Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie bid farewell to Sha Wujing and leapt effortlessly over the Withered Pine Stream, heading straight for the rocky cliff ahead. As expected, they found themselves in front of an extraordinary cave dwelling. The ancient path was serene, with a gentle breeze blowing and moonlight spreading across the ground, making it feel like a fairyland. The white clouds shone brightly, and the stream flowed quietly under the bridge, as if whispering stories of immortals. There were no birds or beasts on the mountain, only exotic flowers and rare trees, with vines entwined and orchids growing on the stone steps. In the distance, the peaks stood like a natural screen, truly a blessed and magical place.
As they approached, they saw a stone tablet at the entrance of the cave, inscribed with the words: "Fire Cloud Cave of Withered Pine Stream in Hao Mountain." Nearby, little demons were playing with spears and swords, laughing and frolicking. Sun Wukong shouted unceremoniously, "Little demons, go tell your master to release my master, Tang Sanzang! Otherwise, I'll turn your mountain upside down and flatten your cave!" The little demons were so frightened that they turned and ran, slamming the stone door shut, and hurriedly reported to their master, "Great King, there's big trouble!"
Now, the monster had captured Tang Sanzang and stripped him of his clothes, tying him up in the backyard, preparing to wash him clean and steam him for a meal. Suddenly, hearing the report from the little demons about a monkey-faced monk with a thunderous voice and a long-snouted, big-eared monk coming to demand Tang Sanzang, and threatening to overturn the mountain and flatten the cave if refused, the demon king chuckled, "So it's Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie. They've found their way here quickly enough. They've come all the way from halfway up the mountain, a full one hundred and fifty li, how did they manage to find us?"
He then ordered the little demons to prepare five small carts, arranged in the order of gold, wood, water, fire, and earth, with five demons guarding them, while five others went to report. The demon king asked, "Are you ready?" The little demons replied, "Ready." The demon king said, "Bring my spear." Two little demons brought out a long fire-tipped spear, handing it to the demon king. The demon king, with his fire-tipped spear in hand, a brocade battle skirt tied around his waist, and bare feet, walked out the door. Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie looked up to see the monster: face powdered white, lips painted red, eyebrows like knives, and dragons and phoenixes embroidered on his battle skirt, exuding a majestic aura.
The Red Boy monster stepped out and shouted, "Who is causing a ruckus here?" Sun Wukong stepped forward with a smile, "Nephew, stop pretending. This morning on the mountain path, you were just a sickly yellow child who tricked my master. I kindly carried you, yet you kidnapped my master. Now you're pretending again, but I recognize you. Release my master quickly, don't disgrace yourself and lose family ties. If your father finds out, he'll blame me for bullying the young, and that won't be good."
The Red Boy was furious upon hearing this and shouted, "Filthy monkey! What family ties do I have with you? You're spouting nonsense. Who's your nephew?" Sun Wukong replied, "Brother, you don't know. Back when your father and I were sworn brothers, you weren't even around yet." Red Boy didn't believe him and thrust his fire-tipped spear. Sun Wukong calmly dodged the spearhead, swung his iron staff, and shouted, "You little brat, not knowing your place, take this!" The demon was not to be outdone, dodging the iron staff and retorting, "Filthy monkey, out of your depth, take this spear!" The two displayed their skills, battling in the clouds.
Though they once had ties, now they showed no mercy, each revealing their true faces. They fought for twenty rounds without a clear winner. Zhu Bajie watched from the sidelines, noticing that while the demon wasn't losing, he wasn't gaining ground either; Sun Wukong wasn't winning, but his staff techniques were superb, always hovering above the demon's head. Bajie thought, "This won't do. If Wukong slips and the demon takes advantage, my chance for credit will be lost." So he gathered his strength, raised his nine-toothed rake, and swung it down on the demon's head. The demon was startled and quickly retreated. Sun Wukong shouted, "Chase him! Chase him!"
Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie chased the monster to the entrance of the cave. They saw the monster standing on the middle of five small carts, holding a fire-tipped spear in one hand and pounding his own nose with the other. Zhu Bajie couldn't help but laugh, "This guy is shameless! Do you think he's trying to break his nose and smear some blood on his face to make it red, then go and accuse us?"
After punching his nose, the monster chanted a spell, spewing fire from his mouth, smoke from his nose, and flames from his eyes. The five carts blazed with fire, filling the entire Fire Cloud Cave with smoke and flames, truly a sea of fire. Zhu Bajie cried out in fear, "Brother, this is bad! If this fire burns us, I'll turn into roast pig, ready to be spiced up for their feast! Let's run!"
With that, Zhu Bajie didn't wait for Sun Wukong and dashed back across the stream. But Sun Wukong was no ordinary being; he recited a fire-prevention spell and charged straight into the flames to find the monster. Seeing Sun Wukong coming, the monster spewed more fire, even fiercer than before. The flames roared, filling the sky and covering the ground in a fiery red.
This was no ordinary fire; it was the monster's cultivated Samadhi True Fire, with the five carts arranged according to the five elements, making the blaze even more ferocious. Sun Wukong, unable to find the monster due to the smoke and fire, and unable to see the path to the cave entrance, had no choice but to leap out of the flames. Seeing Sun Wukong retreat, the monster withdrew his fire and returned to the cave with his minions to celebrate.
Sun Wukong leapt over the Withered Pine Stream and descended from the clouds, just in time to hear Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing chatting among the pine trees. Sun Wukong approached and said to Zhu Bajie, "You fool, you really have no backbone! It's one thing to run from the demon's fire, but you left me behind! Luckily, I have some skills!"
Zhu Bajie laughed, "Brother, the demon was right about you; you really don't know what's best. As the saying goes, 'The wise adapt to the times.' That demon has no relation to you, yet you insisted on claiming kinship. When he unleashed his merciless fire, you didn't run. You're just asking for trouble."
Sun Wukong asked, "How do the demon's skills compare to mine?" Zhu Bajie replied, "Not as good as yours." "And his spear skills?" Zhu Bajie said, "Also not as good as yours. I saw he couldn't hold on, so I came to help with my rake. I didn't expect him to be so ungrateful, retreating and then setting fire." Sun Wukong said, "You shouldn't have interfered. If I had fought him a few more rounds, I could have found an opening to strike him with my staff."
As they discussed the demon's skills and the fire, Sha Wujing was laughing so hard at the root of a pine tree that he couldn't stand straight. Sun Wukong saw this and asked, "Brother, what are you laughing at? Do you have a plan to capture the demon and break this fire formation? This is everyone's concern. As the saying goes, 'Many hands make light work.' If you can capture the demon and save our master, it would be a great achievement for you."
Sha Wujing replied, "I don't have any special skills to subdue the demon. I'm just laughing at how anxious you both are." Sun Wukong asked, "How am I anxious?" Sha Wujing said, "The demon's skills aren't as good as yours, and his spear skills aren't either. It's just that the fire is strong, so you didn't win. In my opinion, using the principle of mutual generation and restraint to deal with him shouldn't be difficult."
Sun Wukong laughed heartily, "Brother, you're right. We did get anxious and forgot about this. According to the principle of mutual generation and restraint, we should use water to counter fire. Where can we find some water to put out this demon fire and rescue our master?" Sha Wujing said, "Exactly, no need to hesitate."
Sun Wukong said, "You two wait here, don't go looking for the demon. I'll go to the Eastern Sea to borrow some dragon soldiers and bring back water to extinguish the fire and capture the demon." Zhu Bajie said, "Brother, go ahead, we'll be waiting."
Sun Wukong rode his somersault cloud and reached the Eastern Sea in an instant. He wasn't in the mood to admire the sea view and immediately used his water-splitting technique to part the waves and walk forward. As he was walking, he encountered a sea-patrolling yaksha. The yaksha, seeing it was the Great Sage Sun, quickly turned around and went to report to the Crystal Palace.
The old Dragon King Ao Guang, upon hearing that Sun Wukong had arrived, hurriedly led his dragon sons, grandsons, shrimp soldiers, and crab generals to greet him, inviting Sun Wukong into the palace to sit. After the formalities and serving tea, Sun Wukong got straight to the point, "No need for tea, I have a request. My master, Tang Sanzang, is on a journey to the Western Heaven to obtain scriptures. On the way, he was captured by a demon named Red Boy at Fire Cloud Cave of Withered Pine Stream. I fought the demon, but he unleashed fire, and I couldn't withstand it. I thought of using water to counter fire, so I've come to ask for your help, to borrow some water to rain down and extinguish the demon fire, and save my master."
Upon hearing Sun Wukong's request, the Dragon King said, "Great Sage, you've come to the wrong place. To bring rain requires an edict from the Jade Emperor. The timing and amount of rain must be approved by the Three Officials in heaven, and it needs the cooperation of the Thunder God, Lightning Mother, Wind Lord, and Cloud Youth. Dragons can't do it without clouds."
Sun Wukong said, "I just need some rainwater to extinguish the fire; it doesn't have to be so complicated." The Dragon King replied, "I can't handle it alone. How about I call my brothers to help?" Sun Wukong asked, "Where are your brothers?" The Dragon King said, "The Dragon Kings of the South Sea, Ao Qin; the North Sea, Ao Run; and the West Sea, Ao Shun."
Sun Wukong laughed, "If I have to travel across three seas, I might as well go straight to heaven and ask the Jade Emperor." The Dragon King said, "No need, Great Sage. Here, I can sound the iron drum and golden bell, and they will arrive immediately." Sun Wukong said, "Then go ahead and sound them."
Sure enough, in no time, the Dragon Kings of the three seas arrived and asked, "Elder brother, what's the matter?" Ao Guang said, "The Great Sage Sun has come to borrow rain to subdue a demon." The three Dragon Kings greeted Sun Wukong, and upon hearing his request, they were all willing to help. They quickly assembled a large group of dragon soldiers, including Shark Vanguard, Catfish Vanguard, Carp Marshal, Mackerel Colonel, and Bream Commander, ready to set off.
With the dragon soldiers, Sun Wukong soon arrived at Hao Mountain's Withered Pine Stream. He said to the Dragon Kings, "Ao brothers, thank you for coming all this way. This is the demon's territory. Please wait in the sky and do not reveal yourselves. I'll go and fight him first. If I win, you won't need to intervene; if I lose and he sets the fire, just await my signal and bring the rain."
The Dragon Kings agreed. Sun Wukong descended from the clouds and returned to the pine forest to find Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing, calling out, "Brothers!"
Zhu Bajie said, "Brother, you came back so quickly! Did you get the Dragon Kings?" Sun Wukong said, "They're all here. You need to be careful not to let the rain soak our luggage. I'm going to fight the demon."
Sha Wujing said, "Senior Brother, go ahead. We're ready." Sun Wukong leaped across the stream and reached the cave entrance, shouting, "Open the door!" The little demons reported, "Sun Wukong is here again." Red Boy laughed, "It seems the monkey wasn't burned by the fire and has come back. This time, I'll make sure to scorch him!"
Red Boy, holding his spear, ordered the little demons to bring out the fire carts. He walked to the entrance and said to Sun Wukong, "Why are you here again?" Sun Wukong said, "Return my master!" Red Boy replied, "You really don't know your place. Tang Sanzang can be your master, but he can also be my feast. If you want him back, forget it!"
Hearing Red Boy's provocation, Sun Wukong was furious. He swung his golden staff at Red Boy's head. Red Boy was not to be outdone, raising his fire-tipped spear to fight back. This battle was fiercer than before. Truly, the Monkey King was burning with rage, and the demon was equally determined. One wanted to save his master, and the other wanted to eat Tang Sanzang. Both were eager to devour the other.
They fought fiercely, exchanging over twenty rounds, but neither could gain the upper hand. Seeing this, Red Boy feigned a thrust, then pounded his nose with his fist, spewing fire all around. Flames erupted, and smoke filled the air. Sun Wukong quickly shouted, "Dragon Kings, bring the rain!"
The Dragon Kings, with their aquatic soldiers, unleashed a torrential downpour amidst the flames. The rain poured down vigorously, like stars falling from the sky and waves crashing ashore. The rain grew heavier, turning the ground into rivers and washing the mountain trees to a lush green.
However, the rain from the Dragon Kings could only extinguish ordinary fires and was ineffective against the demon's Samadhi True Fire. Instead, the fire grew even more intense. Sun Wukong thought, "This won't work; I must go in myself." He recited a spell and charged into the fire, ready to strike the demon with his staff. But Red Boy spewed a cloud of smoke directly at Sun Wukong's face. The smoke made Sun Wukong's eyes water, as he was not afraid of fire but was vulnerable to smoke.
Back when he caused havoc in the Heavenly Palace, Sun Wukong had been placed in the Eight Trigrams Furnace by Taishang Laojun. The fire couldn't harm him, but the smoke from the stirring winds had given him his fiery eyes, making him particularly sensitive to smoke. Red Boy spewed another cloud of smoke, and Sun Wukong, unable to bear it, had to escape on his cloud. Seeing this, Red Boy withdrew his fire tools and returned to the cave.
Sun Wukong, feeling extremely uncomfortable from the smoke and fire, jumped into the stream to cool off. However, the cold water shocked him, causing the fire energy to attack his heart, and his three souls nearly left his body, almost leading to his spirit's dispersal. Seeing this from the sky, the Four Seas Dragon Kings quickly stopped the rain and shouted, "Marshal Tianpeng! Curtain-Lifting General! Quickly come out and find your senior brother!"
Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing heard the shouts and hurriedly ran out, not minding the mud, searching along the stream. They saw someone floating down the upstream currents, and Sha Wujing jumped into the water and pulled him out—it was Sun Wukong.
Sun Wukong's limbs were stiff, and he was ice-cold all over. With tears in his eyes, Sha Wujing said, "Senior Brother, you are supposed to be immortal; how have you become a short-lived ghost now?" Zhu Bajie laughed and said, "Don't cry; this monkey is just pretending to be dead. Feel if there's any warmth in his chest?" Sha Wujing replied, "His whole body is cold; even if there's a bit of warmth, it's no use."
Zhu Bajie said, "He has seventy-two transformations, so he has seventy-two lives. You hold his feet, and I'll straighten him out." Sha Wujing grabbed Sun Wukong's feet, and Zhu Bajie supported his head, straightening him and setting him upright. Zhu Bajie rubbed his hands warm and pressed Sun Wukong's seven apertures, giving him a massage.
It turned out that Sun Wukong was forced by the cold water, blocking his vital energy, and couldn't speak. Thanks to Zhu Bajie's massage, before long, Sun Wukong's energy flowed through the three gates, and he finally woke up, shouting, "Master!" Sha Wujing said, "Brother, wake up, we're all here." Sun Wukong opened his eyes, saw his brothers, and sighed, "I really suffered a loss this time!"
Zhu Bajie laughed, "If it weren't for me saving you, you'd be done for. Aren't you going to thank me?" Sun Wukong stood up and asked, "Where are the Ao brothers?" The Four Seas Dragon Kings answered from the sky, "We are here, waiting." Sun Wukong said, "Thank you for your trouble. We weren't successful this time, but I'll repay you another day." The Dragon Kings, with their aquatic soldiers, majestically returned.
Sha Wujing helped Sun Wukong sit under the pine forest. Sun Wukong, after calming himself, couldn't help but shed tears, crying out, "Master! Back when we set out from the Great Tang, you saved me from disaster. Along the way, through mountains and rivers, demons and ghosts, how much suffering and hardship we've endured. Every morning we begged for alms, and every night we meditated. I just hoped to obtain the scriptures soon. I didn't expect to get injured myself today!"
Sha Wujing quickly comforted him, "Brother, don't be sad. We must quickly think of a way to seek help and save Master!" Sun Wukong sighed, "Where can we find reinforcements?" Sha Wujing said, "When Guanyin Bodhisattva instructed us, she said we could call upon heaven and earth in times of difficulty. Should we go find Guanyin Bodhisattva?"
Sun Wukong said, "When I caused havoc in the Heavenly Palace, none of the deities could handle me. This Red Boy is quite skilled; we need someone more powerful than me to deal with him. I doubt the celestial deities can do it; we'll have to ask Guanyin Bodhisattva for help. But now I'm sore all over and can't fly. What should we do?"
Zhu Bajie volunteered, "I'll go and ask for help." Sun Wukong laughed, "Alright, you go. But when you see the Bodhisattva, don't look around recklessly. Humbly bow your head. When the Bodhisattva asks you, tell her the location and the demon's name, and ask her to save Master. If she's willing to come, she'll surely be able to handle Red Boy."
Hearing this, Zhu Bajie rode the clouds and headed straight for the South Sea.
Meanwhile, in the cave, Red Boy was smugly saying, "Little ones, Sun Wukong suffered a loss and ran away. Although I didn't kill him this time, I made him suffer greatly. But I'm worried he'll seek reinforcements. Open the door quickly; I'm going out to see who he's going to find."
The little demons hurriedly opened the door, and Red Boy jumped into the sky, seeing Zhu Bajie flying south. He thought: He's definitely going to ask Guanyin Bodhisattva. So he descended from the clouds and ordered the little demons, "Bring out my leather bag and replace the rope with a sturdy one. Place it under the second gate. I'll trick Zhu Bajie back and steam him for you all as a snack!"
It turned out Red Boy had a magical leather bag. The little demons replaced the rope and placed the bag at the cave entrance.
Red Boy, having been in this area for a long time, was familiar with the nearby roads. He knew the shortest route to the South Sea, so he took a shortcut on a cloud to catch up with Zhu Bajie, transforming into the likeness of Guanyin Bodhisattva and sitting on a rock waiting for him. As Zhu Bajie flew closer, he saw "Bodhisattva" from afar and was delighted. He stopped his cloud and bowed, saying, "Bodhisattva, your disciple Zhu Wuneng greets you!"
The demon, pretending to be the Bodhisattva, said, "Why are you not protecting Tang Sanzang on his journey for scriptures and instead coming to find me?" Zhu Bajie quickly replied, "Disciple and Master were on our way when we encountered the demon Red Boy from the Fiery Cloud Cave at Hao Mountain's Withered Pine Stream. He captured my Master. My senior brothers and I went to fight him, but he could set fires. We lost the first time, and even calling the Dragon Kings for rain didn't work the second time. My senior brother was burned and can't move, so he sent me to ask for your mercy to save our Master!"
The demon, feigning seriousness, said, "The master of the Fiery Cloud Cave doesn't harm others without reason; surely you provoked him." Zhu Bajie said, "I didn't provoke him; it was my senior brother Sun Wukong. He transformed into a child hanging from a tree, and Master, being kind-hearted, had me take him down and asked my senior brother to carry him for a while. But my senior brother tossed him aside, and then he used his magic to capture Master."
The demon said, "Get up and follow me into the cave to meet the cave master. I'll speak on your behalf and offer gifts to get your Master back." Zhu Bajie was overjoyed, "If Bodhisattva can return my Master, I'll gladly bow to him!"
The demon said, "Then follow me." Unaware of the trap, Zhu Bajie followed him, but instead of heading to the South Sea, they returned to the Fiery Cloud Cave. At the cave entrance, the demon said, "Don't be suspicious; he's a friend of mine. Come in." Zhu Bajie, unsuspecting, entered, only to be seized by a group of little demons, stuffed into a leather bag, tied tightly, and hung from the beam. The demon revealed his true form, sitting in the middle, and said, "Zhu Bajie, what skills do you have to escort Tang Sanzang for scriptures and dare to ask the Bodhisattva to subdue me? Look closely; I am the Great Sage Child King! Now that I've caught you, I'll hang you for a few days before steaming you for the little demons' feast!"
Inside the bag, Zhu Bajie was furious and cursed, "You wretched demon! You're so rude! If you trick me and eat me, you'll all suffer a plague!" He cursed and shouted, but it was to no avail.
Meanwhile, Sun Wukong was sitting with Sha Wujing when suddenly a foul wind blew in their faces. Sun Wukong sneezed and felt uneasy, thinking, "This isn't good! This wind is ominous; Zhu Bajie might have taken the wrong path." Sha Wujing asked, "If he got lost, wouldn't he ask for directions?" Sun Wukong shook his head, "I suspect he encountered a demon." Sha Wujing asked again, "If he encountered a demon, wouldn't he run back?" Sun Wukong sighed, "It's not that simple. You stay here while I go check by the stream." Sha Wujing worried about Sun Wukong's waist pain, "Senior Brother, you shouldn't go; let me go instead." Sun Wukong insisted, "You can't handle it; I'll go." So Sun Wukong, enduring the pain and wielding his golden staff, went to the Fiery Cloud Cave and shouted, "Wretched demon!"
The gatekeeping little demons hurried inside to report, "Sun Wukong is challenging us at the entrance again!" The demon king ordered, "Capture him!" A group of little demons brandished their weapons, opened the door, and charged out, shouting, "Capture him!" Sun Wukong, feeling a bit weary, dared not confront them directly and quickly transformed into a glittering bundle, hiding by the roadside. The little demons saw the bundle and reported, "Great King, Sun Wukong was scared and left behind a bundle." The demon king laughed, "There's nothing valuable in the bundle, probably just the monk's tattered clothes. Bring it in and tear it apart for patches." So a little demon carried the bundle into the cave, not realizing it was Sun Wukong in disguise.
Sun Wukong chuckled to himself, "They've fallen for it this time!" He then plucked a hair and transformed it into a fake bundle, while he turned into a small fly, perching on the door hinge. He heard Zhu Bajie inside, whining like a sick pig. Sun Wukong flew over and saw Zhu Bajie hanging in the leather bag.
Sun Wukong clung to the bag and listened to Zhu Bajie cursing, "You demon, pretending to be Guanyin Bodhisattva to trick me! You even hung me up, saying you'll eat me! Just wait until my senior brother uses his Great Sage magic to capture all you demons and releases me; I'll beat you a thousand times with my rake!"
Sun Wukong listened and secretly laughed to himself, "This fool, even while being trapped, still has some backbone. I must deal with this demon to vent my anger!" Just as he was thinking of a way to rescue Zhu Bajie, he suddenly heard the demon king shout, "Where are the Six Generals?" It turned out there were six little demons who were the demon king's trusted aides, given the titles of generals, each with a name: Cloud-in-Mist, Mist-in-Cloud, Swift-as-Fire, Fast-as-Wind, Rising-Flame, and Flame-Rising.
The Six Generals stepped forward and knelt. The demon king commanded, "Do you know the house of the Great King?" The Six Generals replied in unison, "We know it." The demon king said, "Hurry and invite the Great King, telling him that I have captured Tang Sanzang and plan to steam him for consumption, to prolong his life."
The six little demons received the order and sluggishly went out the door. Seeing this, Sun Wukong quickly transformed back into a fly and quietly followed them out of the cave. As for whom these six little demons eventually invited, we'll discuss that next time.
