Volume 3: A Long Journey, Chapter 249: Golden and Silver Horns

After enduring the harsh winter, the Tang Priest and his disciples entered the spring season. One day, they encountered a high mountain blocking their path. Tang Priest said, “Disciples, be careful. There’s a high mountain ahead; there may be tigers and wolves in wait.”
Indeed, the mountain was towering and steep, with sharp peaks, deep ravines, and sheer cliffs—extremely dangerous.
Wukong laughed and said, “Master, you’ve also gained some wisdom now—able to sense demons in the mountains.”
Bajie, having been reprimanded before, wanted to make amends and volunteered, “Master, let me go scout the area!” Wukong said, “Good, junior brother. At last, you say something sensible.”
Bajie said, “Hehe, I, the Marshal Tian Peng, am no impostor. Whatever demon dares to cross my path will end up with nine holes in its head.”
Wukong replied, “Though that’s true, we still can’t be careless.”
Bajie, armed with his rake, went off to scout. Once he was far away, Wukong said, “Master, this mountain is likely no good place. I’ll go take a look too.” So Wukong instructed Wuhui to lead Tang Priest to a high vantage point from where they could see everything, then he set off to search for Bajie.
That fool, full of confidence as he went to hunt demons, had barely entered the mountain when demons were already mobilizing troops to capture Tang Priest.
The mountain was called Pingding Mountain, and within it lay the Lotus Cave. Inside the cave lived two formidable demons known as the Golden Horn King. These demons had extraordinary origins—they commanded the local mountain gods across dozens of surrounding mountains. One day, the Golden Horn King sat idly in his cave and said, “Brother, I’ve heard that there’s a Tang Priest from the Eastern Land who’s on his way to the Western Heaven to obtain scriptures. That monk is actually the immortal Golden Cicada Elder, a virtuous man who has practiced for ten lifetimes without losing any of his vital energy. If we eat his flesh, we can gain longevity.”
Silver Horn rejoiced, “How can we miss such a good opportunity? Children, follow me to scout the area!”
Golden Horn said, “You don’t even recognize that monk. Even if you meet him, you might still miss him. I have a portrait of the monk seeking scriptures. Just follow this image to catch him.”
With the portrait, Silver Horn knew what the four of them looked like, so he led dozens of minor demons to scout the area. Not long after, they encountered Bajie.
Seeing a group of people with strange heads and human figures across from him, Bajie knew they were no good. But facing their large numbers, he grew nervous. Silver Horn spotted Bajie from afar and shouted, “You fat guy, where are you going?”
Bajie replied, “Just passing by!”
Silver Horn compared him to the portrait—wasn’t this pig-faced man none other than Zhu Bajie? He then shouted, “You’re the Zhu Bajie who’s seeking scriptures, right?”
Realizing he couldn’t hide any longer, Bajie snapped, “And what if I am? What then?”

Silver Horn chuckled and said, “Guys, capture him for me!” The little demons surrounded them, and Silver Horn drew his precious sword, standing side by side with Zhu Bajie. In terms of combat skills, Zhu Bajie was no weaker than these demons, but with those little demons distracting him, he couldn’t withstand even twenty or thirty rounds before showing signs of defeat.

Wukong saw from afar that the demon had silver horns on its head—wasn’t this the King of Silver Horns? Strange! Golden Horn and Silver Horn were disciples of the Lord of Heaven. He had thought the Three Pure Ones would never send anyone to stop the pilgrimage, so why had these two appeared? He remembered in “Journey to the West” that the Monkey King was trapped under three huge mountains by Silver Horn’s magic, barely able to escape, and it was only the Mountain God who helped him free himself. These two demons were using such ruthless tactics—clearly intent on ruining the pilgrimage. But there was a big difference now compared to before; Wukong had already spoken with the Three Pure Ones, and though they hadn’t fully trusted him, they had at least greeted him. Without the Lord of Heaven’s orders, Golden Horn and Silver Horn wouldn’t dare descend to the mortal world on their own. Could it be that the Three Pure Ones had changed their mind again?

As Wukong pondered, he saw Zhu Bajie surrounded by the demons, unable to fight back. Thinking that this fool had finally focused and sincerely set out to explore the path, Wukong couldn’t just stand by. He drew out his Heavenly Rod and shouted, “How dare you, demons!” Then he leaped into the midst of the battle. With his iron rod sweeping through, the demons couldn’t resist and scattered. Zhu Bajie continued to brag, “Brother, if you don’t come soon, we’ll be beaten!”

On the other side, the King of Silver Horns was delighted to see Wukong appear and asked, “From your appearance, are you Sun Wukong, the eldest disciple of Tang Sanzang?” Wukong replied, “You know my name? How dare you still block our way?”

Silver Horn said, “Hehe, I’ve been waiting for you. Let me show you my magical treasures!” In a flash, he took out a red gourd from his bosom and said, “Sun Wukong, I know you’re highly skilled in magic and even dared to show off in the Heavenly Palace. How about we have a bet today?”

Wukong asked, “What kind of bet?” He was well aware of Golden Horn and Silver Horn’s magical treasures, so he wasn’t afraid at all.

Silver Horn said, “I’ll just call your name. If you dare to answer, I’ll let you all go west. What do you say?”

Wukong replied, “Why not?”

Silver Horn removed the lid of the gourd and called, “Sun Wukong!”

Wukong thought that if he answered, he would be sucked inside the gourd. No matter whether the name was real or not, as long as he responded, he would be drawn to the source of the sound. If he refused, he would lose face.

Yin Jiao looked at Wukong with a smile, while Wukong stared back with a sly glint in his eyes, beginning to think of a strategy. Normally, it would be easy to create an illusion using a single hair, but with everyone watching so closely, it was difficult to cast spells. At that moment, one of the lesser demons, reckless and foolish, said, “Your Majesty, he won’t dare—” Before he could finish, he was sucked into the gourd with a whoosh. Yin Jiao was both amused and annoyed; he quickly pulled the demon out and scolded him harshly, “You fool! You’ve ruined my plans!” The demon’s magic was weak, and in just an instant, his body was charred black, as if by fire or poison. Wukong thought to himself that this Purple-Gold Red Gourd was indeed powerful. Only thanks to the Monkey King’s indestructible body could he hold out for a while. King Yin Jiao said, “Sun Wukong, you’re lucky to have escaped this time.” He knew that since Wukong understood the gourd’s power, it would be hard to trick him again. He had come here only to patrol the mountains, not to fight. He carried only two magical treasures: a Seven-Star Sword and the Purple-Gold Red Gourd. Though the Seven-Star Sword was no ordinary weapon, facing the Great Sage Equal to Heaven who had once disrupted heaven, he still felt a bit fearful. After some thought, King Yin Jiao said, “Sun Wukong, you’re also an extraordinary demon king, famous throughout the world. Why go on a pilgrimage with those Tang Dynasty monks? How about we split them up, gain immortality, and rule these mountains together?” Wukong spat and laughed, mocking him, “You’re so stupid you can’t even think straight! How dare you try to persuade my grandfather? Though ruling mountains may bring temporary pleasure, it’s still nothing but banditry—no true achievement. It’s better for you to come with me on the pilgrimage; you’ll surely benefit!” King Yin Jiao laughed loudly, “Fine, fine! Becoming a Buddha means nothing to me. I want to see how you can get past my Pingding Mountain!” With that, he led his demons back. Behind them, Zhu Bajie, emboldened, whispered, “Elder Brother, why don’t we fight them and take advantage of the situation?” Wukong replied, “Wait. Look—those demons are well-organized; they must have some backing.” After thinking for a moment, Wukong said, “Go back and protect the master. I’ll follow and see what tricks they have up their sleeves.” The reason Wukong did this was because he knew that Jin Jiao and Yin Jiao were no ordinary foes. Not to mention Yin Jiao’s powerful magic and masterful skill in moving mountains, their magical treasures were also formidable—after all, they came from the Tushita Palace; how could they be ordinary? But though these two demons were strong in everything else, their lairs were not well-protected. The Monkey King had managed to sneak in several times in “Journey to the West” without being detected. Since he knew their weakness, why not take advantage of it?

Wukong transformed into a fly and closely followed the group of demons. After traveling for a while, they arrived at the Lotus Cave. The lesser demons of the Silver Horn Sect waited outside while they entered the cave. The fly form of Wukong was small and fast; even as it flew past those demons, they thought it was just a mirage.

Wukong swiftly darted into the cave, circled a few times, and landed on a pillar shaded from light. Then Silver Horn said, “Brother, I’ve explored the area and returned.” Golden Horn replied, “Brother, you’ve worked hard. Have you found anything? Have you seen Tang Seng?” Silver Horn answered, “I haven’t seen Tang Seng, but I did see Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie.” Golden Horn asked, “What about those two?” Silver Horn said, “Zhu Bajie is quite ordinary. If it weren’t for Sun Wukong, I would have captured him long ago. As for Sun Wukong… he’s quite clever.” Golden Horn laughed and said, “Of course. Without him, we wouldn’t have had to come here at all.”

Wukong realized that Golden Horn and Silver Horn had come not for Tang Seng but for him. Silver Horn continued, “Brother, this task is too difficult…” Golden Horn waved his hand to silence him and shouted at the lesser demons below, “Go outside and keep watch. If you see those pilgrims coming, report immediately.” The demons rushed out, and then Golden Horn said, “Be careful, brother. The Buddha in the West also possesses great powers. Don’t let any secrets leak out.” Silver Horn replied, “You’re indeed thorough, brother. To be honest, with just our weapons, we probably can’t subdue that monkey. If we fight head-on, we might hurt each other. But if we use magical treasures, if we fail to control one and it turns the monkey into ashes, won’t the Heavenly Lord blame us?” Golden Horn said, “Don’t worry about restrictions. Before we left, the Heavenly Lord said, ‘Go ahead and cause as much trouble as possible.’” Silver Horn asked, “As much trouble as possible? What does that mean?” Golden Horn replied, “Just follow the Heavenly Lord’s orders. In short, do your best to stop them from reaching Tang Seng! As for the outcome, it’s beyond our control.” Silver Horn said, “Good. We’ll seal this mountain tomorrow to prevent anyone from getting in or out.” Golden Horn suggested, “In my opinion, we should use mountain-moving magic to block the mountain, so as to show the power of our sect.” Silver Horn was pleased and said, “Brother is right. If we move the mountain, the mountain gods and earth spirits will be shocked and surely report this to the Heavenly Court. That’s how we can create a big stir.” After thinking for a while, he added, “I have another idea. Why not go to the Nine-Tailed Fox Lady and ask her to help us?” Golden Horn agreed, “Good! My Golden Rope is still with her. With her abilities, she’ll surely cause a huge upheaval.”

Yin Jiao thought for a moment and grew somewhat worried: “What if those people on the pilgrimage really get hurt or killed? How will we deal with that?”
Jin Jiao laughed and said, “There’s no need to worry. Someone will surely come to clean up the mess later. We just need to go ahead and do our part!”
Yin Jiao laughed heartily and said, “Great! If that’s the case, I really want to see if that Great Sage Equal to Heaven can escape my magical weapons!”