The Demons' Plan

Journey to the West 90 The Demons’ Plan

The man on the road continued to wave a warning. Trembling with fear, the Tang Monk fell from his horse. Wujing rushed over to help him stand up. “ I’ll be right back, ” said Wukong. “ I’ll ask that man what sort of danger is up ahead. ” The monkey walked toward the man. Looking closely, Wukong could tell that he was not an ordinary man.

“ Hello, Venus, ” said Wukong with a smile. The man smiled back. “ Yes, it’s me, the spirit of the planet Venus. I came in disguise to warn you, Wukong. There are three powerful demons on the mountain up ahead. The first is a lion demon. The second is an elephant demon. And the third is a raptor demon. ” The monkey shrugged. “ Thanks for the warning, Venus. But I’m not worried about three silly demons. ”

Venus shook his head. “ You should be worried. The three demons command a demon army. ” Wukong rubbed his chin. “ Once again, thank you for the warning. But even an entire army of demons doesn’t worry me. ” Venus nodded. “ Very well, Wukong. Good luck! ” The spirit vanished.

The monkey walked back to his companions. “ Well?” said Bajie. “ What did the man say? Is there danger up ahead?” “ Are there demons?” asked the Tang Monk, still scared. “ Actually, yes, ” said Wukong. “ There’s an army of demons. But I’m not worried. ” The Tang Monk’s jaw dropped. “ How can you not be worried?”

Wukong laughed. “ Master, have you forgotten? I once defeated Heaven’s entire army. ” Wujing frowned. “ Yes, we all know about that, Wukong. But this is different. The Tang Monk is with us—we must keep him safe. ” Bajie nodded. “ Yes, and I’d like to be safe too. ” Wukong sighed. “ You’re right. We can’t let the demons harm Master. ” He gave a sideways glance at Bajie and smirked. “ Or the pig. ”