Home > Journey to the West > 34-linked-caves

34 The Linked Caves

They walked several tens of li and came to the edge of a cliff, and at the foot of the cliff a cave dwelling appeared with its stone gates fast shut. Above the gate was written: Zheyue Linked Caves, Yinwu Mountain. Wukong said, "This must be the demons' dwelling, and our master is surely inside it." At his words Bajie raised his rake and struck with all his might, and knocked a great hole clean through the stone gate. The gate-guards ran in with the news in great haste, and the old demon turned upon the Wolf Vanguard in a panic. "It is all your fine plan that has brought this trouble to our very door!" "Do not fret, my king," said the Wolf Vanguard. "I have a way to fool them." The Wolf Vanguard found a willow root, carved it into the shape of a man's head, and spattered it with a little human blood until it looked startlingly like the real thing. Then he chose a clever young demon to hold the false head upon a tray. From behind the gate the demon called out, "Great Sage, my lord, some witless imps in our cave bit and gnawed at your master until nothing was left of him but a head." Wukong wished to see whether it was true or false, and bade the young demon throw the head out through the hole in the gate. The young demon agreed and pitched the false head out. Bajie saw it, took it for the truth, and at once beat his breast and wailed aloud. "You weep without even stopping to tell true from false," said Wukong with a laugh. "It is a false head." "How can you tell that it is false?" asked Bajie. Wukong said, "A real head, thrown out, lands with a soft thud; a false one clatters like a wooden clapper." So saying he broke the head open with one blow of his rod, and it proved indeed to be a willow root. Bajie could not help cursing. "Vile demons! You hide my master in the cave and bring a willow root to fool your pig ancestor. What, is my master a willow spirit, that he should be turned into a root?" Terrified, the young demon ran back trembling to report. "Then let us give them a real head," said the old demon. "Go to the Skinning Pavilion and choose out one of the heads we cannot eat." The demons went to the pavilion, picked out a fresh head and gnawed the scalp clean, then had the same young demon carry it out on a tray and fling it through. Wukong saw a human head roll bloodily out through the hole in the gate, and knew it for a real one. He could not help but cry aloud, and Bajie and Sandy, seeing it, joined their lament to his. When the three had wept their fill, they sought a sunny spot sheltered from the wind, buried the head, heaped up a grave mound and made offering before it. Then Sandy stayed to guard the baggage and the horse, while Wukong and Bajie went to avenge their master's death. Wukong and Bajie came to the cave, smashed the gate through and challenged the old demon to battle. Seeing there was no hiding left, the old demon led every demon in the cave out against them, weapons in hand.

 4/6   Home Previous 2 3 4 5 6 Next Last