The Tang Monk, accompanied by three disciples – Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie, and Sha Wujing – embarked on a journey to the Western heaven to obtain sacred scriptures.
Along the way, they encountered numerous monsters, but overcame each one.
Continuing their journey, they found that it was getting hotter and hotter.
This heat wasn’t ordinary; it felt as if they were being roasted on a furnace.
Zhu Bajie exclaimed, “What place is this? My pig’s trotters are about to be cooked! I’m going to turn into roast pork!”
Sun Wukong summoned the Earth Deity and asked why the place was so hot.
The Earth Deity explained, “This is the Flaming Mountain. The reason it’s so hot is related to you, Monkey King! Five hundred years ago, you caused a commotion in the Heavenly Palace, kicked over the alchemy furnace of the Supreme Old Lord, and the fire from the furnace fell down, forming the Flaming Mountain here.”
Zhu Bajie said, “Senior Brother, so it was you who started the fire. You must take responsibility for it!”
Sun Wukong then asked the Earth Deity, “Is there any way to extinguish the fire? If the fire isn’t put out, we won’t be able to pass the Flaming Mountain and obtain the scriptures!”
The Earth Deity replied, “To extinguish the fire on Flaming Mountain, only Princess Iron Fan’s plantain fan can do the job.”
Sun Wukong asked, “Are you talking about Princess Iron Fan, the wife of the Bull Demon King and the mother of Red Boy?”
The Earth Deity confirmed, “Yes.”
Sun Wukong wore a troubled expression and said, “This could be a problem…”
The Earth Deity reassured him, “Great Sage, there’s nothing to worry about. Although Princess Iron Fan resides in the Plantain Cave, which is very far from here, and it would take an ordinary person a month to get there, with your abilities, you can reach it in just a somersault on the Cloud.”
Sun Wukong said, “I’m not worried about that. It’s because Red Boy once wanted to eat my master, and I fought with him. I even had Guanyin Bodhisattva subdue him. Princess Iron Fan is Red Boy’s mother, and she must harbor resentment. She definitely won’t lend me the plantain fan.”
Zhu Bajie interjected, “The trouble is of your own making. Regardless, you have to find a way to borrow it.”
Sun Wukong agreed, “Then I’ll pay a visit to the Plantain Cave!”
With that, he somersaulted on the Cloud and, in the blink of an eye, arrived at the entrance of the Plantain Cave.
He announced his name, and the gatekeeper was sent to inform Princess Iron Fan.
Upon hearing that Sun Wukong had come, Princess Iron Fan became furious.
Holding a precious sword, she rushed out and said to Sun Wukong, “You, the monkey who harmed my son Red Boy, have the audacity to come and borrow the plantain fan today?”
Sun Wukong, wearing a smile, said, “Sister-in-law, the Bull Demon King and I were once fellow disciples under Patriarch Subhuti. Since you are his wife, you’re like my sister-in-law. Considering our brotherly relationship, please lend me the plantain fan for a while. I will return it immediately after extinguishing the flames on Flaming Mountain.”
Princess Iron Fan sneered and said, “Do you think you can use family ties to make me forget about what happened to Red Boy?”
Sun Wukong responded, “Red Boy, even at such a young age, desired to eat my master. He was bound to become a great demon in the future. Fortunately, I disciplined him on your and Brother Bull’s behalf. Guanyin Bodhisattva also accepted him as the Child of Good Fortune. This is a great blessing. You should be thanking me.”
Princess Iron Fan gritted her teeth and said, “You clever monkey, you’ve kept me from seeing my child, and now you expect me to thank you?”
With anger in her eyes, Princess Iron Fan raised her precious sword and swung it towards Sun Wukong.
However, she was no match for him. Soon, she found herself overwhelmed and pulled out her plantain fan, giving Sun Wukong a fierce blow.
Sun Wukong felt a gust of wind, blinked, and found himself whisked away to an unknown location.
When the wind ceased, Sun Wukong realized he was at the foot of the Little Mount Sumeru.
He marveled at the power of the plantain fan, realizing that the wind was strong enough to transport him there.
Hurriedly, he went to meet the Bodhisattva residing on the Little Mount Sumeru.
Upon hearing Sun Wukong’s tale, the Bodhisattva chuckled and said, “Great Sage, fear not. I will give you a Windbreaking Pill. Carry it with you, and no wind will ever be able to move you.”
Sun Wukong was overjoyed. Accepting the Windbreaking Pill, he thanked the Bodhisattva and, with a somersault, returned to the entrance of the plantain cave.
Princess Iron Fan heard that Sun Wukong had returned, so she grabbed her plantain fan and rushed out, saying, “Sun Wukong, don’t you know how powerful my plantain fan is?”
With that, she aimed the fan at Sun Wukong and swung it, but Sun Wukong remained unmoved.
Growing anxious, Princess Iron Fan swung the fan again, but Sun Wukong stood firm as a mountain.
Sun Wukong laughed heartily and said, “Sister-in-law, why don’t you let me borrow the fan for a bit?”
Seeing that Sun Wukong wasn’t afraid of her plantain fan and realizing she couldn’t defeat him, Princess Iron Fan became frightened.
She quickly ran back into the cave and shut the door.
Sun Wukong transformed himself into a tiny flying insect and slipped through the crack in the door, entering the plantain cave.
Inside the cave, Princess Iron Fan felt irritated and upset. Her servant hastily brought her a cup of tea.
Sun Wukong, seeing this, immediately flew into the teacup.
Princess Iron Fan picked up the cup and drank the tea, unknowingly swallowing Sun Wukong along with it.
Sun Wukong was delighted. Inside Princess Iron Fan’s belly, he kicked and punched wildly, causing her intense pain, and she cried out in agony.
Holding her stomach, Princess Iron Fan exclaimed, “Could this tea be poisoned? Why is my stomach hurting so much?”
Sun Wukong replied, “Sister-in-law, it’s not poison; it’s me causing mischief inside your belly. If you lend me the fan, I’ll come out.”
In excruciating pain, Princess Iron Fan pleaded for mercy and reluctantly agreed to lend him the fan.
Sun Wukong instructed her to open her mouth wide, and he flew out from it.
With no other choice, Princess Iron Fan lent the plantain fan to Sun Wukong.
Overjoyed, he hurried to extinguish the flames on the Flaming Mountain.
He waved the fan towards the fire, but to his surprise, the flames grew larger, almost burning his fur.
It was then that Sun Wukong realized the plantain fan was a fake. He was furious beyond measure.
He somersaulted and arrived back at the entrance of the plantain cave.
Initially, he thought to knock on the door, but then he had a different idea.
Since Princess Iron Fan had deceived him, he decided not to hold back in deceiving her in return.
Knowing that Bull Demon King was absent from the plantain cave at that time, Sun Wukong transformed into the likeness of Bull Demon King, intending to acquire the plantain fan by any means necessary.
Thus, he transformed into the appearance of Bull Demon King.
Upon hearing that Bull Demon King had arrived, Princess Iron Fan hurriedly opened the door to welcome him.
Sun Wukong, disguised as Bull Demon King, addressed Princess Iron Fan, “I heard that you lent the plantain fan to Sun Wukong. Madam, have you forgotten that it was Sun Wukong who caused us to lose sight of our son, the Red Boy?”
Princess Iron Fan proudly produced the plantain fan and said, “The one I lent to Sun Wukong was a fake fan. The real one is here with me.”
Sun Wukong replied, “Madam is indeed clever, but that monkey is extremely cunning. It’s possible he returned and secretly swapped the fans. Let me inspect whether this is the real fan.”
Princess Iron Fan handed the plantain fan to Sun Wukong with a smile and said, “You worry too much!”
Sun Wukong took the fan and immediately transformed back into his original form, laughing heartily. “Sister-in-law, thank you! I’ll return it after I extinguish the fire.”
Princess Iron Fan’s face turned red with anger.
Little did they know, as soon as Sun Wukong left, the real Bull Demon King returned.
Princess Iron Fan angrily told him how Sun Wukong had deceived her and taken the plantain fan.
Furious, Bull Demon King exclaimed, “Sun Wukong not only harmed our son but also impersonated me to steal the plantain fan. I’ll go retrieve it right away.”
With that, Bull Demon King set off to chase Sun Wukong.
On the way, he saw Sun Wukong and thought to himself, “Since he tricked Princess Iron Fan by impersonating me, I’ll impersonate Zhu Bajie and retrieve the palm-leaf fan.”
So, the Bull Demon King transformed into the appearance of Zhu Bajie and headed towards Sun Wukong.
The Bull Demon King said, “Brother, Master is worried about you since you’ve been gone for so long without any news. He asked me to come and check on you.”
Sun Wukong laughed heartily and said, “What trouble could I possibly get into? Look, I’ve borrowed the plantain fan.”
The Bull Demon King said, “Brother, you must be tired. Let me help you carry the fan!”
Sun Wukong, unaware that Zhu Bajie was actually the Bull Demon King in disguise, handed the fan over to him.
The Bull Demon King took the fan, muttered some words, and suddenly the fan shrank. He then put the fan into his mouth.
The Bull Demon King transformed back to his original form, laughing heartily as he said, “Sun Wukong, you’re too much of a bully. You harmed my son, Red Boy, and deceived Princess Iron Fan by impersonating me. Today, I won’t spare you!”
As he spoke, the Bull Demon King drew his sword and thrust it towards Sun Wukong.
Sun Wukong, regretting his momentary negligence, failed to recognize the Bull Demon King.
He was about to fight back with his golden cudgel when he noticed heavenly soldiers and generals descending upon them, surrounding the Bull Demon King.
Tota Heavenly King addressed Sun Wukong, “Sun Wukong, we are here under the orders of the Jade Emperor and the Buddha to capture the Bull Demon King.”
Upon hearing this, the Bull Demon King panicked and transformed into a large white bull, attempting to ram Tota Heavenly King with his horns.
Nezha, the Third Prince, seeing this, immediately transformed into a being with three heads and six arms.
He leaped onto the bull’s back, wielded the fire wheels, and ignited real flames, causing the Bull Demon King to scream in pain as he was burned.
The Bull Demon King attempted to transform again, but this time, Tota Heavenly King brought out the Demon-Revealing Mirror, leaving the Bull Demon King with no chance of escape.
At this moment, Princess Iron Fan rushed to the scene. Seeing the Bull Demon King subdued, she pleaded, “Please spare my husband and me. We are willing to lend you the plantain fan.”
Knowing he couldn’t escape, the Bull Demon King reluctantly handed over the plantain fan to Sun Wukong.
Nezha said to Sun Wukong, “Great Sage, now that we have the plantain fan, we should return.”
With that, they led the Bull Demon King back to Heaven along with the heavenly soldiers and generals.
Sun Wukong, holding the plantain fan, hurried back to the Flame Mountain.
With a wave of the fan, the flames were extinguished.
With another wave, he felt a refreshing breeze.
On the third wave, dark clouds covered the sky, and a gentle rain began to fall.
Sun Wukong was overjoyed.
He could faintly hear the distant villagers cheering, “It’s cool now, it’s raining!”
Sun Wukong was about to return to inform Tang Sanzang that the fire was extinguished when he turned around and saw Princess Iron Fan waiting nearby.
Princess Iron Fan said, “Now that the fire has been extinguished, please, Uncle, keep your promise and return the plantain fan to me.”
Sun Wukong replied, “I’ve heard that once the fire is extinguished, it can only be maintained for a year. If you have a way to permanently extinguish the fire, I’ll return the fan to you.”
Princess Iron Fan said, “As long as you wave the fan 49 times, the fire will never ignite again.”
So, Sun Wukong waved the fan at the Flame Mountain 49 times.
As a result, heavy rain poured from the sky, and the weather became cool.
Sun Wukong kept his promise and returned the plantain fan to Princess Iron Fan, saying, “From now on, focus on your cultivation and refrain from wrongdoing.”
Later, Princess Iron Fan also attained enlightenment, and the story of her and Sun Wukong was passed down through generations.
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