In the Orient Read Online Free PDF Page B

evade being captured and locked in a cauldron for forty-nine days. When the cauldron’s top was finally removed, the Monkey King jumped out, stronger and more vindictive than before.
    With no other choice left, the Jade Emperor appealed to Buddha, who had just arrived in Heaven from his temple in the West. It was soon after Buddha agreed to help the Jade Emperor that the Monkey King finally met his match.
    Knowing he could leap long distances in a single bound, the Monkey King smugly accepted a bet that he couldn’t escape from the palm of Buddha’s hand. The Monkey King then leaped and flew to what he thought was the outer boundaries of Heaven. Once there, hepulled a hair out of its tail and wrote, “Monkey was here” on the only visible objects, five large pillars.
    However, when the Monkey King leaped back, he found he was still in Buddha’s palm. More surprising, he found out that the five pillars were really Buddha’s five fingers!
    As the Monkey King struggled to escape, Buddha instantly closed his fist and transformed his hand into a mountain that he tightly sealed. Just as Haktu had remained a prisoner in the secret cave’s underground lake, so too did the Monkey King stay locked in a desolate Chinese mountain for five painful centuries.
    The Monkey King ultimately gained his freedom when he agreed to serve as a pilgrim under the guidance of Xuanzang, a monk of the Tang Dynasty. Knowing that the Monkey King would be impossible to control, Xuanzang received a gift from Buddha—a magical headband. There was a catch, however. Once the headband was put on, it could not be removed.
    When the Monkey King was tricked into donning the headband, Xuanzang let out a special chant that immediately tightened it, causing excruciating pain. From that moment on, and throughout their ensuing westward journey to retrieve the early discourses of Buddha, or sutras as they were called, the Monkey King was under Xuanzang’s complete control.
    Pigsy and Sandy, two others who needed to atone for past crimes, joined Xuanzang and the Monkey King intheir epic journey to India. During the journey, Xuanzang’s horse turned out to be a dragon prince, and the group of five battled a series of attacks from demons and other supernatural creatures.
    More than once during the dangerous journey, the Monkey King acted as Xuanzang’s bodyguard, saving the monk’s life. Ultimately, that loyal service was rewarded when the Monkey King was granted Buddhahood and immortality.
Classes Finally Conclude
    The seven weeks flew by quickly. Not surprisingly, Archibald had mixed feelings as he walked out of his final SLAP class on a hot and humid Friday afternoon. While he was excited to see his brother, who was flying into Hong Kong that evening, he was sorry to be saying good-bye to his teachers and new friends.
    Even though Archibald never felt homesick at any point during his stay in Hong Kong, he had greatly appreciated receiving the weekly letters from his parents, Jockabeb, Tess, and especially Willow. It had been eight months since he’d kissed Willow good-bye outside the Langley, Virginia debriefing room, and he was definitely missing her. Worse yet, he wasn’t at all sure when he would get a chance to see her again.
    Before leaving for London with his son, Dr. Chen had arranged for Robert Liu to drive Archibald and May to the airport to meet Jockabeb. Despite the heavytraffic, they arrived half an hour before Jockabeb’s plane was scheduled to arrive, which was a good thing because it landed twenty minutes early.
    Standing in the baggage claim area with May and Robert Liu, Archibald could hardly contain his excitement as he waited for the first glimpse of his brother. He could not wait to recount what he’d already done in Hong Kong, and to get on with what promised to be a fun week before returning home.
    However, he was in no way prepared for what he saw when his brother finally cleared passport control and came into view. There, walking