Chapter 16: Winds Rise At Dusk
However, Wukong and Ba Jie followed the evil wind transformed by Tiger Vanguard and saw Tiger Vanguard lying in front of a cliff.
Ba Jie raised his rake and struck with all his might, but it was a tiger skin stuck on a reclining tiger stone.
The two then realized they had been tricked and hurried back, but Tang Sanzang was already gone, leaving only the white horse and luggage.
Ba Jie led the horse and said: “It’s bad! Master has been taken away by that guy!”
Wukong said: “Don’t panic! Don’t panic! He’s not out of this mountain anyway, we’ll search carefully.”
Wukong and Ba Jie entered the mountains, parting grass to find paths, crossing mountains and streams, and after traveling for a long time, suddenly saw a cave mansion appearing under a steep cliff.
The two approached and saw six large characters on the door: “Yellow Wind Ridge Yellow Wind Cave”.
Wukong said: “Ba Jie, there’s a Hidden Wind Mountain Hollow on the back mountain. You take the luggage and horses and guard there, while Old Sun calls at the door to first test the demon’s strength.”
Ba Jie agreed, took the luggage and horses, and hid in the Hidden Wind Mountain Hollow behind.
Wukong stood outside Yellow Wind Cave, held his cudgel, and shouted: “Monster! Return my master quickly, or I’ll flatten your cave mansion and overturn your nest!”
At that time, inside Yellow Wind Cave.
Ao Tu and Yellow Wind Great King were celebrating Tiger Vanguard’s success.
This Tiger Vanguard indeed had some skills; with a tiger skin, he tricked Sun Wukong and Ba Jie, captured Tang Sanzang, saving Ao Tu and Yellow Wind Great Sage some effort.
The little demons in the cave were eager and shouted to eat Tang Sanzang’s flesh.
Yellow Wind Great Sage stopped the crowd, saying only that Sun Wukong had not been captured yet, and eating Tang Sanzang might provoke Sun Wukong’s revenge, so he tied Tang Sanzang to the wind-fixing post in the back garden and would eat him after capturing Sun Wukong.
Tang Sanzang was tied in the back garden, shedding tears nonstop, and said:
“Disciples! Where are you subduing demons? Where are you vanquishing monsters? Your master is now trapped in a demon lair, suffering this great calamity, not knowing when I can see the light of day again! Alas! If you come to rescue early, my life can still be preserved; if you’re half a step late, I’m afraid my soul will return to the underworld!”
Tears flowed like a spring, choking with sobs.
Ao Tu heard this and ordered a little demon to fetch a rag to stuff Tang Sanzang’s mouth for some peace.
At this time, a little demon rushed from outside to report: “Great King! Trouble! A hairy-faced, thunderous-mouthed monk has come outside the cave door, wielding an iron rod as thick as a bowl, cursing and demanding his master!”
Yellow Wind Great Sage heard this and said:
“No need to say more, it must be Sun Wukong. Brother, you guard the cave mansion here, I’ll lead troops out to fight him!”
Ao Tu instructed: “Virtuous younger brother, be very careful. Your foolish brother awaits your triumphant return here.”
The little demons brought out the armor, Yellow Wind Great Sage donned it completely, took a three-pronged steel fork, and led the group of monsters out of the cave door.
Yellow Wind Great Sage stepped out and shouted sternly:
“Who is Sun Wukong?”
Sun Wukong stepped on Tiger Vanguard’s tiger skin, held the golden cudgel, and responded: “Your grandson is here! Quickly send out my master, or I’ll smash your cave mansion.”
Yellow Wind Great Sage fixed his eyes closely and saw Wukong’s small and thin figure, less than four feet tall, and couldn’t help sneering: “Pitiful! Pitiful! It’s just a skinny, sickly ghost!”
Wukong laughed: “My child, you have no eyesight! Though your grandson is short, if you dare strike my head with a steel fork, I’ll grow three feet taller for you to see.”
Yellow Wind Great Sage said: “Do you dare take my fork head-on?”
Wukong was truly unafraid and stretched his head forward.
Yellow Wind Great Sage struck viciously, but it rebounded and hurt his hand.
Wukong bent and then straightened, and his figure indeed grew three feet.
Yellow Wind Great Sage withdrew his steel fork and shouted:
“Good monkey, good head! Don’t show off these transformation tricks, come forward and fight me for real!”
Wukong laughed: “My child! As the saying goes: ‘Show mercy by not raising a hand, but once raised, no mercy.’ Your grandson’s golden cudgel weighs a thousand jun; I’m afraid you can’t withstand one blow!”
As they spoke, the two raised their weapons; fork came, cudgel blocked; cudgel went, fork met—a fierce battle.
Yellow Wind Great Sage fought Sun Wukong for thirty rounds without a victor.
Wukong saw this and used a “body outside body” technique: he plucked a handful of hairs, chewed them in his mouth, spat them out, and shouted “Transform!”—instantly turning into over a hundred duplicates, all dressed like him, each holding an iron rod, surrounding Yellow Wind Great Sage in midair.
Yellow Wind Great Sage saw this and also used his supernatural power; turning to the Xun position, he fiercely inhaled a breath and blew it out, suddenly whipping up a gust of yellow wind.
What a wind! Truly fierce.
Dark and shadowy, dim and gloomy, chilling gusts changed heaven and earth; invisible and formless, swirling yellow sand; piercing forests, toppling ridges, uprooting trees into seas; scattering earth, raising dust, collapsing mountains and barriers; the red sun lost its light, stars and constellations all in chaos.
This gale from Yellow Wind Great Sage blew Wukong’s hair-transformed duplicates all into the sky, spinning like pinwheels nonstop.
Wukong gathered his hairs, alone facing the gale, raised his golden cudgel to advance, but Yellow Wind Great Sage blew a mouthful of yellow wind right at him; his fiery golden eyes instantly closed tight, unable to open again, so he had to retreat in defeat.
Not far away, Ba Jie in Hidden Wind Mountain Hollow saw heaven darken and earth dim, scared and clutching the luggage tightly, leading the white horse, reciting Buddha and making vows, hoping Wukong would win.
When the wind calmed and sky cleared, amid his worries, he saw Sun Wukong staggering from the west; Ba Jie hurried forward: “Senior brother, what a huge wind! How did the fight go?”
Wukong waved his hand:
“Fierce! Fierce! Old Sun has never seen such an evil wind since birth! That monster wields a three-pronged steel fork and fought me; after thirty rounds, he unleashed this wind—truly vicious, blowing me off my feet, eyes unable to open, so I fled into the wind.”
Ba Jie said: “Senior brother, how was that monster’s martial skill?”
Wukong said: “Passable. His fork technique is quite orderly. He fought Old Sun evenly. But this wind is fierce, hard to defeat him.”
Ba Jie said: “Then how can we rescue Master like this?”
Wukong said: “Rescuing Master can wait; first find an eye doctor to treat my eyes.”
Ba Jie said: “What’s wrong with your eyes?”
Wukong said: “That monster blew a gust of wind into my eyes; they ache and tear coldly, hard to see clearly.”
Ba Jie said: “Senior brother, in this halfway up the mountain, and with night falling, where’s an eye doctor?”
Wukong said: “Ba Jie, you don’t know. In the past, Guanyin Bodhisattva at Eagle Sorrow Stream promised me that the westward journey has many calamities; if I reach a place of bodily harm and suffering, heaven will answer when I call, earth will respond; and if it’s truly inescapable, she would come personally to save me.”
Ba Jie heard this, led the white horse, shouldered the luggage, took Wukong out of the mountain hollow, and went to the road junction.
By now dusk was falling; from the south mountain slope came the sound of barking dogs. Ba Jie stopped to look closely and saw a village compound with faint lights shining through.
Ba Jie went forward and knocked on the door.
An old man came out and asked: “Who is it? Who is it?”
Wukong bowed and said: “We are disciples of Tang Sanzang, the Xuan Zang mage from Eastern Land Great Tang. Going to the Western Paradise to worship Buddha and seek scriptures, passing this mountain, our master was captured by Yellow Wind Great King and not yet rescued. Now with night falling, we specially come to your residence to borrow lodging for the night; please be kind, old man.”
The old man returned the courtesy: “This old man failed to welcome you properly. I didn’t know it was you two elders; please come in quickly.”
