He plucked two more hairs from his body, which instantly transformed into the two female imps who had previously carried the palanquin.
He himself disguised as the old woman and took his seat inside the sedan chair. Thus, they continued their journey as if nothing had happened.
Before long, they arrived at the Lotus Flower Cave.
Wukong’s disguise was exposed
As soon as the two monsters heard that the Old Lady had arrived, they ordered incense to be prepared.
Wukong entered the main hall and took a seat facing south. The two monsters knelt before him and, bowing repeatedly with their foreheads touching the ground, said respectfully:
“Welcome, Mother.”
The Monkey King urged them:
“Rise, my sons.”
Seated in the center of the hall, Wukong spoke with a honeyed voice:
“My dear children, why have you invited me here today?”
One of the monsters replied:
“For many days we have had no chance to fulfill our filial duties. But this morning, fortune smiled upon us—we finally captured the Tang Monk from the Eastern Lands. We wished to share him with you. Once cooked, his flesh will prolong your life.”
Unfortunately, just at that moment, some imps who had been patrolling the mountain returned and reported what had happened, saying:
“Sun Wukong has killed the Elder Lady and taken her form to come here and mock us all!”
The secret spell and counter-spell
Upon hearing this, the first monster drew his Seven-Star Sword and struck out at Wukong’s face.
They fought for over thirty rounds, neither gaining the upper hand. The Monkey King mused to himself:
“I already possess three of their most treasured weapons. Why delay any longer? I shall take out the Golden Rope and, at an unguarded moment, slip it around his neck.”
So he did. But the monster knew two secret spells—one to free oneself from the rope’s power, and another to enhance its binding strength. He used whichever best suited the situation. Though he would have recited the latter if he were the attacker, now he employed the former to snatch the Golden Rope from Sun Wukong’s hands and turn it against him.
The Monkey King could not break free.
With but a slight tug, the monster caused the Monkey King to lose balance and tumble through the clouds. Seizing the moment, the beast brought down seven or eight heavy blows upon his unprotected head with the sword—yet not even a scratch was made.
Amazed, the monster exclaimed:
“This monkey has the hardest head I’ve ever seen! It’s useless to keep striking it. I’ll take him into the cave and torture him there to my heart’s content. But first, he must return the two treasures he stole from me.”
“Tell me,” asked the Monkey King, “when have I ever stolen anything from you?”
But these lies availed him little, for the monster searched him carefully and quickly found the golden gourd and the jade vase.
The monster tied Sun Wukong to a pillar, and then the two demons retired into the depths of the cave to celebrate their good fortune.
Wukong’s Cunning Trickery
At a moment when the guards were distracted, the Monkey King whispered:
“Transform!”
Instantly, he shrank in size and slipped free of the Golden Rope.
No sooner had he escaped its grasp than he plucked another hair and blew a puff of magic breath upon it, commanding it to take on his own likeness. Then, with a slight shake of his body, he transformed into an imp and stood beside the false prisoner.
Soon, Wukong devised a clever plan to steal back the treasure.
Approaching the seated monsters, he half-knelt and said:
“Forgive the interruption, but have you noticed how Sun Wukong keeps wriggling around the pillar to which he is bound? If he continues like this, he may yet break free from the Golden Rope. Don’t you think we should bind him with something stronger?”
“You’re right,” agreed the first monster, removing his belt, which bore a lion-head clasp.
The Monkey King went to the pillar and fastened the false image with it, skillfully slipping the Golden Rope into one of his sleeves. Then he plucked another hair, breathed magical air upon it, and commanded it to transform into another Golden Rope, a fake one.
Returning with the counterfeit rope, Wukong—now disguised-presented it to the elder monster. So preoccupied was the beast with drinking wine that he stowed it away without even inspecting it.
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