After making a magical gesture with his hands and reciting the appropriate spell, the Monkey King slightly shook his body and instantly transformed into a hungry hawk.
The Hungry Hawk’s Ploy
The hawk lightly flapped its wings and flew toward the pavilion. As it passed over the clothes rack, it opened its sharp claws and, with astonishing ease, seized the seven robes hanging there. Then, after slightly turning to the right, it darted like a breath of wind toward the mountains.
Once he reached the spot where Bajie and Sha Wujing were waiting, the Monkey King resumed his usual form.
The Monkey King said:
“These are the robes of the monsters.”
“How come they have so many?” asked Bajie.
“Because there are seven of them,” clarified the Monkey King.
“Don’t tell me!” Bajie exclaimed again. “How did you get them? How did you manage to take all their clothes?”
The Monkey King explained:
“I didn’t need to do anything myself. This place is called the Spiderweb Mountains, where that cave we initially mistook for a village is located. Seven young women live there, they are actually seven Spider Demons. They’ve captured the master and planned to eat him after their bath. All of them undressed and are now bathing in the Purification Stream. Their chests were as white as silver, and their bodies as flawless as snowflakes. Their limbs bore the blue tint that makes ice so attractive, while their shoulders seemed polished by expert and delicate hands. Their stomachs were as soft and flexible as one might expect from such beauties, contrasting with the smoothness of their well-formed backs. Their thighs and knees were perfectly rounded.”
The Monkey King advised:
“Since they dare not go about naked, they’re stuck in the water, and we can free the master without any problem. Come on, hurry up.”
Bajie’s Misadventure
Bajie scolded him:
“You always do the same thing. Why don’t you ever finish what you start? Don’t you think we should destroy those seven monsters you claim to have seen before freeing the master?”
“What do you propose, then?” inquired the Monkey King.
Bajie replied:
“As I see it, we should first eliminate those monsters and then free the master. I don’t want anything else but to uproot the grass at its roots.”
The Monkey King retorted:
“I don’t want to do that. If you want to do it, I have no objections.”
Overjoyed, Bajie grabbed the rake and ran toward the pool. Upon opening the door, he saw the seven girls immersed in the water.
Unable to contain himself, Bajie shouted:
“Bodhisattvas! Why didn’t you invite me to bathe with you?”
Furious, the girls exclaimed:
“What an impolite monk! You are a man who has renounced family life, while we are worldly women who haven’t gone mad enough to do so!”
Bajie replied:
“I’m sorry, but it’s too hot, and I want to cool down a bit. I don’t understand what’s wrong with bathing with you.”
Bajie set aside the rake and, removing his black silk robe, leaped into the water.
The girls rushed at him furiously, determined to beat him.
With a slight shake of his body, Bajie transformed into a fish. Desperately, the girls tried to catch him with their hands, but when they dove eastward, he was already westward, and the game began anew!
Fast and slippery, Bajie darted between their legs at full speed. Exhausted and panting, they collapsed onto the pool floor.
Bajie then decided to leave the water, resumed his original form, put back on his robe, and grabbed the rake.
Roaring triumphantly:
“Can you see? This is my master, and you want to eat him! Stretch your necks, and I’ll end your wicked existence in a blink of an eye!”
He raised the rake above his head and, without further hesitation, charged at the girls, determined to kill them.
Trapped in Silk
Realizing their end was near, they completely forgot their natural shyness and, covering their private parts with their hands, jumped out of the water. As soon as they reached the pavilion, they began to emit threads from their navels.
Before they could react, Bajie found himself trapped inside a huge silk cocoon. Lifting his head in alarm, he realized the sky and sun had vanished, and he tried to flee in haste. But he couldn’t even take a step—thick, sticky threads covered the ground, entwining his entire body. The only thing he could do was lie down and moan in despair.
Once they saw he no longer moved, the girls stopped paying attention to him. Leaping about, they left the area surrounding the pool and hurried toward the cave, protected by the spiderwebs.
They rushed into the cave, quickly put on robes stored in stone chests, and escaped through the back door.
Rescue and Aftermath
Fortunately, Wukong and Sha Wujing arrived in time to rescue Bajie.
The three pilgrims ran across the bridge toward the cave, where they found the master hanging from a beam and weeping uncontrollably.
“Where did the monsters go?” asked Sun Wukong after cutting the ropes and lowering Tang Monk.
“They went out through the back door,” replied the monk.
“It would be wise to take a look,” suggested Wukong.
Without lowering their weapons, they thoroughly searched the backyard of the cave, but found no trace of the girls.
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