Journey to the West: The roadblock!

Chapter 18, The Wind Rises at Dusk (Part 5)
Meanwhile, Li Changgeng, disguised as an old man, pointed out the sacred site of Bodhisattva Lingji to Sun Wukong.

Upon seeing Songzi, Bajie bowed down to the sky and cried, "Benefactor! Benefactor!"

Because Pigsy had drunkenly harassed Chang'e, he should have been sentenced to death, but thanks to Taibai Jinxing's personal persuasion, his punishment was reduced to two thousand lashes and he was banished to the mortal realm.

Li Changgeng is the name of Venus, the planet of the Western planets.

Wukong said, "Bajie, you should hide deep in this forest and not go out to fight that demon. I, your old grandson, will go to Mount Sumeru and ask the Bodhisattva to come and help us."

Pigsy said, "I know! I know! I'll stay here and guard the luggage while you invite the Bodhisattva back."

Wukong leaped into the air, somersaulted on the cloud, and headed south. In a short while, he saw a tall mountain with auspicious clouds appearing in the middle. There was a Zen temple in the mountain, with the melodious sound of bells and chimes and the wisps of incense smoke.

Upon reaching the gate, because he needed someone's help, Wukong dared not enter lightly and asked someone in the courtyard to announce his arrival.
"Sun Wukong, Tang Sanzang's disciple, has arrived and requests an audience with the Bodhisattva."

Before long, Bodhisattva Lingji came out to greet them.

Wukong then entered the hall and took a seat as a guest.

Bodhisattva Lingji instructed someone to prepare tea.

Wukong said, "There's no need for tea. My master is in danger at Huangfeng Ridge and is in imminent peril. I have specially requested the Bodhisattva to use his great power to save him."

Lingji Bodhisattva said:
“I received the Buddha’s decree to suppress the Yellow Wind Monster here. The Buddha bestowed upon me a ‘Wind-Fixing Pill’ and a ‘Flying Dragon Staff’. At that time, I captured the Yellow Wind Monster, but considering his difficult cultivation, I spared his life and let him go into seclusion in the mountains, forbidding him from harming living beings or committing sins. I did not know that he would try to harm your master today. I have violated the Buddha’s decree, and this is my crime.”

They then took the treasure and rode the clouds together with Wukong. Before long, they arrived at Huangfeng Ridge.

Lingji Bodhisattva said, “Great Sage, this demon is somewhat afraid of me. I am only standing on the cloud. Go down and challenge him to a duel, lure him out, and I will use my magic to subdue him.”

Wukong obeyed, descended from the clouds, and without a word, smashed down the cave entrance with his iron cudgel. He cried out, "Monster! Give me back my master!"

The little demon guarding the door hurriedly relayed the message.

Inside the cave, the Great Sage Yellow Wind was drinking with Ao Tu when he heard a little demon report that Sun Wukong had broken down the cave door and was shouting and cursing outside. He angrily said:

"That rude monkey is truly impudent! Last time we failed to kill him with a gust of wind, and now he's broken down our door! If he goes out now, we'll surely summon a divine wind to blow him to death!"

So he put on his armor, grabbed his steel fork, and was about to go out when Ao Tu said:

“Be careful, my brother. That monkey didn’t win last time, but he’s back today. He must have something to rely on. If you encounter any danger, call on your brother for help.”

The Great Sage Huang Feng cupped his hands and said:
"Thank you for your kindness, brother. I will definitely win this mission, get rid of that monkey, and share the flesh of Tang Sanzang with you."

Having said that, the Great Sage Yellow Wind walked out of the cave, saw Sun Wukong, and thrust his trident at his chest.

Sun Wukong dodged to the side and raised his staff to meet the attack.

After only a few exchanges, the Great Sage Yellow Wind seized an opportunity and opened his mouth to summon the wind.

Just then, in mid-air, Bodhisattva Lingji threw down the Flying Dragon Staff, chanted some incantation, and it transformed into an eight-clawed golden dragon. It swung its two claws and grabbed the Great Sage Yellow Wind.

The Great Sage Huang Feng was so frightened that his soul almost left his body, and hurriedly cried out, "Brother, save me!"

Upon hearing the cries for help, Ao Tu leaped out and unleashed a precious fan.

What a fine fan! Surrounded by precious light, with divine fire soaring high.

This fan is called the Five Fire Divine Flame Fan, also known as the Five Fire Seven Birds Fan.

It is composed of five fires: fire in the air, fire in the stone, fire in the wood, Samadhi fire, and fire in the human world; it has phoenix wings, blue luan wings, roc wings, peacock wings, white crane wings, swan wings, and owl wings. The feathers of the seven birds have talismans and secret formulas.

There is a poem that says:

The Five Fires Rare Treasures are called Seven Feathers, bestowed upon a person who has just emerged from obscurity.

Strange rocks on mountains turn to ashes, and the sea dries them up with little dew.

The first principle is to overcome wood and metal; the burning of beams and pillars never ceases. Even a ten-thousand-year-old immortal's body will be annihilated upon encountering the fan.

Ao Tu flew in the air and fanned himself three times towards the Lingji Bodhisattva. At that moment:
Flames soar ten thousand feet into the sky, and a thousand golden snakes display their might.

Black smoke billows three feet high, turning the sea churns and disappears within a few feet.

Bodhisattva Lingji exclaimed in surprise, "What! The Five Fires and Seven Birds Fan!"

Knowing the power of the precious fan, Bodhisattva Lingji immediately disregarded the Yellow Wind Monster and used the Flying Dragon Staff to protect himself.

The eight-clawed golden dragon stood in front of the fire, but after only a few breaths, it let out a mournful cry, dispersed its magical body, and returned to the staff.

Seeing the perilous situation, Bodhisattva Lingji quickly raised his Dharma body, performed the fire-avoidance incantation, and used the three-tiered lotus platform beneath him for protection.

Seeing this, Ao Tu feared he couldn't win, so he fanned the sky seven or eight more times, until the sky turned red.

That precious fan was formed from the true essence of the five fires, how could it be compared to ordinary fire?
In just a few moments, the lotus platform of Lingji Bodhisattva's Dharma body was burned to death.

As Lingji Bodhisattva was about to walk away, Ao Tu caught up and slapped him, causing him to fall off the cloud.

Seeing that things were not going well, Sun Wukong somersaulted away.

Ao Tu bound the dying Ling Ji and returned to his cave with Huang Feng Da Sheng.

As soon as he entered the cave, countless lesser demons gathered around, all offering their congratulations:

"Second King, brilliant!"

"What a wonderful fire! What a wonderful fan!"

"The Second King's divine might is unparalleled!"

The Great Sage Huang Feng bowed and said, "Thank you for saving me, brother. I am deeply grateful!"

Ao Tu laughed loudly, "Brother, there's no need for that, please get up! Men, tie this monk Lingji to the wind-stabilizing stake in the back garden too! In a couple of days, we'll steam him together and eat him!"

The little demons all cheered.

Tiger Vanguard carried the Bodhisattva Lingji to the wind-stabilizing stake in the back garden, quickly tied him up, and bound him together with Tang Sanzang.

Lingji Bodhisattva's Dharma body was burned by Ao Tu's precious fan, and he was severely injured and powerless to resist.

On the other side, Pigsy and the others were in the forest, looking at the reddish sky in the distance, wiping away their sweat and saying, "Why is the weather suddenly so hot!"

Just then, Sun Wukong flew in from the sky, covered in smoke and fire.

Bajie hurriedly stepped forward and asked, "Brother, didn't you go to seek help from the Bodhisattva? How did you end up in such a sorry state?"

Sun Wukong lay in the shade of a tree, drank several large gulps of water, and panted:

"Amazing! Amazing! Bajie, you don't know, I went to find the Bodhisattva Lingji, and he agreed to help me. He sent me to challenge the demon, and when the demon came out, he used a flying dragon staff to capture the demon."

Unexpectedly, the two demons also possessed supernatural powers. They had a precious fan that they fanned into a great fire, scorching the sky itself. The Bodhisattva was no match for them and was blown off the clouds and captured in a cave!

Pigsy exclaimed in panic, "No wonder it's so hot! Even the Bodhisattva has been captured! What kind of monsters are those two demons? How do they possess such great supernatural powers?"

Wukong said, "I don't know either. I only know that the monster has dragon horns and golden scales, so it must be a dragon in human form. But I don't know why it can't use water but can use fire."

Bajie said, “If that’s the case, brother, as the saying goes, ‘Even a good fire needs water to extinguish it.’ Since he is a dragon in human form, why don’t you go and invite the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas? They will surely be able to subdue him.”

Wukong replied, "Brother, you are right. I, Old Sun, will go to the Eastern Ocean to borrow dragon soldiers and some water to extinguish the demon fire and capture this monster."

(End of this chapter)