The king immediately ordered that an altar be prepared.
It was not long before an official appeared and informed the three Taoists:
“The altar is ready. You may use it whenever you wish.”
Tiger Strength Immortal clasped his hands at chest level and began to descend from the tower.
Said the Great Immortal:
“Very well. When I stand before the altar, I will use my ritual tablet as undeniable proof of my success. With the first shake, the wind shall rise; with the second, clouds will gather; with the third, thunder will roar and lightning will tear through the sky; with the fourth, rain will begin to fall; and with the fifth, the rain will cease and the clouds will disperse as quickly as they gathered.”
Monkey King smiled and said:
“Sounds good. Go ahead. I’ve never seen such efficiency before.”
Summoning the Wind
The Great Immortal carefully took a sword in hand and burned some talismans in one of the candelabras. Then he picked up the ritual tablet and struck the table forcefully. Immediately, a gentle breeze rose, growing stronger by the second.
Wukong plucked out a single hair and blew immortal breath into it, commanding:
“Transform!”
In an instant, the hair became a perfect copy of himself, which stood beside Tang Monk, while his real self soared into the air and proudly asked:
“Who’s in charge of the wind here?”
Ceasing the Wind
His shout startled the Wind Mother so much that she instantly closed her sack of storms. Without delay, she paid respects to Sun Wukong, who explained before she could even ask:
“I’ve been forced to take part in a contest to see who can summon rain first—with an arrogant, impolite Taoist. Why have you sided with him and openly hindered me? Still, I’m willing to forgive you if you stop the wind right now.”
“Yes, sir, of course!” replied the Wind Mother, her voice trembling, and immediately the wind ceased.
Dispersing the Clouds
The Taoist burned another paper charm and struck the table once more with his tablet. The clouds began swirling instantly, and Wukong shouted angrily:
“Who’s in charge of the clouds?”
A young deity hurried forward to greet and apologize. After Wukong explained the situation, the clouds were cleared away so thoroughly that the sun shone brighter than usual, and the skies remained clear for ten thousand kilometers around.
Silencing Thunder
The Taoist seemed nervous and unraveled his hair. Finally, he took out the sword again, burned another yellow paper, and struck the table harder than before with the tablet. At once, the Thunder Duke and Lightning Mother came forth from the South Gate of Heaven. Upon seeing Sun Wukong, they respectfully greeted him.
After Wukong explained what had happened, they agreed, and instantly the thunder stopped rolling and the lightning ceased flashing.
Dragons Summoned, Rain Denied
Desperate, the Taoist offered incense, burned new talismans, recited more spells, and struck the golden tablet even harder than before. Instantly, the Four Dragon Kings of the Oceans appeared.
After greeting them, Monkey King asked:
“Do you know where you’re going?”
Ao Guang, Ao Shun, Ao Run, and Ao Qin returned his greetings and listened respectfully to his explanation.
He concluded:
“I’m afraid I must ask for your help once again.”
The dragons responded:
“Don’t worry about it. It’s our pleasure to assist you.”
Wukong said:
“What worries me now is defeating that Taoist. The problem is, I don’t know any rain-summoning spell, so I must rely entirely on you.”
“We are at your service,” replied those gods and goddesses.
As soon as he gave his orders, the Monkey King leapt down from above.
Help from the Gods
Monkey King shouted:
“Give up already! You’ve struck your tablet four times and all you managed was a little wind—no rain at all. I think it’s time I stepped in.”
The king concluded:
“Very well. Go up to the altar and show us what you can do.”
Wukong went behind the platform and gently pushed Monk Tang, saying:
“Master, go up to the altar.”
Tang Monk protested:
“Why? I don’t know how to summon rain.”
Wukong retorted:
“Even though you may not know magic, surely you can recite sutras. Do that while I try to lend you all the help I can.”
The master solemnly ascended the altar, sat down, and immediately entered a deep meditative state, reciting the Heart Sutra with indescribable devotion.
As soon as the Monkey King noticed that the master had finished reciting the sutra, he pulled his staff from his ear and waved it once in the direction the wind was blowing.
Instantly, it grew to four meters in length and the thickness of a rice bowl. He lifted it high into the air. At the sight of this, the Wind Mother opened her sack, and the roaring gale sent terror through every citizen. Roof tiles and stones flew over rooftops like willow leaves.
Not satisfied yet, he held the staff vertically and raised it a second time.
Dark clouds covered every corner of the land. The cloud cover was so thick that even the gate of the Tower of Five Phoenixes could no longer be seen.
Before the clouds reached their maximum density, the Monkey King raised the golden-ended staff once more, and immediately the Thunder Duke and Lightning Mother sprang into action with such ferocity that the entire universe trembled.
Clearly satisfied, the Monkey King raised the iron rod one last time, and the dragons gave the order to release the rain. It poured so heavily that it seemed to cover the entire world. Streets looked like canals filled with water pouring from overturned barrels.
Royal Acclaim
Instantly, a soldier from the Tower of Five Phoenixes ran to inform the monks:
“Our monarch believes enough rain has fallen.”
Wukong raised the staff one more time toward the heavens, and at once the thunder stopped, the wind calmed, the rain ceased, and the clouds scattered.
The king was delighted, and both he and all his attendants kept exclaiming in awe:
“What an extraordinary monk! Today, indeed, the old proverb has come true: For every mighty one, there is always someone mightier. True, our revered national masters can summon rain too, but theirs is far weaker. And before it completely stops, at least half a day passes.”
The king mounted his carriage and ordered his entire entourage to return to the palace immediately, where he would grant Tang Monk the travel permit he had requested.
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