Journey to the West: The roadblock!

Chapter 28, Crossing the Shifting Sands (Part 4)
After resting for two days, Pigsy went to subdue the demon again.

Ao Tu scattered a handful of red sand every day to suppress Sun Wukong's physical body and spirit, preventing him from escaping.

When Bajie came over, Ao Tu asked Tiger Vanguard to temporarily guard the formation, while he transformed into Tiger Vanguard's appearance and went out to fight.

Pigsy, holding his rake, shouted:
"You vicious tiger who hurts people, how many sins have you committed? Today, your grandpa Pig will rid you of this monster!"

Ao Tu said, "You pig demon, you were beaten to a pulp by me last time, and now you're coming to die again? Do you want to eat this king to death?"

Pigsy said, "Don't boast. I was caught off guard last time. Take this!"

As he spoke, a rake came flying.

Ao Tu raised his sword to meet the attack, and the metal clashed, sparks flying everywhere.

Bajie exclaimed in surprise, "How did you, you beast, gain so much strength?"

Ao Tu laughed and said, "It's because you're weak, you pig demon. Watch me chop off your pig feet and stew them!"

Pigsy was furious and raised his rake to strike again.

Ao Tu fought with him, holding back his strength, and they fought for more than thirty rounds without a clear winner.

Pigsy, enraged, swung his rake and started ramming wildly in all directions.

Ao Tu sheathed his sword, took out his spear, and unleashed a sharp golden light.

Upon seeing this, Pigsy quickly raised his rake to block it.

Unexpectedly, the golden light was much more powerful than before. Even though Bajie raised his rake to block it, he was still blasted away by the golden light, and his hands and feet went numb.

Pigsy said, "You cunning and wicked tiger! You were holding back before! As the saying goes, 'Pretending to be a pig to eat a tiger,' but today you're trying to eat me, old pig!"

Ao Tu said, "You pig demon, you do have some power, actually managing to block my golden light!"

Pigsy said, "You've never seen your grandpa Pig's tricks before!"

Having said that, he charged forward again, raising his rake.

After fighting for several dozen more rounds, Pigsy felt that the tiger's martial arts were about the same as his own, except that the golden light was quite powerful. So he transformed into his true form and charged around, causing the ground in the forest to collapse and the trees to overturn.

Ao Tu roared, "You pig demon, how dare you damage my forests!"

He raised his spear, unleashing hundreds of sharp golden rays.

Bajie dodged some attacks, but also took some, sustaining numerous wounds and being forced to dissipate his true form.

Seeing this, Ao Tu pretended to be panting and said:
"You pig demon, you're still alive! You've got some skill! Let's call it a day and fight again after I've had my meal."

Bajie knew that the tiger demon was out of strength and wanted to fight him again, but he was afraid that the tiger demon was treacherous and had spare strength, so in the end they each withdrew.

After returning home, Pigsy rested for two days before coming back to fight.

Ao Tu still came out to fight.

Bajie always felt he was just a hair's breadth away from defeating Ao Tu, but he just couldn't beat him.

After more than ten days, Tang Sanzang became anxious when he saw that Bajie had not yet subdued the monster. He couldn't help but say, "Bajie, since you can't subdue that monster, why don't you go and invite the Bodhisattva over?"

Bajie said, "Alright, but Master, my cloud isn't as fast as yours, so please wait here and don't worry."

Tang Sanzang said, "I'm not in a hurry, you go quickly!"

Pigsy then rode on a cloud and headed towards the South Sea.

When Tiger Vanguard saw Pigsy leave on a cloud, he immediately reported to Ao Tu. Ao Tu guessed that Pigsy had gone to find help, so he caught up with him on a cloud and transformed into the appearance of Sun Wukong.

Wearing a phoenix-winged purple-gold crown, a golden chainmail armor, and lotus-silk cloud-walking shoes, and carrying a bag of exquisite gifts, he rode past Pigsy on a cloud.

Upon seeing this, Pigsy rubbed his eyes and hurriedly said, "Senior brother, senior brother!"

Ao Tu stopped his cloud and looked at Bajie, saying, "Brother, what are you doing here?"

Pigsy said, "Brother, where did you go? You don't know how much I've suffered since you left!"

Ao Tu said, "Didn't I leave a letter saying I was going home?"

Pigsy said, "Then why didn't you tell Master in person?"

Ao Tu laughed and said, "If I told him to my face, would Master still grant me leave?"

Pigsy asked, "So where are you going now?"

Ao Tu said, "I'm going to attend my nephew's birthday banquet."

Bajie asked, "When did you get a nephew?" Ao Tu replied, "He's the son of the Mighty Bull Demon King, who was my sworn brother back then!"

Pigsy then understood and complained:
"You, on the other hand, went to the banquet! I, however, was humiliated by that monster!"

Ao Tu asked, "What happened? Tell me quickly!"

Bajie then recounted his battle with the ferocious tiger over the past few days, and lifted his clothes to reveal numerous injuries and torn garments.

Ao Tu said, “Brother, you have suffered. It is my fault that you have suffered so much. You should not go to the Bodhisattva anymore. The journey to the South Sea is long and arduous. What if Master is captured by a monster while he is alone there? You should go back to protect Master. I will get rid of that evil tiger when I return from the banquet.”

Bajie pouted and muttered, "Brother, it would be good if we could save ourselves from having to ask others for help! I just wonder when you'll be back?"

Ao Tu said, "It will take at least six or seven days, and at most ten or more days."

Pigsy said, "Why is it taking so long to attend a banquet?"

Ao Tu said, "I've been imprisoned under the Five Elements Mountain for five hundred years. We haven't been in touch for a long time. Shouldn't I stay a few more days to catch up?"

Ao Tu picked up the gift box and patted Bajie on the shoulder, saying:
"This is a gift I prepared for the Bull Demon King. Take it and give it to my master, and ask him not to be angry and to give me a few more days off."

Bajie accepted the gift and, sensing its weight, showed a hint of joy.

Ao Tu then took out a pearl from his bosom and said:
"I took this when I went to the Dragon Palace of the East Sea for tea the day before yesterday. My dear brother, you have worked very hard to subdue demons, and your clothes are all worn out. Take this as a secret stash of money to buy clothes, as an apology from your brother!"

Pigsy took the pearl and exclaimed with delight:
"Senior brother, why are you being so nice to me? I, Old Pig, am a little unaccustomed to it!"

Ao Tu said, "When have I ever treated you badly? When I return from the banquet, I will bring you a feast. Just please say a few good words for me to my master and tell him not to recite that tight-fitting spell."

Pigsy patted his chest and said, "Brother, don't worry, with me here, I'll keep you safe!"

Pigsy carried the gift, hid the pearl in his ear, and happily went home.

Upon meeting Tang Sanzang, Bajie explained the whole story to him. He didn't dare mention that Sun Wukong had gone to see the Bull Demon King, but only said that Sun Wukong had a sworn brother he hadn't contacted for many years and was now visiting him, and would return in a dozen days.

He then took out Sun Wukong's gifts and said many kind words.

Although Tang Sanzang harbored some resentment, he was easily appeased by Zhu Bajie.

However, they still felt that more than ten days was too long and would delay their journey to obtain the scriptures.

Bajie then advised that even if they went to find the Bodhisattva, it would take a lot of time to go back and forth, and that constantly looking for the Bodhisattva would make them seem useless.

Tang Sanzang listened and felt that there was some truth to it, so he had no choice but to wait patiently.

At that time, Sun Wukong was still trapped in the formation, and Ao Tu threw a handful of red sand every day, making it impossible for Sun Wukong to move.

After seven or eight days, Tang Sanzang waited outside every day, hoping to see when Sun Wukong would return, and gradually became impatient.

Pigsy said many kind words again, and Tang Sanzang barely managed to hold back.

Seven or eight days later, the one-month deadline for Sun Wukong to leave the cloth had arrived, but Sun Wukong had not yet returned.

Tang Sanzang couldn't hold back any longer and said:

"That beast must be too wild to be tamed and doesn't want to come back!"

As he spoke, he began to recite the Tightening-Headband Mantra.

Bajie quickly tried to persuade Tang Sanzang with kind words, saying that his senior brother might have encountered some trouble and would be delayed for two days. After much persuasion, he managed to get Tang Sanzang to grant him two more days.

Two more days passed, and Sun Wukong still hadn't returned.

Tang Sanzang ignored all advice and began reciting the Tightening-Headband Mantra.

In the red sand formation, Ao Tu grabbed a handful of red sand and scattered it as usual. At that moment, golden light suddenly appeared above Sun Wukong's head, and the headband spell activated.

Sun Wukong's mind, which had been bewitched by the red sand, was instantly awakened by the pain.

Ao Tu had been striking Sun Wukong with red sand for over thirty days, but had not been able to break Sun Wukong's steel bones. Now, when Tang Sanzang chanted the incantation, Sun Wukong was instantly strangled until his ears turned red, his face flushed, his eyes bulged, and his head spun.

Sun Wukong somersaulted and pulled at the golden headband, his eyes turning red, the pain unbearable, a hundred times more painful than the red sand in the Red Sand Formation.

Outside, Tang Sanzang recited it five times, then stopped and said, "If that wicked beast doesn't return by tomorrow, recite it twenty more times!"

Inside the Red Sand Formation, Sun Wukong finally returned to normal. There was no concept of time within the formation, and he didn't understand why Tang Sanzang was reciting the Tightening-Headband Mantra, but he knew that he had to get out of the formation as soon as possible.

However, he simply couldn't break through this formation.

In his utter helplessness, he suddenly remembered that the Bodhisattva had given him three life-saving hairs at Eagle's Sorrow Stream on Snake Coil Mountain.

(End of this chapter)