The story goes that the monster tied up Sha Seng but didn't hit or scold him. The monster thought to himself, "Tang Seng is a person of status and values etiquette. If I spared his life, how could he send his disciples to capture me? Hmph! It must be my wife who sent a letter to her kingdom, leaking the news! I need to ask her." Suddenly, the monster got angry and wanted to kill the princess.
Meanwhile, the princess had just finished dressing up and came over to see the monster looking furious, with his brows furrowed and teeth grinding. She greeted him with a smile, "My dear, what's bothering you so much?"
The monster shouted angrily, "You heartless woman! When I brought you here, I didn't let you suffer any hardship. You wear fine clothes and gold ornaments, and I get you whatever you lack, enjoying the four seasons with you, always treating you with deep affection. How could you only think of your parents and completely disregard our marriage?"
The princess was so frightened that she knelt down and said, "My dear, why are you talking about separation today?"
The monster said, "It's not me who wants separation, it's you! I captured Tang Seng, intending to enjoy him, but you released him without telling me? So it was you who secretly wrote a letter and had him deliver it; otherwise, how could these two monks come knocking on my door again, trying to take you back? Isn't this your doing?"
The princess said, "My dear, you've misunderstood me. I didn't write any letter." The monster replied, "You're still denying it! I caught an enemy here, isn't that proof enough?" The princess asked, "Who is it?" The monster answered, "It's Tang Seng's second disciple, Sha Seng."
In desperate situations, who would admit the truth? The princess had to play innocent. She said, "My dear, don't be angry. Let's go ask him. If there really is a letter, I'll die willingly; if there isn't, wouldn't you have wrongly killed me?" The monster, hearing this, didn't wait any longer, grabbed the princess by her hair, dragged her to Sha Seng, pulled out a steel knife, and asked Sha Seng, "Sha Seng! How dare you come here and attack us? Did this woman write a letter to her kingdom, and the king sent you?"
Sha Seng was tied up and saw the monster being so fierce, throwing the princess to the ground and holding a knife to kill her. He thought, "Clearly, she wrote the letter to save my master, which is a great favor. If I admit it, she'll be doomed. That would be repaying kindness with ingratitude. Forget it! As a disciple following my master, I've not achieved much. Today, I'll use my life to repay my master."
So he shouted, "Monster, don't be rude! She didn't write any letter, and you're wrongfully accusing her, intending to take her life! We came here to demand the princess for a reason. Because you captured my master and took him into the cave, my master saw the princess. When we reached Bao Xiang Kingdom, the emperor showed my master a portrait of the princess, and my master recognized her. The emperor then sent us to capture you and bring the princess back to the palace. This is the truth; there's no letter involved. If you want to kill, kill me, Sha Seng, but don't wrongfully accuse an innocent person and violate justice!"
The monster, seeing Sha Seng speak so confidently, dropped the knife, picked up the princess, and said, "I was impulsive and offended you, don't blame me." Then he helped her tidy her hair, assisted her up, treated her gently, and led her inside, even offering her a seat and apologizing. The princess, being a woman, softened her heart seeing his change in attitude, and said, "My dear, if you remember our marital bond, please loosen Sha Seng's ropes a bit." The monster agreed and immediately ordered his minions to untie Sha Seng, though they still kept him locked up. Sha Seng, finding himself untied, was secretly delighted, thinking, "As the saying goes, 'Help others, help yourself.' If I hadn't helped her, how would she have loosened my bonds?"
The monster then arranged a feast to apologize and calm the princess. After drinking to a slight intoxication, he suddenly changed into a bright outfit, took a precious sword, and fastened it to his waist. Turning to the princess, he said, "Wife, stay home, drink, and watch the two children. Don't let Sha Seng go. While Tang Seng is still in that kingdom, I'll hurry over to visit my in-laws." The princess asked, "What in-laws are you visiting?" The monster replied, "Your father. I'm his son-in-law, and he's my father-in-law. Why shouldn't I visit him?" The princess said, "You can't go." The monster asked, "Why not?" The princess said, "My father didn't gain his kingdom through warfare; it's a heritage from his ancestors. He ascended the throne at a young age and has never seen someone as fierce as you. Your appearance is too frightening, and it might scare him, which wouldn't be good. It's better not to go."
The monster said, "In that case, I'll transform into a handsome appearance and go." The princess replied, "Show me how you transform." With that, the monster, right there at the feast, transformed into a handsome young man. Truly, he was elegant and extraordinary: his speech was like that of an official, and his demeanor was that of a young gentleman. Talented like Zijian in composing poetry, and as handsome as Pan An who easily attracted admiration. He wore a magpie-tail crown, a jade robe, black boots, and a phoenix belt, exuding a refined and heroic aura. The princess was delighted upon seeing him. The monster smiled and asked, "Wife, do I look good?" The princess replied, "You look great! You look great! When you enter the court, my father will surely invite you to a banquet. Be careful when drinking, and don't reveal your true form. If you slip up, it will be disgraceful." The monster said, "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
You see him riding on clouds, swiftly arriving at Bao Xiang Kingdom. He descended from the clouds and approached the palace gate, saying to the gatekeeper, "The third prince consort is here to pay respects, please announce me." The gatekeeper went to the white jade steps and reported, "Your Majesty, the third prince consort is here to see you and is now outside the palace gate." The king was talking with Tang Seng and, upon hearing about a third prince consort, asked his ministers, "I only have two prince consorts, how come there's a third one?" The ministers said, "The third prince consort must be the monster." The king asked, "Is it appropriate to summon him in?" Tang Seng, alarmed, said, "Your Majesty, it's a monster, indeed. It knows past and future events, can ride clouds and mist. Whether you summon it or not, it can come in, so it's better to summon it and save some face."
Hearing the report, the king ordered the monster to be summoned to the golden steps. The monster, not missing a beat, respectfully performed the courtesies.
The ministers, seeing his handsome appearance, dared not assert that he was a monster, for they were mere mortals and couldn't discern the true form of a demon. The king, seeing the monster's dignified demeanor, thought he might be a useful talent and asked him:
"Prince consort, where do you live? Where are you from? When did you marry my princess, and why are you only acknowledging your in-laws today?" The monster bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, I live in Bo Yue Manor on Wan Zi Mountain, east of the city." The king asked, "How far is your mountain from here?" The monster said, "Not far, only three hundred li." The king asked, "Three hundred li away, how did my princess end up there and marry you?" The monster began to fabricate a story: "Your Majesty, I grew up accustomed to archery and horseback riding, making a living by hunting. Thirteen years ago, I took dozens of servants, released hawks, and chased dogs, when suddenly, I saw a fierce tiger carrying a woman on its back, heading down a slope. I shot the tiger with an arrow, rescued the woman, and brought her back to my manor, reviving her with warm water. I asked where she was from, but she never mentioned being a princess. If I had known she was your third princess, how could I have dared to marry her without permission? I would have come to the palace to seek an official position. But she claimed to be a commoner, so I kept her at the manor. We were a perfect match, and over time, we developed mutual affection and married. I wanted to kill the tiger to celebrate with friends and family, but the princess advised against it. She said, 'Heaven and earth joined us as husband and wife, without matchmakers or witnesses for our marriage. In a previous life, a red thread tied our feet, and now the tiger serves as our matchmaker.' I heeded her words and spared the tiger. It ran off with the arrow wound, and I didn't know it had cultivated in the mountains, specializing in bewitching and harming people. I heard that there were several attempts to retrieve the scriptures, all claiming to be Tang Seng from the Great Tang, and I suspect that tiger harmed Tang Seng, took his document, and transformed into the guise of the scripture seeker, now deceiving Your Majesty in the court. Your Majesty, the one sitting on the embroidered stool is the very tiger that carried the princess thirteen years ago, not the real scripture seeker!"
The king was confused, being ignorant and credulous, he took the monster's words seriously: "Worthy prince consort, how do you recognize this monk as the tiger that carried the princess?" The monster said, "Your Majesty, I have eaten tigers and worn tiger skins in the mountains, living with them, so how could I not recognize it?" The king said, "Since you recognize it, make it reveal its true form for us to see." The monster said, "Lend me half a cup of pure water, and I'll make it reveal its true form." The king ordered someone to fetch water and hand it to the prince consort. The monster took the water, approached, used a spell, and sprayed the water at Tang Seng, shouting, "Transform!" As a result, Tang Seng's true form vanished, and he really turned into a fierce tiger. At this moment, the king and his ministers all saw the tiger: a white forehead, round head, patterned body, and electric eyes. Its four legs stood firm, with twenty hooked, sharp claws. Its saw-like teeth enclosed its mouth, and its pointed ears were connected to its brows. Fierce like a big cat, mighty like a yellow ox. Its stiff whiskers pierced like silver threads, and its tongue spewed foul breath. Indeed, it was a fierce tiger, exuding such majesty that it made the treasure hall tremble. The king, upon seeing this, was scared out of his wits, and the entire court of civil and military officials hid away. A few brave generals, with soldiers, stepped forward, hacking at it with various weapons. If it weren't for Tang Seng's fate not being doomed, even twenty monks would have been chopped into minced meat. Fortunately, there were guardian deities like Dingjia, Jiedi, Gongcao, and others secretly protecting him, so those people couldn't harm him. The ministers clamored until dark, finally capturing the tiger alive, chaining it with iron, locking it in an iron cage, and placing it in the palace hall.
The king issued a decree for the Ministry of Rites to organize a grand banquet to thank the prince consort for his life-saving deed; otherwise, they would have been harmed by the monk. That evening, after the court officials had dispersed, the monster entered the Silver Peace Hall. Eighteen palace maidens and entertainers were selected to play music, sing, and dance, encouraging the monster to drink and enjoy himself. The monster sat alone at the head of the table, surrounded by beautiful palace maidens, thoroughly enjoying himself. By the time the second watch of the night arrived, he was drunk and couldn't help but cause a ruckus. He suddenly jumped up, laughed loudly, revealed his true form, and in a fit of ferocity, grabbed a girl playing the pipa and took a bite out of her. This terrified the remaining seventeen palace maidens, who ran and hid for their lives. You see: the palace maidens were terrified, the entertainers were in a panic. The palace maidens, like lotus flowers battered by rain; the entertainers, like peonies blown by the wind. Pipas were smashed in the rush for safety, zithers and lutes were damaged in the escape. In their haste, they couldn't tell north from south, nor east from west. Faces were bruised, and delicate features were marred. Each one fled for her life, seeking safety. Those who escaped dared not shout, and in the dead of night, they didn't dare disturb the king, so they hid under the eaves of short walls, trembling with fear.
Meanwhile, the monster sat inside, drinking by himself. With each cup, he would pull someone over and take a bloody bite. While he was indulging inside, word spread outside: "Tang Seng is a tiger demon!" This news spread like wildfire, eventually reaching the Golden Pavilion Inn. At that time, the inn was empty, with only the white horse eating grass at the trough. This white horse was originally a little dragon king from the Western Sea, who had violated heavenly rules and was transformed into a white horse, stripped of its dragon horns and scales, to carry Tang Seng on his journey to the west for scriptures. Upon hearing people say Tang Seng was a tiger demon, he thought to himself, "My master is clearly a good person; he must have been turned into a tiger demon by a monster and harmed. What should I do? What should I do? My eldest brother has been gone for a long time, and there's no news from Bajie or Sha Seng either!"
He endured until the second watch of the night, when everything was quiet, and then jumped up, saying to himself, "If I don't rescue Tang Seng today, all our merit will be lost! Lost!" Unable to hold back any longer, he broke the reins, shook off the saddle and bridle, leaped into the air, transformed into his dragon form, and rode on dark clouds straight up to the ninth heaven to investigate. As the saying goes: "The Tripitaka came west to worship the World Honored One, yet evil demons hindered the journey. Tonight, transformed into a tiger, disaster looms, but the white horse breaks free to save his master."
The little dragon king, hovering in mid-air, saw the Silver Peace Hall brightly lit, with eight large candles burning on eight red lanterns. He lowered his cloud to take a closer look and saw the monster alone at the table, greedily eating and drinking. The little dragon chuckled, "This guy is hopeless! He's been exposed, yet he dares to feast so boldly. Truly audacious! But I should find my master first, and toy with this monster a bit. Once I capture him, it won't be too late to rescue my master." With that, the little dragon transformed into a palace maiden, with a graceful figure and a beautiful face, and entered the hall, bowing to the monster:
"Prince consort, please spare my life. I've come to pour you some wine." The monster said, "Alright, pour the wine."The little dragon took the wine jug and poured wine into the monster's cup. The wine rose three to five inches above the rim without spilling, a demonstration of the little dragon's water manipulation skills. The monster, unaware of the trick, was delighted and said, "You have such skills!" The little dragon replied, "I can pour it even higher." The monster said, "Pour more! Pour more!" The little dragon continued pouring, and the wine stacked higher and higher, like a thirteen-story pagoda, yet still did not overflow. The monster leaned forward to drink a cup, then grabbed a corpse to take a bite, saying, "Can you sing?" The little dragon replied, "I know a little." He then sang a ditty to a familiar tune and poured another cup. The monster asked, "Can you dance?" The little dragon said, "I know a little, but it's just empty-handed dancing, not very impressive." The monster lifted his robe, removed the precious sword from his waist, and handed it to the little dragon. The little dragon took the sword, secretly preparing himself, and began a sword dance in front of the banquet. The monster watched, dazzled, as the little dragon finished the dance and swung the sword at the monster. The monster dodged to the side and hastily raised a large red lantern to block the sword. The lantern was made of wrought iron, weighing eighty to ninety pounds.
The two of them moved out of the Silver Peace Hall, and the little dragon revealed his true form, riding on a cloud, battling the monster in mid-air. This was truly a spectacular fight! One was a monster born on Bowl Mountain, the other a true dragon punished from the Western Sea. One emitted a bright light like white lightning, the other exuded a sharp aura like bursting red clouds. One resembled an old white-tusked elephant running on earth, the other like a golden-clawed civet cat descending from the sky. One was a jade pillar supporting the heavens, the other a golden beam spanning the sea. The silver dragon soared, the yellow demon tumbled. The precious sword was wielded tirelessly, the red lantern swung relentlessly. They fought in the clouds for eight or nine rounds, but the little dragon gradually felt his strength waning, while the old monster remained strong and vigorous. The little dragon couldn't hold on, so he swung the sword to strike the monster. The monster had a technique for catching swords; he caught the precious sword with one hand and threw the red lantern with the other, striking the little dragon. Caught off guard, the little dragon was hit on the hind leg and quickly descended on his cloud, narrowly escaping with his life thanks to the Water River. The little dragon dove into the water, and the monster, unable to find him, returned to the Silver Peace Hall with the sword and lantern to continue drinking and sleeping.
Now, let's continue the story. The little dragon king hid underwater for half an hour, but hearing no movement, he could no longer endure the pain in his leg. Gritting his teeth, he leaped up, riding the dark clouds back to the inn, transformed back into a horse, and lay down by the trough. Poor thing, he was soaked to the skin, with wounds on his legs. At that moment, his mind was in turmoil, a complete blank, with all sense of duty and reason thrown to the winds.
Leaving aside Tang Seng's plight and the little dragon king's defeat, let's turn to Zhu Bajie. After parting ways with Sha Seng, he hid in the grass, rooting out a pigsty. He slept until midnight, waking up disoriented. Rubbing his eyes and gathering his wits, he listened intently. It was eerily quiet, with no sound of dogs barking or roosters crowing. He looked at the stars, estimating it to be around the third watch of the night, and thought to himself, "I need to go back and save Sha Seng, but it's like trying to weave cloth without thread. Never mind, I'll go see Master first, talk to the emperor, find some capable people to help, and rescue Sha Seng tomorrow."
So, Bajie hurriedly rode his cloud straight to the city and soon arrived at the inn. At this time, it was quiet and the moon was bright. He couldn't find his master under the two corridors, only seeing the white horse lying there, soaked and with a bruise the size of a plate on its hind leg. Bajie was startled, "What bad luck! The horse hasn't been walking, so why is it sweaty and bruised? Someone must have attacked Master and injured the horse." The white horse recognized Bajie and suddenly spoke, "Brother!" Bajie was so frightened that he fell over, quickly got up, and was about to run when the white horse bit his clothes, saying, "Brother, don't be afraid of me." Bajie, trembling, said, "Brother, how come you can talk today? If you're talking, something must be terribly wrong." The little dragon said, "Do you know Master is in trouble?" Bajie replied, "I didn't know." The little dragon said, "Of course you didn't! You and Sha Seng showed off your skills in front of the emperor, thinking you could capture the monster for rewards, but the monster is powerful, and you were no match for him. Luckily, one of you returned to report, but there's been no news since. The monster disguised himself as a handsome scholar, infiltrated the court, claimed kinship with the emperor, and turned our master into a fierce tiger, captured by the ministers and locked in an iron cage in the court. Hearing this, my heart was torn. You haven't been around these past two days, unaware of the situation, fearing for Master's life. I had no choice but to transform into my dragon form to rescue him, but I couldn't find Master in the court."
"When I reached outside the Silver Peace Hall, I encountered the monster, transformed into a palace maiden to deceive him. The monster asked me to perform a sword dance, so I took the opportunity to attack him, but he dodged, raised a red lantern, and defeated me. I swung my sword again, but he caught it, swung the red lantern, and struck my leg, forcing me to dive into the Water River to escape with my life. The bruise on my leg is from his strike with the red lantern." Bajie, hearing this, said, "Is this really true?" The little dragon replied, "I'm not lying to you!" Bajie said, "What should we do then? Can you move?" The little dragon said, "Even if I can move, what can I do?" Bajie said, "If you can move, quickly head to the sea, leave the luggage with me, and I'll carry it back to Gao Village and become a son-in-law again."
Hearing Bajie's words, the little dragon bit his clothes tightly, tears streaming down, "Brother, please don't be lazy!" Bajie said, "What can I do if I'm not lazy? Sha Seng has been captured, I can't defeat the monster, if I don't disperse now, what am I waiting for?" The little dragon remained silent for a moment, then tearfully said, "Brother, don't say such discouraging words. If you want to save Master, you just need to invite one person." Bajie asked, "Who should I invite?" The little dragon said, "Quickly ride your cloud back to Flower Fruit Mountain and invite our eldest brother, Sun Wukong. He has great skills in subduing demons and will surely save Master and help us avenge this."
Bajie said, "Brother, can't we find someone else? I don't get along well with that monkey. Back on White Tiger Ridge, he killed the White Bone Spirit and blamed me for instigating Master to recite the tightening spell. I was just joking, but Master took it seriously, recited the spell, and drove him away. He must be angry with me and won't come to help. If we don't get along, and he swings that heavy staff of his, what if he accidentally hits me?" The little dragon said, "He won't hit you, he's a compassionate and righteous Monkey King. When you see him, don't mention Master's trouble right away, just say Master misses him. Lure him over, and once he sees the situation, he'll surely be angry and will definitely fight the monster, capture it, and rescue Master." Bajie said, "Alright, alright, since you're so earnest, if I don't go, it would seem I'm not. I'll go now. If Wukong is willing to come, I'll return with him; if he doesn't come, don't expect me back either." The little dragon said, "Go ahead, he will surely come."
So, the simpleton gathered his rake, tidied his clothes, and jumped up, riding a cloud straight eastward. This time, Tang Seng was fortunate, as Bajie caught a favorable wind. His ears acted like sails, allowing him to quickly fly over the Eastern Sea and descend from the cloud. As the sun was just rising, he entered the mountain to find a path. As he walked, he suddenly heard someone speaking. Looking closely, Bajie saw it was Wukong in the valley, gathering a troop of monkeys. He sat on a rock, with over a thousand monkeys neatly lined up before him, all chanting, "Long live! Great Sage Grandfather!" Bajie thought to himself, "He's living quite the life! No wonder he doesn't want to be a monk and prefers staying home! So many benefits, such a vast domain, and so many little monkeys serving him! If I, old Zhu, had a mountain like this, I wouldn't be a monk either. Since I'm here, I might as well see him."
A bit afraid of Wukong, Bajie didn't dare meet him openly, so he sneaked to the edge of the grassy cliff and quietly mingled with the thousand monkeys, bowing along with them. However, Wukong sat high and had sharp eyes, quickly spotting him. He asked, "Who is that person bowing out of place among the monkeys? Bring him to me!" As soon as he spoke, the little monkeys swarmed Bajie, pushing him forward and pinning him down. Wukong asked, "Where do you come from, wild man?" Bajie, with his head down, replied, "I dare not claim such a title, honored to be asked by you. I'm not a wild man, but an acquaintance, an acquaintance." Wukong said, "All my Great Sage's monkeys look alike. You look different, a bit strange, definitely a monster from elsewhere. Since you're from elsewhere, if you want to join my troop, submit an application and state your name, so I can keep you here for roll call. If I don't keep you, how dare you bow here!"
Bajie, with his head down and lips pouting, said, "Shameless, showing this face! We've been brothers for years, and you don't recognize me, calling me a wild man!" Wukong laughed, "Lift your head and let me see." The simpleton stretched his snout upward, saying, "Look! You may not recognize me, but you should recognize this snout!" Wukong couldn't help but laugh, "Zhu Bajie." Hearing his name, Bajie immediately jumped up, saying, "That's right! That's right! I'm Zhu Bajie!" He thought, "Now that he's recognized me, we can talk." Wukong said, "Why aren't you with Tang Seng on the journey for scriptures? What are you doing here? Did you anger Master, and he sent you back? Do you have a letter of dismissal? Let me see." Bajie said:
"I didn't anger him, and he didn't give me any dismissal letter or send me away." Wukong asked, "If there's no dismissal and he didn't send you away, why are you here?" Bajie said, "Master misses you and sent me to invite you." Wukong said, "He neither invites me nor misses me. He swore to the heavens and personally wrote a dismissal letter. How could he miss me and send you all the way to invite me? I surely can't go." Bajie hurriedly lied, "He really misses you! Really misses you!" Wukong asked, "How does he miss me?" Bajie said, "Master was riding and called for a disciple. I didn't hear, and Sha Seng pretended to be deaf. Master then thought of you, saying we were not up to the task, that you were smart and clever, always responding when called, answering tenfold to one question. Because of this, he misses you and specially sent me to invite you, hoping you would come, not to disappoint his expectations, nor my effort in coming so far."
Hearing this, Wukong jumped down the cliff, helped Bajie up, and said, "Dear brother, since you've come all this way, let's have some fun first." Bajie said, "Brother, this place is far, and I'm afraid Master is waiting. I won't play." Wukong said, "Since you're here, see how my mountain looks." The simpleton dared not refuse and had to follow him for a walk.
Wukong and Bajie walked hand in hand, followed by a group of little monkeys, to the highest point of Flower Fruit Mountain. Wow, what a beautiful mountain! Since the Great Sage returned home, he had tidied the mountain, making it look brand new. Look at that mountain: lush and verdant, reaching straight into the clouds. Surrounding it are crouching tigers and coiling dragons, with the sounds of gibbons and cranes echoing from all directions. In the morning, clouds and mist envelop the mountain top, and in the evening, the setting sun hangs between the trees. The flowing water murmurs like jade pendants clinking, and the mountain springs drip like a jade zither playing. In front of the mountain are steep cliffs, and behind it are lush flowers and trees. Above, it connects to the Jade Maiden's Washbasin, and below, it links with the Heavenly River's branches. The whole mountain is as beautiful as the fairyland of Penglai, a true paradise blending clarity and turbidity. Such scenery, even the finest brushwork can't depict, nor can celestial beings capture its essence. Exquisite strange rocks adorn the peaks, with purple aura swirling and rays of sunlight streaming. In this earthly paradise, new trees and flowers abound, an overwhelming feast for the eyes. Bajie was dazzled, his heart brimming with joy, "Brother, this place is wonderful! Truly the number one famous mountain in the world!" Wukong said, "Dear brother, how's life here?" Bajie chuckled, "Listen to you, this treasure mountain is a paradise, how can you call it just living?"
The two chatted for a while before starting to descend the mountain. At this time, a few little monkeys by the roadside were holding purple grapes, sweet pears and dates, golden loquats, and bright red bayberries, kneeling by the path, calling out, "Great Sage Grandfather, please have breakfast." Wukong laughed, "My pig brother has a big appetite; fruit isn't enough to fill him. Oh well, don't mind the simplicity, treat it as a snack." Bajie said, "Though I have a big appetite, I can adapt to local customs. Bring them, bring them, I'll try some fresh ones too." The two ate the fruits, and the sun gradually climbed higher. Bajie, fearing a delay in rescuing Tang Seng, urged, "Brother, Master is waiting for us. Let's hurry." Wukong said, "Dear brother, you go ahead and play in the Water Curtain Cave." Bajie insisted, "Thank you for your kindness, but Master is anxious, so I won't enter the cave." Wukong said, "In that case, I won't keep you any longer. Let's say our goodbyes here." Bajie asked, "Brother, aren't you coming?"
Wukong replied, "Where would I go? Here, neither heaven nor earth restrains me. I'm free and won't become a monk. I'm not going; you go on your own. But when you return, tell Tang Seng: since he drove me away, he shouldn't think of me anymore." Hearing this, Bajie dared not press further, fearing to anger Wukong and possibly get hit with his staff, which would be disastrous. Helplessly, he bid farewell and found his way out. Wukong watched him leave and sent two clever little monkeys to follow Bajie and see what he would say. As it turned out, after descending the mountain and walking only three or four miles, Bajie turned back, pointing at Wukong and cursing, "This monkey, instead of being a monk, becomes a monster! That ape, I kindly came to invite him, yet he refuses to go! Fine, if you won’t go!" He cursed with every few steps. The two little monkeys hurried back to report, "Great Sage Grandfather, that Zhu Bajie is being disrespectful, cursing with every few steps." Hearing this, Wukong was furious and shouted, "Bring him back!" A group of monkeys quickly caught up, knocked Bajie to the ground, scratched his ears, pulled his tail, yanked his hair, and dragged him back. What will happen to Bajie next, and what will become of him? Stay tuned for the next installment.
