the travel document checked."

Bajie said, "Master, if you go in, may we stand at the front of the office?"

Tripitaka said, "Do you not see the words 'Guest Hall' on the gate? You may all go there and sit. See if there is fodder. Buy some to feed the horse. If I see the king and receive a vegetarian meal, I will call you to share it."

Wukong said, "Master, please go in without worry. Old Sun will take care of the rest."

Sha Wujing carried the luggage into the guest hall. The hall keeper saw how ugly they looked and did not dare question them or drive them away. He only let them sit there, and no more need be said.

The elder changed his clothes and cap, took the travel document, and went straight to the king's palace.

At the gate he saw the ceremonial usher, who asked, "Holy monk, where are you from?"

Tripitaka said, "I am a monk sent by Great Tang in the Eastern Land to worship the Buddha in the Great Thunderclap Monastery and seek the scriptures. I have now reached your honored country and wish to exchange my travel document, so I have come to pay my respects to Your Highness."

The usher reported it at once. The prince was indeed wise and capable, and he gave orders to admit them.

Tripitaka entered below the hall and bowed. The prince invited him to the hall and gave him a seat. Tripitaka presented his travel document. The prince read it, saw the seals and signatures of all the kingdoms, and gladly stamped it with the royal seal and marked it with a floral note before folding it away on the desk.

He asked, "Master, from your Great Tang to here, how many countries have you crossed and how far have you traveled?"

Tripitaka said, "This poor monk has not kept track of the road, but in earlier years Guanyin Bodhisattva appeared before our king and left a verse saying the road to the West is one hundred and eight thousand li. I have now spent fourteen winters and summers on the road."

The prince laughed. "Fourteen winters and summers means fourteen years. I suppose there has been some delay on the road?"

Tripitaka said, "There is too much to tell. Among ten thousand hibernating demons and thousand demons, I do not know how much hardship I have suffered before I could reach your honored place."

The prince was very pleased and immediately ordered the kitchen office to prepare a vegetarian meal.

Tripitaka said, "Your Highness, my three little disciples are waiting outside. I dare not accept the meal without them, and I fear the journey will be delayed."

The prince ordered, "Attendant, hurry and invite the three disciples into the palace to eat with us."

The court usher went out to invite them and only kept saying, "I have never seen such things, never seen such things."

One of the attendants said, "There are three ugly monks sitting in the guest hall. They must be the ones."

Bajie was dozing off when he heard the word "meal" and could not help jumping up. "We are the ones, we are the ones."

When the usher saw him, he lost his soul and cried, "It is a pig spirit, a pig spirit!"

Wukong heard that and grabbed Bajie at once. "Brother, be more civilized. Do not act like a country bumpkin."

The officials saw Wukong and cried, "It is a monkey spirit, a monkey spirit!"

Sha Wujing folded his hands and said, "My lords, do not be frightened. The three of us are all disciples of Tripitaka."

The officials cried again, "It is the Stove Lord, the Stove Lord!"

Sun Wukong then told Bajie to lead the horse, while Sha Wujing carried the luggage, and they all went with the officials into the Yuhua King's palace. The court usher went in first to announce them.

The prince looked up and, seeing how ugly they were, was afraid in his heart too.

Tripitaka joined his palms and said, "Your Highness, do not worry. My unruly disciples are ugly in appearance, but all three have kind hearts."

Bajie bowed and said, "This poor monk pays his respects."

The prince grew even more alarmed.

Tripitaka said, "My unruly disciples were gathered from the mountains and wilds. They do not know courtly etiquette. I beg your pardon."

The prince could not overcome his fear, so he ordered the kitchen office to invite the monks to the stripped-silk pavilion for a vegetarian meal.

Tripitaka thanked him, took leave of the king, and went with his disciples to the pavilion. There he blamed Bajie, saying, "You blundering thing, you do not know the least bit of etiquette. It would have been better if you had not spoken at all. Why did you have to be so crude? One sentence and you nearly knocked over Mount Tai."

Wukong laughed. "It was better that I did not bow. It saved me some effort."

Sha Wujing said, "He bowed, but not evenly. First he puckered his mouth and shouted."

Bajie said, "That is too much, too much. The other day Master told me to greet people with a bow as proper etiquette, and today I am told that bowing is wrong. What am I supposed to do?"

Tripitaka said, "I told you to bow when you meet people, not to go twisting and fussing before a prince. As the old saying goes, 'Things have different ranks, and people have different ranks.' Why can you not tell noble from lowly?"

As they were speaking, the kitchen office brought the tables and chairs and set out the vegetarian meal.

The pilgrims said nothing and simply ate.

The prince returned to the inner palace. Inside were three young princes, and when they saw the change in his face, they asked, "Father, why are you so frightened today?"

The prince said, "Just now a monk from the Great Tang in the Eastern Land came to exchange his travel document. He was far from ordinary. I invited him to a vegetarian meal, and he said his disciples were waiting in the office, so I had them invited too. When they came in, I did not have them make the proper bows, and I already felt uneasy. Then I looked up and saw that they were all ugly as demons, and I could not help being shocked. That is why my face changed."

The three princes were unlike the common run. Each one loved martial skill and strength, and they rolled up their sleeves and clenched their fists.

"What if they are demons from the mountains pretending to be men? Let us take our weapons and go look."

The brave princes each took a staff at eyebrow height, a nine-toothed rake, and a black lacquered staff. Stiff-backed and high-spirited, they walked out of the palace shouting, "Where are those monks who are seeking the scriptures?"

The kitchen office and the other attendants knelt and said, "Your young highnesses, they are eating in the stripped-silk pavilion."

The princes did not distinguish good from bad and burst in, shouting, "Are you people or monsters? Speak quickly and I will spare your lives."

Tripitaka turned pale and put down his bowl, bowed low, and said, "This poor monk is a human being, a monk from Great Tang who came to seek the scriptures. Not a monster."

The princes said, "You may look like a human, but the three ugly ones are definitely monsters."

Bajie kept on eating and paid them no mind.

Sha Wujing and Wukong stood and folded their hands. "We are all human. Though our faces are ugly, our hearts are good. Though we are clumsy, our natures are kind. What brings you three here, and why are you being so arrogant?"

The attendants said, "The three are the young highnesses of our king."

Bajie dropped his bowl. "Young highnesses? Why are you all holding weapons? Are you here to fight us?"

The second prince stepped forward, brandishing the rake with both hands, and was about to strike Bajie.

Bajie laughed. "Your rake is only fit to be my rake's grandson."

He opened his robe and took out his rake from his waist. When he shook it once, golden light blazed ten thousand ways, and when he let it settle, thousandfold auspicious air spread out. The prince was so frightened his hands and sinews went weak and he could not swing it anymore.

Wukong saw the eldest prince using a staff at eyebrow height and hopping around. He reached into his ear, pulled out the Golden-Hooped Rod, and shook it once. It became as thick as a bowl and stood upright more than a zhang long.

He drove it into the ground to a depth of three chi and stood it there. Smiling, he said, "I will give you this staff."

The prince heard that and dropped his own staff to try to lift Wukong's. He used all his strength with both hands but could not move it even a hair. He tried again, lifting and shaking, but it was as though the staff had rooted itself.

The third prince grew fierce and grabbed his black lacquered staff to strike. Sha Wujing split the blow with one hand, took out his Demon-Subduing Treasure Staff, and twisted it once. It flashed with splendid light and brilliant red mist.

The kitchen officials were so frightened that they stood there dazed and speechless.

The three princes all knelt at once. "Divine masters, divine masters! We are common men and did not know. We beg you to show us a little of your skill so we can worship and learn."

Wukong came forward, lifted the staff lightly, and said, "This place is too cramped. It is not good for displaying it. Let me jump into the air and perform a set for you to watch."

That Great Sage whistled once, shook into a somersault, and with both feet stepped on five-colored auspicious clouds, rising three hundred paces into the sky. He let loose the Golden-Hooped Rod in a "scatter-flowers-and-cover-the-top" move and a "yellow dragon turns its body" move, rising and falling, left and right, first with man and staff like flowers on brocade, and then until no man could be seen, only a sky full of rolling staff shadows.

Bajie below shouted his praise and could not resist. He cried, "Let Old Pig go show off too."

That Foolish One leaped on the wind and rose into the air, spinning out his rake in all directions, three up and four down, five left and six right, seven in front and eight behind, full of skill. Only the sound of the wind could be heard.

Just as he reached the liveliest part, Sha Wujing said to Tripitaka, "Master, let Old Sha go perform too."

That good monk leaped with both feet, swung his staff, and rose into the air. There the sharp air shimmered and golden light drifted. With both hands he used the Demon-Subduing Staff in a "red phoenix greeting the sun" and "starving tiger pounces on prey" pattern, pressing and blocking, turning and darting in a hurry.

The three brothers displayed their full magic powers and all together showed their might in the air. Truly:

The true Zen scene was beyond comparison, and the great Way filled the whole sky.
Metal and wood showed their force in the law realm, and the implements turned through perfect circulation.
Divine weapons and refined treasures showed their brilliance at every turn and were honored everywhere.
Though India is lofty, it still must guard the nature within; the Yuhua princes at last returned to the mean.

The three princes were so frightened that they knelt in the dust.

The men and women of the stripped-silk pavilion and the palace, the old princes in the palace, the soldiers and common people in the city, monks and Daoists alike, everyone knelt and worshiped in every house, reciting the Buddha's name.

Truly, when one sees the image, one returns to truth and saves the monks; in this world, one does good and enjoys peace.

From now on, the road to enlightenment is truly right, and all are people who contemplate Zen and worship Buddha.

The three of them showed off their skills for a while, then lowered the auspicious clouds and put away their weapons.

They came before Tripitaka, paid their respects, thanked him for his kindness, and sat down.

The three princes hurried back to the inner palace and reported to the old king, "Father, a thousand blessings to you. Today there is great merit. Did you see the performance in the sky just now?"

The old king said, "I only saw the rosy light in the air. I went into the palace courtyard with your mother and the others to burn incense and bow, and I did not know which immortals had descended."

The princes said, "They were not some immortals. They were the three ugly disciples of the scripture-seeking monk.

"One wielded the Golden-Hooped Iron Staff, one wielded the Nine-Toothed Rake, and one wielded the Demon-Subduing Treasure Staff. Compared with them, ours did not amount to a thing. We asked them to show us a set, and they said, 'The ground is too cramped for that. Let us rise into the air and show you.' Then they each rode clouds and filled the sky with radiant light and auspicious vapor.

"When they came down just now, they sat in the stripped-silk pavilion. Your sons were so delighted that we wanted to take them as teachers and learn their skills so we could guard our kingdom. This truly is a great merit. What does Father think?"

When the old king heard this, he believed them and was pleased.

At that time father and sons did not use the royal carriage, nor the canopies. They walked to the stripped-silk pavilion.

The four pilgrims had packed their luggage and were preparing to go into the palace to thank them for the meal and take their leave. Just then they saw the Yuhua king and his sons coming up to the pavilion, so they bowed to the ground. The elder hurried to rise and return the bow, and Wukong and the others stepped aside with a faint cold smile.

After the bowing was done, they invited the four pilgrims into the palace hall to sit. The four went in gladly.

The old king rose and said, "Tang master, I have one request, and I do not know whether your three excellent disciples can agree."

Tripitaka said, "Whatever Your Highness orders, my disciples would not dare refuse."

The old king said, "When I first saw your honored party, I only thought you were traveling monks from the Tang dynasty. Truly, with mortal eyes, I was too ready to slight you. But when I saw Master Sun, Master Pig, and Master Sand dancing in the air, I knew then that you were immortals and Buddhas. My three little dogs are all fond of martial skill. Today they have made their hearts sincere and wish to take you as teachers and learn some fighting art. I beg the master to open your heavenly and earthly compassion and unfold the boat of mercy, so that you may transmit your art to my children. I will repay you with the wealth of a whole city."

Wukong could not help laughing. "Your Highness, how can you be so improper? We are monks. We are only too happy to have students. Since your sons have a heart for goodness, do not mention even a hair's worth of gain. Let us treat each other only with sincerity. That is enough affection."

The princes were delighted to hear it.

The king immediately ordered a grand banquet to be laid out in the main hall of the palace.

Truly:

The colored hangings swayed and the incense smoke was thick.
The gilded tables shone with gauze covers, dazzling the eyes.
The painted chairs were draped in brocade, adding splendor to the seats.
Fresh fruits were heaped up, and the tea and broth gave off fragrance.
Three or five delicate dishes were sweet and light.
One or two baskets of buns were full and clean.
Steamed pastries and honey sweets were beyond compare, and fried dishes glazed with syrup were truly fine.
Several jars of fragrant glutinous vegetarian wine were poured out, and they surpassed even jade liquor.
A few rounds of Yangxian fairy tea were presented, and when the cups were lifted, their scent overcame the cassia.
Every item and every dish was complete, and every line and every kind was marvelously arranged.

At one side singers, dancers, flute-players, and actors were summoned to perform. The pilgrims and the royal family all enjoyed the day together.

Before they knew it, night had fallen and the banquet was over. They were then given a place to sleep in the stripped-silk pavilion, with curtains and bedding laid out, so that the master could rest there. They would wait until the next morning to burn incense in sincerity and beg once more for martial instruction.

Everyone obeyed. Incense water was prepared, and the master was invited to bathe. The others then went to their own beds.

At that time:

Birds nested high while the myriad sounds fell silent; the poet lay down and stopped reciting.
The Milky Way shone bright, and the sky grew vastly clear.
The wild path lay desolate, and the grass was even deeper.
Pestles and mallets clanged from a neighboring court, and the distant mountains stirred homesickness.
The clear cry of the crickets told of human feeling, and their sharp notes at the bedside broke the dream.

The late-night scene is now told. The next morning, the old king and his sons came again to pay their respects. The elder's first meeting had been a kingly one, but now they paid a master's respect.

The three princes bowed to Wukong, Bajie, and Sha Wujing and asked, "May we borrow your weapons and look at them, masters?"

Bajie heard this and happily took out his rake and tossed it to the ground. Sha Wujing threw out his treasure staff and leaned it against the wall. The second prince and the third prince leaped up to grasp them, but it was like a dragonfly shaking a stone pillar. They tugged until their faces turned red, but could not move them at all.

When the eldest prince saw that, he cried, "Brothers, stop straining. The master's weapons are all divine weapons. Who knows how heavy they are?"

Bajie laughed. "My rake is not very heavy. It is only the weight of one cang. With the handle, it weighs five thousand and forty-eight jin."

The third prince asked Sha Wujing, "How much does the master's treasure staff weigh?"

Sha Wujing laughed. "It is also five thousand and forty-eight jin."

The eldest prince asked to see Wukong's Golden-Hooped Rod.

Wukong took a needle from his ear, shook it in the wind, and it became as thick as a bowl, standing straight before them.

The king and his sons all trembled. The officials were all shocked too.

The three princes bowed again and again. "Master Pig, Master Sand, your weapons are carried under your clothes and can be taken out at once. Why does Master Sun take his from his ear, where it grows large as soon as it meets the wind?"

Wukong laughed. "You do not know that my rod is not an ordinary object you would find in the world. This rod is:

Iron refined from primordial chaos, fashioned by the divine man Yu the Great himself.
It knows well the shallows and depths of lakes, seas, rivers, and streams.
In the age of opening mountains and controlling waters, it was left in the eastern sea to guard the tide gate.
Over long years it shed colored clouds and could grow or shrink, shining pure and bright.
Old Sun was fated to take it, and through a spell it changes without limit.
It can become as large as the whole cosmos or as small as a needle's tip.
It is called the Ruyi Jingu Bang, unique in heaven and earth.
It weighs thirteen thousand five hundred jin, and it can grow thick or thin at will.
It helped me make trouble in the Heavenly Palace, and it followed me in my attacks on the earth courts.
It subdues tigers and tames dragons wherever it goes, and it refines demons and removes monsters everywhere.
A single point of it can darken the sun and make heaven and earth, ghosts and gods all tremble.
From ancient times to now, this immortal-transmitted staff has never been ordinary iron."

When the princes heard that, they bowed without end.

They came forward again and again, bowing earnestly and asking to be taught.

Wukong said, "What sort of martial art do the three of you wish to learn?"

The princes said, "If we use a staff, we would like to learn the staff. If we are used to the rake, we would like to learn the rake. If we like to use a staff, we would like to learn the staff."

Wukong laughed. "Teaching is easy enough. But you have no strength, so you cannot use our weapons. I fear you would not learn them well and would end up like a man trying to paint a tiger and getting a dog instead. As the old saying goes, 'When training is not strict, the fault lies with the teacher. When learning is not successful, the fault lies with the child.' Since you are sincere, go burn incense and bow to Heaven and Earth first. I will first give you some divine strength, and then I can teach you the martial art."

The three princes were overjoyed.

They personally carried the incense table, washed their hands, burned incense, and bowed to heaven. After the bowing, they asked their master to transmit the law.

Wukong turned to Tripitaka and bowed. "I beg the master's pardon for this disciple's offense. Since the year when I was saved by your great virtue at Five Elements Mountain and accepted your teaching as a monk, I have traveled west all along the road. Though I have not yet repaid your kindness, I have crossed water and climbed mountains and done my utmost. Now, in this land of the Buddha, I have happily met these three sons of a worthy king, and they wish to take us as teachers and learn martial skill. Since they would be our disciples, they are also your disciples' disciples. I respectfully report this to you so that I may teach them."

Tripitaka was very pleased.

Bajie and Sha Wujing saw Wukong bowing, and they too turned to Tripitaka and kowtowed. "Master, we are dull and clumsy, and poor at speech. We beg the master to sit high in the seat of the law and let us each take a disciple to play with. It will also be a memory of the western road."

Tripitaka gladly agreed.

Only then did Wukong tell the three princes to go to the back of the stripped-silk pavilion, into a quiet chamber, and draw a ritual circle. He told the three to prostrate themselves within it, close their eyes, and calm their spirits.

There he silently chanted the true words and recited the spell, blowing immortal breath into the three princes' hearts and bellies and drawing their primal spirits back to their proper homes.

He transmitted the formulas and bestowed upon them boundless arm strength, raising their fire through all proper stages, just like shedding the old body and replacing the bones. He worked through the middle and midnight circuits of the celestial cycle, and only then did the three princes wake up. They all climbed to their feet, wiped their faces, and shook themselves awake, their spirits high and their bones and sinews strong. The eldest prince could now lift the Golden-Hooped Rod; the second prince could now swing the nine-toothed rake; the third prince could now raise the Demon-Subduing Staff.

The old king was overjoyed.

They again arranged a vegetarian feast and invited the four pilgrims to receive thanks. At the banquet they each passed on what they had taught, and the princes practiced accordingly. The ones who studied the staff practiced staff work; the ones who studied the rake practiced rake work; the one who studied the staff practiced staff work.

Although they could turn a few circles and throw out a few tricks, they were still mortal and had only so much strength. They could not endure long. Their weapons, however, were all able to change form, advancing and withdrawing with rising and shrinking as naturally as could be. Such could not be matched in a rush by mortal skill.

That day the banquet ended.

The next day, the three princes came again to thank them, saying, "We are deeply grateful that the divine masters have given us arm strength. Even if we can swing the master's weapons, they are still hard to change. We would like to ask a craftsman to make new weapons modeled on the forms of your divine weapons, but cut down in weight. We do not know whether the masters would allow it."

Bajie said, "Good, good. That makes sense. First, your hands cannot use our weapons. Second, we must use our gear to guard the law and subdue demons. We should indeed make new ones."

The princes immediately summoned blacksmiths and bought ten thousand jin of steel. They built a foundry in the palace courtyard and set up the furnace to cast them. On the first day, the steel was fully refined. On the second day, they asked Wukong and the others to take out the Golden-Hooped Rod, the nine-toothed rake, and the Demon-Subduing Staff and place them in the foundry shed so the smiths could copy the shapes. So they worked through the day and night without rest.

Ah! These weapons were their precious companions, not to be parted from for an instant. Hidden in their bodies, they had their own radiance and aura. But when they were placed in the foundry yard for a few days, their rosy light shot up in ten thousand directions, and their auspicious air spread a thousand ways across the ground.

That night a demon, living only seventy li from the city in a mountain called Panther-Head Mountain and a cave called Tiger-Mouth Cave, was sitting in the dark when he suddenly saw the rosy light and auspicious air. He mounted clouds to inspect it and saw that the source of the light was inside the royal palace.

He lowered the cloud and looked closely. It was the three weapons shining. The demon was both pleased and covetous. "Fine treasures, fine treasures. Whose weapons are these, placed here like this? It is my fate. I will take them. I will take them."

As soon as his desire moved, he showed his might, gathered the three weapons in one sweep, and returned straight to his cave.

Truly:

The Way must not be left, even for a moment; if it can be left, it is not the Way.
Divine weapons all fall into emptiness, and the cultivator's labor is wasted.

But how he would later find those weapons again, that must wait for the next chapter.