Chapter 24 The Yellow Wind Ridge
So, while others might be unaware, as deities, they were in the know.
In their memories, according to the script, this place was supposed to be the site of a calamity involving the loss of a kasaya to a black bear...
However...
As they were lost in thought, a local deity popped out, "Stop looking, a monk riding a white horse with a monkey came by earlier and set this monastery on fire. Now, there\'s nothing left..."
The group was rendered speechless once more, a monk, a monkey-accompanied monk, damn!
Tang Sanzang howled to the heavens, "That... that was supposed to be my monkey... my horse, my monastery..."
As he spoke, a figure descended from the sky.
"Golden Cicada, refrain from distress," it said.
Tang Sanzang looked up to see a swollen-faced youth, bearing a pair of Wu Gou swords on his back, descending from the heavens.
Upon seeing him, the Liuding Liujia and the Five Directions Devarajas all stood up to greet him, "Mu Zha, have you been beaten up?"
Mu Zha smiled wryly. He had thought his descent to the mortal world would merely be a formality, but the first black bear he encountered was so ferocious. It saw him as if they were archenemies, fighting desperately. The bear\'s combat strength was terrifyingly high, and Mu Zha could not defeat it, receiving a severe beating instead.
Luckily, the Bodhisattva arrived in time, capturing the Black Bear Spirit and taking it to the South Sea to guard the back mountains.
After hearing of Black Bear\'s ordeal, the Bodhisattva Guanyin realized something was amiss. She immediately rushed to the Western heavens to consult with the Buddha about the matter of the true and false Tang Sanzangs...
Mu Zha, meanwhile, had come to console Tang Sanzang.
After hearing Mu Zha\'s detailed account, knowing that ahead lay an exceedingly fierce bandit monk, everyone discussed and decided to slow their pace. They would wait for news from Mount Meru before deciding the next move.
However, Mu Zha, young and impetuous, scoffed, "Although the black bear said that the false Tang Sanzang is so very powerful, what he said may not be true. Otherwise, how could he have survived in the hands of Sun Wukong and that fake Tang Sanzang?"
At that moment, one of the Liuding Liujia Gods said, "The walker is right, it\'s eighty percent likely that the Black Bear Spirit inflated his importance with tall tales.
But even if he didn\'t exaggerate, it doesn\'t matter. Considering the timing and their pace, by now, they should have passed Mount Futu and be nearing the Eight Hundred Miles of Yellow Wind Ridge."
Mu Zha was taken aback, "Yellow Wind Ridge? Are there any formidable characters there?"
The Jiaxu God chuckled, "The one there is out of the ordinary, a sacred mouse from Mount Meru who transformed after stealing and consuming the Buddha\'s lamp oil, listening day and night to the Buddha\'s teachings, obtaining divine skills. Not long ago, it descended the mountain to cause trouble and was subdued by the Bodhisattva Lingji. However, according to the agreement, Bodhisattva Lingji should have already released it, and it should be wreaking havoc on the Eight Hundred Miles of Yellow Wind Ridge right now."
Mu Zha said, "This old mouse gained the Way by consuming the Buddha\'s lamp oil and listening to the Buddha\'s teachings, thus the Buddha\'s disciple. But how does it compare to Sun Wukong? Now the fake Tang Sanzang also has the support of Marshal Tian Peng and the Crown Prince of the Dragon Palace..."
The Jiazi God laughed, "No worries, King Yellow Wind has his own methods. He marks the beginning of the trials, the start of all adversities."
Mu Zha exclaimed in amazement, "The start of all adversities? That\'s quite the bold claim; seems like he truly has the capability."
The deities laughed, evidently having full confidence in King Yellow Wind.
"Talking is useless, shall we go take a look?" someone suggested.
Together, the twelve deities of Liuding Liujia, six male and six female, along with the Five Directions Devarajas and other divine beings—a total of around twenty-two—though they came in turns to protect Tang Sanzang by the clock, the rest of their time was uneventful. After discussion, they were all tempted.
Mu Zha said, "Let\'s go together. At that time, we can watch the excitement, and if there\'s a chance, we must teach that fake Tang Sanzang a lesson!"
The crowd nodded in agreement, echoing the sentiment. Then, leaving eighteen kasayas to guard Tang Sanzang, the rest took to the clouds and pursued Tang Sanzang.
Whoosh!
A gust of wind blew across the plain, and in an instant, the sky turned a murky yellow, dimming the harsh sunlight.
Zhu Ganglie said, "Master, this wind seems quite sinister, doesn\'t it? It\'s not a good wind!"
Sun Wukong, shading his eyes with his hand, looked into the distance where the mountains rose one after another like barriers. The wind rose from the ground, and as it passed, birds and beasts were startled and roared, indeed strange.
However, Sun Wukong, confident and brave, chuckled and said, "You blockhead, don\'t talk nonsense. This is a seasonal wind, what\'s good or bad about it?"
Zhu Ganglie shook his head and said, "Big brother, look carefully at this wind.
Gang winds rise from the ground, yellow clouds climb thousands of miles.
Across the ridges, a thousand trees roar, in the forest, ten thousand bamboos sway.
The roots of willows are shaken, flowers and leaves fly with the wind.
Monkeys scatter through the forest, deer flee within the thickets.
Cypress trees topple one by one, pine needles wither leaf by leaf.
Dust is thrown into the air, sand splashes, and waves overturn rivers with their fury.
This is by no means a seasonal wind; this is clearly a deathly wind! Everything withers where it passes, all beasts are disturbed—it must be the work of a demon."
Hearing this, Sun Wukong laughed heartily and said, "You clod, you do have some insight, but what you\'re talking about is just the surface. With our lineup, do you think we need to worry about whether there\'s a demon or not?
If there really is one, we\'ll just vanquish it!
Therefore, it\'s just a seasonal wind, nothing serious, right, master?"
Sun Wukong looked at Tang Sanzang, who tightened the white tiger helmet on his head and said, "I am hungry."
Upon hearing this, others showed no reaction, but Zhu Ganglie shuddered and quickly jumped out, shouting, "Master, I\'ll go hunt for you!"
Watching Zhu Ganglie sprint away, Sun Wukong smiled, "The fool is terrified of becoming the lunch himself. Master, if you are really hungry, you wouldn\'t actually eat him, would you?"
Tang Sanzang rubbed his nose and said, "Hard to say... Look at his flesh, due to years of constant training and cultivation, there isn\'t much fat, it\'s all lean muscle... slurp..."
Sun Wukong: "@#¥%#@..."
The White Dragon Horse muttered, "I wonder if Second Brother would give up on cultivation if he knew about this, and just eat and laze around to fatten up…"
Sun Wukong said, "At the very least, he wouldn\'t run so fast anymore…"
As they were talking, suddenly a red tiger leapt out of the mountain forest. The tiger, unafraid of Tang Sanzang, Sun Wukong, and the others, just stood in the middle of the road, eyeing them up and down.
Sun Wukong\'s eyes instantly lit up, "Master, that tiger skin is nice. How about making me a proper garment this time?"
Tang Sanzang said, "Sure, but save its whip for me; we\'ll soak it in wine to drink."
"How dare you!"
Before Sun Wukong could speak, the red tiger spoke human words and roared in anger, then astonishingly stood up on two legs!
The creature plunged its claws straight into its chest and, with force, tore off its own tiger skin and peeled it off!
This spectacle left Tang Sanzang, Sun Wukong, and the White Dragon Horse utterly dumbfounded.
The White Dragon Horse said, "Big brother, isn\'t this tiger just too accommodating? It\'s afraid you\'ll be too harsh, so it\'s offering its hide voluntarily. With its size, your garment is sorted. How do you feel about a tiger skin kilt?"