Journey to the West: LEVEL UP (Book 1)

1

Zhu Bajie is unable to find food

Chen Gong deceives the master

The four of them journeyed on without a care in the world. Day turned into night, and night into day, and it was very easy to lose track of the time that passed since master and disciples have left the Spider Web Cave. The four of them watched as the moon waxed and waned, and fortnight after fortnight passed with relatively little conflict.

"Pig, go and fetch us some food," Sun Wukong said from atop an oak tree. Friar Sand was setting up their tents for the night.

Zhu Bajie continued snoring beneath the tree, curled up in a fetal position, so Wukong tossed a banana peel onto his stomach. "Wake up, pig! It's your turn to find food."

Zhu Bajie woke up with a start and flung the banana peel from his stomach. 'That big brother, always giving me duties I do not want to attend to,' he grumbled to himself as he grabbed the bowl and set off on his path.

They were in a forest, and Zhu Bajie traveled around, covering the entire ground but not finding a single person. Instead of returning emptyhanded and embarrassing himself in front of his brothers or earning himself chastisement, he lay down on the ground and fell asleep.

Just as he fell asleep, two people happened to walk by his snoring form.

"Is this not Friar Pig, the disciple of Master Tripitaka, the westward-heading monk seeking the scriptures?" one of the men who walked by asked.

"It is, Overlord Lu," the other man, who was shorter and had a much less impressive build, replied.

"Then this must mean that his master is nearby, does it not?"

"Yes it does," the shorter man agreed.

"He will make a valuable hostage. I must find him and capture him at once!"

His underling stopped him. "I advise you to let me take care of that, you should go back to the cave and relax, leave the worries to me."

The taller man stared menacingly at his minion. "Why should I not be the one to capture him?"

"Well, the Master Tripitaka has a disciple with him. He may be small in stature, and monkey-like in appearance, but he is not to be overlooked.

A stone on the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit

Born from the stone was a young monkey

Precocious in talent, mischievous in nature

Sought to escape from life and death

He traveled throughout all the land

And found the great Master Subhoti

A master of great wisdom and clarity of mind

Born of earth with heaven's blessing

The monkey began to cultivate

After three hundred winters and summers pass

He was ready to show his newfound skills

But for his brashness and mischief

He was cast away from the sect

To return to the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit

"And after he returned to his home, poachers were already there, hunting his monkey brethren, rampaging across the plantlife and slaying innocent animals. With his new abilities, the immortal monkey chased them away with relative ease. 'Don't worry, the Handsome Monkey King will protect you,' he told his brothers and sisters. 'I will go search for a proper weapon now.' And so, he took his leave and visited the Dragon King. 'Give me a weapon,' the monkey declared. But the Dragon King was emptyhanded. After a lot of goading, he was finally persuaded to think of one weapon in his palace.