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30 The Kingdom of Lion-Camel

Back in the cave, the second demon chief was far from reconciled. "What we said just now about seeing the Tang Monk over was only to save your life, elder brother, and meant nothing. Give me three thousand young demons and I have the skill to take this ape!" The old fiend was delighted. "Only take him, and the credit is ours alike." Master and disciples were waiting on the road when a young demon with a blue flag came to deliver a challenge: "Sun Wukong, come out at once and do battle with our Second Great King!" Bajie laughed. "They said they would bring a chair to carry our master, and now they come to fight?" Wukong said, "The second fiend must be unwilling to accept it, and so he challenges us." Wukong said to Bajie, "The demons are three brothers, and we are three brothers too. I have subdued the eldest; when the second comes out, you must fight him." Bajie said, "Go I will; but lend me that cord of yours." Wukong meant to tease him, so he tied the cord about Bajie's waist and urged him out to battle. Bajie ran up the hillside with his rake at the ready. The second fiend came out of the camp and, without a word, levelled his spear and thrust at Bajie's face. Bajie raised his rake to meet him. They had not fought eight rounds before Bajie's arms grew weak, and he turned and cried, "Brother, pull the life-saving rope!" At this Wukong did the opposite: he let the rope go slack and flung it away. Bajie lost the fight and ran for his life. Bajie ran on, trailing the rope, tripped over it and fell flat on his face. The second fiend came up, flung out his trunk like a river dragon and curled it about Bajie, then carried him off to the cave in triumph. Seeing this, the Tang Monk turned on Wukong in anger. "Wuneng asked you to pull the life-saving rope. Why did you cast it away instead?" Wukong said with a laugh, "Let him suffer a little, and he will know how hard it is to fetch the scriptures. Do not fret, Master; I will go and rescue him." Bajie was bound fast by the demons and left soaking in a pond at the back of the cave. Wukong turned himself into an insect and flew in. Bajie's face looked for all the world like a great black lotus pod in late autumn, frost-bitten and stripped of its seeds; it was a sight both sorry and droll. Wukong flew close to Bajie's ear and said in a feigned voice, "Zhu Wuneng, the Fifth King of Hell has sent me to fetch you." Bajie answered in alarm, "The King of Hell is a good friend of my brother's; tell him to come for me tomorrow instead." "Nonsense!" said Wukong. "Come with me at once!" Then he could not help bursting out laughing. Bajie knew his voice and cursed him from the water. "Plague take you, Bimawen! At such a pass as this, would you make sport of me?" Wukong resumed his true form. "Do not fret. Let me get you out." Wukong took Bajie by the ear and hauled him up, then untied his bonds. Bajie jumped to his feet, stripped off his clothes and wrung the water from them, then hung them on his back still dripping wet. Wukong swung his iron rod and fought his way out, and Bajie too plucked up his spirits; together they smashed through three or four gates and slew countless young demons. Hearing the uproar, the second fiend snatched his spear and hurried out. At the sight of Wukong he thrust with the spear; Wukong whipped out his iron rod to meet him, and the two fought a fierce battle before the cave. Seeing how heavy Wukong's rod was and finding no opening, the second fiend rested his spear and flung out his trunk to coil about Wukong. Wukong knew his trick; he lifted the golden-hooped rod crosswise with both hands, and the fiend's trunk caught him about the hips without ever gripping his hands. Wukong shook the rod till it was small as an egg and ten-odd zhang long, and swept it into the fiend's nostril. The pain made the fiend let go at once.

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