Chapter 11: Hou Xiaoliu

Hou Xiaoliu was the youngest monkey in this circus troupe. Previously there were seven monkeys in total, but now only six remained; one had just died last month. Hou Xiaoliu was very heartbroken over the old monkey's death, as if they had lost a family member. Thinking back to when the old monkey was alive, it often told Xiaoliu stories of the Great Sage Equal to Heaven. "The Handsome Monkey King traveled across the sea to visit immortals and learned a full set of skills. He could perform seventy-two transformations and ride the somersault cloud; a single somersault covered one hundred and eight thousand li. He entered the Long Gong to find the Ruyi Golden Cudgel, broke into the Di Fu to strike his name from the Book of Life and Death, and proclaimed himself the Great Sage Equal to Heaven! Even when the Jade Emperor sent one hundred thousand heavenly soldiers and generals, they could do nothing against him." Hou Xiaoliu had lost count of how many times it had heard the old monkey tell this story, yet it never grew tired of it. The other monkeys mocked the two of them, saying it was nothing more than a legend. But whenever the scene of the Great Sage Equal to Heaven wreaking havoc in the Heavenly Palace appeared in Hou Xiaoliu's mind, it would secretly sigh in its heart: "If one could live a monkey's life like that, what more could one ask for?"

However, this was merely Hou Xiaoliu's delusion. The reality was that the monkeys in the circus troupe had absolutely no freedom. During the day, there was only the task of enduring training and performing; if they did well, they would get at most half a banana more. If they did poorly, they could not avoid a few lashes of the whip. At night, the monkeys were locked in cages to sleep. To the circus troupe, they were nothing more than tools for making money. Such a humiliating life continued until the very last moment of their lives.

Hou Xiaoliu witnessed the old monkey's death with its own eyes. It had fallen from a high place, broken its leg, and could no longer continue working for the circus troupe. Those people decisively abandoned it, stopped giving it food, and left it to fend for itself. Among the monkey troop, only Hou Xiaoliu shared half of its own food with the old monkey every time, allowing it to hold on for a few more days before it finally died in the cage at night. Looking at the old monkey's corpse, Hou Xiaoliu felt as if it saw its own future end. It did not want to continue this slave-like life anymore; what meaning was there in a life without freedom? At that moment, Hou Xiaoliu made up its mind to escape from here and, like the Handsome Monkey King, go chase its own dream. Escaping was something that naturally had to be done at night, so first, it had to find a way to get the key to the cage. That key was on the animal trainer. For this, Hou Xiaoliu observed the animal trainer's daily habits day and night, and finally, it had a plan.

On this day, Hou Xiaoliu had just finished its performance and went offstage to rest. Soon, the animal trainer would go on stage to perform with the elephant. Only at this time would the animal trainer unhook that large, heavy bunch of keys from his waist and place them in the drawer of the lounge. Hou Xiaoliu hid under the window, eavesdropping on the sounds inside the room. The animal trainer, as usual, walked out of the room and locked the door. Hou Xiaoliu quickly climbed in through the chimney and unhooked one of the keys. It recognized that this was the very key the animal trainer used every morning to open its cage. Tonight was the day the animal trainers were paid; according to past observations, the trainer would surely drink a few cups after the performance ended and then sleep until dawn, not immediately discovering the abnormality of the key. Having obtained the key, Hou Xiaoliu opened the window and jumped out, burying the key without a trace next to its cage, waiting for the night to fall.

When night came, the animal trainer's apprentices, as usual, used locks to secure every cage and then went back to sleep. Hou Xiaoliu waited patiently...

The night grew deep, and deafening snoring sounds came from the humans' room. It then dug the key out from the soil, quietly opened the lock, walked out of the cage, and headed toward the courtyard gate. It tried its best to keep its breathing low, not daring to make a single sound, and slowly approached the gate, only to find the old dog tied at the entrance, its eyes flashing with green light, staring at it unblinkingly. Hou Xiaoliu was instantly so scared that cold sweat broke out; if the old dog barked now, it would certainly be unable to escape. But the old dog in front of it just stared straight at it without barking. After a long while, the old dog tucked its head back into its chest and ignored Hou Xiaoliu. Only then did Hou Xiaoliu feel relieved. Just as it was about to continue forward, it heard a sharp monkey screech from behind. Somehow, a monkey had actually woken up and discovered Hou Xiaoliu, who had escaped the cage. The sleeping people were awakened by this screech and ran out one after another to check. Hou Xiaoliu ran forward with all its might, climbing the gate continuously; just as it was about to reach the top of the gate and run outside, one of its feet was grabbed by a massive force, and its entire body was dragged down. Hou Xiaoliu twisted its body in refusal, using its sharp teeth to bite at the large hand that had grabbed it. The owner of that hand let out a scream and threw Hou Xiaoliu away heavily. Hou Xiaoliu only felt the world spinning, and it could no longer focus its consciousness...

When it woke up, it found that it had returned to the cage. A sharp pain came from its left leg, and it could no longer move normally. The other monkeys saw it wake up and asked: "How do you feel? The veterinarian treated you. Thank goodness, they think you can still recover and continue performing. Otherwise, your end would be the same as that abandoned Hou Lao Liu."

Hou Xiaoliu smiled bitterly and said: "Sooner or later, it will be the same. I just want to know, who was the one who let out that sharp screech last night?"

Hou Lao San said: "It was me. Why did you want to run away? They often consider your performance the best, and every time food is distributed, you get half a banana more than us. You don't know how much I envy you, yet you would betray the animal trainer who dotes on you and want to run away."

Hou Xiaoliu said: "This is not betrayal; we never belonged here in the first place. I didn't expect that you, just because of half a banana..."

Hou Xiaoliu closed its eyes in pain, unwilling to say another word. It was already disheartened and never ate another bite of the bananas the animal trainer brought. Whether the animal trainer caressed it or whipped it, it remained unmoved. Gradually, it grew weaker and weaker, yet it still fantasized about that figure holding the Golden Cudgel and stepping on the somersault cloud, and fell into a deep sleep.

The surroundings suddenly became eerie and terrifying. It did not know when a chain had appeared on its body, and two ghost shadows, one black and one white, walked on its sides respectively. The white ghost shadow pulled the chain, urging it to walk faster. Hou Xiaoliu could not help but think of the Handsome Monkey King getting drunk and having his soul hooked by the Black and White Impermanence in his sleep; how similar was it to the current situation? Could it be that the legend was true, and this place was the Yin Cao Di Fu?

Those two ghost shadows brought Hou Xiaoliu to the hall, and indeed, a ghost king with a big beard sat on the throne, looking at the register handed over by the Judge. The Yama looked at Hou Xiaoliu, then looked at the register in his hand, and said: "This monkey's karmic debts are exhausted; it should be reincarnated as a human. Take it away." Upon hearing this, Niutou Mamian prepared to take Hou Xiaoliu down.

Hou Xiaoliu struggled and shouted: "I don't want to be a human! I don't want to be a human!"

It was also this monkey's good fortune that it happened to coincide with Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva riding his mount to inspect the Di Fu. Hearing noise over at the Yan Luo Dian, he came to investigate. The Yama and a group of Ghost Immortals all knelt to welcome him, but only that monkey did not know and just stood blankly in place.

The Bodhisattva said: "Who was making a racket here just now?"

The Yama said: "It is this little monkey. Its lifespan is exhausted, and it should be reincarnated as a human. Who would have thought it would be unwilling and start shouting, and unexpectedly disturbed the Bodhisattva..."

The Bodhisattva looked at the little monkey and said: "Do you know that a human body is hard to obtain? Like a blind turtle finding a hole in a floating log. Now that you have the chance to be reincarnated as a human, why are you unwilling?"

The monkey said: "I have no other requests; I only ask to live freely and at ease."

The Bodhisattva said: "In this life, you are a monkey, driven by others, and indeed have no freedom. Once you are reincarnated as a human, you will naturally be able to be free and at ease."

The monkey said: "I once heard others say that monks do not tell lies. How can you, as a Bodhisattva, lie to a poor little monkey like me?"

The Bodhisattva said: "Where does this come from? When did I deceive you?"

The monkey said: "I see the people in that world, rising early and sleeping late every day, fighting for fame and profit, deceiving each other with a blackened conscience. They forget righteousness for profit and stop at nothing. They are never satisfied with fame and profit; how can there be any talk of being at ease? In this life as a monkey, I don't know how much suffering I have endured from them. I fear there is nothing more terrifying in the world than humans. Now that you want me to be a human, isn't that just wallowing in the mire with them?"

Hearing this, the Bodhisattva was secretly pleased, feeling that this monkey had some spiritual insight, so he asked again: "If you are unwilling to be a human, then what do you want to be?"

The monkey said: "I don't know what other paths there are besides monkey and human. I hope the Bodhisattva can guide me!"

The Bodhisattva said: "There are six paths of reincarnation in the world: the Hell Realm, the Hungry Ghost Realm, the Animal Path, the Human Path, the Ashura Realm, and the Heavenly Realm."

The monkey said: "Dare I ask what the Hell Realm is like? Can one be at ease in this realm?"

The Bodhisattva said: "Hell is the result of the evil karma of sentient beings. If one is born there, one must suffer extreme pain, like a prisoner being punished in a cell; how can there be any talk of being at ease?"

The monkey said: "What about the Hungry Ghost Realm? Can one be at ease there?"

The Bodhisattva said: "Sentient beings in the Hungry Ghost Realm constantly suffer from hunger and cold. Even if they toil day and night, they cannot be prosperous. They can only run about for a living; how can there be any talk of being at ease?"

The monkey said: "The Animal Path must be the path of my current life; I never want to go there again! I wonder what the Ashura Realm is like? Can one be at ease there?"

The Bodhisattva said: "Sentient beings in the Ashura Realm are combative by nature, worshiping the strong and despising the weak. The strong have no benevolence, blindly bullying the weak, and their hearts are filled with hatred and jealousy; how can there be any talk of being at ease?"

The monkey said: "There is no need to talk about the Human Path. I wonder what the Heavenly Realm is like? Can one be at ease there?"

The Bodhisattva said: "Although sentient beings in the Heavenly Realm enjoy various blessings and long lifespans, they are also under the jurisdiction of the Heavenly Emperor. If they perform their duties well, it is fine, but if they fail, they cannot avoid a round of punishment, or losing their immortal position and being demoted to the mortal world is also a common occurrence."

Hearing this, Hou Xiaoliu said disappointedly: "In that case, it is better for me not to reincarnate. Without a good place to go, I am not going anywhere!"

The Bodhisattva laughed and said: "That is difficult to handle. How easy is it to escape reincarnation? As far as I know, in the Three Realms, the only one who attained the Dao in a monkey's body is that Sun Wukong."

"So the Great Sage Equal to Heaven really exists! I beg the Bodhisattva to show great mercy. I don't want to do anything else; I just want to be like him, to be a Great Sage Equal to Heaven, free and at ease, without any restraints." The monkey's eyes were filled with tears as it knelt on the ground and kowtowed continuously.

The Bodhisattva said: "You do not know, that Sun Wukong was pressed under Wu Xing Shan by Ru Lai for five hundred years because he wreaked havoc in the Heavenly Palace. He only recently escaped and is now escorting Tang Seng to Xitian to obtain the scriptures."

Hou Xiaoliu said: "Ah! There is such a thing. With skills like the Great Sage, can he still be controlled by others?"

The Bodhisattva said: "There are people beyond people, and heavens beyond heavens. If one cannot realize one's own heart, it is ultimately difficult to attain great freedom. There is no other method in the Three Realms, only the mind creates it. The mind can be hell, the mind can be heaven, the mind can be a commoner, the mind can be a sage. Since you, little monkey, have such rare ambition, I will help you become a 'Great Sage Equal to Heaven' once. However, you must also do one thing for me."

Hou Xiaoliu said: "If the Bodhisattva can truly teach me to be a Great Sage Equal to Heaven, it would be a kindness equivalent to a rebirth. Let alone one thing, even ten or a hundred, I would do it even if it cost me my life."

The Bodhisattva said: "Tang Seng and his disciples are to experience eighty-one tribulations while obtaining the scriptures. Among the Bodhisattvas, Wen Shu, Pu Xian, Guan Shi Yin, and others have each set up tribulations, but I am too busy here and have not yet prepared one. My mount Di Ting cannot leave my side at any time; if you are willing to use your body as a tribulation..."

Hou Xiaoliu said: "I am willing, I am willing. But the Great Sage has such supernatural powers, with seventy-two transformations; I am just an ordinary little monkey, I hope the Bodhisattva can also teach me."

The Bodhisattva said: "Good, I will also teach you seventy-two transformations." Hou Xiaoliu said: "The Great Sage can ride the somersault cloud; a single somersault covers one hundred and eight thousand li!"

The Bodhisattva said: "I will also teach you the somersault cloud."

Hou Xiaoliu said: "The Great Sage Equal to Heaven also has the Golden Cudgel in his hand."

The Bodhisattva said: "I will give you one exactly the same."

Hou Xiaoliu said: "He forged his Fiery Eyes and Golden Gaze in Lao Jun's Eight Trigrams furnace."

The Bodhisattva said: "Easy to say, I also have a furnace here; when the time comes, I will throw you in to forge you as well..."

Hou Xiaoliu was overjoyed and said: "If the Bodhisattva is willing to teach me, I am also willing to worship the Bodhisattva as my master, just like Sun Wukong worshipped Pu Ti Lao Zu."

The Bodhisattva said: "You have an affinity, and I am also pleased. I will accept you."

That Hou Xiaoliu studied diligently in the underworld and truly learned all those skills. Holding the Golden Cudgel, wearing chainmail, and wearing a golden headband on its head, it looked exactly like the Great Sage Equal to Heaven.

Seeing that the time was ripe, the Bodhisattva reshaped its physical body and said to it: "Now your skills are exactly the same as Sun Wukong's. In the Three Realms, except for me and Di Ting, only Ru Lai can know your true face. I observe that you, little monkey, have very sharp ears. I will teach you one more skill that can save you in times of danger. Listen well: 'Hearing, the heard is exhausted; the exhausted hearing does not dwell. Awakening, the awakened is empty; the empty awakening is perfectly round. Emptiness, the emptied is extinguished; birth and death are already extinguished. Nirvana appears before you, the ten directions are perfectly bright.'"

Hou Xiaoliu had excellent comprehension. After the Bodhisattva's teaching, it attained the perfect penetration of the ear organ and realized that the six organs are originally one mind. From then on, it could listen well, discern principles, know the past and future, and understand all things, so it was also called "Liu Er Mi Hou."

Seeing this, Di Ting praised: "Incredible. I followed the Bodhisattva for a long time before I realized the method of the Three Realms being one mind. You realized it quite quickly. Now that you have such skills, there is nothing in the Three Realms you do not know, and you can even distinguish the good and evil in the hearts of sentient beings. Why not stay in the underworld like me and be a helper for the Bodhisattva, reviewing unjust and false cases?"

Hou Xiaoliu said: "After finishing the tribulation matter for the Bodhisattva, I will naturally return." Having said that, it rode the somersault cloud and left. From afar, it heard Tang Seng reprimanding the Handsome Monkey King: "I have repeatedly advised you, yet you have not a shred of kindness; what use are you! Go! Go!"

Hou Xiaoliu now knew the cause and effect, and secretly thought in its heart: "This monk is so pedantic. Like those heinous villains, killing them should count as eliminating harm. It is a pity that the Handsome Monkey King spent all his effort along the way, only to end up like this. The Bodhisattva was right; this master and disciple truly deserve this tribulation. Let me go and vent some anger for the Great Sage."

That Hou Xiaoliu took advantage of the time when Ba Jie and Sha Seng were away, put on an act, gave Tang Seng a blow, snatched the luggage, and returned to Hua Guo Shan to impersonate the Great Sage Equal to Heaven.

Sun Wukong and Sha Wujing returned to Hua Guo Shan and indeed saw a guy who looked exactly like him sitting on his throne. He was immediately furious and said: "What kind of demon are you, daring to transform into the appearance of Old Sun?"

Hou Xiaoliu had always admired the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, and ever since it learned its skills, it had long wanted to compete with him. Without a word, it raised its iron rod and struck. The two pilgrims fought together, and it was impossible to tell who was real and who was fake. Sun Wukong was secretly shocked: "This monster's skills are actually exactly the same as mine. Since attaining the Dao, I have never met such an opponent." His heart could not help but grow more combative, and he exerted all his skills without reservation. Seeing the Great Sage's style, Hou Xiaoliu was also delighted and praised in its heart: "What a Great Sage Equal to Heaven, truly majestic and awe-inspiring."

The two fought until the sky grew dark and the earth dim, yet it was hard to tell who was winning, so Sun Wukong said, "Do you dare go with me to the Bodhisattva Guanyin Pusa to discern the true from the false?"

Hou Xiaoliu said, "Why would I not dare?"

However, upon arriving at the Bodhisattva Guanyin Pusa, the Bodhisattva recited the Tightening Fillet Spell, yet even she could not discern the true from the false.

Sun Wukong said again, "Do you dare go with me to Tianting to discern the true from the false?"

Hou Xiaoliu said, "Why would I not dare?"

However, upon arriving at the Ling Xiao Bao Dian, even under the Demon-Reflecting Mirror, it could not be distinguished, and the gods were at their wits' end.

The two pilgrims came to see Tang Sanzang again, but neither their master nor their fellow disciples could distinguish them, so they had no choice but to leave in frustration.

Sun Wukong was angry at heart and cursed, "You insolent Demon, why have you transformed into my likeness and even injured my master?"

Hou Xiaoliu said, "What do you mean by transforming into your likeness? Could it be that only you can be the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, and I cannot? Think of how carefree you once were, yet now you must escort this pedantic old monk to the West. I see that the monk has failed your painstaking efforts, so I am standing up for you. If I truly had the heart to harm him, he would have gone to see the King of Hell long ago."

Hearing this, Sun Wukong scratched his ears and cheeks, laughed heartily, and said, "There is only one Great Sage Equal to Heaven in this world, and that is me. If you want to contend for it, you must first ask if the Golden-Hooped Rod in my hand agrees!"

"This is the true style of the Great Sage Equal to Heaven; I truly did not misjudge you. Bring it on! Today I want to see who among us is real and who is fake." At this moment, Hou Xiaoliu felt an unprecedented joy. To be able to compete with the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, this feeling of galloping freely between heaven and earth, even if only for a fleeting moment, was more meaningful than a long, painful life of bondage. Only such a scene was worth pursuing for a lifetime, was it not?

The two fought for a long time again, and it was hard to tell who was winning. Sun Wukong said, "I do not believe that there is no place in this world that can distinguish the true from the false. Do you dare go to the Di Fu with me?"

Hou Xiaoliu said, "Why would I not dare?"

The two arrived at the Youmingjie, and since Di Ting had been playing with Hou Xiaoliu all along, how could he not know who was real and who was fake? Suppressing a laugh, he put on a serious face, pressed his ears to the ground to put on a show, and, following the instructions of the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, directed them to go to the Xitian to see Ru Lai.

The two fought as they traveled, and seeing that Lingshan was approaching, Sun Wukong suddenly spoke, "Rulai Fozu is not like the others; you are no match for him. Back then, because I caused havoc in the Heavenly Palace, he pressed me under the Wu Xing Shan for five hundred years. It was thanks to my master rescuing me that I regained my freedom. Therefore, I am grateful for his kindness and am willing to escort him to the West to obtain the scriptures. It is not too late for you to stop now; if you see Ru Lai, it will be too late! The world is vast and wide; is it not better to find a place to play freely? I, your old Sun, am magnanimous and will not hold it against you."

By this time, Hou Xiaoliu had long forgotten who he really was; he had always dreamed of becoming the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, and he had never changed this belief until death. In his several clashes with Sun Wukong, he finally gradually merged with the figure in his heart. Was this not what he had been pursuing? Born a monkey, one should strive to be the "Great Sage Equal to Heaven!" How could the Great Sage Equal to Heaven lose? How could he flee?

Hou Xiaoliu's aura suddenly changed, and he swung his rod with all his might, shouting, "The winner has not yet been decided!"

At this moment, Sun Wukong seemed to see himself as he once was—unruly and rebellious, swinging his Golden-Hooped Rod at the hundred thousand heavenly soldiers. The iron rod he gripped tightly in his hand gradually loosened a little. He sighed, "Why must you do this?"

Hou Xiaoliu said, "I was originally just a little monkey in a circus meant to amuse people. From birth to death, I was always locked in a cage and never had freedom, but now it is different. Come, fight me again! If I am caught by that Buddha just like you, do not show mercy; just kill me with one blow. I do not want to be like you, pressed under some broken mountain for five hundred years."

Wukong had no choice, and the two fought as they traveled until they reached the Lei Yin Si on Ling Jiu Shan in the Xitian. Seeing them, Ru Lai said to the masses, "You are all of one mind; watch as these two minds compete." The saints of the Xitian saw the two pilgrims, but none could distinguish them. It was Ru Lai who revealed the reason and used a golden alms bowl to subdue Hou Xiaoliu. Watching Hou Xiaoliu reveal his original form, Sun Wukong's hand holding the Golden-Hooped Rod trembled incessantly. He thought of how he had subdued countless Demons on the road to the Xitian, his killing so decisive, yet he had never felt such heartache as he did today. After hesitating for a long time, he let out a loud cry, raised the iron rod, and brought it down upon his head...

Ru Lai said, "Good, good. Hurry and escort Tang Seng here to seek the scriptures!"

Wukong kowtowed and left. Ru Lai smiled and took back the golden alms bowl, but the bowl was empty, and the monkey's corpse was nowhere to be seen. The Arhats and Bodhisattvas were all shocked, not knowing why.

Ru Lai laughed and said, "These two monkeys have started playing tricks right in front of me."

The Bodhisattva Wen Shu smiled and said, "This is because they are afraid that the Buddha will conjure up another mountain and press another monkey under it!"

Among the crowd, the great Bodhisattvas who understood all smiled and said nothing.

(End of chapter)