It Backfired

After hearing what Tang Xuanzang said, Sun Wukong smiled and said to Tang Xuanzang:

"It's not that hard, but do you know who Princess Iron Fan is? She's the wife of the Bull Devil King, and the mother of Red Boy, also known as Rakshasi."

"I borrowed a fan from outside her cave earlier, and she started talking about hatred with me, then attacked me with her sword. I used a stick to scare her, and she slapped me so hard I flew into the sky."

After saying this, Sun Wukong paused for a moment and then continued:

"I drifted all the way to Bodhisattva Lingji, who gave me a Wind-Fixing Pill. I then returned to the Rakshasi's side. She was still standing there, wielding her fan sword. When she saw me like this, she became frightened."

"So she went back into the cave, and I transformed into an insect and flew into her stomach, where I tampered with her. She was in unbearable pain, so she lent me this fan."

Upon hearing this, Tang Xuanzang was extremely grateful to Sun Wukong. He then continued his journey westward. After a short while, Sha Wujing slowly said, "This place is too hot now; my feet are aching."

However, the White Dragon Horse walked faster than at other times because the ground was too hot, making it difficult to move forward.

After a short while, Sun Wukong said to Tang Xuanzang:

"Master, please get off the horse first. Brothers, don't go any further. Let me put out this fire first. Then the wind and rain will come. We'll cross over when the ground has cooled down a bit."

As soon as Sun Wukong finished speaking, he lifted the Eight Dragon Mountain and forcefully fanned the flames towards the fire. The flames suddenly rose, and with another fan, they became even more intense.

Then the fire slowly spread to Sun Wukong's body, burning away all his hairs. Sun Wukong quickly ran to Tang Xuanzang's Tang Xuanzang and said to him:

"Master, hurry back, hurry back! The fire is about to reach us!"

Upon hearing this, Tang Xuanzang immediately climbed onto the White Dragon Horse, and together with Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing, they headed east. After traveling for some time, they stopped to rest. Tang Xuanzang asked Sun Wukong with a puzzled look:

"What's going on? Why did the flames suddenly reappear?"

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong became furious and threw the Plantain Fan aside, saying, "This is outrageous! I've been tricked by that Princess Iron Fan! This is absolutely despicable!"

Upon hearing this, Tang Xuanzang frowned and looked sullen.

Upon seeing Tang Xuanzang's appearance Zhu Bajie hurriedly said to Sun Wukong, "What should we do now? Didn't you always say you weren't afraid of fire at all? How come you're like this now?"

After thinking carefully for a long time, Sha Wujing said to Zhu Bajie:

"With such a huge fire, there's no way to travel to the Western Heaven to retrieve the scriptures. What should we do?"

After thinking seriously for a long time, Zhu Bajie slowly said:

"Now we can only head towards where there's no fire, alas!"

"Zhu Bajie, tell me, which place is truly without fire?"

After hearing what Zhu Bajie said, Tang Xuanzang earnestly addressed him.

"There is no fire in the east, south, or north right now."

Without even thinking, Zhu Bajie said to Tang Xuanzang.

After a short while, Sha Wujing suddenly said to Zhu Bajie, "Then tell me, which place can we obtain the true scriptures?"

Upon hearing Sha Wujing's words, Zhu Bajie immediately understood their meaning and said to Sha Wujing, "Now only the Western Paradise can yield the true scriptures."

Upon hearing this, Tang Xuanzang smiled and said to Zhu Bajie:

"Now that things have come to this, I will only turn towards the direction where the true scriptures lie."

Upon hearing Tang Xuanzang's words, Sha Wujing felt somewhat irritated and spoke up:

"We can't obtain the true scriptures where there's no fire, but we can obtain them where there is fire. We're in a dilemma."

The four of them were chatting idly when, after a short while, someone suddenly spoke up:

"Don't worry, everyone. Come and have some food before we start discussing."

The four people turned around and suddenly saw an old man dressed in gorgeous clothes, but behind him was a monster with a basin full of rice on its head.

The old man slowly said, "I am the local Land God. I learned that Sun Wukong is protecting Tang Xuanzang on his journey to the Western Heaven to obtain Buddhist scriptures and cannot proceed, so I came here to bring you some food."

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong said seriously, "Eating is a small matter, but when will this fire be extinguished, and when will my master be able to pass by?"

After hearing what Sun Wukong said, the Land God smiled and said to Sun Wukong:

"If we want to extinguish the fire, we must find that Rakshasi and borrow her Plantain Fan."

Sun Wukong looked puzzled upon hearing this, and casually picked up the Plantain Fan by the roadside, saying to the Land God, "Isn't this the Plantain Fan? But the more I fan it, the stronger the fire gets. What should I do?"

When the Land God saw the Plantain Fan in Sun Wukong's hand, he laughed and said, "Great Sage, what you're holding isn't the real one; you've been fooled."

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong looked puzzled and asked the Land God, "Then which one is the real one?"

The Land God smiled and said, "If you want to get the real Plantain Fan, you'll have to find the Bull Devil King."

Upon hearing the Land God's Land God, Sun Wukong suddenly realized something and interrupted Land God, saying, "You mean this mountain was originally set on fire by the Bull Devil King, which is why it's called Flaming Mountain?"

Upon hearing this, the Land God immediately said to Sun Wukong:

"That's not how it is at all. I'll only dare to say it if what I'm about to say doesn't offend you."

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong earnestly said to the Land God, "Then what crime have you committed? Just tell me, and I won't blame you."

With Sun Wukong's words as assurance, the Land God pondered for a long time before slowly saying to Sun Wukong, "Actually, you started the fire on this mountain."

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong became furious and retorted, "Where was I at that time? Don't talk nonsense! Am I the one who started the fire?"

Upon hearing this, the Land God immediately said to Sun Wukong:

"You don't even recognize me. This mountain never existed. The reason is that you were put into Taishang Laojun's Eight Trigrams Furnace when you caused havoc in the Heavenly Palace five hundred years ago."

"You then kicked over the Pill Furnace, and some remaining flames fell onto a few bricks, turning it into a Flaming Mountain."

"I was originally a pageboy of Taishang Laojun (the Supreme Lord Lao), but Taishang Laojun blamed me for dereliction of duty and put me here as a local Land God."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Bajie suddenly realized what was happening and immediately said to the Land God:

"No wonder you're dressed like that; you're a Daoist priest disguised as a local deity."