“Hercules is the Ox Devil King,” said the village god. “He set the fire and then named the mountain Flame Mountain?” asked Monkey King. “No,” said the village god. “Only when you forgive me, do I dare to tell you the truth.” “Forgive you for what?” asked Monkey King. “Just speak out.” “The fire was set by you.” replied the village god. “Nonsense!” angrily cried out Monkey Kong. “Where I was then? I look like an arsonist?” “You can’t recognize me?” asked the village god. “This mountain didn’ t exist before. Five hundred years ago in the heaven, you were put into the oven. One day, you kicked the oven overturned. Several bricks with flames fell down onto the earth and then turned into this Flame Mountain.” The god said continuously. “As a special god to look after the oven, I was severely punished on a charge of neglecting my duty. I was sent here in exile to be the village god of the area of Flame Mountain.”
“So that’s how things stand,” said Monkey King. “Just now, you said I should go ask help from Ox Devil King. Why?” “Ox Devil King is Iron Fan Princess’s husband,” said the village god. “ But he deserted his wife and now lives in Moyun Cave of Jilei Mountain. There was once a Fox King. He had only a daughter named Jade Face Princess. After his death, a lot of property was left. The princess wanted to find a capable man to manage the property for her. Two years ago, she heard that Ox Devil King was very capable. Before long, the princess married Ox Devil King. Ox Devil King left Iron Fan Princess and lives together with his new wife in Moyun Cave. From then on, he’s never been back to Iron Fan Princess. If you can ask Ox Devil King to come back here to help you borrow the fan from Iron Fan Princess, you’ll be successful.” “Where is Jilei Mountain?” asked Monkey King. “How far from here?” “Due south,” said the village god. “More than three thousand miles.” Monkey King told Pig Bajie and Sha Monk to take a good care of Tang Monk and then turned a somersault and disappeared immediately.
Monkey King came to a mountain and saw a beautiful woman. “Where are you going, Miss?” Monkey King asked. Seeing the ugly face of Monkey King, the woman was startled. But finding that she was on the horns of a dilemma, she had to put in a word. “Where do you come from?” she asked. “How can you have the courage to question me?” “I came from Iron Fan Princess,” replied Monkey King. “She sends me here to invite Ox Devil King.” On his words, the woman flew into a rage with her face flushed. “What a shameless woman!” she abused. “I’ve given her innumerable gold and jewelries ever since Ox Devil King came here. Besides, I also supply fire-wood and food for her all the year round. She’s short of nothing. Why does she invite Ox Devil King?” Monkey King knew she was Jade Face Princess, but he pretended not to know and drew out his golden cudgel. “You shameless woman!” cried Monkey King. “You spent so many things to marry Ox Devil King. Really a losing business! It’s surprising that you don’t feel ashamed and have the cheek to abuse his wife!” Showering down a torrent of abuse on the woman, Monkey King then pretended to strike her with his golden cudgel. Scared and ashamed, she run away. Closely following her, Monkey King found her entering a cave. The door was closed. Monkey King couldn’t go in and had to wait for an opportunity to act on his discretion.
After entering a study, the woman came directly to Ox Devil King who was playing with antiques. Throwing herself into his arms, she cried sorrowfully. “What’s wrong with you?” smilingly asked Ox Devil King. “Don’t be worried. Just speak out.” “Damn!” abused the woman. “You did so much harm to me!” “Why do you abuse me?” He asked. “Just now, I met with an ugly man. He said he was sent here by Iron Fan Princess to invite you.” The woman said. “I abused him and he wanted to strike me with a golden cudgel. If I’d failed to ran away quickly, I would have been killed by him.” Comforting her with sweet words, Ox Devil King said, “My ex-wife is a decent woman. There is not even a single boy in her cave. How could she allow a man to stay in her cave? This one must be a demon! Let me go out and have a look.” Going out of the cave, Ox Devil King asked, “Who is making trouble here?” Monkey King found this Ox Devil King quite different from the one five hundred years ago.
Stepping up, Monkey King asked politely, “Brother! Can’t recognize me?” Ox Devil King replied, “You’re Sun Wukong?” “Yes, I am,” said Monkey King. “I met a beautiful girl just now and asked her the way, and therefore I can see you here. Long time no see. You look much better than before. It really merits congratulations!” “Don’t talk clever stuff. Fine words butter no parsnips,” said Ox Devil King. “I heard you made a lot of troubles and put the heavenly palace into an awful mess and therefore the Buddha Father made you weighed down by Mt. Wuxing. Later on, you were free from the natural disaster and escorted Tang Monk going westwards to take Buddhist ures. But why did you harm tos my son in Haoshan Mountain? I’ve been looking for opportunities to settle old scores. It’s surprising that you walk into the trap on your own accord.” “Brother,” Monkey King said politely. “You’ve got it wrong. It’s his fault. I’m not to blame. Your son caught my master and got ready to eat his flesh. I couldn’t draw close to him. Thanks to Goddess of Mercy. She rescued my master and persuaded your son into giving up evil ways and returning to the right path.” Monkey King added, “Your son has become a kind good boy. He is now much taller than you. Goddess of Mercy let him enjoy happiness and longevity. So you see, there’s no reason at all for you to blame me!” “You naughty monkey!” Ox Devil King said. “You really have a slick tongue! Granted I wronged you, you should not bully my beloved concubine.” “I found no way to see you,” smilingly said Monkey King, “so I had to ask the way froms the lady. But I really didn’t know that she is my second sister-in-law. Because she abused me, I got a little bit angry and took a rash act and scared my sister-in-law. I beg your pardon.” “In view of our brotherhood in the past,” said Ox Devil King, “I forgive you this time. You can go now.” “Thank you very much,” said Monkey King. “But I have a request to make of you.” “You wild monkey!” cried Ox Devil King. “You really don’t know how to appreciate favors. I forgive you. You not only refuse to leave but also badger me. What can I do for you?”
Saying that he went to Iron Fan Princess to borrow her fan but she refused, Monkey King asked Ox Devil King to go with him to persuade Iron Fan Princess into lending the fan to him. On Monkey King’s words, Ox Devil King flew into a rage. “So that’s how things stand!” said Ox Devil King. “I think that you must have cheated my ex-wife first, so she didn’t lend her fan to you, and therefore you came here to ask me for help. But you hatched a plot against my beloved concubine.” “No, no, no,” said Monkey King. “You’ve misunderstood me!” “I’ve never misunderstood anyone!” cried Ox Devil King. “Don’t talk nonsense! Let me fight you.” “Speak from the bottom of my heart,” Said Monkey King, “if you fight me, I’m certainly not afraid of you. But this time I come here not for fighting with anyone but for borrowing your fan. Please help me!” “If you can still match me after three rounds,” said Ox Devil King, “I’ ll let my ex-wife lend her fan to you. Otherwise, I’ll kill you to avenge myself on you!” “All right,” said Monkey King. “But long time no see, I don’t know whether you’ve made much progress or not. I just want to have a look. Let’s have a contest!” Allowing of no further talk, Ox Devil King launched an attack on Monkey King with his treasured stick, while Monkey King fought back mercilessly.
Nearly a hundred rounds later, it was still difficult to decide which side would win. Just at the moment neither side would give in, some one called Ox Devil King on a peak. “Ox Devil King,” the man cried. “My master hopes you could come early so that for us to make a good arrangement.” “All right,” Ox Devil King replied and then stopped fighting and said to Monkey King, “Let’s stop fighting for the time being. I’ll go visit my friend.” Finishing his words, Ox Devil King went into his cave. Standing on a rock, Monkey King closely watched the cave. He was going to follow Ox Devil King so as to find out what sort of friends the demon was going to meet. A few minutes later, Ox Devil King came out. Monkey King turned himself into a gust of wind and followed the ox demon closely. They came into a big mountain before long. But the ox demon disappeared in the twinkling of an eye. Coming into his true colors, Monkey King looked for the demon and at last he found a water pool. “The demon must have entered the water,” Monkey King thought. “The spirits under water are nothing more than dragons, fishes, turtles and so on. Let me go down and have a look.”
Monkey King turned himself into a large crab weighing eighteen kilograms, and jumped into the water and sank to the bottom. He suddenly saw a beautiful ornamental archway under which there was the Ox Devil King’s golden-eye-water-avoiding animal. Beyond the archway, there was no water at all. Crawling into a palace, Monkey King found that, as a host, the old dragon spirit was having a grand banquet to entertain his guests and officials. Ox Devil King was drinking wine together with the old dragon spirit. Seeing the large crab, the old dragon cried, “Catch the crab!” The crab was caught immediately, but he said in human language, “Spare my life! Spare my life!” “You wild crab!” the old dragon shouted. “Where do you come from? How can you have the courage to wantonly crawl in front of my distinguished guests? Tell me the truth. Otherwise, I don’t let you off.” “I live in mud and grass. No one has ever taught me anything about social etiquette,” said the crab. “I’m sorry if I’ve offended you.” On his words, all the guests interceded with the old dragon for the crab. “I let you off this time to show due respect for my guests’ feelings,” Said the old dragon. “There’s no leniency for the second offence!” Crawling out at once, the crab turned into Monkey King. “Ox Devil King is drinking wine with the old dragon spirit,” thought Monkey King. “I cannot wait for him. What’s more, even if the banquet ends now, I still don’t think he will lend me the fan. I’d better steal his water-avoiding animal and turn into Ox Devil King to cheat Iron Fan Princess out of her fan.”
Monkey King came out of the water and turned back to himself again from the crab. Riding the golden-eye animal in the clouds, he came to the mouth of Palm Cave in Mt. Green Clouds. “Open the door!” turning into Ox Devil King, Monkey King cried out. Two girls opened the door. Seeing Ox Devil King come back, they went to make a report immediately. Iron Fan Princess came out before long. Being too excited to recognize the true colors of this Ox Devil King, the princess urged him to enter her room. “Long time no see,” said Ox Devil King, “I miss you very much.” “Really?” asked the princess. “Married a new beauty and you’re very happy, aren’t you?” “Sure,” said Ox Devil King. “But I’ll never forget you.” “Thank you very much,” said the princess. “But why do you come back?” “I heard that Monkey King is escorting Tang Monk to take the Buddhist ures.” Said Ox Devil King. “I’m afraid he’ll come here to borrow your fan to put out the fire and cross the Flame Mountain. If he comes, just tell me. I’ll fight him and kill him.” “You have talked right,” said the princess. “What do you mean?” She told him the whole story about Monkey King’s coming here to borrow the fan. “You really lent your fan to him?” “Yes,” she said. “But that’s not the true one. I just lent him a false one.” “Then where is the true one?” “You may rest assured,” said the princess. “I hid it in an absolutely safe place.” “You should be very careful,” Ox Devil King pretended to be much concerned about her. “I’m afraid the monkey will come to cheat you.” “Here it is!” she took out a fan from her mouth which was small as an apricot leave and handed it to Ox Devil King.
With the fan in hand, Monkey King didn’t believe that such a small fan could put out the fire. It seemed as if Ox Devil King was engrossed in thought,. “What are you thinking about?” she asked. Taking this opportunity, Monkey King asked, “This small fan can really put out the fire? How can it be possible?” “What’s the matter with you?” asked she. “How can you forget our treasured fan so soon? Maybe because you spare too much time to be with your new beauty. You’re too busy, aren’t you?” she added. “Let me remind you.” “Thank you.” “You just press the seventh strand of the red silk on the fan handle with the thumb of your left hand, and mutter ‘Bixuaxixichuihu’, the fan will become twelve feet long,” said the princess. “The treasured fan possesses enormous ability. It can put out any fire no matter how wide the fire will spread. Even if the fire area is eighty thousand miles wide, it will be out immediately.” Keeping her words firmly in mind, Ox Devil King put the fan into his mouth and wiped his face with his hand. The false Ox Devil King turned back into Monkey King immediately. “My dear princess,” Monkey King satirized, “look at me! Am I your beloved husband?” Looking at Monkey King, the princess was startled. Having no time to say anything more to her, Monkey King ran out of the cave immediately and then turned a somersault and came onto the top of a peak. Standing there, he tried to make the fan become larger. His trial was crowned with success. But he couldn’t make it smaller because he didn’t ask the princess for the way of size-reducing. Willy-nilly, he had to carry the big fan on his shoulder.
All guests filed out after the banquet. Ox Devil King found his golden-eye animal disappeared. “Where is my golden-eye animal?” he asked. “Who stole it?” the old dragon asked. “We didn’t.” All the guests said in one voice. “Are there any strangers here?” the old dragon asked again. “There was a crab just now,” one of the guests reminded. “Yes,” the old dragon said. “That’s right,” Ox Devil King suddenly saw the light. “That must be Sun Wukong.” “Which Sun Wukong?” the old dragon asked. “The trouble-maker, Monkey King,” said Ox Devil King. “He once made troubles in the heavenly palace.” “Yes, I know,” the old dragon said to Ox Devil King. “Now that you lost your golden-eye animal, you can use my horse.” “Thank you,” said Ox Devil King. “But I don’t need it. I can catch up with the monkey.”
Coming out of the water, Ox Devil King didn’t pursuit Monkey King but came back to his cave. He found his golden-eye animal at the door. “Why were you so careless and gave a chance to the monkey to steal you golden-eye animal?” asked the princess to Ox Devil King. “What happened?” Ox Devil King asked. The princess told him the whole story about Monkey King’s cheating the fan out of her. “Where is he now?” “He’s run away.” “Don’t worry,” said Ox Devil King. “Let me catch him!” Ox Devil King left the cave and ran towards the Flame Mountain.