Seeing that Bajie was speaking with Monk Sha, Wukong lost his temper and exclaimed in a bad mood:
“What kind of man are you? Do you have not even a shred of decency? Were you so terrified that you decided to abandon me to my fate, choosing instead to flee like a coward? Luckily I know how to take care of myself—otherwise, I’d be more charred than a burnt log by now!”
Bajie smiled and replied:
“That monster had a point when he said you don’t understand the rules of proper conduct at all. What was I supposed to do when he spewed out all that fire? Should I have just stood there calmly while my legs got roasted?”
A Watery Revelation
The two continued discussing the battle with such enthusiasm that Sha Monk couldn’t help but burst into laughter. Surprised, they turned toward him. The Monkey King asked:
“Why are you laughing so much? Do you perhaps have a good idea for capturing that demon and breaking through his fiery formation?”
The Sand Monk confessed:
“We need water.”
“You’re absolutely right!” exclaimed the Pilgrim, his face lighting up.
“You two stay here and try at all costs to avoid direct confrontation with that beast. As for me, I’ll go to the Eastern Ocean and borrow some water from the Dragon King.”
Dragons Summoned, Strategy Set
The Monkey King didn’t take long to bring the Dragon Kings to Dry Pine Creek. There he stopped, turned to the four dragons, and said:
“I’m sorry to have brought you to such a place far from your usual residence. This is the dwelling of the monster I told you about. It would be best if you stayed up here in the air for now and kept yourselves hidden. I intend to challenge him again. When that monster starts his fire, you will release rain at my command.”
Once again, the Monkey King crossed the stream in a single leap, positioned himself defiantly before the cave entrance, and shouted:
“Open up immediately!”
The little demons ran to inform their lord:
“Sun Wukong is back again, Your Majesty.”
The monster rushed out of the cave and insolently asked the Monkey King:
“What do you want this time?”
“To demand you release my master,” Wukong replied.
The monster exclaimed:
“How stubborn you are! What’s wrong with your master being my snack? You’d better forget about him as soon as possible.”
Unable to contain his fury, the Monkey King grabbed his staff and swung it down hard on the monster’s head. The beast blocked the blow with his flaming spear.
Realizing after more than twenty exchanges that he could not quickly gain the upper hand, the monster struck his nose with his fists. Immediately, an extraordinary flame erupted from his eyes, merging with the flames that suddenly sprang forth from each of the chariots.
Clash of Fire and Rain – Raindrops Fueling Inferno
Understanding that the moment had come, Wukong raised his eyes to the sky and shouted:
“Now, Dragon Kings!”
The four dragons gave the order, and torrents of rain poured down. The drops were larger than a warrior’s clenched fist, and soon grew as big as rice-cooking pots.
However, the rain proved powerless against the monster’s fire. It turned out this was no ordinary earthly fire—it was Samadhi Fire. In fact, the rain only fueled the flames further, causing them to grow even fiercer.
Smoke, Retreat, and Near-Death
The monster blew a mouthful of smoke directly into the Monkey King’s face. His eyes burned painfully, tears streaming uncontrollably.
Although immune to fire, Wukong had no defense against the smoke.
With no other choice, the Monkey King mounted a cloud and fled as fast as he could.
His entire body covered in flames and smoke, he rushed to cool himself in the stream flowing through the mountain. But what he least expected was that the temperature contrast between the water and the fire would be so extreme that he immediately lost consciousness. The reaction was so intense that his breath froze in his chest and throat, and his tongue lost its normal warmth. Wukong was dying.
Brothers in Rescue
Bajie and Sha Monk quickly abandoned their hiding spot and frantically searched the entire riverbank for the Monkey King. They saw a body floating downstream. Monk Sha pulled it ashore. As they had feared, it was Sun Wukong’s body. His arms were bent, and he was already so cold they could not straighten them.
Seeing this, Sha Wujing became deeply distressed, his eyes filling with tears.
Bajie advised:
“Feel his body—you’ll see that his breath is still warm.”
Desperately, The Sand Monk exclaimed:
“His body is colder than ice. The warmth of life has left him forever. We’ll never manage to revive him!”
“Don’t say that,” scolded the pig.
“He had mastered the art of seventy-two transformations because, in truth, he possessed seventy-two lives. He couldn’t have lost them all at once! Straighten his legs, and I’ll take care of the rest.”
Then Bajie lifted his head and upper body, rubbed his hands together until they warmed up, and began giving him a series of vigorous massages.
Luckily, the effort worked—the Monkey King’s body began to respond. Wukong regained his breath and slowly opened his eyes.
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