Free Tower of Myriad Mirrors: A Supplement to Journey to the West (Michigan Classics in Chinese Studies) by Yueh Tung

first.” And she said, “Weep for the moon in South Tower.”
     
    Without thinking, Monkey said, “Worship Buddha in the Western Paradise.”
     
    Green Pearl pointed at Monkey and said, “I think you must be confused, Beautiful Lady. Why do you bring up worshipping Buddha in the Western Paradise?”
     
    Monkey said, “My words are profound and want explication. ‘Paradise' means ‘husband'; ‘Western' stands for ‘Western Ch'u'; ‘worship’ means ‘return’ and ‘Buddha’ means ‘heart.’ So what it means is, ‘My heart returns to my husband in Western Ch'u.’ Although he dislikes me, I think only of him.”
     
    Green Pearl breathed a long sigh of admiration.
     
    Monkey feared that if he stayed too long at the banquet it would delay his journey, so he pretended he was drunk and about to throw up.
     
    Hsi-shih said, “Let's not have a third throw. Let's go look at the moon.”
     
    The four of them left the banquet and walked downstairs. They stepped aimlessly over some wild flowers and disported themselves with some water weeds. Monkey, wanting only to find the First Emperor of Ch'in, thought up a plan to get away. “I have a pain in my heart. I can't bear it…can't bear it—please let me go home,” he moaned.
     
    Green Pearl said, “Heart pains are ordinary things for us. Don't you worry, I'll have someone ask Dr. Ch'i Po to come and take your pulse.”
     
    Monkey said, “No, that won't do. These days doctors are the last people I want around. All they can do is make a live man dead and small ills big. When it comes to healing, they only want quick results—they don't care about your body. And if your humors are unbalanced, they make you take ginseng, and then you suffer for it the rest of your life. I still want to go home.”
     
    Green Pearl said, “If you go home and don't see Hegemon Ch'u, you'll get depressed again, and if you see Sorrow of Ch'u, your hatred will start all over again. People with heart pain should avoid depression and hatred.”
     
    The “sisters” all tried to persuade Monkey to stay, but Monkey insisted that he wouldn't. Seeing that the illness was serious and that she couldn't make her stay, Green Pearl could only ask four of her personal maids to escort Beautiful Lady Yü home.
     
    Monkey put on a sleepy face, clasped his hands over his breast, and took leave of the “sisters.” Supported by the four maids, he descended the hundred-foot Fragrance-gripping Pavilion. As they walked toward the main road, Monkey said, “You four go on back. Be sure to say thanks for me, and tell your mistress and my little sister' we'll get together again tomorrow.”
     
    The maids said, “Just a moment ago when we left, Lady Green Pearl instructed us to accompany you all the way to Hegemon Ch'u's estate.”
     
    Monkey said, “So you don't want to return, eh? See my cudgel!”
     
    No sooner had he spoken than the cudgel was in his hand. With one full-power sweep, the four maids were beaten to red powder.
     
    Monkey returned to his real form. He raised his head to look around and found himself directly in front of Nü-kua's 8 gate. He was pleased and said, “Heaven was chopped open by Little Moon King's sky-gougers, and yesterday they put the blame on me. Although Lao-tzu is obnoxious and the Jade Emperor stupid, I made a mistake, too. I shouldn't have done something five hundred years ago to start tongues wagging. Still, I'm not going to surrender myself now.
     
    “I've heard that Nü-kua has had long experience in patching heaven. I'll ask her to fix it for me today and then go crying up to the Palace of Magic Mists and wash myself clean. This is really a great opportunity.”
     
    He walked up to the gate for a better look, but all he saw were two black doors shut tight. The doors were sealed with a piece of paper that said: “Went to the Yellow Emperor's for a chat on the twentieth. Back in ten days. Sorry, honorable visitor. I extend my apologies here in