Volume 3: A Long Journey, Chapter 206: Fire Without Mercy

Back in the two-story building, Tang Seng was still engrossed in reading scriptures by the bookshelf, his posture hardly changing. Afraid of startling him, Wukong gently knocked on the doorframe before calling out, “Master!”
Seeing Wukong return, Tang Seng said cheerfully, “Although the Guanyin Zen Monastery isn’t very large, it contains many fine scriptures. Come and take a look.” Wukong replied with a smile, “Master, I already have all the scriptures in my heart.”
Tang Seng closed the scroll, yawned, and said, “You monkey, you’re always full of nonsense. It’s probably already the hour of Xu; it’s time to rest.” Wukong said, “Master, go ahead and sleep. I’ll just take a short nap.”
Tang Seng unrolled his bedding and went to sleep in his clothes. His mind was calm and free from distractions, and he fell asleep in no time. Seeing that Tang Seng was sound asleep, Wukong cursed, “What a carefree fool,” but then he too fell asleep.
He got up and stepped outside. Leaping into the air, he looked around and saw many monks carrying firewood rushing toward the building. At a rough count, there were about two hundred of them. He thought to himself, “So this Zen monastery is completely corrupt at its core. It seems everyone in the monastery is involved in this scheme. If that’s the case, it doesn’t matter if it’s burned to the ground.”
As the firewood was piled up around the building, Guangzhi stood among the crowd, gesturing frantically to urge them on. A few monks took torches and lit the wood, which was all dry pine. In no time, the fire started burning fiercely.
Wukong paid no attention to such a small fire. Using his fire-controlling powers, he protected the small building. Then he created a reverse wind current, allowing the fire to spread even more rapidly. Soon, the grass and trees around the building were also on fire.
Seeing the wind blow, Guangzhi said happily, “With such a big fire, even the ashes will be burned away.” His disciple, Guangmou, asked, “Won’t this fire also burn the treasures?” Guangzhi gave him a disdainful look and said, “If they can’t withstand fire and water, what kind of treasures are they?”
The heat from the fire downstairs forced the monks to watch from a distance. Seeing that the building was isolated with no other structures within a hundred feet, Wukong used his wind-summoning skill to blow piles of burning wood onto the distant monk’s quarters. The monks saw this clearly and cried out, “What a strong wind! Hurry and put out the fire!” They rushed about, trying to find water to extinguish the flames.
But how could they compete with the ease with which Wukong started the fire? Piles of flames were blown around by the strong wind, and the entire Guanyin Zen Monastery was engulfed in fire—how could they possibly put it out?

Dark smoke billowed, red flames surged, the stars in the sky vanished and the moonlight dimmed; the light from the flames could be seen for miles. The monks deliberately set the fire, while Wukong used their tactics to turn the fire against them. In moments, the wind grew fierce and the fire intensified, turning the entire Guanyin Temple red. Seeing that the fire was uncontrollable, the monks began carrying boxes and chests, selecting only the useful items to take with them. Soon, the entire temple was filled with cries of pain.

As Wukong relished his revenge, he suddenly noticed dark clouds gathering in the south. Looking closely, he saw his old acquaintance, the Black Bear Demon, standing on the clouds. The Black Wind Mountain where the Black Bear Demon lived was only twenty miles away from the Guanyin Temple. Seeing the fire, he had come to investigate.

Wukong smiled inwardly upon seeing the Black Bear Demon, thinking, “This time, I won’t give you a robe.” But then he thought again that this bear demon wasn’t an ordinary monster. Just by seeing him hold the splendid robe in his hands without caring, it was clear he wasn’t greedy for wealth. The so-called “taking a robe from the fire” required a special ceremony; perhaps some deity had deliberately arranged this test to prevent the pilgrims from continuing their journey westward. Unexpectedly, Guanyin benefited from this and took him as the guardian god of Mount Luojia.

Recalling his encounter with the Black Bear Demon in the three realms, Wukong realized he had almost taken the bear demon as his subordinate. Now, after leaving the three realms, the bear demon had established his own domain as the Black King of Black Wind Mountain. As he thought about this, Wukong remembered something important. The Black Bear Demon had seen Wukong’s true form before. If he were truly taken by Guanyin and revealed his identity, it would be extremely detrimental to his future plans. Guanyin’s intentions were unpredictable—who knew what she might do?

Realizing this, Wukong made a quick decision. He couldn’t keep the Black Bear Demon around, at least not let him roam freely in the world. Otherwise, he would never feel at ease. The situation was urgent. Wukong wanted to seek help but was afraid the Black Bear Demon might see Tang Seng and cause more trouble. After all, the entire temple was in flames, with only this small building remaining intact. As he thought this, the Black Bear Demon circled in the sky before heading straight for the building. Without hesitation, Wukong drew his iron staff and shouted, “Monster!”

The Black Bear Demon was startled. Wukong had intended to strike, but the bear demon had no chance to escape. Fortunately, Wukong didn’t intend to kill him. He struck the bear demon’s lower leg with his staff. The bear demon cried out in pain. Seeing Wukong, he exclaimed, “It’s you!”

Wukong remained silent, raising his staff to strike again. The Black Bear Demon spread his hands and pleaded, “Don’t hit me! I’m one of your own!” Wukong sneered, “If you’re one of my own, why didn’t you stay at Qi Tian Ling? Why did you establish your own domain?”

The black bear spirit said with a grim face, “It’s not that I don’t want to go, it’s just… just…” Seeing the black bear spirit hesitating, Wukong grew impatient and said, “If you won’t speak, I’ll hit you again!”
The black bear spirit hurriedly replied, “It was Laojun who sent me here!”
“Ah!” Wukong was shocked. The black bear spirit was actually under Laojun’s command. Logically, the Taoists should have tried to stop the pilgrims, so why would the black bear spirit work with that hermit to help Tang Seng escape?
Wukong shouted, “Don’t try to deceive me! Laojun is one of the Three Pure Ones in heaven—how would he care about earthly matters?”
The black bear spirit said, “It’s true, true! If I’m lying, may I never be freed from suffering!” Having already suffered at Wukong’s hands, he was scared after just one encounter.
Wukong asked, “Then tell me, what did Laojun order you to do?”
The black bear spirit replied, “A few months ago, Laojun told me to go to Shuangcha Ridge and rescue that monk on his pilgrimage. But before I could do so, he was rescued by someone else. Later, Laojun ordered me to wait at Black Wind Mountain, saying the pilgrims would definitely come there, and to create trouble to delay their journey.”
Wukong felt dizzy hearing this. Laojun’s actions were contradictory—what was his intention? If General Yin had eaten Tang Seng, everything would be settled, the Taoists would retain their power, and Buddha’s mission to obtain the scriptures would end. So why did he still send the black bear spirit and that hermit to spare Tang Seng’s life?
Wukong asked, “Is that hermit on your side?”
The black bear spirit nodded, “Exactly. He’s Laojun’s Green Ox.”
Only then did Wukong believe the black bear spirit’s words—no one could make up such a story so quickly. He said, “You foolish bear! This mess isn’t something you can just wade into casually.”
The black bear spirit stared blankly, not understanding what Wukong meant. Wukong continued, “Buddha personally set out this mission to obtain the scriptures—how can you stop it? If you don’t know better, think about how many bodhisattvas and Buddhas would like to capture you. Even if they don’t come, can you defeat my iron staff?”
The black bear spirit repeated, “I can’t, I can’t!” Then he suddenly realized and asked, “Could it be… you want to protect the pilgrim?”
Wukong said helplessly, “At least you’re not completely stupid.”
The black bear spirit pleaded, “On one side are the Three Pure Ones, and on the other, Buddha and the bodhisattvas—what am I supposed to do?”
Wukong thought for a moment and said, “If you trust me, I’ll show you the way—guaranteeing you peace of mind.”
The black bear spirit asked, “Though the world is vast, how can I escape Laojun’s grasp?”
Wukong replied, “Go to Qitian Ridge. Just say I sent you there. Stay there at all costs— the Three Pure Ones will never go there to take you.”
The black bear spirit said doubtfully, “You’re not lying to me?”

Wukong said fiercely, “You ungrateful wretch! If I just finished you off with my staff, things would be so much simpler!” The Black Bear Spirit, knowing that Wukong was trying to scare him, said with a smile, “Don’t hit me. I’ll go to Qitianling right away.” Wukong shouted, “If you’re going, hurry up! Don’t delay!” The Black Bear Spirit bowed to Wukong and said solemnly, “Thank you!” Then he soared south on the clouds. Wukong realized that though the Black Bear Spirit seemed reckless, he was actually very clever. After weighing the pros and cons, he should be able to follow Wukong’s advice and go to Qitianling to take refuge. Wukong returned to the scripture pavilion and saw that Tang Seng was still fast asleep. He then used his Ruyi Tianji Staff to draw a circle beneath the small building, protecting it from water, fire, and evil spirits, before flying to Qitianling. It wasn’t that Wukong was overly cautious—it was because this matter was of great importance. Few people knew about his dual forms. The Three Pure Ones understood the gravity of the situation and surely wouldn’t reveal it, and others like Fengtong, the Bull Demon King, and Dayu were even less likely to expose this secret. The only uncontrollable ones were the Black Bear Spirit and the Nine-Headed Worm. He didn’t have time to search for the Nine-Headed Worm at the moment, but since he had encountered the Black Bear Spirit, he had to eliminate this threat first. If he went to Black Wind Mountain himself, repeated urging might instead arouse the Black Bear Spirit’s suspicion, leading to complicated conflicts. It would be better to ask people like Dayu to capture him directly. If the forces of Qitianling intervened, even the Three Pure Ones might disapprove but wouldn’t interfere. Soon they arrived at Qitianling. Wukong met Dayu and the others and asked them to go to Black Wind Mountain in his place to capture the Black Bear Spirit and bring him to Qitianling. Dayu readily agreed. Just as he was about to send Hou Yi, the Qilin entered the cave and was overjoyed to see Wukong. Hearing about the task, the Qilin volunteered, “I’m bored anyway. Such a small task is a piece of cake for me.” Dayu and the others knew well of the Qilin’s abilities; if he intervened, not even ten Black Bear Spirits could escape. Wukong, worried about Tang Seng, left immediately. He led the way ahead, taking the Qilin to Black Wind Mountain, before hurrying back to the Guanyin Zen Monastery. By now, the fire had subsided, and the monks in the monastery were crying as they picked through the rubble for useful belongings. Apart from the small building where Tang Seng lived, the entire Guanyin Zen Monastery was in ruins. Wukong didn’t care about their fate. He sat on the clouds, waiting for Tang Seng to wake up before continuing westward. Wukong had set fire to something and felt quite pleased. As he sat watching the monks work, he suddenly saw red clouds approaching from the south. Two figures stood on them—the Qilin holding the Black Bear Spirit. Seeing Wukong, the Qilin called out from afar, “I’m off!” It had come specifically to say goodbye to Wukong.

Before Wukong could reply, a loud shout came from the sky: “You wretched fiend! How dare you set fire to my monastery!” It was none other than Guanyin.