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10 Yellow Wind Ridge

Panicking, the demon used the cicada-sheds-its-shell trick: he rolled over, resumed his true shape — a fierce tiger again — and fled. Wukong and Bajie pressed after him without mercy, meaning to root him out entirely. Hard pressed, the demon played the same trick again: he stripped off his skin and draped it over a great rock, slipped out of his true body and turned into a wild wind, making straight for where the Tang Monk sat in meditation. The Tang Monk was intent on his sutra and quite off his guard; the demon seized him in one grip and carried him off on the wind. With the Tang Monk under his arm the demon came to the cave mouth, stilled the wind, and said to the small demon on the door, "Go in at once and tell the king that the Tiger Vanguard of the Road Ahead has taken a monk and waits outside for orders." The Yellow Wind King at once commanded that he be brought in. The Tiger Vanguard came in holding the Tang Monk before him with both hands and knelt. "My king, your officer was patrolling the mountain when he met the Master Tripitaka of the great Tang in the east, bound west to worship the Buddha and seek the scriptures. I have taken him and brought him here for your enjoyment." The Yellow Wind King was startled. "They say the Master Tripitaka has a disciple, Sun Wukong, of vast power and great magic. How did you manage to take him?" The Tiger Vanguard told him the whole story of the fight. Fearing that Wukong and Bajie would be hard to deal with, the Yellow Wind King ordered the Tang Monk bound to the wind-fixing post in the garden at the back, and said he would eat him at leisure once three or five days had passed with no one to trouble them. Seven or eight small demons crowded forward and dragged the Tang Monk away. Meanwhile Wukong and Bajie had chased the tiger hard down the slope. Wukong brought his rod down on it with all his strength — only to send stone chips flying and jar his own hand. Bajie struck with his rake, and his rake rebounded too. Looking closely, they saw it was a tiger skin thrown over a great rock. "Bad business!" cried Wukong. "We have been taken in by the cicada-sheds-its-shell trick. Come, let us find our master before the demon does him some harm." The two hurried back to where the Tang Monk had been sitting. The white horse and the baggage were still there, but of the Tang Monk there was no sign. Wukong stamped with rage. "Our master has been carried off by the demon after all!" Tears started in Bajie's eyes. "Where are we to look for him?" "Do not weep," said Wukong, comforting him. "Weeping will only break our spirit. He must be somewhere on this mountain. Come, let us search." The two ran into the hills, over ridge and shoulder, searching this way and that, until beneath a cliff they came upon a cave dwelling. Wukong told Bajie to find a wind-sheltered hollow, keep an eye on the baggage and turn the horse loose to graze, while he himself went to fight the demon and rescue their master. Wukong strode up to the cave and saw six great characters cut above the gate: Yellow Wind Ridge, Yellow Wind Cave. He raised his rod and shouted, "Demon! Send out my master at once, or I will overturn your nest and level your dwelling to the ground!" The small demon on the door ran in to report in a panic. Hearing that Wukong had come to the very gate, the Yellow Wind Demon sent for the Tiger Vanguard and reproached him. "I sent you to patrol the mountain. A few mountain oxen or fat deer to eat would have served. Why must you seize that Tang Monk? Now his disciple is at our gate. What are we to do?"

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