The Yellow Wind Demon rules Yellow Wind Ridge in Journey to the West. His Tiger Vanguard captures Tang Seng, drawing Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie to the cave. When the tiger is killed, the demon puts on armor, takes up a three-pronged steel fork, and fights Wukong directly. He is therefore both a mountain ruler with followers and an armed opponent capable of meeting the pilgrims in open combat.
His decisive power is the Samadhi Divine Wind. By turning toward the southeast and blowing three times, he fills heaven and earth with violent yellow dust. The gale scatters Wukong’s transformed hairs, prevents him from controlling his staff, and injures his eyes so badly that he must seek treatment. Bajie can only hide with the horse and luggage while the storm passes. Ordinary strength cannot solve the danger because the entire battlefield has become the demon’s weapon.
A disguised guardian directs Wukong to Lingji Bodhisattva, who carries a Wind-Stilling Pearl and a Flying Dragon Staff granted by Tathagata. The staff becomes an eight-clawed golden dragon that catches the demon and reveals his original body: a yellow-haired marten from below Vulture Peak that fled after stealing lamp oil. Lingji takes him away for judgment, and Tang Seng is freed. The fork, whirling dust, yellow fur, and sudden transition from confident king to captured marten form the episode’s clearest images.
