The Great King of Miraculous Power had returned to his watery lair at the very heart of the river, where he sat in a gloomy and silent mood.
His subjects approached and said:
“Whenever you return from that sacrifice, you come back overjoyed. Why do you seem so troubled this year?”
The monster replied:
“In the past, after feasting to my heart’s content, I would bring you the leftovers so you could also enjoy the celebration. But this year, things did not go well for me—I nearly lost my life.”
“How can that be, Great King? Who has dared oppose your will?” they exclaimed, scandalized.
The monster answered:
“A disciple of a certain monk from the Great Empire of the Tang in the Eastern Lands—one who is on his way to the Western Paradise in search of sacred scriptures. That audacious one disguised himself as a boy and waited for me in the Temple of Miraculous Power, accompanied by another companion who pretended to be a young girl.”
“When I least expected it, they revealed their true forms and nearly killed me. Some time ago, I had heard that this Tripitaka Tang is actually a man of great virtue, who has cultivated goodness across more than ten successive reincarnations. That means anyone who tastes even a piece of his flesh will gain immortality. What I hadn’t anticipated was that he would have such fierce disciples. Those pig-like fools not only ruined my reputation but also seized all my offerings. I had dreamed of capturing that Tang Monk, but now I’m no longer sure I can succeed.”
The Ice Trap
An elderly striped perch stepped forward, bowed deeply, and said:
“If what you desire is to capture Tang Monk, there is nothing easier to achieve. However, I wonder whether you would be willing to reward my services with some wine and meat.”
The monster affirmed:
“If you manage to catch that Tang Monk, I will make a brotherhood pact with you and allow you to dine at my table, so that you too may feast upon his flesh.”
After thanking him for this honor, the perch added:
“To everyone it is no secret that you possess the power to summon winds and cause rain. May I ask if you are also capable of creating snowfall?”
“Of course I am,” replied the monster.
“And can you cover the entire landscape in ice and send frost falling from the heavens?” pressed the perch.
“Yes,” the monster nodded.
Then the perch, clapping his hands joyfully, concluded:
“In that case, you may consider your wish fulfilled.”
“I don’t understand,” exclaimed the impatient monster.
The perch explained:
“Summon the winds and cause a heavy snowfall until even the Heaven-Reaching River freezes solid. We’ll pose as merchants crossing the ice. We will do everything we can to be seen clearly by that monk. I have no doubt he is so eager to obtain the scriptures that, the moment he notices our presence, he will try to overtake us, following the very path we lay out. All you need to do is sit quietly at the center of the river and wait for his arrival. You can simply break through the ice and seize both Tang Monk and his disciples. They will fall into your hands like ripe fruit.”
“Fantastic! Truly an extraordinary plan!” exclaimed the monster, visibly pleased.
Leaving his underwater mansion, he rose into the air. There, he began gathering cold air, which soon froze everything around, producing a mighty snowfall.
A Frigid Dawn
Meanwhile, Tang Monk and his three disciples were peacefully sleeping in the Chen Family Village. Just before dawn, they began to feel an intense cold that made blankets and sheets seem utterly useless. Bajie kept sneezing, unable to fall asleep. Finally, shivering from head to toe, he exclaimed:
“It’s terribly cold! Don’t you feel it too?”
Wukong scolded him:
“Really! When will you ever learn that as monks, we must not yield to cold or heat? It’s incredible that a monk like you pays so much attention to the temperature.”
“The truth is, it really is unbearably cold,” interjected Tripitaka.
From that moment on, none of the four could fall asleep again. Eventually, they left their beds, put on every rag they had, and opened the door. Everything was completely white, buried under a furious snowstorm.
“No wonder you were complaining about the cold. The snow hasn’t stopped yet,” Sun Wukong remarked when he saw it.
All stood mesmerized, gazing at the scene. Indeed, it was magnificent.
They overheard someone in the street say:
“What weather! It’s so cold that even the River-That-Reaches-to-the-Sky has frozen solid!”
“What can we do if the river is completely frozen?” asked Tripitaka anxiously.
“This kind of sudden cold shouldn’t be enough to freeze the whole river so quickly. Most likely, only the banks have frozen,” commented the elder Chen.
But just then, the same voice from the street called out again:
“The entire surface of the river is covered in ice. The eight hundred kilometers from one shore to the other look like a mirror. The ice is so solid that people can walk across it without any problem.”
Fatal Crossing
Upon hearing that one could walk across the water, Tang Monk wanted to go see it immediately.
Tripitaka and his companions halted their horses at the riverbank and eagerly scanned the distance. Soon enough, they spotted several people walking dry-footed on the ice.
“Do you know who those people are?” Tripitaka asked Elder Chen.
Chen replied: “Merchants. On the other side of the river lies the Kingdom of Women in the West.”
Tripitaka declared solemnly:
“In worldly matters, fame and profit are considered most important.”
He turned decisively toward Wukong and ordered:
“Return immediately to the Chen household and prepare everything necessary for continuing the journey. Don’t forget to saddle the horse. The ice gives us an opportunity to proceed, and we must not waste it.”
They hurried back to the Chens’ mansion, where all they could talk about was leaving immediately. The two elders pleaded desperately for them to stay a while longer, but their words fell on deaf ears. Realizing that the decision was final, the two brothers ordered their servants to prepare some food and hand it to the monks. The entire family came out to bid them farewell.
Night fell, but they dared not stop. The stars and moon seemed to fill the icy river with light. The glow that appeared to radiate from the riverbed was truly ghostly. Without halting even once the entire night, they reached dawn and took a very frugal breakfast before continuing their journey westward.
Ambush Beneath the Ice
Meanwhile, the monster was crouched beneath the ice, waiting patiently for the pilgrims. Soon he clearly heard the sound of a horse’s hooves and, using his magic, created a huge crack in the frozen surface.
The Monkey King managed to leap into the air, but his three companions weren’t so lucky—they plunged into the icy waters.
As soon as he had captured Tripitaka, the monster and his spirits joyfully returned to his underwater palace.
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