25. Lingji Descends the Mountain; The Yellow Wind Demon Meets His End

With a somersault spanning eighty thousand miles, augmented by a wondrous green light, Sun Wukong soared through the brilliant sunlight in a dazzling display of colors. In hardly an instant, he had already crossed three thousand miles, and as he glanced downward, he saw a Buddhist monastery tucked high upon the mountain. Clouds of auspicious omen gathered in the mountains, radiance layered upon radiance. Fragrant smoke curled around the entire monastery, and the resonant chimes of bells and gongs floated on the air, mingling with the soothing sounds of chanting—truly, a sacred site of Buddhism.

The monks chanting scriptures within the monastery saw a rainbow-hued auspicious cloud approaching from the sky, knowing that an immortal was arriving. They hurried out to welcome the guest, but were startled when a handsome monkey leaped down from the cloud. Filled with both surprise and suspicion, they quickly turned to retreat.

Sun Wukong promptly clasped his hands in a Buddhist salute and called, “Friend, please stay. Might I ask if this is the domain of the Bodhisattva Lingji?”

The monk turned back and regarded Sun Wukong, replying, “Indeed it is. What business do you have?”

Sun Wukong said, “May I trouble you to inform the Bodhisattva Lingji, ‘Tang Sanzang has been seized by a demon.’”

Upon hearing this, the monk turned and entered the meditation hall to deliver the message. Lingji Bodhisattva, aware that the pilgrim seeking scriptures was in danger, dared not keep up appearances for fear of delaying the Buddha’s great enterprise. He immediately donned his cassock, added incense, and went out to greet his guest, saying, “So it is the Great Sage who visits. What urgent matter brings you here?”

Ah, how skilled you are at feigning ignorance. I’ve traveled countless miles—what else could I want but your help in subduing the demon? Though this was Sun Wukong’s inner thought, outwardly he spoke politely: “Bodhisattva, in your boundless compassion, my master Tang Sanzang is in peril at Yellow Wind Ridge, and I am no match for the demon’s magical wind. Thus, I have come to beseech you to lend your power and subdue the monster.”

Lingji Bodhisattva spoke slowly: “By the decree of the Buddha, I am entrusted with a Pill of Wind and a Flying Dragon Staff, stationed here to restrain the Yellow Wind Demon. Over the years, I believed it had been reformed by the teachings of Buddha, little knowing it would again harm your master today. This is my failing—how regrettable!”

Sun Wukong remained silent, watching Lingji Bodhisattva’s performance coldly, cursing inwardly: Shameless! Hypocrite! You dare claim ignorance? If you dare, I’d wager the fate of all those on Mount Ling!

“Since that is so, I shall descend the mountain with you to subdue the demon,” declared Lingji Bodhisattva. He took up the Flying Dragon Staff and, together with Sun Wukong, mounted a cloud and soon arrived at Yellow Wind Ridge.

“Great Sage,” said Lingji Bodhisattva, “this demon fears me, for I have subdued him before. You should first provoke him to come out of his lair, and I will use my staff to capture him.”

“Very well, I shall go!” Sun Wukong leapt from the cloud, seized his golden staff, and smashed open the gates of Yellow Wind Cave, shouting, “Demon, return my master!”

“Your Majesty, disaster! That monkey-faced, thunder-mouthed monk has forced his way in!” The gatekeeper imp scurried into the cave, shouting in alarm.

“That unruly monkey is truly insolent—bullying my little brothers and breaking my gates. This time, I will chop him into pieces!” The Yellow Wind Demon, after making his declaration, donned his golden armor, gripped his three-pronged steel fork, strode out of the cave, and upon seeing Sun Wukong, wasted no words—he thrust the fork at Sun Wukong’s chest.

Sun Wukong sidestepped the attack, raised his golden staff, and engaged the Yellow Wind Demon in battle—a clash with no easy resolution.

The Yellow Wind Demon sneered and suddenly turned toward the southeast, preparing to summon his magical wind. But before he could utter the spell, a sharp cry rang out, and from the clouds above, the Flying Dragon Staff was cast down, transforming into an eight-clawed golden dragon that seized the demon in a flash.

The golden dragon clamped the demon’s head in its claws and hurled him against the rocky cliffs, at once revealing his true form—a yellow-furred weasel.

“You wretch! Dared to eat my master—now taste my wrath!” Sun Wukong charged forward, raising his staff to smash the weasel’s head.

“Squeak squeak squeak!” The black, beady eyes of the weasel were filled with panic and terror. Lingji Bodhisattva was even more alarmed, hurriedly calling, “Great Sage! Do not harm him—”

But Sun Wukong’s staff had already fallen. With thunderous force, the golden staff crushed the weasel’s skull, spraying red blood and white brain matter everywhere, leaving the creature utterly lifeless.

Lingji Bodhisattva’s expression darkened, his heart seething. He wished to rebuke Sun Wukong, but had no grounds, for the Yellow Wind Demon had indeed sought to devour Tang Sanzang, and Sun Wukong’s fierce loyalty to his master made the killing seem justified.

“Bodhisattva, do not what?” Sun Wukong feigned ignorance, pretending not to have heard.

“Do not…” Lingji Bodhisattva struggled for words, feeling as if Mount Sumeru weighed upon his chest, unable to voice his bitterness. Before departing, the Buddha had instructed him: for great demons like the Yellow Wind Demon, they must be subdued, not slain, for once converted in the West, they would become formidable allies on Mount Ling. But now—

Lingji Bodhisattva did not know how the Buddha would respond to the demon’s death, but he understood that now he could neither scold nor punish Sun Wukong; in fact, he had to praise him for his success in subduing the monster.

He suppressed his discomfort and explained the demon’s origin to Sun Wukong: “He was originally a cultivated mouse from the foot of Mount Ling. He stole the sacred oil from the Buddha’s Sun and Moon Lamp, causing the lamps of the Great Thunder Monastery to dim. Fearing the Buddha’s guardians, he fled and became a monster here. When the Buddha learned of this, he spoke only of compassion and instructed me to guard him at this place, until today, when he seized your master and provoked the Great Sage…”

“Bodhisattva, as the saying goes, ‘Those not of our kind have different hearts.’ Is the Buddha not concerned that leaving such a powerful demon among mortals might cause disaster?” Sun Wukong asked, feigning curiosity.

“Indeed, indeed. Though this demon committed evil, he is tied to our Buddhist fate and must be treated differently,” Lingji Bodhisattva replied with a subtle change of topic, urging Sun Wukong to hurry and rescue Tang Sanzang, while he collected the weasel’s corpse and returned to Mount Sumeru upon a cloud.

“Hmph…” Sun Wukong snorted inwardly, descended from the cloud, and summoned Pigsy. Together they stormed the Yellow Wind Cave, slaughtering the rabbits, foxes, musk deer, and horned deer with their pitchforks and iron staffs. In the garden behind, they finally rescued Tang Sanzang.

“Wukong, what became of the Yellow Wind King?” Tang Sanzang, newly liberated and breathing freely, saw the ground strewn with demon corpses and inquired.

“Master, here’s what happened! Thanks to Pigsy and me, it went like this…” Sun Wukong recounted their exploits in such vivid detail that Pigsy blushed and chuckled inwardly.

Tang Sanzang, unable to discern truth from embellishment, believed that Sun Wukong and Pigsy had suffered greatly in saving him, and was filled with gratitude and emotion toward his disciples, nearly moved to tears.

“Master, the Yellow Wind Demon was confined here by Lingji Bodhisattva of Little Mount Sumeru, but who knows how he became a monster!” Sun Wukong feigned surprise and continued, “Fortunately, Lingji Bodhisattva intervened in the end and subdued the demon, allowing Pigsy and me to rescue you!”

“Amitabha!” Tang Sanzang chanted softly, expressing endless gratitude to Lingji Bodhisattva, and silently recited the Scripture for Delivering the Departed, praying for the salvation of all the demons.

After a while, Bear Gohan arrived, leading the horse. Sun Wukong instructed Pigsy and Bear Gohan to gather fruits and vegetarian fare in the cave for a meal. The master and his disciples then departed the cave, descended Yellow Wind Ridge, and returned to the road, journeying westward once more.