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15 Lotus Cave

The gourd fell back with a flop. Nimble Worm panicked. "Why does the sky not go dark?" Clever Ghost said, "Could Sun Wukong have changed himself into an immortal and swapped a false gourd for our real treasures? But he is pinned beneath a mountain; how could he have got out?" They tried once more, and still it did not work. Wukong, listening in mid-air, laughed to himself and gave a shake, taking back his hair. The two lesser demons groped over the ground and rummaged in the grass, but found nothing at all, and could only go back to the cave with their heads hanging. Wukong turned himself into a fly and followed the two into the cave. Golden Horn and Silver Horn were drinking; when they saw the two come back they asked eagerly whether Sun Wukong had been caught. Clever Ghost and Nimble Worm fell to their knees to beg forgiveness and told the whole story. The Golden-Horned King said in a rage, "It must have been Sun Wukong in the guise of an immortal, who cheated us out of our treasures!" The Silver-Horned King said, "We still have the seven-star sword and the palm-leaf fan. The golden rope is kept by our old mother in Yalong Cave on Mount Yalong. We can send for her to come and eat the Tang Monk's flesh, and have her bring the golden rope to catch Sun Wukong." The Golden-Horned King nodded his agreement, dismissed Clever Ghost and Nimble Worm with a scolding, and called up two lesser demons, Mountain Tiger and Sea Dragon, and ordered them to set out at once to fetch their old mother. Mountain Tiger and Sea Dragon set off on their errand. Wukong, who had heard every word, spread his wings and flew out of Lotus-Flower Cave after the two fiends. After five or six li he shook himself into the shape of a young demon in a fox-fur cap, hurried up behind them and called, "Wait for me!" The two looked round but did not know him. Wukong said with a smile, "I am of another squad, and we have never met. The king sent you two to invite the old lady to eat the Tang Monk's flesh; fearing you would be slow, he has sent me to hurry you along." The two suspected nothing further and ran on ahead for all they were worth. After one breathless run of eight or nine li Wukong asked how much further it was. Sea Dragon pointed and said, "There, in the dark wood ahead." At that Wukong drew out his iron club and beat the two fiends into a pulp. Wukong plucked out a hair, breathed immortal breath upon it, and turned it into Mountain Tiger, while he himself took the shape of Sea Dragon. Disguised as the two lesser demons, he went straight to Yalong Cave to fetch the old she-demon. He went into the wood and hunted about until he saw a pair of stone gates standing half open. Sure that this was a den of demons, he shouted at once, "Open the gate!" The woman demon on guard came out, questioned him closely, and led Wukong into the cave. At the second gate Wukong put his head in and looked: there on a stone chair sat an old woman richly dressed. He went in and kowtowed. "The two kings of Lotus-Flower Cave on Mount Pingding invite you, grandmother, to come and eat the Tang Monk's flesh, and beg you to bring the golden rope to catch Sun Wukong." The old she-demon was delighted. "What dutiful sons!" she cried, and bade the women make ready a sedan chair. She mounted the fragrant rattan chair, told the women left behind to guard the cave well, and ordered Wukong to lead the way, and so they went straight towards Lotus-Flower Cave. After five or six li Wukong said to the bearers, "Rest a while, then we shall go on." They set the chair down by the roadside. Behind the chair Wukong plucked out a hair and turned it into a large baked cake, which he began to gnaw. The bearers mouths watered at the sight, and they held out their hands to beg a share. Wukong said, "We are all one family; come and eat." And while the bearers were sharing out the cake, Wukong drew out his iron club and smashed them, one blow each, to a pulp. The old she-demon in the chair heard the commotion outside and poked her head out to look. Wukong struck her full upon the head and dashed out her brains, and she revealed her true form. He dragged her out of the chair and saw that she was a nine-tailed fox.

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