The Bull Demon King Gives Up the Fight to Go to a Feast

The Bull Demon King Gives Up the Fight to Go to a Feast Monkey Tries the Second Time to Borrow the Plantain Fan "The Strongarm King is the Bull Demon King," the local god explained. "Did he set these mountains ablaze and pretend they were the Fiery Mountains?" Monkey asked. "No, no," the local god replied. "If you'll promise to forgive me for doing so, Great Sage, I'll speak frankly." "What's there to forgive?" Monkey said. "Speak frankly." "You started this fire, Great Sage," the local god replied. "That's nonsense," said Monkey angrily. "I wasn't here. Do you take me for an arsonist?" "You don't realize who I am," the local god said. "These mountains haven't always been here. When you made havoc in Heaven five hundred years ago and were captured by the Illustrious Sage Erlang you were escorted to Lord Lao Zi, put in the Eight Trigrams Furnace and refined. When the furnace was opened you kicked it over, and some of its bricks that still had fire in them fell here as the Fiery Mountains. I used to be one of the Taoist boys who looked after the furnace in the Tushita......