As soon as the Monkey King had been subdued, the demon rode a whirlwind and quickly caught up with the Tang Monk.
Monk Sha’s Last Stand
He stretched out his arms to knock him from his horse, but was stopped by Monk Sha. The demon swiftly drew his sword. What followed was a fierce and terrible battle. The demon unleashed all his might in an attempt to capture Tripitaka, while the disciple fought desperately to protect his master.
The demon was extraordinarily fierce. His sword strokes rained down like meteors—so swift and precise that the Sand Monk gradually lost strength and, at last, could no longer continue fighting.
Realizing all was lost, the Sand Monk tried to flee, but was instantly seized by a giant hand and tucked under the demon’s left armpit. With all obstacles removed, the demon gripped the Tang Monk in his right hand, snatched up the luggage with his toes, and bit down on the reins of the horse.
Riding atop a roaring whirlwind, he carried them all back to the Lotus Flower Cave. Upon arrival, he raised his voice and announced proudly:
“I have captured all the monks!”
“I never imagined you would be so skillful!” said the first demon with a smile to the second. “In just two sorties, you’ve captured no fewer than three monks. Still, though the monkey lies buried beneath those mountains, I think it best we bring him here as well.”
The Demons’ Scheme
The second demon replied:
“That is easy enough—we need not do it ourselves. Let us send two imps with our treasures to fetch him.”
“Which treasures?” asked the first demon.
“My golden gourd and your jade vase,” replied the second.
The elder demon retrieved his jade vase and asked again:
“Whom should we send?”
“Send Sly Devil and Crafty Worm(Wily Worm),” said the second monster.
Both were summoned before them and given the following order:
“Take these treasures and climb to the mountain’s peak. Once at the summit, turn the vessels upside down and call out Wukong’s name. If he answers, he will be immediately sucked inside. All you must do then is cover the mouth of the vessel with this strip of paper.”
Divine Intervention
Meanwhile, the Monkey King lay crushed beneath the three great mountains, barely able to breathe.
This event soon alarmed the mountain gods, the local spirit, and the Guardians of the Five Cardinal Directions.
“Whose mountains are these?” asked one of the Guardians.
“They belong to us,” replied the local spirit.
“Do you know the name of the one imprisoned within them?” he pressed.
“No, we do not,” answered the spirit once more.
Exclaimed the Guardian:
“So you do not even know! That is none other than the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Sun Wukong, who five hundred years ago cast the heavens into indescribable chaos. After serving his punishment, he embraced the true path and became a disciple of the Tang Monk. How dare you lend your mountains to a demon to imprison him again?”
The mountain god and the local spirit cried out in alarm:
“We did not know it was he! We merely heard the monster reciting the mountain-moving incantation and obeyed without question. How could we possibly suspect it was the Great Sage Sun?”
At once, the gods began chanting spells, and the mountains instantly returned to their original places.
Wukong’s Deception – Trade treasures
Wukong regained his freedom. Immediately, he dismissed the gods, for he knew the demons would soon return to capture him again.
Shaking his body slightly, the Monkey King transformed himself into an old seeker of the Truth(Taoist elder). He quickly hid around a bend in the road and impatiently waited for the demons’ arrival, which was not long in coming.
The Monkey King called out:
“Where do you come from?”
“From the Lotus Flower Cave,” replied one of the imps.
“Well and good, but where are you going?” he pressed.
“Our masters have sent us to capture Sun Wukong,” answered the same imp.
“The monk who accompanies the Tang Monk in search of scriptures?” inquired the Monkey King.
The imp confirmed:
“That very one. Do you also know him?”
The Monkey King exclaimed:
“Know him? He is a disrespectful monkey indeed. I myself am rather upset with him. I shall bring him to you as a favor.”
The imp replied:
“There is no need for you to trouble yourself. Our lords possess extraordinary magical powers and have already subdued that beast, burying him beneath three massive mountains. Now we go only to retrieve him using these most valuable treasures.”
Wukong asked:
“What treasures are these?”
The little demon explained:
“My red gourd and my companion’s jade vase.”
The Monkey King asked again:
“So you intend to trap him inside them? Pray tell, how will you do it?”
The imp responded:
“We simply turn the vessels upside down and call the beast by name. As soon as he answers, he will be drawn inside, and we need only seal the mouth with a strip of paper. Within less than an hour and three quarters, he will dissolve into a substance much like pus.”
Wukong said:
“You have yet to see my treasure.”
The demon asked:
“What treasure do you have?”
The Monkey King plucked a hair from his tail and shouted:
“Transform!”
Instantly, it became a huge golden gourd.
He asked:
“Would you like to take a look at my gourd?”
Crafty Worm examined it carefully and remarked:
“Your gourd is exceptionally large and beautifully shaped. Yet I doubt it holds any real usefulness.”
“What do you mean by that?” exclaimed the Monkey King.
The imp replied:
“Even though our treasures are much smaller, they can contain over a thousand people.”
Wukong commented:
“Well, that is nothing extraordinary. My gourd, for instance, can swallow the entire Heaven itself.”
“Truly?” asked the imp.
“So it is,” confirmed the Monkey King.
The imp said:
“I think you are lying. Heaven cannot fit inside such a small space. If you want us to believe you, you must show us how it is done.”
Sly Devil suggested:
“If his treasure can truly contain the whole Heaven, let us trade treasures with him. What say you?”
Said the Monkey King, pleased:
“A fair trade—two items for one! That is what I call a just bargain.”
A Celestial Swindle
Wukong bowed respectfully. Making a magical sign and reciting the appropriate spell, he summoned forth the Immortals and ordered:
“At once, inform the Jade Emperor that we have encountered a mighty mountain and powerful demons who are determined to block our journey. Their strength lies in these extraordinary treasures, which they wish to exchange for my worthless gourd. To deceive them, I require the help of His Majesty. Humbly beg him, in my name, to lend me the Heavens for half an hour, so that I may successfully carry out my plans.”
An Immortal hurried back to the Monkey King’s side and whispered in his ear:
“Prince Ne Zha has set forth in support of your plan, and the Jade Emperor has granted his permission.”
Wukong looked upward and saw an extremely luminous cloud approaching. He was certain it was a god. Confident of success, he turned to the imps and said:
“Very well, I shall now draw Heaven into my gourd.”
“Proceed,” urged one of them.
The imps stood still, eyes wide open, determined to discover how the old Taoist priest could possibly fit Heaven into such a tiny vessel. Wukong flung the gourd into the air.
Meanwhile, Prince Ne Zha arrived at the Southern Gate with his banner, fully unfurled it—and at once, the sun, moon, and all the stars vanished from sight.
The demons exclaimed, astonished:
“How is it already dusk when it was noon just moments ago?”
Wukong scolded them:
“How dare you speak of time? Time itself has ceased to exist. Do you not understand that Heaven is now inside my gourd?”
“But why is it so dark?” they cried in terror.
The Monkey King replied:
“Simple. Because the sun, moon, and stars are now inside my treasure. It is only natural that darkness has taken hold of the world, is it not? There is not a single light remaining.”
The two imps pleaded together:
“Stop your experiment at once! We know your gourd can contain all of Heaven. Why not release it now?”
Once the Monkey King was sure the imps had taken his trick for truth, he recited the spell once more. Prince Ne Zha rolled up the banner, and instantly, the sunlight returned to the sky.
The imps cried out:
“Marvelous! Truly marvelous! If we did not trade away that treasure for our trinkets, we would be utter fools.”
Sly Devil and Cunning Worm(Crafty Worm) then brought forth the golden gourd and jade vase and handed them to Wukong. In return, he placed the enormous gourd into their hands.
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