Wukong and Bajie arrived together at the Moon Stream Cave(Moon Flow Cave).
They rescued both the Monk Sha and the Princess. Yet the Princess did not believe that the monkey could defeat the demon.
The Princess’s Skepticism
The princess scoffed:
“It seems to me you are being far too confident. Just look—your brothers are strong men, yet they failed to overcome my husband, the Yellow-Robed Demon. How then can you, who are so much weaker and thinner than they, hope to fight him? You look more like a ghost than a man, all bones like a common crab or a living skeleton. What kind of powers do you possess, that you dare call yourself a monster hunter?”
Wukong exclaimed, bursting into laughter:
“You clearly don’t know how to judge people properly. I assure you, I am far tougher than they are.”
The Monkey King added:
“I have never been seen alongside them. But my specialty has always been subduing monsters and demons.”
The Princess concluded:
“In that case, please don’t bring me any more trouble than I already have.”
“You can rest assured I won’t,” Wukong replied. “I advise you to hide, so I may move freely when the battle begins.”
The Princess found this suggestion wise and withdrew to a secluded place.
Wukong’s Deception – A Lover’s Ruse
As soon as she had hidden herself, the Monkey King gave his body a single shake and transformed himself into her exact likeness. Disguised thus, he entered the cave and began waiting for the monster.
During the night, the monster had devoured one of the palace maids, and the other seventeen, having barely escaped, quickly reported the incident to the King.
Without even bidding farewell to the King, the monster hurried back toward the mountain where his cave was located.
His sudden departure only confirmed what everyone already suspected. The entire court now knew he was no ordinary man, but a monster.
The monster soon reached the cave. Upon seeing his “wife,” Wukong squeezed his eyelids shut so tightly that tears burst forth like rushing torrents.
Unaware that it was not truly his wife, the monster approached affectionately, embraced him, and asked with concern:
“My dear, what’s wrong?”
The Monkey King replied:
“Dear husband and lord, why didn’t you return after greeting my family? Had you come back yesterday, you would have prevented Piggy Bajie from rescuing the Sand Monk. Worse still, he killed many of our subjects.”
The monster seemed angered.
“How dare he!”
“The pig also did something else,” said the false princess.
“What did he do?” asked the monster.
“He also freed the Princess!” replied the false princess.
Clash of Titans
Wukong then wiped his face with his hand, instantly resuming his usual form, and shouted:
“Monster! Look at me well! Do you know who I am?”
“Good heavens! I think I already know who you are,” replied the monster.
“I’ll give you one more chance before I beat you senseless. Take a good look,” said the Monkey King.
The monster raised his saber and delivered a mighty blow to his opponent’s head. The Monkey King timely lifted his iron bar to block it. More than fifty times they clashed their weapons, neither gaining the upper hand.
The Monkey King thought to himself, pleased:
“This monster’s saber is a worthy match for my iron rod. Let’s see if he himself is just as formidable. I’ll set a trap for him and see if he can detect it.”
When he saw the monster fall into the trap, the Monkey King managed to land a blow upon his head.
But when he turned to look again, Wukong could find no trace of him anywhere.
He exclaimed, somewhat disbelieving:
“That’s strange—he should have fallen. How is it possible that there’s no blood, no pus, nothing at all?”
To confirm this, he leapt onto a nearby cloud and looked carefully in all directions, but saw no sign of movement.
Heavenly Investigation
The Monkey King muttered to himself again:
“How strange! My eyes can spot every crawling creature within ten thousand miles. How could this monster vanish so easily? He claimed to know me somehow—that surely means he is no ordinary monster of this world, but a celestial spirit.”
Wukong somersaulted through the air until he arrived directly at the South Gate of Heaven.
There, he reported what had just occurred to the officials of the Celestial Court. Soon, the heavenly mentors learned that the Star of the Forest Wolf (Wolf of the Woodland Star) had been absent in the Lower Regions for thirteen days. They immediately informed the Jade Emperor, Ruler of Heaven.
“How long has he been absent from Heaven?” the Jade Emperor asked.
The mentors replied:
“A total of thirteen days, Your Majesty.”
“Thirteen days in Heaven equal thirteen years on Earth,” concluded the Jade Emperor, who immediately ordered the department responsible for that very star to recall him to Heaven at once.
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