Sun Wukong scooped a bit of dust and threw it into the air while reciting an invisibility spell to make himself invisible.
Then he turned toward the southwest, filled his lungs with air, and blew with all his might. In the blink of an eye, a hurricane-force wind erupted forcing the crowd to shield their eyes with their arms.
The Royal Proclamation
Seizing the chaos, the Monkey King invisibly tore down the royal proclamation and pasted it onto Zhu Bajie’s chest.
Then he turned around and quickly returned to the Pavilion of Foreign Envoys, unnoticed.
Everyone was very surprised that the storm had passed so quickly, but they were even more astonished when they realized the imperial document had disappeared.
The eunuchs and royal guards nervously searched everywhere for it. Cold sweat drenched their bodies until, finally, they noticed the royal proclamation stuck to Bajie’s chest.
They rushed over to him and asked:
“Did you tear down the proclamation? Well then, you must be the one to cure His Majesty.”
Bajie looked down and saw that, indeed, there was a piece of paper stuck to him. He unfolded it completely and, upon reading its contents, gritted his teeth in anger and exclaimed furiously:
“This can only be the work of that cursed monkey!”
One of the guards said:
“Since you have taken down our lord’s notice, you must surely be a famous physician who believes your skills are enough to restore our king’s health. Come, accompany us to the Royal Palace!”
Bajie shouted in protest:
“You don’t know what really happened! It wasn’t me who took the notice—it was Sun Wukong, my elder brother.”
“Where has your elder brother gone?” asked a eunuch.
Bajie replied:
“I suppose after playing this trick on me, my brother returned to the Pavilion of Foreign Envoys where we came from.”
A Reluctant Healer
Together, amidst a clamor of voices and shouts, they made their way to the pavilion.
The crowd remained outside, causing a commotion at the entrance, while the eunuchs and royal guards entered the building.
Bajie threw himself angrily at Wukong, grabbing him by the clothes and shouting:
“How shameless you are! You raised a hurricane just to tear down the royal proclamation and stick it on my chest. Do you think that was right? That’s no way to treat a brother! Don’t play dumb—those guards are already here.”
He hadn’t even finished speaking when the soldiers and eunuchs arrived, bowing respectfully before saying:
“Honorable Sun, you cannot imagine how fortunate our lord is to have you here. Clearly, Heaven itself has sent you. Please be kind enough to accompany us to the palace so you may apply your profound medical knowledge to our sovereign and restore his health. Know that if you succeed, you will receive half of this entire kingdom.”
The Monkey King adopted a more serious demeanor and, taking the royal notice in his hands, asked:
“Are you the ones responsible for guarding this proclamation?”
The eunuchs replied, throwing themselves face-down onto the ground and knocking their foreheads against the floor:
“Yes indeed. Your humble servants belong to the Department of Protocol, while these accompanying us are members of the emperor’s personal guard.”
The Monkey King admitted:
“I confess it was I who tore down this notice calling forth the best physicians in the world. I did so precisely so that my brother would lead you here. I do not deny that your lord is ill, but as the old proverb goes: ‘No one values cheap medicine or doctors who come uninvited.’ Return to the palace and, if he truly wants me to heal him, let him come here personally. If he does that, I guarantee that with just one touch, he will be completely healed.”
Upon hearing this, all the eunuchs were left speechless.
One of the palace guards said:
“Such confidence belongs only to a true master. Half of us will go inform the king of what has happened, while the rest of us remain here to serve you.”
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