Chapter 76: Heart and Spirit Return to Nature, the Demon Leaves the Dwelling True Nature of the Wooden Mother and the Descended Monster

Sun Wukong, within the demon king's belly, struggled for a while. The demon king fell to the ground, silent and breathless. It seemed dead, but then it moved its hand slightly. The demon king regained its breath and cried out, "Oh, Great Benevolent and Compassionate Monkey King Bodhisattva!" Wukong heard this and said, "Son, don't waste effort, save a few words. Just call me Grandfather Sun." The demon, valuing its life, truly called out, "Grandfather, Grandfather! It was my fault! By mistake, I swallowed you, and now you're harming me. I implore the Great Sage's mercy, pity my desire to live like an ant, spare my life, and I will escort your master across this mountain."

Although the Great Sage was a hero and eager for Tang Sanzang to proceed, seeing the demon's plea and being amenable to flattery, he softened his heart and called out, "Monster, I'll spare you. How will you escort my master?" The old demon replied, "I have no treasures like gold, silver, pearls, jade, agate, coral, lapis lazuli, amber, or tortoiseshell to offer. My three brothers and I will carry your master across this mountain in a fragrant rattan palanquin." Wukong smiled, "Since you'll carry him in a palanquin, that's better than treasure. Open your mouth, and I'll come out."

The demon king truly opened its mouth. The third demon walked closer and whispered to the old demon, "Big brother, when he comes out, bite down and crush the monkey, swallow him, and then he won't torment you anymore." Wukong, hearing this from inside, did not come out immediately. Instead, he stretched out his Golden-Hooped Rod to test him. The monster indeed bit down, and with a crunching sound, its front teeth shattered. Wukong pulled back the rod and said, "Good monster! I was going to spare your life and come out, but you tried to bite me and kill me! I won't come out, I'll just torment you to death! I won't come out, I won't come out!"

The old demon complained to the third demon, "Brother, you've caused trouble for your own family. It would have been better to just let him out, but you told me to bite him. He didn't get bitten, but my gums are aching now! How did this happen?" Seeing the old demon blaming him, the third demon resorted to provocation, loudly shouting, "Sun Wukong, your name echoes like thunder, they say you wielded power outside the South Heaven Gate and showed your might before the Hall of Divine Mists. Now, on the journey to the West, you subdue demons and monsters, but you're just a petty monkey!" Wukong asked, "How am I petty?" The third monster said, "A true hero travels a thousand *li* and spreads his name for ten thousand. Come out and fight me, that's what a hero does, not hiding inside someone's belly! What else but petty can you be?"

Hearing this, Wukong secretly thought, "Yes, yes, yes! If I were to tear his intestines, crush his liver, and kill this monster now, what difficulty would that be? But it would truly ruin my reputation. Alright, alright! Open your mouth, and I'll come out to fight you. But your cave entrance is too narrow; it's not good for using my weapon. We need to go to a wider area." Upon hearing this, the third demon immediately summoned all the monsters, big and small. Over thirty thousand demons, all armed with sharp weapons, emerged from the cave and arranged themselves in a Three Talents formation, waiting for Wukong to come out so they could all attack. The second monster, supporting the old demon, went directly outside the entrance and shouted, "Sun Wukong! Hero, come out! There's a battlefield here, good for a fight!"

The Great Sage, inside the demon, heard the cawing of crows, the chattering of magpies, and the sound of crane cries outside, knowing it was a wide-open area. He thought, "If I don't go out, I'll break my word to them. If I do, this demon has the heart of a beast. First, he said he'd escort my master, tricking me into coming out to bite me, and now he's assembled an army here. Alright, alright, I'll find a solution that works for both of us: I'll go out, but I'll leave a root inside his belly." He immediately moved his hand, plucked a hair from his tail, blew an immortal breath on it, and cried, "Change!" It transformed into a rope, as thin as a hair, but forty *zhang* long. The rope extended outwards, and upon touching the wind, it grew thicker. He tied one end to the demon's heart and liver with a slipknot; the knot wouldn't tighten unless pulled, and pulling it tight would cause pain. Holding the other end, he chuckled, "Once I'm out, if he escorts my master, then fine; if not, and he starts a fight, I won't have time to battle him. I'll just pull this rope, and it'll be like I'm still inside his belly!" He then made his body very small and crawled outwards. When he reached below the throat, he saw the demon had its square mouth wide open, its steel teeth arranged like sharp blades. Suddenly, he thought, "No, this is bad! If I go out through his mouth and pull this rope, he'll be afraid of the pain and bite down, wouldn't he bite it off? I'll go out through a place where there are no teeth." The clever Great Sage, guiding the rope, crawled forward from the demon's upper palate until he reached its nostril. The old demon's nose tickled, and with an "achoo," it sneezed, expelling Wukong.

Wukong, feeling the wind, bent his back and grew to three *zhang* tall. With one hand, he held the rope, and with the other, his iron rod. The demon king, unaware of the situation, saw him emerge, raised its steel saber, and swung it at his face. The Great Sage met the attack with his iron rod, using one hand. Then he saw the second monster wielding a spear and the third monster wielding a halberd, attacking him wildly and indiscriminately. The Great Sage loosened the rope, put away his iron rod, and swiftly leaped into the clouds and left. He was afraid that the horde of lesser demons would surround him, making it difficult to act. So he leaped out of the encampment, went to a wide, open mountaintop, descended from the clouds, and with both hands pulled the rope with all his might. Only then did the old demon's heart ache. The demon, in pain, struggled upwards, but the Great Sage pulled downwards again. The lesser demons, seeing this from afar, shouted in unison, "Great King, don't provoke him! Let him go! This monkey isn't keeping with the season; the Qingming Festival hasn't even arrived, yet he's flying a kite!" Hearing this, the Great Sage exerted force and stamped his foot. The old demon, from mid-air, plummeted to the ground like a spinning wheel, creating a two-foot deep pit in the hard yellow soil at the foot of the slope.

Panicked, the second and third monsters simultaneously descended from the clouds, took hold of the rope, and knelt at the foot of the slope, pleading, "Great Sage, we thought you were a generous and magnanimous immortal, but who knew you were a narrow-minded and petty fellow! We truly tricked you into coming out to face our array, but we didn't expect you to tie a rope to our elder brother's heart!" Wukong chuckled, "You vile demons, you are utterly rude! Last time, you tricked me into coming out and then tried to bite me. This time, you tricked me out again, and then you set up a formation to fight me. Tens of thousands of demon soldiers fighting just me – that makes no sense! Pull him away! Pull him to see my master!" The monsters all kowtowed and said, "Great Sage, have mercy, spare our lives, and we will escort the master across the mountain!" Wukong chuckled, "If you want your lives, just take a knife and cut the rope." The old demon said, "Grandfather, if we cut the outside part, the inside part is tied to my heart, and my throat still feels so terribly sick. What should I do?" Wukong said, "Since that's the case, open your mouth and let me go in again to untie the rope." The old demon panicked and said, "If you go in again and then refuse to come out, that would be difficult, very difficult!" Wukong said, "I have the ability to untie the rope from the outside. If I untie it, will you truly escort my master?" The old demon said, "As soon as you untie it, we'll escort him, we definitely won't lie." The Great Sage confirmed it was true, then he shook his body, retrieved the hair, and the monster's heart no longer hurt. This was Sun Wukong's trick: he used the hair to tie the demon's heart, and when he retrieved the hair, the pain ceased. The three demons leaped up and thanked him, "Great Sage, please return and inform Tang Sanzang to prepare his luggage, and we will come with the palanquin to escort him." All the monsters laid down their weapons and returned to the cave.

The Great Sage put away the rope and returned directly to the east of the mountain. From afar, he saw Tang Sanzang rolling on the ground, crying bitterly, while Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing had untied the baggage and were dividing the luggage. Wukong secretly sighed, "No need to explain, this must be Bajie telling Master that I was eaten by the demon, and Master is crying bitterly because he misses me, while that idiot is dividing the possessions and disbanding. Hmm! I wonder if that's the case, let me call him and see." He descended from the clouds and called out, "Master!" Sha Wujing heard him and complained to Bajie, "You're a jinx, always bringing harm to others! Our elder brother isn't dead, but you said he was and are doing this business here! Won't he hear you calling from there?" Bajie said, "I clearly saw him swallowed by the demon in one gulp. It must be an inauspicious day, that monkey's spirit must be appearing!" Wukong approached, grabbed Bajie's face, and slapped him, making him stumble. "You oaf! What spirit am I appearing as?" The idiot, rubbing his face, said, "Elder brother, that monster really ate you, how, how are you alive again?" Wukong said, "You useless good-for-nothing! When he ate me, I clawed his intestines, squeezed his lungs, and then tied this rope to his heart, pulling it until he was in unbearable pain, making them all kowtow and beg for mercy before I spared his life. Now they're coming with a palanquin to escort my master across the mountain." Hearing this, Tang Sanzang scrambled up and bowed to Wukong, saying, "Disciple, you've exhausted yourself! If I had believed Wuneng's words, I would have been doomed!" Wukong angrily punched Bajie and cursed, "This lazy, good-for-nothing idiot, utterly useless! Master, don't be angry, that monster is coming to escort you now."

Meanwhile, the three demon kings led their horde back to the cave. The second monster said, "Big brother, I thought Sun Wukong would have nine heads and eight tails, but he's just a small monkey! You shouldn't have swallowed him; if you had just fought him, how could he have overcome us? Tens of thousands of demons in this cave could have killed him by spitting on him. But you swallowed him, and he used his magic to make you suffer. How can we compare to that? Our talk about escorting Tang Sanzang was all pretense; it was truly for your life's sake that we tricked him out. We absolutely won't escort him!" The old demon asked, "Brother, why do you say we shouldn't escort him?" The second monster said, "Give me three thousand lesser demons, set up a formation, and I have the ability to capture this monkey!" The old demon said, "Don't just say three thousand; you can take the entire old camp. As long as you capture him, everyone will have done well."

The second demon immediately gathered three thousand lesser demons and arrayed them by the main road. He instructed a blue flag-bearer to go back and forth proclaiming, "Sun Wukong! Come out quickly and fight my Second Great King!" Bajie heard this and chuckled, "Brother, as the saying goes, 'don't lie to your neighbors,' yet they're playing tricks and being devious! How can they say they've surrendered and will escort Master in a palanquin, but then challenge us to battle? What's going on?" Wukong said, "The old demon has already been subdued by me and dares not show its face; even hearing the name 'Sun' gives him a headache. This must be the second demon king, unwilling to escort us, which is why he's challenging us to battle. I say, brothers, these demons have three brothers, showing such loyalty; we brothers are also three, why don't we show some loyalty? I've already subdued the elder demon, so if the second demon comes out, it wouldn't be wrong for you to fight him." Bajie said, "What's there to be afraid of? Let me go and fight him!" Wukong said, "If you want to go, then go." Bajie chuckled, "Brother, if I'm going, lend me that rope to use." Wukong said, "What do you want it for? You don't have the ability to go into his belly, nor to tie it to his heart. What use would it be to you?" Bajie said, "I want to tie it around my waist as a life-saving rope. You and Sha Wujing hold the other end, let me go out and fight him. If I seem to be winning, you can loosen it, and I'll capture him; if I'm losing, pull me back, don't let him drag me away." Wukong truly chuckled to himself, "This will be a good trick to play on the idiot!" So he tied the rope around Bajie's waist and encouraged him to go out and fight.

The idiot raised his rake and ran up the cliff, shouting, "Monster, come out! Come fight your Ancestor Pig!" The blue flag-bearer quickly reported, "Great King, a monk with a long snout and big ears has arrived." The second monster immediately came out of the camp, saw Bajie, and without a word, thrust its spear at his face. The idiot raised his rake to meet it. The two engaged in battle at the foot of the slope. After no more than seven or eight rounds, the idiot's hands weakened, unable to fend off the demon. He quickly turned his head and shouted, "Elder brother, this is bad! Pull, pull the life-saving rope, pull the life-saving rope!" On this side, the Great Sage heard him and instead loosened the rope and threw it away. The idiot, having lost the battle, immediately ran backwards. Originally, he hadn't noticed the rope dragging when he moved, but when he turned back, because it was loose, it somewhat tripped him. He tripped and fell, got up and fell again. At first, he stumbled on his heels, but then he fell face-first. The demon caught up, extended its trunk-like nose, and like a flood dragon, wrapped Bajie in its trunk, triumphantly returning to the cave. All the demons sang a song of triumph and swarmed back into the cave.

Tang Sanzang, seeing this from the foot of the slope, again blamed Wukong, "Wukong, no wonder Wuneng cursed you to die! So you brothers have no affection for each other at all, only jealousy and envy in your hearts! He told you to pull the life-saving rope, why didn't you pull it, and even threw the rope away? Now he's been harmed, what are we to do?" Wukong chuckled, "Master, you're too protective of your favorites, and too biased! Alright, when this old Monkey was captured, you didn't worry at all, thinking I was just expendable material; but this idiot just got captured, and you blame me. Let him suffer a bit too, then he'll see how difficult the journey for scriptures is." Tang Sanzang said, "Disciple, when you go, how could I not worry? But I thought you could transform, so you certainly wouldn't be harmed. That idiot is clumsy and cannot fly; this trip for him is more bad than good. You should still go and save him."

Wukong said, "Master, don't complain. Let me go and save him." He swiftly leaped up the mountain, secretly thinking, "This idiot cursed me to die, so I won't let him off easy! I'll follow and see how that demon tortures him; let him suffer a bit more, then I'll go save him." He immediately formed a hand seal, recited an incantation, shook his body, and transformed into a gadfly. He flew and alighted on the root of Bajie's ear, entering the cave with the demon. The second demon, leading three thousand lesser monsters, blowing and beating drums loudly, arrived at the cave entrance and camped. He himself took Bajie inside and said, "Brother, I've captured one!" The old monster said, "Bring him here, let me see." It loosened its trunk and threw Bajie down, saying, "Isn't this him?" The old monster said, "This fellow is useless." Hearing this, Bajie said, "Great King, if he's useless, let him go, and go catch someone useful instead." The third monster said, "Even if he's useless, he's still Tang Sanzang's disciple, Zhu Bajie. Let's tie him up and soak him in the pond behind. After his hair comes off from soaking, we'll cut open his belly, salt him, dry him in the sun, and save him for a rainy day with wine." Bajie was greatly alarmed, "Oh no, oh no! I've encountered a monster that sells salted meat!" All the monsters simultaneously laid hands on him, tying the idiot's limbs together. They carried and lifted him to the edge of the pond, pushed him into the middle, and then all left.

The Great Sage flew up to observe. The idiot was floating half-submerged, with his limbs pointing upwards and his snout sticking out, making a huffing sound, truly comical. He looked like a large, black lotus pod that had shed its seeds after enduring frost in the eighth or ninth month. Seeing his face, the Great Sage both hated and pitied him. He said, "What should I do? He's also someone destined for the Dragon Flower Assembly, but I just hate that he's always talking about dividing the luggage and disbanding, and instigating Master to recite the Tight-Fillet Spell against me. The other day, I heard Sha Wujing say he had accumulated some private savings; I wonder if he really does. Let me try to scare him a bit." The clever Great Sage flew close to his ear, faking his voice, and called out, "Zhu Wuneng, Zhu Wuneng!" Bajie panicked, "How unlucky! My name Wuneng was given by the World-Honored Guanyin Bodhisattva. Since following Tang Sanzang, I've also been called Bajie. How does someone here know my name is Wuneng?" The idiot couldn't help but ask, "Who is calling my dharma name?" Wukong said, "It's me." The idiot said, "Who are you?" Wukong said, "I am a soul-reaper." The idiot panicked and said, "Officer, where are you from?" Wukong said, "I was sent by the Five Yamas to collect your soul." The idiot said, "Officer, please go back and report to the Five Yamas. They are on very good terms with my elder brother Sun Wukong. Tell them to give me one more day, and come collect me tomorrow." Wukong said, "Nonsense! If Yama decrees one's death at the third watch, who dares to keep them till the fourth! Come with me quickly, lest I have to put a rope on you and drag you!" The idiot said, "Officer, where is there no convenience? Look at my face, I still want to live. Death is certain, but just wait one day. These demons will capture my master and the others, then we can all settle accounts together." Wukong secretly chuckled, "Alright, I have thirty souls in this batch, all around here. If I detain them to accommodate you, it will cause a day's delay. Do you have any traveling expenses you can give me?" Bajie said, "Pitiful! How would a monk have any traveling expenses?" Wukong said, "If you have no traveling expenses, I'll claim them! Follow me!" The idiot panicked and said, "Officer, don't claim them! I know that rope of yours is called the Life-Chasing Rope; once it's on, I'll stop breathing. Yes, yes, yes! I do have some, but not much." Wukong said, "Where is it? Bring it out quickly!" Bajie said, "Oh, how pitiful! Since I became a monk until now, some devout households would offer alms to monks. Seeing my large appetite, they'd give me slightly more money. I saved it up here, bits and pieces, about five *qian* of silver. Because it was hard to store, I once went to a city and asked a silversmith to melt it into one piece. He was unprincipled and stole a few parts, so I only have a piece weighing four *qian* and six *fen*. Take it." Wukong secretly chuckled, "This idiot doesn't even wear pants, so where could he hide it? Hmph! Where is your silver?" Bajie said, "It's stuffed in my left ear canal. I'm tied up and can't get it, so you can take it yourself." Hearing this, Wukong immediately reached into his ear and pulled it out. It was indeed a piece of saddle-shaped silver, weighing a full four *qian* and five or six *fen*. Holding it in his hand, he couldn't help but burst into loud laughter. The idiot recognized Wukong's voice and cursed wildly in the water, "You damned stable boy! Even in such distress, you come to extort money!" Wukong chuckled again, "You good-for-nothing glutton! This old Monkey has suffered countless hardships protecting Master, yet you've managed to save private funds!" Bajie said, "Shameless! What private funds? This was all scraped from my teeth. I couldn't bear to spend it on food, so I saved it to buy a piece of cloth for clothes, and you scared it out of me. Give me some back!" Wukong said, "Not a single *fen* will I give you!" Bajie cursed, "Alright, take the money for my life, but at least save me and get me out of here!" Wukong said, "Don't be impatient, let me save you." He hid the silver, then returned to his original form, used his iron rod to pull the idiot closer, lifted him by the feet, pulled him out, and untied the ropes. Bajie leaped up, took off his clothes, wrung out the water, shook them, and draped the damp clothes over himself. He said, "Brother, let's leave through the back door." Wukong said, "Going through the back door, is that progress? We'll go through the front door." Bajie said, "My legs are numb from being tied, I can't run." Wukong said, "Quickly, follow me."

The clever Great Sage, wielding his iron rod, fought his way out, displaying all his skills. The idiot, enduring the numbness, had no choice but to follow him. He saw his rake leaning by the second gate, walked forward, pushed aside some lesser demons, grabbed it, and began wildly raking forward. Together with Wukong, they fought their way through three or four layers of gates, killing countless lesser demons. The old demon heard the commotion and said to the second demon, "He captured the right person, captured the right person! Look, Sun Wukong has rescued Zhu Bajie and wounded our lesser demons at the gate!" The second demon quickly leaped up, grabbed its spear, rushed out the door, and cursed, "You impudent monkey! How dare you treat us with such disrespect!" Hearing this, the Great Sage immediately stopped in response. The monster didn't allow for talk and thrust its spear. Wukong, being a master, was unhurried. He drew his iron rod and met the attack head-on. The two fought fiercely outside the cave entrance—

The old yellow-tusked elephant, transformed into human form, became sworn brothers with the Lion King. Because the elder demon mediated, they united their hearts to plan on eating Tang Sanzang. The Great Sage, Equal to Heaven, possessed vast supernatural powers, assisting the righteous and eliminating evil to destroy the spirits. Bajie, being incompetent, suffered a cruel hand, but Wukong rescued him and set forth from the cave. The demon king caught up and displayed its fierce might, spear and rod clashing, each displaying their abilities. One's spear came like a python piercing the forest, the other's rod rose like a dragon emerging from the sea. The dragon emerges from the sea gate amidst misty clouds, the python pierces the forest trees through rising fog. All this, it turns out, is for Tang Sanzang, their bitter struggle is truly merciless.

Bajie saw the Great Sage battling the demon, and he stood idly on the mountain ridge, leaning his rake upright, not joining the fight, just staring blankly. The demon saw that Wukong's rod was heavy, and his every move was flawless, without any openings. So it parried the rod with its spear, extended its trunk-like nose, and tried to wrap him. Wukong knew its trick. He held his Golden-Hooped Rod horizontally with both hands and raised it. The demon's trunk wrapped around his waist and hips, but didn't manage to ensnare his hands. You should have seen him, with both hands, playfully twirling his rod on the demon's trunk. Bajie saw this and beat his chest, saying, "Huh! That monster is unlucky! When it wrapped me, the clumsy one, it even wrapped my hands so I couldn't move, but when it wrapped that slippery one, it didn't wrap his hands. With those two hands holding the rod, if he just shoved it into its nose, it would hurt so much in its nostrils and make it tear up. How could it hold him?"

Wukong originally had no such idea; it was Bajie who suggested it to him. He then shook his rod, making it as small as a chicken's egg and then a *zhang* long. He truly shoved it into its nostril. The demon, terrified, with a "sha" sound, released its trunk. Wukong swiftly turned his hand, grabbed the trunk, and pulled forward with force. The demon, protecting its pain, followed with each step. Only then did Bajie dare to approach, and he began wildly raking the demon's hips with his rake. Wukong said, "No, no! The rake teeth are sharp; they might break the skin and cause bleeding. If Master sees it, he'll accuse us of harming life. Just use the handle to beat him." They walked one step, and he hit once. Wukong led it by the nose, just like two elephant trainers. They led it to the foot of the slope, where Tang Sanzang was gazing intently, waiting. Seeing the two approaching noisily, he immediately called out, "Wujing, look what Wukong is leading!" Sha Wujing saw and chuckled, "Master, our eldest brother is dragging the demon by its nose! It's truly amusing!" Tang Sanzang said, "Goodness, goodness! Such a big demon! Such a long nose! Go ask him: if he's willing to happily escort us across the mountain, spare him, don't harm his life." Sha Wujing quickly rushed forward to meet them, loudly calling out, "Master says: if that monster truly escorts Master across the mountain, you are to spare its life!" Hearing this, the monster immediately knelt down, mumbling in agreement. It turned out that Wukong had pulled its nose until it was swollen and numb, like a severe cold. It called out, "Master Tang, if you'll spare my life, I'll immediately come with the palanquin to escort you." Wukong said, "My master and I are people who overcome with kindness. According to your words, I'll spare your life for now. Quickly bring the palanquin. If you change your mind again, once caught, you will absolutely not be spared again!" The monster, free from his grip, kowtowed and left. Wukong and Bajie went to see Tang Sanzang and recounted the previous events. Bajie was utterly ashamed and stood at the foot of the slope drying his clothes, awaiting further developments.

The second demon returned to the cave trembling. Even before it arrived, lesser demons had already reported to the old and third demons that the second demon had been dragged away by Wukong, pulled by its nose. The old demon was terrified and, with the third demon, had just led their horde out when they saw the second demon returning alone. They all welcomed it back and asked the reason for its release. The second demon recounted Tang Sanzang's merciful and benevolent words to the crowd. They all looked at each other, not daring to speak. The second demon said, "Brother, should we escort Tang Sanzang?" The old demon said, "Brother, what are you saying? Sun Wukong is a monkey who broadly dispenses benevolence and righteousness. He was in my belly earlier; if he had wanted to take my life, he could have killed a thousand of me. Just now, he grabbed your nose; if he had dragged you away and not let you go, just pinching your nose tip till it broke would have been terrifying enough. Quickly, make arrangements to escort him!" The third demon chuckled, "Escort, escort, escort!" The old demon said, "Brother, your words sound like you're still resentful. If you don't want to escort him, then the two of us will go." The third demon chuckled again, "My two elder brothers, if that monk doesn't want us to escort him, and we can just get away with it, that would be his good fortune. But if he does want an escort, then he's unknowingly fallen right into my 'lure the tiger away from its mountain' scheme!" The old monster asked, "What do you mean by 'lure the tiger away from its mountain'?" The third monster said, "Now, let's assemble all the demons in the cave, select a thousand from ten thousand, a hundred from a thousand, sixteen from a hundred, and then thirty more." The old monster asked, "Why do we need sixteen and also thirty?" The third monster said, "We need thirty skilled cooks. Give them fine rice, refined flour, bamboo shoots, tea leaves, fragrant mushrooms, ordinary mushrooms, tofu, and gluten. Have them set up shelters every twenty or thirty *li* to prepare meals and serve Tang Sanzang." The old monster asked, "What about the sixteen?" The third monster said, "Have eight carry the palanquin and eight clear the way. My brothers and I will accompany them on both sides for a stretch. From here, about four hundred *li* to the west, is my city. There, I have my own forces to meet us. When we reach the city outskirts, we'll do such-and-such, making it impossible for the master and disciples to look out for each other. Capturing Tang Sanzang completely depends on the success of these sixteen devils."

Hearing this, the old monster was overjoyed, truly like waking from a dream, and said, "Good, good, good!" He immediately summoned the demons, first selecting thirty and giving them the provisions. Then he selected sixteen to carry a fragrant rattan palanquin. Together, they went out the door, and he instructed the other demons, "None of you are allowed to wander on the mountain! Sun Wukong is a suspicious monkey; if he sees you coming and going, he will surely become suspicious and uncover our plan."

The old monster then led the demons to the side of the main road and shouted, "Master Tang, today is not an inauspicious day, please cross the mountain early!" Tang Sanzang heard this and said, "Wukong, who is calling me?" Wukong pointed and said, "Over there are the demons this old Monkey subdued, coming to escort you with a palanquin!" Tang Sanzang pressed his palms together, facing heaven, and said, "Goodness, goodness! If not for my wise disciple's abilities, how would I have been able to proceed?" He walked straight forward, bowed to the demons, and said, "I am deeply grateful for your kindness. When my disciples return east with the scriptures, I shall surely spread news of your good deeds in Chang'an." The demons kowtowed and said, "Please, Master, get into the palanquin." Tang Sanzang, with his mortal eyes and fleshly body, did not know it was a trick. Sun Wukong, being a Great Unity Golden Immortal, with a loyal and righteous nature, merely thought that his act of capturing and releasing had subdued the demons. How could he expect them to have other malicious plans? He also did not examine them closely, simply going along with his master's wishes. He ordered Bajie to tie the luggage to the horse and told Sha Wujing to follow closely, while he himself used his iron rod to clear the way ahead, watching for auspicious or ominous signs. Eight demons lifted the palanquin, and eight others shouted commands in turns. The three demons supported the palanquin bearers. The master, happily sitting upright in the palanquin, ascended the high mountain and proceeded along the main road.

As they went, little did they know that amidst their joy, sorrow would arise. As the scriptures say, when prosperity reaches its peak, adversity is born. Their fortune had encountered the True Grand Duke Jupiter and they were also facing the Mourning Gate and Hanging Guest stars. That group of demons, of one heart and mind, guarded them on all sides, diligently serving them day and night. After thirty *li*, they offered a meal; after fifty *li*, another meal. Before dusk, they invited them to rest. Along the way, everything was orderly. Three meals a day, exactly to their liking; a good night's rest, a comfortable place to stay. After proceeding west for over four hundred *li*, they suddenly saw a city approaching. The Great Sage raised his iron rod, about a *li* away from the palanquin, and upon seeing the city, he was so startled he stumbled and couldn't get up. You might wonder why someone so bold would be so frightened by this sight. It was because he saw a multitude of malevolent energies within the city, namely—

Hordes of demons clustered together, the four gates guarded by wolf spirits. Striped tigers served as prefects, and white-faced pumas as commanders. Fork-horned deer delivered documents, and clever foxes patrolled the roads. A thousand-foot great python circled the city, and a ten-thousand-foot long serpent occupied the path. Beneath the towers, grey wolves called out orders; before the platform, spotted leopards made human sounds. All who waved flags and beat drums were monsters; those patrolling the watches and guarding the posts were mountain spirits. Cunning rabbits opened gates for business, wild boars carried burdens for trade. In former years, it was a heavenly kingdom, but now it had turned into a city of tigers and wolves.

As the Great Sage was filled with trepidation, he heard the sound of wind behind his ear. He quickly turned his head to look and saw that it was the third demon, wielding a painted halberd with both hands, striking towards the Great Sage's head. The Great Sage quickly rolled over and scrambled up, meeting the attack head-on with his Golden-Hooped Rod. Both of them were filled with anger, panting, speaking no words, gritting their teeth, each intent on fighting. Then they saw the old demon king, giving a command, raise its steel saber and chop at Bajie. Bajie, panicked, let go of his horse and swung his rake, wildly raking forward. The second demon, with its long spear, thrust at Sha Wujing. Sha Wujing used his monster-subduing staff to parry and defend. The three demon kings and three monks, one against one, fought a desperate and fierce battle on the mountaintop. The sixteen lesser demons, obeying the command, each performed their task. They snatched the white horse and the luggage, then swarmed around Tang Sanzang, carrying the palanquin directly to the city edge. They loudly shouted, "The Great King Grandfather's plan has succeeded! Tang Sanzang has been captured!" The demons, big and small, on the city walls, one by one, ran down, opened the city gates wide, and ordered all the camps to furl their flags and silence their drums. No shouting or beating gongs was allowed, saying, "The Great King had already issued an order not to frighten Tang Sanzang. Tang Sanzang cannot withstand fright; one scare and his flesh will turn sour and become inedible." All the spirits joyfully invited Tang Sanzang, bowing and stooping to welcome the master monk. They carried Tang Sanzang, still in his palanquin, up to the Golden Imperial Hall and seated him in the center. On one side, they offered tea and food, circling around him. The elder, feeling dizzy and disoriented, looked around but saw no familiar faces. What would become of his life, one can only find out in the next chapter.