Yellow Wind Demon

The Yellow Wind Demon had been a yellow-furred marten that cultivated at the foot of Vulture Peak. Living long beneath the mountain, and seeing the bright lamps before Rulai burning day and night with clear crystal oil in them, he had often gone to steal a drink of it.

One night he crept up to the lamps again and was noticed by the keeper. Knowing that his theft of the oil had been found out and fearing that Vulture Peak would call him to account, the marten fled below that same night, came to Yellow Wind Ridge, took a cave there, called himself a king, and gathered a band of hill spirits under him.

When the pilgrims came west below Yellow Wind Ridge, the hills were steep and thickly wooded. The Tiger Vanguard of the cave, patrolling the mountain, saw the party pass and went back to report, and the Yellow Wind Demon told him to act as the chance offered and take them.

The Tiger Vanguard did as he was told: he first hung his own hide on a tree beside the road as a lure to draw Wukong and Bajie off to look at it, and then, while Tang Sanzang sat alone beside the horse, sprang out, caught him up and carried him back to the cave.

Finding nothing wrong with the hide and turning to see their master gone, Wukong and Bajie knew they had been tricked, hurried to the mouth of the Yellow Wind Cave, and shouted together for Tang Sanzang.

The Tiger Vanguard came out with his spear and closed with Bajie, and within a few passes Bajie drove the rake into his chest and he died before the cave.

The Yellow Wind Demon, furious at the report, came out himself with his spear and fought Wukong; after a hard passage without a decision, seeing that he could not win by strength, he turned to withdraw.

Wukong pressed him hard, and the Yellow Wind Demon turned, opened his mouth and blew out a samadhi wind: sand and stones flew and the sky darkened. Wukong could not get clear in time; his eyes stung and streamed so that he could not open them, and he had to cover his head and fall back.

Wukong withdrew to safety with his eyes red and swollen, weeping and unable to see clearly. Bajie could do nothing for him, and the two talked it over and could find no way to break the wind.

While they hesitated, an old man came along the road and told Wukong that this wind was no ordinary wind and that only the bodhisattva Lingji of Little Mount Sumeru could subdue it, and that ordinary powers could not stand against it.

Wukong took leave of Bajie, rode his cloud straight to Little Mount Sumeru, found the bodhisattva Lingji, set out how the Yellow Wind Demon had taken Tang Sanzang and blinded him with the divine wind, and asked his help.

Hearing the name of the Yellow Wind Demon, the bodhisattva Lingji took out the Wind-Stilling Pill and the flying-dragon staff and went with Wukong to Yellow Wind Ridge. He first treated Wukong’s eyes with the pill, and the pain faded and his sight came back.

The bodhisattva Lingji stood before the Yellow Wind Cave and called the demon out to answer. The Yellow Wind Demon knew him, saw that he could not match him and turned to flee; Lingji swung the flying-dragon staff and pinned him, and he showed his true shape there — still the yellow-furred marten.

The bodhisattva Lingji bound the Yellow Wind Demon and took him back to Vulture Peak for judgement. The demonic air was swept from Yellow Wind Ridge, and the pilgrims packed their things, led the horse, took up the load and went on west.