The two imps began to quarrel over who would hold the gourd and examine it at leisure.
But just as they least expected it, they lifted their heads—only to find that the old Taoist had vanished into thin air.
Then Sly Devil said:
“Let me take the gourd for a bit—I wish to practice how to draw Heaven inside it.”
As soon as he held it in his hands, he flung it skyward. But it fell back down immediately, producing not the slightest effect.
Cunning Worm(the Wily Worm) exclaimed, bewildered:
“Why does it no longer work? Could it be that Sun Wukong disguised himself as an immortal and tricked us into exchanging our real gourd for a false one?”
Sly Devil scolded him:
“Nonsense! Sun Wukong is still imprisoned beneath three towering mountains. How could he possibly have escaped without help? Let me try again.”
Once more he cast the gourd into the air—but again, it dropped back down.
Desperately, both imps cried out:
“It doesn’t work! It doesn’t work! We’ve been deceived!”
Realizing they had been tricked, the two small demons ran back in haste to report to two head demons.
Wukong’s Disguise and Lurk
The Monkey King gave his body a slight shake and transformed into a fly, thus following them unseen.
The insect trailed the two imps all the way back to the cave.
Upon arrival, the imps threw themselves face-down on the ground, too frightened to speak.
“Did you capture Sun Wukong?” asked the second monster.
The imps seemed unable to do anything but nod frantically.
The monster repeated his question, and finally managed to extract from them:
“We humbly beg your forgiveness—we were deceived by a false Taoist and lost both of our treasures!”
At this, the first monster flew into a rage and shouted:
“Curse it all! That was none other than Sun Wukong, disguising himself as an immortal to trick you!”
Demon King’s New Scheme
The second monster commented:
“I never imagined that monkey could be so audacious. I must capture him again.”
The first monster asked:
“And pray tell, how do you intend to catch him this time?”
Replied the second:
“That is simple enough. Although Sun Wukong has taken two of our treasures, we still possess three more. Two remain here with us—the Seven-Star Sword and the Palm-Leaf Fan. The third, the Golden Rope, is kept in the Crushed Dragon Cave(Crush-Dragon Cave), where our elderly mother resides. I suggest we send two imps to invite her to come and taste some of the Tang Monk’s flesh. At the same time, we can ask her to bring along the Golden Rope, which we will use to bind Sun Wukong.”
The first monster asked once more:
“Whom do you think we should send this time?”
The second replied:
“Why not summon Hill-Pawing Tiger and Sea-Lolling Dragon, who accompany me on all my expeditions?”
Soon enough, the two imps appeared, prostrating themselves before the monsters. The second monster quickly warned them:
“You must be extremely careful.”
“We always are, Master,” they replied respectfully.
“Do you know where the Old Madam’s mansion lies?” the monster asked.
“Yes, Master,” they answered.
“In that case,” concluded the monster, “go to her at once. Tell her she is invited to partake in some of the Tang Monk’s flesh, and also request that she bring the Golden Rope, so that we may finally capture Sun Wukong.”
Wukong’s Ambush
The imps dashed out of the cave. No sooner had they left than the Great Sage took flight and perched silently on the shoulder of one of them.
They walked about fifteen or sixteen miles when the Monkey King raised his head and noticed, not far away, a forest unusually dark and gloomy. He instantly understood that somewhere nearby lay the dwelling of an ancient demoness. Believing the moment ripe for action, he struck them both a mighty blow with his iron staff. In an instant, the two unfortunate imps were reduced to shapeless heaps of meat.
Wukong plucked another hair from his body, blew a puff of magic breath upon it, and cried:
“Transform!”
Instantly, it became an exact copy of Hill-Pawing Tiger. Meanwhile, he himself transformed into Sea-Lolling Dragon. Thus disguised, the two false demons made their way toward the Crushed Dragon Mountain.
Deception at the Crushed Dragon Cave
“Where do you come from?” asked the old demoness.
Wukong replied:
“From the Lotus Flower Cave atop the Lofty Mountain. Our two masters have sent us to invite you to come and taste some of the Tang Monk’s flesh. At the same time, they beg you to bring with you the Golden Rope, so that we may finally capture Sun Wukong.”
“How thoughtful of my sons!” exclaimed the demoness, pleased. She immediately ordered her palanquin to be brought forth.
The old woman commanded:
“Return inside the cave and shut the doors tightly.”
The female imps obeyed without hesitation. Only two remained to carry her litter.
She then ordered Wukong:
“You go ahead of me. I need someone to clear the path.”
When they had reached about halfway down the mountain, the Monkey King drew his iron staff and struck the two little demons dead.
The old woman stuck her head out to see what had happened, and at once the Monkey King brought his iron rod crashing down upon her with full force. Blood spurted out violently.
Wukong pulled her lifeless body from the palanquin and saw that she was, in truth, a nine-tailed fox.
After carefully searching her garments, he soon discovered the Golden Rope hidden among her clothes and swiftly tucked it into his sleeve.
He mused, satisfied:
“These demons may be powerful indeed—but now I have already obtained three of their most precious treasures.”
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