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

Meanwhile, Tiger Vanguard captured Tang Sanzang and took the old monk into the cave, then immediately reported to the Yellow Wind Monster.

Upon seeing the Yellow Wind Monster, Tiger Vanguard bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I was ordered by you to patrol the mountains when I suddenly encountered a monk. He is the Tripitaka Master, the younger brother of the Emperor of the Great Tang Dynasty in the East. He was on his way to the West to worship Buddha and seek scriptures. I captured him and presented him to Your Majesty as a drink."

Upon hearing this, Huang Fengguai was taken aback and said, "That Tang Sanzang is an imperial envoy sent by imperial decree. I've heard people say that he has a disciple named Sun Wukong, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven who wreaked havoc in the Heavenly Palace five hundred years ago. He's incredibly powerful. How did you manage to capture him?"

Tiger Vanguard said, "He had two disciples. One had a long snout and big ears and wielded a rake. He fought me first. The other had a hairy face and a thunder god's mouth and carried an iron rod. He chased after me. While I was fighting with him, I used the Golden Cicada Shedding its Shell technique, turned around, captured Tang Sanzang, and offered him to Your Majesty as a token of my appreciation for his meal."

Huang Feng said strangely, "Don't eat him yet."

The vanguard said, "Your Majesty, if Heaven grants us an opportunity and we do not seize it, we will suffer the consequences."

Huang Feng said strangely, "You don't understand, it's not a big deal if we eat him, but what if his two disciples come knocking on our door? Wouldn't that be troublesome? In my opinion, we should first take him away and tie him up in the backyard."

"If his two disciples don't come in a few days, we'll eat this monk. Firstly, so his body is clean; secondly, so we don't have to argue, but wouldn't that be exactly what we want?"

Tiger Vanguard nodded repeatedly, saying, "Your Majesty's wisdom and foresight are truly admirable. However, my men are already starving. What should we do?"

Upon hearing this, Huang Fengguai laughed and said, "What's so difficult about that? Go and find a few ordinary people and monks first, so that we can have something to eat and relieve our hunger before we talk about anything else."

Tiger Vanguard's eyes lit up, and he added, "I have another plan that can guarantee success."

Yellow Wind Monster raised an eyebrow and asked, "Oh? What brilliant plan? Tell me quickly."

Tiger Vanguard bowed and said, "Although my Yellow Wind Cave is hidden, it is still a prominent cave. I'm afraid those two monks are so powerful that they could find us directly. Why doesn't Your Majesty use your supernatural powers to cover up the entrance to my cave? That way, even if they have extraordinary abilities, they will have a hard time finding us."

Upon hearing this, the Yellow Wind Monster was overjoyed and slammed his hand on the table, exclaiming, "This plan is excellent! A very thoughtful one!"

Having said that, the Yellow Wind Monster used his supernatural powers and chanted incantations.

In an instant, a gale howled, whipping up dust that filled the sky and blocked out the sun, completely covering the entrance to the Yellow Wind Cave, leaving only a small crack.

They summoned vines and weeds to cover up the small crack, so that no trace of the cave could be seen.

On the other side, Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie chased to the edge of the cliff and sure enough, they saw a fierce tiger lying there.

Sun Wukong raised his staff, and Zhu Bajie swung his rake, only to find that it was a tiger skin covering the stone.

Sun Wukong exclaimed in alarm, "Oh no! Oh no! We've fallen into a trap!"

Pigsy asked, "What trap have we fallen for?"

Sun Wukong said, "This is called the 'Golden Cicada Shedding Its Shell' trick. He's using the tiger skin to lure us in, while he uses the opportunity to escape. He must be going back to harm our master! Let's hurry back to see our master!"

The two hurriedly turned around, but Tang Sanzang had already disappeared.

Sun Wukong roared like thunder, "What should we do! Master has been captured!"

Pigsy, leading the horse with tears in his eyes, cried out, "Heavens! Heavens! What are we going to do? Master has been captured, and we don't even know where that demon's cave is, yet we're searching for it!"

Sun Wukong raised his head and jumped up, saying, "Don't cry! Don't cry! Crying will only dampen your spirits. That monster, with Master in tow, can't have gone far. Anyway, it's in this mountain. If we search carefully, we'll surely find the monster's cave and rescue Master!"

But the Yellow Wind Monster had already hidden the cave entrance, so how could they find it?

The two of them traversed mountains and valleys, but even as darkness fell, they could not find the monster's cave.

Pigsy was somewhat discouraged and said, "Brother, I think we should just give up! This mountain is so big and it's pitch black, how could we possibly find that monster? I think we should just bring the luggage over and divide it up!"

Wukong angrily asked, "What's wrong with dividing it up? You idiot, what kind of crooked idea are you plotting?"

Pigsy said, "Brother, it's not that I have any ulterior motives, but I'm afraid Master can't be saved. Let's part ways and go our separate ways: you go to Flower Fruit Mountain and continue being the Monkey King, and I'll go to Gao Village to see my wife. We'll sell the white horse, buy Master a coffin, bury his cassock and staff, and build him a cenotaph. That will be fulfilling our duty as disciples."

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong couldn't help but snap, "You idiot! What nonsense are you spouting!"

He stepped forward and grabbed Pigsy by the ear, scolding, "You nauseous fool! Your master is a Buddhist disciple, how can you say such things about a short life! We should only do our best to protect him and not have any regrets, not even a thought of regret. If you dare to talk nonsense again, I'll smash your pig head to pieces!"

Pigsy, wincing in pain, quickly begged for mercy: "Brother, brother, I won't say it again! I won't say it again! But you can't even find a single demon hair now, how can we save Master? We can't just wander around these mountains aimlessly forever, can we?"

Sun Wukong loosened his grip, his brow furrowed, and paced back and forth, his heart filled with anxiety.

Suddenly, his eyes lit up. A plan formed in his mind, and he laughed, "Back in Gao Village, your father-in-law mentioned that the old Taoist priest Ji Huazi was a master of divination, knowledgeable in astronomy and geography, able to predict good and bad fortune, and even more adept at locating monsters. Since we can't find the monster's lair, why don't we ask him to divine our whereabouts?"

Pigsy said, "That old Taoist priest comes and goes without a trace, how are you going to find him?"

Sun Wukong laughed and said, "As the saying goes, 'In Shu, when there are no great generals, Liao Hua becomes the vanguard.' Although we can't find Ji Huazi, doesn't he have a junior brother? He and Ji Huazi are from the same school, so he must also have this skill!"

Upon hearing this, Pigsy exclaimed happily, "That's right! That's right! How could I have forgotten about that! Brother, you're quick, go and invite that Taoist priest to calculate Master's whereabouts first. I, Old Pig, will search for him in these mountains again."

Sun Wukong nodded in agreement and said, "Alright, search carefully here, don't be lazy, and don't talk nonsense anymore. I'll be right back!"

After saying this, Sun Wukong pushed off with both feet, leaped up, and somersaulted onto the clouds, heading straight towards the nameless temple.

At this moment, the nameless temple was brightly lit, and Li Fa was sitting upright in the temple, receiving several villagers who came to ask for help.

Yesterday, several families had their children go missing and searched everywhere without success. Just then, some people remembered Wuming Temple and came to ask for help, hoping that he could find the children and rescue them.

But Li Fa had no ability to predict the future, so he could only appease the villagers for the time being.

Just then, Sun Wukong somersaulted down in front of the temple gate and pushed the door open to enter.

When the people saw Sun Wukong arrive, they were terrified, thinking they had encountered a monster.

Li Fa quickly comforted them with gentle words, and repeatedly explained to Sun Wukong. It took a long time for the villagers to feel at ease. They bowed and thanked him, but still worried about the missing child, they hurriedly bid farewell to Li Fa and went down the mountain to search for him on their own.