Volume 3: A Long Journey Chapter 221: Subduing the Yellow Wind It was not until the red sun set in the west, twilight descended, and darkness fell that Tang Seng and Zhu Bajie finally woke up. Tang Seng stretched himself, still yawning nonstop, and stood up, saying, “Indeed, summer makes one tired easily. I slept through the whole afternoon until dark—fear I may have delayed our journey.” Wukong replied, “No delay at all. The Yellow Wind Ridge is vast; it might take a whole day to cross. It’s fine to rest here for the night.” Zhu Bajie grumbled, “It’s already dark. It’s hard to go anywhere. Sigh, let’s sleep again.” Tang Seng said, “Wukong, I’m a bit hungry. Can we find something to eat here?” Wukong replied, “Master, don’t worry. I’ll go fetch it right away.” He gathered the luggage and horses together. Seeing Zhu Bajie snoring again, he told Tang Seng to sit still and not move. Wukong picked up his Ruyi Jingu Bang and drew a circle on the ground to ward off evil spirits. After giving Tang Seng a few more instructions, he soared into the air to scout around. While searching for any settlements, he suddenly saw a cloud approaching from the west, with someone hurrying along inside—it was the Bull Demon King. Realizing the Bull Demon King must be bringing news, Wukong hurried to meet him. The Bull Demon King said at once, “The group led by Great Yu has just returned to Qi Tian Ridge.” Wukong asked anxiously, “Is everyone safe?” The Bull Demon King replied, “Most are safe. Only Jiumang and Zhurong suffered minor injuries but will recover soon.” Wukong said, “The battle must have been fierce.” The Bull Demon King explained, “According to Ying Zhao, Great Yu used Xirang to seal the Great Hero Hall. Buddha emerged from the soil but was driven back by Hou Yi’s three arrows. Later, the Ancient Buddha of Burning Lamp fought alone against the God of Metal, the God of Wood, and the God of Fire, finally securing some advantages for them. After the battle, both sides made peace. The Great Sage and National Teacher, King Bodhisattva, has already been brought back to Qi Tian Ridge. Though they were gone for a long time, not a moment was wasted—because on Ling Mountain, seven days equal a thousand years on earth, that’s why they only returned after one day.” Knowing that Wukong was now on a pilgrimage and couldn’t act as freely as before, the Bull Demon King quickly took his leave. Wukong flew eastward back to the village to find something to eat, his mind filled with turmoil. If even the Ancient Buddha of Burning Lamp could defeat three Hunyuan Golden Immortals, it was clear the Western Heaven was incredibly powerful. Without the support of the Three Pure Ones, the Heavenly Court was no match at all! Wukong used his ability to pass through walls and houses to steal some food. Such actions could be considered theft. But knowing it was crucial to keep Tang Seng safe, he didn’t dare go far. Sometimes, great goals required ignoring minor details. He returned and woke Tang Seng and Zhu Bajie. They quickly ate a few bites before falling back asleep. There was no conversation that night.

The next day, upon waking, Wukong instructed Bajie to take good care of their master while he went into the mountains to search for the Yellow Wind Monster. As he had said to Laojun, Wukong intended to make a fuss in order to expose those behind the scenes.

The Yellow Wind Cave was quite hidden. After climbing through mountains and ridges, Wukong finally saw a few small demons dozing off on a mountain slope. He picked up his staff and killed each one with a single strike, leaving only the last one to lead him to the cave entrance. There, he indeed saw six big characters written on the cave door: “Yellow Wind Ridge, Yellow Wind Cave.”

Wukong had no patience. With one strike, he shattered the cave door with a deafening noise, then shouted, “Monster, come out! Grandpa Sun, who specializes in subduing demons, has arrived!”

Inside the cave, the Yellow Wind Monster had not slept well all night because his subordinate, Tiger Vanguard, had gone out to hunt and not returned. He had been sent here by the Bodhisattva Lingji to prevent Tang Seng from continuing on his journey westward. But since the Yellow Wind Monster had previously fought against Sun Wukong at the Five Villages Temple, he knew how powerful this monkey was. So he stayed hidden in the cave, hoping that the monk on his quest would pass by quickly without noticing him. At worst, he could endure the Bodhisattva’s scolding—much better than facing battle.

It wasn’t until early morning that the Yellow Wind Monster finally fell into a drowsy sleep, yet his mind was filled with chaos. Suddenly, he heard a loud crash. Not sure whether it was a dream or reality, he sat up abruptly and rubbed his eyes. A few small demons rushed over and shouted, “Your Majesty, there’s a monkey outside who smashed the cave door!”

The Yellow Wind Monster was shocked. “I didn’t provoke him—why has he come after me?”

Now there was no way to hide anymore. He forced himself to gather his strength and stepped out with three steel forks.

Wukong waited outside with his Ruyi Staff. Before long, an old monster emerged from the cave door. This demon wore a golden helmet and armor that shone brightly, a yellow robe over his armor, deer skin boots, and a brocade apron. His three steel forks glinted menacingly, giving him a formidable appearance.

The Yellow Wind Monster shouted, “Where do you come from, monkey? Why do you ruin my cave without reason?”

Wukong replied, “I am Sun Wukong, the eldest disciple of the pilgrims from the Eastern Land. I am protecting my master on his journey westward—to obtain the scriptures and to subdue demons, thereby upholding the righteousness of Buddhism!”

The Yellow Wind Monster was stunned and asked, “Just go ahead and get your scriptures. There are countless demons in the world—how could they interfere with you?”

Wukong said, “Everyone should take care of their own affairs! If we let you guys act recklessly, how can the common people live in peace?”

The Yellow Wind Monster cursed inwardly, calling him an “intrusive monkey,” but then said, “The demons in my cave never leave this Yellow Wind Ridge.”

Wukong, who had come specifically to provoke him, sneered and said, “Yesterday, a demon tiger claimed to be acting under your orders to capture my master. Is that true or not?”

The Yellow Wind Monster was shocked. In his heart, he cursed the Tiger Vanguard harshly, reminding himself that he had clearly instructed him to be careful, to catch only some wild animals and avoid provoking others. So he said, “You’re wrong here. There have never been any tiger demons in my cave. It must be someone else pretending. I can’t take the blame for that.”

Wukong replied, “Stop talking nonsense. Anyway, I must eliminate you today!”

The Yellow Wind Monster shouted, “You monkey are too unreasonable! If you keep causing trouble like this, you’ll never make it to the Western Heaven!”

Wukong laughed and said, “Whether I can go or not depends only on me! Watch this!” He raised his iron staff and swung it at the Yellow Wind Monster, using at least 50% of his strength, with the fierce wind accompanying the strike.

The Yellow Wind Monster desperately raised his steel fork to block it. With a loud clang, he let out a painful scream as the fork flew from his hand and landed in the ground, its heavily forged handle bent in half. The Ruyi Tianji Staff continued its unstoppable momentum, hitting the Yellow Wind Monster’s shoulder blades and shattering them completely.

Frightened and terrified, the Yellow Wind Monster realized that this monkey was truly his nemesis—meeting him always brought misfortune. But the Bodhisattva had said that if he were in danger, he would come to save him immediately. Since they had already fought, he would take it to the end. “Damn you, monkey! Let me show you my power!”

The Yellow Wind Monster recited a spell, opened his mouth, and blew in a certain direction. Seeing his actions, Wukong knew he was about to use the Three-Flavor Divine Wind. That skill was extremely powerful, so he better not test it on himself. He created a burst of golden light and vanished underground, thinking, “Can you even blow up the ground?”

Wukong stayed underground for a while, waiting until the noise above ceased before emerging again.

The Yellow Wind Monster thought Wukong had been blown away by the Three-Flavor Divine Wind and turned to return to his cave. Seeing the monster’s back turned, Wukong leaped up to strike. Just then, someone in the sky shouted, “Great Sage, wait!”

Unfazed, Wukong had expected someone to try to stop him. He continued swinging his Ruyi Tianji Staff, crushing the Yellow Wind Monster into a pulp with just one strike.

The Yellow Wind Monster’s body fell to the ground, revealing its true form—a yellow-furred weasel.

Only after confirming the monster was dead did Wukong look up at the figure in the sky. It was indeed Bodhisattva Lingji. Lingji was furious that Wukong ignored his warning. That yellow-furred weasel was his mount, uniquely gifted, with the Three-Flavor Divine Wind that even gods and demons feared. It was unthinkable that it would be killed by Wukong’s staff.

Bodhisattva Lingji descended and said, “You monkey are too cruel! Do you think my words just pass by your ears?”

Unfazed, Wukong sneered, “You just shouted from above. How would I know who you are? If you’re an ally of demons, wouldn’t I be attacked from both sides?”

Lingji became furious upon hearing this and shouted, “You insolent monkey!”
Wukong replied with a smile, “You’re too kind, Bodhisattva. I protect Tang Seng on his journey to the West solely for the sake of the true scriptures and ultimate enlightenment. There are so many demons along the way. If I don’t eradicate them completely, one after another will appear—how could I possibly deal with all of them?”
Lingji pointed at the corpse of the yellow-furred weasel and said, “Do you know who this is? This is an enlightened mouse from at the foot of the Spiritual Mountain in the West. Even before the Buddha, it held a high status.”
Wukong was slightly surprised. “Oh? Does that mean the Bodhisattva is saying the Buddha fails to maintain strict discipline? If so, why don’t we confront the Buddha himself to decide whether this weasel spirit deserves to be killed?” Wukong intended to make a big deal out of this, ignoring the Bodhisattva and the Buddha altogether.
Lingji dared not confront them and only said angrily, “You demon monkey! Your evil nature remains unextirpated. You recklessly kill living beings. If you continue like this, you’ll never obtain the true scriptures!”
Wukong replied, “Whether I can obtain the true scriptures isn’t up to you or me. As the saying goes, sincerity brings success. I am wholeheartedly devoted to the Buddha, so I refuse to believe I can’t get them.”
At first, Lingji had all sorts of plans. He thought that by arriving at the Yellow Wind Ridge and helping Wukong capture the Yellow Wind Monster, the group on the pilgrimage would be extremely grateful to him. He could stage a show to fulfill the Buddha’s task in the East and also report back to the Tathagata, claiming he had “tested whether they were truly sincere.”
He never expected Wukong to be so troublesome—not only was he highly skilled, having killed the Yellow Wind Monster with a single stick, but he also turned around to question Lingji.
Lingji said, “Although this weasel spirit has been causing trouble here, its crime isn’t severe enough for death—”
“Then why is it dead?” Wukong interrupted him, then smiled and said, “Bodhisattva, please don’t be angry. I’m not trying to provoke you. In this world, things are either right or wrong, not whether they’re ‘should’ or ‘shouldn’t.’ Do you understand?” Though he said he wasn’t angry, he actually wanted Lingji to get angry.
After all, Lingji had practiced for many years. Even though he was furious inside, his face showed no trace of it. He said, “Enough, enough. We still have a long journey ahead. Be careful of yourself.”
Wukong replied with a smile, “No need for you to worry, Bodhisattva.”
Ignoring Wukong, Lingji waved his sleeves, creating a gust of wind that rushed toward the entrance of the Yellow Wind Cave, blowing the broken doors wide open. He said, “Monkey, you keep saying you want to eradicate all threats. Then why haven’t you gotten rid of all the demons in this cave?”
Wukong replied, “Since the main culprit has been punished, how can the rest pose a threat? Look at these little demons—they must have been deceived and forced by the weasel spirit. Those who have taken monastic vows should have a heart full of kindness.”
Seeing Wukong’s pretentious attitude, Lingji grew angrier and, with a “hmph,” stomped his foot before flying away.

Wukong watched Lingji’s back and shook his head. It seemed that Bodhisattva Lingji was quite cunning after all; he hadn’t managed to bring out Buddha Donglai. But this was just the beginning—the days ahead were still long.