Journey to the West: The roadblock!

Chapter 17, The Wind Rises at Dusk (Part 4)
Meanwhile, Wukong and Bajie entered the thatched hut.

The old man took out vegetarian food and gave it to the two of them.

After the meal, Wukong asked, "May I ask, sir, do you sell eye drops in your area?"

The old man asked, "Which elder has eyesight problems?"

Wukong said, "It's not that my eyes are hurting. Today, when we were rescuing my master at the entrance of the Yellow Wind Cave, that monster blew a mouthful of yellow wind in our face, which made my eyes sore and watery, making it hard to see. That's why I need to find eye medicine."

The old man said, "Excellent! Excellent! That Yellow Wind Great Sage's wind is the most powerful. His wind is nothing compared to the spring and autumn winds, the pine and bamboo winds, or the winds from the east, west, north, and south..."

Bajie jokingly said, "It must be a type of stroke, such as typhoid fever, leprosy, or migraine?"

The old man said, "No, no. That's called 'Samadhi Divine Wind.' It can blow strange winds across the heavens and earth, and it can make ghosts and gods tremble. It can split rocks and collapse cliffs, and it can kill a person instantly."

You encountered his wind and it blew on you, but you only felt a soreness in your eyes. He must be someone important.

When I was young, I met a strange man who gave me a remedy called "Three Flowers and Nine Sons Ointment," which can cure blepharitis.

Upon hearing this, Wukong bowed his head and said, "I would like to ask for a little, let's give it a try."

The old man agreed, took out a small jar of agate, dipped a little into it with a jade hairpin and touched it to Wukong, instructing him not to open his eyes, to sleep peacefully, and that he would be fine the next morning.

After making his order, the old man left.

Bajie spread out the bedding and helped Wukong lie down on the bed to sleep peacefully.

Wukong closed his eyes and groped around randomly.

Pigsy laughed and said, "Sir, have you lost your blind cane?"

Wukong cursed, "You idiot! Do you think I'm blind?!"

Pigsy chuckled to himself as he went to sleep.

As dawn approached, Wukong wiped his face, opened his eyes, and said, "Good medicine, it really works!"

Turning around, they saw no houses or windows, only old locust trees and tall willows, where the two of them were sleeping on the green grass.

He raised his hand and woke up Pigsy.

Seeing that there was no house left, Pigsy was so frightened that he scrambled to his feet and said:

"Oh dear! This family moved without making a sound, even taking the house with them. They must be tax evaders, so they moved overnight."

Wukong smiled and said:
“You fool, this is divine assistance, not tax evasion. We’re not far from Yellow Wind Cave. You stay here and guard the luggage while I, Old Sun, go into the cave to investigate and see where Master is.”

Bajie said:
"Alright! Alright! Let's find out if Master is dead or alive first. If he's dead, we can go our separate ways; if he's alive, we'll do our best to rescue him."

Wukong said, "Stop talking nonsense, I'm off!"

Wukong leaped down and landed in front of the Yellow Wind Cave, transforming into a mosquito with flowery legs before flying into the cave.

The little tiger guarding the gate was snoring soundly when Wukong, seeing it was a tiger, became annoyed and bit it on the face. The little tiger rolled over and woke up, exclaiming, "Dad! What a big mosquito! One bite and it left such a big bump!"

Wukong flew inside, passed through the hall, and went straight to the back; he saw a door that was tightly closed, and he squeezed through the crack in the door. It turned out to be an empty garden, and Tang Sanzang was tied to the wind-fixing stake in the wall.

There was a tiger monster guarding the side; it was the same tiger demon who could skin people from yesterday.

Wukong flew over and landed on Tang Sanzang's bald head. Just as he was about to use a spell to subdue the tiger monster, someone walked over.

Judging from the man's appearance, he was tall and upright, with dragon horns and golden scales, and was probably a demonic dragon in human form.

Ao Tu walked up to Tiger Vanguard and asked, "How is Tang Sanzang?"

Tiger Vanguard respectfully reported, "Reporting to the Second King, Tang Sanzang is well." Wukong, who was listening nearby, then realized that there was a Second King in the Yellow Wind Cave besides the Yellow Wind Monster.

Suddenly, the demonic dragon looked over for some reason, slapped down, hitting Tang Sanzang's bald head, flattened Sun Wukong who had turned into a mosquito, and flicked his finger, sending him flying.

"How come there are still mosquitoes? Keep a close eye on him, don't let this monk get too thin from hunger!"

Tiger Vanguard repeatedly agreed.

Sun Wukong landed on the ground, furious. That damned dragon had treated him, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, like a mosquito.

He turned into an eagle, with jade claws and golden eyes, and lunged forward to seize Ao Tu's vital spot.

Ao Tu had anticipated this and dodged, laughing loudly, "Sun Wukong, I knew that mosquito was you in disguise!" He then raised his dragon claw and fought Sun Wukong for three or five rounds without being at a disadvantage.

Sun Wukong dared not linger, fearing that the Yellow Wind Monster would catch up with him and block him there, so he turned and fled.

They escaped from Yellow Wind Cave, returned to their previous location, and reunited with Pigsy.

When Bajie saw Wukong return, he asked:
"Senior brother, how is it? Have you found out Master's whereabouts?"

Wukong said, "Troublesome! Troublesome! I, Old Sun, will transform into a mosquito and go into the cave to check on Master. It turns out that Master has been tied to the wind-fixing stake in the back garden by that monster, his mouth is gagged with a rag, and he can't speak. There is also that tiger monster from before guarding him."

I intended to use a sleep-inducing trick to put the tiger monster to sleep, but unexpectedly, there were two other demons in the cave who saw through my disguise and fought me for a few rounds. Fearing that I would be trapped by the Yellow Wind Monster, I fled.

After hearing this, Pigsy said, "Brother, we can't get the scriptures! The Yellow Wind Demon is already very troublesome, and now there's another demon. How can we save Master? I think we should go our separate ways."

Master has a brocade cassock and a nine-ringed staff. The cassock is valuable; as the elder brother, you can take more. I'll gladly accept the staff. Let's sell the white horse somewhere with people. You go to your Flower Fruit Mountain, and I'll return to my Gao Village.

Upon hearing this, Wukong angrily grabbed Bajie's ear and said:
"I'll beat you up, you blockhead! Master isn't even dead yet, and you're already thinking about breaking up the group and dividing the luggage!"

Bajie said, “Although I am not dead, I will not live much longer. When I was a demon, I heard that the most particular demons would tie people to stakes first and leave them there for three to five days until their stomachs were empty before swallowing them whole.”

Wukong said, "There's still hope. When I, Old Sun, go to Heaven, I'll invite a deity who can control the winds; that will surely subdue that demon!"

Bajie said, "Brother, you don't even know the origin of that demon. Which deity do you want to invite down? If you invite the right one, that's fine, but if you invite the wrong one, and you have to go back and invite another one, I'm afraid Master will turn into the demon's excrement!"

As they were discussing this, an old man walked out from the side of the road.

His beard and hair were thick with snow, and golden flowers shone brightly and hazily; he walked slowly with his back bent and head bowed, his brows furrowed and his face red like a child's.

The old man wasn't afraid of Wukong and Bajie; instead, he stepped forward and asked, "Where did you brothers come from, monks? Why are you arguing in this wilderness?"

Wukong said, "We are monks on our pilgrimage. Yesterday, we lost our master here and he was captured by the Yellow Wind Demon. We don't know who we should ask to subdue him?"

The old man asked, "Could it be the Yellow Wind Great Sage?"

Wukong said, "It is indeed him."

The old man said, "I do know that. This Great Sage Yellow Wind is skilled in using the divine power of Samadhi Wind. Even all the heavenly generals can hardly subdue him. Only one person can control his wind force."

Wukong hurriedly said, "Please give me your guidance, sir."

The old man said, “Go straight south for two thousand miles, and there is a mountain called Little Sumeru Mountain. There is a Buddhist temple in the mountain, which is the monastery where Bodhisattva Lingji preaches. If you can persuade him to come, you will be able to rescue your master.”

Wukong quickly thanked him.

The old man had already transformed into a gentle breeze and vanished without a trace, leaving only a pair of verses:

“Reporting to the Great Sage Equal to Heaven: The old man is Li Changgeng.”

Mount Sumeru has a flying dragon staff; Lingji once received the Buddha's weapon.

(End of this chapter)