oan like this then don’t carry it,” said Monkey.

“I won’t then,” said Pig.

“Then put your ankles out for twenty strokes of the cudgel,” said Monkey.

“But, brother, your cudgel hits very hard,” protested Pig in panic. “Twenty strokes and I’ll be like this king.”

“If you don’t want a beating then get on with carrying him,” said Monkey. As he really was afraid of a beating Pig dragged the body over, put it across his shoulder and walked out of the palace gardens with an ill grace.

The splendid Great Sage made magic with his hands, said a spell, and blew towards the direction of the wind trigram. At once a tremendous gust of wind plucked Pig out of the palace grounds and over the city wall and moat. The wind then fell, dropping the pair of them on the ground to continue on their way more slowly. The idiot, who was still feeling very hard done by and wanted to get his own back on Monkey, said to himself, “That ape put one over on me, and when we get back to the monastery I’m going to get my own back on him. I’ll tell the master that Monkey can bring the body back to life. When he fails the master will say the Band-tightening Spell and all the brains will be squeezed out of that ape’s head. That’s the only way I’ll be satisfied. No, that’s no good,” he went on to think as he walked along. “If I ask him to revive the body that’ll be too easy for him. He’ll only have to call on the King of Hell and ask for the king’s soul back. The best way will be to ban him from going to the Underworld. He’ll have to bring the king back to life in the world of the

living.”

While he was still thinking these thoughts he arrived back at the monastery gates. He went straight in, flung the corpse to the ground right in front of the doors to the meditation hall, and shouted, “Master, come and see a freak.” The Tang Priest, unable to sleep, was talking to Friar Sand about how Monkey had tricked Pig into going and how long they’d been gone when he heard Pig’s shout. The Tang Priest got straight out of bed and said, “See what?”

“Brother Monkey’s grandpa, and I’ve had to carry him back,” said Pig.

“You dreg-guzzling idiot,” said Monkey. “I’ve got no grandpa.”

“Well, brother,” replied Pig, “if he isn’t your grandpa, why did you make me carry him? It was damned hard work.”

When Sanzang and Friar Sand opened the doors to look they saw that the king’s face was quite unchanged from what it had been in life. “Your Majesty,” said the Tang Priest sorrowfully, “who knows in what earlier life you earned the wizard’s hatred? That must be why when you met in this one he murdered you and snatched you from your wives and children unbeknown to any of the civilian or military officials. What a pity it was that in their ignorance your wives and children should never have burnt incense and offered tea to your spirit.” He broke into sobs and his tears poured down like rain.

“What’s his death to you?” asked Pig, laughing at Sanzang. “He’s not your father or grandfather, so why weep for him?”

“Disciple,” sighed Sanzang, “compassion is the fundamental quality of a monk, and helping others is a monk’s way. How can you be so hard-hearted?”

“I’m not hard-hearted,” said Pig. “Monkey told me that he could bring this body back to life. Otherwise I wouldn’t have carried it here.” The venerable elder, as easily swayed as ever, was taken in by the idiot.

“Wukong,” he called, “if you have the power to bring this king back to life, it would be a case of saving a single human life being better than building a seven-storied pagoda. For us it would be even better than worshipping the Buddha on Thunder Peak.”

“Don’t believe that idiot’s nonsense, Master,” said Monkey. “By the time people have been dead for three weeks, then five weeks, and finally for seven hundred days, they’ve paid for all their sins in this life and go off to be reborn. He’s been dead for three years now. He’s beyond saving.”

At this the Tang Priest said, “Oh well, forget it.” Pig was still burning with a sense of injustice. “Master,” he said, “don’t be taken in by him. He’s talking rubbish. You just recite your spell and I guarantee he’ll bring the king back to life for you.” The Tang Priest did indeed say the Band-tightening Spell, which squeezed Monkey so badly that his eyes bulged and his head ached.

If you don’t know how the king was revived, listen to the explanation in the next installment.