Now Yue Lung San T’ai-tzu, son of Ao Jun, Dragonking of the Western Sea, having burnt a precious pearl on the roof of his father’s palace, was denounced to Yue Huang, who had him beaten with three hundred blows and suspended in the air.  He was awaiting death when Kuan Yin passed on her way to China.  The unfortunate dragon requested the goddess to have pity on him, whereupon she prevailed upon Yue Huang to spare his life on condition that he served as steed for her pilgrim on the expedition to the Western Paradise.  The dragon was handed over to Kuan Yin, who showed him the deep pool in which he was to dwell while awaiting the arrival of the priest.  It was this dragon who had devoured Hsuean Chuang’s horse, and Kuan Yin now bade him change himself into a horse of the same colour to carry the priest to his destination.  He had the honour of bearing on his back the sacred books that Buddha gave to T’ai Tsung’s deputy, and the first Buddhist temple built at the capital bore the name of Pai-ma Miao, ‘Temple of the White Horse.’

Perils by the Way

It is natural to expect that numberless exciting adventures should befall such an interesting quartette, and indeed the Hsi yu chi, which contains a hundred chapters, is full of them.  The pilgrims encountered eighty difficulties on the journey out and one on the journey home.  The following examples are characteristic of the rest.

The Grove of Cypress-trees

The travellers were making their way westward through shining waters and over green hills, where they found endless luxuriance of vegetation and flowers of all colours in profusion.  But the way was long and lonely, and as darkness came on without any sign of habitation the Priest said:  “Where shall we find a resting-place for the night?” The Monkey replied:  “My Master, he who has left home and become a priest must dine on the wind and lodge on the water, lie down under the moon and sleep in the forest; everywhere is his home; why then ask where shall we rest?” But Pa-chieh, who was the bearer of the pilgrim’s baggage, was not satisfied with this reply, and tried to get his load transferred to the horse, but was silenced when told that the latter’s sole duty was to carry the Master.

However, the Monkey gave Pai Ma a blow with his rod, causing him to start forward at a great pace, and in a few minutes from the brow of a hill Hsuean Chuang espied in the distance a grove of cypress-trees, beneath the shade of which was a large enclosure.  This seemed a suitable place to pass the night, so they made toward it, and as they approached observed in the enclosure a spacious and luxurious establishment.  There being no indications that the place was then inhabited, the Monkey made his way inside.

A Proposal of Marriage