Chapter 58- Whose Two Hearts Menacing

Sun Wukong, the Monkey King, to Flower Fruit Mountain, and his fellow disciple Sha Sing, and he's going with him. Wukong's super fast, naturally, but Sha Sing keeps up somehow. They get to Flower Fruit Mountain, come down from the clouds, and then they see him. Right there, at the entrance to his home, the Water Curtain Cave. I look inside, and, well, the text doesn't waste any time. There's another Sun Wukong. Yeah, sitting right on this own platform inside, like he owns the place, doing exactly what the real Wukong would do when he gets home. And the description in the text is relentless about this, isn't it? It insists this isn't just someone who looks like him. No, it hammers it home, totally indistinguishable. Same yellow fur, that gold band around his head, the fiery piercing eyes, the brocade robe he wears, the tiger skin kilt. Everything. And, crucially, it mentions he's holding an iron staff. Now, later on, a poem clarifies the real Wukong has the famous Rui Jingu Bang, you know, the size-changing one. Compliant golden-hooped rod, yeah. Right, and the imposter has something called the Sui Xin Taigan Bang, the mind-following iron staff. But right now, visually, it just says he has an iron staff, looks identical holding it. Same boots, same hairy face, that thunder god mouth thing. Cupped-in cheeks, big forehead, even the fangs pointing out. It's perfect. It is. So you can imagine the real Wukong's reaction. He's furious. Absolutely livid. He's just had this awful time with his master, comes home, and finds this copy sitting on his throne, wearing his face, bossing his monkeys around. He just explodes. Shakes off Sha Xing, grabs his own staff, the real Rui Jingu Bang, and just charges. And the imposter, does he say anything? Try to explain. Nope. Nothing. Doesn't answer. Doesn't apologize. He just picks up his staff and fights back. Instantly. And the fight is, well, text makes a big deal out of it. Oh yeah. It's immediate. Fierce. They clash right there, then shoot up into the sky. But the language used is key. It says, uh, Wushan Bai. Wushan Jia. Meaning, can't tell true from false. Exactly. Indistinguishable. And also, Wushan Bai, basically, no victory, no defeat. They are perfectly, absolutely matched. Skill, power, appearance, everything. That poem you mentioned actually sums it up later. Without true or false, the two are equal. It's the Rui Jingu Bang versus the Tsu Tseng Ti Gan Bing. Two ridiculously powerful weapons. Wielded identically. The text says it's a complete stalemate. Wild. Meanwhile, poor Sha Tseng is down below, just completely lost. The text says he absolutely cannot tell them apart. He's frozen. Yeah, he's scared, right? If he jumps in, who does he hit? He might attack the real Wukong. Exactly that fear. Yeah. So, feeling useless watching the fight, he thinks, okay, maybe I can find evidence. Maybe look for the pilgrim's luggage, see if that's been messed with. Good idea. Finds it full of these weird demon minions serving the fake Wukong. He starts smashing stuff up, frustrated. But here's the thing, the text notes, he doesn't actually know the cave layout. Oh, right. The hidden passages, the stuff behind the waterfall. Yeah, he's never really explored it, so he's kind of blundering around, can't find the luggage, can't really figure out what's going on inside. He can't get the proof he needs. So, he's stuck. And up in the sky, the two Wukongs are still going at it. Still locked in combat. The real Wukong, seeing Sha Sing is useless here, actually shouts down. He says something like, okay, Sha Sing, you clearly can't tell us apart. Go back, tell the master what's happened. I'm taking this fake. To Bodhisattva Guanyin, yeah. Like, let's get a higher authority. Exactly. We'll get her to sort this out. But here's where it gets even weirder. What? The imposter immediately repeats him. Word for word, same plan, same declaration. Whoa. That's unsettling. Like, perfect mimicry extends to intention. Bizarre. So, Sha Sing, probably more confused than ever, heads back to find the Tang monk. But the two identical Wukongs, they don't stop fighting. Where do they go? Still fighting? Yep. Battling the entire way, they head for Mount Luozhi in the South Sea, Bodhisattva Guanyin's home. Must have caused quite a stir when they arrived. Oh, absolutely. Imagine these two identical, powerful beings fighting and yelling right onto her sacred mountain. The guardians, the protectors there, they rush to report it to Guanyin. So she comes out with her attendants, Muzha, Shang Kai, the dragon girl. Right. And the moment they see her, both Wukongs actually stop fighting for a second. And they both plead their case. Same. The same thing. Each one points at the other, saying, I'm the real disciple. The master drove me away. That one is a demon who stole the luggage and caused all the trouble. And Guanyin, can she tell? She's incredibly wise, powerful. That's what you'd think. But the text is very, very clear here. Guanyin, all the assembled deities with her, they look closely. They examine them. They cannot tell them apart. Even her divine sight, her wisdom, it fails. No difference revealed. Wow. OK, so what does she do? She must try something. She does. Test number one, just ask them to stand apart. Simple enough. Damn. Useless. Both instantly step forward, shouting, I'm the real one. He's the fake. Back to square one. OK, that didn't work. What's next? Magic. Exactly. She resorts to something powerful and specific. The tight filet spell. Remember, this is the spell she gave the Tang monk to control the real Wukong via that golden band on his head. It causes agony when chanted. Right. The ultimate loyalty test, almost. It should only work on the real one wearing her specific filet. That's the logic. So she tells Musa and Chiang Kai to hold one each, keep them separated, and then she quietly, secretly starts chanting the spell word. OK, this has to be it. The moment of truth. You'd think so, but the text delivers this. Yeah. This absolute shocker. The result. Both Wukongs start screaming in agony. Both. Clutching their heads, rolling on the ground, yelling for her to stop the spell. It works perfectly on both of them. It completely fails as a way to tell them apart. Wait, how is that even possible? The filet, the spell, it's tied to the real Wukong's identity. That's the million-dollar question, isn't it? The text doesn't explain how, just that it happens. This isn't just a physical copy. It's somehow mimicking the magical connection itself. It's profoundly disturbing. Yeah, no kidding. So the spell test is a total bust. What happens when she stops chanting? The second the pain stops, they leap right back up and start fighting each other again. Instantly. Unbelievable. And the other gods watching? Still useless. They're hesitant, still can't tell who's who, still terrified of hitting the real son Wukong. Nobody dares intervene. So Guan Yin is stumped. Completely. Pretty much. She's faced with something unprecedented, so she suggests a different approach. Go to heaven. To the Jade Emperor. Yeah. Her thinking is, maybe the heavenly generals, the celestial officials up there, they knew Wukong really well from, you know, his rebellious youth, his time as Bin Ma Wen, the stable hand, the whole Havoc in Heaven episode. Right. They saw him up close, fought him. Maybe they can spot something. Familiar eyes, maybe. That seemed to be the hope. A change of scenery, different observers. So off they go again. Still fighting all the way. Oh yeah. Tooth and nail, right up to the southern gate of heaven. Causing a huge commotion, obviously. The guards there, like the broad-eyed heavenly king, try to stop them. And I bet they both give the same story again. You guessed it. Exactly the same explanation. Driven away by master, imposter showed up. Sha Seng couldn't help. Guanyin couldn't tell. Now we're here for judgment. Word for word, both of them. And the heavenly king's at the gate. Any luck? Nope. Same result. The text states clearly. The heavenly gods looked, stared. Yeah. And could not distinguish them. No one. This is just getting ridiculous. They can't be stopped, can they? Seems not. They basically just push past the guard, barge right into the main hall, the divine mist hall, demanding to see the Jade Emperor. The Jade Emperor. And, you guessed it, they both launch into the exact same story form. Recounting everything that's happened, each pointing fingers. He's the fake. He's the demon. Okay. Highest authority in heaven. What does he do? He must have something. He does. He calls for one of his main troubleshooters, pagoda-bearing heavenly king. And he gives a direct order. Use the demon-revealing mirror. Ah, the Yao Jian Jing. The ultimate lie detector, basically. Designed specifically to show the true form of any demon or illusion. Precisely. The order is clear. Use the mirror, identify the fake, and get rid of them. This should be the definitive test. Okay. Suspense. The mirror comes out. King Lao holds it up, points it at them. What does it show? The text says the mirror reflects. Two Sun Wukongs. No! Seriously. Two identical images. Same golden fillet, same robes, same fur, same posture. Every single detail. Perfectly duplicated in the mirror's reflection. So, the mirror whose job is to reveal fakes shows two genuine-looking Wukongs. That's what the text tells us. Even the Jade Emperor, staring into this ultimate truth-telling artifact, cannot distinguish them. The mirror itself fails. I don't even know what to say. What happens then? They basically just get kicked out. Chased out of the hall. The entire heavenly court is stumped. Utterly unable to solve this impossible riddle. So out of heaven they go. Still identical. Still fighting. Still identical. Still fighting. Though the text adds one tiny detail just as they leave heaven. The real Wukong laughs coldly. Like maybe in frustration or determination. And the imposter laughs happily. Like he's enjoying the chaos, maybe. A flicker of difference in emotion. But visually, magically, still identical twins. Exactly. Still twin images. Locked in combat. Where do they head next? Back to the Tang Monk. Back to the Master. Oh boy. With Shaw Monk returning. He's been gone a while. Okay, so he gets back to where they're staying. Finds Tang Monk still pretty shaken up, I imagine. Understandably. And Shaw Monk starts recounting the initial attack. Him getting jumped. The luggage being stolen. Ah, right. And Tang Monk had thought it was the real Wukong causing all the trouble back then. Exactly. And you can really feel Tang Monk's regret now. Thinking he misjudged Wukong so badly. So Shaw Monk clears that up. He does. He confirms just how deep the deception went. It wasn't just one imposter. I know. No, it's a Yao Jing. A monster who had basically conjured up an entire fake pilgrimage crew. The whole crew. A fake Tang Monk. A fake white horse. A fake pigsy carrying the luggage. And get this, even a fake Shaw Monk. He fights this fake Shaw Monk. Manages to defeat it. And discovers it's actually a monkey spirit. Needing answers. Needing backup. He goes straight to the top. Guanyin. Borisov's a Guanyin herself. Yeah. On Mount Putuo in the South Sea. He seeks her guidance. She sends him back with the real Sun Wukong. Ah. But when they arrive back at Flower Fruit Mountain where the fake Wukong has set up Shaw. Yeah. Shaw Monk finds the monster, the imposter, looks exactly like Sun Wukong. He can't tell them apart. He's completely unable to distinguish them. Can't even really help in the fight that's still going on between the two Wukongs. He returns alone to report this, well, totally bewildering situation back to Tang Monk. Yeah. And Tang Monk's reaction when he hears this news. The text says, greatly alarmed. Shocked to his core. You could just picture the color draining from his face, right? Absolutely. Utter disbelief. Pigsy. He has a very, uh, different take. He doesn't seem the type to panic easily. He bursts out laughing. He finds the whole thing absurdly funny. Seriously. Laughing. Yeah. And he even connects it back to something the old woman at the house where they're staying had said earlier. Like a prophecy, almost. What was that? She remarked, it seemed like there were, like, multiple sets of pilgrims heading west. And now. There literally are. Kind of. Exactly. Now they're facing this near-perfect duplicate set. Pigsy sees the dark humor in it. Okay, wow. And this is also when the, uh, the hosting family gets pulled in a bit more, right? They see Shang Monk return. They do. And they're amazed. Like, where on earth have you been? Shang Monk just casually lists his itinerary. Yep. Totally straight-faced. Tells them, oh, just popped over to Flower Fruit Mountain. Then Mount Putuo to see Granyan. Back to Flower Fruit Mountain. And now I'm back here. Just like that. And the old man hosting them must be. Flabbergasted. Absolutely stunned. He asks about the distance. And Shang Monk gives him the number. Casually drops about over 200,000 lives. Like, it's nothing. Which, for a normal person, is an insane distance to cover in just a few days. Totally incomprehensible. The old man basically says, only shrugged cloud traveling could possibly achieve that speed. And Pigsy jumps in here, too. Oh, yeah. Pigsy confirms they don't exactly, you know, stroll. He points out, how else would they cross the sea? And then Shang Monk, always the practical one, clarifies that even their speed is, like, nothing compared to Sun Wukong. Wukong's even faster. Oh, much faster. Yeah. Shang Monk reckons Wukong could do that whole round trip in just two Dugati Ortiz. Okay, so this whole exchange really cements it for the family, doesn't it? These aren't just monks. Nope. They now see them clearly as immortals. Beings capable of truly supernatural stuff. And Pigsy probably loves this revelation. He totally seizes the moment. Can't resist boasting that even regular immortals are just their juniors, basically. Classic Pigsy. It's a funny little moment highlighting how different their world is. It really underscores the gap between the pilgrims and the ordinary world, and how the family's perception is shifting. But that, uh, relative calm doesn't stick around for long, does it? Not at all. While they're having this conversation, suddenly, bam! Commotion right overhead. In the sky! Yep. Hey! Loud noises shouting coming from the sky right above the house. Everyone rushes outside. And they see. Exactly what Shang Monk reported. The two Sun Wukongs still locked in this fierce battle. Man, that must have been a sight. Pigsy. Pigsy gets fired up. Maybe it's the immortal talk, maybe he's just itching for a fight. The text says, His hands are itching. He jumps up. And calls out to Wukong. Calls out to his Ra, his senior brother. Okay, and here's the crucial part, right? Who answers? This is where it gets truly weird. Both Wukongs answer him. At the same time. Both? What do they say? Each one tells Pigsy to come help him fight the other one. Calling the other guy the Yu, the monster. Wow. Okay, so each one claims to be the real one. That's impossible. Utterly impossible. And the poor hosting family. They're terrified, but also amazed. They see them as these powerful beings, arhats, traveling on clouds. Right. But they're scared stiff that this fight could literally turn heaven and earth upside down. Bring disaster right down on their house. Understandable fear. Does Tang Monk try to calm them down? He does. Seeing their terror, he reassures the old man. Promises he'll get his disciple under control. Turn the evil to good. You know, thank them properly later. Okay, so they need a plan. A real plan to figure this out. And this leads to the first big attempt to settle the identity question directly. Sha Monk comes up with what seems like the most logical test. The filet spell. Exactly. The tight filet spell. He suggests bringing both Wukongs down before Tang Monk. And the logic is, the real Wukong wears the filet, so he'll feel the pain. The fake one won't. Simple, right? It's worked countless times before to control Wukong. Tang Monk must have jumped at that idea. He agrees immediately. Calls it extremely appropriate. The perfect solution. So they implement the plan. Yep. Sha Monk goes up, calls out to the fighting Wukongs, tells them to stop and come down so the master can identify them. And they actually stop fighting. Surprisingly, yeah. Both of them stop their battle. So Sha Monk grabs one. Big Z grabs the other. And they lead them down to stand in front of Tang Monk. Moment of truth. Tang Monk starts the spell. He recites the incantation. And what happens? Does it work? Both Wukongs cry out in pain. Both of them. Both clutch their heads, complaining bitterly. Like, Master, why are you cursing me? I'm already fighting this imposter so hard. Tang Monk stops the spell. Completely bewildered. Utterly stumped. Couldn't recognize the true from the false. So with the test failing and no resolution, what do the two Wukongs do? They immediately break free from Big Z and Sha Monk. And start fighting again. Instantly. Back at each other's throats. Unbelievable. So where do they go from here? Is there another plan? Well, with the spell being a bust, one of the Wukongs yells out a suggestion. Which is? Let's take this fight to King Yama. Zhuang, go argue the case before the Lord of the Underworld. Settle it in hell, basically. Pretty much. And the other Wukong immediately agrees. So they go? They grab at each other and poof, they disappear. Send go. Just gone. Okay, so the Wukongs vanish off to the Underworld, presumably. What happens back at the house? Well, the immediate crisis shifts. Pigsy, always practical, brings up the stolen luggage. Ah, right. The reason Sha Monk went looking in the first place. Yeah. He asks Sha Monk, basically, Hey, when you were at the Water Curtain Cave earlier, and saw that fake Pigsy carrying our stuff, why didn't you just grab it then? Good question. Why didn't he? Sha Monk explains that when he fought the fake Sha Monk, he got surrounded by all those, the little monkey demons. Ah, right. He says he had to flee for his life, back or in. Couldn't risk sticking around for the bags. Makes sense. Self-preservation first. He also adds that when he went back later with the real son Wukong, the two Wukongs were already fighting way up in the air. He caused a bit of a distraction, managed to flip over a stone stool and scatter the little demons. Okay. But he says he couldn't find a proper cave entrance. All he saw was waterfall. Just a waterfall? Yeah. He didn't know where the actual door was, couldn't find the luggage, and so he had to come back empty-handed. Okay, but this is where Pigsy has some key info, isn't it? From his own earlier trip there. Exactly. Pigsy knows something Sha Monk doesn't. He basically tells him, you missed it. It's a secret. Pigsy reveals the waterfall is the entrance. Ah, clever hiding place. Very clever. So Pigsy figures, logically, the monster must have stashed their precious luggage inside that hidden cave. Dang. SHAR-SHAR-KI! Okay, that's a huge piece of intel. And Tang Monk hears this. He does. And hearing that Pigsy knows how to get in, he sees an opportunity. A critical one. While the two Wukongs are gone. Exactly. While they're not home, basically. While they're off arguing in the underworld, presumably. So Tang Monk tells Pigsy, Go! Go now! Get into the cave and retrieve the luggage. Make sense? Get the stuff back while the coast is clear. And Tang Monk adds something pretty telling here. He says, if Pigsy gets the luggage back, he won't even need Sun Wukong anymore. Whether the real one comes back or not. His priority seems to be the luggage, the journey itself. And Pigsy's reaction? Is he up for it? Oh, totally. Pigsy, maybe eager to be the hero and knowing the secret entrance, just says, I'll go. Ready for action. But Sha Monk, ever the cautious one, throws in a warning. About the little monkeys? Yeah. He reminds Pigsy there are thousands of them guarding the entrance. He warns him, you alone might not be able to handle them. It could go badly. Is Pigsy worried? Not a bit. He just brushes it off. No fear, no fear. And he just takes off. Immediately leaves by cloud. Heading straight for Flower Fruit Mountain to get that luggage back. These two monkey kings are really violent, right behind a place called Yin Mountain. Yin Mountain. That sounds ominous. It's in the Underworld, or near it. And the ghosts there, they are terrified. The text says they're scattering, running for cover right into the gates of the Underworld itself. Because the fight is just spilling over. Exactly. It's disrupting their realm. Which naturally gets the attention of the higher-ups down there. Right. So the ghosts basically report this disturbance. Uh-huh. They rush into the Underworld door. The news travels fast up to the main palace. The Sen Luo Bao Dian. Sen Luo Bao Dian. Okay. And the word is, two great soldiers equal to heaven are fighting their way here. That sounds like cause for alarm. So this news hits hard. The text lists them out. The ten kings of the Underworld, everyone from King Kung Guang all the way to King Xuan Lun. They're alerted and they gather right away in the main hall. The whole leadership council, basically. Pretty much the entire bureaucracy of death. And the text specifically mentions, Dizang Bodhisattva is also informed and present. Ah, Dizang. He's a major figure, oversees the Underworld, that represents something more spiritual, right? A Bodhisattva. So a higher level of authority within this Buddhist-influenced cosmology. Okay. So the Underworld court is assembled, braced for trouble, and then the two monkeys show up. They do. Flying in, the source says, on winds and mist, still tangled up, fighting, tumbling right up to the palace steps. Right in the entrance. Definitely makes an impression. So the Underworld kings confront them. You know, what is going on? Why are you causing such a ruckus here? And this is where we get the story. Or stories. Right. One of the monkeys steps forward. The text just calls him this great sage at first, keeping it neutral, and lays out his case. Okay, what does he say? He says, But we had this run-in with bandits near the Kingdom of Zilyang, and the monk got mad, frustrated, and basically kicked me out. Expelled me. Oh, right. That happens a few times in the story. It does. So he says he went off to Mount Putuo to see Guanyin, the Bodhisattva of Compassion, to sort of appeal or get advice. Okay, makes sense. But he says, Wow. This imposter attacked the Tang monk back on the road, injured him, stole the luggage, which is crucial for the quest. The scriptures. The whole point of the journey relies on that luggage, yeah. Exactly. And now this fake is pretending to be him, the real disciple, planning to go to the West Heaven himself to get the scriptures. Stealing his identity and his mission. Totally. Then, he continues, And found the fake. Found the imposter there, holding court. Sha Xing realized something was wrong, fought him briefly, couldn't win, and fled. Guess where? Back to Guanyin. But get this. The first monkey king, the one telling the story, was already there with Guanyin when Sha Xing arrived. But the two identical Wukongs. So they both ended up at Guanyin's. Both of them. And Guanyin couldn't tell them apart either. And the gods there? So, heaven couldn't sort it out. That's why they've come down to the underworld. Exactly. He even mentions they tried the ultimate test, the tight filet spell. Both monkeys grabbed their heads, rolled on the ground in agony. Same reaction. Same pain. The spell was useless for telling them apart. So, facing this total impasse, the monkey king explains why they're in the underworld. They want the officials to check the register of life and death. The Xingzi boot. The big ledger of everyone's existence. That's the one. They hope to find some record of the fake's origin, figure out who or what it really is. And the quote is great. They want to clear up the confusion caused by the two hearts. Two hearts. That phrase feels significant. It really does. We'll probably come back to that, but here's the immediate picker. The one. The source immediately says, the other monkey, the one just standing there silently, he steps up and tells the exact same story. You're kidding. Word for word, same grievances, same sequence of events, same justification. So, even their narrative, their personal account is identical. This is impossible. Completely. So, what do the underworld kings do? They fall back on procedure. They call for the official in charge of the register. The judge, basically. Time to check the cosmic database. Right. The judge gets the registers. He searches. No record anywhere of a fake monkey king. Doesn't exist in the files. Okay. But what about the real one? Or just monkeys in general? Good question. The judge then checks the specific section for furry creatures. The maochang category. And he finds something. Or rather, doesn't find something. What is it? He reports that the original entry for Sun Wukong, entry number 130, was personally erased by Wukong himself years ago. Oh, right. During his big rebellion when he rampaged through the underworld. Exactly. The text says he hooked out his name back then. And not just his name. Oh. The judge says, from then on, all those belonging to the monkey genus had no names listed in the register. He wiped the slate clean for all monkeys. Seems like it. Which means... The register of life and death is totally useless here. They can't look up the fake. And they can't even confirm the real one's original entry because he deleted it. Precisely. The system's main tool for identification has this huge blind spot. A loophole created by the very individual or someone identical to him that they're trying to identify now. Wow. Talk about irony. His past act of defiance against the system now prevents that same system from helping him. It really is a fascinating twist. His rebellion comes back to bite him, in a way, by empowering his double. So the bureaucracy hits a wall. What do the Ten Kings say? Well, based on their findings, or lack thereof, they basically shrug. They tell the two monkeys, look, the underworld has no record, no information for you. You need to go back to the world of the living, the yang realm, and figure it out there. Just punt the problem back upstairs. Pretty much. Standard procedure failed. Cosmic paperwork is incomplete. Case closed for them. But just as they're about to send them off... Someone else speaks up. Yes. Dizang Bodhisattva intervenes. He says, essentially, hold on a moment. Let my creature, Diting, listen. Maybe he can tell the true from the false. Ah, Diting. The special beast. What does the source say about him? Or it? It's described as this creature that lies beneath Dizang's scripture desk. And its power is, well, incredible. How so? The chapter says, if Diting just lies down on the ground, it can instantly hear and perceive the truth about everything. Everything? Yeah, like all beings, insects, scaled creatures, furry ones, feathered, shelled, you name it. And all places, mountains, rivers, societies, hidden caves, blessed lands, across all the four great continents of their cosmology. So it's like cosmic omniscience through hearing. Something like that. The text says it can illuminate good and evil, discern the wise and foolish. It's the ultimate truth detector, basically. Okay, this has got to work then. If anything can tell them apart, it's Diting. That's certainly the hope. So Diting does as instructed. Lies down, prostrate on the ground, the text says, and listens. The tension must be palpable. You'd imagine so. And after just a moment, Diting gets up and speaks to Dizang Bodhisattva privately. Does it know? Yes. It confirms, I know who the fake is. The phrase is, A, the strange name exists, essentially. I know its identity. Okay, finally. So just point him out. Ah, but here's the twist. Diting immediately adds, but I cannot reveal it directly, cannot say it plainly in front of them. What? Why not? It knows the truth. And this is crucial. Diting explains why. It says, if I announce the truth here and now, I'm afraid the demon's wickedness will erupt. Erupt, because? Because, Diting says, this fake monkey king's supernatural power is no different from Sun Wukong. They are equally matched in power. Oh, I see. Revealing the fake would just trigger a massive fight right there in the palace. Diting fears it would cause chaos in the hall, leading to unrest in the underworld. And the underworld guards, they can't handle that kind of power? Exactly what Diting says next. The gods of the underworld, it points out. How much magical power do they really have? Essentially, not enough. Therefore, they cannot capture it. Wow. Okay, that changes everything. So knowledge isn't power here. Knowing the truth is actually dangerous, because they lack the means to enforce it. Precisely. The problem shifts from identification to containment. The identical power level makes revealing the truth too risky for the local authorities. They know who it is, but they can't do anything about it without risking catastrophe. Dzang Bodhisattva gets it immediately, though. He understands Diting's warning. Instantly. The text mentions him understanding the hint about, Boundless is Buddhist law, implying this needs a solution from a higher plane. He realizes this isn't an underworld matter anymore. So what does he tell the monkeys? He can't reveal the fake. No, he relays Diting's conclusion, but frames it diplomatically based on their identical nature. He says something like, Look, you two are identical in appearance and your powers are exactly the same. Stating the obvious problem. Right. And because of that, he says to truly sort this out, you have to go somewhere else. You need to go see Sakyamuni Tathagata, the Buddha himself, at Lion Monastery. Send them to the ultimate authority. Only one powerful enough, perhaps, to handle two beings of this magnitude. So the bureaucratic records failed. The all-hearing beast knew, but couldn't speak because of the power parity. The only option left is the Buddha. That's the conclusion reached in the underworld. And strangely enough, The monkeys agree. Even while fighting. Instantly. The source says they both shout, That's right, that's right. Like, yes. Finally. A sensible suggestion. So they agree on the destination, at least. They do. They agree to take their case to West Heaven. The ten kings see them off. Gizan goes back to his palace. And the two monkeys leave the underworld. Peacefully. Oh, absolutely not. Agreeing on where to go doesn't stop the fight. The text describes them flying on clouds and rushing on mist towards the west. But they are still pulling and dragging, grabbing and snatching, fighting as they go. The battle continues across the sky. Incredible. Just grappling all the way to the Buddha's doorstep. Pretty much. And right here, as they're flying and fighting, the chapter inserts a short poem. And this poem, it gets right to the point. It talks about the danger of having two hearts. Especially for someone on a spiritual path. Two hearts. That sounds significant. What exactly does the poem mean by two hearts? Well, it paints a picture of two sort of competing desires pulling someone apart. Right. On one side, there's the heart focused on the mission. You know, cultivating yourself, going west to see Buddha, get the scriptures. The whole point of their journey. And the other heart. What's that about? The other one is still caught up in the world. It's described as prasisiya ju, basically yearning for worldly stuff. Wealth, fame, recognition. Ah, so it's like you're on the spiritual quest, but part of you is still looking back at earthly rewards. Precisely. That's the conflict. The poem suggests this big dramatic fight isn't really about some external clone or imposter. It's internal. It's symbolizing that internal division. Yeah. Which leads to the poem's bottom line, I guess. Yeah. About what's needed to succeed. Absolutely. The poem really stresses that nusit, basically zen practice, this kind of path. Okay. It's crystal clear. Becoming a Buddha or a saint is only possible if your heart is pure. A clean heart is the condition. And they finally arrive. Still brawling outside the Treasure Hall of Lion on Vulture Peak Immortal Mountain. Right at the Buddha's place. Bringing this absolutely perplexing, violent, and maybe symbolic struggle right to the threshold of ultimate enlightenment. To Sun Bukongs. And think about the timing. They literally crash the party. The Buddha is right in the middle of this deep teaching session. He's talking about profound stuff. Being and non-being. Form and emptiness. The really core philosophical ideas. And the whole assembly is there. Bodhisattvas, arhats, everyone. Wow. Okay. So complete silence and deep thought. And then bam. Exactly. Two identical brawling figures just land right there. Chaos. And one of them steps forward. The one claiming he's the real Sun Wukong. He makes his plea directly to the Buddha. And he tells his side of the story. Yeah. The story we know, or think we know. Protecting Tang Sanzang. Then getting kicked out after hitting those bandits. Right. The recurring issue. Exactly. And then how this imposter just took his place. Beat the master up. Stole the luggage. The whole disaster. The Wukong making the plea explains they'd already been everywhere. To Guanyin first. Then the Heavenly Palace. You know, the Jade Emperor. Even down to the underworld. The eye. And back to Tang Sanzang himself. And nobody could tell him apart. And they were all completely baffled. It wasn't just a clever disguise. It was flawless. The source even says when they stood there in front of the Buddha's own assembly. Talking exactly the same. Even all those enlightened beings couldn't tell. It just shows you the scale of the problem. Utter confusion. And then Guanyin actually shows up there at Lion Monastery. Yes. She arrives. Almost like she was called by the sheer impossibility of it all. And she basically confirms the issue. She does. She tells the Buddha straight up. Look, even I couldn't figure it out in my place. She actually asks the Buddha to use his, you know, ultimate wisdom to finally sort them out. So the big question then is. Yeah. How? How could the Buddha see what no one else could? What did he know? That's the core of it. He starts explaining why the others failed. Okay. He talks about how reality is usually categorized, right? You've got your standard list. The five immortals. Heaven, earth, spirit, human, ghost. And the five creatures. Creeping things, scale, furry, winged, you know, bugs and stuff. Basically everything that normally exists fits into one of these ten categories. The Buddha reveals something crucial. He says there's another group. A classification so rare that it exists completely outside those ten known categories. Wow. He calls them the four troubled monkeys. Beings not generally known or understood between heaven and earth. They're off the standard charts. So it wasn't just about having better eyesight or something. It was about knowing these outliers existed. Precisely. Everyone else was looking within the known system trying to fit them into a box. But they weren't in any of the usual boxes. The Buddha knew about the categories that others didn't even know were missing. Okay. So what are these four types? The source lists them, right? Yes. The Buddha names them. First, there's the spiritual stone monkey. That sounds familiar. Very. Good at transformation. Knows the seasons. Geography. Can shift stars. Okay. One down. Second, the rege. The red-bottomed horse monkey. Knows yin and yang. Human stuff. Good at sneaking around. Lives long. Third, the luge. The long-armed ape. Really powerful. Grabs the sun and moon. Shrinks mountains. Messes with the cosmos. Stay hitters. And the fourth one. The six-eared macaque. And the Buddha points right at the fake Wukong and says, That's him. He's the six-eared macaque. Ah, the reveal. And then he explains why this macaque was such a perfect imposter. He lists its abilities. Good at listening. Understands reason. Knows past and future. Comprehends all things. That's the direct quote. Oh yay. So. Okay. Okay, wait. Knows past and future. Comprehends all things. If it knows everything. It's not just mimicking. It's replicating based on total knowledge. It could perfectly copy Wukong's looks, his voice, his memories, his feelings. Because it literally knew them all. That's terrifyingly perfect. No wonder nobody could tell. You need to know the type of being it was, not just observe it. And that's why only the Buddha could do it. Yeah. He recognized its fundamental nature. And the moment it's identified, the macaque knows the game is up. It panics. Supposed to run for it, right? Instantly. Starts trembling. Tries to bolt. The Buddha tells the real Wukong, hang on, let me. The macaque turns itself into a bee, thinking it can buzz away. A classic escape move. But against the Buddha. Yeah, not gonna work. The Buddha just tosses his golden alms bowl, the cacto, up in the air. Simple as that. And it traps the bee. Covers it. Brings it right down to the ground. Everyone else thinks the bee got away, but the Buddha's like, nope, he's under my bowl. The big reveal. He lifts the bowl. And there it is, the six-eared macaque back in its true form. And the real Wukong. Doesn't waste a single second. Steps forward. Iron rod. Wow. One blow. Kills it instantly. Yeah. And the source adds that chilling line. Basically, that specific kind of troubled monkey went extinct right then and there. Wow. An entire species wiped out to solve this identity crisis. The Buddha just sighs like, goodness, goodness. And Wukong, finally vindicated, immediately defends himself. Says the macaque deserved it for, you know, beating the master, stealing the stuff. Justice served, in his eyes. But then, he hesitates. Yeah, even after proving he's the real one, the doubt creeps in. He basically says to the Buddha, look, after all this, I don't think my master will take me back. He even asks the Buddha to take off his golden headband. Like he wants to quit the whole pilgrimage. Understandable, I guess. The trust was broken pretty badly. Totally. But the Buddha's very reassuring. Tells him, don't think like that. You will finish the journey. You will achieve Buddhahood. Get your own lotus throne right here with us. Big promises. And he gets Guanyin to help smooth things over back with Tang Sanzang. Exactly. He asks Guanyin to escort Wukong back. Make sure the master accepts him. She agrees. Takes Musa and her parrot, and off they go. So Guanyin basically mediates the reunion. She does. She flies down, explains everything to Tang Sanzang. The one who hit you. That was the fake, the six-eared macaque. The real Wukong killed him. You need Wukong. The journey's long. Let go of the anger. Take him back. Unnecessary intervention. And just as this is happening. Plot twist. Zubaji shows up. Pigsy, what's his story? He comes running up with his own wild tale. He went to Flower Fruit Mountain to get the luggage back. Makes sense. But when he got there, he found more fakes. A fake Tang Sanzang, and even a fake Baji guarding the cave. Wait, what? The macaque made a whole fake team. Apparently. It really shows the extent of the trouble this monkey could cause, right? Just total chaos and mimicry. Baji says he fought them, killed them, and they turned back into regular monkeys when they died. Whoa. Grabbed the real luggage, which was safe inside, but had no idea what happened with the two Wukongs until he got back and heard Guanyin explaining things. That adds a whole other layer. It wasn't just about one imposter. But okay, so Baji's back. Guanyin explained things. And the team is finally back together. The source says they reconcile, clear the air, get rid of the grudges, Tang Sanzang takes Wukong back. Phew. Crisis averted. They thank the locals who helped them, pack up and get back on the road west. The team is whole again. There's a little poem at the end, you know, about resolving conflict, finding clarity. Specifically mentioning settling the two hearts or two minds. Right. The two minds being resolved. Interesting. Yeah, it suggests maybe the external fight mirrored some kind of internal struggle too. The team's unity being tested by this ultimate deception.