Wukong and Bajie entered the thatched cottage.
The old man brought out a vegetarian meal for them both.
When they had finished, Wukong asked, "May I ask, sir, is there anywhere around here that sells medicine for the eyes?"
"Which of you venerable monks has an eye ailment?" the old man asked.
"It isn't an ailment," Wukong said. "Today, while trying to rescue our master outside Yellow Wind Cave, that monster blew a mouthful of yellow wind straight into my face. It left my eyes aching and streaming with tears, so badly I could hardly see. That's why I'm looking for eye medicine."
"Mercy! Mercy!" said the old man. "That Great Sage Yellow Wind has a most fearsome wind. It is nothing like the winds of spring and autumn, the winds through pines and bamboo, or the winds from east, west, south, and north..."
Bajie joked, "Then perhaps it's head wind, goat-ear wind, leprosy wind, or migraine wind?"
"No, no," said the old man. "His is called the Samadhi Divine Wind. It blows heaven and earth into turmoil and sweeps gods and ghosts into despair. It splits stones and shatters cliffs; one blast can end a mortal's life.
"If you met that wind and suffered only aching eyes, you must have quite a background yourselves.
"In my youth, I once met an extraordinary man who passed on a prescription called the Three-Flower Nine-Seed Paste. It can cure eyes injured by wind."
Hearing this, Wukong bowed his head in greeting. "Might I beg a little to try?"
The old man agreed. He brought out a small agate jar, dipped a jade hairpin into it, and applied a little of the paste to Wukong's eyes. He instructed him not to open them, but to settle his mind and sleep; by morning, he would be well.
After applying the medicine, the old man withdrew.
Bajie spread out the bedding and helped Wukong lie down on the bed to sleep.
With his eyes closed, Wukong groped about.
Bajie laughed. "Good sir, have you lost your blind man's stick?"
"You oaf!" Wukong cursed. "Are you taking me for a blind man?"
Chuckling to himself, Bajie lay down to sleep.
As dawn approached during the fifth watch, Wukong rubbed his face and opened his eyes. "Wonderful medicine! I'm truly cured!"
He turned to look around. Where were the house, windows, and doors? There were only old locust trees and tall willows, and the two of them were sleeping on a carpet of green sedge.
He reached over and woke Bajie.
Seeing that the house had vanished, Bajie scrambled up in alarm and said:
"Eh! This family moved without making a sound-and took the whole house with them! They must be dodging taxes, so they moved away in the night."
Wukong laughed and said:
"You idiot! A divine spirit helped us. What has this to do with dodging taxes? We're not far from Yellow Wind Cave. Stay here and watch the luggage while Old Sun goes inside to scout and see what's become of Master."
Bajie said:
"Good! Good! First find out for certain whether he's alive or dead. If Master's dead, we can each go our own way; if he's alive, we'll do our utmost to rescue him."
"Don't talk nonsense. I'm off!" said Wukong.
Wukong sprang into the air and landed before Yellow Wind Cave. Turning himself into a mosquito with speckled legs, he flew inside.
The little tiger guarding the entrance was snoring. The sight of a tiger irritated Wukong, so he bit his face. The little tiger rolled over and woke with a start. "Daddy! What a huge mosquito! One bite raised a bump this big!"
Wukong flew farther inside, crossed the hall, and headed straight to the rear. There he found a tightly shut door and slipped through its crack. Beyond it lay an empty garden, with Tang Sanzang bound to the Wind-Calming Stake at one side.
A tiger monster stood guard nearby-the very tiger demon who had shed his skin the day before.
Wukong flew over and landed on Tang Sanzang's bald head. He was just about to cast a spell to knock out the tiger monster when someone approached.
The newcomer stood tall and straight, with dragon horns and golden scales. He seemed to be a demon dragon in human form.
Ao Tu walked up to Tiger Vanguard and asked, "How is Tang Sanzang?"
"Reporting to the second king," Tiger Vanguard replied respectfully, "Tang Sanzang is quite well."
Listening nearby, Wukong only then learned that Yellow Wind Cave had a second king besides the Yellow Wind Monster.
Suddenly, for some reason, the demon dragon glanced over. He brought a palm down on Tang Sanzang's bald head, flattened the mosquito Wukong had become, then flicked him away with a finger.
"Why is there a mosquito here? Watch him carefully. Don't let this monk grow thin from hunger!"
Tiger Vanguard repeatedly assented.
Sun Wukong landed on the ground, seething with anger. That damned demon dragon actually flicked me, the mighty Great Sage Equal to Heaven, away like a mosquito!
He transformed into an eagle with jade talons and golden eyes, wheeled upward, and lunged for Ao Tu's vulnerable spot seven inches below his head.
Ao Tu had already anticipated him. Dodging aside, he laughed. "Monkey Sun, I knew that mosquito was you!" He thrust out his dragon claws and exchanged several rounds with Sun Wukong without losing ground.
Sun Wukong dared not linger, fearing the Yellow Wind Monster would arrive and trap him there, so he broke away and fled.
He escaped Yellow Wind Cave and returned to where he had left Bajie.
Seeing Wukong return, Bajie asked:
"Brother, how did it go? Did you find out where Master is?"
"Trouble! Trouble!" Wukong said. "Old Sun turned into a mosquito and went inside to look for Master. Those monsters have him tied to the Wind-Calming Stake in the rear garden, with a rag stuffed in his mouth so he can't speak. That tiger monster from before is guarding him, too.
"I meant to use a sleep bug to put the tiger monster to sleep, but I never expected another demon in that cave. He saw through my transformation and fought me for a few rounds. Afraid the Yellow Wind Monster would block my way, I fled."
After hearing this, Bajie said, "Brother, this scripture pilgrimage is hopeless! One Yellow Wind Monster was already hard enough to handle, and now there's a second demon. How can we rescue Master? I think we'd better each go our own way.
"Master has a Brocade Kasaya and a Nine-Ringed Monk's Staff. The kasaya is valuable, so as the senior brother, you can take the larger share. I'll gladly take the staff. We'll find somewhere inhabited and sell the white horse, then you can go back to your Flower-Fruit Mountain, and I'll return to my Gao Village."
At these words, Wukong angrily seized Bajie's ear and said:
"I ought to beat you, you oaf! Master isn't even dead, and you're already thinking about breaking up and dividing the luggage!"
"Even if he isn't dead, he won't live much longer," Bajie said. "Back when I was a monster, I heard that demons particular about eating people always tied their victims to a stake for three to five days first. Once their stomachs and bowels were empty, they swallowed them whole."
"Then there's still time to save him," Wukong said. "Old Sun will go up to Heaven and invite a divine general who can still the wind. He'll surely subdue that demon!"
"Brother," Bajie said, "you don't even know where that demon comes from. Which divine general will you invite? If you choose the right one, all well and good. But if you choose wrong and have to go back for another, I'm afraid Master will have turned into demon dung by then!"
As they discussed this, an old man emerged beside the main road.
His beard was ice-white, his snowy temples bushy; golden flowers gleamed in a dazzling haze. Bent-backed and head bowed, he walked with slow steps, his brows thick and his face ruddy as a child's.
The old man showed no fear at the sight of Wukong and Bajie. Instead, he approached and asked, "Where have you two brother monks come from? Why are you arguing in this wilderness?"
"We're monks on a pilgrimage to fetch the scriptures," Wukong replied. "Yesterday we lost our master here. The Yellow Wind Monster carried him off, and we don't know whom to ask to subdue him."
The old man said:
"Do you mean that Great Sage Yellow Wind?"
"That's him," Wukong said.
"This I do know," the old man said. "The Great Sage Yellow Wind is skilled in the divine power of the Samadhi Divine Wind. Even all Heaven's divine generals would find it hard to subdue him. Only one person can still his wind."
"Please guide us, sir," Wukong said eagerly.
"Two thousand li due south of here stands a mountain called Lesser Mount Sumeru," the old man said. "There is a sanctuary on that mountain, the monastery where Lingji Bodhisattva expounds the scriptures. If you persuade him to come, you can rescue your master."
Wukong hurriedly thanked him.
But the old man had already turned into a clear breeze and vanished without a sound, leaving only a pair of verses:
"Hear my report, Great Sage Equal to Heaven: this old man is Li Chang Geng.
"On Mount Sumeru rests the Flying Dragon Staff; Lingji received this Buddhist weapon long ago."
Before you continue