Borrowing the Plantain Fan
Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong stopped and asked the old man:
What gift does that fairy want?
The old man smiled and said, "The people here seek out a worthy opponent once every ten years. Each time, they prepare generous gifts and seasonal fruits to invite him out."
Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong immediately said to the old man:
"Where is that mountain now? What's its name? How far is it from here? I'll go borrow the fan from it now."
After hearing what Sun Wukong said, the old man smiled and said to Sun Wukong:
"This mountain is now located in the southwest, and its name is Emerald Cloud Mountain. There is a fairy cave in the mountain called Plantain Cave."
"Our group is going there to visit the Immortal Mountain; the round trip will take a month."
Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong replied with a disdainful look, "Don't rush, I'll go now and be right back."
The old man then grabbed Sun Wukong and said to Sun Wukong:
"Elder, please don't be in such a hurry. Eat some food first, and prepare some dry rations. You must have two people to keep you company."
"Besides, there's no one along the way, and there are many ferocious wild animals. Moreover, it's not something you can get there in a day. Don't take this lightly."
After hearing the old man's words of concern, Sun Wukong patted him on the shoulder and said, "Old man, please don't worry about me anymore. I'll be right back."
As soon as Sun Wukong finished speaking, he suddenly vanished. The old man was very flustered and said to Tang Xuanzang, "Master, so your eldest disciple is a divine being!"
At the same time, Sun Wukong arrived at Emerald Cloud Mountain in an instant, jumped down and went to find the cave entrance. Suddenly he heard some voices, which turned out to be the woodcutters in the mountain.
Sun Wukong quickly approached the woodcutter and said to him:
"Brother, I have a question for you. May I ask if this is Emerald Cloud Mountain?"
After hearing Sun Wukong's words, the woodcutter nodded and said, "This is it. What brings you here? Are you perhaps searching for Sun Wukong Princess Iron Fan?"
Sun Wukong nodded upon hearing this, and then the woodcutter said with a smile:
"Although the Plantain Cave exists, there is also a Rakshasi inside, who is none other than Rakshasi Princess Iron Fan."
After hearing what the woodcutter said, Sun Wukong nodded. Then the woodcutter continued:
"Everyone says he has a Plantain Fan that can extinguish fires and protect the lives of the people in the area, so he is called the Iron Fan Immortal. But we people here don't need him at all, so we all call him Rakshasi, and she is the wife of the Bull Devil King."
Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong was quite surprised and thought to himself:
"Oh no, we've run into our nemesis again. I heard that she raised Red Boy after I sent him to Bodhisattva Guanyin."
Then they ran into his uncle, implying a desire for reciprocity, and now they've met Red Boy's parents. How should they face that fan now?
Sun Wukong lowered his head in thought and remained silent. Seeing this, the woodcutter smiled and said to Sun Wukong:
"Elder, you are a monk, what is there to worry about? Just keep going east along this path, and you'll reach the Plantain Cave in no time. Please don't be impatient or agitated."
After hearing what the woodcutter said, Sun Wukong finally couldn't hold back any longer and told the woodcutter the truth.
"Brother, to tell you the truth, I am none other than Tang Xuanzang, who came from the Great Tang of the Eastern Lands to travel to the Western Heaven to obtain Buddhist scriptures. Back then, in the Fire Cloud Cave, I had some conflict with the Rakshasi's son Red Boy, and then gave him to Bodhisattva Guanyin."
"I'm afraid that Rakshasi already holds a grudge against me, so that's what I've been worried about."
Upon hearing this, the woodcutter smiled and said to Sun Wukong:
"Why are you still worried about this? A wise man can read between the lines. Just tell him you simply want to borrow a fan, and don't say anything else. Just lend him the fan."
Upon hearing the woodcutter's words, Sun Wukong suddenly understood and arrived at the entrance of the Plantain Cave. He saw that the two large doors of the Plantain Cave were tightly closed, but the scenery outside the cave was beautiful, making it a very nice place.
Sun Wukong quickly stepped forward, knocked on the door, and called out, "Brother Bull, please open the door quickly! I've come here to find you; I have something to discuss."
As soon as Sun Wukong finished speaking, a girl came out, carrying a flower basket in her hand and farming tools on her shoulder.
Upon seeing Sun Wukong, the girl frowned and Sun Wukong, "Who are you? Why are you calling our King by his name? What business does our King have with us?"
Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong smiled and said to the girl:
"I'm not here to see your king, but to see your queen. I do have something I'd like her to help me with."
Upon hearing Sun Wukong's words, the girl immediately left and returned to the Rakshasi, saying, "Madam, there is someone outside who wants to borrow your Plantain Fan."
Upon hearing this, the Rakshasi immediately said to the girl, "Oh, did you ask him what his name is?"
Upon hearing the Rakshasi 'Rakshasi question, the girl immediately replied, "He told me his name is Sun Wukong and he came from the Eastern Lands."
Rakshasi Fan was initially in a very good mood, but upon hearing the name Sun Wukong, she immediately became extremely angry and said fiercely:
"That monkey has finally arrived! I've been waiting so long! Now hurry up and get my weapon so I can have a good fight with Sun Wukong, otherwise I won't be able to vent my anger."
After hearing what the Rakshasi said, the girl was very puzzled, wondering why the Rakshasi was so angry. However, out of respect for the Rakshasi, the girl did not ask any further questions and handed the Rakshasi weapon.
After obtaining her weapon, Rakshasi prepared herself and came to Sun Wukong's side. Upon seeing Rakshasi, Sun Wukong quickly dressed up.
As soon as Rakshasi stepped out of the room, she shouted, "Where is Sun Wukong now? Why aren't you coming out to see me?"
Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong immediately stepped forward and respectfully said to Rakshasi, "Sister-in-law, I'd like to extend my greetings to you."
Rakshasi was furious upon hearing Sun Wukong's words and immediately said to Sun Wukong:
"Who is your sister-in-law? Who greeted you?"
Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong smiled and said to Rakshasi, "Your husband, the Bull Devil King, is one of my seven sworn brothers. Since I heard that Brother Bull is your husband, I will address him as sister-in-law."
After hearing what Sun Wukong said, the Rakshasi became even angrier and spoke fiercely to Sun Wukong.