Volume 3: A Long Journey, Chapter 213: Yellow Wind Ridge

Along the way, Tang Seng kept his eyes fixed on his nose and his mind on his heart, deeply pondering the “Sutra of Multiple Minds” taught to him by Zen Master Wu Chao.
When they descended the mountain and stepped onto the main road, Tang Seng suddenly had an epiphany and recited a few verses: “Dharma arises from the mind; it also perishes in the mind. Who controls its arising and ceasing? Please discern for yourself… A thread is threaded through the nose, tying the void together. It’s tied to the Tree of Inaction, preventing it from falling… When there’s a mind, there’s no mind; when Dharma appears, Dharma ceases. When humans and oxen are unseen, the blue sky shines bright. Round as the autumn moon, they’re hard to distinguish.”
Wukong secretly praised Tang Seng for his extraordinary insight. He had only memorized half an hour of this sutra, yet he could apply its principles flexibly—truly, constant recitation would bring enlightenment.
Though he admired him, Wukong asked, “Master, do you know the meaning of this ‘Sutra of Multiple Minds’?”
Tang Seng replied, “It naturally strengthens our resolve to worship Buddha. As the saying goes, ‘Medicine cannot cure incurable diseases; Buddha saves those with a sincere heart.’ With such sincerity, determination, and purity of heart, why worry about not reaching the Western Heaven?”
Wukong laughed and asked, “Did your resolve to worship Buddha not seem firm before?”
Tang Seng was taken aback and said, “Of course not.”
Zigzei, carrying the load, grunted, “These scriptures are too convoluted. If we follow Master’s explanation, just mentioning the word ‘mind’ is enough—why go through all that?”
Tang Seng said, “Though Zigzei’s words are crude, they make sense.”
Wukong thought to himself that although Zen Master Wu Chao claimed this sutra could dispel evil forces, Tang Seng’s repeated hardships in “Journey to the West” proved it was actually useless. Tang Seng being captured many times yet surviving each time was a satire of Wu Chao’s teaching. In short, the quest for the scriptures was merely a game played by Buddha. Without some invisible force manipulating all the gods and demons, Tang Seng would have died countless times by now.
With this thought, Wukong had an idea: since this whole situation was orchestrated by Buddha, could it be that Zen Master Wu Chao was also competing with Buddha? It seemed the waters of this quest were truly murky!
The three of them traveled day and night, through spring and into summer, with less cold. By day, they heard the chirping of cicadas in the trees; at night, they saw fireflies like stars—providing them with much enjoyment.
One day, Tang Seng said cheerfully, “If we keep going like this, we might reach our destination in two or three years.”
Hearing Tang Seng speak like a child, Wukong thought that when they would arrive was not up to him to decide.
As the sun set, they saw a village in the distance. Zigzei exclaimed, “Master, look!” Tang Seng was also delighted and said, “There are many households over there. Let’s stay there for the night.”

Zhu Bajie complained, “Indeed. These days, I’ve been in desolate mountains and forests, or when I encounter villages, it’s already past mealtime. I, this old pig… have lost a lot of weight from hunger.”
Wukong sneered, “With all that fat on you, losing thirty or fifty pounds won’t even show.” He wasn’t exaggerating—at that time, Zhu Bajie was in the form of a pig demon, strong and bulky, weighing at least three or four hundred pounds.
Zhu Bajie said, “How can I compare to you, who can survive just by breathing wind? Ever since I followed Master, I’ve had to endure hunger most of the time. Do you know that?” Hearing this, Tang Seng frowned and said, “Wuneng, if you find the journey too hard, just return to Gao Laozhuang.”
Fearing Tang Seng’s words, Zhu Bajie panicked and buried himself in the ground, saying, “Master, my elder brother is just teasing me, trying to trick me with words. I just said I was hungry, and he called me fat. Though I am a bit fat, I’m still agile. Since I’ve been enlightened by the Bodhisattva and shown mercy by Master, I surely won’t go back on my word.”
Seeing Zhu Bajie’s sincerity, Tang Seng softened his heart and said, “If that’s the case, get up.” Wukong thought this fool could speak after all.
Before long, they reached the first house at the village entrance. Tang Seng said, “Wukong, go knock on the door. Don’t scare the people.”
Wukong rushed to the door and saw an old man reclining on a bamboo bed, cooling off, with his eyes closed, chanting prayers while spinning a prayer bead. Wukong approached him and gently called out, “Elder benefactor, we trouble you here.”
Hearing the voice, the old man slightly opened his eyes and saw a furry monkey face right in front of him. Startled, he quickly got up and shouted, “What brings Thunder God here?”
Wukong grabbed him and laughed, “Look closely, old man. Thunder God has a blue face—where’s my good looks?”
By then, Tang Seng had already dismounted and pulled Wukong behind him, bowing and saying, “My humble disciple was rude and startled you.” The old man glanced at Tang Seng and then at Wukong, marveling, “You’re so handsome. How did you take in such an ugly disciple?”
Wukong laughed, “Though he’s ugly, he’s capable. The uglier one is behind.”
At that moment, Zhu Bajie stepped forward and said rudely, “This old pig bows to you.” He raised his head and smiled at the old man, scaring him almost to death. Wukong supported him and asked, “How about that?”
The old man trembled and said, “You still look more pleasing to the eye.”
Seeing the prayer bead in the old man’s hand, Tang Seng said happily, “Elder, you also believe in Buddhism. Then you’re not an outsider. I’m from the Great Tang in the East, sent by the King of Tang to go to the Western Heaven to worship Buddha and obtain scriptures.”
The old man tilted his head and asked, “Which way are you going?”
Thinking the old man was hard of hearing, Tang Seng replied, “We’re going west.”
The old man shook his head and said, “You can’t go to the Western Heaven. It’s better to go east.”

Tang Seng was surprised and asked, “There are no scriptures in the East—why go there?”
The old man replied, “It’s better to have no scriptures than no life. If you don’t listen to advice, your life may be in danger.”
Wukong asked, “According to you, are there any demons on the road to the West?”
The old man said, “Indeed, there are demons. Just a few dozen miles west lies a mountain called the 800-Mile Yellow Wind Ridge. On that mountain lives a Yellow Wind Demon, and there are countless other demons in the area. Even dozens of strong villagers dare not enter the mountain—how can you three possibly make it?”
Wukong thought to himself, “So it’s indeed the Yellow Wind Ridge. The order of these demons never changes—this must be all planned out.”
Hearing about the demons, Tang Seng also felt uneasy. Though he knew Wukong and Zhu Bajie had some abilities, he didn’t know exactly how strong they were. Wukong smiled and said, “Master, don’t worry. A few minor demons are nothing for me to handle.”
The old man said, “Anyway, since you’re guests from afar, please come inside and talk.”
Zhu Bajie added from behind, “There’s no need for talk—just give us some food to eat.”
Hearing the ugly man speak again, as if driven by a whip, the old man hurriedly entered the house. The three followed. The old man was careful not to startle the family and led them to a side room, then brought out food. This family was devout Buddhists, so they served only vegetarian dishes. Tang Seng was even happier and waited until he recited a passage from a scripture before eating. Meanwhile, Zhu Bajie had already eaten two bowls of rice, leaving the old man in awe.
Wukong joked, “Are you worried?”
The old man shook his head. “Though we don’t have thousands of acres of fertile land, we do have some stored grain. There’s no need to worry. It’s just that I’m amazed at how quickly this monk eats—I wonder how many months he hasn’t eaten.”
Zhu Bajie had no time to talk and kept stuffing rice into his mouth. In no time, a dozen empty bowls were piled aside. Tang Seng had eaten less than two bowls by then. Seeing Zhu Bajie’s eating habits, he quickly said, “That’s enough.”
The old man replied, “It’s fine. You’re heading to that dangerous place tomorrow. If anything happens, at least you won’t die of hunger.” With that, he brought out all the food in the house. Zhu Bajie ate everything he could find, but still only felt half full.
They slept well that night. When they woke up in the morning, the family prepared soup and food to see them off. The old man said, “If anything goes wrong, be sure to come back.” Tang Seng and his companions thanked him, mounted their horses, and set off westward.
After passing through the villages and traveling for half a day, they saw a high mountain with steep cliffs and deep ravines. On top of the mountain were jagged rocks, and in the ravines were gushing springs. Hidden among the cliffs were numerous caves, and on the mountain slopes, wolves, insects, and beasts moved about swiftly. Seeing the harsh terrain, Wukong pulled back Tang Seng’s horse.

Deep within the 800-li Yellow Wind Ridge, in a cave dwelling, an old demon wore golden armor and sat atop a raised platform, with several lesser demons standing at his feet to serve him. The old demon’s shiny armor appeared imposing at first glance, but his sharp mouth, pointed ears, and darting eyes diminished his aura somewhat.

A tiger demon stepped forward, looking anxious, and said, “My king, we’ve been eating dried food these past few days, and even wine is hard to swallow. Why don’t we go out and hunt some living creatures to eat?”

The old demon replied, “Tiger Vanguard, it’s not that I don’t want to eat meat. These past few days, I’ve been too worried, so I want to eat vegetarian food for a while to calm my mind.”

Tiger Vanguard laughed and said, “When has my king ever eaten vegetarian food? If you’re too lazy to move, I’d be happy to do it for you. I can easily catch deer, rabbits, and other beasts.”

The old demon hesitated and said, “Well…” Before coming here, he had received instructions from the Bodhisattva Lingji to intercept the monks from the Eastern Land who were on a pilgrimage. After investigating, he learned that one of these monks, Sun Wukong, had once challenged the heavens alone and, in a fit of anger, stormed into the Hall of Brightness, breaking several pillars of the Southern Heavenly Gate. Even Buddha himself failed to subdue him. Realizing he was likely no match for Sun Wukong, he planned to stay hidden in the cave and claim he hadn’t encountered them when the Bodhisattva asked.

Tiger Vanguard said, “My king, why worry so much? Isn’t this 800-li Yellow Wind Ridge ours?”

After thinking for a while, the old demon replied, “To be honest, I also want to eat meat. Since you insist on going, go quickly and return soon. But remember one thing: this time, only hunt wild beasts—avoid any trouble!”

Tiger Vanguard nodded nonchalantly and left the cave with a few loyal demons. Just as they were about to go, the old demon called out, “Go slowly. I’ll give you a gust of wind to help you hide.”

Tiger Vanguard smirked inwardly—his king was too cautious.

※　※　※

Wukong was observing the landscape when suddenly a fierce wind blew. The wind knocked down the cypresses by the cliffs and withered the leaves of the pines in the ravines. Dust filled the air, obscuring the mountains and valleys. What a truly desolate Yellow Wind Ridge—probably named for this very reason.

Wukong shouted, “Bajie, put down your load and be careful!” He then leaped to Tang Seng’s side to examine the wind more closely.

Just as Bajie raised his rake, a colorful tiger leaped down from the mountain peak and charged at Tang Seng on horseback. Bajie swung his rake, but the tiger twisted mid-air to dodge it. Seeing Bajie’s fierce attack, the tiger turned and ran away. Wukong shouted, “Chase after it!”

Bajie was determined to claim this first achievement, so he chased after it with his rake. After pursuing for a mile or two, he saw a colorful tiger skin faintly visible behind a tree. Bajie grew suspicious, circled around, and swung his rake at the fierce tiger. The blow left his hand numb—it turned out to be just a tiger skin laid on a green stone.

Bajie exclaimed in alarm, “Bad! I’ve fallen for his trick to lure the pig away from the mountain. I’ve lost my chance at this first achievement.”

Wukong held onto Tang Seng here, gripping his iron rod with one hand. The tiger general drove Bajie away and rushed at Tang Seng. Wukong, being short in stature and standing behind the horse, went unnoticed by the tiger general. Seeing only Tang Seng sitting trembling on the horse, the tiger general grew overjoyed and pounced at him without restraint.

Wukong looked down and recognized the tiger general—it was General Yin, who had captured Tang Seng at Shuangcha Ridge!