When Pa-chieh at length had disentangled himself from the webs, he saw Sun and Sha Ho-shang approaching.  Having learnt what had happened, they feared the women might do some injury to the Master, so they ran to the cave to rescue him.  On the way they were beset by the seven dwarf sons of the seven women, who transformed themselves into a swarm of dragon-flies, bees, and other insects.  But Sun pulled out some hairs and, changing them into seven different swarms of flying insects, destroyed the hostile swarm, and the ground was covered a foot deep with the dead bodies.  On reaching the cave, the pilgrims found it had been deserted by the women.  They released the Master, and made him promise never to beg for food again.  Having given the promise, he mounted his horse, and they proceeded on their journey.

The Spiders and the Extinguisher

When they had gone a short distance they perceived a great building of fine architecture ahead of them.  It proved to be a Taoist temple.  Sha Ho-shang said:  “Let us enter, for Buddhism and Taoism teach the same things.  They differ only in their vestments.”  The Taoist abbot received them with civility and ordered five cups of tea.  Now he was in league with the seven women, and when the servant had made the tea they put poison in each cup.  Sun, however, suspected a conspiracy, and did not drink his tea.  Seeing that the rest had been poisoned, he went and attacked the sisters, who transformed themselves into huge spiders.  They were able to spin ropes instead of webs with which to bind their enemies.  But Sun attacked and killed them all.

The Taoist abbot then showed himself in his true form, a demon with a thousand eyes.  He joined battle with Sun, and a terrible contest ensued, the result being that the Demon succeeded in putting an extinguisher on his enemy.  This was a new trick which Sun did not understand.  However, after trying in vain to break out through the top and sides, he began to bore downward, and, finding that the extinguisher was not deep in the ground, he succeeded in effecting his escape from below.  But he feared that his Master and the others would die of the poison.  At this juncture, while he was suffering mental tortures on their behalf, a Bodhisattva, Lady Pi Lan, came to his rescue.  By the aid of her magic he broke the extinguisher, gave his Master and fellow-disciples pills to counteract the poison, and so rescued them.

Shaving a Whole City

The summer had now arrived.  On the road the pilgrims met an old lady and a little boy.  The old lady said:  “You are priests; do not go forward, for you are about to pass into the country known as the Country that exterminates Religion.  The inhabitants have vowed to kill ten thousand priests.  They have already slain that number all but four noted ones whose arrival they expect; then their number will be complete.”