Journey to the West: Beginning with the Apprenticeship of Bodhi Patriarch

Chapter 156: The Bull King vs. the Monkey King (asking for monthly votes)
The Bull Demon King and Sun Wukong were fighting on the hillside of Cuiyun Mountain, each with his own thoughts, and it seemed that they were going to have a vicious fight.

The Bull King swung his iron rod, while the Great Sage raised his golden hoop. This iron rod chopped head-on, while that golden hoop was distracted. The Bull King had countless tricks, while the Great Sage's rod technique was both hard and soft. This one was the guardian deity of the Immortal Master, who followed his teachings to challenge Tang Monk, while that one was the clever monkey from Bodhi's family, who was determined to go west to attain enlightenment. The rods collided and shook the sky, and the fight was like a picture. The wind blew and the sand flew, and the wolves and tigers were frightened. The sky was dark and the stars disappeared.

At first they competed in martial arts, and later in supernatural powers. Sometimes they fought in the clouds, and sometimes they fought on the ground. They didn't know how much time had passed, and the sun set and the moon rose, and the ice wheel rose.

The Bull Demon King and the Monkey King fought for four or five hundred rounds, but it was difficult to determine the winner. No matter how they fought with martial arts or used supernatural powers, the two were evenly matched.

The Bull Demon King was shocked and thought to himself, "This monkey has been in the Five Elements Mountain for so many years. During these years, I have never slacked off in my training and have practiced martial arts. I have made great progress compared to before. How come this monkey's martial arts are so powerful now? I can't defeat him."

The two were arguing when they suddenly saw a group of soldiers rushing over the mountain. The Bull Demon King took a closer look and saw that it was the Rakshasa woman holding a sword and leading a group of soldiers from her mansion to help.

The Rakshasa woman came forward and said, "My king, I will lead my troops to help you."

The Bull Demon King swung his iron rod, pulled away, and said with a smile: "Madam, you came at the right time. I can't catch this monkey. You come to help me. Together, we will definitely catch this monkey."

The Monkey King put away his golden hoop and heard the Bull Demon King address the Rakshasa woman as "Madam". He bowed and said, "Sister-in-law is here. Please forgive me for not paying my respects to you."

The Rakshasa woman said, "I have never had an uncle like you, so don't call me that."

The Bull Demon King said, "You monkey, now that my wife is here to help you, why don't you surrender?"

The traveler said, "Brother, I came here to borrow the fan. I have no intention of fighting with you. If you insist on fighting, I will accompany you to the end."

The Bull Demon King said, "Let me see what you are capable of."

Having said that, he raised the iron stick and hit him again.

The Rakshasa woman held a precious sword and led a group of soldiers to surround Sun Wukong in the center. They were armed with swords, spears, halberds, whips, hammers, axes, golden melons, flags, sickles, and moon-shaped shovels. They were coming very closely.

The good traveler was not afraid at all. He shouted "change" and became a three-headed, six-armed being. His iron rod changed into three and he started to beat around. No matter how hard the Rakshasa woman and the soldiers tried, they could not get close to him.

When the Bull Demon King saw that Monkey was so aggressive, he took out a palm-leaf fan and waved it, creating a gust of cold wind that blew Monkey away without a trace, and no one knew where he went.

The Bull Demon King stepped forward to support the Rakshasa woman and said, "How is the lady?"

The Rakshasa woman said, "Don't worry, my king. I have never hurt him."

The Bull Demon King laughed and said, "I know that there is no need to worry about fighting him."

The Rakshasa woman said, "You must be careful and not let your guard down."

The Bull Demon King said, "Madam, I have never missed my practice. I know that I will fail soon, so I dare not delay. Madam, please go back home with me quickly. I have been fighting with him for a long time and I am thirsty and hungry. Go and get me some water and snacks."

Everyone returned home and we won’t talk about it for now.

……

The story goes that the traveler waved the palm-leaf fan, and the clouds floated in the air like fallen leaves in a whirlwind. Even though he used his magical powers, he could not stop the clouds or catch the wind. It rolled like this all night. At dawn, the traveler quickly jumped up and grabbed a rock, and finally dispersed the evil wind.

The Monkey King was in a daze and could not recognize the way. He sighed, "Great, great! How did this brother get such a banana leaf fan? How come he has blown me to who knows where? Even if I have the ability to retain clouds, I cannot stop this gloomy wind."

The traveler took a closer look and realized that this was the Small Mount Xumi, the residence of Lingji Bodhisattva, who taught him to fly thousands of miles with a palm leaf fan. The traveler simply entered the Zen temple and asked for a method. After asking, he really got a method from Lingji Bodhisattva.

The Bodhisattva gave the traveler a wind-calming pill and told him to sew the pill onto his collar so that no matter how the palm-leaf fan flapped, it would not scratch the traveler.

After obtaining the treasure, the monk said goodbye to Lingji Bodhisattva and rode on his somersault cloud to Cuiyun Mountain. After a while, he arrived at the mountain, drew out his iron rod, and shouted at the door of Banana Cave: "Brother, I want to borrow your fan. Please lend me your fan."

The Bull Demon King was resting in the Banana Cave. Hearing the noise, he was startled and said, "This monkey is really capable. Teach me how to use the banana fan. It found the way back so quickly."

The Rakshasa woman came out with a sword in hand and said, "My king, I will go with you to fight that monkey."

The Bull Demon King said, "Madam, that monkey's club is heavy. If you get hit by it, you will either die or be disabled. Just let me fight him."

The Rakshasa stopped the Bull Demon King and said, "That monkey has great magical powers. Yesterday, Your Majesty fought with him for a long time but could not win. You only defeated him by borrowing the banana fan. The Holy Infant once said that he could defeat him by borrowing fire, but he borrowed sailors in an instant. The Dragon Girl came to put out the fire and he was defeated. Now that the monkey is coming again, we must be prepared. Your Majesty, you should take the Yu Ding to be prepared."

Upon hearing this, Bull Demon King said, "Madam, what you said is very true. I will take the Yu Ding."

Say it.

The Bull Demon King turned around and walked into the hall, bowed three times to the Yu Ding, and asked to borrow the tripod. The Yu Ding had its own spirituality, and the 18-foot-long Yu Ding turned into a small tripod and hung in front of the Bull Demon King.

The Bull Demon King held the Yu Ding in both hands, hung it around his waist, put on his armor, held a mixed iron stick in his hand, and went out of the mansion.

When they reached the outside of the palace, Bull Demon King saw Monkey and said, "Why are you here again, you monkey?"

The Monkey King said, "Brother, I came to borrow your fan sincerely, but you blew me away and I could hardly find the way back. Since you blew me like this, have you calmed down? If so, please lend me your palm leaf fan."

The Bull Demon King said, "You monkey, how can I quell my anger by slapping you?"

The traveler smiled apologetically and said, "If you are still not satisfied, you can slap me eight or ten times."

The Bull Demon King said: "In that case, you just stand still."

Say it.

The Bull King took out a palm-leaf fan, waved it at the traveler, and a cold wind blew, making the sun and moon dim and the sky dark. The traveler was blown by the wind but remained motionless. This was the power of the 'Wind-Fixing Pill'.

The traveler shouted in the wind, "Brother, I'll fan you a few more times to calm you down."

The Bull King opened his eyes wide and took a closer look. He saw that Monkey was indeed unmoved by the cold wind. He thought to himself, "It is just as my wife said. This monkey has gone to ask for reinforcements. I wonder which god he asked for help. With such a treasure, he is not afraid of my palm leaf fan."

The Bull King waved his fans five or six times, and gusts of cold wind blew, but the traveler remained unmoved.

The Monkey King waited until the Bull King had finished fanning him, then he said with a smile, "Brother, does this make you feel less angry?"

The Bull King said, "You monkey, you really have some ability. You can calm down, but I can't lend you my palm leaf fan."

The traveler asked, "Brother, how can I borrow it?"

The Bull King swung up the iron stick and said, "Fight with me. If you can defeat me, I will lend you my palm leaf fan."

The Monkey King said, "Brother, you are a skilled warrior. It would be difficult for me to defeat you in a fight."

The Bull King laughed and said, "That was last time. This time is different. If you fight me, you will definitely lose."

The Monkey King drew out his golden hoop and said, "In that case, please show me your way, brother. We can fight again and see who will win."

The Bull King said nothing, but swung his stick and hit him on the head. The traveler went forward to fight.

The two fought for seven or eight rounds in front of the mansion, with no clear winner. The Bull Demon King was shocked and thought to himself, "How could this fellow be born and raised? He has fought for so long without feeling hungry or thirsty. I ate and drank enough in the mansion, so I have the strength. This monkey has been fighting with me for a long time, and I slapped it away, and it rushed back again, yet it still has this much strength. If we fight for a thousand rounds, I will definitely not be his opponent."

The Bull Demon King knocked the Monkey back with one blow of his stick.

The Monkey King said with a smile, "Brother, we are evenly matched in martial arts today. How about you lend me the palm leaf fan?"

The Bull Demon King said: "No way! Look at my treasure!"

Say it.

The Bull Demon King took out the Yu Ding hanging from his waist and threw it towards Monkey.

When the traveler saw Yu Ding, he felt that he looked familiar and was startled. He wanted to ask him something, but Yu Ding threw it at him, so he raised his stick and went forward to fight back.

As soon as the golden cudgel touched the Yu Ding, Monkey King pushed it down and nearly fell off. After hitting the Ding head-on, his hands and muscles became weak and numb. How could he have the strength to fight again?

The Bull Demon King laughed loudly and said, "Don't run away, monkey."

The Bull King raised his stick and tried to capture the Monkey King.

The Monkey King barely managed to lift the golden hoop to resist for a few blows, but was unable to fight anymore. The golden hoop fell to the ground, and he leaped away on a cloud, not daring to fight again.

The Bull Demon King couldn't catch up, so he had to take the golden hoop and return to the banana cave.

The Rakshasa woman came and asked about the battle situation.

The Bull Demon King recounted what had happened before, placed the Yu Ding on top, pondered for a long time, and then placed the Golden Cudgel on the side.

The Rakshasa asked, "My king, since we have defeated the monkey, how should we offer him his treasure?"

The Bull Demon King said, "The monkey's treasure has a history. It is said to be a tool used by King Yu to control floods. It is a treasure of our family, just like the Yu Ding of yours. Even if we don't respect the monkey, we should still show some respect to King Yu. Besides, I don't know what the relationship is between yours and King Yu."

Upon hearing this, the Rakshasa woman bowed and asked, "My king, we cannot catch that monkey, what should we do?"

The Bull Demon King said, "That fellow is so fast. If he wants to leave, he will be impossible to catch. It is because he and his group want to obtain the scriptures, not us. That monkey will definitely come again."

The Rakshasa woman said, "My king, that monkey is the best at calling for help. If he can get the heavenly soldiers and generals, what should we do?"

The Bull Demon King patted his chest and said, "Why should I be afraid? Why should I, the old bull, be afraid of the heavenly soldiers and generals? If that monkey came to ask for help like this, would I, the old bull, not ask for help?"

The Rakshasa woman said, "Don't disturb the master unless it is necessary."

The Bull Demon King said, "Madam, I can reflect on myself."

……

The story goes that the Monkey King rode on his somersault cloud and went towards the house. After a while he arrived and met the group of people who were seeking the scriptures.

When Zhu Bajie saw Sun Xingzhe, he stepped forward and shouted, "Master, our eldest brother is back."

The group walked out and saw the traveler looking dusty.

Tang Monk stepped forward and asked, "My dear disciple, why do you look like this? Are you injured?"

The traveler sat down, his hands and muscles numb, and said, "No, no. It's just that in that mountain, there is not the Iron Fan Fairy, but a Bull Demon King."

Zhu Bajie asked: "Brother, what do you mean by Bull Demon King?"

The Monkey King then recounted what had happened before, how he had fought the Bull Demon King, but was blown away by the Bull Demon King's fan. He then obtained a Wind-Fixing Pill from Lingji Bodhisattva, and fought with him again. The Bull Demon King took out a cauldron and beat him until his hands and muscles became weak and numb, and he was unable to resist.

Tang Seng clasped his hands and said, "I didn't expect that there would be so much trouble in the past two days. My dear disciple, you haven't completed your mission yet, so how can you cross this Flaming Mountain?"

The old man was surprised and said, "I have already said that this palm leaf fan cannot be borrowed. It cannot be borrowed even by gods. Elder, you should go somewhere else. Just don't go to the west. There are other ways to go. Whether it is east, south or north, you can go wherever you want."

Sha Wujing said, "Where there is a scripture, there is fire; where there is no fire, there is no scripture. What should I do?"

The Monkey King panted and said, "Don't worry, don't worry. I see that Bull Demon King's tripod looks very familiar. It may be one of the Nine Tripods of King Yu. If we fight, I am not afraid of Bull Demon King, but that tripod is heavy. If it hits me, my hands will become weak and my muscles will become numb. I can't fight anymore. I will find a way to take it."

Zhu Bajie said, "Brother, you are a famous thief in the Three Realms. If you steal the tripod and use it to deal with the Bull King, you will succeed."

The Monkey King said, "You fool, I do have a plan. But the tripod is too heavy to be carried. But you can go to the mansion and firstly teach him to take my weapons. Secondly, if there is a good opportunity, you can also take the palm-leaf fan."

Tang Seng said: "My dear disciple, please rest here for a while, it won't be too late to go later."

The travelers obeyed the orders and dared not disobey.

The old man offered tea and food to the traveler.

The Monkey King had some tea and food, rested for a day, bid farewell to Tang Monk, and then went to Cuiyun Mountain again. He rode on a cloud and arrived at Cuiyun Mountain in a moment. He tiptoed to the Banana Cave, turned into a fly, and flew into the Cave.

There was a gap in the door of the banana cave, which was just for the monk to enter.

As soon as the traveler entered, he wandered around the palace for a long time. He saw some children wiping the house. The Bull Demon King was on the stage, eating some fruit with a Rakshasa woman, looking very uncomfortable.

The Monkey King felt relieved to find that the Bull King had not discovered him. He went to the back hall and saw his precious golden cudgel, which was enshrined next to a tripod.

The traveler thought to himself, "My brother is quite polite. Although he fought me, he took my weapons and offered them to me. He has some brotherly love for me."

He then looked at the Yu Ding next to the golden hoop stick and felt that it looked familiar. He thought to himself, "This tripod is exactly the same as my senior brother's Yu Ding. I heard that there are nine such tripods. I wonder if this is the one my senior brother has, or one of the other eight. Let me take a closer look."

The Monkey King had never seen the Eight Tripods, so how could he tell the details? He revealed his true form, first took away the golden cudgel, then raised his hands and tried to lift the Yu Tripod. How could he lift such a magical object?

The traveler has the power to push mountains and move hills, but he does not have the strength to lift a continent. The magical object is heavier than Mount Tai, and the traveler cannot lift it.

The lifting did not move the Yu Ding, but the Bull Demon King noticed it. When he saw Sun Wukong, he cursed him, "You damned monkey, how could you not defeat me? You sent a thief like this to steal from my house. I have heard that you are a great thief, and today I see that you are indeed such a thief. Come, bring this thief here quickly."

At a command from the Bull Demon King, hundreds of soldiers came with swords raised to capture Sun Wukong.

Monkey King didn't dare act recklessly in the mansion, so he drew out his golden cudgel and fought his way out with all his might. No one was hurt, and he managed to fight his way out. After a while, he broke down the door of the mansion and left the Banana Cave.

(End of this chapter)