After defeating the demon, Sun Wukong flew toward the eastern slope of the mountain. Before he even arrived, he clearly heard the lamentations of Tang Sanzang and saw Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing dividing their belongings.
Wukong’s Mockery
Sighing, the Monkey King muttered to himself:
“I don’t need to think hard to figure out what’s happened. Bajie must have told the master that I was swallowed by a demon, and now the master is crying for my death. Bajie is splitting the luggage because he’s decided to turn back and abandon our journey. Damn it!”
Immediately, he stepped down from his cloud and shouted aloud:
“Master!”
Upon hearing this voice, Sha Wujing angrily turned to Bajie and exclaimed:
“Cursed liar! Your brother is still alive, yet you claimed he was dead just to get half of our belongings. Can’t you hear him speaking?”
Bajie defended himself in surprise:
“But I clearly saw the monster swallow him! It must be his spirit that has returned!”
“You idiot!” shouted Sun Wukong as he approached Bajie and gave him a slap that sent him tumbling onto his back.
“Can spirits hurt people like this?”
“But that demon ate you! How can you still be alive?” Bajie repeated, completely confused.
The Monkey King replied:
“I’m not as useless as you are. I’ve subdued that monster. In fact, they’ve gone to prepare a sedan chair to carry the master across the mountain range.”
At these words, Tripitaka jumped with joy. Bowing gratefully before Wukong, he said:
“How much trouble I’ve caused you! If I had listened to Wuneng (Bajie), our journey would have ended in disaster.”
Demon’s Deceit
Followed by their entire army of demons, the three monsters returned to the cave.
The second demon (Elephant King) addressed the eldest one (Lion King):
“Brother, at first I thought Sun Wukong was some terrifying creature with nine heads and eight tails, but now I know he’s nothing more than a short monkey. I’m sure that if you and I had fought him together, we could have defeated him without difficulty. We have thousands of demons under our command—just imagine if all of them had spat at once; we could have drowned him. Instead, you went ahead and swallowed him, allowing him to torment you inside your stomach with his magical arts.”
The second demon (Elephant King) continued:
“Just now I lied when I promised to carry Tang Monk across the mountains. Naturally, such a promise was only a trick to make Sun Wukong come out of your body and save your life. As for me, I certainly have no intention of escorting any monk.”
The eldest demon (Lion King) asked, “Then why did you agree to let him go?”
The second demon (Elephant King) replied:
“Grant me 3,000 imps. I’ll capture him myself!”
The eldest demon responded:
“You may take not just three thousand, but the entire army. Capture him, and there will be rewards for everyone.”
Without delay, the second demon (Elephant King) gathered three thousand lesser demons and stationed them along the main road. He then sent ahead a messenger carrying a blue banner, who shouted loudly:
“Come out immediately and fight our Second King, Sun Wukong!”
Bajie’s Blunder
Upon hearing this, Bajie burst into laughter and mocked the Monkey King:
“As the old saying goes: no liar can deceive his neighbors forever. Would you care to explain what nonsense was that about having defeated the demons and them preparing to carry the master across the mountain? Don’t you hear them challenging you now?”
Wukong replied:
“I assure you the eldest of those monsters has tasted defeat. This must be the second demon (Elephant King), who refuses to accept our authority. That explains the arrival of this messenger. You should keep one thing in mind: those three demons are brothers who treat each other with great respect. We are also three brothers. I have already defeated the eldest. Now that the second has arrived, the least you could do is face him. Is that too much to ask?”
Bajie boasted:
“Let it be known I fear him not. I am ready to fight whenever needed.”
“Then what are you waiting for?” Wukong retorted mockingly.
Bajie smiled and said:
“All right. I’ll go. But would you mind lending me one of your famous ropes?”
Wukong replied:
“What for? You don’t have the power to enter his stomach and reach his heart safely. What use would a rope be if you can’t tie it to anything?”
Bajie explained:
“I want to tie it around my waist for safety. While I fight, you and Wujing can hold one end each. If you see me winning, let it loose so I can catch the beast. But if you realize I’m losing, pull with all your strength—it will prevent him from grabbing me.”
Amused, the Monkey King thought to himself:
“I think this fool is going to give us quite a show.”
And so he tied a rope around Bajie’s waist as requested.
Brave again, Bajie grabbed his rake and charged up the mountain, shouting:
“Come out here and fight your dear Grandpa Zhu!”
Quickly, the demon’s messenger with the blue banner reported to his master:
“A monk with a long snout and huge ears has arrived!”
The second demon swiftly led his troops forward. Without uttering a word upon seeing Bajie, he gripped his spear tightly and struck a mighty blow toward his opponent’s face.
Bajie didn’t retreat even an inch. Raising his rake above his head, he threw himself fully into the battle.
Comedic Defeat
They had barely fought seven or eight exchanges when Bajie began to feel his strength waning. Realizing he couldn’t last much longer, he turned toward Wukong and cried:
“Things are going badly! Pull the rope now!”
Upon hearing this, instead of pulling the rope, the Monkey King loosened it even further. By now, Bajie had begun to flee, and rather than helping him, the rope kept getting tangled between his legs. At first, it made him trip repeatedly, but soon enough, he fell flat on his face.
Instantly, the demon stretched out his trunk and easily captured the unfortunate Bajie. Carrying him triumphantly, the monster returned to the cave, followed by all the lesser demons singing songs of victory.
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