Vanquishing demons at Lion Camel Ridge (V)

Meanwhile, Wukong and Bajie played around for a while.

Seeing the two playing tricks on him, Tang Sanzang felt less afraid.

Wukong released Bajie and explained to Tang Sanzang, "Master, that old man was no ordinary person; he was Taibai Jinxing who sent us this message."

Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang realized it was Immortal assistance. He quickly bowed three times to the sky in gratitude, then asked Wukong, "What did the old immortal say? Do you know what mountain this is? What cave is this? How many Demon are there? And where does it lead to the Western Heaven?"

Wukong said, "This place is called Lion Camel Ridge. There's a Lion Camel Cave inside. There aren't many Demon here, only a few tens of thousands."

Upon hearing this, Bajie cried out in fright, "Oh my god!"

"Tens of thousands of Demon are not enough! If these Demon were out there, it would take days just to keep track of their movements! If each of them spat on us, they would drown us! If they surrounded us and tore us apart to eat, there wouldn't even be enough meat for each person. We'd have to chop us up to make filling for wontons, and we'd have to mix flour in to fake it so that we could have enough to share!"

Sha Wujing said, "Second Senior Brother, if you add too much flour, it will become a lumpy mess, and you won't be able to taste the meat. It's better to make soup, so that everyone can have a few spoonfuls, and it will have a meaty flavor."

Hearing the two say this, Tang Sanzang was terrified and said to Wukong:

"Wukong, how are we going to get through with so many Demon? Let's take a detour."

Wukong said, "Master, don't be afraid. Although there are many Demon here, they are useless. Let me subdue them and I'll ensure you cross the mountain. If you take a detour, Demon will be everywhere, from the southern mountains to the northern ridges, the eastern slopes, and the western paths. The mountains are also far apart, and if you can't find the road quickly, you won't be able to pass."

Tang Sanzang asked, "With so many Demon, how do you plan to subdue them?"

Wukong said, "If we're talking about Subduing Demons demons, I have many methods; I could talk about them for a whole day and night and still not finish. Let me go and catch a few Little Demon first, and find out all the details about the Demon in that cave before we talk. Bajie and Sha Wujing, you stay here to protect Master. I'll be right back."

Bajie and Sha Wujing agreed upon hearing this.

Wukong Somersault Cloud and flew away on a cloud.

Upon seeing this, Ao Tu instructed Tiger Vanguard, "Take a few men and keep watch, make sure Tang Sanzang and his disciples don't escape."

Tiger Vanguard agreed.

Ao Tu then rode a cloud and followed Wukong.

Wukong rode a cloud and looked up from the Heaven. He saw a Little Demon below walking along the mountain path from north to south.

Upon closer inspection, one could see that he was twelve feet tall, carrying a command flag on his back, striking a wooden clapper, and chanting incantations.

So Wukong lowered himself, transformed into Fly, and landed on the Little Demon's shoulder to listen to him speak.

The Little Demon sang. "We who patrol the mountain, each of you must be on guard, beware of the Demon to the east. First, beware of the Blood Sea Old Monster; second, beware of the Three-Legged Golden Crow; third, beware of the Five-Clawed Demon Dragon."

Upon hearing this, Wukong wondered why these Demon were so wary of the Demon Dragon. Could it be that they had a grudge against Demon Dragon?

Wukong thought for a moment, then got off the Little Demon, flew to the fork in the road to the east, and transformed into the Tiger Vanguard.

But what does it look like? It is Three Zhang tall, with Single-Horn on its head; a round head with horizontal stripes, and sharp fangs; several long whiskers, and five red tails; its nostrils flare, and White Qi billows out.

Little Drill Wind, banging on his clapper and swaying his head, bumped into a wall, fell down, got up, and said:

"How strange! How strange! I've walked this road for countless years, how come there's a wall here?"

Little Drill Wind reached out and touched it; it was warm and prickly. He thought to himself, "Does this wall have stiff hairs growing on it?"

Little Drill Wind looked up and saw a Evil Tiger spirit, baring its fangs and looking down at him. It had a strange horn on its head, and seemed to be a hybrid of a tiger and a rhinoceros. It was three times his height, which frightened Little Drill Wind so much that he took several steps back, swallowed hard, and barely managed to stay awake as he said:

"You! You! You! What kind of Demon are you? How dare you trespass on our Lion Camel Ridge?"

Wukong chuckled inwardly but kept quiet, lying, "I'm Demon from outside, and this is Lion Camel Ridge?"

Little Drill Wind asked, "Yaoguai from outside?"

Wukong nodded.

Little Drill Wind circled Wukong twice, sizing him up. He thought to himself, "These Yaoguai outside are really big. I wonder what they eat to grow so big." He, Little Drill Wind, was considered imposing and tall among the Demon of Lion Camel Ridge, yet he wasn't even half their height. Even if they were that imposing, they might lack ability. With their looks alone, they could become the Great King's personal Royal Guards, adding to the grandeur of the place and getting to drink good wine. Wouldn't that be easier than his daily patrols?

Thinking this, Little Drill Wind felt a pang of envy and asked, "What brings you, Yaoguai from outside, to our Lion Camel Ridge?"

Wukong said, "I came here specifically to see your Great King."

Little Drill Wind said, "Looking for my Great King? Could it be that you've come to seek refuge with my Great King?"

Wukong echoed him, "Almost! Almost!"

Upon hearing this, Little Drill Wind felt a surge of joy. He thought that if he introduced this Yaoguai to the Great King, the Great King would be pleased and surely reward him. He would also gain more connections in the future—wouldn't that be wonderful? So he said:

"In that case, come with me. After I finish patrolling the rest of this mountain path, I'll take you to see my Great King."

Wukong said, "Thank you! Thank you!" and then followed Little Drill Wind.

The two walked side by side, Little Drill Wind felt that Wukong was even taller than him, so he asked, "Hey, I wonder what kind of meat you ate to grow up like this? How come you're so majestic and tall?"

Wukong said, "The Demon in our area are all pretty much the same. I'm the youngest, so I came first to scout things out. They'll come over after I've found out what's going on."

Little Drill Wind was even more alarmed upon hearing this, and was about to ask further questions when Wukong interrupted him:

"By the way, what did you mean by that song you were singing earlier, something about being wary?"

Little Drill Wind said, "Oh, you didn't know? Three vicious monsters have appeared in the east! They're several times more vicious than my three Great King!"

Wukong laughed and said, "Is that so?"

Little Drill Wind said, "Of course! Let me tell you, those three Demon are incredibly powerful! The first one is called the Blood Sea Old Monster. I heard he rebelled against the Heavenly Court several times, and even the Immortal and Bodhisattva in Heaven couldn't subdue him. Now he has gathered most of the Demon in the Western Ox Continent under his command, numbering three to five hundred thousand. Anyone who dares to defy him is annihilated, leaving no survivors!"

Wukong asked, "And the second one?"

Little Drill Wind said, "The second one is even more incredible. I heard it's Golden Crow that has become a spirit, which is the Sun in the Heaven. If it unleashes its power, two Sun will appear in the Heaven, which will scorch us to death! But I heard that a few months ago, that Golden Crow spirit angered the masses and was killed by Amitabha Buddha in the Western Heaven. I don't know if it's true or not?"

Wukong asked, "And the third one?"

Little Drill Wind said, "The third one is the most ferocious and vicious of the three Demon, but we don't know what kind of Supernatural Ability he possesses."

Wukong laughed and said, "Since we don't know what Supernatural Ability they possess, how can you say they are the most vicious and ruthless?"

Little Drill Wind said, "It was my Third Great King who said it. He said that the Demon Dragon is the most ruthless, the most evil, and the most poisonous. He also said that it was because of that Demon Dragon that the three Demon became sworn brothers, all for the sake of avenging the Demon Dragon. My Great King is afraid that the Demon Dragon is not satisfied with gathering most of the Demon in the Western Ox Continent and will lead his troops to attack our Lion Camel Ridge again. That's why he taught everyone to be careful."

Wukong nodded and said, "I see."

Ao Tu, standing to the side, secretly noted down Little Drill Wind's words.