Feng Menglong - The Sorcerers Revolt

Ping Yao Zhuan: The Sorcerers' Revolt,

Feng Menglong

Luo Guanzhong

translated, adapted and annotated by Nathan Sturman

Copyright 2000, 2008 Nathan Sturman

ISBN: 1-59654-567-4

Published: July 15, 2008

LCCN: Pending

LOC Cataloging-in-publication Data:

1. Asia. 2. China. 3. History. 4. Satire. 5. Politics. 6. Luo Guanzhong. 7. Feng Menglong. 8. Fantasy and Supernatural. 9. Classics.

Chapter 1

The Warrior Maiden Of Olden Times Descends With Swordsmanship

While Yuan Gong Steals Daoist Books And Comes Home To His Cave

It is said that an official named Liu Zhiqing lived in a place called Zhen Ze during the Kai Yuan reign of Tang. He had been a Councilor of the Imperial Censor, but as he had attempted unsuccessfully to impeach Prime Minister Li Linfu he had been forced into retirement to his home district. His wife had warned him against leveling such accusations, so she held bitter feelings and they often quarreled over this. The gentleman was an upright individual but in these affairs he refused to recognize his own fault. Consequently his wife became sad at heart, and her anguish changed into an illness of the body. A physician was repeatedly summoned to heal her, and try though he did on several visits the ailment proved to be chronic.

One night when the lady was sitting on her bed sipping a few mouths of congee she called her maid to clear away the bowl and utensils. And seeing that the silver lanterns flame was dim, the maid spoke up: Madam, look how beautifully the spent wick is glowing! A sign of good luck, indeed!

What good is it bringing me? answered the lady. Still, she continued, if you give me a bigger flame the brightness before these dying eyes just might make me feel more at ease.

The maid then went forth and with two fingers applied the tool to the burnt wick. Soon the lamp was brilliant and the carbon sliver, red hot, fell down upon the table. Just then from behind the lantern blew a gust of cold wind which swirled the glowing ember round and round, as if it were a pearl of fire.

Madam, the maid laughingly exclaimed, look! The wick has come to life... But before she had finished they were already staring at the blazing dervish, swirling and revolving back and forth, to and fro, dancing and becoming as large as a bowl. And as they watched, the glowing mass hopped down onto the floor, rumbling and sputtering like a Roman candle, now hissing, now exploding, scattering fiery stars all over the floor. Then all at once it disappeared. All that could be seen was the form of an old hag, grown to three feet in height. The apparition then advanced toward the lady, greeted her with numerous blessings and proclaimed: Your old kinswoman knows that something ails thee! Ive got a medicine of the gods for mlady to swallow down.

Now, our Lady Liu had at first been frightened, but having heard the apparition speak up she recognized it as the manifestation of some holy spirit, and she was in fact delighted. It was as if, provided the sickness was not incurable, the Buddha himself had taken the form of some individual who was fated for the part, so as to help her. Then she took the offered medicine and her illness was immediately cured. However, the old hag proceeded to pester Lady Liu, desiring to come around regularly as if she were some blood relative. Riding in a four-seat palanquin, preceded by much ceremonious cacophony and followed by a jostling crowd, she frequently arrived at the Liu home amidst the sound of confusion. Try as she might to drive her away, there was no getting rid of her and Lady Liu didnt dare insult her. And if anyone defied her wishes, she would merely beckon with her hand and that person would be stricken down. Then, by some unknown technique, she would extract the accursed persons heart and liver and would hold high the organs dripping with blood, causing the crowd to cry out in bitter, grieving lamentations, begging her to stop. At that point she would take the grisly organs and fling them back into the seemingly dead victims mouth as if it were the most natural thing in the world, and the stricken individual would then awaken.

Because of these fearful occurrences, Censor Liu and his entire household were sorely vexed, and he took it upon himself to have somebody follow this demon and find her domicile. Now for one thing, she had been seen swirling down into the shallows of Oriole Throat Lake. Of what strange sort of water does dear reader think that lake was filled? How could it be that she made her home in those shallows? Certainly she was a phantom siren! Censor Liu called repeatedly for Daoist priests to write charms and recite spells, in mysterious combinations of profound, secret and abstruse characters, but he was still unable to exile her, and things went from bad to worse. The gentleman then went to an old monk at Southgrove Temple, who entreated the Venerable Spirit for Rectifying Religious Truths to come forth and set a vast cosmic snare for the ghost, to prevent any possibility of escape. The siren was then enticed and snatched up, and promptly revealed its original form, that of a three-foot-tall, common Macaco monkey, rather old in years and ghastly in appearance. Now, the Venerable Spirit was none other than the Dragon Tree Bodhisattva of ancient fame. Censor Liu had supported this deity with sacrifices during normal times and, due to his resolute faith, this Bodhisattva came forth to render aid in extirpating the siren and her great mischief. A poem says:

The ape is apart from the human race

With its wild behavior it has no place

After the tale of a snuff turned ghost

Adultery and theft are banal at most!

Now this common monkey which was trapped was human in appearance and by nature very clever. But he climbed up on windowsills and tables, pushed aside plates and overturned bowls, pulled at peoples sleeves and tugged at their garments, picked his fleas and masturbated in public; his airs were grossly unrefined to say the least. And furthermore he was old and thus unable to change his strange ways. Now there is also a breed of ape, known in Chinese as Yuan, which grows to large size and which is both exceptionally robust and nimble. And among these are a type which know the use of their hands, of which they have four: one at the end of each limb, giving them a pair of fully developed hands on each side of their body. So they could extend or withdraw their limbs simultaneously, even while reaching up with yet another free hand and pulling themselves out of danger. And each of them was expert at climbing gorges and leaping up trees, and if anyone tried to shoot them with an arrow they would reach out in all four directions and snatch up the shafts in flight, entirely unafraid of the attacker. And these apes also came to know, in time, of Dao and to thoroughly grasp the principles of Yin and Yang, to chant Daoist charms and perform expert magic, and to achieve broad knowledge of the spirits. In fact, we can never exhaust our description of them. And how do we know? We can find out from this poem:

Born in ninth stage of creation, he went forth from Ba Shan.

Born in creations afternoon before that day was done.

And given the title of Lord of Apes his children then did stray

To the West where their offspring have flourished down to this very day.

When we hear the cry of this lonesome beast by moonlight calling its mate

How can we not feel sadness at such a bitter Fate?

Why should he who could leap without a care from earth to Heaven high