Viewing the Lanterns in Jinping Prefecture (III)

Meanwhile, Wukong mistook the monk for Ao Tu in disguise. The monk, looking bewildered, asked, "Elder, what makes you say that?"

Wukong laughed and said, "Isn't this kind of thing, where the Buddha accepts money and the common people offer sacrifices to the poor, a job that Dragon Brother found for Old Sun?"

The monk's doubts deepened upon hearing this.

Seeing that he didn't seem fake, Wukong wondered if he had guessed wrong.

At that moment, a whooshing sound could be heard in mid-air, and all the people watching the lanterns scattered.

The Monks hurriedly cried out, "The Buddha is here! The Buddha is here! Elder, please make way!"

Tang Sanzang said, "Since it is the True Buddha who has descended, this humble monk should pay homage and perhaps even persuade the Buddha to reduce the offerings."

Seeing Tang Sanzang's boldness, the monks offered a few words of advice, but seeing the approaching danger, they dared not linger and quickly left.

Only Wukong and his two companions remained beside them.

Wukong looked closely and saw that there was a demonic aura swirling in the wind. He quickly exclaimed, "It's not a good person, it must be Demon!" He then called Bajie and Sha Wujing to come forward.

No, the lights were dim, and there wasn't just one Yaoguai, but three. One rolled up the oil vat, one hugged Tang Sanzang, and the last one stirred up a Five-Colored gust of wind, dazzling the eyes of Wukong and the other two, and then disappeared without a trace.

Bajie exclaimed in surprise, "Master was made of lamp wick! The wind blew him away!"

Wukong said, "Stop talking nonsense! They are clearly three Demon who impersonated Buddha and captured Master. You go back and guard the horses and luggage; I'm going after them!"

Bajie and Sha Wujing said, "Elder Brother, the horses and luggage are all stored in the temple. Since there are three Demon, and you are alone, let us two help you!"

Wukong laughed, "No need! No need! This matter of impersonating Buddha must be another task arranged for me by that Demon Dragon. Those three Demon all have powerful backgrounds; they're either Bodhisattva Buddha's Mount or the Bodhisattva's disciples. I'll just deal with them as instructed. Otherwise, I'll kill all three of them."

After hearing this, Bajie and Sha Wujing recalled the hardships they had endured along the way and Wukong made sense. So they returned to the temple to guard the horses and luggage.

Following the foul wind, Wukong chased after the mountain until he came to a towering peak: vines and creepers clung to the sheer cliffs, pines and cypresses stood tall on the rocky outcrops. Cranes cried in the morning mist, and wild geese called in the dawn clouds.

Wukong stood on the cliff, searching for the Demon's Cave Abode, when he saw four people herding three sheep in the mountains, shouting, "Kai Tai!" Wukong recognized them as the Four Duty Gods in disguise, so he jumped down and laughed:

"Gentlemen, what's changed about herding sheep here? What can I do for you?"

Upon seeing this, the Four Duty Gods quickly transformed back into their Original Form and bowed, saying:

"Great Sage, your master has been captured by Demon. We Great Sage may not know the Demon's Cave Abode, so we have come to deliver this message. These three sheep symbolize 'the arrival of three auspicious yangs'."

Wukong asked, "Is that Demon in this mountain?"

The Four Duty Gods said, "That's right. This mountain is called Azure Dragon Mountain. There's a Demon Cave in the mountain called Xuanying Cave. There are three Demon in the cave. The eldest is called Great King Bihan, the second Great King Bishu, and the third Great King Bichen. They have cultivated for a long time and have attained enlightenment. They disguise themselves as Buddhas and collect Incense Oil offerings here. Now that they've seen your master, they've captured him in the cave and are going to skin him and fry him in Incense Oil to eat!"

Upon hearing this, Wukong asked, "These three dare to cause harm at the foot of Spirit Mountain. Whose disciples and Mount are they?"

The Four Duty Gods exchanged glances and said, "This... we haven't heard of any special background."

Wukong asked, "How many years have they been here?"

The Four Duty Gods said, "I've heard it's been a thousand years."

Wukong sneered, "You've lived here for a thousand years, and you still say you have no background?"

The Four Duty Gods looked at each other, then shook their heads, saying, "We don't know! We don't know!"

Wukong waved his hand and said, "Never mind, I'll find out with a little investigation."

The Four Duty Gods bowed and took their leave.

Wukong suddenly remembered something and called out from behind, "Dragon Brother!"

None of the four looked back.

Wukong scratched his head, wondering where the Demon Dragon had transformed and was hiding.

Following the path pointed out by the Four Duty Gods, Wukong caught up with them.

On the other side, the three Demon captured Tang Sanzang in the cave and, without any explanation, had their Little Demon strip him of his clothes, wash them, and prepare to fry them in Incense Oil.

Seeing that the three Demon were vicious and that there was no visible Prison Cave, Tang Sanzang felt uneasy, fearing he might be harmed. He quickly devised a temporary solution and called out:

"Your Great King! Spare me! Spare me! I am a monk from afar, unfamiliar with the customs here. I have offended Your Great King, but I beg Your Great King to spare my life. I have three disciples; Your Great King, please send someone with a letter to them, instructing them to bring money to ransom me!"

Upon hearing this, the three Yaoguai asked, "Monk, how much wealth do you have? Will your disciple be willing to redeem you?"

Poor Tang Sanzang, a reincarnation of the Buddha's Disciple from the Western Heaven Paradise, was born incapable of uttering a single lie. Now, after enduring countless hardships, he has learned to fabricate lies. Listen to him as he opens his mouth:

"Your Great King, do not be fooled by my tattered robes; I am actually wealthy. A quick search of my Bundle will yield five thousand; a search of my luggage will bring me ten thousand; and if I have a little more time, I can pawn my Kasaya, Buddhist Staff, Alms Bowl, and White Horse, raising seventeen or eighteen thousand. I will offer all of this to Your Great King in the hope of saving my life. My disciples have followed me for many years; if I send them this message, they will surely come to my rescue."

The three Demon were overjoyed upon hearing this.

Great King Bichen laughed, "Big Brother, I didn't expect this monk to be so wealthy despite wearing old clothes. After we get the ransom, we'll have an extra six months' worth of expenses for nothing! How delightful!"

The Great King Bishu laughed, "Third Younger Brother, you don't know, the more tattered the clothes a monk wears, the more Belongings. Who Daoist Canon them all!"

Great King Bihan said, "Alright, men, put this monk's clothes on properly, lock him up, and go find his disciple to demand ransom. By the way, what's his disciple's name, and what does he look like?"

Tang Sanzang said, "My disciple's surname is Sun. He is short, with a pointed mouth and few cheeks; you can tell just by looking at him."

Great King Bihan then summoned a Little Ox Spirits to go down the mountain to find the person.

The Little Ox Spirits, carrying the command flag, had just stepped out of the Mountain Gate when he bumped into Wukong. Looking closely, he saw a small figure with a pointed snout and few cheeks—wasn't this the person the Great King was looking for?

The Little Ox Spirits was overjoyed and asked, "Are you that monk surnamed Sun?"

Wukong said, "It is indeed Old Sun! But you captured my master?"

The Little Ox Spirits said, "Yes! Yes! We were just looking for you, but you came by yourself!"

Wukong asked, "What do you want with me?"

The Little Ox Spirits Earthly Way, "I just said I was going to cut up your master and fry him, but your master said you have silver and told me to use the silver to redeem him."

Wukong laughed and said, "I didn't bring any money, but I did bring a gift."

The Little Ox Spirits said, "What gift? Quickly, bring it out!"

Wukong took the Golden Cudgel from his ear, shook it, and it grew to be thirty or forty feet long and as wide as a house. He thrust it into the mountain, and with a thunderous roar, the entire mountain shook. He shouted:

"Look at you, you stupid Little Demon! I'll spare your life for now, but hurry back and report that I am the eldest disciple of Tang Sanzang, the Holy Monk from the Great Tang Journey to the West, who went on Viewing the Lanterns to the Eastern Land. I was passing through Jinping Prefecture to watch the lanterns when my master was captured by your Demon Heads. Return him to me immediately, or I will spare your lives! Otherwise, I will overturn your lair, destroy your cave, and turn all the Yaoguai in your burrow into pus and blood!"