The Great King Yellow Wind

Journey to the West 24 The Great King Yellow Wind

Wukong and Bajie looked all around. But the Tang Monk was gone. “ That tiger ate our master, ” said Bajie. He shrugged. “ I guess we don’t have to protect him anymore. Good-bye, Wukong! ” The pig started to walk away. But Wukong grabbed him. “ You’re not leaving! ” said the monkey. “ We have to save our master. That tiger said he works for a demon, the great king Yellow Wind. The king’s cave must be nearby. ”

The tiger entered his master’s cave. The Tang Monk was slumped over the tiger’s shoulder. The great king Yellow Wind was sitting on his throne. “ Great king! ” cried the tiger. “ I found the Tang Monk! ”

The demon king looked surprised and happy. “ I have heard that anyone who eats the Tang Monk will live forever. Was the monk alone?” “ He had two companions, ” said the tiger. “ One is a pig. The other is a monkey. ” Yellow Wind trembled. “ A monkey?” he said. “ He must be Sun Wukong—the monkey who caused all that trouble in Heaven! ”

“ Maybe, ” said the tiger. “ But don’t worry. I distracted them with a fake tiger skin. They’ll never find us. ” The tiger patted his stomach and looked at the Tang Monk. “ I’ll tell the other demons to start a fire and prepare some spices. ”

Yellow Wind held up his hand. “ Sun Wukong is powerful. He and that pig might come looking for the monk. They’ll be angry if they find out we ate him. Let’s wait until they leave the area. Then we’ll be able to enjoy our meal. ” A small demon ran into the throne room. “ Great king! ” cried the demon. “ There are two strangers outside—a monkey and a pig. They said to hand over the Tang Monk. If we don’t, they’ll destroy our entire mountain! ”