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15 Lotus Cave

As they went, he saw auspicious clouds drifting and blessed vapours coiling about. "The Tang Monk is coming," said the Silver-Horned King. None of the other demons could see a thing, so he pointed with his finger. "There he is!" Three times he pointed, and three times the Tang Monk shivered in the saddle. Seeing his master shudder with dread, Wukong whirled up his golden-hooped rod and, following the arts of war laid down in the ancient books of strategy, put forth his magic powers to steady his master's heart and clear the way ahead. At the sight of him the Silver-Horned King cried out in spite of himself, "Sun Wukong's powers are indeed out of the ordinary; his fame is well deserved. That Tang Monk must be won by craft, not taken by force." He ordered the lesser demons back to the cave, meaning to catch the Tang Monk by a trick of transformation. The demons scattered, and the Silver-Horned King shook himself and turned into an aged Taoist with a broken leg, his foot streaming with blood. He lay across the middle of the road, shouting, "Help! Help!" Hearing the cries, the Tang Monk hurried forward to ask what was wrong. The Silver-Horned King said he was a Taoist of a temple in the western hills; he and his disciple had been holding a service for a benefactor south of the mountain, when on the way home a tiger had carried off his disciple and he himself had fallen and injured his leg, and was waiting for some kind soul to rescue him. The Tang Monk believed him and offered his horse to carry him back to the temple. The Silver-Horned King said his leg and hip were too badly hurt to ride. So the Tang Monk said to Sandy, "Put the baggage on my horse, and you carry him a stretch of the way." Sandy was about to take him up when the Silver-Horned King said again, "This gentleman has an unlucky look about him that frightens me; I dare not let him carry me." The Tang Monk had no choice but to ask Wukong. Wukong had seen long since that the Silver-Horned King was a demon; he gave two cold laughs, hoisted him on his back, and set off. After they had gone a while, Wukong deliberately dropped behind and said to him, "You wretched demon, you may deceive my master, but you cannot deceive me," and made as if to dash him to death. Seeing that he was found out, the Silver-Horned King hastily used his mountain-moving art and sent Mount Sumeru to crush Wukong. Wukong tilted his head, and Mount Sumeru came down on his left shoulder. Wukong laughed. "How can such a weight-body spell hold me down? It is only that a balanced load sits easy and a lopsided one is hard to bear." The Silver-Horned King next sent Mount Emei to crush him; Wukong tilted his head again, and it came down on his right shoulder. Carrying the two great mountains, Wukong sped off to catch up with his master. The Silver-Horned King was frightened out of his wits; he quickly muttered a true spell and sent for Mount Tai, which crashed down upon Wukong's very head. Wukong's strength failed and his sinews went numb; he could not withstand it and was pinned beneath Mount Tai. The Silver-Horned King resumed his true form and rode swiftly on the wind in pursuit of the Tang Monk. From the clouds the Silver-Horned King reached out to seize the Tang Monk, and Sandy hastily dropped the baggage and struck at him with his staff. The seven-star sword in his hand, the demon fought with Sandy. After eight or nine rounds Sandy was worsted. The Silver-Horned King caught him up and clamped him under his left arm, seized the Tang Monk with his right hand, hooked the baggage with his toes, gripped the horse's mane between his teeth, and returned on a gust of wind to Lotus-Flower Cave. The Golden-Horned King was overjoyed. He had the lesser demons fish Bajie out and hang him in the corridor together with the Tang Monk and Sandy. Then he said to the Silver-Horned King, "Once Sun Wukong is brought back, we can steam them all and eat them together." The Silver-Horned King said, "That is easily done." The Silver-Horned King called Clever Ghost and Nimble Worm and gave them the purple-gold red gourd and the mutton-fat jade pure vase. "Take these two treasures straight to the highest peak. Hold the mouth downward and call out 'Sun Wukong'; if he answers, he is already inside. Then paste on the charm that reads 'By decree of Taishang Laojun, speedily, speedily, in accordance with the statute,' and within an hour or so he will have melted into pus."

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