ENG
Once chief among the ranks, his countenance dark,
In crimson silk pants, a striking mark.
With icy blows, he mocks their plight,
A jesting whiff, his foes left in a fright.
The Macaque Chief knelt with his back hunched, folding his dark wings before the golden Buddha statue at the feet of Yellowbrow.
Yellowbrow raised his hand, pinching the feathers, and said, "Such crude methods... The one who dared to use them on you monkeys was truly ignorant of the ways of the world." With that, he waved his Spikeshaft Cudgel, and specks of Will poured over the Macaque Chief, shining like the galaxy. The black wings trembled and retracted back into the monkey's body. The Macaque Chief was stunned, and reached to touch his back, overjoyed.
Yellowbrow laughed heartily, "You were a chief under Sun Wukong. Now that he is dead, you need not wander anymore. I am rebuilding the New Thunderclap Temple to save all from suffering. Why not stay here?"
Seeing the Macaque Chief hesitate, Yellowbrow continued, "I know you have endured much hardship. To rank among the high, one must first toil among the low. You have already been low and toiled. Now, join me, and my teachings will elevate you among the highest."
The Macaque Chief scratched his head, seeming tempted. Yellowbrow added, "In this world, the weak are often oppressed, while the strong act with impunity. The suffering you endured was ultimately due to a lack of power. Think about it, if you had the abilities of that monkey who wreaked such havoc in the Celestial Palace, it would have been others who would have suffered."
Recalling the bitterness and hardships of the past years, the Macaque Chief couldn't help but shed tears. He quickly prostrated himself at the feet of the fat monk, kowtowing repeatedly.
Yellowbrow laughed heartily, unfastened the sack at his waist, and placed the Macaque Chief inside. "Very well. I will teach you now," he said.
This scene shows the Macaque Chief, a former leader who once served under Sun Wukong, kneeling before a golden Buddha statue at the feet of a fat monk called Yellowbrow. The text describes the Macaque Chief as dark-faced, wearing crimson silk pants and bearing a striking mark; he had a mocking, cold fighting style that left his enemies frightened. Now he is humbly folded up, his dark wings tucked in, showing he is in a submissive position.
Yellowbrow approaches and handles him roughly but deliberately: he pinches the Macaque Chief’s feathers and then waves his weapon, the Spikeshaft Cudgel. From that cudgel specks of something called Will fall over the Macaque Chief like shining dust. The Macaque Chief’s black wings tremble and then withdraw back into his body. The monkey is stunned and then relieved, touching his back with joy at the change.
Yellowbrow speaks to him as he kneels. He says the person who used crude methods on the monkeys was ignorant of how the world works, and reminds the Macaque Chief that he once served as a chief under Sun Wukong. Yellowbrow claims Sun Wukong is dead and offers the Macaque Chief a place at the New Thunderclap Temple he is rebuilding, presenting the temple as a way to save people from suffering.
Yellowbrow’s pitch is practical and self-interested. He tells the Macaque Chief that to rise to the high ranks you must first endure being low, and that the reason the Macaque Chief suffered was a lack of power. He argues bluntly that the weak get oppressed and the strong act with impunity, and suggests that if the Macaque Chief had the same abilities as Sun Wukong, he could change who suffered.
The Macaque Chief is moved by these words. Recalling his past hardships, he begins to cry and repeatedly kowtows to Yellowbrow. Yellowbrow laughs, opens a sack at his waist, and places the Macaque Chief inside, saying he will teach him. The immediate outcome is that the Macaque Chief accepts Yellowbrow’s offer and will be taken on as a student; the broader implication is that Yellowbrow is recruiting and transforming former followers of Sun Wukong by offering power and a doctrine that prioritizes strength over moral restraint.