He told Bajie to go to the back mountain and wait until nightfall, then keep watch over the rear cave.
Bajie patted his chest and said, "Don't worry, Monkey Brother. I'll get the job done."
Sun Wukong returned to the entrance of the front cave, found a large tree, climbed up, and dozed off.
The python saw that Sun Wukong and the others had been quiet for a long time. It looked up at the fruit before it, then slowly fell asleep too.
That night, Sun Wukong had Bajie block the rear cave again. He turned into a butterfly and flew into the cave. Seeing that the fruit had ripened, he quietly took it.
But he hadn't gone far when the python sensed something was wrong. It looked up and saw that the fruit was gone. Its fury surged, and it let out a roar that shook the earth.
In the blink of an eye, the python swung its enormous tail. Bajie, standing at the rear cave entrance, didn't react in time and was caught up in it.
The tail rose and fell, then rose and fell again. The python flung Bajie back and forth until his head spun and his vision blurred, and he was left with wounds all over his body.
Seeing this, Sun Wukong let out a shout. When the snake saw him appear, it flung Bajie away, sending him crashing several yards off, bruised and battered.
The python had been driven nearly mad by the theft of its fruit. As soon as it saw Sun Wukong, it darted forward and swung its tail at him.
But Sun Wukong was no easy opponent. He grabbed his staff and fought the python. Suddenly, the python opened its mouth and swallowed him whole.
Seeing this, Bajie hurried forward to