Sun Wukong Strikes the White Bone Demon Three Times
Tang Monk and his three disciples headed westward to fetch the scriptures.
When they reached a high mountain, Tang Monk said, “Wukong, we have been walking for so long and everyone is hungry. Can you go and find some vegetarian food for us to eat?”
The Monkey King jumped into the air, looked around, and said to Tang Monk, “Master, this mountain is uninhabited, there are no villages or shops around. We can’t find any vegetarian food here. However, I see some peaches on the mountain to the south. I’ll go pick some for you.”
After saying that, Sun Wukong rode on clouds and mist and went to the southern mountain to pick peaches.
However, what he didn’t expect was that there was a female demon on that mountain, and she was the White Bone Demon.
As soon as Tang Monk and his disciples entered the mountain, they were spotted by her.
She thought to herself, “I heard that Tang Monk was originally a disciple of the Buddha, reincarnated from Golden Cicada with ten lifetimes of cultivation. If I can eat a piece of Tang Monk’s flesh, I can attain immortality. I am truly fortunate to have encountered him. I won’t miss this opportunity to eat Tang Monk’s flesh!”
But the White Bone Demon dared not act recklessly because she had also heard of the Monkey King’s reputation.
She thought to herself, “This monkey caused Havoc in Heaven five hundred years ago. He must be powerful. I am not his match. I must wait for the right opportunity to strike.”
At that moment, the White Bone Demon saw Sun Wukong going to pick peaches, which made her extremely happy.
She was about to make her move when she noticed Pigsy and Sandy guarding Tang Monk.
She thought, “Pigsy was originally the Marshal Tianpeng, and Sandy was originally the Great General with the Rolling Curtain. They are not easy to deal with either. Besides, they outnumber me. I will definitely lose. I must use strategy.”
After thinking for a moment, the White Bone Demon transformed herself into a beautiful young girl. Holding a bamboo basket, she walked towards Tang Monk.
Tang Monk, seeing her approach, said to Pigsy and Sandy, “Wukong just said that there are no households on this mountain. Why is there a girl walking alone here?”
Pigsy said, “Master, let me go take a look.”
As Pigsy spoke, he walked forward. When he saw the girl, he was completely stunned. She was truly beautiful!
At that moment, the girl spoke, smiling at Tang Monk and his disciples. “You must be starving,” she said. “I have food in this bamboo basket. Please, eat up!”
As she spoke, she handed the bamboo basket to Tang Monk.
Tang Monk quickly replied, “Thank you, benefactor. But my disciple, Sun Wukong, has already gone to pick peaches for us.”
Upon hearing this, Pigsy became displeased.
He snatched the basket and said, “Master, what’s so great about peaches? When you’re hungry, you need hot dishes and rice!”
After speaking, Pigsy was about to lift the lid of the food container. But just at that moment, the Monkey King returned with the peaches.
You see, he had the ability of fiery golden eyes and could easily discern that the girl was a demon.
He raised his golden-banded staff and was about to strike the girl.
Tang Monk hastily pulled him back, saying, “You monkey! This girl just offered us food. Why would you attack someone who meant well?”
Sun Wukong laughed and said, “Master, she’s a demon! Demons turn into beautiful women to devour humans. How could such a trick fool someone like me, the Great Sage? If I had been a bit later, you might have fallen victim to her evil schemes!”
However, Tang Monk remained unconvinced and refused to believe anything Sun Wukong said.
So the Monkey King continued, “I understand, Master. You must have been enchanted by her beauty and tempted by worldly desires. Why don’t we have Pigsy cut down a few trees, and I’ll build you a house? You can marry her. Then you won’t need to continue the journey to the West!”
Hearing this, Tang Monk’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
Before he could react, Sun Wukong raised his Golden Staff and struck at the girl. She immediately collapsed to the ground.
However, little did they know that she was only pretending to be dead. The White Bone Spirit was quite cunning. Seeing Sun Wukong’s staff coming down, she executed a clever trick—shedding her shell like a golden cicada. The figure lying on the ground was merely a decoy, while her true form had already escaped.
But Monk Tank thought the Monkey King had killed someone, and he was so frightened that he trembled all over, feeling both angry and furious.
He scolded Sun Wukong, “You monkey, despite repeated warnings, you still harm others’ lives indiscriminately and claim they are monsters!”
Sun Wukong smiled and said, “Master, since you don’t believe me, see for yourself what that woman intended to feed you.”
Sandy opened the food container, but instead of food, there were frogs, toads, bugs, and so on inside.
Monk Tang started to believe a little.
Unexpectedly, Pigsy said, “Master, perhaps Eldest Senior Brother fears you might recite the Tightening Curse, so he deliberately transformed the food into toads and bugs to deceive you!”
Monk Tang immediately believed Pigsy’s words and got angry, starting to recite the Tightening Curse.
It turned out that in order to help Monk Tang discipline the Monkey King, Guanyin Bodhisattva had placed a gold hoop on his head, which stuck there as if it had taken root, no matter how hard Sun Wukong tried to remove it.
Guanyin also taught Monk Tang the ” Tightening Curse”. Whenever Monk Tang recited this curse, the gold hoop would tighten around the Monkey King’s head, causing him excruciating pain.
At this moment, Monk Tang recited the “Tightening Curse”, and Sun Wukong was in such agony that he rolled on the ground, pleading, “Master, stop reciting! Let’s talk!”
Monk Tang said, “As a monk, you should remember not to harm even an ant. But you killed this innocent girl. How can you fetch the scriptures? Leave, I don’t want you as my disciple anymore!”
The Monkey King replied, “The journey to the West is filled with demons and monsters. Without me, I’m afraid you won’t make it to the Western Heaven to fetch the scriptures!”
Monk Tang said, “If I had let the monster eat me, that would have been my destiny, nothing more to say!”
Seeing the hard approach wasn’t working, Sun Wukong said, “Remember when I caused great havoc in the Heavenly Palace, and the Buddhas trapped me under the Five Finger Mountain? You saved me then, Master, and I promised to protect you on your journey to fetch the scriptures from the Western Heaven. If you dismiss me now, others will accuse me of being ungrateful and breaking my promise. Master, please allow me to stay!”
Hearing this, Monk Tang’s heart softened, and he said, “I’ll give you one more chance. But if you harm another life again, I’ll recite the Tightening Curse twenty times!”
Sun Wukong smiled, “Thirty times is fine too.”
Monk Tang forgave Sun Wukong.
By this time, the master and disciples were all very hungry, so Sun Wukong quickly distributed the peaches he had picked for everyone to eat.
However, the White Bone Demon was relentless and had not actually left.
She hid nearby, thinking to herself, “This Sun Wukong is indeed famous for a reason. With one glance, he saw through my disguise as a monster. I almost got killed by him! But if I can’t devour Monk Tang’s flesh, I won’t be satisfied. Let me try again!”
So the White Bone Demon transformed herself into an old woman, leaning on a crutch and tottering towards Monk Tang.
Upon seeing her, Pigsy exclaimed, “Master, trouble! This old woman must be the mother of that girl from before. She’s come looking for her daughter, but Senior Brother killed her daughter. What do we do now?”
Sun Wukong said, “Don’t talk nonsense. The woman before was only eighteen, but this old lady looks eighty years old. How could she be her mother? Let me check it out.”
Sun Wukong used his fiery golden eyes to inspect, and recognized it was the same monster from before.
Without a second word, he raised his golden staff and struck down the old woman, who collapsed to the ground dead once more.
In reality, the White Bone Demon had just employed the same molting trick again. The old woman lying on the ground was merely a fake body, while the real monster had fled once more.
However, Monk Tang, thinking that Sun Wukong had killed another person, became furious.
Without hesitation, he recited the Tightening Spell twenty times, causing Sun Wukong to roll on the ground in pain, clutching his head.
Sun Wukong said, “Master, please stop. Let’s talk it out!”
Monk Tang replied, “What else is there to say? As a disciple of the Buddhist order, you keep killing one after another. I don’t want a disciple like you. Leave!”
Sun Wukong responded, “I can leave, but there’s one more thing.”
Before Monk Tang could say anything, Pigsy interjected, “Master, I think he wants to divide the luggage. Let’s give him some old clothes and worn-out hats!”
Sun Wukong, infuriated, exclaimed, “You, Pigsy, always causing trouble on the side! I, the Monkey King, have everything I need. I don’t need your luggage!”
The Monkey King then said to Monk Tang, “Master, think about me, Sun Wukong, five hundred years ago, reigning as king in the Water Curtain Cave. I wore a purple-gold crown on my head and a ochre-yellow robe on my body. But now, I wear this golden circlet on my head. If I return like this, won’t people laugh at me? If you want me to leave, that’s fine. Just recite the ‘Loosening Spell’ to remove this circlet from my head, and I will go.”
Monk Tang was taken aback and said, “Back then, Guanyin Bodhisattva only taught me the ‘Tightening Spell,’ not the ‘Loosening Spell.’”
Sun Wukong replied, “In that case, I’ll just have to stay with you. I’ll leave when the day comes that you can remove this ‘golden circlet’ from my head.”
Monk Tang, feeling helpless, said, “I’ll spare you once again. Just promise me not to harm anyone anymore.”
Sun Wukong vowed, “I won’t dare to do so again.”
As for the White Bone Demon, even after she escaped, she didn’t leave the vicinity.
She couldn’t help but admire, “Sun Wukong indeed has sharp eyes. No matter what I transform into, I can’t escape his scrutiny. But as I see them about to cross this mountain, heading toward another where I have no control, unable to devour Monk Tang’s flesh, I must try again.”
So, the White Bone Demon transformed once more, this time into an old man. He leaned on a cane and approached Monk Tang.
Upon seeing this, Pigsy exclaimed, “Oh no, Master, this old man must be the husband of the old lady from earlier, the father of that girl. Senior Brother has killed his daughter and wife. He surely won’t spare us.”
Sun Wukong retorted, “You’re just spouting nonsense again. Let me go take a look.”
Approaching the old man, Sun Wukong asked, “Old man, where are you headed?”
The White Bone Demon was delighted, thinking that Sun Wukong also had moments of oversight. He called me “old man,” meaning he hadn’t recognized me.
As the White Bone Demon thought this, he heard the Monkey King speaking in a low voice, “You might fool others, but not me. I know you’re the demon from earlier, changing forms time and again, intending to devour my master!”
The White Bone Demon was so frightened that he couldn’t even speak.
Sun Wukong thought to himself, “If I fight him, Master will surely recite the Tightening Spell again. If I don’t fight, he will surely capture Master. It’s better to strike first. With my quick wits and silver tongue, I can surely persuade Master to forgive me later.”
But then Sun Wukong realized that the White Bone Demon had the ability to escape repeatedly, using tricks like the Golden Cicada shedding its shell.
So, he recited a spell and summoned the Earth Deity and Mountain Spirit, commanding them, “Keep an eye on this demon for me. Don’t let her escape.”
The Earth Deity and Mountain Spirit quickly agreed.
Only then did Sun Wukong raise his golden-banded staff and strike at the White Bone Demon.
This time, the White Bone Demon couldn’t escape.
As everyone looked, all that remained on the ground were a pile of bones, with the words “Madam White Bone” inscribed on the spine.
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