【小狐貍west068】The Woman in the Crowd
(lf5 - Journey to the West - 068)


【臺(tái)詞】
Wukong stared at the cave door, shocked. "I don't believe it. One-Horned Buffalo stole our weapons again!"
"What will we do now?" asked the fire god.
"This demon's powers are stronger than any I've seen before," said Wukong. "I know one person who can definitely defeat him—Buddha. I'll be back soon."
The monkey leaped onto a cloud and soared toward the west. He arrived at the Thunderclap Monastery. A guard at the gate stopped him.
"I need to ask Buddha for help," Wukong told the guard. "It's about the Tang Monk's journey."
The guard waved the monkey through. Wukong entered the monastery and bowed before Buddha.
"Greetings, Buddha," said the monkey. "I need—"
Buddha held up a hand. "I know why you're here, Wukong. I also know who the demon is. You must go to Laozi for help."
"Oh, okay," said the monkey, a bit surprised. "Thank you."
Wukong flew toward Heaven.
"Laozi doesn't like me much," thought the monkey. "He won't be happy to see me."
When Wukong arrived at Laozi's house, the sage frowned.
"What do you want, Wukong?" asked Laozi.
"Buddha told me to come here," said Wukong. "The Tang Monk was captured by a demon called One-Horned Buffalo."
"Oh dear!" said Laozi.
"Do you know him?" asked the monkey.
Laozi nodded. "He's my green buffalo. I didn't realize he'd escaped."
"Well, he did," said Wukong, getting annoyed. "And he's planning to eat the Tang Monk. Your buffalo also has a metal ring. Every time we try to fight him, the ring sucks in our weapons!"
Laozi held up his hands. "Okay, okay. I can capture the buffalo. Don't worry."
The sage went into another room. When he came back, he was holding a fan. "Let's go."
Wukong and Laozi returned to the mountain.
"Buffalo!" shouted Laozi. "Get out here right now!"
The door flew open, and One-Horned Buffalo stepped outside. His face fell when he saw Laozi.
Laozi raised the fan and brought it down fast. A fierce wind nearly knocked over One-Horned Buffalo. The demon pulled off the metal ring and flung it at Laozi. The sage caught it and brought the fan down once more. The wind knocked over the demon, and he turned into a large, green buffalo. The buffalo stood up and snorted.
Laozi tucked the fan and the ring into his robe. Then he climbed onto the buffalo and rode up into the sky.
Wukong went into the cave, and the warrior and two gods followed. They soon found their weapons.
"The gods and I will return to Heaven now," said the warrior. "Good luck with your journey, Wukong."
"Thank you," said the monkey.
Wukong found his companions deep in the cave.
"What took you so long?" cried Bajie.
"I was busy fighting a demon," said Wukong, untying the Tang Monk.
"Thank you, Wukong," said the monk.
"You’re welcome," said the monkey. "But next time I tell you to stay away from a place, please listen!"
* * *
A few weeks later, the travelers arrived at a busy city. The streets were filled with people selling vegetables, spices, and other goods. An old woman was stirring a large pot of soup. Other food sizzled over fires.
Bajie breathed deep. "Ah! That smells wonderful!"
Suddenly a young woman rushed out of the crowd. "The Tang Monk!" she cried. She threw her arms around the monk.
A fierce wind swirled, and a second later they were both gone!