Practicing Medicine in Zhu Zi Kingdom (23)

Meanwhile, Wukong first escorted the Consort Jinsheng back to her country, while he and the other gods stayed behind to exterminate the Demon.

Wukong asked the gods, "Do any of you Dao Yi place called Qiyun Mountain Mist-and-Cloud Cave? Which deity's Immortal Taoist temple is there?"

The gods listened carefully and thought about it, but all said they did not know.

Wukong then asked Bingling Gong, "Do the True Gods of the Three Mountains know of this place?"

Bingling Gong said, "I don't know either. We need to go back to the Heavenly Realm to retrieve the register and check it carefully."

Upon hearing that they still had to return to the Heavenly Realm, Wukong shook his head and said:

"Traveling to and from the Heavenly Realm takes too much time. Old Sun, have an idea. That Demon has lost its treasures now. If you all challenge it outside the cave, Demon will surely be too afraid to fight and will have to go there to ask for help. I, Old Sun, can intercept it then."

The gods listened and all said it was a good idea, and agreed.

At dawn, Wukong transformed into a yellow oriole and flew ahead to the mountaintop.

The gods, however, shouted and cursed outside the cave.

The main gate and the second gate of the Xiezhi Cave were both broken down, and the shouts and curses of the gods reached directly into the cave. Sai Taisui was awakened by the noise. First, his legs ached, and then he touched his waist and found that his treasure was gone. He was greatly alarmed and hurriedly called out to the goddess, but there was no response.

Outside, the gods cursed incessantly. Nezha, riding his Wind Fire Wheels, had a cute face, but his words were extremely unpleasant to hear.

Sai Taisui, dragging his broken leg, went to check on the Prison and found that all the Little Demon had been put to sleep by magic, and all the gods had fled, even the Mortal messenger. Sai Taisui hurriedly woke the Little Demon and, upon questioning them, learned that the Consort Jinsheng had stolen the treasure and released the gods to leave. Sai Taisui was heartbroken and cried out in grief:

"We promised to stay together forever, never to be separated, why have you betrayed me, Your Majesty?"

The Little Demons demons asked tremblingly, "Your Great King, what should we do now?"

Sai Taisui said, "Youlai Youqu. I'll hold off the gods while you hurry to the Mist-and-Cloud Cave on Qiyun Mountain to seek help."

Youlai Youqu, he hurriedly went out from the Back Mountain to seek help.

Sai Taisui then changed into his armor and came out of the cave to meet the challenge.

Nezha saw Sai Taisui come out, he shouted and cursed:

"Demon, since you've come out to face death, you should do it quickly. Put on some decent clothes, and I, the Crown Prince, will send you to the Nine Hells hell with one sword. What are you dawdling for?"

Sai Taisui said, "Third Prince Nezha, I've always heard you're a hero, a renowned man in the Three Realms. How could you win so unfairly today?" Nezha replied, "Demon, stop with the nonsense! What do you mean by unfair? I'll fight you one-on-one!"

Sai Taisui said, "When I fought you yesterday, I was ambushed and my leg was broken. I don't know who did it. My injury hasn't healed yet, so how can I fight? If you are truly a hero, wait for me to recuperate for a few days until I'm fully recovered before we fight!"

Nezha knew that they were going to call for help, Wukong was already waiting to intercept them, so he went along with Sai Taisui and said, "Alright, Crown Prince 'll give you three days to rest. Come back to fight after three days!"

Sai Taisui was overjoyed upon hearing this, thinking to himself that this little kid was still too naive and could be easily fooled with just a few words. So he withdrew his troops and returned to his cave.

On the other side, Youlai Youqu emerged from the cave from the Back Mountain and hurried westward.

Wukong had been watching from the mountain. When he saw Youlai Youqu the mountain, he quickly flew down and took a closer look: short and stocky, with a scruffy face and no beard. Just as the Consort Jinsheng had described, this person must Youlai Youqu.

Wukong then transformed into a young Daoist boy, leaping several miles ahead of Youlai Youqu. He met Youlai Youqu with a bow and said, "Greetings, sir. May I ask where you are going?"

Youlai Youqu walked, Youlai said, "Returning the greeting! Returning the greeting! I dare not engage in idle talk with you. My Great King has encountered misfortune and has sent me to urgently seek help from our Grandmaster."

Upon hearing the words "Grandmaster," Wukong thought that if it were Immortal or Bodhisattva, they would not address him in such a way. He figured it must be an old Demon who had lived for many years, hence the use of "Grandmaster" or "Granny Patriarch."

Wukong then followed Youlaiyouqu Youlai Youqu his journey, asking as they walked, "I heard a group of Immortal have come from the east. Is it true?" Youlai Youqu, "It's true. They've come to attack my Great King. If you wish to seek divine favors, don't rush off. I'm not stopping you, but I'm afraid they might get carried away and lose their composure. Their water, fire, wind, and thunder are incredibly powerful; if even a tiny bit leaks out and touches you, it could be fatal!" Upon hearing this, Wukong thought to himself that this Little Demon still had some kindness, which made things easier. So he asked, "Then why don't you run away? Abandon your Great King and leave, wouldn't that be better?"

Youlai Youqu said, "Although my Great King isn't exactly a good person, he's still very kind to us. He doesn't force us to go down the mountain to capture people for him to eat, nor does he beat or scold us. We brothers are protected by the Great King and can live in peace. Such Great King is hard to find even in the entire Western Ox Continent. If he can be saved, I still want to ask my Grandmaster to save him, so that I can have a place to live and not become Demon has left his home."

Wukong asked, "Where does your Grandmaster live? Is it still possible for him to make it in time?"

Youlai Youqu said, "It's in the west, still a long way off! A long way off!"

Upon hearing the news, Wukong said, "How about I cast a spell to help you?"

Youlai Youqu was overjoyed and said, "If there is any magic to help, that would be best. After I invite my Grandmaster to resolve this crisis, I will ask the Great King to reward you with Silver Taels."

Wukong laughed and said, "No need to trouble yourself! No need to trouble yourself!"

As he spoke, he reached out and gave Youlai Youqu a push from behind.

Poor thing, Youlai Youqu. The Little Demon, who had just taken human form, couldn't withstand Wukong's push. He flew twenty or thirty miles off the ground, crashing headfirst into a tree, his legs hanging upside down over his head, and his head hanging from his legs.

Wukong leaped to the side of the tree, and seeing that Youlai Youqu still a breath of life, he transformed back into his Original Form and interrogated, "What is your Grandmaster's name, and how many miles to the west is he?"

Youlai Youqu exclaimed in surprise, "You're Sun Wukong!"

Wukong laughed, "It's Old Sun! You've told the truth, so I'll spare your life as a way to atone for your crimes. How about it?"

Youlai Youqu, "If it were anyone else, I would have told them; it wouldn't be worth risking my life. But my Grandmaster has been kind to me, so I can't tell him. Ask someone else, and I'll tell you."

Wukong said, "That's all I'm asking. I already know that the old demon lives in the Mist-and-Cloud Cave on Qiyun Mountain in the west. Even if you don't tell me, I can find him, it will just take a little more effort. I advise you to tell me the truth!"

Youlai Youqu said, "I won't say."

Wukong, somewhat annoyed, didn't bother to ask any more questions. Their paths were different, so there was no need for further discussion. He Youlai Youqu drew his staff and struck Wukong dead.

Youlai Youqu, it carried a handful of Merit Golden Light and returned to the Nine Hells.

Wukong then rode a cloud Journey Westward, his eyes gleaming with Golden Light, searching for the place where the demonic aura lingered. He traveled two or three thousand miles but could not find the old demon's location. After thinking for a moment, he realized he couldn't go any further, otherwise the Little Demon wouldn't be able to catch up. So he summoned the Mountain Gods and Earth Gods along the way and asked:

"Do you know of a place called Qiyun Mountain's Mist-and-Cloud Cave, where an old demon lives?"

The Mountain God of Qiyun Mountain said, "Reporting to the Great Sage, that place is under my jurisdiction. It was originally the residence of a Quanzhen Daoist. Two years ago, a divine being came to the mountain and occupied that land."

Wukong said, "What kind of deity is this? It's a Demon! Take me there quickly!"

Upon hearing this, the Mountain God quickly led Wukong there.