Chapter 75- A Druken Dance In Demon's Belly

Sun Wukong arrives at the Lion Camel Cave, and the description of the entrance, wow, it does not hold back. No, it really doesn't. It's intense. It talks about skulls like ridges, bones like forests. Just imagine that. An entire landscape made of remains. Grim stuff. Really paints a picture. And it gets worse. Human hair matted into felt. Human skin and flesh rotted to mud. And those tendons. Wrapped around you. Trees dry and shining like silver. It's pure carnage. And you've got demons actively. Well, the text says, skinning living people on one side. And freshly cooking human flesh on the other. It's brutal. Absolutely. And the text makes a point, right? It says, if not for the Monkey King's heroic courage, no ordinary person could enter. It really highlights how terrifying this place is, and frankly, how brave Wukong has to be just to walk up to the door. Just to approach it. But then, what's fascinating here is, he goes inside past this horror show at the entrance, and suddenly it changes completely. The second layer door is described as like, clean, strange, elegant, beautiful, and spacious. Wait, really? After all that? Totally. Instead of more gore, you get jade grass and mortal flowers, tall pines and green bamboo. Like a hidden paradise. That's bizarre. So it's a trick. Well, it certainly feels like one. It's this jarring contrast. It almost sets up a false sense of security. Yeah. Makes you wonder, what's really hiding deeper inside? It could definitely be a trap. A very clever, deceptive setup. Like walking from, I don't know, a slaughterhouse into a zen garden. Exactly. But that serenity, well, it doesn't last long. Right, because you go further in, maybe seven or eight lai, the text says? Something like that. And you hit the third layer, and that's where the real bosses are waiting. The main event. In the middle, you've got the green-maned lion monster. And this guy sounds terrifying. Chiseled teeth like saws, a round head, square face. And the roar. Like thunder. Eyes like lightning. Yeah. Nostrils pointing skyward, red brows flaming. The text even says, wherever he walks, a hundred beasts tremble. He sounds like bad news. Definitely the alpha sitting there. Then on his left, there's the yellow-toothed elephant. This one's weird. Phoenix eyes. Golden pupils. Yellow teeth. Thick legs. Long nose. Silver fur. Okay? But the voice. Right. The voice is supposedly like a delicate lady, but his face is like a bull-headed demon. That's unsettling. Very unsettling. A strange mix. And then on the right, maybe the scariest. The great rock. Oh yeah. The rock is formidable. Golden-winged rock head. Uh-huh. Starry eyes. Leopard eyes. Sounds incredibly powerful. Soaring north and south, strong and brave. The text says his wings are so powerful they make other birds hide. And his claws make them, well, lose courage. He's a major power player. So you've got this terrifying trio. And it's not just them. If we connect this to the bigger picture, they have backup. Lots of it. Oh, right. The subordinates. Hundreds of them. Big and small head men, the text says. And they're not just milling about. They are fully armored, neat in their attire, awe-inspiring, radiating killing intent. So like a propel demon army. Organized. Exactly. This isn't just a couple of random monsters. No. This is a serious established power structure. It immediately tells you and tells Wukong this is a huge challenge. He can't just rely on brute force alone here. And yet, Wukong sees all this terrifying setup, this army, and the text says he's filled with joy and not scared at all. Classic Wukong. Fearless or maybe just overconfident sometimes. So he just walks right in. Pretty much. Bold as anything. Walks in. Takes off his belt. And just shouts, Great King! No hesitation. And the demons. They were clearly expecting someone. Maybe the real scout returning. They ask, Xiaozhuang Feng, you're back. And Wukong just jumps right on them. Instantly. He says, yeah, I'm little scout, just got back from patrol. And guess who I saw? Sun Wukong. Oh, this is brilliant. He's impersonating their scout to warn them about himself. And the description he gives of Sun Wukong is just fantastic. Totally over the top. What does he say? He says Wukong was squatting there, sharpening his staff, looking like a path-clearing deity. Okay. And if he stood up, he'd be dozens of feet tall. Dozens of feet. He's really laying it on thick. Oh, yeah. And he adds this detail about Wukong scooping water, grinding his staff, and muttering that his staff hadn't shown its power yet, but he was getting it ready to come beat the great king. Wow. So he's playing on their fear of his reputation. Absolutely. It's pure psychological warfare. Initially. Yeah. It works like a charm. How do the demons react? The eldest demon, the lion. He completely panics. The text says he's covered in sweat, trembling with fear. Really? Just from the description? Yep. He knows Sun Wukong's reputation for immense magical power. His immediate reaction is basically, abort, abort. He tells his guys, close the doors and let him pass. They want nothing to do with his giant staff-sharpening monkey god. So the fear tactic works. It does. This raises an important question about strategy. Right. Wukong's using fear brilliantly here, but man is it risky. He's inside the enemy base, relying entirely on this bluff holding up. One wrong move. And he knows it, doesn't he, because he realizes they can't actually close the doors. Right. He thinks something like, if they close the doors, they'll start asking questions about little scout stuff, I don't know. Then I'll be caught. Yeah. So I need to scare them again, make sure they keep those doors open so I have an escape route. So he doubles down. How? He goes back to the kings and says, oh. And he said something else. Something terrible. No, no. He claims Wukong said he was going to come in and skin the eldest king, flay the second, and pull out the third's tendons. Good grief. He's really pushing it. Totally. And in the stroke of genius, or perhaps fatal cleverness, he warns them how Wukong will get in if they close the doors. How? He says if you shut the doors, he can transform. He'll turn into a fly, zip through the cracks, and get you all anyway. Ah, planting the idea of transformation. Exactly. But it backfires spectacularly. Because the eldest demon, perhaps remembering Wukong's reputation for transformation, says something crucial. What's that? He says, wait a minute. There are never flies in this cave. Never. So if a fly does get in... It must be some Wukong. Uh-oh. Bingo. And Wukong, hearing this, what does he do? He thinks, hmm, I'll just turn into a fly anyway, you know, just to scare them a bit more, keep the doors open. Oh, Wukong, no. He does it. He discreetly plucks a single hair from his own body. Here we go. Glows on it, transforms into a golden fly, and, probably just being cheeky, flies right up to the eldest demon's face. Oh, dear. The demon freaks out, shouts, brother, the thing has come in, and this is the moment. Wukong. He laughs, doesn't he? He does. He couldn't help but laugh out loud. A little he noise, probably. And that's the giveaway. That's the fatal mistake. What's fascinating here is, it's his own essential monkeyness, that mischievous streak, he just can't fully suppress it. And the third demon, the rock, who seems to be the sharpest one. The really scary one. Yeah. He sees it immediately. He says, I saw his thunder god mouth appear. When he laughed. That distinctive monkey muzzle. Ah, the transformation wasn't perfect when he laughed. Exactly. And as the rock grabs him, the partial transformation reveals everything. A body of yellow fur, two red buttocks, and a tail. Caught red-handed. Or, maybe, red-buttocked. Classic Wukong. His own cleverness, and then his own personality, undoes him, so they grab him. Oh, yeah. He's bound with his four limbs tied together. No escape now. And the demons realize who they've got. Yep. They look closely and say, it's Sun Wukong's body, just wearing Little Scout's face. The jig is up. And they are, understandably, pretty pleased with themselves. They start planning a celebration right away. But, what do they do with him? Can they even hold him? Well, they have a plan for that. And this is where we see their real power. They decide to use a special treasure. They're gonna put him in the Yin-Yang Two Energies bottle. Yin-Yang? What now? The Yin-Yang Two Energies bottle. And if we connect this to the bigger picture, this artifact is serious business. It really shows the level of magic these demons wield. So, what's special about this bottle? Well, first off, it's not huge. Only about two feet, four inches high. Doesn't sound too bad. No. But it takes 36 little demons just to carry it. And that number, 36, is significant. It's according to the number of heavenly stars, the Tianzhan stars. Okay, so cosmic significance. Powerful magic involved. Exactly. And inside, it contains seven treasures, eight trigrams, and 24 energies. Basically, it's packed with fundamental cosmic power. It's not just a container. So, how do they get him in? They untie him, strip off his clothes. Oh. And then, using the bottle's own immortal energy, there's this whoosh. And he's just sucked right inside. Look at that. Sucked into a bottle. Just like that. And the demons, they are absolutely convinced this is the end for him. They gloat, you know? Now that the monkey's in my precious bottle, he can forget about the path to the west. Wow. They basically say the only way he's getting out is if he turns back time and gets reborn. They think it's game over. Which sets up a pretty impossible situation for Wukong, trapped inside this super powerful magical artifact. And he thinks, huh, it's actually cool and comfortable. Right. He's almost casual about it. Yeah. He even laughs off the demon's warning. You know, the whole turning to pus in an hour and a quarter thing. He figures, ah, he could chill in there for seven or eight years. Classic Wukong confidence. Maybe a bit too much confidence. Is it just that? Or is the vase itself tricking him somehow? Well, it's a bit of both. The vase is deceptive. See, it stays cool, apparently, for a whole year. Okay. But, and this is the crucial bit, only if you stay completely silent. The second it hears a voice. Ah, there's the catch. Exactly. The moment Wukong speaks, even just scoffing, it triggers the trap. Instant devastating fire. Wow. Okay. So he talks and boom. Flames everywhere. Is this like normal fire or? Oh no, not at all. This is magical fire filling the entire space. Wukong, being Wukong, luckily knows a specific fire avoidance spell he has to use immediately. Just to survive the initial blast. Right. That's just his first line of defense. It buys him some time. But the vase isn't done with him, right? The trials just keep coming. What happens next after the fire? Yeah, it escalates. After about half an hour, things get physical. Forty snakes suddenly appear. Forty snakes. Seriously. And they start biting him all over. His reaction is pure Wukong, though immediate. Brutal. He just crushes them all into, I think the text says, 80 pieces. Okay. Typical monkey king dealing with pests. Yeah. But then it gets even worse, doesn't it? The fire dragons? Ah, the dragons. Yes. There's three of them made of fire and they don't just attack, they coil around him. Oof. That sounds bad. It is. This is where you see real distress. He actually fears the fire attacking his heart. It's more than just pain. It's a deep internal threat. So this intense pressure, the coiling dragons. Yeah. What does he try then? Does he have a plan B? He gets desperate. His first big idea is brute force. Yeah. He tries to grow enormous, you know, uses magic to physically shatter the vase from the inside. Makes sense. He's incredibly strong. But here's the thing. The vase is just as magical. It grows right along with him. No way. Yep. Then he tries shrinking down, thinking maybe he can slip out small. And the vase? Shrinks right down with him. He's completely stuck. That's when he realizes. Difficult. The magic is perfectly countering his own. And this is where it starts to get really grim, isn't it? The physical toll. It really is. The heat is so intense that it actually softens his, uh, his ankle bone. The googly? Imagine that part of his legendary tough body giving way. That's, wow. And he starts to despair. He does. He actually cries. He's lamenting, thinking he might become a crippled person. He's worried he's failed his master, Tang Sanzang. Abandoned him halfway up the mountain. It's such a rare moment of vulnerability for him. Absolutely. He even wonders if his past arrogance, his high fame, is what led him to this low point. It's a real crisis, physical and spiritual. But just when it seems hopeless, he remembers something. Yes. In that absolute pit of despair, something clicks. He remembers the three life-saving hairs. Ah, the hairs. From Guanyin Bodhisattva. The very ones, given to him way back on Snake Coil Mountain. He'd almost forgotten them. What a thing to recall under that kind of pressure. And these aren't just any hairs. What happens when he uses them? It's incredible. They're described as exceptionally hard. He pulls them out, blows on them, and poof. One turns into a diamond drill. A drill. Yep. Another becomes a bamboo strip. And the third, a cotton rope. It's not just random magic. It's like his desperation conjured the perfect escape kit. That's amazingly specific. Not just power, but like precision tools. Exactly. It's so clever. So he's got a drill, a bamboo strip, and a rope. How does he use them? Ingeniously. He uses the bamboo strip, like, as a bowstring for the diamond drill. A makeshift bow drill. Pretty much. And he uses it to bore a tiny hole right through the bottom of the vase. And suddenly, there's light. That moment must have felt incredible. He calls it pure good fortune. A tiny pinprick of hope. So how does he get through a tiny drill hole? More transformation magic. He changes into something called a eser, a guachanga. It's described as a tiny, light bug, fine as a hair, long as an eyebrow. Super small. Wow. Just small enough to slip through? Exactly. He squeezes out. And get this, the moment he's out, the vase instantly becomes cool again. Really? Why? Because by making that hole, he'd essentially vented the yin yang qi. He broke the magical seal, disrupted the contained energy. He found the vase's weakness. Yeah. Not by overpowering it, but by, like, letting the air out. Precisely. He found its Achilles heel. A brilliant bit of tactical thinking, not just magic. Now, you'd think after nearly being melted and crushed, he'd, you know, run away. You would think. But this is Sun Wukong we're talking about. Right. So what does he do? In his tiny bug form, he flies up and lands right on the old demon's head. On his head. The audacity. Pure Wukong. Meanwhile, the demons below are trying to move the vase. They pick it up and notice it's way lighter than before. They're totally confused. They have no idea he's escaped. None at all. The old demon is skeptical, but he finally opens the lid, looks inside, and just yells, This bottle is empty! Kong you! And that's Wukong's cue. You bet! From right there on the demon's head, he shouts down, My child! Sojizuyi! What does that mean again? It's a clubber pun. Kind of like, go look for me, because I'm already gone. The sound is similar. It's meant to mock and confuse. Huh? And the demons? They panic. They hear his voice, realize he's out, yelling, He's gone! And he doesn't stop there, does he? One last insult. Of course. Before flying off happily back to his master, he tells them the now useless vase is only good for going to the toilet. Oh, that's cool. Classic Monkey King. Absolute twisting the knife. So he gets back to Tang Sanzang. Kumut's a bit frantic. Totally consumed with worry. Praying for Wukong's safety, for his magic to be limitless. It really shows you how much the master relies on him, their bond. And Wukong's return. Is he bragging? Not exactly bragging. He explains how he survived. But interestingly, he credits a few things. The good fortune of monks back east. Tang Sanzang's own, like, immense merit. Oh, interesting. And, yeah, his own magic. Of course, he says he feels reborn. But then Tang Sanzang asks a really practical question. Okay, you survived, great. But you didn't beat the demon. How are we going to get past this mountain now? Still seems impossible. Good point. So, what's Wukong's answer? Does he just say, I'll handle it? No, and this is maybe the most interesting shift. He gives this really logical explanation. He says, uh, single thread makes no line. Single palm makes no clap. Meaning? Meaning he can't do it alone. Not against three powerful demons and, like, thousands of little goblin minions. It's too much. Even for him. Wow. That's actual humility. Or maybe just pragmatism. From Wukong. A bit of both, I think. It's a big moment. The super independent monkey king admitting he needs backup. So, Tang Sanzang jumps on this, right? Yeah. Suggests getting the others involved. Exactly. He says, basically, well, get Pigsy and Sandy then. Let's make it a team effort. How does Pigsy take that? He's usually not thrilled about fighting demons. Predictably reluctant. Pigsy immediately starts saying he's clumsy, got no skill, he's useless, don't pick me. Uh-huh. Sounds like Pigsy. But Wukong's response is hilarious and, again, super pragmatic. He basically says, look, at least he's a person. Ouch. And that Pigsy can add wind to a theft. Which is a crude way of saying, you know, he can at least add to the noise. Boost morale. Maybe be a distraction. Even a clumsy ally is better than nothing. Right. Sometimes you just need bodies or, well, wind. Pretty much. So, Wukong basically drags a reluctant Pigsy along back towards the demon's cave. Okay, round two brewing. How does the old demon react when Wukong shows up again? He hears Wukong's challenge from outside the cave and is genuinely startled and trembling. He knows Wukong's reputation. He knows how fierce he is, especially now that he escaped the vase. So the demon is actually scared. Definitely. None of the lesser demons want anything to do with Wukong. They won't go out. It forces the old demon's hand. Well, he has to fight. He feels he has to. Yeah. To save face, his ugly name. He decides he'll go out and fight Wukong for just three rounds. Ugly three. What's the plan there? It's a gamble. He declares if he wins in those three rounds, Tang San Zang is dinner. If he doesn't win, he'll just lock the gate and let them pass. This monstrous demon charges out of its cave. And the source gives us such a vivid, almost cinematic description. It really does. Picture this. An iron forehead. Copper head. A shining helmet with a plume, eyes that flash like lightning. Hair like rosy clouds. And the claws. Hooked claws are silver, sharp, and keen. Saw-like teeth. I mean, it paints quite a picture. Absolutely. Clad in seamless golden armor, a dragon-patterned belt, and he's wielding this bright steel saber. This creature sounds like a, well, a truly formidable foe. Nightmare-inducing, almost. Definitely. And what's striking is the immediate challenge. The demon roars like thunder, basically demanding, who's there? And Sun Wukong. No hesitation. None at all. He proudly declares himself your grandfather. The great sage, equal to heaven. Classic. Right. That bold declaration really sets the stage for a, you know, a monumental clash. Egos, powers, everything. It really does. So the demon recognizes him, asks why he's there, and Wukong's reply is fantastic. Where there's wind, there are waves. Where there's no tide, the water is calm. A bit philosophical there. Yeah, basically saying, you started this. He explains the demon's crony's plan to eat his master, Tang Monk. Then the demon suggests the fight, one-on-one. Right. No helpers. Almost taunting Wukong, saying he doesn't want to bully him like a sitting tiger. And Wukong's response tells Pigsy immediately, stand aside. Accepts the challenge. Just like that. But here's where the strategy gets really interesting. The demon suggests these incredibly specific terms. Yeah, the three blows to the head. Exactly. He dares Wukong to take three hits. If he survives, Tang Monk goes free. If not, well, Wukong has to hand him over. It's an immediate test of that legendary durability, isn't it? But maybe also shows the demon's a bit overconfident. Oh, definitely. And Wukong's reaction is just as bold. He laughs, agrees, even jokes about signing a contract. Yeah, boasting he could take hits until next year without a problem. Pure Wukong. So the demon, full of might, takes his first swing. All his strength, right at Wukong's head. And the source gives us that sound, da-da. Yeah. But Wukong's scalp, not even red. The demon is just stunned. Utterly astonished, exclaims, this monkey has a hard head. Which leads right into Wukong explaining why this isn't just toughness, it's his origin. Exactly. This is where we get the deep dive into his resilience. He explains his head is born of copper and iron, totally unmatched. He says axes can't shatter it, hammers can't break it. And the celestial connections. He reveals it once entered Laozi's furnace, the forge of the great Taoist deity. Right, as a youth. And was monitored by the four dipper stars, worked on by the 28 constellations. These are powerful cosmic forces. Plus being submerged in water many times, reinforced by tendons, and having that violet gold fillet making it even stronger. It adds so much weight to his physical prowess. It's not just strength, it's this whole celestial alchemical backstory. It perfectly explains why he can just shrug off blows that would, you know, vaporize anyone else. So the demon, still kinda reeling, warns Wukong about the second blow. Vows to end him. But Wukong just brushes it off. Then the demon strikes again, this time a ping pong sound. And Wukong's head appears to split in two. But then he rolls on the ground, and bam! Transforms into two bodies. It's an instant mind game. The demon must have freaked out. Totally panicked. And Pigsy, watching from afar, shouts that hilarious line, Classic Pigsy. Misreading the situation completely. So the demon, seeing two Wukongs, accuses him of using his splitting body technique. But Wukong plays dumb, right? Pretends he doesn't know what that is. Then boasts, The demon's clearly flustered now. Challenges him to go back to one body for just one more blow. Wukong, sharp as ever, reminds him, Hey, you promised three blows. But he agrees, saying if he combines, he'll only hit the demon one and a half times with his staff. It really shows his character, doesn't it? It's not just the endurance, it's the transformation mastery, the psychological games. Exactly. He uses illusion strategically. It's this brilliant mix of brute strength and cleverness. Okay, so, true to his word, Wukong rolls, becomes one again, draws his staff, and strikes. The demon blocks. And the demon, still trying to sound tough, asks about this crying stick Wukong's using. Which leads to maybe the most legendary part, Wukong describing his weapon. Oh yeah, the Rui Jingu Bang. Or, well, Spirit Yang Staff, as he calls it here. He reveals it's a nine-turn refined iron rod, forged by Laozi himself, in the furnace. And originally used by Yu the Great, the sage king who tamed China's floods. We're talking cosmic-level artifact here. He describes it beautifully. Stars secretly embedded inside, gold-clad ends, dense patterns that startle gods, dragon and phoenix seals, hidden in the ocean treasury. And its abilities are just, wow. It can transform to fly, gives off five-colored auspicious light. It changes size, right? Thick as an urn, thin as an iron wire, rough as Mount Tai, fine as a needle. Changes length and size completely at will. When it moves, colorful clouds flies brightly like lightning, emits chilling air and killing mist. It's like an extension of Wukong himself. And then he just rattles off its resume. It's incredible. Subduing dragons and tigers, causing havoc in the Heavenly Palace, breaking up the Peach Banquet. Defeating heavenly kings, Nezha, riding a hundred thousand heavenly soldiers. Struck down gods, broke the Duny Palace, crushed Yama's Hall of the Underworld Court. He lays it all out. And finishes by saying, it's all thanks to this staff that Tang Monk is protected, having beaten all demons under heaven. It really isn't just a weapon, it's like a character itself. Imbued with cosmic power, a history of disrupting heaven. It's how Wukong became a legend. So the demon hears all this, and the text says he's visibly trembling. Wouldn't you be? Right. But he still raises his saber to fight. Wukong just smiles, meets him with the staff. The fight starts on the ground. And then they leap into the air. Fierce aerial battle. Yeah. The description is epic again. The heavenly river stabilizing divine pressure staff against the demon's saber. One changing form constantly, the other standing firm, lengthening its body. Skies filled with clouds, mist. It's Tang Monk's safety versus the demon's hunger. Protector versus predator. They go for, what, over 20 rounds? No clear winner? Until Pigsy, watching this good fight, he just can't help himself. Oh boy. He charges in, raises his rake, aiming right for the demon's face. And this is a crucial moment, a real twist. Yeah. The demon is totally surprised by Pigsy's charge. Yeah, thinks Pigsy's long snout, big ears, hard hands, and fierce rake are just too much. But he panics. Or seems to panic. Right. He loses the fight, seemingly throws down his saber, and runs. Wukong shouts for Pigsy to chase him. But it's a setup. Totally. As Pigsy chases, the demon stops on a slope, reveals his true form. And opens this giant mouth to swallow Pigsy whole. Pigsy dives into the grass, terrified, just hiding there, trembling. It's a fascinating reversal. The demon's panic was just a tactic, a feint to lure them into a trap. He turned the tables instantly. Very clever, actually. So Wukong cashes up quickly. The monster opens its mouth again, this time for him. And here's the bit that makes you lean in, as you said. Wukong, instead of fighting or running, retracts his staff. And just lets himself be swallowed. Which immediately makes you ask, why? Why would he do that? It's clearly not defeat. It feels calculated. A maneuver. A real masterstroke, maybe. But Pigsy, still hiding, completely misses the point. Doesn't get it at all. He grumbles. This horse groomer doesn't know when to retreat. Why did you run? Swallowed into his belly, you're a monk today, but tomorrow you'll be dung. Poor Pigsy. He just sees surrender. Meanwhile, the demon thinks he's won, just departs. Pigsy crawls out, totally disheartened, goes back to the others. He comes running back to the master, Tripitaka, and Sandy. Yeah, frantic. Absolutely breathless, apparently in tears. And he drops the bomb. Wukong's been swallowed down in one gulp, just like that. Their main protector, gone. And Tripitaka's reaction is, well, pretty much what you'd expect. Total breakdown. He collapses. Collapses, crying, beating his chest, saying the whole journey, everything they've worked for, is doomed. Turned to dust, is the phrase used. It's pure devastation for him. You really feel it. But then, Pigsy, wow. Instead of, you know, comforting his master. He turns to Sandy, the other disciple, and basically says, right, let's split the loot and bail. Seriously, split the luggage. Yep, split the luggage, go our separate ways. Pigsy's already planning his retirement back in Gao Village with his wife. He tells Sandy he can go back to the flowing sand river, and, uh, get this, eat people again. No way. Back to his old ways. Seems like it. And the final touch. He suggests selling the white horse, Tripitaka's horse, to buy a coffin for their master. Oof. That's cold. Beyond cold. It really shows you how fast things unravel, doesn't it? Yeah. The moment that perceived strength, Wukong, is gone, the whole structure just collapses. Is it about the shared mission, or just relying on the strong guy? It's a brutal look at the group dynamic. Okay, let's shift gears. Let's go inside the demon's cave. The old demon king strolls back in, feeling pretty pleased with himself. Super confident. Yeah. He tells his brothers, the second and third demon kings, got one! And they're all excited, like, who'd you get? Who is it? But as soon as he says, Sun Wukong, the third demon just panics. Instantly. Big brother, I told you. Sun Wukong is not good to eat. Which makes you think, right, why are they so scared? It's not just that he's powerful. Or something else. His reputation. Exactly. It's the trickery, the unpredictability, he doesn't play by the rules, and maybe, just maybe, they've heard stories about what happens when you think you've got him cornered. Which is exactly what's about to happen here. Mm. Because Wukong, from inside the demon's stomach, he chimes in. Oh, this is the best part. What does he say? He yells out, extremely good to eat, and very filling, I'll never be hungry again, completely audacious. Mm. Love it. And someone overhears. Yeah, some little demon lackey hears it, and runs to warn the big boss. Uh, boss, I think he's talking from inside you. So the demon king, still thinking he's in charge, comes up with a plan. The salty water plan. Right. Drink a ton of salty hot water, make himself sick, vomit Wukong out, and then, slowly fry him for wine. Charming. Classy. Yeah! Downs a whole basin of this stuff. Gulps it down, tries to he's, but Wukong, nope. He uses his magic, plants his feet, essentially takes root inside the demon. So the dealie just keeps throwing up, but Wukong doesn't budge. Exactly. The demon vomits until he's dizzy, until his yellow gall bladder is broken, the text says. It completely backfires. Wukong's already turned the demon's own body against him. He's not a prisoner, he's a saboteur. Okay, so the demon's reeling, gasping, probably terrified now. He's begging Wukong to come out, right? Yeah, get out! Get out! But Wukong's response is just, peak Wukong. What does he say now? He says it's too early to come out, in fact, it's just right not to come out. He explains that, you know, as a monk, he travels light, doesn't have warm clothes, but it's getting chilly, autumn's here. Don't tell me. Yep. The demon's belly, it's warm and windproof, a perfect spot to live through winter. He's turning the demon into his winter timeshare? That's brilliant. It's absolutely audacious humor, right in the face of death, literally. But he doesn't stop there. Oh no. What else? He ramps up the psychological torture, he tells the demon he happened to bring a folding pot with him. A folding pot, inside the demon? Apparently. And he plans to cook up some assorted entrails, liver, intestines, stomach, lungs, the demon's own organs. He's gonna cook the demon from the inside. And enjoy a nice meal that'll last him until King Ming Festival, which is way off in the spring. He's basically telling the jitman, I'm moving in and I'm having you for dinner for the next six months. That is horrifyingly hilarious. The other demons must be freaking out. Totally panicked. They asked him like, where are you even gonna set up this pot? And Wukong has an answer. Of course. He suggests the three-pronged bone sounds like a particularly sensitive spot inside the demon. Oh, okay. And the third demon, the worried one, asks, but what about the smoke? Won't that be uncomfortable for us? Sensible question, I guess. And Wukong just casually replies, oh, no problem, I'll just bust my Rui Jingu Bang, that's his magic golden cudgel, straight through the crown of your head. What? To make a hole. That'll be a skylight and a smoke vent. He's gonna punch a hole through the demon's skull for ventilation. That's the threat. He's turned the demon's body into his own personal, highly destructive Airbnb. It's psychological warfare cranked up to 11. Okay, the demon king must be absolutely desperate now. What's left? One last gamble. He orders medicinal wine. Poison. He thinks maybe he can poison Wukong from the inside. Wukong. Poison. Does he not remember who he's dealing with? Apparently not. Wukong just finds this hilarious. He basically says, dude, 500 years ago I was rampaging through heaven, I ate Lord Lai Zi's immortality pills, drank the jade emperor's celestial wine, ate the queen mother's peaches of immortality, phoenix marrow, dragon liver. You think your cheap demon wine is gonna do anything? Right. He's basically immune to everything. Pretty much. But here's the clever bit. As the demon starts drinking the wine, trying to get it down to his stomach where Wukong is, Wukong transforms his own head inside the demon's throat into a funnel, like a trumpet mouth. He intercepts it. Intercepts the wine before it even gets down, swallows it all himself. Downs like 7 or 8 cups this way. So the demon's confused because he's drinking poison wine but feeling nothing. And Wukong's getting drunk inside him. The demon's own desperate plan just gave Wukong a buzz. It's genius. Okay, so Wukong's now drunk inside the demon. This can't end well for the demon. Not at all. This is the grand finale. Wupeng starts what the text calls a drunken dance. A drunken dance. Inside a stomach. Yep. Bracing himself, falling four ways, kicking flying kicks, grabbing the liver and swinging like on a swing, doing handstands, turning somersaults, dancing wildly. Just absolute chaos inside the demon's guts. Oh man. The poor demon.