Now Sun Wukong and Bajie pursued the foul wind into which Tiger Vanguard had transformed, and found him lying before a cliff.
Bajie raised his rake and struck with all his strength, only to find a tiger skin stuck to the Crouching Tiger Stone.
Only then did the two realize they had been tricked. They hurried back, but Tang Sanzang was already gone, leaving only the white horse and the luggage.
Leading the horse, Bajie said, "What do we do now? He's captured Master!"
Wukong said, "Don't panic! Don't panic! He's somewhere in this mountain, at any rate. We'll search it carefully."
Wukong and Bajie plunged into the mountain, crossing hills and ridges. After searching for a long time, they spotted a cave dwelling rising beneath a rocky cliff.
They approached and saw six large characters above the entrance: "Yellow Wind Cave, Yellow Wind Ridge."
Wukong said, "Bajie, there's a Wind-Hiding Mountain Hollow behind the mountain. Take the luggage and horse there and keep watch. Old Sun will challenge them at the door and test what this demon is made of."
Bajie agreed and took the luggage and horse into hiding in the Wind-Hiding Mountain Hollow behind the mountain.
Standing outside Yellow Wind Cave with his cudgel in hand, Wukong shouted, "Demon! Send my master out at once, or Old Sun will overturn your den and grind your dwelling flat!"
Meanwhile, inside Yellow Wind Cave.
Ao Tu and Great King Yellow Wind were celebrating Tiger Vanguard's success.
Tiger Vanguard did indeed have some ability. With a single tiger skin, he had fooled Sun Wukong and Bajie and captured Tang Sanzang, saving Ao Tu and Great Sage Yellow Wind a good deal of effort.
The lesser demons in the cave clamored eagerly to eat Tang Sanzang's flesh.
Great Sage Yellow Wind stopped them, saying only that Sun Wukong had not yet been captured, and that if they ate Tang Sanzang, Sun Wukong might come seeking revenge. He therefore had Tang Sanzang bound to the Wind-Calming Stake in the rear garden, to be eaten once Sun Wukong had been taken.
Bound in the rear garden, Tang Sanzang wept without cease and said:
"My disciples! Who knows on which mountain you are capturing monsters, or where you are subduing demons? Yet I have been seized by this fiend and subjected to such cruelty. When will we meet again? What misery! If you come soon, you may still save my life; if you come too late, nothing can preserve it!"
He lamented as his tears fell like rain.
Hearing him, Ao Tu ordered a lesser demon to fetch a rag and stuff it into Tang Sanzang's mouth, so they could have some peace.
Just then, a lesser demon hurried in from outside to report, "Your Majesty! Disaster! A monk with a hairy face and a thunder god's mouth has come to the cave entrance. He's holding a great iron cudgel and demanding his master!"
Hearing this, Great Sage Yellow Wind said:
"It goes without saying-that must be Sun Wukong. Elder brother, guard the cave here while I lead our troops out to fight him!"
Ao Tu cautioned him, "Worthy younger brother, remember to be careful. Your humble elder brother will await your triumphant return here."
The lesser demons brought out his armor. Great Sage Yellow Wind dressed himself fully, took up a Three-Pronged Steel Fork, and led the demons leaping out through the cave entrance.
Once outside, Great Sage Yellow Wind shouted sternly:
"Which one is Sun Wukong?"
With his foot planted on Tiger Vanguard's tiger skin and the compliant Golden Cudgel in hand, Sun Wukong answered, "Your Grandpa Sun is right here. Send my master out at once."
Great Sage Yellow Wind examined him closely. Seeing that Wukong was scrawny and not even four feet tall, he laughed. "Pitiful! Pitiful! So you're nothing but a sickly bag of bones!"
Wukong laughed. "You son of mine, you've no eye for things! Though your grandpa is small, one blow to my head with that steel fork will make me grow three feet."
Great Sage Yellow Wind said, "Do you dare brace your head and take a thrust from my fork?"
Wukong truly had no fear and stretched his head forward.
Great Sage Yellow Wind struck it savagely, only for the recoil to sting his hands.
Wukong took the opportunity to bend at the waist and grew a full three feet.
Great Sage Yellow Wind drew back his steel fork and roared:
"Fine monkey, fine head! Stop showing off these transformations. Come forward, and let me test your real abilities!"
Wukong laughed. "My son! As the saying goes, 'Show mercy, and don't raise your hand; raise your hand, and show no mercy.' Your grandpa has a heavy hand. I'm afraid you won't withstand a blow from this cudgel!"
As they spoke, both raised their weapons. The fork thrust and the cudgel blocked; the cudgel struck and the fork met it. A fierce battle unfolded.
Great Sage Yellow Wind fought Sun Wukong for thirty rounds, with neither gaining the upper hand.
Seeing this, Wukong used his Body Outside Body technique. He plucked out a handful of hairs, chewed them to pieces, spat them upward, and cried, "Transform!" A hundred or so doubles appeared, all dressed alike and each wielding an iron cudgel, surrounding Great Sage Yellow Wind in midair.
Seeing this, Great Sage Yellow Wind also unleashed his divine power. Turning toward the Xun Position, he opened his mouth three times, then blew out a breath with a whoosh. Suddenly, a yellow wind sprang up in the sky.
What a wind! Truly fearsome.
Black and dim, dark and murky, its icy gusts transformed heaven and earth, while formless, shadowless yellow sand whirled; it pierced forests, shattered ridges, toppled seas of trees, scattered soil, flung up dust, and brought mountain barriers crashing down; the crimson sun swayed without light, and all the stars across the heavens were dimmed and thrown into disarray.
Great Sage Yellow Wind unleashed this gale, sweeping the doubles made from Sun Wukong's hairs into the air, where they spun wildly like little windmills.
Sun Wukong alone braced himself against the gale and raised his Golden Cudgel, still intending to advance and strike. But Great Sage Yellow Wind blasted a mouthful of yellow wind straight into his face, forcing his Fiery Golden Eyes tightly shut so that he could not open them. Defeated, he fled the battle.
Not far away, Bajie saw the yellow wind raging and heaven and earth stripped of light. Holding the horse and guarding the luggage, he crouched in the Wind-Hiding Mountain Hollow, not daring to open his eyes or raise his head. He kept chanting the Buddha's name and making vows, knowing neither whether Sun Wukong had won or lost nor whether their master was alive or dead.
When the wind subsided and the sky cleared, he was still fretting when he saw Sun Wukong staggering toward him from the west. Bajie went to meet him and said, "Senior brother, what a tremendous wind! Did you win or lose?"
Wukong waved his hand and said:
"Terrible! Terrible! In all my life, Old Sun has never seen a wind like that. The demon fought me with a Three-Pronged Steel Fork. After thirty rounds, he conjured up that gale. It was truly vicious. It blew so hard I couldn't stand, and I fled through the wind."
Bajie said, "Senior brother, how were that demon's fighting skills?"
Wukong said, "Respectable enough. His fork techniques were well disciplined. He fought Old Sun to a draw. It's just that this wind is so powerful, it's hard to defeat him."
Bajie said, "How can we save Master, then?"
Wukong said, "Saving Master will have to wait for now. First, let's find a doctor who treats eye ailments and have him tend to my eyes."
Bajie said, "What's wrong with your eyes?"
Wukong said, "That demon blasted me with a mouthful of wind. It left my eyeballs aching, cold tears streaming constantly, and my sight somewhat dim."
Bajie said, "Senior brother, we're halfway up a mountain, and it's getting late. Where could we find a doctor?"
Wukong said, "Bajie, there's something you don't know. Back at Eagle Sorrow Ravine, Guanyin Bodhisattva promised me that, since the Journey to the West would be fraught with disasters, if I ever suffered bodily harm or bitter hardship, heaven would answer when I called to heaven, and earth would respond when I called to earth. If I reached a truly inescapable plight, she would come in person to save me."
Hearing this, Bajie led the horse, shouldered the luggage, and guided Wukong out of the hollow to the road.
Dusk was gradually falling. They heard a dog barking below the hillside south of the road. Bajie stopped to look and saw a farmhouse, with lamplight faintly glowing within.
Bajie went forward and knocked on
the door.
An old man came out and asked, "Who's there? Who's there?"
Wukong bowed and said, "We are disciples of the holy monk from the Great Tang in the Eastern Land. We were passing through this mountain on our way west to worship the Buddha and seek the scriptures when Great King Yellow Wind captured our master. We have yet to rescue him. As it is growing late, we have come to ask for a night's lodging in your home. Please be so kind as to accommodate us."
The old man returned the bow and said, "Forgive me for not welcoming you sooner. I didn't know you were two venerable monks. Please come in."
Before you continue