Volume 3: A Long Journey, Chapter 209: Sister Egg Two

Upon learning that Tang Seng had traveled thousands of miles from the Eastern Land to reach this place, Gao Taigong praised him repeatedly and arranged a meal for him and his disciples to enjoy. Though he did not believe in Buddhism, he was generous and kind, truly a honest and upright elder. Yet there was a worried look in his eyes whenever he spoke, and Tang Seng did not dare to ask. Wukong, however, knew the reason and sneered in secret.

After the meal, Gao Taigong personally escorted Tang Seng to a side room to rest. Just as everything was settled, a servant rushed over, whispered something to Gao Taigong, who then bid farewell to Tang Seng. Wukong heard clearly that the servant said, “The monk has arrived and is waiting in the main hall.” Seeing Tang Seng once again flipping through scriptures by the candlelight, Wukong concealed himself and went to the main hall to watch.

The main hall was brightly lit. A plump monk sat cross-legged on the ground, holding a string of prayer beads, his eyes closed as he murmured incantations. Gao Taigong and two servants waited respectfully nearby, seemingly still without having spoken.

After a while, the monk suddenly opened his eyes and produced a talisman from his hand. With a burst of magical power, the yellow paper talisman stuck to the lintel of the main hall door. Wukong was stunned—this monk was using Taoist talismans; clearly, he was a fraud.

Gao Taigong had no idea what this was. To ordinary people, strange powers seemed like miracles.

The monk spoke in a deep voice, “I heard from your servant Gao Cai that a demon often causes trouble here?”
Gao Taigong replied, “That’s right! Whenever this demon appears, it comes and goes like mist. It possesses great magical power, and no amount of monks I’ve invited has been able to subdue it.”

Upon hearing the words “comes and goes like mist,” the monk’s face showed fear. He was no real monk but rather a swindler who roamed the land, learning only a few crude tricks. Relying on his smooth talk, he had successfully deceived gullible men and women before. He knew he couldn’t defeat a real demon.

So, the monk calmed himself down, pretended to walk around the hall solemnly, and said, “Your residence has too much wood energy, which is why a wood demon is causing trouble…”

Hearing this, Wukong couldn’t help but recall that throughout *Journey to the West*, Zhu Bajie was often referred to as the “Wood Mother” or “Wood Dragon.” From the perspective of the five elements, water generates wood—could the Wood Mother refer to water?

He had also read some books that regarded *Journey to the West* as a text on alchemy. But this knowledge was too profound, and he couldn’t remember much of it. It was almost certain that Zhu Bajie belonged to either wood or water. This monk might not truly understand, yet he had guessed correctly to some extent.

The monk continued, “…Among the five elements, metal can overcome wood; thus, to subdue this demon, metal is essential.”
Gao Taigong understood only half of this and asked, “Master, please explain—what exactly is metal?”
The monk, somewhat annoyed, replied, “Metal is simply metal! But bring out all metals—gold, silver, copper, iron, tin—and give them to me for my ritual!”
Only then did Gao Taigong understand, and he said, “Gao Cai, quickly do as the master says and bring out all the metal objects.”
Gao Cai hurried outside and soon returned with several iron shovels, forks, sickles, a short hoe, and a plow blade. Seeing this, the monk asked, “There are only iron objects—no gold, silver, copper, or tin. It will be difficult to perform the ritual.”
Gao Cai interjected, “Master, my lord is in charge of all gold and silver items.”
Gao Taigong said, “Come with me!”
He took Gao Cai outside, and after a while, the two returned, placing a tin cup, a small bronze pot, a gold ingot, and two silver ingots on the ground.
The monk nodded and said, “Good!” He gathered the five metals together and ordered, “Close the door tightly! Everyone else, wait outside!” Seeing that the monk was about to perform the ritual, Gao Taigong reminded him, “Master, the demon hasn’t arrived yet.”
The monk glared at him and said, “I have my own ways to bring it here!”
Gao Taigong nodded obediently and closed the door.
Wukong watched clearly as the monk, seeing no one in the room, first stuffed the gold and silver items into his bosom, then placed the tin cup on the ground, crushed it with his foot, and put it in his bag. After that, he took out a pack of chicken blood and scattered it all over the floor.
There was not the slightest sign of him planning to perform any ritual. Instead, the monk took out some unknown object from his bag, lit it with a flint, and instantly smoke filled the room. He then picked up the iron forks and shovels, used all his strength to break one of them, and used the shovel to strike the plow blade, shouting, “Where are you, demon?”
Gao Taigong and the others did not go far away but waited anxiously outside. Soon, smoke seeped out from under the door. Gao Cai whispered, “The demon is coming! I wonder if this monk can succeed.” Gao Taigong signaled him to be quiet. After a while, sounds of fighting came from inside—the monk was shouting angrily, along with the clashing of metal objects, causing everyone to worry. Finally, there was a loud “bang,” and the back window opened.
The monk shouted sternly, “If you dare cause trouble again, I will cut you down without mercy!” Then everything fell silent.
After a while, Gao Taigong nudged Gao Cai, signaling him to open the door and take a look. Gao Cai naturally didn’t dare, but Gao Taigong pinched and twisted him until, unable to bear the pain, Gao Cai slowly opened the door a crack.

The ground was in complete chaos, covered in blood. Gao Cai gasped in shock, unsure of the fierce battle that must have taken place in this hall. Looking at the open window, the monk was climbing out, carrying his pack and sticking out his buttocks.

Suspicious, Gao Cai flung the door wide and shouted bravely, “Where are you going, sorcerer?” The monk was startled and nearly fell. Seeing it was Gao Cai, he quickly regained his composure and snapped, “We failed to capture the demon here. What are you meddling with?”

Wukong realized the monk was just trying to deceive people for money. Playing a prank, he recited a spell that caused the window to close from the outside. Unprepared, the monk was crushed by the closing doors and sat on the ground in daze.

The broken handles of iron shovels and forks floated into the air and struck the monk. Terrified and unable to dodge, he cried out in pain. Gao Cai stood there, stunned by this strange scene. He wanted to escape but couldn’t move. Wukong sent a message to the monk, “You wretched monk! Daring to come here to deceive people. Quickly admit your mistake to the old man. From now on, grow hair and live a normal life, or I won’t spare you!”

Only the monk could hear these words. Already terrified, he knew he had encountered a powerful being. He knelt down and confessed everything about his deception. Then he took out gold and silver from his clothes and threw them on the ground before fleeing in panic through the hall door. The old man at the entrance also heard clearly. The monk had performed magic in the room, which sounded quite impressive, but why suddenly admit his fault? After some thought, the old man realized the monk was a swindler. His attempt to subdue the demon had failed, leaving blood everywhere and damaging several farming tools.

The old man sighed deeply and scolded Gao Cai again. He gave the gold and silver to Gao Cai, telling him to find a more powerful sorcerer the next day. Wukong paid no attention to this and suddenly remembered something, rushing out to chase the monk. He thought that since there was nothing to do for now, instead of waiting for Zhu Bajie to arrive at Gao Laozhuang, he might as well go straight to Yunzhan Cave on Fuling Mountain to capture him, avoiding the need to mobilize many people and disturb ordinary folks.

The monk ran frantically but didn’t go far. As he walked, he heard that same voice again, “Stop, monk! Do you know Fuling Mountain?” The monk knelt down again and said, “Great immortal king, spare my life! Fuling Mountain is about seven or eight hundred li south of this village. That’s roughly all I remember; I really can’t recall the exact distance.”

Wukong flew south at lightning speed. It took only a short while to reach the mountain, where he indeed saw a tall peak, dark in the night as if inhabited by countless monstrous creatures.

Wukong, skilled and bold, searched through mountains and ridges. Fortunately, his swift movements enabled him to find a cave in a mountain hollow in about half an hour; the words “Cloud Stack Cave” were clearly written on its entrance. Wukong stepped inside. After taking a few steps, he heard arguments coming from within—between a man and a woman. He concealed himself and listened closely. A rough male voice said, “I say we leave now and return early tomorrow. Why do you keep holding me back? What’s the reason?” It was obviously Zhu Bajie, reborn after Marshal Tian Peng descended to earth. A delicate female voice replied, “Tch! You ungrateful fool! You’re fickle and despicable. If not for me, you wouldn’t even know who you are—probably still scavenging in pig troughs.” Bajie mumbled a few words, seemingly realizing he was in the wrong, and said, “You only know how to scold me all day long. Fine, scold me if you want, but why bring up my painful past?” The woman said, “Since that little wench surnamed Gao appeared, how many more days have you stayed in this cave?” Bajie replied, “Is she any better than you just because she doesn’t scold me?” Listening to their conversation, Wukong realized the woman was jealous of Bajie’s frequent visits to Gao Laozhuang to see Miss Gao Cuilian, and she was acting out here. Could this woman be Er Jie, who tried to marry Bajie in Cloud Stack Cave? No—In “Journey to the West,” Bajie clearly said that Er Jie died just a year after getting married. Perhaps there was more to it? The woman’s voice grew choked, as if she were crying, and she said, “When the Jade Emperor cast you out of heaven, you were no different from a wild pig. If not for me reminding you of your past life, how could you have enjoyed such prosperity today?” Hearing this, Bajie remembered their past and said, “Er Jie, I’ll never forget this in my life.” The woman added, “Think how majestic and handsome Marshal Tian Peng was back then. I married you considering your noble background, but you show no gratitude. If that’s the case, just let me die!” Then they heard them struggling—she tried to commit suicide by hitting her head against a rock. Bajie cried, “Er Jie, don’t do this!” She replied, “You change partners constantly—what’s the point of my living?” Bajie stamped his foot and said, “To be honest, Er Jie, I won’t be able to enjoy such happy days much longer!” She immediately stopped talking and asked softly, “Why?” Bajie replied, “This is a serious matter. If I tell you, don’t go spreading it around!” She said, “I, Er Jie, have hidden my identity just to be with you quietly. What are you afraid of?”

Bajie said, “The Buddha in the Western Heaven has a second disciple named Jinchanzi. He has been reborn ten times and is now a high-ranking monk in the Tang Dynasty. Since the Buddha wants to spread Buddhism to the East, he has sent his second disciple on a journey from the East to the West to obtain sacred scriptures.”
The woman asked, “What does it have to do with you and me if he goes to get those scriptures?”
Bajie replied, “Indeed, you’re naive with your long hair. Guanyin knows of my great abilities, so she sent me to protect Tang Seng on his journey to the West to obtain the scriptures. In return, she will surely grant me a golden body and ultimate enlightenment!”
The woman exclaimed in shock, “Is that really true? Then when will you go?”
Bajie said, “I’m afraid the time is approaching.”
After pondering for a long time, the woman said, “So are we destined only to have a fleeting relationship?”
Bajie replied, “I’ve thought about this for days. You can wait for me along the way to the West. I’ll find an opportunity to take you along as well, so we can protect Tang Seng together. Even if we can’t return to heaven, with the protection of the Western Heaven, won’t life be just as glorious?”
When Wukong heard this, it seemed that this Egg Sister was Bajie’s acquaintance from heaven. Unable to contain his curiosity, he moved closer and used his secret Xuan Kong technique to look closely. What he saw was astonishing—it was indeed her, Egg Sister!