猪八戒

English (for the teacher)

It was getting dark when master and disciple entered Gao Village, and they ran into a young man hurrying out. Wukong grabbed him and asked where he was going. The young man said his master, old Mr Gao, had sent him to find a holy man who could catch demons. Wukong laughed: "You're in luck. Catching demons is exactly what I'm good at!"

Old Mr Gao invited them into his house and said: "I have three daughters, and the youngest is called Cuilan. Three years ago a young man came here. He said his surname was Zhu, that he had no parents, and that he was willing to live in my house as my son-in-law. When he first came he worked very hard: he ploughed without an ox, brought in the harvest without tools, got up early and went to bed late. I was quite pleased, really."

"But then his looks got uglier and uglier: his mouth grew longer and longer, his ears bigger and bigger, until he had a pig's face! He eats an enormous amount: several big pots of food at one meal, and over a hundred pancakes just for breakfast. A great wind blows whenever he comes and goes, and the neighbours are terrified. Worst of all, he has locked Cuilan in the back rooms, and for half a year he hasn't let us see her!"

Wukong said: "That's easy! Tonight I'll catch him for you." First he had old Mr Gao bring Cuilan to the front of the house, then he turned himself into Cuilan and sat waiting in her room at the back.

In the night a great wind blew, and in came a demon with a long snout and big ears. The moment he came in he tried to hug "Cuilan", but Wukong dodged him on purpose, said he wasn't feeling well, then sighed and said: "My parents say you're too ugly, and they're going to get a holy man to catch you." The demon laughed: "I know thirty-six transformations and I have my nine-toothed rake. Why should I be afraid of a holy man?" "Cuilan" went on: "They say they're going to ask the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, who wrecked the palace of heaven five hundred years ago." When he heard this, his face went white: "If he comes, I'm done for! I'd better go!"

Wukong grabbed him and showed his real face: "Take a good look at who I am!" The terrified demon turned into a great gust of wind and fled back to Cloud Path Cave on Fuling Mountain.

Wukong chased him to the cave mouth, and the two of them fought all night long. As they fought, the demon said: "I was once Marshal Tianpeng in heaven, in command of the sailors on the River of Heaven. Because I got drunk at the Peach Banquet and grabbed the hand of Chang'e in the Moon Palace, the Jade Emperor had me beaten two thousand times and threw me out to the world below. And then, when I was reborn, I took the wrong road and ended up in a pig's belly, and that's how I came to look like this!"

Wukong said: "I'm not a demon any more. I'm protecting the Tang Monk, who has come from the great Tang, on his way to the West for the scriptures." At this he flung his rake to the ground: "Where is the pilgrim? Guanyin told me to wait here for him, and I've been waiting for years! Take me to him, quick!"

He burned down Cloud Path Cave, followed Wukong back to Gao Village and knelt before the Tang Monk. He said: "Guanyin already gave me a name: Zhu Wuneng." The Tang Monk said: "A good name. You've already given up meat, so I'll give you another name as well: Bajie, 'Eight Prohibitions'." From then on everyone called him Zhu Bajie, or Pigsy.

As they were leaving, Bajie bowed to old Mr Gao and said: "Please take good care of my wife. If we don't manage to get the scriptures, I'll come back and be your son-in-law again!" Wukong scolded: "You idiot, stop talking nonsense!"

Now the Tang Monk had two disciples. But ahead lay the widest river yet, and in it lived a monster with a necklace of skulls…