Pilgrim Sun urged Tripitaka to mount the horse, and the journey resumed. The monkey strode ahead, carrying the luggage on his back. He was naked and limping slightly.
Shortly after leaving the Mountain of Two Frontiers behind, they suddenly encountered a ferocious tiger. Its eyes blazed like fire, and its roars shook the air. Terrified, Tang Monk tugged the reins, trembling uncontrollably.
The Monkey King, however, stepped aside cheerfully, as if stumbling upon treasure:
“Fear not, Master. This tiger has come to gift me clothing.”
He set down the luggage, plucked a tiny needle from his ear, and shook it in the wind. Instantly, it transformed into an iron rod as thick as a rice bowl. Smiling, he declared:
“For over five hundred years, I’ve not wielded this treasure. Today, it shall clothe me.”
A Display of Unmatched Power
The Monkey King roared at the tiger:
“Wretched beast! Where do you think you’re fleeing?”
The tiger crouched, paralyzed with fear. Sun Wukong raised the iron rod and smashed it onto the beast’s skull. The head shattered, the brain splattering like ten thousand crimson peach petals, while teeth flew like shards of white jade.
Chen Xuanzang, so frightened he tumbled off his horse, bit his nails and cried:
“Heavens! This is beyond belief! When Boqin, the Mountain Guardian, fought a tiger days ago, it took him half a day. Yet Sun Wukong has crushed this one with a single strike! Now I understand the proverb: However strong you are, there’s always someone stronger.”
Crafting a Garment
Dragging the tiger’s carcass, Wukong suggested:
“Master, rest awhile. Let me strip its hide for clothing, then we’ll continue.”
Tripitaka asked, bewildered:
“What clothing could a tiger offer?”
The monkey reassured him:
“Worry not. I have my ways.”
Plucking a hair, he blew on it and commanded:
“Transform!”
It became a sharp, curved knife. With deft skill, he skinned the tiger in one piece, split the hide evenly, and tied half around his waist with reeds from the roadside.
Shaking the iron rod, it shrank back into a needle, which he tucked into his ear. After hoisting the luggage, he helped Sanzang remount the horse, and the pair pressed onward—the Monkey King now clad in tiger hide, his legend growing with every step toward the Western Heaven.
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