as neat as it ever had been.

It was as green as flakes of malachite,

So high it touched the clouds.

All around it tigers crouched and dragons coiled,

Amid the calls of apes and cranes.

In the morning the peak was covered with cloud,

The evening sun would set between the trees.

The streams splashed like a tinkle of jade,

Waterfalls tumbled with the sound of lutes.

In the front of the mountain were cliffs and rock-faces

At the back were luxuriant plants and trees.

Above it reached to the Jade Girl’s washing bowl,

Below it jointed the watershed of the River of Heaven.

In its combination of Earth and Heaven it rivaled the Penglai paradise;

Its blend of pure and solid made it a true cave palace.

It defied a painter’s brush and colours;

Even a master could not have drawn it.

Intricate were the strange-shaped boulders,

Adorning the mountain peak.

In the sun’s shadow shimmered a purple light;

A magical glow shone red throughout the sea of clouds.

Cave-heavens and paradises do exist on Earth,

Where the whole mountainside is covered with fresh trees and new blossoms.

As Pig gazed at it he said with delight, “What a wonderful place, brother. It’s the finest mountain in the world.”

“Could you get by here?” asked Monkey.

“What a question,” said Pig with a grin. “This mountain of yours is an earthly paradise, so how could you talk about ‘getting by?’”

The two talked and joked for a while then went back down. They saw some young monkeys kneeling beside the path and holding huge, purple grapes, fragrant dates and pears, deep golden loquats, and rich, red tree-strawberries.

“Please take some breakfast, Your Majesty,” they said.

“Brother Pig,” replied Monkey with a smile, “Your big appetite won’t be satisfied with fruit. Never mind though—if you don’t think it too poor you can eat a little as a snack.”

“Although I do have a big appetite,” said Pig, “I always eat the local food. Bring me a few to taste.”

As the pair of them ate the fruit the sun was rising, which made the idiot worry that he might be too late to save the Tang Priest. “Brother,” he said, trying to hurry Monkey up, “the master is waiting for us. He wants us back as soon as possible.”

“Come and look round the Water Curtain Cave,” was Monkey’s reply.

“It’s very good of you to offer,” said Pig, “but I mustn’t keep the master waiting, so I’m afraid I can’t visit the cave.”

“Then I won’t waste your time,” said Monkey. “Goodbye.”

“Aren’t you coming?” Pig asked.

“Where to?” Monkey replied. “There’s nobody to interfere with me here and I’m free to do just as I like. Why should I stop having fun and be a monk? I’m not going. You can go and tell the Tang Priest that as he’s driven me away he can just I forget about me.” The idiot did not dare press Monkey harder in case he lost his temper and hit him a couple of blows with his cudgel. All he could do was mumble a farewell and be on his way.

As Monkey watched him go he detailed two stealthy young monkeys to follow him and listen to anything he said. The idiot had gone hardly a mile down the mountainside when he turned round, pointed towards Monkey, and started to abuse him.

“That ape,” he said, “he’d rather be a monster than a monk. The baboon. I asked him in all good faith and he turned me down. Well, if you won’t come, that’s that.” Every few paces he cursed him some more. The two young monkeys rushed back to report, “Your Majesty, that Pig is a disgrace. He’s walking along cursing you.”

“Arrest him,” shouted Monkey in a fury. The monkey hordes went after Pig, caught him, turned him upside-down, grabbed his bristles, pulled his ears, tugged his tail, twisted his hair, and thus brought him back.

If you don’t know how he was dealt with or whether he survived, listen to the explanation in the next installment.