Chapter 17: Winds Rise At Dusk
Yet Wukong and Ba Jie entered the thatched hut.
The old man brought out vegetarian meals and gave them to the two to eat.
After the meal, Wukong said: “May I ask, old man, is there a place in your area that sells eye drops?”
The old man said: “Which Elder has eye trouble?”
Wukong said: “It’s not eye trouble. Today at the entrance of Yellow Wind Cave, we rescued our Master, but that monster blew a gust of yellow wind right in our faces, making my eyes sore and teary, hard to see, so I’m looking for eye drops.”
The old man said: “Excellent! Excellent! That Yellow Wind Great Sage has the fiercest wind. His wind is not like the autumn wind, pine and bamboo wind, or the east, south, west, and north winds…”
Ba Jie laughed and said: “It must be brain wind, sheep’s ear wind, leprosy wind, or deviated head wind?”
The old man said: “No, no. His is called ‘Samadhi Divine Wind’. It can blow away Heaven and Earth monsters, skillfully stirring worry in ghosts and gods. It viciously cracks rocks and collapses cliffs, and when it blows on people, their lives end immediately.
You were blown by his wind and only have sore eyes, so you must be someone with a background.
When I was young, I met a strange man who taught me a recipe called ‘Three Flowers Nine Sons Ointment’, which can indeed cure wind eyes.”
Hearing this, Wukong lowered his head, saluted, and said: “I beg you for some to try.”
The old man agreed, immediately took out a small agate jar, dipped a jade hairpin in it to apply a little to Wukong’s eyes, and instructed him not to open his eyes, to sleep peacefully, and it would be better by morning.
After applying, the old man withdrew.
Ba Jie unrolled the bedding and helped Wukong lie on the bed to sleep peacefully.
Wukong kept his eyes closed and groped around blindly.
Ba Jie laughed and said: “Mister, have you lost your blind man’s stick?”
Wukong cursed: “You blockhead! Do you take me for a blind man?”
Ba Jie secretly smiled and went to sleep.
When the fifth watch was about to dawn, Wukong wiped his face, opened his eyes, and said: “Good medicine, it’s really better!”
He turned his head to look, and there was no house or windows anywhere, only old locust and willow trees, with both of them sleeping on the green grass.
He raised his hand to wake Ba Jie.
Seeing no house, Ba Jie was startled and rolled up saying:
“Eh! This family moved without a sound, even taking the house away. They must be tax evaders, so they moved overnight.”
Wukong laughed and said:
“You idiot, this is divine assistance. What tax evasion? This place is not far from Yellow Wind Cave. You guard the luggage here while Old Sun goes to the cave to scout and see how Master is doing.”
Ba Jie said:
“Good! Good! First get definite news if he’s dead or alive. If Master is dead, we can each go our own way; if not dead, then we’ll try to rescue him wholeheartedly.”
Wukong said: “Don’t talk nonsense, I’m off!”
Wukong somersaulted and landed in front of Yellow Wind Cave, transformed into a flower-legged mosquito, and flew into the cave.
The little tiger guarding the door was snoring. Seeing it was a tiger, Wukong got annoyed and stung its face. The little tiger turned over, woke up, and cried in alarm: “Dad! Such a big mosquito! One bite made such a big bump!”
Wukong flew inside, passed the hall, and went straight to the back. He saw a tightly shut door, drilled through the crack, and found it was an empty garden. Tang Sanzang was tied to the wind-fixing post against the wall.
Nearby, a Tiger Monster was guarding, exactly the tiger demon from yesterday that knew how to skin.
Wukong flew over and landed on Tang Sanzang’s bald head. Just as he was about to cast a spell to knock out the Tiger Monster, someone walked over.
Looking at the person’s appearance, tall and straight posture, dragon horn and golden scales, it seemed to be a demon dragon in human form.
Ao Tu walked up to Tiger Vanguard and asked: “How is Tang Sanzang?”
Tiger Vanguard respectfully said: “Reporting to Second Great King, Tang Sanzang is all well.”
Wukong listened from the side and realized that besides Yellow Wind Monster, there was a Second Great King in Yellow Wind Cave.
Suddenly, the demon dragon looked over for some reason, slapped down on Tang Sanzang’s bald head, flattening Sun Wukong’s mosquito form, then flicked it away with a snap of the fingers.
“How is there still a mosquito? Guard him well, don’t let this monk get too thin from hunger!”
Tiger Vanguard repeatedly agreed.
Sun Wukong fell to the ground, furious in his heart. This damned demon dragon actually flicked the majestic Great Sage, Equal of Heaven like a mosquito.
He turned into an eagle, with jade claws and golden eyes, flapped up, and was about to grab Ao Tu’s vital spot.
Ao Tu was prepared, dodged away, and laughed loudly: “Sun Monkey, I knew that mosquito was you.” Then he thrust out his dragon claw and fought Sun Wukong for three or five rounds without falling behind.
Sun Wukong did not dare stay long, fearing Yellow Wind Monster would come and trap him, so he withdrew and fled.
He escaped Yellow Wind Cave and returned to the previous spot to meet Ba Jie.
Seeing Wukong back, Ba Jie asked:
“Senior Brother, how is it? Did you find out Master’s whereabouts?”
Wukong said: “Tricky! Tricky! Old Sun turned into a mosquito and went into the cave to check on Master. Master was tied by that monster to the wind-fixing post in the back garden, mouth stuffed with a rag, unable to speak, and guarded by that previous Tiger Monster.
I was going to use a sleepy bug to make the Tiger Monster sleep, but unexpectedly there was a second demon in the cave who saw through my transformation and fought me a few rounds. Fearing being blocked by Yellow Wind Monster, I escaped.”
After hearing this, Ba Jie said: “Senior Brother, this Journey for Sutras can’t be done! One Yellow Wind Monster is already very tough, now there’s a second demon, how can we rescue Master? I think we should each go our own way.
Master has a Brocade Monk’s Robe and a Nine-ringed Monk’s Staff. The kassaya is valuable, you as Senior Brother take the bigger share, Little Brother is willing to take the Monk’s Spade. Sell the White Horse in a place with people, you go to your Flower Fruit Mountain, I’ll return to my Gao Lao Village.”
Hearing this, Wukong angrily grabbed Ba Jie’s ear and said:
“I’ll beat you, blockhead! Master isn’t dead yet, and you’re already thinking of splitting up and dividing the luggage!”
Ba Jie said: “Though not dead, he won’t live much longer. When I was a monster before, I heard that sophisticated demons, when eating people, first tie them to a post for three or five days until their guts are clean, then swallow them whole.”
Wukong said: “Then there’s still time to save him. Old Sun will go to Heaven and invite a Divine General who can fix the wind, surely able to subdue that demon!”
Ba Jie said: “Senior Brother, you don’t even know that demon’s origins, which Divine General to invite? If you invite the right one, fine, but if wrong, and have to go back for another, I’m afraid Master will turn into the demon’s great dung!”
As they were discussing, an old gentleman came out from the roadside.
Icy whiskers and snowy hair fluffy, golden flowers dazzling hazily; hunched back, head down slow steps, vast eyebrows and red face like a child.
The old gentleman saw Wukong and Ba Jie, unafraid, and instead stepped forward to ask: “You brothers are monks from where? Why quarrel in this wilderness?”
Wukong said: “We are monks on the Journey for Sutras. Yesterday we lost Master here to Yellow Wind Monster, and don’t know whom to invite to subdue him?”
The old man said: “Is it that Yellow Wind Great Sage?”
Wukong said: “Exactly him.”
The old man said: “This I know. This Yellow Wind Great Sage is skilled in Samadhi Divine Wind supernatural power; even the full Heaven’s Divine Generals can’t subdue him. Only one person can fix his wind.”
Wukong hurriedly said: “Please point it out, old gentleman.”
The old man said: “Straight south from here, two thousand miles, there’s a mountain called Little Sumeru Mountain. In the mountain is a dojo, Bodhisattva Lingji’s sutra lecture monastery. If you invite him, he can rescue your Master.”
Wukong quickly thanked him.
The old man had turned into a clear breeze and vanished silently, leaving behind a pair of verses:
“Report to Great Sage, Equal of Heaven: The old man is Li Chang Geng.
Little Sumeru Mountain has Flying Dragon Staff; Lingji received Buddha’s troops back then.”
