Tang Sanzang (Tripitaka) felt a newfound ease in his journey as he rode atop the White Dragon Horse. One evening, as the sun began to set, the monk and his disciple Sun Wukong arrived at a secluded valley where a Guanyin Monastery stood. The monks at the entrance, upon learning that their visitor was a high monk from the Great Tang, on a sacred journey to the West to retrieve scriptures, immediately bowed and welcomed them into the monastery for rest.
Just as Tang Sanzang and Sun Wukong settled down, two young monks appeared, helping an old, hunchbacked monk slowly make his way into the room. Tang Sanzang, ever the courteous monk, stood up, pressed his hands together in greeting, and offered his respects. The old monk returned the gesture with equal politeness and promptly ordered tea to be served. In no time, two young attendants brought in exquisitely crafted tea sets.
After taking a sip, Tang Sanzang praised the craftsmanship of the tea sets. The old monk, pleased with the compliment, began to boast about his knowledge of tea culture. Soon after, he inquired whether Tang Sanzang had brought any treasures from the Great Tang, hoping to catch a glimpse. Sun Wukong, who had been silently observing the old monk's boastful manner, was already feeling a hundred kinds of irritation. Before his master could respond, Wukong jumped in, "Master, why not show them your precious kasaya (robe)? Let them see what a real treasure looks like!"
At the mention of the kasaya, the old monk's eyes gleamed with greed. He burst into hearty laughter and immediately ordered twelve large chests to be brought out. Each chest was opened, revealing over a hundred splendid kasayas, each one more beautiful than the last. Sun Wukong, unimpressed, calmly unfolded Tang Sanzang's kasaya, and in an instant, the room was bathed in dazzling golden light that was almost blinding.
The old monk was spellbound by the sight, and a sinister plan began to take shape in his mind. Finding an excuse, he requested to borrow the kasaya for the night, promising to return it in the morning after a more thorough examination. Before Tang Sanzang could refuse, Sun Wukong, confident in his abilities, said, "Go ahead, lend it to him for a night! Nothing will go wrong." Tang Sanzang, though reluctant, had no choice but to hand over the kasaya.
That night, the old monk secretly ordered the younger monks to gather wood, planning to set fire to the guesthouse and burn Tang Sanzang and his disciple alive. Sun Wukong, who had been dozing off, was awakened by the commotion outside. Curious and wary of disturbing his master, he transformed into a small bee and flew outside. Upon seeing the monks' preparations, he couldn't help but chuckle at the absurdity of it all. With a mischievous glint in his eye, he devised a plan of his own.
Riding his cloud, Sun Wukong flew straight to the Southern Gate of Heaven. The heavenly soldiers, recognizing him as the Great Sage Equal to Heaven who once caused chaos in the heavens, panicked and scattered. Sun Wukong shouted, "No need to worry! I'm not here to fight. I just need to borrow the Fire-Avoiding Cloak from Guangmu Tianwang to save my master!" Reluctantly, Guangmu Tianwang handed over the cloak.
With the Fire-Avoiding Cloak in hand, Sun Wukong returned to Guanyin Monastery and covered the guesthouse where his master was sleeping. Then, with an air of nonchalance, he perched on the roof and watched the monks set their fire. In no time, the flames roared to life. Sun Wukong thought to himself, "These monks are really vicious," and with a huff, he blew a strong wind that fanned the flames, turning the entire monastery into a sea of fire.
The inferno caught the attention of a demon. Just south of the monastery was a mountain called Black Wind Mountain, home to a demon lord known as the Black Wind Demon. Seeing the flames from afar, the demon thought it would be a good opportunity to loot some treasures. Riding his cloud, he arrived at the monastery and spotted a bundle glowing with golden light on the abbot's table. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was an invaluable kasaya.
The Black Wind Demon quickly snatched the kasaya and returned to his lair. Meanwhile, Sun Wukong, still focused on keeping the fire going, didn't notice the demon's theft. As dawn approached and the flames began to die down, Sun Wukong put away the Fire-Avoiding Cloak and returned it to Guangmu Tianwang. He then quietly woke his master.
When Tang Sanzang opened the door, he was shocked to find the once-beautiful Guanyin Monastery reduced to charred ruins. Sun Wukong, with a hint of pride, recounted the events of the night. Worried about the kasaya, Tang Sanzang urged Wukong to help him search for it. The remaining monks, terrified by the sight of the pair amidst the ruins, mistook them for vengeful spirits and fell to their knees, begging for mercy.
The hunchbacked old monk, who had lost both his monastery and the kasaya, was beside himself with anger. When he learned that Tang Sanzang had survived and was now demanding the return of the kasaya, he panicked and, in a moment of despair, dashed his head against the wall, dying instantly. Tang Sanzang, upon hearing this, chastised Sun Wukong, saying, "Oh, my disciple, why did you have to compete with others over wealth and status? Now what are we going to do?"
Sun Wukong, still holding his golden staff, interrogated the surviving monks about the whereabouts of the kasaya. But they all insisted they didn't know. After thinking for a moment, Wukong asked, "Are there any demons nearby?" The monks quickly mentioned the Black Wind Demon of Black Wind Mountain. Wukong sternly warned, "Take good care of my master. If anything happens to him, you'll regret it!" With that, he struck down a wall with a single blow of his staff.
Sun Wukong then somersaulted to Black Wind Mountain, descended, and began to make his way through the forest. Suddenly, he overheard voices ahead. Hiding behind a rock, he peeked out to see three demons sitting together. The leader, a black-faced brute, was saying, "Last night, I was lucky enough to acquire a magnificent Buddhist robe. I've invited you two here today to celebrate with me at a grand feast!"
Wukong listened intently, muttering to himself, "You thieving scoundrel!" Before the demons knew what was happening, he leaped forward, catching them by surprise. The black-faced demon, who was none other than the Black Wind Demon, transformed into a gust of wind and fled. The second demon, a Taoist, also ran off, but the third, a scholar in white, wasn't fast enough. With one swift strike from Wukong's staff, the scholar was killed, revealing his true form as a large white snake.
Wukong pursued the wind to a nearby peak and soon spotted a cave dwelling in the distance, with a stone tablet at the entrance that read "Black Wind Cave of Black Wind Mountain." Wukong approached the cave and, banging on the door with his staff, shouted, "You scoundrel, return my master's kasaya!" The small demons, seeing the furious Wukong, hurried inside to report to the Black Wind Demon.
The Black Wind Demon, who had fled earlier without his weapons, now felt emboldened on his home turf. Donning his black armor and wielding a black-tasseled spear, he charged out to confront Wukong. The two clashed fiercely until noon, when the Black Wind Demon, feeling hungry, suggested a break for lunch, intending to resume the fight afterward. Wukong, uninterested in pausing, kept up the attack, forcing the demon to once again transform into a breeze and retreat into his cave.
No matter how much Wukong shouted insults outside the cave, the Black Wind Demon refused to come out. Frustrated, Wukong decided to check on his master before dealing with the demon again. After a quick meal back at the ruins of Guanyin Monastery, he returned to Black Wind Mountain and soon spotted a small demon hurrying along with a wooden box in his hands. Without hesitation, Wukong struck the demon down with his staff.
When Wukong opened the box, he found it contained an invitation from the Black Wind Demon to the old monk at Guanyin Monastery. Realizing that the old monk had long been in league with the demon, Wukong devised a clever plan. He transformed himself into the likeness of the old monk and swaggered up to the cave entrance. The small demons, recognizing their master's old ally, quickly opened the door to welcome him in.
The Black Wind Demon didn't suspect a thing as he escorted the disguised old monk (actually Sun Wukong in disguise) into the central hall of his cave. Just as they began exchanging pleasantries, a small demon burst into the room, breathless, and reported that the messenger had been killed. Realizing instantly what had happened, the Black Wind Demon drew his spear and lunged at Sun Wukong. But Wukong was too quick; he dodged the attack with ease, let out a mischievous laugh, and revealed his true form. The two enemies clashed fiercely, with the demon's spear meeting Wukong's staff in a battle that raged on until the sun began to set.
As darkness fell, the Black Wind Demon, growing weary, suggested, "It's getting dark. Let's continue this fight tomorrow!" But Wukong wasn't fooled—he knew the demon was planning another escape. Without hesitation, he swung his staff directly at the demon's head. But once again, the Black Wind Demon turned into a gust of wind and slipped away into the safety of his cave.
Frustrated, Wukong had no choice but to return to Guanyin Monastery. Tang Sanzang was anxiously awaiting the return of the kasaya, and seeing his disciple come back empty-handed only deepened his worry. That night, Tang Sanzang couldn't sleep, his mind preoccupied with the lost robe. At dawn, Wukong, determined, declared, "Master, don't worry! If I don't retrieve the kasaya today, I won't come back!" He had made up his mind to seek help from Guanyin Bodhisattva.
Riding his cloud, Wukong swiftly traveled to Mount Potalaka in the Southern Seas, where Guanyin resided. After a respectful bow, he explained the situation. Guanyin sighed and said, "You troublesome monkey, you shouldn't have flaunted the kasaya, and you certainly shouldn't have burned down the monastery. Now look at the mess you've made." After giving some instructions to her attendants, Guanyin joined Wukong on a cloud, and they headed toward Black Wind Mountain.
When they arrived, they saw from a distance the Taoist from the previous day, carrying a jade plate. Wukong immediately recognized him and, without a second thought, struck him down with his staff. The Taoist reverted to his true form—a large gray wolf. Picking up the plate, Wukong noticed two pills of immortality on it. The Taoist had been on his way to the Black Wind Demon's feast.
An idea struck Wukong. He suggested that Guanyin transform herself into the Taoist, while he would disguise himself as one of the pills, albeit a slightly larger one. Guanyin agreed to the plan, placing the transformed Wukong on the plate and carrying it into the Black Wind Demon's lair, with the intention of tricking the demon into swallowing Wukong whole.
Inside the cave, Guanyin, in the guise of the Taoist, presented the pill to the Black Wind Demon, saying, "Your humble servant offers this pill of immortality to wish the great king health and long life!" Overjoyed, the Black Wind Demon accepted the gift and, without a second thought, popped the pill into his mouth. To his surprise, the pill seemed to slide down his throat of its own accord.
The moment Wukong entered the demon's stomach, he reverted to his original form and began delivering powerful punches and kicks, wreaking havoc from within. The Black Wind Demon was soon writhing on the ground in agony. Guanyin, revealing her true form, commanded the demon to surrender the kasaya. Unable to bear the pain any longer, the Black Wind Demon ordered his minions to bring the robe. Guanyin took the kasaya and, before leaving, placed a small golden ring on the demon's head.
Only then did Guanyin allow Wukong to emerge. As soon as Wukong leaped out of the Black Wind Demon's nostril, the demon, still in pain, snarled and grabbed his black-tasseled spear, attempting to strike Guanyin. But Guanyin simply floated in the air and chanted a spell, causing the ring on the demon's head to tighten, inducing unbearable pain. The Black Wind Demon, now helpless, dropped to his knees, pleading for mercy, and vowed to renounce his evil ways and become a monk.
Guanyin handed the kasaya back to Wukong and took the Black Wind Demon back to the Southern Seas. Wukong, seeing that the small demons in the cave had already fled, set the entire lair ablaze before returning to Guanyin Monastery. Tang Sanzang and the monks were overjoyed to see the kasaya returned safely. The next day, Tang Sanzang and his disciples departed from the monastery, continuing their journey westward in pursuit of the sacred scriptures.