Chapter 30: A White Horse Prince #journeytothewest #monkeyking #sunwukong #pigsy #zhubajie #tripitaka #bodhisattva #xyj #gua

We're zooming in on Chapter 30, and the scene is already, let's say, pretty intense. Intense is putting it mildly. Tang Monk's been captured. And Sandy Sha Sing, his disciple, he's also been caught by this demon. But the focus here, it is a really big fight scene, is it? No, not at all. It's much more psychological, almost. It's about this really tense interaction between the demon, Sandy, who's now his prisoner, and, interestingly, a princess, Bai Hua Xu, who's also living there, kind of under the demon's control. The demon, he's just snapped Sandy. Yeah. But, like you said, his focus isn't really on Sandy, is it? It immediately snaps to the princess. Exactly. And that's fascinating. His main worry isn't the disciple, no, it's this perceived betrayal by the princess. He thinks she sent a message? That's exactly his thinking. He's convinced she sent a letter, somehow alerted them that he was there. And he absolutely lets her have it. The language is... You, this dog-hearted, cheap woman, completely without morals. Look what I've given you. Right. He's like, I've given you this comfortable life, fine clothes, food. And the arrival of Sandy and the others is just... Aha. See? I knew you betrayed me. So how does the princess react to this, this verbal assault? Well, understandably, she's terrified. Yeah, she says something like, Lung Jun, which is a term of address, maybe like, my lord or husband. How is it that today you speak of separation? Denies sending any letters? Flat out denies it. She suggests they question Sandy together, you know, let's ask him. It shows she's thinking on her feet. It's desperate, but smart. Okay, so picture Sandy. He's tied up, watching this whole horrifying scene unfold. Yeah. The demons threatening the princess. And Sandy's caught in a terrible bind. He knows that the princess did help his master. Right. So he owes her, in a way. There's a debt of gratitude there. So he's got this major internal conflict, loyalty to his master, knowing the princess likely helped him, versus the immediate danger she's in, if he tells the truth. She's almost certainly dead. Yeah. It's a horrible choice. What does he do? He makes this incredibly brave, really selfless decision to protect her, even if it costs him his own life. He comes up with this whole elaborate story. He spins this yarn about how Tang Monk had some kind of vision, saw the princess in the cave, and then when they got to the nearby kingdom, the Boxian kingdom, Tang Monk described her while, you know, getting his travel papers stamped or whatever. And the king supposedly recognized the description, said, that's my long lost daughter, and sent Sandy and the others to rescue her. And the key part, the absolute crucial bit, is he insists strongly there was and no letter. Absolutely none. No communication from her side at all. He takes all the responsibility, essentially, or rather deflects it onto this supposed mission from the king. Totally. And then he makes this incredibly powerful statement. If you want to kill someone, kill me. Don't you dare harm this innocent person, meaning the princess, and offend heavenly justice. Offers himself up. That's incredibly courageous, stepping up like that, offering his own life to protect someone else. So how does the demon take this? But he doesn't. And this is maybe the most surprising twist in the whole scene. He hears Sandy's forceful words, this appeal to justice, this willingness to die, and he completely changes his tune. He drops his weapon. He actually apologizes. After calling her a dog-hearted. Yeah. He says something like, it was crude rashness on his part. Blames his temper. It's a total 180. That is unexpected. One minute he's about to kill her, the next he's Mr. Apology. Starts trying to placate her, right? Fixes her hair, offers her a seat. Exactly. A complete pendulum swing. Or maybe even easily swayed by a strong show of conviction like Sandy's. It's like Sandy's unexpected defiance and moral certainty kind of wrong-footed him. Threw him off his game. Okay, so the princess. The text describes her with this phrase like, a woman's heart like water. And she definitely adapts here. She sees the shift in the demon's mood. And she uses it, doesn't she? She doesn't just accept the apology and breathe a sigh of relief. Nope. Very pragmatically she accepts it. But then immediately pivots and asks him, could you maybe loosen Sandy's ropes a bit? Huh. That's brilliant. Seizing the moment. And she's not just thinking about herself. She uses the demon's sudden gentleness to help the person who just saved her skin. Shows real cleverness and empathy. And Sandy, as he's being untied or having his ropes loosened, he has a thought, right? Yes. He has this little moment of insight. He thinks about the saying, something like, giving convenience to others is giving convenience to yourself. Like karma, almost. Or just, you know, kindness begets kindness. Pretty much. His act of bravery, his convenience offered to the princess, indirectly led to his own convenience of having his bonds loosened. So things kick off when the monster has this moment. He apologizes to the princess. But it doesn't stop there. His next thought is, I should go meet her dad. Meet the king? Seriously? Yep. But the princess must be thinking, ah, no way. I mean, he's a monster. Exactly. Her point. She's like, you can't just roll up looking like that. She's really worried about her father. Apparently, the king's never really been outside the palace walls, very sheltered. Ah, so seeing a literal monster might break his brain a little. That's the fear. The shock could be really bad for him. It tells you something about that royal court, doesn't it? Yeah, definitely. So, OK. Plan A, show up as a monster, is a non-starter. What's his plan B? Plan B is pretty clever, actually. Transformation. He decides to turn himself into a super handsome man. Oh, how handsome are you talking? Well, the text gets specific, like really specific. Elegant, talks smoothly, wears all the finest things. Like what? OK, so a magpie tail crown, a jade woven robe, these floral stitched boots, the fancy belt, the whole package. Wow, OK, so total makeover. Total makeover. They even compare him to famous, handsome, talented guys from history, like Song Zaejin and Pan-An, just to underline how good he looks now. So he goes from terrifying monster to basically a period heartthrob. Pretty much. It's all about crafting this perfect image. And the princess, well, she sees this transformation. And she's happy. Relieved. Oh, yeah. She's delighted. Big relief. But she immediately warns him, OK, you look great, but you have to keep this up. Right. The act has to be flawless. Exactly. She tells him, when you're in front of my father, don't slip up. Don't let the mask drop. Not even for a second. Because any hint of his true nature would blow the whole thing. Suspicion. Embarrassment. The works. It really highlights how much performance matters in that court setting. OK, so he's got the look. He's got the warning. He arrives at the kingdom. What happens then? He goes right up and asks to see the king. Announces himself as the third son-in-law. The third? But wait, I thought, didn't the king only have two? Bingo. That's the reaction. The king's totally confused. And the courtiers, their immediate thought is, demon. Makes sense. Random third son-in-law just appears. Smells fishy. Or demonic. Right. They're instantly suspicious. It shows they're aware that, you know, supernatural stuff happens, and deception is possible. So what about Tang Monk? He's there too, isn't he? What's his take? Tang Monk's perspective is interesting. He sort of acknowledges, yeah, demons can do powerful things. So he thinks it is a demon. He doesn't dismiss it. But his logic is, look, if this being is powerful enough to just show up, maybe inviting him in is smarter than ignoring him. They summon the monster in disguise. They do. And when he walks in, looking like the picture of refinement. They buy it? Hook, line, and sinker. Completely. All that suspicion just melts away. They see this handsome, well-dressed man, and they figure he must be okay. Wow. So looks really are everything in this situation. It seems so. They judge him as good, purely based on that outward appearance. It's a stark reminder of how easily we can be fooled by the surface. He presents himself as exactly what this worried king wants to see someone capable impressive. And the king falls for it immediately. The text even uses this phrase, something like, a pillar capable of supporting the world. High praise. Wow. Talk about a first impression. He's basically instantly trusted. It really shows how powerful that initial visual is. The monster totally gets what kind of image a ruler would respond to. Competence. Authority. And the king jumps right in with questions. Wants to know where this guy's from. Yep. Where are you from? The monster says, uh, Wave Moon Cave of Bull Mountain, about 300 miles east of the city. Okay. And the king asks the key question, how did my daughter, the princess, end up there? And the monster, he's got his story ready. A whole elaborate tale. Oh, yeah. Completely fabricated. He claims he was just a hunter. And get this, he says he rescued the princess 13 years back by shooting the tiger who was carrying her away. It's pretty audacious, you know, just straight up invention. Right. And then he layers it, saying the princess never revealed she was royalty. Of course not. Otherwise, he claims, oh, I would have brought her straight to court. He really lays it on thick, talking about their supposed deep affection, living together all these years. He adds this, um, this poem. A poem? Yeah. Supposedly recited by the princess herself, explaining why they shouldn't kill the tiger that he supposedly shot. It goes something like, uh, entrusting heaven and earth to become husband and wife, without matchmaker or witnesses, in a past life, the red thread bound our feet, now using the tiger as the matchmaker. And the monster's not done yet. He adds another twist. He claims that this same tiger, the one he spared, it's now become a monster itself, causing trouble. Okay. And here's the clincher. He suggests this tiger monster might even be impersonating a Buddhist monk, a pilgrim from the Tang dynasty. Wait, like. Using stolen travel papers. No way. He's setting someone up. Precisely. And then he points right at the Tang monk, San Zang, who happens to be in the court at that moment. Wow. And says, that monk, he's the tiger that stole the princess 13 years ago. Basically a fickle king, easily fooled, his ordinary human eyes just can't see through the disguise, can't recognize the demon. He completely swallows the story. He even asks the fake son-in-law, but how did you know? How did you recognize him as the tiger? He says something like, my lord, I live in the mountains, I eat tigers, I wear tiger skins, I sleep near them, how could I not know a tiger when I see one? And it works. It cements his image as this rugged, knowledgeable figure in the king's mind. But even this king needs a bit more. He demands proof. Show me, he says. Show me this monk is really a tiger. Right. The tension just ratchets up. And the monster's request is so mundane. Half a cup of clean water. That's it. He gets the water, leaps forward, he stares intently, chants a spell, sprays the water right onto the Tang monk, and shouts, transform! Oh yeah. Instantly. It's described as the Tang monk's true form, vanishing upwards, somehow hidden and right there in his place. What? A massive, ferocious, spotted tiger. Whoa. The description is intense. White forehead, round head, spotted fur, eyes like electricity. Jeez. Four sharp, jagged hooves, twenty hooked claws, teeth like saws, pointed ears, whiskers like silver needles. Even mentions its foul breath. They really paint a picture. Absolutely. A terrifying beast, its sheer presence, its antenna filling the palace. It's the ultimate visual proof for the king. And the ultimate illusion, the core of it, right. Appearance is just being completely wrong, dangerously wrong. And the coarse reaction, pure chaos. I bet. King, officials, everyone absolutely terrified. Excellent. Souls scattered, spirits flown, people are scrambling, hiding. Had to try to fight it. Some military guys, yeah, they try attacking with spears, swords, whatever they have. Does it work? Nope. The text mentions unseen protectors, deities, like basically divine bodyguards for the monk. They shield him, so the weapons just glance off. So even as a tiger, he's protected. Apparently so. The tiger, locket in an iron cage. Right there in the court. A spectacle. Wow. So the immediate threat is caged. The king must be relieved. Relieved and still completely fooled. What does he do next? Orders a huge feast. A feast? For who? For the fake son-in-law. To thank him for saving everyone from the terrible tiger monk. Oh the irony. It's just painful. Isn't it? So later that night, picture this. The monster is in the silver piece hall, he's being entertained. Why? 18 beautiful palace maids, music, dancing, the whole nine yards. He's really milking this. Yeah. Enjoying the rewards of his deception. Totally. He's drinking, celebrating. The text says he keeps it up until about the second watch, so maybe midnight-ish. And he gets drunk. Uh-oh. That doesn't sound good. No. Because when he gets drunk, something snaps. He laughs this loud, horrible laugh and suddenly drops the disguise, reveals his true, monstrous form right there. And he's not just revealing he's got violent intentions, suddenly showing his fierce heart. Oh god. What does he do? It's gruesome. He grabs one of the maids, one playing the pipa, grabs her with his huge hands and just bites her head off. What? Oh my god. Horrifying. Just like that. Pure savagery unleashed. The other maids must have been- Terrified. Absolutely petrified. The text uses these images like rain beating down lotus leaves, wind blowing peonies to describe their panic and desperate flight. They just run for their lives. Completely. Dropping instruments, stumbling, falling, hurting themselves. They don't care where they're going, just trying to get away. North, south, east, west, doesn't matter. Do they raise the alarm? It's the middle of the night, deep in the palace. They're too scared. They just scatter and hide silently. What a terrifying scene. The mask completely off. Yeah. After all that careful performance, the brutal reality is just laid bare. Yeah, this yellow robe monster, he somehow tricked everyone. Gotten right into the court of the Baoshan kingdom. And meanwhile- The white horse? A dragon prince. Okay, this dragon, but he looks like a horse. He hears these completely crazy stories about his master being a tiger. What's going through his head. I mean, that can't be good for morale, especially for a, you know, proud dragon. The text actually gives us a bit of his internal monologue. He's really distressed. I bet. He knows Tang monks. He knows he's a good person. So this idea that his master's been turned into a monster and is probably in danger, it hits him hard. Right. And it's not just loyalty, though that's part of it. It's also this real urgency. He knows how important the pilgrimage is. His own future depends on it. Right. His own redemption is tied to its success. And now that's all looking shaky. Okay. Yeah. His own future's definitely on the line. So he doesn't just, like, neigh worriedly or something. He decides to actually do something. He takes action. Driven by that absolute belief that Tang monk is innocent, he just can't stand by. So what does he do? Around midnight, it's dark. He manages to break his reins, his restraints. And then in this really dramatic moment, he shows his true form, transforms back into a dragon, and just ascends, flies up into the night sky to see what's actually going on. It's this powerful image, right? So he's up there, looking down. What does he actually see at the palace? He's peering down, and he spots the silver hall. It's all lit up. The silver hall. Okay. And there, inside, it's pretty chilling. He sees the yellow robe monster having that horrible feast, eating human flesh. Ugh. Grim. Yeah. And the text specifically mentions there are eight candles burning, lighting up this whole gruesome scene. Right. Eight candles lighting up a monster. Yeah. Let's just say very unconventional dinner. But the dragon doesn't just watch, right? He's thinking things, too, assessing the situation. Oh, absolutely. He sees this, and inside, he's thinking the monster is being really foolish. He uses this phrase, like, he's revealed his horse's hooves. Meaning? Basically shown his true evil nature, giving the game away. There's another phrase the text uses, sal di so, which paints a picture of someone just stupidly revealing their awful deeds. Okay. So the monster's not being subtle. Not at all. But, and this is crucial, the dragon doesn't see Tang Monk anywhere. Ah. Okay. So he still doesn't know where his master is. Exactly. He's uncertain about what happened to him. So the dragon knows something's deeply wrong, the monster is clearly evil, but finding the monk is still priority one, instead of, you know, breathing fire immediately. Right. He goes for cunning. What's the plan? It's pretty ingenious, actually. He decides he needs to trick the monster. He transforms again, this time, into a beautiful palace maid. A palace maid. Wow. Okay. Yeah, the text really plays up how graceful and alluring she looks. He walks up to the monster, offers to serve him wine. Cold move. Very. The hope is to get close, maybe find a chance to subdue him, or at least learn something about Tang Monk. Okay, so a palace maid, secretly a dragon. This is getting good. The monster, I assume, is totally fooled. Completely. He just tells her to pour the wine. Yeah. And this is where the dragon uses some magic. Ah, the magic trick. The wine that never ends. Sort of, yeah. He uses this technique, it's called Iogo, literally forcing water technique. Okay. It's a classic kind of magical skill, showing control over elements. As he pours, the wine magically rises up, way above the cup's rim, like three to five fen higher, the text says, but not a single drop spills. Whoa. The monster is just blown away, totally amazed by this skill. He keeps asking for more wine. I can just see his face. Right. The description even says the wine rises like a 13 story pagoda. Such a fantastical image, really drives home the magic. He probably thinks he found the best server ever. But it's all a setup. Exactly. A diversion. And isn't there singing and dancing too? Like it turns into this bizarre dinner party. Yeah, the dragon, as the maid, sings a song for the monster. Then cleverly says, oh, you know, I'm not much of a dancer without any props. Ah, smooth. And the monster, totally taken in, generously offers his own sword, still in its sheath, for her to use as a prop. He offers his sword. Oof, big mistake. Huge. This is exactly the moment the dragon was waiting for. A chance to get armed. Okay, so the monster just hands it over. What does the dragon do? Attack right away. Well, he takes the sword. At first he performs this yin yang, which means flourishing swordplay. It's not just a dance. It implies real martial skill. It's meant to look intricate, maybe distract or impress the monster. Oh, okay. Putting on a show. Exactly. Holding the monster's attention with these dazzling moves. But then, the show stops. Abruptly. And the dragon turns the blade right on the monster. Full attack. He must react. Oh, he reacts. He's caught off guard, sure. But he moves fast, dodges the sword thrust, and brings out his own weapon. It's his heavy iron mace, called a tsu. Mantanghong. Sounds serious. It is. The text makes a point of its weight, 80 to 90 jin. That's what? Over 100 pounds? Maybe quite a bit more? Whoa. Heavy hitter. Definitely. So, dragon sword versus monster mace. And the fight moves outside. Into the sky. Right. Skulls out of the palace, up into the night sky. The battle just erupts above. Must have been quite a sight. The text gives us some amazing imagery. The dragon's attacks. They flash with white light, like lightning. The monster's energy. It's like red clouds swirling around him. And they compare them to animals. A white-tusked elephant versus a golden-clawed leopard. Just pure ferocity. Even their weapons get these epic descriptions. The dragon sword is like a jade pillar holding up the sky. And the monster's mace, a golden beam holding up the sea. So these aren't just weapons, they're like fundamental forces clashing. Exactly. It elevates the fight beyond just a scrap. It's an epic, almost cosmic conflict. Okay, so it's this huge celestial battle. But despite the dragon's surprise attack and his skill, things don't go his way entirely, do they? No. After about eight or nine rounds of really intense fighting, the dragon starts to weaken. He tries one more big strike with the sword, but the monster, who's surprisingly quick for his size, he actually manages to grab the blade. Catches the sword. Oh, that's bad. Really bad. Definitely not good. And the monster doesn't waste the opportunity. What does he do? With the dragon basically disarmed for a second, vulnerable. The monster swings that massive mace, the Mantang Hong, and hits the dragon right on the hind leg. Ouch. Yeah. Serious blow. The dragon's wounded, clearly overpowered in terms of raw strength now. He has no choice. Retreat. Hasty retreat. He dives into the nearby Ushui River, the Royal Water River, just to get away. Escapes into the water. Smart move, maybe? Painful, but smart. Does the monster follow him in? He gives chase for a second, gets to the riverbank, but seems like he can't or won't go into the water after him. Okay. So eventually the monster just gives up the chase, goes back to the silver hall, picks up his sword that the dragon dropped, gets his mace, and just goes back to drinking and sleeping. Like, nothing happened. Yeah. Just resumes his monstrous routine. And there's that really interesting, almost poetic description. Can you remind us of that? Sure. It's right there. Intent mind and monkey mind, both scattered. Metal grandfather and wood mother, all withered. Yellow crone injured, severing distinctions. How can the way and righteousness be established when scattered? Wow. Okay. There's clearly more going on there. What does all that mean? Intent mind. Monkey mind. Right. So intent mind and monkey mind are concepts you see in Buddhism, representing sort of the focused will versus the restless, chaotic thoughts. Them being scattered means whole mental state is in disarray. Like inner chaos. Exactly. And then yellow crone, often linked to the earth element, he's lost his grounding. Metal grandfather, wood mother, these are other elemental forces representing different aspects. Them being withered, it paints a picture of a fate totally up in the air. Wow. Okay, so while the horse is dealing with that, where's Pigsy? Knowing him, probably not right in the thick of things. Ha. You guessed it. Pigsy got separated from Sandy earlier, found himself a nice patch of grass, and, well, he fell fast asleep. Slept right through till midnight. Classic Pigsy. Comfort first. So he wakes up eventually. Is he aware of how bad things are? Not at all. He wakes up, probably a bit groggy, confused, and his immediate plan is, he decides he needs to go back to the city, find the emperor, tell him what happened, and then somehow raise an army to rescue Sandy. An army. So he's heading back to the city. Then he stumbles upon the injured white horse in the stable. He's in as the horse is wet, notices the bruise on its leg, and immediately jumps to the wrong conclusion. What does he think happened? He figures robbers must have attacked the Tang monk and hurt the horse in the process. He has absolutely no idea about the demon. Okay, so Pigsy's completely in the dark. Yeah. Because right then, the white horse, desperate, decides to break cover and actually speaks to him. In human language. A talking horse. Exactly. He calls out, Senior Brother! Pigsy, who's already thinking about bandits, is just completely floored. I bet. How does he react? He literally falls over in shock and tries to bolt, but the horse as quick grabs his robe with its teeth to stop him. Okay, that's quite a scene. Then the horse tries to calm him down and says something like, Brother, don't be afraid of me. Did that work? Pigsy isn't exactly known for his cool head. Not really. Pigsy's mind immediately goes to superstition. He thinks an animal-speaking human is a terrible omen, predicts majorly inauspicious events. He's more scared than reassured. So the horse has Pigsy's attention, even if it's fearful attention. What happens next? Does the horse explain? Yes. He has to cut through Pigsy's panic and explain the real situation, which is, frankly, much worse than robbers. He tells Pigsy the master, the Tang monk, has been captured. Okay, band off. And he's been magically transformed into a tiger, a striped, fierce tiger locked in an iron cage right there in the imperial court. A tiger? Seriously? Yeah. How on earth did the demon manage that? The yellow-robed demon was clever. He disguised himself as a handsome scholar, charmed his way into the emperor's confidence, even claimed they were related somehow, and then framed the Tang monk. Wow. The horse describes his own reaction to hearing this news as feeling like his heart was cut by a knife. He's clearly distraught. And he points out to Pigsy, look, you missed all this. But the horse wasn't just waiting around during those two days. He actually tried to rescue the master himself. He transformed back into his dragon form, snuck into the court, but couldn't find the monk. He runs into the demon. But the demon's sharp. The horse attacks, the demon dodges, and then hits back, blow to his hind leg. It was a brave attempt, but ultimately, he failed and barely escaped himself. Okay, so he tells all of this to Pigsy. How does Pigsy take this news? Still thinking about robbers? He's stunned. His first reaction is pure disbelief. A leaf? Like, did this really happen? You can almost hear the horse's frustration. Yeah, the horse basically snaps back. Of course I'm not making this up. Okay, so the reality sinks in for Pigsy. Master's a tiger, Sandy's captured, the horse is injured, demon's super powerful. What's his brilliant plan now? Now his self-preservation instinct kicks into high gear. Forget rescuing anyone. He tells the horse, look, you should head for the sea. Save yourself. And what about him? Pigsy? His plan. He says, I'll just take the luggage and go back to Gao Village, become a son-in-law again. Oh, for crying out loud, Pigsy. Back to his old life. That's his solution. Run away. The white horse is appalled, bites Pigsy's robe again, tears in his eyes, pleading. Senior brother, please, don't be lazy. Don't give up. That's quite a desperate plea. Does it get through to Pigsy? Pigsy just doubles down on the pragmatism. Or maybe cowardice. He argues, look, Sandy's gone, the master's a tiger, I can't beat the demon, you can't beat the demon. Running away is the only logical thing to do to, as he puts it, basically avoid getting burned, get out of the line of fire. It's such a stark contrast, isn't it? The horse's loyalty versus Pigsy's, well, Pigsy-ness. It really highlights their fundamental differences. But the horse, even though he's clearly upset and injured, doesn't completely give up on Pigsy. He has one more idea. A last resort. Seems like it. He thinks for a moment, probably trying to figure out anything that might work, and then suggests there's only one person powerful enough to potentially fix this mess. Don't tell me. Yep. Sun Wukong, the Monkey King. He tells Pigsy they need to go to Flowerfruit Mountain and get him. Ah, Monkey, the nuclear option. He talks about Wukong's great magical power to subdue demons. He sees him as their only real hope to beat this yellow-robed demon and, you know, get revenge for their defeat. But Pigsy's history with Monkey is fraught, to say the least, especially after the whole white-boned demon incident. How does he feel about going to ask Monkey for help? Oh, he is not keen. Not at all. He's terrified. He remembers the banishment, he remembers how Wukong gets when he's angry, and he really remembers that tightening headband curse the monk uses. Right. He's probably worried Wukong will blame him, or just lash out. He mentions the staff, doesn't he? He does. He's scared of Wukong's, oh, his magical staff coming down on his head if he says the wrong thing. The last thing Pigsy wants is another beating from Monkey. Understandable fear, maybe. But the horse needs him to go. Does he try to persuade him? Yes. The horse makes a pretty compelling case. He reassures Pigsy that Monkey is deep down righteous. He won't just hurt him for no reason. And then he suggests a bit of a strategic communication. He tells Pigsy, just tell him the master misses them. The horse figures if Pigsy can just get Monkey there, and Monkey sees the master turned into a tiger, well, Wukong's sense of loyalty and justice will kick in. He'll get angry, and he'll have to fight the demon. Banking on Monkey's connection to the Tang Monk, even after they're falling out, does Pigsy buy it? Does he agree? He finally, somewhat grudgingly, agrees. He admits the horse is showing incredible dedication, and it wouldn't look good if he refused to even try. So peer pressure, basically. Or maybe shame. A bit of both, probably. But he attacks as a very important condition. He says, okay, I'll go to Flower Fruit Mountain, but I'm only coming back with Sun Wukong if he agrees. If he says no, I'm not coming back to face this mess alone. And the white horse? Is he okay with this conditional agreement? At this point, he has to be. He seems relieved that Pigsy is at least going. His last words are encouraging. Go, go, I'm sure he will come. He's pinning all his hopes on Monkey, saying yes. Okay, wow. What a pivotal moment. Okay, so Pigsy's on the move. And get this, he's actually moving fast. Apparently there's a tailwind, and his huge ears catch it like sails. Kind of a funny image. It really is very Pigsy. And here's where it gets good. He reaches this mountain, hears voices. And he finds, well, it's quite the setup. He discovers Monkey holding court on a cliff, surrounded by what, over 1,200 other monkeys? Yeah. And they're calling him Great Sage Grandpa, Lord. So what's Pigsy's reaction? He's thinking, why would Monkey ever have wanted to be a monk? So what does he do? He kind of sneaks into the crowd of monkeys and starts kowtowing with them. Trying to blend in, I guess. It's pretty comical, picturing it. Big Pigsy trying to look like just another monkey bowing down. A bit ridiculous, yeah. And naturally, Monkey spots him instantly. The text mentions his sharp eyes. Can't miss Pigsy in a crowd of monkeys. Monkey asks who this Eirne is this foreigner, basically. Causes a bit of a commotion, and his monkeys drag Pigsy forward. So Pigsy tries the, hey, we know each other, line. Doesn't work. Nope. Monkey's like, if you want to join us, show me your credentials, register your name. He's running a proper little kingdom there. A bit playful, maybe. So Pigsy gets frustrated. Understandably. He's like, come on, it's me. We were brothers on the journey. So then Monkey tells him, lift your head. And Pigsy, well, he uses his snout, sticks his pig nose up as his ID. That's such a great moment, so visual. So relief for Pigsy, I imagine. But then Monkey immediately asks, why aren't you with the master? And he jumps straight to, did you get kicked out too? Pigsy denies it, of course. Says, no, no, the master misses you. He sent me to invite you back. Because Monkey immediately calls him on it. Hang on, didn't he write a vow saying he never wanted to see me again? Ouch. So what does Pigsy do? He doubles down, makes up this whole story. He really does. Lays it on thick. Says Tang Monk was just lamenting how Pigsy doesn't understand things and wishing Monkey was there with his cleverness. Monkey softens a bit. He invites Pigsy to see his place. Flier Fruit Mountain. And the description is just incredible. Oh yeah. Lush, green, like jade, tigers, dragons, monkeys, cranes, streams, waterfalls. It sounds like paradise. Pigsy is blown away. Calls it the number one mountain under heaven. Then Monkey invites him to the Water Curtain Cave, his actual home. But Pigsy declines, says Tang Monk is waiting. They need to get back. Which leads to the main point. Monkey says flat out, I'm not going back. Yeah. Tells Pigsy to tell Tang Monk you fired me, don't think about me again. Pigsy doesn't argue. He just agrees and leaves. But Monkey. Yeah, he sends two little monkeys to tail Pigsy, to listen in on what he says when he thinks he's alone. Pigsy doesn't get very far before he turns around and just lets loose. Ah, yes. The insult. He starts cursing Monkey out. For choosing to be a demon instead of a monk. For refusing the invitation after Pigsy came all that way. Not smart. Definitely not smart. But maybe understandable. All that pent up frustration boiling over, he went through the effort, told the lies, got rejected. And maybe he genuinely thinks Monkey is making a mistake. His real feelings finally burst out. Well, the spy monkeys hear everything, of course. They zip back to Monkey. And report every word. Monkey gets furious, completely enraged, orders his monkeys, bring him back. And they do. They catch Pigsy easily, knock him down, drag him back. Just like that. Talk about a cliffhanger. Poor Pigsy.