"Great Sage! There's only one demon in this mountain, yet he's bullied us until even our scalps have been rubbed bare!"
Seeing Wukong put away his staff without showing any hostility, the leader of the earth gods felt as though he had caught hold of a life-saving straw. He had also heard that, under the holy monk's guidance, the Great Sage had changed his temper and was no longer as unpredictable as before.
As though he had finally found an upright magistrate to hear his case, he burst into tears and poured out his grievances:
"He's left us without incense or paper offerings, without so much as a mouthful of food offered on festival days. None of us has enough clothing to cover ourselves or enough food to fill our bellies, and we live in constant fear that he'll drag us off to burn as firewood!"
Wukong frowned as he listened. "Does this demon live on the front side of the mountain or the back?"
The gods all shook their heads, their faces bitter.
"Neither. Deep in the mountain, another hundred li or so from here, there's a ravine called Withered Pine Ravine. Beside it stands Fire Cloud Cave. That demon king possesses vast powers, and that's where he lives."
"He often seizes us mountain and earth gods to tend his fires and hold up his doors, and even makes us patrol and keep watch in the dead of night. If we have no money to give him, we have to catch mountain deer and wild stags here to appease his pack of monsters morning and evening. If we have no gifts to offer, they tear down our temples and strip off our clothes, never letting us live in peace!"
"We beg the Great Sage to show mercy, destroy this