Journey to the West: The roadblock!

Chapter 78, The Treasure Hunt in the Lotus Cave (Part 4)
Meanwhile, Pigsy arrived at the Lotus Cave.

He knocked on the door, and two little demons came out to guard it.

These two little demons have pointed ears, red hair, strange noses, and crooked teeth. Although they barely resemble humans, a normal person can recognize them as monsters at a glance.

Bajie, that simpleton, didn't find it strange at all. He only thought the two people looked odd, but were still pleasing to the eye. He even stepped forward and bowed, saying:
"Amitabha Buddha, esteemed benefactors, is this the Lotus Temple?"

The two little demons were startled when they suddenly saw Pigsy's face as soon as they opened the door.

Somewhat frightened, he asked, "What kind of monster are you?"

Bajie said, "Benefactor, I am not a monster. I am a monk who is on his way to the Western Paradise to worship Buddha and seek scriptures."

The little demon became somewhat wary upon hearing that the monk was a monk.

The reason is that the Great King and the Second King said a year ago that they would capture Tang Sanzang, saying that eating Tang Sanzang's flesh could grant immortality, but they still haven't captured him.

Isn't this just a gift delivered to our doorstep?
The two little demons asked, "Monk, what brings you here?"

Bajie said, “Esteemed benefactors, my master encountered a Taoist priest with an injured leg on the road who was calling for help. His name is Silver Horn Taoist. He said he was from your area. My master was afraid that he was a demon in disguise, so he sent me to investigate.”

If this person doesn't exist, then he's a monster, and my senior brother will beat him to death with his staff. If he does exist, I'll go back and have my master send him back. I don't want any gold or silver as a reward; just a vegetarian meal will suffice."

Upon hearing this, the two little demons exclaimed, "Silver Horn Taoist!"

Their eldest king is called the Golden Horn King, and their second king is called the Silver Horn King. Isn't this Silver Horn King just the second king in disguise?

So he said, "Monk, you wait here, I'll go in and report to my king!"

Upon hearing this, Pigsy wondered, "It's one thing for this Taoist temple to be built in a cave, but why does it address the abbot as 'Great King'?"

The little demon guarding the gate went in to report, fearing that Pigsy might run away, so he called out a dozen or so of his brothers along the way and asked them to come out and keep an eye on Pigsy.

One by one, the little demons from the caves came out, some in human form and others still in beast form, and they swarmed forward and surrounded Pigsy.

Upon seeing this, Pigsy realized that it was no Taoist temple at all, but rather a group of demons.

He hurriedly turned to leave.

Those little demons wouldn't let him leave; they grabbed his robe and pulled at his hands and feet, preventing him from going.

Pigsy got impatient and used brute force to send all the little demons flying, then took out his rake and started raking them around.

The sounds of fighting spread, and more lesser demons emerged from the cave.

Seeing this, Pigsy was afraid that there were too many lesser demons and he wouldn't be able to escape in time. If the old demon came out, wouldn't he be finished?

So he grabbed the rake and ran.

The little demons chased after them.

Bajie ran panting across half the mountain, then stopped abruptly, dragging his rake, and ran back.

The little demons who were chasing them were puzzled.

Why did that long-mouthed, big-eared monk not run forward, but instead run back?

As they approached, they discovered that it was the Silver Horned King dragging a Mount Tai, flying ahead of Pigsy.

Pigsy was so frightened that he ran back.

But there are also little demons behind them.

Pigsy was blocked from both ends and could neither advance nor retreat.

As the Silver Horned King dragged the mountain closer and closer, Pigsy was so frightened that his hands and feet went weak and he dropped his rake. He thought to himself: I, Pigsy, just want to ask for a vegetarian meal. You don’t have to use a mountain to crush me, do you?

Taking advantage of the opportunity, the lesser demons stepped forward, knocked Pigsy to the ground, lassoed him with a rope, and carried him back to their cave with seven or eight of them.

Bajie did not resist. He thought to himself that if he were captured by the demons, his master and senior brother would surely come to rescue him when they saw that he had not returned for a long time, so that he would not lose his life.

But if he were to fight that monster, and that old demon were to unleash his fury and crush a mountain—who knows how many tens of thousands of feet high—it would be crushed on him. Since he doesn't have an indestructible body like the monkey, wouldn't he be turned into a pancake? How could he possibly survive?

Little did they know, the Silver Horned King was flying in the air, making hand seals, controlling the mountain, extremely vigilant, afraid that Wukong would suddenly leap over from some unknown direction, and had no time to pay attention to Pigsy on the ground.

The lesser demons carried Pigsy into the cave first, and then Silver Horn King arrived at the cave entrance.

The Silver Horned King was hit twice by Wukong's staff. One staff hit his back, breaking several bones; the other staff hit his leg, breaking it.

He then carried Mount Tai and flew all the way to the entrance, by which time his magical power was almost exhausted.

In addition, he had suffered severe internal injuries, so his face was ashen and completely devoid of color.

He limped and staggered into the cave, where he saw many little demons waiting at the entrance, including the clever ghost and the nimble insect.

King Silver Horn hurriedly reached out his hands, wanting the two usually clever little demons to help him up, as he was a little too weak to hold on.

The clever and cunning insect misunderstood, because the Silver Horn King's face was somewhat silvery-white and lacked any color, so it did not know that the Silver Horn King was seriously injured.

They thought the Silver Horn King was waving to them, so they quickly showered him with flattery.

"Second King, you're something else!"

"The Second King's ability to move mountains and overturn seas is unparalleled in the world!"

"As soon as the Second King made his move, the long-mouthed, big-eared monk was so frightened that he didn't dare to move!"

Upon seeing this, the other lesser demons cheered and praised it enthusiastically.

Having just suffered a defeat, the Silver Horn King was further enraged by their disturbance, and his originally silver face turned red.

The exquisite ghost said, "The Second King is radiant!"

The clever insect exclaimed, “The Second King is displaying his divine might and is invincible!”

King Silver Horn kicked the two men away in anger, yelling, "You two idiots!"

But because he forgot about his injured leg, he fell to the ground.

The lesser demons then realized something was wrong and rushed forward to help Silver Horn King up.

Several lesser demons hurried inside and told King Golden Horn about the Second King's injury.

Upon hearing this, King Golden Horn rushed out and helped King Silver Horn.

"Brother, what's wrong with you?"

Silver Horn King said, “Brother, don’t worry. Today, when I was patrolling the mountain with my men, we encountered Tang Sanzang and his disciples. I fought with Tang Sanzang’s eldest disciple, Sun Wukong, and suffered some minor injuries, but it’s nothing serious. Give me some of the pills you usually refine, and I’ll be fine.”

King Golden Horn hurriedly took out a pill and gave it to King Silver Horn.

Silver Horn King ate a handful of pills, and his injuries improved somewhat, but he was not completely healed.

These are all pills that King Golden Horn refined in the mortal realm. Their medicinal power is limited and naturally cannot be compared with the golden pills of the celestial realm.

King Golden Horn noticed that King Silver Horn was seriously injured, so he carried King Silver Horn to the bed to rest.

King Golden Horn asked, "Brother, how did you get so badly injured?"

King Silver Horn lay on the couch and said:

"Brother, today I met Tang Sanzang and his disciples. I thought that Tang Sanzang was the reincarnation of Jin Chanzi, a good person who had cultivated for ten lifetimes, and should have some compassion. So I transformed into a lame Taoist priest, lay by the roadside, and tricked Tang Sanzang."

Unexpectedly, that Tang Sanzang had no compassion. I begged him for a long time, but he wouldn't even dismount. Instead, he interrogated me repeatedly. I wasn't prepared beforehand, and he saw through my pretense.

Then I fought his eldest disciple, Sun Wukong. The battle was evenly matched, but the monkey's staff was heavy, and I was caught off guard and injured.

Upon hearing this, the Golden Horned King said with concern:
"What should we do? That monkey is so powerful, and you're injured, my brother. I think we should forget about Tang Sanzang's flesh; your safety is more important. I just heard that the demons captured Zhu Bajie. I'll make them release Zhu Bajie and return him to the monkey. It'll be a favor, and let the master and his disciples pass by."

Upon hearing this, the Silver Horn King resolutely refused:

"No, I tricked Pigsy into coming here, we can't let him go! We still have to eat Tang Sanzang's flesh. Brother, we've gone through so much trouble, we can't let it all go to waste!"

King Golden Horn said, “Brother, I am worried about your safety. Since you are unwilling to let Tang Sanzang and his disciples go, I will go to the Dragon-Suppressing Cave and invite the King of Ling Mountain over. He has dealt with Tang Sanzang and his disciples many times and must have a plan to help us capture Tang Sanzang.”

Upon hearing this, King Silver Horn said, "We can't go, brother! I boasted before that I would eat Tang Sanzang's flesh, but now I haven't even touched Tang Sanzang's cassock! If we go to invite him like this, he will definitely laugh at me!"

King Golden Horn said, "Brother, if we don't go and invite him, you can't defeat Sun Wukong, and I'm not good at fighting either. What should we do?"

Silver Horn King stubbornly retorted, "Who said I couldn't defeat Sun Wukong! I fought him and didn't lose. He ambushed me, and I was caught off guard, which is why I was injured. At best, it's just a draw!"

King Golden Horn said, "Brother, your legs have been broken, how can you fight now!"

Silver Horn King said, "It's alright. I'll take the elixir and rest for two days, then I'll be able to walk again. We still have four treasures in our cave, so we're not afraid of being no match for Sun Wukong!"

Upon hearing this, King Golden Horn was filled with worry, seeing how determined King Silver Horn was, and he couldn't very well dissuade him.

As the saying goes, when it rains, it pours; and that day, it started to rain outside.

When Tang Sanzang and his disciples were halfway there, they hurriedly found a mountain hollow to take shelter from the rain.

Wukong said, "Bajie, go and cut some wood to build a shelter from the rain!"

For some reason, no one answered.

Wukong called out a few times, but Bajie didn't respond. He said, "Where's that idiot?"

Sha Wujing, protecting Tang Sanzang, said, "It seems we didn't see our second brother; he probably went to relieve himself."

Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang suddenly remembered something and said:
"Oh dear, I forgot about Pigsy! I sent him to find the Taoist temple that the demon mentioned, but he hasn't come back yet. Could he have been captured by the demon?"

Wukong said, "No, no, Master, don't worry, Bajie won't be caught so easily. It's starting to rain now, he probably hasn't found the Taoist temple yet, he's probably taking shelter from the rain somewhere! If he hasn't returned by the time the rain stops, I, Old Sun, will go look for him."

Tang Sanzang was still worried after hearing this.

The rain lasted for two hours, from noon until late afternoon, before finally stopping.

Poor Pigsy, he was tied up in the demon's cave, unaware of what was happening outside, and longing for the monkey to come and rescue him so he could escape.

Two little demons nearby were arguing about something.

One person said it tastes better pickled, while the other said it tastes better steamed.

Bajie, who was listening nearby, grew a little hungry and said:
"Stop arguing, what's there to argue about? If it's vegetables, they're naturally better pickled; if it's rice or steamed buns, they're definitely better steamed!"

Upon hearing this, one of the two little demons laughed and said, "We don't eat vegetables."

Another little demon said, "We don't eat rice or steamed buns either."

Pigsy asked, "Ah, what will you eat?"

The two little demons laughed and said, "Let's eat meat!"

One person said, "Let's eat pickled pork!"

Another person said, "No, his skin is too rough. Let's eat steamed pork instead!" Pigsy panicked and said, "You want to eat me, old pig?!"

The two little demons said, "Our king said he'll wash you clean and prepare you for dinner tomorrow, but we don't know how to prepare you."

Pigsy said, "I, Old Pig, don't taste good!"

The little demon said, "You're so plump and strong, you must taste delicious!"

Seeing that they really wanted to eat him, Pigsy was terrified and couldn't help but say:

"Do you have a king named Ao Tu in your cave? I, Old Pig, am an old friend of his. Please go to him and ask him to plead for me!"

The two little demons said, "Ao Tu? Never heard of him."

Bajie said, "It might be called Dragon Disciple, and it's the transformed form of a five-clawed golden dragon."

The two little demons said, "No, no, we do have a Sea-Eating Dragon in our cave, but it's not a dragon, it's a python-dragon demon!"

Upon hearing this, Pigsy thought to himself, "It's over." This time, he's encountered a real monster who's really going to eat him!

Outside, the rain had stopped. Tang Sanzang noticed that Bajie hadn't returned yet, so he hurriedly told Wukong to go and look for him.

Wukong rode the cloud out and, following the directions given by the Silver Horn King, soon found the Lotus Cave.

He transformed into a fly, squeezed through the crack in the door, and flew inside. He could hear the Golden Horn King and the Silver Horn King talking inside.

King Golden Horn said, "Brother, if we capture Pigsy, that monkey will surely come demanding him back. What do you plan to do?"

Silver Horn King said, "Brother, don't worry. If that monkey comes, I'll take the Seven Star Sword, the Purple Gold Gourd, and the Banana Leaf Fan to deal with him."

King Golden Horn asked, "How do we deal with it?"

Silver Horn King said, "I will exchange a few blows with him using the Seven Star Sword. When he sees that I have an injury on my leg, he will surely be careless."

At this moment, I took out the purple-gold red gourd and called out to him. He was caught off guard and would definitely answer. As long as he responded slightly, wouldn't he be sucked in?

I put the plaster on him, and in no time he turned into pus! Then we'll capture Tang Sanzang and eat his flesh properly, hahaha!

King Golden Horn exclaimed, "Brother, what a brilliant plan! Brilliant! Brilliant!"

Wukong listened from the side, hearing the details of the pass clearly. He chuckled to himself and flew to the back, where he saw Bajie tied up in the cave behind, guarded by several small demons.

Wukong flicked a few sleep bugs to put the little demons to sleep, and then he revealed his true form.

When Pigsy saw this, he cried, "Brother, why did you take so long to come! These monsters are going to skin me, pickle me, steam me, and eat me! If you hadn't come soon, I would have been dead!"

Wukong said, "Don't shout! Don't shout! Didn't I come here to save you?"

Pigsy said, "Quickly, get me out of here! I've inquired, and there's no dragon-named demon king in this cave, only man-eating monsters!"

Wukong said, "I know, I know. These two demons have treasures too! I was just thinking of taking a couple of things from them, so I can use them as self-defense tools in the future."

As he spoke, Wukong blew a breath of magic, untied the rope, and released Bajie.
Wukong said, "Let's leave quietly first, without disturbing the demons."

Bajie agreed and cautiously set off with Wukong, but they ran into two little demons who came to relieve them. One was named Bashanhu and the other Yihailong.

Upon seeing this, Bashanhu and Yihailong were about to call for help.

Wukong was quick; with one blow, he turned Bashan Tiger into a lump of flesh.

Pigsy was too slow; his rake struck the dragon's head, creating nine holes, but the dragon still managed to make a sound.

Upon hearing the commotion, the Golden Horn and Silver Horned Birds rushed over to investigate.

Seeing this, Wukong feared that the cave was too cramped and he wouldn't be able to move freely, so he swayed his body and used a spell to gather his energy and disperse it, and left the cave.

Seeing this, the Silver Horned King captured Pigsy again and said:

"Brother, you stay in the cave and guard it. I'll take the treasure and go out to confront that monkey!"

King Golden Horn said, "Brother, you have an injury on your leg. If you can't defeat that monkey, run back to your cave. Don't be reckless!"

Silver Horn King said, "Brother, don't worry."

The Silver Horn King tucked the Seven Star Sword into his waistband; shrank the Banana Leaf Fan and put it in his mouth; and shrank the Purple Gold Red Gourd and placed it in his sleeve so he could take it out at any time. Then, he led a group of lesser demons, opened the cave door, and went outside.

Because the injury to my leg hadn't fully healed, I couldn't help but walk with a slight limp.

Wukong stood outside, waiting on a mountaintop.

After the Silver Horned King came out, he looked around, saw Wukong, and called out:
"Sun Wukong, you thieving monkey who's always stealing, how did you sneak into my cave? Get down here and die for this great king!"

Wukong stood on the mountain and laughed:
"You lame king, why are you limping out here?"

Upon hearing this, the Silver Horn King flew into a rage, drew his Seven Star Sword, and leaped into the air to attack Wukong.

Wukong came to greet him with his stick.

The Silver Horn King said, "Sun Wukong, do you dare to fight me head-on?"

Wukong laughed and said, "My son, what is there that I wouldn't dare to do?"

The two fought for four or five rounds, their swords clashing. Silver Horn King's martial arts were far inferior to Wukong's, and with his leg injured, how could he possibly win? He quickly showed signs of defeat.

Silver Horn King fought and retreated simultaneously.

Wukong pressed his advantage.

Silver Horn King feigned panic, but was secretly delighted. Seizing an opportunity, he flicked his sleeve, suddenly produced the Purple Gold Gourd, and called out, "Sun Wukong!"

There wasn't a single person in sight.

Silver Horn King's smile froze on his face.

But when Wukong saw the Silver Horn King shake his hand, he knew that he was going to use his treasure. With his right hand still holding the Golden Cudgel, he turned his left shoulder and somersaulted away.

When the Silver Horn King saw that his plan had failed, he dared not linger, fearing that the monkey might suddenly jump over and attack him, so he hurriedly returned to his cave.

Wukong somersaulted ahead of Silver Horn King, transformed into Golden Horn King, and came to greet Silver Horn King.

How did the Silver Horn King recognize him?

Because he was afraid of monkeys, he was already worried. When he saw his family coming to greet him, his face immediately lit up with joy, and he said, "Brother, what brings you here?"

Wukong said, "Brother, I was worried that you might not be able to defeat that monkey, so I came to check on you."

Silver Horn King said, "Don't worry, I fought that monkey for dozens of rounds while I was injured. If my injuries hadn't flared up, I would have almost defeated him. I just took out my treasure, and the monkey got scared and left. Let's go back first!"

Wukong said, "Brother, you actually have such abilities. Five hundred years ago, Sun Wukong wreaked havoc in the Heavenly Palace, and all the gods in the heavens were powerless against him. You were able to contend with him; you are truly a hero!"

Silver Horn King laughed and said, "It's nothing!"

Wukong said, “Brother, you must be exhausted from driving away Sun Wukong. You are still injured and shouldn’t walk around too much. Let me help you back. Let me carry this purple-gold gourd for you.”

Caught off guard, King Silver Horn readily agreed and handed the purple-gold gourd to Wukong.

Wukong picked up the treasure, stuffed it into his arms, grinned, and changed his appearance, but he was no longer a monkey.

This is called being carried away by success.

When the Silver Horned King saw this, he was terrified.

Wukong laughed and said, "My son, I'll accept this wonderful treasure!"

Enraged, Silver Horned King drew his Seven Star Sword and slashed at Wukong, urgently saying:

"Monkey, give me back my baby!"

Wukong dodged left and right, taking advantage of his lameness.

The Silver Horn King slashed six or seven times, but didn't even touch the hem of Wukong's clothes.

Wukong said, "You've cut me with so many swords, so I'll return the favor with my staff!"

Wukong raised his staff, turned around, and disappeared.

King Silver Horn looked left and right, but there was nothing there; he looked up and down, but there was nothing there; he looked behind him, but there was nothing there.

Wukong suddenly appeared in front of him and struck the Silver Horn King hard in the waist and abdomen with his staff, knocking the Silver Horn King down and causing him to fall deeply into the ground.

Wukong leaped down again to strike the Silver Horn King once more, determined to eliminate him completely.

Silver Horn King got up, stretched out his hand, and spat out a pool of blood onto it.

The blood contains a banana leaf fan.

He tried to spit out the banana leaf fan, but Sun Wukong's blow was too severe, and his mouth was full of blood, so he could only spit it out along with the fan.

The Silver Horned King took the fan in his hand, chanted a spell, and the fan grew to three feet larger. He then fanned it at Wukong.

Wukong was startled, but he didn't notice that he had another treasure.

He turned around to do a somersault, but was half a step too late and got slapped on half of his body.

That fan was no ordinary fan; it was a banana leaf fan, born of nature.

The fire emitted from the fan was no ordinary fire, but the Six Ding Divine Fire.

The fire, once unleashed, blazed brilliantly, like lightning flashing across crimson silk; it shone brightly, like rosy clouds soaring through the sky. The mountains were ablaze with red flames, and the ground was a deep crimson expanse.

The mountain was ablaze, and Wukong himself caught fire. The fire was fierce, and he dared not linger, fearing that his fur would be burned away. He cast a fire-avoidance spell and turned to leave.

Seeing this, King Silver Horn breathed a sigh of relief and, dragging his heavily injured body, hurried back to his cave.

King Golden Horn exclaimed in surprise, "Brother, what's wrong with you!"

The Silver Horned King did not answer, but limped to the Golden Horned King's alchemy room in his cave.

Silver Horn King took a large bowl and poured all the healing pills, mind-calming pills, calamity-removing pills, plague-stopping pills, evil-avoiding pills, dragon-tiger pills, and Taiqing pills that Golden Horn King used to refine in the alchemy room into the bowl without even dividing them up, and then hurriedly shoveled them into his mouth.

King Golden Horn was worried and ordered someone to bring water to King Silver Horn, fearing he might choke.

After the Silver Horn King finished eating the pills, he lay on the ground and barely felt a little better.

The monkey's blow was too heavy. Although he had consumed so many pills in one go, he still felt that his internal organs had been damaged. If he hadn't been a deity, he would surely be dead by now.

King Golden Horn said, "Brother, are you feeling better? How did you end up like this?"

Silver Horn King said, "Stop talking, brother. That monkey is really powerful. He even snatched the Purple Gold Red Gourd. Let's go and invite the King of Ling Mountain."

(End of this chapter)