The Magic Cloth

Journey to the West 82 The Magic Cloth

Oh no, ” thought Wukong. “ Yellow Brows is coming! ” The monkey jumped back to his feet and ran fast out of the monastery. When he got outside, everyone was waiting for him. “ Where are the bags?” asked Wujing. The monkey looked at his empty hands. He slapped his forehead. “ I must have dropped them. ”

He heard footsteps approaching from inside the monastery. “ We can’t worry about the bags now, ” whispered Wukong. “ Yellow Brows is coming. We have to go—quickly! ” He helped the Tang Monk up onto the horse. The group hurried down the road. “ Run faster, Bajie! ” hissed Wujing. Zhu Bajie breathed heavily. “ I . . . don’t . . . like . . . running! ”

They hadn’t gotten far before Yellow Brows flew over them. “ You can’t escape from me! ” shouted the demon. “ And you will not be going to the west. I am a true Buddhist, and I will be the one to get the True Scriptures! ” Wukong, Bajie, and Wujing pulled out their weapons. The Gold Dragon bared its claws.

Yellow Brows scoffed. “ Do you really think you can fight me?” He reached into his robe and pulled out the cloth. Bajie lowered his rake and laughed. “ We have powerful weapons. And all you have is a piece of cloth! ” “ That’s not an ordinary cloth, ” warned the dragon. Yellow Brows threw the cloth toward the group.

“ Look out! ” cried Wukong. The monkey leaped up to the sky just before the cloth wrapped around his companions. Quickly the demon grabbed the cloth, with the group in it. He ran back into his monastery and slammed the door shut. Wukong sat down on a cloud to think. How could he rescue his companions? “ I can’t ask the Jade Emperor for help, ” thought Wukong. “ He already sent the Gold Dragon, who was just captured again. Maybe I can ask Guanyin for help. ”