Tripitaka said:
“When I left Chang’an, I vowed in the Hall of the Dharma Gates that I would not pass by a temple without burning incense, nor a monastery without paying homage to Buddha, nor a pagoda without sweeping its courtyard or stairs.”
Sweep the Pagoda
Addressing the monks, Tripitaka added:
“It was precisely near such a structure that all your troubles began. Why don’t you bring me a broom? I think I will take a bath first — it will put me in the right frame of mind to try and discover what caused your pagoda to lose its radiance. Once I find out, I shall report to the king, and he will lift the terrible punishment.”
Upon hearing this, the monks ran off to the kitchen to wash pots and prepare some food. Tang Monk and his disciples were soon seated at the table. As evening began to fall, a shackled monk arrived with two brooms. Shortly after, one of the younger monks came holding a lamp, announcing that the bath was ready.
After bathing, Tripitaka put on a short-sleeved robe, tied a sash around his waist, slipped into a pair of straw-soled shoes, and, taking one of the brooms, said to the monks:
“Go and rest while I go to sweep the pagoda.”
Sun Wukong quickly replied:
“If, as we have been told, it lost its glow during a rain of blood and has not shone since, it is most likely that some evil force has taken residence there. Sweeping alone risks danger. Let me join you.”
“Excellent,” agreed Tripitaka, and each took a broom.
Accompanied by the Monkey King, Tang Monk opened the door to the pagoda and began sweeping from the very first step.
Discovery in the Thirteenth Tier
Tang Sanzang cleaned each section of the stairs carefully before moving on to the next. When they reached the seventh level, it was the second watch of the night, and the master began to feel his arms growing tired.
Wukong said:
“I can see you’re getting tired. Why don’t you sit down and let me do the sweeping for you?”
“How many flights do you think the staircase of this tower has?” asked Tripitaka.
“At least thirteen,” replied the Monkey King.
“It is essential that I finish sweeping them all, to fulfill the vow I made long ago,” said the master, forcing himself to push through the fatigue.
But after sweeping three more flights, his legs and back ached so badly that he had to sit down to rest exactly at the end of the tenth flight.
Then he said, barely audible:
“Wukong, if you don’t mind, please sweep the remaining three flights, and once you’re done, we’ll come back down.”
Pleased, the Monkey King swept the eleventh flight and began the twelfth. At that very moment, he heard someone speaking at the top of the tower and thought to himself:
“What a strange thing! It’s almost the third watch of the night. How could anyone be talking up there? It must surely be a demon. I’ll go take a look.”
He grabbed the broom and tucked it under his arm. Climbing out through one of the windows, he rose on a cloud until he reached the top.
From there, he saw two spirits sitting on the thirteenth level of the pagoda, playing hand games(gambling) and drinking wine.
Interrogation of the Demons
The Monkey King set the broom aside, drew his iron rod, and barred the door, exclaiming:
“So it’s you who have stolen the secret of this monastery!”
Startled, the two little demons gave a jump and hurled a pot and basin at the Monkey King.
Wukong pointed his iron staff at the demon and pinned him against the wall. The monster could not move at all.
They pleaded:
“Please don’t kill us! We have absolutely nothing to do with it. Someone else stole it.”
Using his magic, the Monkey King seized both with one hand and carried them down to the tenth level of the stairs.
“I’ve just captured the thieves who stole the secret of the monastery!” he shouted loudly enough to wake Tripitaka, who had dozed off on one of the steps.
“Please don’t kill us!” they cried again and again, their voices growing more pitiful. Finally, one of them gathered courage and said:
“We came here by order of the Dragon King of All Spirits, whose palace lies at the bottom of the Green Wave Lake, deep within the Mountains of Scattered Rocks(Scattered Rocks Mountain). His name is Busy Bubble(Occupied Bubble), and mine is Bubble Busy(Bubble Occupied). He is an eel spirit, and I am a black fish spirit. One of our lord’s daughters, called the Princess of All Spirits — a truly enchanting girl — married someone named Nine Heads, whose magical powers rival even those of the greatest immortals. Two years ago, the Nine-Headed Consort brought the Dragon King here, and using his arts, caused the blood rain, stealing the Buddha’s relic preserved here, which ended the holy aura surrounding the monastery. At the same time, the princess sneaked into Heaven and stole the Nine-leafed Ganoderma planted by Queen Mother Wang Mu Niang Niang right in front of the Hall of Divine Mist. Both the ashes and the plant are now at the bottom of the lake, illuminating the palace day and night with golden rays and colorful glows.”
Tang Monk asked:
“Now that the relics were stolen by your king, why are you still here?”
The other little demon replied:
“Recently, we heard rumors that a certain Sun Wukong was heading toward the Western Paradise in search of sacred scriptures. Since he seems to be a man of unmatched magical power who loves meddling in others’ affairs, we were ordered to patrol this area and raise the alarm the moment Sun Wukong appeared.”
He hadn’t finished speaking when Bajie and several young monks arrived with two lanterns.
“Why haven’t you gone to rest after sweeping the tower? How come you’re still here chatting?” Bajie asked the master.
Quickly said the Monkey King:
“I’m glad you’ve come. The secret of the monastery was stolen by the Dragon King of All Spirits, who sent these two little demons to closely monitor our movements. The good news is, they have fallen into our hands instead.”
Strategic Restraint
“If they just confessed everything, why waste any more time with them? What are we waiting for to kill them?” concluded Bajie, raising his rake as if to strike them down.
“You clearly haven’t thought this through. If we keep them alive, it will be easier to discuss the whole matter with the king. Not to mention that they might provide valuable information when it comes to recovering the treasure and punishing the guilty,” Wukong replied.
Bajie immediately lowered his rake. The two brothers grabbed the two little demons and prepared to descend from the tower.
Hope Restored
The young monks were overjoyed beyond words. One of them hurried off to inform the others in the Golden Light Monastery, shouting excitedly:
“It was fantastic! You could say we’ve finally seen the light! Our brothers have just captured the demons who stole our secret!”
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