Chapter 41: The Mind-Monkey Falls to Fire; the Wood-Mother Is Taken by the Demon

Good and evil in a moment are forgotten; honor and decay are no longer the heart's concern.
Dark and bright, hidden and seen, let all rise and sink as they will.
Take your meals as they come, drink when you are thirsty.

When the spirit is still and clear, it is always at rest;
but when darkness thickens, demons will surely invade.
The Five Phases stumble and break apart the monastery of Zen.
When the wind stirs, the cold is bound to bite.

Now Sun Wukong led Bajie away from Sha Wujing, leapt across Dried Pine Ravine, and went straight to the craggy cliff before them. Sure enough there was a cave dwelling, and the scenery was truly unusual. There was:

An ancient road returning in winding stillness; the wind and moon listened, and black cranes played.
White clouds spilled their light across the whole valley; water flowed over the bridge with an immortal air.
Apes cried, birds sang, flowers and trees were strange; vines and rocky steps wore better than orchids and herbs.
The blue swayed over the ravines and scattered mist and haze; the green dyed the pines and bamboos and summoned colored phoenixes.
Far peaks stood in rows like a folding screen; mountains faced the ravine and curved about, a true immortal cave.
The dragon vein of Kunlun sent it forth. Only by fate and affinity can one take advantage of it.

When they neared the gate, they saw a stone tablet with eight carved characters: Ho Mountain, Dried Pine Ravine, Fire Cloud Cave.

On the other side a crowd of little demons was there, brandishing spears and swords and leaping about in rough play.

The Great Sage cried out in a ringing voice, "You little ones, go at once and report to your cave master. Tell him to send out my master Tripitaka. If you do not, I will spare not a single spirit in this cave. If you dare utter even half a 'no,' I will overturn your mountain camp and flatten your cave dwelling."

The little devils heard this and were frightened out of their wits. They hurried back into the cave, shut the two stone doors, and reported inside, "Great King, disaster!"

Now the monster had already captured Tripitaka and carried him into the cave. After stripping off his clothes, he had bound him spread-eagle in the back courtyard and told the little devils to fetch clean water and wash him, so he could be steamed and eaten.

When he heard the alarm, he put off the washing and came at once to the front yard.

"What disaster?"

The little devil said, "A monk with a monkey face and thunder-god's mouth has come with another monk, long-mouthed and big-eared, and they are demanding Tang Sanzang at your door. They say if you utter even half a 'no,' they will overturn the mountain camp and flatten the cave."

The demon king smiled coldly. "That must be Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie. They can search indeed. I have brought their master from the middle of the mountain to here, more than a hundred and fifty li away. How did they come hunting all the way to my door?"

He ordered the little ones to push out the carts. A troop of little demons brought out five small carts, and the front gate was opened.

Bajie saw them and said, "Brother, that monster seems afraid of us. He has brought out carts to move things away."

Wukong said, "No. Let us see where he places them."

The little devils set the carts in the order of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth, leaving five to guard them and sending five more in to make the report.

The demon king asked, "Is everything ready?"

"Everything is ready."

He called for a spear. Two of the demons in charge of weapons brought out a fire-tipped spear more than a zhang long and handed it to the demon king.

The king seized the spear, strode out, and wore no armor at all, only a brocaded battle skirt around his waist and bare feet. He came to the gate.

Wukong and Bajie looked up and saw that monster:

His face was powdered white, his lips red as lacquer, a true handsome youth.
His temples rose like green clouds, defying indigo dye; his brows were cut like new moons by a keen blade.
His battle skirt was skillfully embroidered with coiling dragons and phoenixes, his frame more handsome even than Nezha's.
He gripped the spear in both hands, and his awe was fierce as he came out to the gate.
His snort rang like a spring thunder, and his bulging eyes shone like flashing lightning.
If you want to know his true name and surname,
all ages know him as Red Boy.

The Red Boy monster came out and shouted, "Who is making a racket here at my place?"

Wukong stepped forward and said with a laugh, "My young nephew, do not put on airs. This morning you were hanging from the top of a pine tree by the roadside, a frail yellow-sickly little child. You fooled my master. I meant well and carried you, and then you used a wind trick to carry off my master.

"Now you have changed into this shape. Do you think I do not recognize you? Send out my master at once. Do not let the matter get ugly and spoil the family bond. If your noble father hears of it, he will blame Old Sun for bullying the young and behaving badly."

The monster grew furious at that.

"You wicked monkey! What family bond do you claim with me? You have a mouth full of lies. What nonsense are you babbling? Who is your nephew? Brother, you do not know what you are saying. Years ago, when I was sworn brothers with your noble father, you were not even born yet."

The monster said, "This monkey is talking nonsense in earnest! Where are you from, and where am I from, that you should have been brothers with my father?"

Wukong said, "You do not know. Five hundred years ago I was the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Sun Wukong, who made havoc in the Heavenly Palace. Before I raised that uproar, I traveled all over, from the ends of earth to the farthest horizons, through the Four Great Continents, and everywhere I went I sought out heroes.

"Your noble father is called the Bull Demon King, known as the Great Sage Equalling Heaven. He formed sworn brotherhood with Old Sun as the eldest brother. There was also the Jiao Demon King, known as the Great Sage Who Overturns the Sea, our second brother; the Peng Demon King, known as the Great Sage Who Covers the Sky, our third brother; the Lion Camel King, known as the Great Sage Who Moves Mountains, our fourth brother; the Macaque King, known as the Great Sage Who Penetrates the Wind, our fifth brother; and the Snout-Nosed King, known as the Great Sage Who Drives Away Gods, our sixth brother. Only Old Sun was small in stature and was called the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, and so I was ranked seventh. In those days, when our sworn brothers were at play, you had not even been born yet."

The monster would not believe him and thrust his fire-tipped spear straight at him.

Wukong was a master at this sort of thing and never became flustered. He slipped aside from the spear point, raised his iron staff, and cursed him, "You little beast, you do not know your place. Taste my staff!"

The demon also shifted his body, let the iron staff pass, and said, "Wicked monkey, you do not know the times. Taste my spear!"

He cared nothing for family ties. The two of them changed faces at once and each used his powers, leaping into the clouds for a murderous battle:

Wukong's name was great, the demon king's skill was strong.
One held the Golden-Hooped Rod across his body; one drove the fire-tipped spear straight ahead.
They spat mist and hid the Three Realms; they breathed clouds and lit the four directions.
Their killing spirit was so fierce the sun and moon lost their light.
Their words showed no civility, their feelings no harmony.
This one forgot kindness and broke the bonds of conduct; that one changed his face and ignored the proper order.
The staff met the spear in long and furious exchange; the spear answered with wild and savage force.
One was the true Great Sage of chaos and origin; the other was the boy of perfect fruition.
The two fought with all their might for victory, for it was Tang monk alone they wished to honor and protect.

The demon and the Great Sage fought through twenty rounds without victory or defeat.

Bajie watched clearly from the side. Though the monster was not yet defeated, he was only blocking and parrying, with no true skill of offense. Wukong, though not winning, had a staff technique as sharp as ever, always staying at the monster's head and never missing either side.

Bajie thought to himself, "This is bad. Wukong is quick. If he slips for a moment and lures that demon in, I could strike him once with my rake and flatten him, but then none of the credit would be mine."

He shook himself and leaped up, bringing his nine-toothed rake down at the demon's head from above.

When the monster saw him, he grew alarmed and quickly dragged his spear away, losing the field.

Wukong shouted, "Bajie, follow him! Follow him!"

The two of them chased him to the cave gate. There the monster stood on the middle cart, spear in one hand, and with the other he clenched his fist and struck himself twice on the nose.

Bajie laughed. "This fellow is shameless. What, you plan to break your nose and smear on some blood to redden your face so you can go complain on us?"

The demon pounded himself twice, muttered a spell, and spat fire from his mouth. Thick smoke burst from his nose, he blinked his eyes, flames sprang up together, and fire gushed from the five carts.

After several blasts, a red-roaring sea of flame rose into the air and burned the Fire Cloud Cave until the smoke and fire filled all space. Truly it scorched heaven and seared earth.

Bajie panicked. "Brother, this is no good. Once we fall into that fire, there will be no hope of surviving. Old Pig would be turned into a roast pig, seasoned and done to a turn for his pleasure. Run, run!"

With that he did not even wait for Wukong. He ran across the ravine.

Wukong, with his great powers, pinched the fire-avoiding spell and plunged into the flames to look for the demon. The demon saw him coming and spat out several more blasts, making the fire even fiercer than before.

What fire it was:

Fierce and raging, it filled the air and burned;
bright and blazing, it reddened all the earth.
It was like a fire wheel rolling up and down,
or like glowing charcoal dust dancing east and west.
This was no drill made by Sui Ren, no elixir fire of Laozi;
not heavenly fire, not wild fire, but a true Samadhi fire refined by a demon.
Five carts gathered the Five Phases, and the Five Phases bred and forged the fire.
Wood in the liver gives rise to strong fire in the heart;
fire in the heart makes the spleen-earth settle.
Spleen-earth gives rise to metal, and metal changes into water;
water can nourish wood and make the spirit flow through all.
All birth and change come from fire;
fire fills the long sky and makes the ten thousand things flourish.
The evil spirit long ago awakened to Samadhi,
and its fame as fire itself would be first in the Western lands.

The smoke and fire whirled around Wukong so wildly that he could not find the monster. He could not even see the path before the cave gate, and so he leapt back out of the fire.

The demon, standing at the gate, saw it all clearly. Once he saw Wukong flee, he gathered in his fire tools, led the little demons back into the cave, shut the stone door, and counted the victory while the small devils prepared a feast and music. We need not dwell on it.

Wukong crossed Dried Pine Ravine, lowered the cloud, and heard Bajie and Sha Wujing talking loudly among the pines.

He strode forward and scolded Bajie, "You fool! You have no courage at all. You were afraid of the demon fire and fled for your life, leaving Old Sun behind.

"Good thing I know a thing or two."

Bajie laughed. "Brother, the demon saw through you. Truly you do not know the times. As the old saying goes, 'He who understands the times is a hero.'

"The demon has no family tie to you, but you insisted on claiming kin. Once the fight began, he spat out that heartless fire and you still would not leave. You had to keep wrestling with him.

"How does his skill compare with yours?"

"Not good."

"And his spear work compared with yours?"

"Still not good. Old Pig saw he was losing ground and came in with my rake to help you. Unexpectedly he did not know how to take a joke and ran off, then set the fire. What else could be done?"

Wukong said, "You should not have come at all. If I fought him a few more rounds, I might have found a chance to strike him once and be done with it."

The two of them kept discussing the demon's skill and the poison of his fire. Sha Wujing leaned against a pine root and laughed himself silly.

Wukong saw him and asked, "Brother, what are you laughing at? Do you think you have some way to capture that demon and break his fire array? This matter concerns all of us.

"As the saying goes, many hairs form a ball. If you can capture the demon and save our master, that too would be a fine deed."

Sha Wujing said, "I have no special skill and cannot subdue a demon.

"I am only laughing that the two of you were both in a rush."

Wukong asked, "How were we in a rush?"

Sha Wujing said, "The demon's skill is not as good as yours, nor is his spear work as good as yours. He only has the fire advantage, which is why you could not win. If you ask me, we should take him by the mutual generation and mutual conquest among the elements. What is difficult about that?"

Wukong heard this and laughed.

"Brother, well said. Truly we were rushing and forgot that."

"If we reason by the cycle of generation and conquest, then water must overcome fire. Where can we find enough water to douse the demon fire and save our master?"

Sha Wujing said, "Exactly. There is no need to delay."

Wukong said, "You two stay here and do not go back to fight him. Let Old Sun go to the Eastern Sea and borrow dragon soldiers, then bring water to quench the fire and capture that wicked monster."

Bajie said, "Brother, go in peace. We know what to do."

The Great Sage flew away from that place on a cloud and in no time reached the Eastern Sea. He had no mind to admire the sea scenery. Instead he used his water-forcing art and split the waves apart.

As he went along, he met a sea patrol yaksha. The yaksha saw that it was Sun Wukong and hurried back to the Crystal Palace to report to the Old Dragon King.

Ao Guang immediately led out the dragon sons and grandsons, along with shrimp soldiers and crab generals, to welcome him at the gate and invite him inside.

When they were seated and the courtesies were done, tea was offered.

Wukong said, "No need for tea. I have a matter to trouble you with. My master Tripitaka was traveling west to worship the Buddha and fetch the scriptures. On the way we passed Fire Cloud Cave at Dried Pine Ravine on Ho Mountain. There was a demon child named Red Boy, the Holy Infant King, who captured my master. I found the cave and fought him, but then he threw out fire.

"We could not withstand it. Thinking that water overcomes fire, I have come specially to ask you for some water so that you may make a great rain and quench the fire, saving Tripitaka from trouble."

The Dragon King said, "Great Sage, you have asked the wrong dragon. If you want rainwater, you should not ask me."

Wukong said, "You are the Dragon King of the Four Seas and in charge of rain and dew. If not you, then whom should I ask?"

The Dragon King said, "Though I do have charge of rain, I dare not act alone.

"I must first have the Jade Emperor's decree, stating where it is to fall, how many feet or inches, when it is to begin and stop. Then the Three Officials must write it down and Taiyi must send out the instructions, and only then can I summon the Thunder God, Lightning Mother, Wind Lord, and Cloud Child. As the saying goes, 'A dragon does not move without clouds.'"

Wukong said, "I do not need wind, clouds, thunder, or lightning. I only want some rainwater to put out the fire."

The Dragon King said, "Great Sage, even without wind and thunder, I alone cannot help much. How would it be if I called my brothers to aid you?"

Wukong asked, "Where are your brothers?"

The Dragon King said, "The South Sea Dragon King Ao Qin, the North Sea Dragon King Ao Run, and the West Sea Dragon King Ao Shun."

Wukong laughed. "If I have to visit three seas again, I might as well go to the heavenly court and ask the Jade Emperor myself."

The Dragon King said, "No need for the Great Sage to go. I can strike the iron drum and the golden bell here, and they will come at once."

Wukong heard that and said, "Old Dragon King, strike the bells and drums quickly."

In a moment the Three Sea Dragon Kings arrived together and asked, "Brother, what matter requires us?"

Ao Guang said, "Sun Wukong is here asking for rain to help him subdue a demon."

The three brothers led him in, and after Wukong explained the request, all the gods willingly agreed. At once they called out:

Sharks, brave and fierce, march in the vanguard; catfish, dull as they are, serve as the first charge.
Carp commanders leap waves and turn the tide; bony fish generals blow mist and stir the wind.
Mackerel marshals sound the whistle in the east; bream commanders drive the western campaign.
Red-eyed horse-fish dance on the south side; black-armored generals charge down from the north.
Bonito captains hold the center and give the signals; soldiers of the Five Directions are heroes everywhere.
Clever old turtles serve as master planners; wise old tortoises become high ministers.
There are generals among the crocodiles, full of cunning and ability;
crabs, with their sideways march, swing long swords, and shrimp ladies pull hard on their bows.
Catfish officials inspect the ledgers; dragon soldiers are called out of the water.

A verse bears witness:

The Four Sea Dragon Kings gladly help the cause;
the Great Sage Equal to Heaven calls them to his side.
Since Tripitaka meets hardship on the road,
they borrow water to quench the red fire.

Wukong led the dragon soldiers back, and in no time they reached the ridge above Dried Pine Ravine.

Wukong said, "Noble Ao brothers, I trouble you with a long journey. This is the demon's territory, so please stay in the clouds and do not show yourselves. Let Old Sun fight him first. If I win, there is no need for you to capture him. If I lose, there is no need for you to help me. Only when he starts to throw fire should you all listen for my call and rain down together."

The Dragon Kings all took orders.

Wukong lowered his cloud, entered the pine forest, found Bajie and Sha Wujing, and called out, "Brothers."

Bajie said, "Brother, you are back quickly enough. Did you invite the Dragon Kings?"

Wukong said, "They are all here. You two must be careful. The rain may be heavy, so do not let it wet the luggage. Let Old Sun go fight him."

Sha Wujing said, "Senior Brother, go ahead in peace. We know what to do."

Wukong leapt over the ravine and reached the gate.

"Open the gate!"

The little monsters ran in to report again.

"Sun Wukong is here again!"

Red Boy looked up and laughed.

"That monkey did not burn to death in the fire, so he has come back again. This time do not spare him. We will not stop until we have burned him black and cooked him through."

He leaped out at once, fire spear in hand, and ordered, "Little ones, bring out the fire cart."

At the gate he said to Wukong, "Why have you come again?"

Wukong said, "Return my master to me."

The monster said, "You monkey, you really do not know how things work. Tang monk can be your master, and he can also be my wine snack. Why still think of taking him? Impossible, impossible."

Wukong heard this and became very angry. He drew the Golden-Hooped Rod and struck at the monster's head. The demon used his fire-tipped spear and hurriedly met him.

This fight was different from the one before.

It was a fierce battle:

An evil demon with hair in an angry blaze, and a Monkey King enraged beyond measure.
One sought only to save the scripture monk; the other wanted to eat Tang Sanzang.
The mind had changed and no longer knew kinship; feeling had gone cold and showed no courtesy.
This one longed to seize the other alive and skin him; that one longed to take him back and soak him in sauce.
Truly both were mighty heroes and fiercely strong.
Staff and spear met to decide the winner; spear and staff returned to decide the outcome.
They lifted their weapons and crossed them twenty times, and the two were matched in every way.

After twenty rounds the demon king saw that he could not win. He made a feint with his spear, quickly pulled back, clenched his fist, and struck his nose twice. Then he spat out fire.

Flames burst from the carts at the gate, and fire leapt from his eyes and mouth.

The Great Sage turned and shouted, "Dragon Kings, where are you?"

The Dragon King brothers led the water tribes and rained down into the demon's fire.

What rain it was:

It fell in a rushing, sweeping downpour, dense and heavy.
It came as if stars were falling from the sky,
thick as though the sea gate had been overturned and waves poured out.
At first the drops were fist-sized; later they came as from vats and basins tipped over.
It washed the ground into duck-head green and scrubbed the high mountains into Buddha-head blue.
Water leapt from ravines like ten-thousand-foot jade;
springs and brooks rose in waves of silver.
At the crossroads it was soon full; in the winding streams it gradually leveled.
This was the dragon aid for Tripitaka's peril,
a spilled out river from the heavens.

Yet even such a great rain could not halt the demon's fire. The dragon kings had only private rain, enough to drench ordinary fire. How could they quench a demon's Samadhi fire? It was like pouring oil on a blaze, only making it hotter.

The Great Sage said, "Let me pinch a spell and plunge into the fire."

He raised his iron staff and went to seek the demon. The demon saw him coming and spat a faceful of smoke. Wukong turned quickly, and the smoke scorched his eyes until they flashed and blurred. He could not keep from tears, which fell like rain.

Truly, the Great Sage did not fear fire; he feared smoke. When he had once rebelled in Heaven, Laozi had put him in the Eight Trigrams Furnace, and he was lucky to have stood in the wind position and not be burned up. But the smoke whirled around him and scorched his eyes into fiery pupils, and even now he still feared smoke.

The demon spat again, and Wukong could not endure it. He rode a cloud away.

The demon then gathered his fire tools and returned to his cave.

Wukong's whole body was scorched with smoke and fire, and the heat would not leave him. He plunged straight into the ravine water to put out the fire. But the cold water struck him at once and drove the heat straight into his heart, so that his three souls left their house and his seven spirits were scattered.

The Four Sea Dragon Kings, alarmed, stopped the rain overhead and cried out, "Marshal Tianpeng, Curtain-Lifting General, do not hide in the forest. Come at once and look for your senior brother."

Bajie and Sha Wujing heard their honored titles called and hurriedly untied the horse, took up the baggage, and rushed out of the forest. They did not care about the mud and went searching along the ravine.

Soon they saw, upstream, waves rolling and rushing down something in the current.

Sha Wujing leapt into the water fully clothed, lifted him ashore, and there lay Sun Wukong's body.

Alas! Look at him: his limbs curled and would not straighten, and all over he was cold as ice.

Sha Wujing shed tears and said, "Senior Brother, how pity you! An immortal of ten thousand ages has now become a short-lived man on the road."

Bajie laughed. "Brother, do not cry. This monkey is only pretending to be dead, just to scare us. Feel him and see whether there is still any warmth in his chest."

Sha Wujing said, "He is cold all over. If there is only a trace of warmth left, how can he come back to life?"

Bajie said, "He has seventy-two transformations and therefore seventy-two lives. Pull him by the feet, and let me work on him."

So Sha Wujing held his feet while Bajie lifted his head, stretched him straight, and set him cross-legged.

Bajie rubbed his hands until they were warm, pressed them over Wukong's seven apertures, and used a massage method from Chan practice. Wukong had been forced by the cold water so that his qi had stalled in the cinnabar field and he could not speak.

Fortunately Bajie's rubbing and kneading soon let the breath pass through the three gates, turn through the bright hall, and open the apertures.

Wukong cried out, "Master!"

Sha Wujing said, "Brother, whether you live or die, you still call for Master first. Wake up. We are here."

Wukong opened his eyes.

"Brothers, you are here? Old Sun has suffered."

Bajie laughed. "You were fainting from the heat, and if Old Pig had not saved you, you would have been done for. Why not thank me?"

Only then did Wukong get to his feet and ask upward, "Where are the Ao brothers?"

The Four Sea Dragon Kings answered from the sky, "Little dragons are here attending you."

Wukong said, "I have troubled you to travel far, yet we have not succeeded. Please return now, and I will thank you another day."

The Dragon Kings led the water tribes away in great rolling clouds. We need not dwell on them.

Sha Wujing supported Wukong back to the pine forest and sat him down.

After a little while Wukong steadied his spirit and regulated his breath. He could not keep the tears from his face.

He cried out again:

I remember the year I left Great Tang,
when I was rescued from disaster at the cliff's edge.
Through three mountains and six rivers I met demonic blockage;
through ten thousand hardships and a thousand sufferings my heart was torn apart.
I begged my alms bowl, ate what I could from morning meals,
and slept at dusk in meditation, whether under trees or in villages.
With all my heart I longed to make the work complete;
who knew that today I would suffer such wounds?

Sha Wujing said, "Brother, do not be upset. We have not yet found a plan. Let us go where we can request troops and borrow strength to rescue Master."

Wukong asked, "Where can we ask for help?"

Sha Wujing said, "When the Bodhisattva gave her orders, she told us to protect Tang Sanzang and promised that if we called on Heaven, Heaven would answer, and if we called on Earth, Earth would answer. Where else should we seek rescue?"

Wukong said, "When Old Sun made havoc in Heaven, those heavenly troops could not withstand me. This demon's power is no small thing. We need someone with greater skill than mine to subdue him. Heavenly gods will not do, and earth fiends will not do either. If we want to take this monster, we must ask Guanyin, the Bodhisattva of Compassion. But my flesh is sore and my knees and waist ache; I cannot ride a somersault cloud. How could I go and ask?"

Bajie said, "If there is anything to do, let me go ask."

Wukong laughed. "Very well, you can go. But if you see the Bodhisattva, do not look up. You must bow with your head down. When she asks, tell her the place and the monster's name, and then beg her to save Master. If she will come, she can certainly capture the creature."

Bajie heard this and immediately rode a cloud of mist toward the south.

Now the demon king inside the cave was delighted.

"Little ones, Sun Wukong has suffered and gone. This round did not kill him, but it surely made him dizzy. Ha! I fear he may go and ask for reinforcements."

He ordered the gate opened and went out himself to see who Wukong had gone to fetch.

The little monsters opened the gate, and the demon went into the sky to look. He saw Bajie heading south.

Thinking that there was nowhere else he could be going, he guessed at once that it must be Guanyin.

He quickly dropped down, called to the little ones, and said, "Bring out my leather bag. It has not been used for a long time, and I am afraid the mouth cord may not hold. Put a new cord on it and set it below the second gate. Then I will trick Bajie back here, pack him into the bag, steam him till he is tender, and reward you all."

It turned out that the demon had a handy leather bag.

The little monsters brought it out, changed the cord, and set it inside the cave gate. We need not dwell further.

The demon had long lived in that place and knew the roads well. He knew which road was short to the South Sea and which road was long. He took the short road, flew ahead of Bajie, and sat on a cliff ledge, changing himself into a false Guanyin and waiting for him.

The fool was flying along when he suddenly caught sight of the Bodhisattva. How could he know true from false? This was seeing an image and taking it for Buddha.

He stopped his cloud and bowed.

"Bodhisattva, your disciple Zhu Wuneng pays respects."

The demon said, "You are not protecting Tang monk on his scripture journey. Why have you come to me?"

Bajie said, "Your disciple has traveled halfway with Master and came upon Fire Cloud Cave on Ho Mountain, where there is a Red Boy demon. He captured my master. My senior brother and I went to his gate and fought him. He knows how to throw fire. In the first round we could not defeat him. In the second, we invited the Dragon Kings to help with rain, but they could not extinguish the fire. My senior brother was burned badly and could not move, so he sent me to ask the Bodhisattva. I beg you to show mercy and save my master from this trouble."

The demon said, "That cave master at Fire Cloud Cave is not a bloodthirsty one. It must be you who provoked him."

Bajie said, "I did not provoke him. It was my senior brother Wukong. The demon changed into a little child and hung from a tree to test my master. My master is full of kindness, so he told me to take him down and let my senior brother carry him for a stretch. It was my senior brother who flung him once, and then he used a wind trick to carry off my master."

The demon said, "Rise and follow me into the cave to see the cave master. I will speak on your behalf. You will bow and make a courteous apology, and then ask your master back."

Bajie said, "Bodhisattva, if you can get my master back, I will gladly bow to him once."

The demon said, "Follow me."

The fool did not know any better and followed him straight back along the old road, not toward the South Sea, but to the Fire Cloud Gate. In a moment they were at the gate.

The demon went in and said, "Do not doubt. He is an old acquaintance of mine. Come in."

Bajie had no choice but to step through the gate.

The little monsters all shouted together, seized Bajie, threw him down, packed him into the bag, tied the mouth cord tight, and hung him high on the carrying beam.

The demon showed his true form, sat in the center, and said, "Zhu Bajie, what kind of skill do you have that you dare protect Tang monk on his scripture journey? What kind of nerve do you have to ask the Bodhisattva to come subdue me? Open your eyes wide and look: do you still not recognize that I am the Holy Infant King? Now that I have you, I will hang you there for three or five days, steam you when you are tender, and give you to the little monsters as a reward to go with the wine."

Bajie heard this and cursed from inside the bag.

"You wicked thing! You are outrageously rude. If you think of a hundred tricks to fool me into eating you, I will make sure plague and swelling strike you one by one."

He cursed and cursed, shouted and shouted. We need not dwell on it.

Now Sun Wukong and Sha Wujing were still seated when a foul wind swept across their faces. Wukong sneezed and said, "Bad news, bad news! That wind is fierce and unlucky. I fear Bajie has gone the wrong way."

Sha Wujing said, "If he went wrong, would he not ask someone?"

Wukong said, "He must have met a demon."

Sha Wujing said, "If he met a demon, would he not run back?"

Wukong said, "This is no good. You stay here and guard the horse and baggage while I run across the ravine to find out."

Sha Wujing said, "Senior Brother, your waist is sore. I fear he may get you again. Let me go."

Wukong said, "You are not up to it. I will go myself."

The Great Sage gritted his teeth, bore the pain, grasped the iron staff, crossed the ravine, and came to the Fire Cloud Cave. He shouted, "Wicked monster!"

The gatekeeper little devils rushed in again to report, "Sun Wukong is shouting at the gate!"

The demon king ordered him seized. The little monsters with spears and swords crowded around and shouted together as they opened the gate:

"Seize him! Seize him!"

Wukong was truly weary and did not dare meet them head-on. He ducked into the roadside grass and muttered a spell:

"Change!"

At once he became a gold-embroidered bundle.

The little monsters saw him, picked him up, and took him inside. They reported, "Great King, Sun Wukong is frightened. The moment he heard the word 'seize,' he dropped this bundle and ran."

The demon king laughed.

"That bundle is not worth much. At most it is a monk's old robe and cap. Bring it in and have it taken apart for patches."

One little monster indeed carried the bundle inside, not knowing it was Wukong transformed.

Wukong thought, "Good, this gold-embroidered bundle is being carried."

The demon did not think anything of it and tossed it down inside the gate.

The Great Sage, fake within fake, hollow within hollow, plucked another hair and blew on it with immortal breath, making it into a bundle exactly like the first. His true body, meanwhile, turned into a fly and clung to the gate hinge.

He heard Bajie groaning and muttering in a voice too muffled to make out, like a sick pig. Wukong buzzed away to find him and discovered that he was hanging in the leather bag.

Wukong clung to the bag and heard him hurling filthy abuse at the monster:

"You pretended to be Guanyin and tricked me back here, hung me in this bag, and still said you would eat me? One day my senior brother will come:

He will display the boundless art of the Great Sage,
and the whole mountain of wicked monsters will wait to be captured.
If you untie this bag and let me out,
I will smash you with a thousand rakes until I am satisfied."

Wukong heard this and laughed to himself.

"This fool is still carrying on and has not yet lost his spirit. Old Sun must certainly capture this monster. If not, how can I wash away this shame?"

Just as he was thinking of a way to rescue Bajie, he heard the demon king call out, "Where are the Six Valiant Generals?"

There were six little monsters who were his trusted spirits and were promoted to Valiant Generals. They had names: one was called Cloud-in-Mist, one Mist-in-Cloud, one Swift-as-Fire, one Fast-as-Wind, one Rising-Harbor, and one Turning-Harbor-Rise.

The six generals came forward and knelt.

The demon king asked, "Do you know where the Great King lives?"

They said, "We do."

"Go at once and invite the Great King here. Tell him I have captured Tang monk and will steam him for him to eat, so that he may prolong his life for a thousand ages."

The six monsters took the order. One clung to another and dragged one another off as they went out.

Wukong buzzed down from the bag and followed the six, slipping out of the cave.

How they would invite the old king, that must wait for the next chapter.