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10 Yellow Wind Ridge

"I have the Buddha's command to hold the Yellow Wind Demon in check here," said the Bodhisattva. "The Buddha gave me a Wind-Fixing Pill and a Flying-Dragon Treasure Staff. I took this demon once and spared his life, letting him go back to the mountain under another name and do no harm to living things. That he should now have sought to harm your master, against the Buddha's command, is my fault too." The Bodhisattva would have kept him for a vegetarian meal and some talk, but Wukong was anxious for his master and begged him to set out at once. The Bodhisattva took up the Flying-Dragon Staff and rode the clouds with the Great Sage, and in a little while they were above the Yellow Wind Ridge. "Great Sage," said the Bodhisattva, "this demon has some fear of me. I will stand here in the cloud; you go down and challenge him, draw him out, and then I can exert my power." Wukong did as he was told. He dropped down through the clouds, and without a word of parley smashed the cave gates with his iron rod. "Demon," he shouted, "give me back my master!" The small demon on the door ran to report in a panic. "This wretched monkey goes too far!" said the Yellow Wind Demon. "This time I will raise the divine wind and blow him dead!" He armed himself in haste, took up his steel fork and charged out of the cave. At the sight of Wukong the demon said nothing at all, but levelled his fork and thrust at his chest. Wukong answered with his rod. Before many rounds were fought the demon turned his head, faced the quarter of Xun, opened his mouth and called up the wind. At that moment the Bodhisattva Lingji, from midair, flung down the Flying-Dragon Treasure Staff. The Bodhisattva spoke the words of the spell, and the Flying-Dragon Staff became a golden dragon with eight claws, which flung itself upon the Yellow Wind Demon. The eight-clawed golden dragon reached out two of its talons and seized the demon, and holding him by the head dashed him against the rocky cliff. The demon resumed his true shape: a yellow-furred marten. Wukong came up, rod raised to strike, but the Bodhisattva stopped him. "Great Sage, do not take his life. I must take him to see the Buddha." "He was a rat that had attained the Way at the foot of Mount Ling. He stole the clear oil from the glazed lamp, and fearing the Vajra guardians would take him, fled here and made himself a demon. The Buddha judged he did not deserve death, and gave him into my keeping: if he harmed living things or worked evil, I was to carry him up to Mount Ling." "Now he has set upon the Great Sage and done violence to the Tang Monk. I will take him before the Buddha, that his guilt may be made plain, and so not fail the trust the Buddha laid on me." Wukong thanked him, and the Bodhisattva rose into the air and went back west. As for Bajie: he was fretting in the wood when he heard Wukong calling from outside it. "Bajie, bring the horse and the baggage out." Bajie gathered the things together in haste and ran out of the wood, well pleased. Wukong told him how the Yellow Wind Demon had been subdued, and the two went back to the Yellow Wind Cave, where with rod and rake they killed the whole nest of cunning hares, fox spirits, musk deer and antlered deer. Then they went into the garden at the back and cut their master down.

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