Journey to the West: Starting with the Hunting of the Three Demons of Twin Fork Ridge

Chapter 31 The Great Sage Plans to Celebrate Birthday

Meanwhile, Sun Wukong, who was outside listening to this, had a plan in mind.

He then rode a cloud back to Guanyin Temple.

Upon seeing Tang Sanzang, he said, "I have already found out the whereabouts of that Buddhist treasure. It was stolen by the demon from Black Wind Mountain. These monks have been wrongly accused."

Tang Sanzang asked, "Now that you know its whereabouts, have you retrieved it?"

Wukong shook his head and said, "No, no! When I went there, I saw that fellow discussing metaphysics with a scholar, a Taoist, and a little demon."

As soon as Old Sun appeared, that fellow and that old Taoist priest rode away on a cloud. Only the scholar couldn't run fast. I wanted to kill him with a stick, but the little demon stopped me. The scholar then turned into a flower snake and left.

Old Sun fought the little demon again, and after three or five rounds, he became exhausted and fell from the cloud. I thought he had died from the fall, so I went to Black Wind Cave to fight that fellow.

I fought that fellow for over ten rounds, neither gaining the upper hand. Seeing that it was getting late, he returned to his cave, locked the stone door, and refused to come out. Old Sun had no choice but to return."

Tang Sanzang asked, "How do your skills compare to his?"

Wukong said, "I'm not much stronger either, so I'll only fight him to a draw."

Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang asked anxiously, "What should we do?"

Wukong said, "Master, don't be anxious, let me tell you. After that fellow locked up the cave, I wanted to come back, but I ran into the little demon I fought with before. He was still alive and called that Black Wind Monster 'uncle.' The two of them talked in the cave, and I overheard that the day after tomorrow is that fellow's birthday. So I thought I would go back the day after tomorrow, but I would disguise myself as someone who was celebrating his birthday. When I entered the cave, I would snatch the treasure back."

Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang nodded.

So Wukong found the abbot and asked, "Whom did the demons of Black Wind Mountain invite to their birthday celebrations in previous years?"

The abbot said tremblingly, "There was a scholar in white robes, a Daoist priest named Lingxu, and..."

"Who else?"

"And our...Grandmaster, Elder Jinchi."

Upon hearing this, Wukong sneered, "That old skinflint deserved to die! He was in league with demons! No wonder he lived to be 270. That demon must have taught him some kind of magic for cultivating qi, hence his longevity. Did he invite him this year?"

The abbot then took out the invitation, which was indeed from the Black Bear Spirit inviting the old monk.

Wukong then made up his mind to transform into an old monk and go to the Black Wind Cave.

Just then, he suddenly remembered the scholar and the old Taoist priest, so he grabbed the courtyard owner and asked, "Do you know where the scholar and the old Taoist priest live?"

The abbot said, "The old Taoist is in the Canglang Forest, twenty miles north of the temple, and the scholar is in the Baiwu Marsh, twenty miles west of the temple."

Wukong nodded and said, "In that case, I, Old Sun, will go there first and make sure to kill those two scoundrels! You must take good care of my master; if he gets bumped or scraped, Old Sun is not someone to be trifled with!"

The academy director nodded repeatedly.

Wukong then rode away on a cloud, and soon arrived at the White Mist Marsh.

But all that could be seen was a cracked riverbed, with not a trace of water in sight.

Wukong scanned the area with his golden eyes and indeed saw the corpse of the white flower snake.

A clear, transparent hole was clearly visible in his chest.

Wukong was secretly alarmed, but then he arrived at the Canglang Forest.

Trees were uprooted and rocks were turned to mud.

In the middle was a pill-making room, which had collapsed beyond recognition.

So he descended from the clouds and indeed saw a floating corpse on the water.

Upon closer inspection, Wukong realized it was a gray wolf with burn marks on its body.

"I wonder who killed those two monsters," Wukong sighed, when he suddenly saw a pill furnace in front of him. He walked over and saw that the furnace was engraved with the words "Made by Lingxuzi".

"This canglang must be Ling Xuzi," Wukong thought. He opened the alchemy furnace and found two good pills inside. With a quick glance, he put the two pills in his pocket and returned to the Zen temple.

Upon returning to the Zen monastery and seeing Tang Sanzang, Wukong exclaimed with delight, "Master, Master! We've struck gold!"

Tang Sanzang asked, "My disciple, what good fortune has this?"

Wukong said, "I originally wanted to transform into Jinchi's appearance to celebrate the monster's birthday, but I was troubled by not having any birthday gifts. So I wandered around and sure enough, I found two pills in the Canglang Forest, twenty miles to the north. They were made by an old Taoist who was on good terms with that monster. It turns out his name is Ling Xuzi, and I can transform into his appearance."

Tang Sanzang said, "This plan is excellent, but is it safe?"

Wukong said, "It's not entirely safe, but we need a helper."

Tang Sanzang said, "You monkey, where am I supposed to find you any help?"

Wukong said, "No need for Master to trouble yourself. I think Guanyin Bodhisattva is in the wrong in this matter. She has this Zen temple here, receiving incense offerings from the people here, and she also allows that demon to live next door. I will go to the South Sea to find her and talk to her, and ask her to come and ask the demon to return the cassock to me."

Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang clasped his hands in praise, saying, "Excellent! This plan is brilliant! The Bodhisattva's power is boundless. If you are willing to help, the cassock will surely be retrieved."

And so, nothing was said for several days.

On the third day, early in the morning, Sun Wukong somersaulted up into the clouds and headed straight for the South Sea.

In less than half an hour, the vast ocean stretched out before them, its waters reaching the horizon.

Wukong descended from the clouds and stood on Mount Luojia.

But the twenty-four celestial beings greeted him, saying, "Great Sage, where have you come from?"

Wukong said, "I want to see the Bodhisattva."

The gods said, "Please sit down, and allow me to report."

The celestial beings then came to the cave entrance to inform them. The Bodhisattva summoned them in, and Wukong followed the instructions, bowing before the precious lotus platform.

The Bodhisattva asked, "What brings you here?"

Wukong said, "My master came across your Zen temple on the road. You accepted the offerings from the mortals and allowed a group of demons to live there in a gang. They stole my master's cassock and staff. I asked for them back but they wouldn't give them to me. So I've come here today to ask you for them."

The Bodhisattva said, "This monkey speaks so rudely! Since the demon stole your robe, why are you asking me for it back?"

"It's all because of you, you audacious monkey, showing off your treasure to a villain, and then you committed violence, summoning wind and fire, burning down my Liuyun Lower Courtyard, and now you're causing trouble for me!"

When Wukong heard the Bodhisattva say these words, he knew that the Bodhisattva knew about the past and future. He hurriedly bowed and said, "Bodhisattva, please forgive my sins. It is indeed so."

But I hate that the monster refuses to give me the cassock, and my master keeps chanting that incantation. I can't bear the headache, so I've come to trouble the Bodhisattva.

"I beseech the Bodhisattva's compassion to help me capture that demon so I can continue my westward journey."

The Bodhisattva did not immediately set off, but instead calculated with his fingers, saying, "That Black Wind Monster does possess some talent, and his supernatural abilities are no weaker than yours. However, there seems to be another person in his cave, but the secrets of heaven are obscure, and I cannot discern them clearly."

Wukong said, "Bodhisattva, there's no need to calculate. That fellow is the Black Wind Monster's nephew. I, Old Sun, heard it all outside the cave."

The Bodhisattva then calculated again, and after a long while said, "So that's how it is."

Wukong asked, "What does a Bodhisattva amount to?"

The Bodhisattva said, "I only know that the Black Wind Monster's nephew is named Xiong Shanjun, one of the three demons your master encountered at Shuangcha Ridge. However, he has already been killed by someone else. The Xiong Shanjun in the Black Wind Cave is a fake."