"Let's wait a spell before we touch the stuff that Granny sent on the sly," said his mother, "at least until Deputy Yang's delivery arrives and we see how much there is altogether. Then we'll be able to decide how to spend it." And here's a poem:

Now as the story goes Bonze Dan was thrilled by their luck and wanted to have Holy Auntie translate those twenty-four pages of Heaven's writings right away.

"We three," she answered, "now have a fine place to conduct alchemy. You can't succeed in tricking me and I can't deceive you; we've got mutual trust. Now, it isn't so convenient to be always reading from those big sheets. Why don't we take some fresh paper and cut it down to fit the palm? Then I'll dictate the text according to the Tang pronunciation while you, my disciple, copy it down. Then when we need to use the secrets they'll all be easy to read."

"That's marvelous!" answered Bonze Dan. "It won't do any harm to buy the paper, ink, brushes and inkstones right now."

"Hold on now," reckoned the mother, "forty-nine sheets of fine paper for each of us, ten brushes, five cakes of ink and two small stones...that comes to three ounces of silver, multiply that by three...but if we copy the laws onto onto smaller pages as I've suggested, our paper use will go way down. Then we need only five sheets of paper, one brush and a single cake of ink each."

Now, Holy Auntie had some coins she'd received from her visitors in the west garden and she handed them over to Bonze Dan to take care of this. Quezi didn't dare interfere, all having been decided. And in a short while Bonze Dan was back with those four treasures of the writer's craft. Mother then cut the five sheets of paper and each yielded over twenty small pages. And once having described the hex charms for him to copy, she began translating the text itself, reciting it in Tang period Chinese for Bonze Dan to transcribe in tiny characters. How thrilled he was to write out and understand each line! Now, he hadn't exactly drawn a genius for a messenger but what difference did it make; he got it all without hesitation! One day and one night and it was all written down. Then mother recited it over again for him to confirm, and not a word was missing. And on the dawn of their third day she took the original twenty-four pages and put them to the flame. For they were the one and only original copies of Heaven's secrets, never to be replaced. Moreover, she thought, should they get into the hands of mankind at large with its disrespectful and rebellious elements all sorts of crimes and evil could result.

After Breakfast Deputy Yang arrived at the east manor, unloading a a small trunk full of silver and presenting it to Holy Auntie. "Once you've applied your golden touch to this," he said, "and managed to change it back again, just think what an awesome amount of silver you'll have created!"

"That's it," she answered, "that's the idea!"

"After I leave today I won't dare come bothering you with any meetings. But can you just give me some idea when the alchemical process will be complete?"

"Whether sooner or later depends in part on Fate. At the longest I'd say about a year, at the shortest six months. When the time comes there'll be good news, but if it's slow going please be patient with us." Deputy Yang then left.

The old woman instructed Bonze Dan to gather soil from five surrounding regions: the vicinity of the manor out to a radius of about ten li was to be reckoned as center, with east and west, south and north emanating from it accordingly. Five sacks would be filled, each holding the dirt of one of these sectors. And they would need to buy items for their daily use: fine things like pearls for prayer, ordinary things like wood and stone, foodstuff such as beans and wheat, fuel such as coal, coarse pottery like bowls and crocks, fine things like needles and thread, refined products like tea and wine and complex things like medicinal compounds. While Bonze Dan was busy taking care of all these chores the old woman tidied up and arranged an altar downstairs. For the period of initial fasting and bathing they would first have to select an auspicious time for the Yin charms and prayers to consecrate the site and rid it of ghosts. First they took the sacks of dirt and emptied them in their corresponding positions around the altar. And around it all they erected a low brick wall, about one foot five inches tall, with the shallow moat thus created filled in with the five varieties of common grain atop the dirt. Above it all were set stands for three bright oil lamps to paint the darkness with their unending light.

The yellow cloth draped over it was truly sacred in appearance. In front was a joss altar adorned with painted paper images of Buddha and graceful cranes among the clouds, on which wine, tea and fruit were to be placed daily. Upon rising early there would be be a prayer for purifying the mouth, one for cleansing the body, a chant to sanctify the altar. a similar prayer to calm the earth and three rounds of chanting to suppress ghosts before finally the main workings of Heaven's laws could get underway. This is just your ordinary service; no need to go too deeply into it.

First thing next day each of them took their paper, ink, brush and inkstone and placed them on the six amulet words at the foot of the altar. Holy Auntie then rose and stood on the two characters for the constellation Kui and the Winds of Heaven. Her left hand a thunderseal and her right a sword charm, she took a breath of the structural essence of life from the east and then expelled it in a prayer to the spirits, and then burnt a charm slip. Bonze Dan and Zuo Chu just followed her actions, but although the three prayed and burned amulets together the slips had all been written by mother. For seven weeks, forty nine days it would go on like this, with paper, ink, brush, inkstone summoning the spirits, and when this period was over they could begin putting them to use.

When Bonze Dan protested that he wanted to write his own charms the woman protested. "Writing the slips is the hardest part," she cautioned, "for you've got to capture form by its essence and essence by its form. If, for example, you want to give rise to clouds you have to think of a place full of Yin energy, the essence of cloud, and then summon up the power of immortality in your loins. And gradually you'll feel your body loading up with with cloud, eventually spouting forth from your seven holes and boiling with the primordial energy of man and woman. If you wish to generate thunder you've got to first think of some Yang energy, again calling up that eternal force down in your privates and after a while you'll have thunder and its fire swirling through you and shooting out of all your openings, moving Heaven and Earth. What you gather in your mind must be written down at the exact point of conception, committed to ink and brush and thus brought into being. That's what we mean by 'unite spirit with spirit and energy with energy'. Now, when I summon up my supernatural powers I can understand the deepest secrets of Heaven and Earth, and the resulting charm is very powerful. It's hard at first to harvest the spirits but one who is really skilled can just close their eyes and the ghosts will swarm together; a blank charm can thus also be effective. This is one clever expedient to deeply understanding the secrets of Heaven and Earth. Just paying attention to the outward appearance of the charm slips and letting your spiritual energy go to waste, well, how can you ever expect to have any effect on the spirit world? A common saying goes 'The ineffective charm just fails and leaves the gods amused, while one that's poorly written makes them frightened and confused'. You just can't move your hand and create things while ignoring the need to concentrate your energy, your very Qi. Now, you boys just watch me until you've got it all by heart, and only then will you be able to take up the brush for yourselves! Truly understand one secret law and you'll understand them all, but fail to understand one of them and reveal a lack of understanding of all. Above all you mustn't be coarse or fickle at heart, or you'll get the sublime and secret parts all wrong!"

"Yes Ma'am," answered Bonze Dan and Quezi as one, but they suddenly had another question for her. "You'll write the charms and we'll just watch and learn as you've ordered. But as for gathering up the spirits, what if this all works and they do appear before us? How should we treat them?"

"I was just about to explain that in detail," answered Holy Auntie. There are Inner as well as Outer charms for mustering spirits. The surnames Deng, Xin, Zhang, Tao, Gou, Bi, Ma, Zhao, Wen and Guan are the Ten Outer Summonings and the characters for eyes, ears, nose, tongue, mind, heart, liver, lungs, spleen and kidneys comprise your Ten Inner ones. Before commencing with alchemy you must summon up and take command of ten spirits of your own and have them getting on well together, all settled into a tightly drilled little unit typical of an Outer brigade. They will come when called and will follow your orders. At first they will reveal perhaps only half of themselves but later they will bare all. Do not be frightened if they are fearsome looking, and likewise don't laugh if they are loathesome or grotesque. You need to respect them like your own parents, be as close to them as to your friends and command them as you would your servants. If you do otherwise you will incur their godly anger. And all who wish to command spirits must first set a program for their use and know exactly what to ask of them. For if you summon them for naught they simply will not come when called again."

The Daoist and Buddhist each just sat there dumbstruck, listening to mother's monologue. They were exactly like a couple of young schoolchildren on their first day in the classroom, with no idea what the teacher is saying and their bellies full of fear and caution at such an awesome undertaking, every hair on their little heads combed in place and each sitting so straightly, quietly concentrating with all of their young energy. When she got to the part about actually writing the charms she employed two demonstrations. This was because Bonze Dan was really clever and caught on at once, while, well, let's just say that Quezi had to practice writing in thin air a few times. He was usually so lazy, but this time because he was fated to learn the secrets he applied himself completely and before long was able to catch up. Then, chanting and burning charm slips, all together they treaded the winds of high Heaven and entered the very precincts of the Lord of the Polestar.

And so they carried on their fiery magic for one, then two, then three weeks, all with very little effect. Perhaps there was only a swish of a ghostly sword to be heard or a faint hue revealed from a passing gown. They weren't yet getting the real spirits, just subordinate dieties sent to check out the situation at the altar. But in the fourth and fifth weeks the real ghosts began to to manifest themselves, sometimes half visible and sometimes whole in form, alone as well as riding in groups with others following. They appeared to be coming and going, without stopping in the hall. Come to speak of it, what was the reason for this? Well, what they had summoned were Brave Spirits, a type found everywhere. Mortal men are made of structural Qi which cannot sense these ghosts, and so their eyes just can't see them. Anyway, on this occasion the ghosts had been seized by the charms and were compelled to pass by the altar. Now, with hearts and minds totally concentrated upon meeting the spirits and eyes agleam with this purpose how come they still couldn't see them properly? Well, the sole appearance of their parading back and forth was all due to the charms' lack of complete effectiveness. But at the end of the seven weeks, right on the forty-ninth day, the legion of spirits appeared in full view right in that hall, all hands reporting for duty as ordered! Flanked all about by escorts there seemed to be a mighty sea of of men and horses, not seeming in the least bit confined by the narrow worldly space of the chamber.

The mother then came forth to take solemn command, Bonze and Wizard behind her. "We three are kin of the Lord of Heaven, invested with secret powers by the Mystery Girl of Nine Heavens. We have received the secret Book of Blessings and Concordances of Heaven and possess the magic of the stars. We have employed our knowledge and power in calling upon you to assist us and to go forth at our command. When the action is over we will memorialize the Lord of the Universe so that your fame will rise to be recorded in the highest places."

The summoned spirit-soldiers fell back obediently, bowing and replying in tones of awe. And then in a wink the hall was silent. Here's a poem:

Now, as our story goes Bonze Dan felt awkward and embarrased when those captured spirits first paraded in front of his eyes but afterwards he gradually grew accustomed to it. Problem was, Holy Auntie led every step of the way and the two others only followed. He felt they were now about the same in skill, but with every round of chanting it was always mother first. Bonze Dan was impatient by nature, and though he trusted her he still wanted to have a go at it on his own. So in the quiet of the dawn at the drumming of the fifth watch he snuck in front of the altar and, according to the laws of the craft, drew a few slips and recited some charms. Sudden there sounded a loud report from above and down came a Spirit General of Heaven! As for his appearance, here's a "Xijiangyue" poem to give you some idea:

Now our royal messenger Zhang bowed and advanced, then spoke. "What is your command, oh Teacher, that you so summon me?"

Bonze Dan was momentarily terror stricken but quickly collected his wits. "The north window of this hall," he answered, "could enjoy the shade of a few big trees. There are four big pear trees over in the west garden. Bring them here and replant them as soon as possible."

The captured spirit uttered its compliance and was gone. A short while later a sudden gale was heard outside, with the rustling and rattling of flying sand and rooftiles, sounding very much like an army of men and horses on the move. By daybreak all was still, and when Bonze Dan wandered behind the building for a look he found that those four large pear trees had been planted in a neat little line! It had all been done by that spirit soldier Zhang he had summoned and dispatched.

Now, the old woman knew at once what Bonze Dan had done and scolded him soundly. "Captured spirits aren't like ordinary men," she warned. "You can't just summon them so lightly and then send them off to do any old thing. Don't ever use your halfbaked skills again on such nonsense! Why, if you get a spirit angry you'll be in real danger for your life."

"I've failed your trust, Ma'am," he answered sheepishly; "it won't ever happen again."

That same morning over in the west garden the custodian noticed that the four large pear trees had been uprooted and blown away and rushed to inform Deputy Yang. And just as Yang was reeling in shock from the news who should arrive but Old Wang the groundskeeper of the east manor.

"Early this morning at the stroke of the fifth watch a squall arose and it planted some trees behind the building where Holy Auntie lives!" he related, breathlessly.

"The place is supposed to be locked. How could you get in to see this?" Deputy Yang wanted to know.

"Why," answered Wang, "those trees were as tall as the clouds! I could see it all from outside! It wasn't any of my doing, so I've come to report it!"

This all reafirmed Yang Chun's belief in Holy Auntie's genius, and he was secretly thrilled. "I understand," he told the two men; "you must never tell of this to any others." Then they had some food and wine and parted, lips sealed.

Now, those secret laws of White Cloud Cave were originally passed down by the highest of incomparables, Buddhas and saints, and the three abstruse passages they added attest to this. Then along came the Immortals of the Thirty-Six caves of Penglai, mid-ranked dieties. They labored with fire and water for over ten years, dancing and chanting to contribute to the salvation of the world. Of course they employed charms and traps and managed snare in vain the Pure Brave Spirits of Heaven and Earth. Buddhists call this kind of conjury "The Four Guards' Crooked Zen" while Daoists only call it a "magical transformation".

Because of this the Jade Emperor was badly frightened and he banned individuals from seeing Heaven's writings, to prevent their being leaked to humanity. In spite of this, certain illustrious people have now and then gotten hold of them and secured some patronage, lived as fairies and sought to build bridges to Heaven. Willing to endure suffering they collected medicinal herbs in the mountains without fear of tigers or wolves, walked thousands of li in search of teachers and, without horse or cart, they could always find a magic shortcut. White Cloud Cave had been preserved precisely for such predestined individuals.

Now, the Master of the Cave, the White Ape God, had taken the brush to the back wall to warn later men, imploring them to face the polestar and take that oath, to affirm that if anything should arise from the charms to harm the people the Lord of Thunder would show no mercy. It was only because the jade burner had begun emitting its smoke a bit early that Bonze Dan didn't copy all of the seventy-six characters from the back wall and didn't see that fearsome warning. Right now he and his colleagues considered their work of cultivation a great success and felt they'd really achieved awesome knowledge, and that they were indeed standing in the gates of immortality. But soon afterward, sure enough, an affair would arise that would harm the people, turning all of Hebei into a battleground for years and causing folks to curse sorcerers and spirits down to this very day. But this will all be told later.

As the story progresses Holy Auntie was now ready to use Deputy Yang's silver in their next round of magic. That two hundred ounces of Granny's cash was still untouched, and they would use a ghost to safely take it back to her. The old mother then thought of the day they left their cave at the foot of Goosegate Mountain. There were three of them, mother and children. Although she had picked up Bonze Dan along the way , Hu Mei'r was long gone and she felt this deeply. Of course she wanted to grope into the future and get her back; this was really what was most important to her.

Now, she had never intended to build a nunnery or cast a statue, but how could they just up and leave without saying farewell and showing their gratitude to the Yangs, who had for so long sheltered and fed and most recently financed them? To just run off was unthinkable, she told the two; each of them must use their full genius to leave him a fine memento for his support.

"I'll give him a tiger to guard the manor!" said Quezi.

"He originally commissioned me to turn silver into gold," said the mother. "Why don't I turn that rough boulder from Lake Taihu that's in the garden into a real treasure worthy of a local official's family?"

"That's great!" said Quezi. "My tiger can then watch over the gold and discourage thieves!"

Bonze Dan then spoke. "I'm not the equal of you two but I'd like to leave a fine sculpture of us three at work downstairs in this building. His children and grandchildren will honor it morning and night!"

"No good," Quezi blurted out, "no good at all! Why, when you get to sculpting my bad leg you'll just enjoy yourself laughing at me!"

"Thanks for reminding me," laughed Bonze Dan, "I won't forget. Yes, figurines, by all means!"

At that point Holy Auntie tossed her head back, mumbled a few lines and spewed forth from her lips a fine mist that soon spread over everything. Quickly she swept her hands about, and everyplace they had been turned gold in their tracks. And before long that huge, heavy stone behind the building changed into a shining mountain of gold! Quezi then busied himself cutting out a paper tiger, reciting the lines of a magic charm onto the passing wind. "Come to life!" he shouted, and that paper tiger changed into a yellow spotted animal, snarling fiercly and no different from the real thing, bounding a couple of steps toward him. And Quezi chanted to the big cat:

Having so commanded he brushed his sleeve and the fearsome beast changed back into a paper tiger! Quezi then noticed an empty spot near the base of the gold mountain and placed his creation in it.

Meanwhile, Bonze Dan conjured up the living soul of a skilled artisan and locked it up downstairs overnight to sculpt three complete and extraordinarily lifelike figures. Holy Auntie stood in the center with Bonze Dan and Zuo Chu on the left and right respectively. When Bonze Dan first saw the three figures he was overwhelmed with joy. "I commissioned it, so let me be the first to kowtow!" he exclaimed.

"The wild monk can kowtow if he wants but who'll return the honor?" asked Quezi sarcastically.

"If you ever respond to a bow of mine you'd just better hope that bum leg of yours doesn't get in the way and show you up as a cripple!"

Both men laughed heartily.

"Cut the idle talk," said mother. "I've just realized that this day was fated. The Devil Queen told me it would come when she prophesized in that dream that I would stop at willow Yang and be enlighteded at egg Dan. And she said we would meet again in bustling Hebei Province, and she made a pact with me to go and assist her there in the district of Beizhou. This is already decreed by Heaven. I can't go against Heaven for one thing and I can't every forget her prophesy for another. So starting now lets go our seperate ways as we please, and when the notion comes to us in our seperate places we'll suddenly all join up again. It can't happen any other way cause it's predestined!"

And so having spoken the old woman flew off into the blue, waving and gesturing the other two to be off as well. Bonze Dan picked up his pole, cudgel and bags and cast off for the open sky too, conjuring up a ten thousand league bridge in front of him that he leaped in one step. Quezi had a different idea. "I'll head out to play in winepot Heaven, that's what!" he said, selecting an empty wine jug from in the corner and placing it safely on solid earth. "Down I go!" he souted with all his might, and into the mouth of the jug he plunged, foot first to disappear into who knows where. I can only say this about it:

Conclusion, Chapter 13. Continue to Chapter 14 Table of Contents Ping Yao Zhuan Homepage Nathan Sturman's Homepage