Black Myth Wukong Part 2

Seeing Leads to Desire, the Tragic Tale of Black Wind Mountain

Chapter 1: The Burning of Black Cloud

This story is adapted from Chapter 16 of Journey to the West, where a black bear spirit steals a cassock, leading to a conflict.

A young monk, while playing, encounters a giant black bear. Instead of attacking, the bear sits beside him and brings him many treasures. The bear, it turns out, had been cultivating for a long time and had gained human-like intelligence. With the bear’s help, the young monk rises to become the now-respected “Abbot Jinchi.” In return, Jinchi teaches the bear, helping him take human form. The two develop a deep friendship, assisting each other in their respective pursuits.

After transforming into a spirit, the black bear becomes the ruler of Black Wind Mountain. Also on the mountain are other powerful beings: the wolf demon Lingxu, who leads the wolf spirits, and the white snake spirit, who leads the snake demons. Lingxu and the white snake spirit are both rivals and friends, competing over territory yet sharing mutual respect. Lingxu, respected among the wolves for his fairness, listens to his subordinates’ desires. When a young wolf spirit wishes to become human, Lingxu entrusts the black bear with the task of turning the wolf into a young monk under Abbot Jinchi’s tutelage.

The white snake spirit, perceiving this as an alliance between Lingxu and the black bear, sends one of her own snake spirits to become Jinchi’s disciple as well.

At first, the wolf spirit, now named “Guangzhi” by the abbot, struggles to blend in with the human monks and is often bullied. Jinchi, however, helps him learn how to read, write, and follow the monastic rules, enabling him to assimilate into the monkhood.

The snake spirit, named “Guangmou” by Jinchi, harbors ambitions of becoming a powerful demon king. Discontent with serving in the monastery, he plots to escape back to the mountains.

When the black bear brings gold and jewels to Abbot Jinchi, it fuels the abbot’s hidden desires. Though as a monk, Jinchi had renounced worldly attachments, he harbors a strong fascination for fine cassocks. He frequently shows off his collection to the monks. When Tang Sanzang (the monk Tripitaka) arrives with his disciples, Jinchi is captivated by the sight of the silk cassock that Sanzang carries, a treasure far surpassing anything in his collection.

In gratitude to Jinchi, the wolf spirit Guangzhi schemes to steal this cassock. Meanwhile, the snake spirit Guangmou uses the opportunity to propose a deadly plot to set the monastery on fire and kill Tang Sanzang. Blinded by desire, Jinchi agrees to the plan without hesitation.

However, Sun Wukong’s cunning outmatches them, and though the fire is set, the Tang Monk survives while the monastery is destroyed. Guangmou escapes to the bamboo grove at the back of the mountain, as he had anticipated such a result. Guangzhi, on the other hand, is devastated. His attempt to repay Jinchi only resulted in the monastery’s ruin, Jinchi’s suicide, and his leader, Lingxu, being killed by Wukong’s staff.

Burdened with guilt, Guangzhi abandons his life as a monk and returns to the mountains. He devotes the rest of his life to cultivating his inner self, repenting for his past mistakes.

The black bear spirit is later subdued and sent to guard the gates of Mount Putuo, where the Bodhisattva Guanyin resides. He once asked Guanyin why Abbot Jinchi, who had renounced all worldly desires, succumbed to greed over a cassock. Guanyin explained that the cassock had become a symbol of Jinchi’s supposed detachment from the world. In clinging to this symbol, he lost himself.

Afterward, the black bear spent his days in quiet reflection, but soon found the solitude monotonous.

One day, after the Tang Monk’s group successfully retrieved the Buddhist scriptures, Sun Wukong was killed by Erlang Shen and his army of 100,000 heavenly soldiers. Shortly after, the dragon girl and the boy-god Shancai (the red child) visit the black bear spirit. It turns out that Guanyin had assigned the black bear a new mission, but he had not yet accepted it, prompting their visit.

Hoping to decline the mission, the black bear offers them the offerings from his previous rituals. However, the dragon girl refuses and insists that many powerful demons are involved in this task and that there is no need to worry. She promises that once the mission is completed, the restrictions placed on the black bear would be lifted.

The black bear tries to refuse by saying he prefers to stay in meditation. But when the dragon girl brings up Guanyin’s name, insisting that the task was a rare privilege, he realizes he has no choice but to accept.

With no other options, the black bear packs his belongings and returns to Black Wind Mountain to prepare for the mission.

To aid him in this task, Guanyin entrusts the black bear with one of Sun Wukong’s six senses, “Sight of Delight.” Though this would increase his powers, the black bear remains indifferent, focused solely on completing his mission. He mistakenly assumes that he’s only meant to guard it, rather than harness its power.

Once back on Black Wind Mountain, he finds only the white snake spirit, now fully transformed into a human scholar. The black bear, now known as the Black Wind King, reestablishes Guanyin’s temple with the help of Wukong’s “Sight of Delight.” Using the sacrifice of willing wolf demons, he revives his old friend Lingxu.

Upon revival, Lingxu learns that he must continually drink the blood of wolf demons to fully restore his strength, which causes him great anguish. Unable to bear the cost, he hangs himself near White Mist Lake.

After Lingxu’s death, the wolf demons, out of loyalty, take turns guarding his body. Black Wind King takes in more wolf demons from Lion Camel Country and appoints a new wolf leader, Canglang, to maintain balance on Black Wind Mountain. However, conflicts arise between the native and outsider wolves, escalating tensions. Eventually, a fragile peace is brokered, but the native wolves withdraw from the temple in protest.

Under Black Wind King’s rule, a delicate balance is maintained on Black Wind Mountain. Yet all the demons seem to hold a shared belief: one day, the “Chosen One” would come.

Meanwhile, Guangzhi forges a powerful weapon, “Red Tide,” as a reminder of the fire that changed his life. As fate would have it, my bond with Guangzhi grew deeper over time!

When the “Chosen One” arrives at Black Wind Mountain to purge the demons, the black bear reveals his true form. Knowing he cannot defeat the “Chosen One,” he fights nonetheless and perishes, having been too weak to fully utilize Wukong’s power.

Ultimately, he falls victim to the traps set within Black Wind Mountain.

Who would have thought that parting from Shancai at Mount Putuo would be their final meeting?

The burning of Black Cloud began with “sight” — for once you see, desire follows.