Chapter 3: The Great Sage Receives the Title of Protector of the Horses

Summary

In this chapter, Sun Wukong is summoned to Heaven after causing chaos by taking the Ruyi Jingu Bang and the Book of Life and Death. The Jade Emperor decides to offer him a position in Heaven to control his unruly nature. Wukong is appointed the Protector of the Horses (Bima Wen), a seemingly insignificant position. Disappointed with the lowly role, Wukong rebels, returns to Flower-Fruit Mountain, and declares himself the "Great Sage Equal to Heaven."

Soon, the Jade Emperor sends Heavenly King Li Jing and his son Nezha to capture Wukong. After a series of confrontations and battles with the heavenly army, including the Giant Spirit God and Nezha, Wukong defeats them all and continues to celebrate his victory. The chapter showcases Wukong’s defiance of Heaven’s authority and his growing pride in his newfound title.

Content

After Sun Wukong forcibly took the Ruyi Jingu Bang (the Great Sage Equal to Heaven’s staff) and the Book of Life and Death, the Dragon King of the East Sea and King Qin Guang of the Underworld went to Heaven to report the matter, asking the Jade Emperor to send troops to deal with the rebellious monkey. The Jade Emperor asked, “What is the background of this Sun Wukong?” The celestial beings, the Thousand-Mile Eye and the Wind-Deaf Ear, stepped forward and said, “He is the stone monkey born on Mount Huaguo over three hundred years ago. We don’t know where he went to cultivate and become immortal.”

The Jade Emperor asked, “Which of the gods is willing to go down and subdue this demon monkey?” Before anyone could reply, the Bright Star (Taibai Jinxing) stepped forward and said, “Since ancient times, anyone with nine openings can become an immortal. This monkey is a creature of Heaven and Earth, and his abilities are extraordinary. Your Majesty could issue a decree to invite him to Heaven and appoint him to a position, which would help control him.” The Jade Emperor thought this made sense and said, “Then I order you, Taibai Jinxing, to go and invite him.”

Taibai Jinxing received the imperial edict and came to Mount Huaguo. Upon arriving, he saw the monkeys playing in front of the Water Curtain Cave and went forward to say, “I am the envoy of the Jade Emperor. Quickly go report to your king.” Sun Wukong, upon hearing this, hurriedly led the other monkeys to welcome Taibai Jinxing into the cave. Wukong asked, “What brings the heavenly envoy to Mount Huaguo?” Taibai Jinxing replied, “I bring a decree from the Jade Emperor, requesting your king to come to Heaven to receive a title.” He then read the edict aloud. Wukong responded, “Oh, a government position in Heaven? I’ve been meaning to take a trip to Heaven recently.” Taibai Jinxing said, “The decree is in hand. Please, Your Majesty, let us depart immediately.”

Wukong agreed and told the Four Old Monkeys, “You stay here and take care of the home while I go explore the path to Heaven. Later, I’ll bring you all up to live in Heaven too.” After speaking, Wukong performed a somersault and ascended to Heaven.

Taibai Jinxing

The Bright Star, also known as the Morning Star, Long-Geng Star, or Venus, is the personification of the planet Venus in Chinese mythology. He is a prominent deity in Taoism, said to be the son of the White Emperor and the official in charge of warfare and battle in Heaven.

They soon reached the South Heavenly Gate, but were stopped by the Guarding Heavenly King, Zeng Zhang, who was stationed there. Wukong argued with the king, and Taibai Jinxing hurriedly intervened, explaining that Wukong had been summoned by the Jade Emperor. Only then was Wukong allowed to pass through the gate. They arrived at the Lingxiao Hall, where Wukong didn’t wait to be announced but directly entered and stood without kneeling. The Jade Emperor asked, “Which one of you is the demon immortal?” Wukong replied, “I am.” The court was shocked, and the other immortals angrily said, “You wild monkey, why don’t you kneel and pay your respects to His Majesty?” The Jade Emperor said, “Since Sun Wukong is new to Heaven and unaware of the proper etiquette, we will forgive him for now.” Taibai Jinxing quickly reminded Wukong, “Your Majesty, why don’t you thank the Emperor?” Wukong gave a hasty salute, saying, “Thank you.” The Jade Emperor asked, “Where should Sun Wukong be assigned?” The Star God of Mars (Wuqiu Xingjun) answered, “There are no positions available in the heavenly courts, but there is one vacancy in the Imperial Horse Department for the chief horse keeper.” Taibai Jinxing whispered, “If you send him to look after horses, he may not accept.” The Star God of Mars responded, “It’s a significant position.” Upon hearing this, Wukong was very pleased and exclaimed, “That’s just what I wanted!” Thus, the Jade Emperor appointed Wukong as the Protector of the Horses (Bima Wen).

Wukong went to the Imperial Horse Department joyfully, accompanied by the Star God of Wood. He summoned the officers of the department—managers, assistants, record-keepers, laborers, and others—and learned about his responsibilities, which involved overseeing over a thousand heavenly steeds. Wukong took his duties seriously and made sure the horses were well-fed and cared for, quickly fattening them up.

One day, the officials of the Imperial Horse Department held a grand banquet to celebrate Wukong’s appointment. During the festivities, Wukong suddenly asked, “What rank is this position of Protector of the Horses?” The officials replied, “It has no rank.” Wukong asked, “Does a position with no rank hold great power?” The officials answered, “It’s quite small. If you take good care of the horses, you may receive praise, but if not, you’ll be punished.” Upon hearing this, Wukong became furious and shouted, “I, the King of Flower-Fruit Mountain, was tricked into coming here to be a horse keeper, doing this lowly work! I won’t stand for it!” He then kicked over the table, pulled out his staff, and marched out of the South Heavenly Gate.

Riding the cloud of his somersault, Wukong quickly returned to Flower-Fruit Mountain. He shouted, “Monkeys, I’m back!” The monkeys welcomed him and asked, “Great King, you must have been enjoying your time in Heaven for the past ten years. How was it?” Wukong replied, “I was only there for half a month, not ten years!” The monkeys said, “In Heaven, a single day equals a year on Earth. What position did you hold up there?” Wukong shook his head and said, “It’s too embarrassing to talk about! The Jade Emperor appointed me to be the Protector of the Horses.” The monkeys asked, “It must be a great position, right?” Wukong replied, “It’s a position to tend to the horses. In a fit of anger, I left Heaven and returned here.” The monkeys cheered and said, “It’s great you’re back! You are the King of this blessed land, why should you go serve as a horse keeper?” They then toasted Wukong.

Two demon kings, the Unicorn Ghost Kings, arrived to offer their congratulations, saying, “We heard that you have become a great heavenly official and returned triumphantly. We have brought you a yellow robe to celebrate. We hope you will accept us into your service. We will serve you faithfully from now on.” Wukong, very pleased, put on the robe and appointed the two demon kings as the chief commanders. The demon kings, upon hearing that Wukong had been made a horse keeper, remarked, “With your abilities, you could easily have become the Great Sage Equal to Heaven. Why settle for this?” Wukong was overjoyed and said, “That’s a great idea!” He then ordered the monkeys to make a flag bearing the title “Great Sage Equal to Heaven” and hang it outside the cave.

Meanwhile, Zhang Daoling, the Celestial Master, went to the Jade Emperor to report, “Your Majesty, the newly appointed Protector of the Horses, Sun Wukong, found the position too lowly and has rebelled, returning to Flower-Fruit Mountain.” The Jade Emperor, hearing this, became enraged and commanded the Heavenly King Li Jing and his son Nezha to lead the heavenly army to capture Wukong.

When they reached Flower-Fruit Mountain, they set up camp. Li Jing ordered the Giant Spirit God to lead the attack. The Giant Spirit God arrived at the Water Curtain Cave and saw Wukong standing outside, armed and ready for battle. He said, “You little Protector of the Horses dare defy the celestial authority! Surrender now or I will crush you into powder.” Wukong retorted, “Who are you, to talk such big words?” The Giant Spirit God answered, “I am the vanguard of the army of Heavenly King Li Jing. I have come to capture you on the Jade Emperor’s orders.” Wukong said, “I could easily kill you, but I wouldn’t want to leave Heaven without anyone to report back to the Jade Emperor. Look at my flag—if the Jade Emperor appoints me the ‘Great Sage Equal to Heaven,’ I won’t make a move; otherwise, I’ll march to the Lingxiao Hall and make him sit on the dragon bed!” Upon seeing the flag with the words “Great Sage Equal to Heaven,” the Giant Spirit God became furious and shouted, “You arrogant monkey, you don’t know your place!” With that, he swung his axe at Wukong.

The two fought for several rounds, and the Giant Spirit God began to falter. In one slip, his axe was shattered by Wukong. The Giant Spirit God fled in a panic. Wukong laughed and said, “Ha! What a fool! Go back and tell them to send someone better next time!”

The Giant Spirit God returned to the camp and reported to Li Jing, who became furious and ordered, “Such incompetence! Take him away and execute him!” Nezha, however, intervened and said, “Father, please forgive him. I will handle the monkey myself.” Nezha went to confront Wukong, and upon seeing him, Wukong laughed, “Who are you, little brother, to come here?” Nezha, enraged, transformed into a figure with three heads and six arms, wielding various magical weapons, and attacked Wukong. Wukong, not to be outdone, transformed in kind and fought Nezha with his own three heads and six arms. After a long battle, Nezha, seeing no way to win, resorted to multiplying his weapons and bombarding Wukong with countless magical projectiles. Wukong did the same, turning his staff into thousands of copies. The battle was still evenly matched.

Taking advantage of the confusion, Wukong pulled out a single hair, chanted a spell, and created another version of himself to fight Nezha while his real body snuck behind Nezha and struck his arm with a blow. Nezha, startled, barely dodged in time but still took a hit. Defeated, Nezha returned to Li Jing, reporting that he had been beaten by Wukong. Li Jing was shocked and said, “If that’s the case, let’s not engage any further. We’ll return and report to the Jade Emperor to plan our next move.”

Seeing the heavenly army retreat, Wukong rejoiced and ordered a grand celebration to be held.