To the West, Chapter 85, Fire, Smoke, and Sand.
Wukong landed on another mountain peak.
The monkey groaned.
That fire and smoke were awful.
And the sand went right in...
My nose.
He looked at the demon of Power's Mountain.
The fire and smoke were now gone.
Wukong was about to return to that mountain.
But then he hesitated.
The demon will just use the same trick again, thought the monkey.
I'll sneak into his cave and look around.
Maybe I can find out how he created the fire, smoke, and sand.
Wukong turned into a bug and flew back to the Demon's Mountain.
He went into the cave and flew down a long, dark tunnel.
He soon found a brightly lit bedroom filled with nice furniture and fancy decorations.
In a corner, a woman sat in a chair.
She was crying.
Poof!
Wukong turned back into himself.
Oh! cried the woman.
Who are you?
My name is Sun Wukong, said the monkey.
Are you the queen?
The woman nodded.
Your husband sent me to rescue you, said Wukong.
The queen's face broke into a smile.
Oh, please do.
The demon who kidnapped me is horrible, nasty, ugly, smelly.
The queen shivered.
He said he loves me and wants to marry me.
The queen started to cry again.
Don't worry, your majesty, said Wukong.
I'll defeat the demon.
But first, I must figure out how he creates the fire, smoke, and sand.
He has three bells.
The first bell makes fire.
The second bell makes smoke.
And the third bell makes sand.
I saw the bells, said Wukong.
He wears them around his neck.
The monkey smiled.
You wait here, your majesty.
Tonight I'll steal those bells from the demon.
Once I defeat him, I'll come back and rescue you.
The monkey turned back into a bug and flew down another tunnel.
Soon he found a second bedroom.
This one was dark and gloomy.
This must be the demon's bedroom, thought Wukong.
I'll wait here until the demon goes to sleep.
He landed on the ceiling and waited.
A little while later, the demon of power came into the room.
Wukong could see the bells tied around the demon's neck.
What a busy day, said the demon.
I'm tired.
The demon climbed into bed and closed his eyes.
Soon he was snoring loudly.
Wukong turned back into himself.
He plucked a few of his hairs and turned them into fleas.
The fleas landed on the demon's neck and began biting.
The demon scratched at his neck and rolled over.
Then he scratched some more, and more.
Finally, the demon sat up.
Why is my neck so itchy? he said.
Maybe it's these bells.
I'll take them off while I sleep.
The demon laid the three bells on a table.
A few minutes later, he was snoring again.
The fleas turned back into hairs and returned to Wukong.
Next, the monkey turned the hairs into three fake bells.
He put them on the table and stuck the real bells in his robe.
He looked at the sleeping demon.
It's too dangerous to use these bells inside, thought the monkey.
I'll get the demon to come outside and then I'll fight him.
Wukong became invisible and ran back through the tunnel.
A guard was sleeping next to the cave entrance.
Wukong sneaked past him.
Once he was outside, the monkey shouted.
Return the queen right now!
If you don't, I'll smash your entire mountain!
