Journey to the West: Starting with the Hunting of the Three Demons of Twin Fork Ridge

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Fa was about to lead the master and his disciples to rest.

Unexpectedly, Pigsy said, "You are sincere, he is sincere, but only I, Pigsy, am not sincere? I, Pigsy, have also studied metaphysics and know many eminent Taoist masters."

"Hey you, Taoist priest, who is your master? I might even know your patriarch!"

Li Fa said, "I was originally a monk from the Wuji Temple in the Eastern Land. My master is the Wuji True Man. A hundred years ago, my master ordered me to go down the mountain to cultivate in seclusion. After traveling around for a while, I built this nameless temple here."

"Master Wuji?" Pigsy scratched his head and said, "Who is that? I really don't know him!"

"Wuji Temple?" Sun Wukong, who was standing to the side, was suddenly struck by this. He remembered the old Taoist priest Ji Huazi that he had met in Gao Village, who said that he was from Wuji Temple.

So Sun Wukong asked, "Since you are a disciple of Wuji Temple, do you know Jihua Zi?"

Li Fa chuckled inwardly, but feigned surprise on the surface, saying, "Oh? This elder knows my senior brother?"

Sun Wukong said, "Not only do we know each other, we're very familiar with each other! Not only are we familiar, but he even taught me, Old Sun, his supernatural powers!"

Pigsy asked, "Brother Monkey, what kind of supernatural power is that? I've never seen you use it before."

Sun Wukong said, "That time when I went to Cloud Stack Cave to capture you, I dug a tunnel underground, wasn't that my supernatural power?"

Pigsy suddenly realized and exclaimed, "So that old rascal... that old Taoist priest is your senior brother! Speaking of which, I really have to thank him!"

He then recounted the events at Gao Village. After listening, Li Fa feigned sudden realization: "So that's how it is! I haven't seen my senior brother Ji Huazi for a hundred years. I never imagined he would have such a connection with the elder."

Pigsy hurriedly stepped forward and chuckled, "Yes, yes! That old ox... oh no, the Taoist priest is incredibly powerful. If he hadn't shown mercy, I, Pigsy, would have already..."

He was halfway through his sentence when he saw Sun Wukong glaring at him, so he quickly changed his tune, saying, "I became friends with my senior brother after a fight!"

Tang Sanzang also clasped his hands together and said, "This humble monk also recognizes the face of the Celestial Master Jihuazi. It is truly fate that we are old friends and fellow disciples, Daoist Master. May I ask your Daoist name?"

Li Fa bowed and said, "I am Oujizi, and I came from Wuji Temple with my senior brother Jihuazi. However, I am dull-witted and have been cultivating in the mountains for the past hundred years, unlike my senior brother who travels around the world and has extensive knowledge."

Pigsy then said, "No need for further discussion. Since we're all acquaintances, could you please arrange a vegetarian meal for me? I've been traveling for several days and haven't had a proper meal yet!"

Li Fa nodded: "Elder, rest assured, the vegetarian meal has been prepared."

After saying this, he led Tang Sanzang and his disciples to the dining hall on the east side, and then went to the back hall to bring out the fruits, rice, noodles and steamed buns left by the villagers in their worship and set them on a table.

Pigsy didn't stand on ceremony and started wolfing down the buns, while Monkey King ate slowly with Sanzang.

After finishing their vegetarian meal, the master and his disciples chatted for a while, discussing the scenery in the mountains and matters of spiritual cultivation. Then they each returned to their quarters to rest, and the night passed without incident.

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Tang Sanzang and his disciples got up, packed their bags, bid farewell to Li Fa, and then continued their westward journey, stepping through the morning dew.

The three were traveling among towering mountains when suddenly a strong wind arose, howling and carrying sand and stones that blotted out the sky.

Tang Sanzang, seated on his horse, swayed suddenly, his heart tightening. He cried out in a trembling voice, "Wukong, the wind is rising! Such a strong wind is an ominous sign!"

Sun Wukong glanced at the swirling sand and laughed dismissively, "What's there to fear about the wind! This is simply the natural energy of the four seasons; what is there to be afraid of?"

Tang Sanzang frowned, looking uneasy: "This wind is extremely fierce, biting and piercing, completely different from the winds I've seen before. There must be something strange about it."

Wukong then used his supernatural powers to leap up and grab a handful of wind tails to smell. Sure enough, he found it had a pungent, fishy odor and exclaimed, "Master was right! This wind is indeed fierce; it's either a tiger's wind or a demonic wind. Something's fishy!"

Just then, a striped tiger suddenly leaped out from below the hillside.

Tang Sanzang was already uneasy, and when he saw the tiger, he was so frightened that his body went limp and he fell off his horse.

Upon seeing this, Pigsy quickly dropped his baggage, drew his nine-toothed rake, and shouted, "You beast! Stop your arrogance, where do you think you're going!"

Having said that, he strode forward, raised his nine-toothed rake high, and swung it down at the tiger's head.

The tiger did not flinch, but stood up straight, raised its left front paw, and fiercely clawed at its own chest, tearing down hard. With a "slippery" sound, it peeled off its entire tiger skin, casually tossing it aside, and stood naked by the roadside.

He was naked and covered in blood, his temples were like fire, his golden eyes were wide open, and his fangs were exposed. He looked extremely fierce.

The demon shouted, "Wait! Wait! I am no ordinary tiger, but the vanguard under the command of King Yellow Wind! I am here on the king's orders to patrol these mountains and capture a few mortals to be used as offerings for the feast. Where did you come from, monk, daring to draw your weapon and injure me?"

Upon hearing this, Pigsy shouted angrily, "You ignorant beast! You don't know the power of me! We are not ordinary passersby, but disciples of the Tang Dynasty's Imperial Brother, the Tripitaka Master, who are on a mission to the West to worship Buddha and seek scriptures!"

"If you know what's good for you, you'd better leave the road and go far away, so as not to frighten my master, and I'll spare your life; but if you continue to be so rampant and insolent, don't blame me for my old pig's nine-toothed rake showing no mercy, I'll smash you into mincemeat with one stroke!"

The demon gave him no chance to explain. Her eyes flashed with ferocity. She rushed down the hillside, disappeared into the pile of rocks, took out two red copper knives, gripped them in her hands, turned around, and slashed at Pigsy.

Pigsy was prepared, so he quickly dodged to the side and swung his nine-toothed rake, striking the demon hard.

The two fought fiercely on the hillside, going back and forth, colliding and battling each other.

On the other side, Sun Wukong quickly stepped forward, helped Tang Sanzang up, and comforted him, "Master, don't be afraid. Sit down here and let me help Bajie defeat that demon. Then we can continue our journey west."

Tang Sanzang then slowly calmed himself down, sat up, put his hands together, and began to recite the Heart Sutra with trembling hands, praying for the Buddha's protection. But let's leave that aside for now.

After settling his master in, Sun Wukong drew his golden cudgel, shouted, "You beast, prepare to die!", and leaped into the fray.

When Pigsy saw his senior brother coming to help, he immediately perked up and swung his rake even more fiercely.

The demon was already no match for Pigsy, and now with the addition of Monkey King, she panicked and her moves became increasingly disorganized. After only a few rounds, she was defeated and turned to flee.

Sun Wukong shouted sternly, "Don't spare him! We must catch up and eliminate him completely, lest he harm others again and frighten my master!"

Having said that, he and Pigsy, one wielding a staff and the other a rake, chased after the demon all the way down the mountain.

The monster was in a panic as it was being chased, and seeing that it was about to be caught, it quickly used a "golden cicada shedding its shell" trick.

He peeled off another tiger skin, covered it on the reclining tiger rock next to him, and took the opportunity to shed his true form, transforming into a gust of wind and silently heading back to the crossroads.

At this moment, Tang Sanzang was engrossed in reciting the Heart Sutra at the crossroads. Unprepared, he was grabbed by the whirlwind that the demon had transformed into. Then, the demon rode the wind and carried Tang Sanzang towards the Yellow Wind Cave.