Volume 3: A Long Journey, Chapter 376: The Spider Cave

In the court of the Kingdom of Zhu Zi, the king took the elixir given to him by Yang Jian. After a short while, he felt his stomach growling, so he stood up, left the table, and went to the back. It took about half an hour before he returned. Although the elixir wasn’t particularly good, it was more than enough to cure his mortal body. By the time he returned, his condition had improved significantly.
The king was greatly astonished by the power of the immortals and became much more polite in his speech to Tang Seng. The two discussed Buddhist teachings for a while when Wukong descended from the sky, carrying several sick palace maids in his hands.
The king was still worried about the Queen of the Golden Holy Palace but dared not ask directly. Instead, it was Tang Seng who asked, “Wukong, have you subdued the demon?” Wukong replied, “Of course!”
Tang Seng pointed at the palace maids on the ground and asked, “Which one is the Queen of the Golden Holy Palace?” Wukong said, “None of these are her. The Queen has great fortune and has been taken as a disciple by an immortal to pursue the path of immortality!”
Hearing this, the king felt a deep chill and swayed in his throne. Wukong, disgusted by the king—who still wasn’t satisfied despite already having two fairies—thought to himself that his lust knew no bounds. He then said to Tang Seng, “Master, let’s return to the inn and rest.”
The two bid farewell to the king, who was in a daze. Wukong paid him no attention. Since the passage permit was settled, he took Tang Seng out of the golden palace.
After resting at the inn for a day, the four set off westward again. As soon as they left the city gates, a group of soldiers chased after them. Wukong thought to himself, Could it be that the king, unable to get the Queen, is taking his anger out on me?
The king appeared in his carriage. When they got closer, he got down and bowed to Wukong, saying, “I have come to realize that although I and the Queen of the Golden Holy Palace are fated to be together, it’s futile to worry. Yesterday, in my confusion, I failed to thank you for subduing the demon and saving the palace maids. Please forgive me.”
Wukong nodded. It was admirable that the king could understand this in just one night.
The king ordered his officials to bring out over a dozen copper plates filled with gold and silver bars, along with many pieces of silk and clothing. Tang Seng naturally refused them, and it took a lot of persuasion before they could leave and head west.
After traveling for a while and leaving the capital of the Kingdom of Zhu Zi, Tang Seng said happily, “This is yet another act of kindness. Wukong, you have earned great merit.” Wukong replied, “Master, I would rather not do such kind deeds.” Tang Seng asked, “Why say that?” Wukong answered, “Many problems arise from evil roots. By eliminating those roots, I merely stop being evil—what’s the point of that as kindness? If there’s no room for evil in the world, then there would be no good or evil at all—wouldn’t that be perfect?”

Tang Seng said, “Wukong, you’re mistaken. People have karmic debts from greed and evil, and unless those debts are paid off and the roots of evil are eradicated, they will continue to incur more sins in the future. Isn’t this also a form of goodness?”
Wukong thought for a moment and then asked, “Master, who will decide matters of karma?”
Tang Seng was taken aback, and the panic in his eyes didn’t escape Wukong’s notice. He calmed himself down and said, “Once one’s intentions are firm, karma will arise, and eventually someone will come to deal with it. There’s no escaping that.”
Wukong pressed on, asking, “And who will deal with it?”
Tang Seng smiled and said, “In the Kingdom of Zhu Zi, it will be you who resolves this matter. Why do you still ask me?”
Wukong replied, “I’m not asking about this very moment.”
Tang Seng said, “This very moment is every moment!” With that, he whipped his horse and rushed forward.
Wukong scratched his head. What kind of answer was that from Tang Seng? Was it vague or deliberately cryptic? He must know something but wasn’t willing to tell him. Perhaps Tang Seng had realized something, but he surely didn’t know that Wukong was the Divine Monkey of Fate; otherwise, why would he be wary of him?
Just then, a voice came from the sky: “Everything is settled!”
Wu Ping shouted, “Who’s there?”
Wukong recognized it as the voice of Erlang Shen, Yang Jian. It seemed that their journey to the Pure Land Palace had gone smoothly, and the object had already been handed over to Laojun. Laojun would surely understand the meaning of the patterns carved on the stone slab—using the matter of the Yin and Yang monkeys to turn Guanyin against them. It was now up to him to devise a strategy.
The pilgrimage group continued westward, crossing countless mountains, plains, and rivers. They traveled safely, and since nothing seemed to trouble them, Wukong would sit in meditation every night, quietly reflecting on the blessings brought by those peaches of immortality.
The Hunyuan Dao Fruit continued to spin, and the two black and white leaves moved in tandem. Whenever Wukong meditated deeply, he would involuntarily see a Taiji pattern within those spinning leaves. He could sense that although the leaves seemed solid, they were actually suspended in the air like mist. With each rotation of the Hunyuan Dao Fruit, the leaves underwent extremely subtle changes. Wukong faintly felt that when the black and white leaves became fully solid, it would likely be the day he achieved sainthood.
Before he knew it, autumn passed and winter waned, giving way to a bright spring. As the master and disciples traveled, enjoying the scenery along the way, they suddenly saw a group of hermitages ahead.
Tang Seng dismounted and said, “Since we see a settlement, there must be people living there. How about we go there to ask for alms today?”
Wukong replied, “Let me scout the area first.” He climbed to a high place and took a glance, immediately understanding the situation—it was the Coiling Silk Cave. Since he knew there were demons there, he certainly couldn’t let Tang Seng take any risks.

Wukong said, “Master, this place isn’t a good place to stay. Let’s keep moving forward!”
Tang Seng replied, “Look at those ancient trees surrounding the farmhouse, the flowing streams, and the simple thatched cottages—more elegant than immortal hermitages, and the bright windows surpass those of monasteries. How could it possibly be a demon’s lair?”
Wukong laughed and said, “Master, your eyes are only good for reading Buddhist scriptures. When it comes to spotting demons, you’re naturally not as good as me, Old Sun.”
Tang Seng agreed, “That’s true. You’ve been the one to subdue demons all these days, so you’re naturally more perceptive. But I still don’t fully believe it today. It’s said that demons like to dwell in dark, secluded places in the mountains. With such a clear sky and bright sun, it’s a peaceful scene. If there really were demons, wouldn’t it spoil the beauty?”
Wukong said, “Since Master doesn’t believe it, how about sending Wuhui to try and persuade them?”
Tang Seng thought for a moment and said, “That’s a good idea. It will at least ease my doubts.”
Wukong waved his hand and called Wuhui over, saying, “Younger brother, why don’t you go and ask for some food?”
Seeing Wukong winking at him when calling him “younger brother,” Wuhui couldn’t help but laugh and said, “Don’t worry, elder brother. I’ll be back soon!” Wuhui took his purple-gold alms bowl and headed toward the farmhouse, with Wukong calling after him, “Be careful!”
Wuhui replied, “I know!”
Wukong added, “Don’t lose the bowl!”
Tang Seng said, “You’re not worried about your younger brother, but rather about those material things.”
Wukong laughed, “Just joking!”
Wuhui, being cautious, arrived in front of the farmhouse and saw several women sitting by the main house window, engaged in needlework. From a distance, he thought to himself that there were no men in this household either. Not feeling much fear, he stepped forward and said, “Amitabha!”
The women looked up and saw a delicate, fair-faced child standing there, chanting Buddhist mantras. Delighted, they said, “Oh, a little monk has come.”
Wuhui said, “Dear ladies, I offer my respects.”
The women found Wuhui cute and, seeing his serious demeanor, began whispering among themselves. One said, “He still has the naive simplicity of a young monk.” Another added, “It’s a shame such a good-looking boy would become a monk. It would be better for him to play with us here.”
Hearing this, Wuhui realized this was indeed not a virtuous place. How could decent women speak like that? But since he had come, he decided to finish what he started. He said, “I am on my way to the Western Heaven to worship Buddha and obtain scriptures. Passing through this blessed land, I hope you ladies will kindly provide me with some food…” Wuhui had never asked for food before, so he didn’t know what words to use.
A woman in red said, “Oh, look at how shy he is! He’s so adorable. Come inside and sit.”

Another woman in green said, “It hasn’t been on fire for many years—how could there still be any vegetarian food?”
The woman in red gave him a wink and said, “Since they’re monks who’ve come from afar, we must treat them well.”
Wuhui pretended to be naive and asked, “Do we have to cook it right now?”
The woman in red smiled and said, “It will only take a moment.”
Wuhui entered the room with his alms bowl. As soon as he went in, he sensed something was wrong. Though the room was decorated lavishly, it reeked of blood. Wuhui was highly skilled and had once been a demon king, so he wasn’t easily deceived. He turned to leave immediately. The woman in red blocked the door and said, “Young elder, please sit for a while longer. I’ll go prepare the vegetarian food right away!”
Wuhui sneered, “I doubt it’s any good food.”
The woman in red laughed and said, “Since it’s alms food, why be picky? Anything to eat is fine.”
Wuhui said, “Enough. I’ll go ask elsewhere for alms.”
The woman in red replied, “You’re so fair and plump. If I let you go, wouldn’t that be a sin?” With that, she pulled out a shiny rope and stepped forward to catch Wuhui.
Wuhui pushed her away forcefully. He was strong, and the woman in red hit her head on the doorframe and fainted. The other women were shocked and shouted, “Sisters, this one knows how to fight!”
Before they could finish speaking, three more women appeared from somewhere. The six of them lined up, each holding a shiny white thread, and surrounded Wuhui. Unable to dodge, he was entangled by the threads, which were actually spider silk. Once in contact with his skin, it stuck tightly. The women took off their robes and lifted up their aprons, revealing their fair bellies.
From their navel holes, threads emerged, wrapping Wuhui like a giant cocoon, leaving him completely immobile.
Seeing that Wuhui was trapped, the women helped the woman in red up, addressing her as “elder sister.” When she regained consciousness, she was filled with anger. She kicked the spider-silk cocoon several times angrily and said, “Hmph! We’ll steam this kid in a bit!”
The woman in green said, “Elder sister, the young monk surely won’t go to the West by himself to fetch the scriptures. We need to see if he has any accomplices. Only after capturing them all can we eat in peace.”
The woman in red thought for a moment and said, “That makes sense. Let’s hang this young monk in the cave as bait and wait for someone to come rescue him!”
Tang Seng was hungry. After waiting for a long time with no sign of Wuhui returning, he asked, “Wukong, why hasn’t Wuhui come back yet?”
Wukong replied with a smile, “Master, don’t worry. Wuhui also has magical powers. Ordinary demons can’t catch him.”
Tang Seng said, “That may be true, but there are always those stronger than us.”
Just as he spoke, flames began to rise from the estate, soon engulfing everything in blazing fire.