The air over the Turpan Basin shimmered with a heat so intense that it seemed to warp the very fabric of reality. The pilgrims—the holy monk Tang Sanzang and his three protectors, Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie, and Sha Wujing—had traveled through many lands, but none so hostile as this. Before them lay the Flaming Mountains, a range of red sandstone that glowed as if forged in the heart of a star. The heat was not merely a matter of the sun’s rays; it was a primordial fire that pulsed from the earth itself. Tang Sanzang, mounted on his white dragon horse, felt the strength draining from his limbs, his robes soaked and then instantly dried by the parched wind. Zhu Bajie, the pig-demon, complained loudly, his large ears drooping in the heat, while Sha Wujing, the sand-spirit, remained silent but visibly weary. Sun Wukong, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, shielded his golden eyes and looked toward the horizon, sensing that this was no ordinary natural disaster.
They soon learned from a local elder that the mountains had been burning for five hundred years, ever since a certain celestial disturbance involving a monkey who had escaped the Eight-Trigram Furnace of Laozi. Wukong realized with a jolt of guilt that these mountains were his own creation. When he had kicked over the furnace during his rebellion in Heaven, several glowing bricks had fallen to earth, landing here and igniting the eternal flames. The elder explained that the only way to pass was to seek the aid of Princess Iron Fan, also known as Rakshasi, who lived in the Cave of the Palm Leaf on Mount Cuiyun. She possessed a magical Plantain Fan that could extinguish fire, create wind, and summon rain. Without it, the fires of the Flaming Mountains would never cease, and the pilgrims would be forced to turn back from their sacred mission to fetch the scriptures from India.
Wukong, eager to rectify his past mistake, vaulted into the sky on his Somersault Cloud. He arrived at Mount Cuiyun and approached the iron gates of the cave. However, his relationship with the Princess was fraught with tension. Not long before, Wukong had been instrumental in the subdual of Red Boy, the son of the Princess and her husband, the Bull Demon King. Red Boy had been taken into the service of the Bodhisattva Guan Yin, which Wukong saw as a blessing, but the Princess saw it as the loss of her child. When Wukong requested the fan, the Princess emerged with two long swords, her face a mask of cold fury. She refused to help, accusing Wukong of being a heartless trickster. A fierce duel ensued, but the Princess soon realized she was no match for Wukong’s strength. Reaching into her sleeve, she produced a tiny leaf that expanded into a giant fan. With one mighty swing, she unleashed a gale of cosmic proportions. Wukong, despite his immense weight and power, was caught in the whirlwind and blown through the stratosphere, tumbling for thousands of miles until he landed on the distant Mount Sumeru.
On Mount Sumeru, Wukong encountered the Bodhisattva Lingji, who listened to the monkey’s plight with a compassionate smile. The Bodhisattva gave him a gift: the Wind-Stopping Pearl. With this artifact tucked into his clothing, Wukong flew back to the Flaming Mountains and returned to the Cave of the Palm Leaf. Once again, he challenged the Princess. Confident in her power, she swung the Plantain Fan with all her might, but Wukong remained as stationary as a mountain of iron. Surprised and frightened, the Princess retreated into her cave and barred the doors. Using his powers of seventy-two transformations, Wukong turned himself into a tiny gnat and slipped through a crevice in the stone. He found the Princess drinking a cup of tea to calm her nerves and dove into the liquid. As she swallowed, Wukong slid down her throat and into her stomach. Once inside, he resumed his true form—or at least enough of it to cause her agonizing pain. He performed a 'belly dance,' kicking and punching until the Princess, weeping in pain, promised to lend him the fan. She handed a fan through the bars of her chamber, and Wukong, satisfied, departed.