txolops 027.Fight Wukong
027.Fight Wukong
Now, let's talk about Xuanzang and his five companions.
Traveling by road, enduring wind and rain, working under the moon and stars, the sweltering summer days have arrived once again.
But the flowers have faded, the butterflies are heartless, and the cicadas sing loudly in the tall trees. Wild silkworms spin their cocoons, and pomegranates bloom in vibrant colors; new lotus leaves appear in the marshland.
Beside the mountain road, there is a village.
Xuanzang, wiping away sweat from his horseback riding, shook his empty water bottle and said:
"Wukong, look at the sun setting in the west, its fiery reflection hidden in the mountains, and the moon rising in the east, its icy wheel appearing on the sea. Fortunately, there's a house by the roadside; let's stay the night and continue our journey tomorrow."
Upon hearing this, Pigsy's previously listless face immediately lit up with joy, and he exclaimed repeatedly:
"Master is right. I, Old Pig, am also a bit hungry. Let's go and beg for some food so I can have the strength to carry the luggage."
The two followers quickly followed.
They were both mortals, and their journey was filled with hardship and sleeping in the open.
Even the strongest body can't withstand this, and now that there's a chance to rest, they naturally nodded eagerly.
Only the traveler, seeing this, scoffed:
"You're all such homebodies! You've only been away from home for a few days and you're already complaining!"
Of the five members of the pilgrimage group, Sun Wukong, without the golden headband, was the only one who could have his way, and even Xuanzang could not refute him.
Pigsy knew that Xuanzang had a high status in the group but no real power, while Sun Wukong was very capable but had no background.
His eyes darted around, and he immediately said:
"Brother, I can't be like you, living on air and smoking. Since I started following Master these past few days, I've been enduring half-hunger, do you know that?"
Upon hearing this, Xuanzang said, "Wuneng, if you still cling to worldly desires, you are no longer fit to be a monk. You should go back."
The fool looked at Xuanzang with a resentful expression and said:
"Master, don't listen to your senior brother's words. He's framing people. I didn't complain at all, but he accused me of complaining."
I'm a straightforward pervert. When I said I was hungry and wanted to find a house to beg for alms, he called me a homebody.
Master, I have received the precepts of the Bodhisattva and I vow to serve you on your journey to the Western Paradise without any regrets. This is called practicing arduous cultivation. How can you say that this is not the way of leaving home?
Besides, what would it mean if I went back now?
Xuanzang understood the meaning.
The pig's journey to the Western Paradise is the Bodhisattva's will. Besides, now that he's no longer Gao Taigong's son-in-law, he won't fare well if he goes back.
He had no choice but to say, "In that case, you should go and ask for directions."
Sun Wukong glanced at Xuanzang but did not speak.
The fool jumped up, muttering to himself, and happily went forward, carrying his load.
They arrived at the door of a house by the roadside. Xuanzang dismounted, his attendants took the reins, and Bajie put down his luggage. They all stood under the shade of the trees.
Xuanzang, leaning on his nine-ringed staff and pressing his rattan-wrapped cloak, rushed to the door. There he saw an old man leaning against a bamboo bed, muttering Buddhist prayers.
Xuanzang dared not speak loudly, and slowly called out, "Greetings, benefactor."
The old man jumped up in a flash, quickly straightened his clothes, and returned the greeting:
"Elder, I'm sorry for not greeting you properly. Where do you come from? What brings you to my humble home?"
Xuanzang was already very familiar with this kind of conversation, and introducing himself was also a common occurrence for him.
After a burst of output, the old man nodded:
"It turns out they are elders from the Great Tang Dynasty in the East. They want me to stay here for the night before heading west to fetch the scriptures tomorrow."
After saying this, the old man shook his head:
"You can't go, you can't go. It's too difficult to obtain the scriptures from the Western Paradise. If you want to obtain the scriptures, go to the Eastern Paradise instead."
Tripitaka remained silent, pondering deeply: "The Bodhisattva pointed westward, so why does this old man say to go east? Where would there be scriptures in the east?"
The old man's eyes were deep as he chuckled to himself:
"How can the East lack scriptures? The Daoist scriptures are also scriptures."
The traveler, by nature fierce and unruly, couldn't resist and stepped forward, shouting, "Old man, you're so old, yet you know nothing! I, a monk, have come from afar seeking Buddhist scriptures. What use is your so-called Taoist scripture?"
The old man, seeing him, remained unmoved, simply shaking his head and saying:
"Further ahead lies the Yellow Wind Ridge, stretching eight hundred li. There dwells a great demon there, known as the Yellow Wind King. You five are no match for him. Only the Bodhisattva Lingji, who is two thousand li to the south, can subdue this demon."
Upon hearing the old man's words, Sun Wukong, with his fiery eyes, realized that the old man was just an ordinary person. He immediately abandoned his competitive spirit and simply waved his hand.
"No problem! No problem! With Old Sun here, no matter what kind of monster he is, he won't dare to mess with me."
Seeing his reaction, the old man didn't try to persuade him further, but simply invited the five people into his home.
The next day at dawn, the five men thanked the group and said goodbye.
A figure emerged from the old man's house.
Upon seeing him, the old man immediately knelt down, trembling with fear.
"Your Majesty, I have already said what I said yesterday."
"Please get up, sir. We have no intention of making things difficult for you."
Sun Qiong helped the old man up and nodded.
Seeing that he was still afraid, she immediately turned and left.
The prelude has begun; all that remains is for Xuanzang and his four companions to fall into the trap.
Meanwhile, King Yellow Wind was also ready.
The five travelers had not gone far after entering Huangfeng Ridge when they were surrounded by a gust of wind.
The wind was strong; even Sun Wukong was so caught in the gale that he couldn't open his eyes and could only clench his iron rod and swing it wildly.
As the storm subsided, Pigsy cried out in horror:
"what?"
Everyone was stunned, wondering what was wrong with Pigsy.
When they looked up, they saw that the mountains and fields were filled with little demons surrounding them.
These little demons are all strange and bizarre; it's like a chaotic dance of demons.
Startled by these demons, everyone present couldn't help but gasp in astonishment.
Only Sun Wukong wiped the sand from the corner of his eye and burst into laughter:
"Come, come, try my old Sun's sticks."
Having said that, Sun Wukong pounced forward, wielding his iron cudgel with incredible speed and precision.
The surrounding demons didn't rush forward yelling; instead, upon seeing Sun Wukong's appearance, they all turned and ran away.
"Hey! Where do you think you're going?"
Sun Wukong laughed loudly, picked up his staff, and rushed forward, chasing after the little demons and striking them one by one.
The remaining Pigsy and the others breathed a huge sigh of relief.
These little demons covering the mountains and fields look really creepy.
"Luckily we have this monkey, otherwise we might have died at the hands of these little monsters today."
Pigsy muttered something and turned to look at the crowd behind him.
The two attendants scrambled to their feet and pointed at the horse, saying:
"Elder Pig, the Venerable Xuanzang has disappeared!"
Pigsy hurriedly looked up and saw that the white horse that had been carrying Xuanzang was now empty.
That monk had clearly been kidnapped!
The thought of the delicate and handsome Tang Sanzang stirred in Zhu Bajie's mind. He swung his nine-toothed rake, immediately collapsed to the ground, and burst into tears:
"Master has been captured by a monster, and my senior brother has been lured away from the mountain. I'm afraid we can't save him. Let's break up the group and go back with our belongings."
The two followers were startled and quickly stepped forward to grab Pigsy's sleeve.
Both of them were sent by the Tang Dynasty to protect Xuanzang. If Tang Sanzang died and they were still alive, they would not be able to explain it to Emperor Taizong. So they could only say with bitter faces:
"Elder Pig, you possess such great supernatural powers, why can't you go and save him? If you don't go, let alone the Dharma Master, how could Elder Sun possibly let you off the hook?"
Upon hearing this, Pigsy immediately jumped up:
"Enough with the chatter! How could I, Pigsy, not know how to save people? But with the mountains and fields teeming with them, where am I supposed to find them?"
That statement does contain a bit of twisted logic.
The Huangfengling Mountains stretch for 800 li, covered in yellow sand, making it a real challenge to find people.
"Even so, we must ascertain whether they are dead or alive. If they are not dead, we can do our utmost."
The two servants racked their brains trying to persuade Pigsy, but the pig's eyes darted around, and he shouted:
"If our master dies, we can all find someone to do things with."
Having said that, he stood up, picked up his nine-toothed rake, and chased after Wukong.
Seeing this, the two attendants could only wait to lead the horse and carry the load, and chase after Pigsy.
When they saw Wukong again, he was wielding his iron cudgel, charging into the demon horde, and with a flurry of blows, he wiped out dozens of lesser demons.
Pigsy then stepped forward and grabbed Monkey:
"Brother, that old master has been captured by someone."
Sun Wukong was shocked. He put away his iron cudgel and grabbed Zhu Bajie by the ear: "What's going on?"
Although he did not wear the golden headband, he knew the importance of Xuanzang.
That old monk has Buddha standing behind him; he's not someone he can afford to mess with.
If things are done well, one can always get some benefits from Buddha.
If Xuanzang had truly died at Huangfeng Ridge, he would have had no choice but to turn tail and run, never to appear before the Buddha again in this lifetime.
Pigsy had no choice but to recount what had just happened.
Wukong then released his grip: "Since it seems to be on this mountain anyway, let's search for it."