The Injured Monk

Journey to the West 39 The Injured Monk

Bajie waved his rake at the demon Golden Horn. “ You’ll never harm the Tang Monk! ” shouted the pig. “ My rake is very powerful! ” Bajie rushed toward Golden Horn. But the demon was strong. Bajie was knocked out. When he woke up, he was tied up in a dark cave.

“ Bajie is taking a long time to search the mountain, ” said the Tang Monk. “ I hope he’s okay. ” Wukong frowned. “ He probably went back to sleep. I should have followed him again. ” “ Let’s keep walking, ” said Wujing. “ We’ll find Bajie along the way. ”

“ We must stay alert though, ” said Wukong. “ We still don’t know if there are any demons on this mountain. ” The group headed up the mountain. Soon they heard a voice. “ Help me! ” cried a man. “ Someone is in trouble, ” said the Tang Monk. He and his companions hurried ahead and found an old monk lying near the road.

“ Thank goodness! ” cried the old monk. “ You must help me. ” The Tang Monk got down from his horse. “ Of course we will help you, ” he said. “ Please stand up. ” “ I can’t, ” said the old man. “ My leg is injured. It hurts terribly. ” He started to cry. “ How will I ever get back home?”

“ Please don’t cry, ” said the Tang Monk. “ We will help you. How did your leg get hurt?” “ A tiger attacked me, ” said the old monk. Wukong looked suspiciously at the man. “ He isn’t really a monk, ” he thought. “ I’m sure he wants to harm Master. But I can’t tell Master that—he won’t believe me. ” “ Wukong, ” said the Tang Monk. “ Please carry this poor monk down the mountain. ”