When the first watch of the night had sounded, the Monkey King was still not asleep. He crept over to Bajie’s bed and shouted directly into his ear:
“Wake up, already!”
Piggy was utterly exhausted. He was one of those men who, once their head hit the pillow, were impossible to rouse. With no other choice, the Pilgrim grabbed him by the ears and yanked his hair without mercy.
At last, Bajie stopped snoring. He opened his eyes and cried out in protest:
“Stop playing around and go to sleep! Don’t you realize we have to continue our journey tomorrow?”
The Monkey King replied:
“This isn’t play. You must get up—it’s urgent. There’s something we must take care of immediately.”
“What kind of thing?” Bajie asked.
Wukong lied smoothly:
“It’s about the monster. I just remembered—he possesses a very powerful treasure. Tomorrow, when we enter the city, we’ll surely have to fight him. But if he brings out that treasure, we won’t stand a chance—we’ll suffer a humiliating defeat. That’s why I thought it would be wise to act before the battle.”
Bajie complained:
“Are you suggesting I become a thief? Well, fine—you always win. But let me make one thing perfectly clear: after we’ve taken the treasure and defeated the beast, I don’t want any arguments about who gets to keep it. I demand that it be mine alone. Agreed?”
“Agreed,” said the Monkey King.
“I have no objection at all. Fame is all I care for—I’m not interested in treasures.”
Under Cover of Darkness
Delighted, Bajie leapt from his bed without hesitation. He dressed quickly and followed the Monkey King outside.
Together, Bajie and Wukong carefully opened the door and rose into the sky on a cloud, heading toward the Black Rooster Kingdom.
They did not take long to arrive. It was precisely the hour of the second watch when they set foot inside the palace. The Monkey King lifted his head and said:
“Did you hear that? They just rang the bell for the second watch.”
Bajie confirmed:
“That’s right. Everyone is sleeping soundly now.”
They searched cautiously until they found the path leading to the imperial garden, which they soon located.
Above the gate were written three characters: The Imperial Garden.
The Monkey King never forgot the Tang Monk’s dream, and so he recalled clearly that the well lay beneath a plantain tree. It wasn’t long before he found it.
Urgently, Wukong called to Bajie:
“Let’s get to work. The treasure is buried right under this plantain.”
Bajie raised his rake with both hands and, with a single blow, tore up the lone plantain tree. He struck a stone slab and exclaimed joyfully:
“What luck! I think I’ve found the treasure. What else could possibly lie beneath such a large stone?”
“Why don’t you lift the stone and see?” suggested Wukong.
As soon as the slab was moved, dazzling rays of light burst forth from below, causing Bajie to cry out again:
“What incredible fortune! This treasure shines like gold!”
But upon looking more closely, Bajie realized that what he thought was shining was merely the reflection of stars and moonlight on water—inside the well.
Descent into the Abyss
Disappointed, he muttered:
“It’s just a well. If you’d told me back at the monastery, I would’ve brought ropes. It’s nearly impossible to climb down such a wall barehanded. How am I supposed to do it empty-handed?”
Wukong took out his Golden-Hooped Rod, gripped it by the ends, and shouted:
“Grow!” Instantly, the rod stretched to a length of more than twenty meters.
Turning to Bajie, he added:
“Grab onto one end, and I’ll lower you down slowly.”
Bajie agreed:
“All right—but stop when I reach the water level.”
“Don’t worry,” said the Monkey King.
Bajie grasped one end of the staff while the Monkey King carefully lowered him into the well. Soon, Bajie reached the water.
“Have you found the treasure yet?” Wukong shouted from above.
Bajie replied:
“No. There’s only water here.”
Wukong explained:
“It must have sunk deeper. Why don’t you dive down and look around?”
Bajie was quite familiar with water and obeyed at once. However, the well was extremely deep. He dove a second time, and as he opened his eyes underwater, he saw a tall building resembling a tower, on which were inscribed three words: Crystal Palace.
Discouraged, Bajie murmured to himself:
“Well now! I must’ve taken a wrong turn—I’ve somehow ended up in the ocean itself. Where else would a Crystal Palace exist? Unless, of course, there really is one inside this well—which seems rather unlikely.”
Just then, the Dragon King emerged from the palace entrance, accompanied by his retinue. Raising his voice, he said:
“We are honored to welcome you, Marshal of the Heavenly Reeds.”
Relieved, Bajie whispered to himself:
“Good thing these folks are friends.”
The Dragon King continued:
“I’ve heard that you escaped death thanks to your decision to embrace Buddhism and accompany the Tang Monk westward in search of sacred scriptures. May I ask what brings you here today?”
Bajie replied:
“I was just about to tell you. My brother, Sun Wukong, first sends his most respectful greetings—and second, he asks that you hand over a certain treasure hidden here.”
The Dragon King responded:
“I assure you, I have no such treasure. There is, however, one item barely worth calling a treasure—it cannot be removed easily. If you wish, you may see it for yourself.”
Bajie concluded:
“Very well. I expected nothing less from you.”
The King’s Corpse
The Dragon King led him deeper into the palace. After passing through the Crystal Palace, they entered a long corridor where lay a corpse approximately six feet in length.
Pointing at it with his hand, the Dragon King said:
“This is the only treasure we have here.”
Bajie approached and confirmed it was indeed a dead king.
“This is no treasure. I’m greatly surprised that you consider something utterly worthless to be a treasure.”
The Dragon King affirmed:
“You must not know the whole story. In fact, this is the corpse of the Lord of the Black Rooster Kingdom. I’m sure that if you bring this to the Great Sage—who, incidentally, is very eager to revive him—you will gain far more than mere treasure. Once resurrected, he will surely shower you with riches and honors.”
Bajie asked:
“In that case, I’ll carry him. But how much will you pay me?”
The Dragon King replied:
“I’m afraid I can’t pay anything. I have no money.”
Bajie protested:
“You mean to hire someone without paying them? No deal—I give up!”
The Dragon King concluded:
“If you’re unwilling to carry him, then you’d best leave.”
So Bajie turned to go.
Nevertheless, the Dragon King ordered two of his subjects to pick up the corpse and throw it outside the Crystal Palace.
Bajie looked behind but could no longer see the entrance to the Crystal Palace.
Desperately, he shouted:
“Lower the iron rod and save me!”
“Did you find the treasure?” Wukong asked.
Bajie answered:
“There’s no treasure down here. The Dragon King who lives in this well asked me to pull out a corpse—but I refused outright. Please, please, get me out of here as quickly as possible!”
The Monkey King confessed:
“The very corpse you speak of is exactly the treasure I was after. Why don’t you bring it up?”
“Why?! This man must have been dead for ages! I’m not brave enough to carry him!” Bajie protested.
“If you don’t bring him,” Wukong concluded, “I’ll leave alone and abandon you down here.”
Crying out in frustration, the Piggy pleaded:
“Wait a minute! How can I possibly escape without your help? Appeal to your sense of brotherhood—I’ll carry the corpse.”
Looking down into the well, the Monkey King saw that, indeed, the king’s body now rested on Bajie’s back. Only then did he agree to lower the rod into the water.
Whirlwind Escape
As soon as they emerged from the garden, the Monkey King made a magical gesture with his fingers, recited an incantation, and turned toward the southwest. Filling his lungs with air, he exhaled with all his might, conjuring a hurricane-force wind that carried Bajie out of the palace. Soon, they also left the city far behind.
Though silent, the Piggy was furious, constantly plotting how he might take revenge on the Monkey King.
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