Volume 3: A Long Journey, Chapter 250: The Nine-Tailed Fox

Wukong listened for a while, and it became clear to him—Taoist Lord Laozi had sent the Golden Horned and Silver Horned demons to stage a farce. Most likely, the goal was to show everyone that his Taoist sect was not just good at enduring; otherwise, how could he teach them that “the louder the commotion, the better”? Eating Tang Seng’s flesh was originally a secret act, but since they acted so recklessly, they surely wanted to spread news of the Taoist sect’s reaction—otherwise, it would seem too cowardly.

This obstruction of the pilgrimage group was actually a ruse. On the surface, the Three Pure Ones finally began to fight back, but secretly, it was unclear what else they were planning. It had been some time since Wukong last saw Laozi. Upon hearing that someone was gathering the kings of the five elements, Laozi said he would go back and discuss it, and this discussion lasted over a year—clearly, this matter was extraordinary.

Another point was the mention of the nine-tailed fox by the Golden Horned and Silver Horned demons. If they hadn’t mentioned her, Wukong would have almost forgotten about her existence. This mysterious nine-tailed fox had unknown origins, but since she could be recognized as their godmother by the Golden Horned and Silver Horned demons, she must be quite powerful. In “Journey to the West,” she was killed by Wukong with a stick, merely taking advantage of a surprise attack. After that, no one came to avenge her—her background remained unknown.

After that, the Golden Horned and Silver Horned demons kept talking nonsense. Seeing that he gained nothing more, Wukong spread his wings and flew away. Upon leaving the cave, he had an idea and landed in the bushes.

Wukong reverted to his original form, used a spell to capture a small demon, and demanded, “Your king has a fox spirit as his godmother—where does she live?”

The small demon, recognizing it was the monkey who had fought against the Silver Horned King, knew well of Wukong’s strength and replied fearfully, “That lady lives in… Yalong Cave on Yalong Mountain, about ten miles to the southwest.”

With this information, Wukong knocked the small demon unconscious with a palm strike and flew straight southwest.

After traveling over ten miles, he saw a dark forest ahead. Bold and skilled, Wukong entered the forest to search. It didn’t take long before he found a stone cave deep in the forest, with two stone doors half-open. On the doors were the words “Yalong Cave.”

Wukong thought to himself, “How bold! Just a mere nine-tailed fox, yet daring to ‘suppress dragons’!” He concealed his presence and entered the cave. With so many female demons inside, how could they see him?

Upon reaching the second set of doors, he saw an old woman sitting there. Her silver hair was thin, and she had few teeth, but she was full of energy—clearly, she was the nine-tailed fox spirit.

Wukong took a close look and nodded in silence. This nine-tailed fox was indeed remarkable. It was hard to tell how many thousands or tens of thousands of years she had practiced to reach such a level of skill. It made sense that the Golden-Horned and Silver-Horned demons regarded her as their godmother.

But from the fact that Wukong killed her with a single stick, it was clear this fox was skilled in magic and not strong in combat. Just as Wukong was about to take action, he suddenly heard a pleasant female voice outside calling, “Mother, your daughter has come to see you.”

Hearing this voice, Wukong was extremely surprised. He recognized it well—it was none other than Hu Yu, the little fox whom the Bull Demon King had saved back then!

So the nine-tailed fox was actually Hu Yu’s mother? This was utterly bizarre. But why didn’t Hu Yu have nine tails? Could it be that her cultivation wasn’t thorough enough?

Soon, a beautiful young woman stepped in gracefully from outside—the very Hu Yu. Upon seeing her, the nine-tailed fox’s face was filled with smiles as she joyfully said, “My dear daughter, how many years has it been since you last came?”

Hu Yu replied, “Mother, I’ve been resting in my cave these past years and haven’t had time. Only yesterday did Brother Niu help me renovate the cave. All the maids and servants are now in place, so I came to invite you to move in with us.”

Wukong secretly laughed. The Bull Demon King really did have the leisure to keep a beauty hidden away and even help her renovate her cave. He wondered if the Rakshasi woman was aware of this.

The nine-tailed fox said, “Good daughter, you truly know how to be filial. But that cave was left to you by your mother. Once you move out, you won’t go back.”

Hu Yu said, “Mother, since my real mother is gone, you and my godfather are the dearest to me. Please let me show my filial piety to you for ten thousand years as a way to repay your kindness.”

Wukong understood now. The nine-tailed fox wasn’t Hu Yu’s real mother but her godmother. Her husband must be the Ten-Thousand-Year Fox King, who had left Hu Yu a vast fortune. He vaguely remembered this plot from the story of the Flaming Mountain. That made sense. Aside from the Ten-Thousand-Year Fox King, no one else seemed to fit in with this nine-tailed fox. It was a pity that even after ten thousand years of cultivation, the Fox King still couldn’t preserve his life.

The nine-tailed fox said, “Don’t try to trick me. I can see that that Bull is truly kind to you. Seeing you two so loving fills me with joy more than anything else. How could I disturb your happy marriage?”

Hu Yu hugged the nine-tailed fox’s arm and coquettishly said, “Mother—even if it’s Brother Niu who sent me to pick you up, having an elder at home is like having a treasure. If you’re not here, it feels so empty. Besides, living alone here must be boring, right?”

The Nine-Tailed Fox said, “With my skills, how could I be alone? In this Dragon Suppression Cave, I’ve gathered a hundred or so people. Near the Lotus Cave, there are also my two adopted sons—both of them quite skilled—and they often come by. I won’t go, I won’t!”
Hu Yu saw that she couldn’t persuade the Nine-Tailed Fox no matter what, so she gave up. She drank tea with her, chatted for a while, then took her leave, saying she would return in a few days.
Wukong thought, “It’s fortunate you came today. If you hadn’t come, I might never see you again as my adoptive mother.”
Now that he knew the Nine-Tailed Fox’s background and saw her genuine affection for Hu Yu, after much deliberation, he couldn’t bring himself to act against her and had no choice but to leave the cave. Though he knew the Nine-Tailed Fox would cause him trouble the next day, he was at a loss as to what to do. If he pursued Hu Yu and explained the situation, they could avoid conflict. But if he did that, Hu Yu and the Nine-Tailed Fox would surely realize he still had old feelings for the Bull Demon King. He was pretending to be someone with no ties to the people of Qi Tian Ling, so he couldn’t risk everything over a small matter.
Wukong returned and found Tang Seng. The three of them had waited for him for a long time, worried. Tang Seng asked, “Wukong, how strong is this group of demons?”
Wukong replied, “Master, don’t worry. My resolve is firm; nothing else matters.” He was confident that, at the very least, things would end without danger. Since the Lord of Heaven had given his approval, how could the Golden-Horned and Silver-Horned Demons dare harm Tang Seng? Besides, with his own skills, there was nothing to fear.
Wukong went out to fetch some food, returned, and ate with Tang Seng and Zhu Bajie. Then they found a sheltered spot to rest, and there was no conversation that night.
The next day, as the first light of dawn appeared, Wukong perched in a tree and looked west. He saw three dark mountains blocking the way completely. Indeed, the Silver-Horned King had used his magic to move mountains and block the path westward overnight.
After a while, Tang Seng got up as well. Seeing this, he was filled with fear and bowed down, saying, “Amitabha! What sins has this disciple committed that the mountain gods have sent to punish me?”
Wukong laughed and said, “Master, get up. This isn’t the work of gods—it’s clearly the magic of demons!”
Tang Seng rubbed his hands anxiously and asked, “Wukong, what should we do? Can you move these mountains?”
Wukong replied, “I, Old Sun, wouldn’t know how to do such rough work.” He called Zhu Bajie over and said, “Younger brother, look ahead.” Zhu Bajie rubbed his eyes and exclaimed happily, “Master, after sleeping, have we arrived at the Spirit Mountain?”
Wukong scolded, “Stop talking nonsense! These are mountains moved by demons. We’re the strongest here—go and move them aside so we can continue westward.”
Zhu Bajie said, “Brother, please spare me! My mountain-moving skills can only move mountains a hundred or so feet tall. These mountains are thousands of feet high—there’s no way I can move them.”

Wukong naturally knew that Pigsy lacked such ability. He himself could move mountains, but putting on an act had deeper implications. Since Laojun wanted to make a big deal out of this, Wukong would add fuel to the fire!

Wukong then said, “All the mountains in the world are under the control of mountain gods. I’ll go ask the Jade Emperor how demons can command mountain gods—has the world changed so much?”

So Wukong soared on the clouds and headed to the South Heavenly Gate. The King of Holding the Country stood in front of the gate, shouting, “That unruly monkey has come again!” The older celestial soldiers there recognized Wukong and stepped forward to block him.

Wukong smiled and said, “It’s been a long time since I was here. The Heavenly Court is still so stingy. I’ve long stopped doing evil. Now I’m protecting Tang Seng on his journey to the West to obtain scriptures, and I’ve encountered some difficulties along the way, so I’ve come to consult the Jade Emperor.”

Seeing that Wukong’s attitude had indeed changed, the King of Holding the Country sent someone to report to the Jade Emperor. Soon, someone returned and said, “The Jade Emperor orders Sun Wukong to go to the Hall of Bright Enlightenment to speak.”

Without hesitation, Wukong used his rapid movement skills to reach the Hall of Bright Enlightenment in an instant. The Jade Emperor sat on his throne as usual, but he seemed listless and lazily said, “Great Sage Equal to Heaven, I heard you’re protecting Tang Seng on his journey to the West. What brings you here?”

Wukong politely bowed and said, “Jade Emperor, there’s an urgent matter. I’ll be brief. First, I want to ask—does the world now fall under the control of the Heavenly Court or the demons?”

The Jade Emperor laughed and said, “How could that be? There are no demons powerful enough. I really want to see them.”

Wukong replied, “When I was protecting my master, we reached Pingding Mountain. In the Lotus Cave, there are two demons with great magic. They ordered the mountain gods to bring three towering peaks to block the road. The mountain gods should be under the control of the Heavenly Court—why do they obey the demons?”

The Jade Emperor was slightly surprised and said, “Is that really the case?”

Wukong said, “If you don’t believe it, send someone with me to check it out.”

The Jade Emperor nodded slightly and said, “Star Lord of Earthly Virtue, Third Prince Nezha, you two go with Sun Wukong to take a look. If there truly are mountain gods who don’t obey the Heavenly Court, capture them and punish them!”

Star Lord of Earthly Virtue and Nezha received the imperial order and followed Wukong to the mortal world. Since the Death of the Tower-Bearing King, Nezha had harbored deep hatred for all demons, especially for the crime of killing his father. He regretted not having enough strength to go to the Peak of Equality to avenge his father.

Seeing that Nezha ignored him as well, Wukong chatted with Star Lord of Earthly Virtue the whole way. In a short while, the three arrived at Pingding Mountain. Nezha saw three huge mountains standing alone in the middle of the road, with no debris around—clearly they had been moved there recently.

Eager to kill the demon, Nezha leaped in front of the mountain and shouted, “Mountain gods and earth spirits, come out at once!” Since there was no door in the mountain, six small gods jumped out from the rocks, knelt down together, and said, “We didn’t realize it was the Third Prince who came. Please forgive us!” Nezha cursed, “How dare you! How could you move the mountain without permission? Have you lost all sense of discipline?” One of the mountain gods replied, “Third Prince, please forgive us. It’s not that we are bold—it’s because that demon is too powerful. If we didn’t obey, we would surely lose our lives in an instant!”