The six continued on their way. Now that they knew of the Bodhisattva's scheme, Tang Sanzang had White Dragon Horse transform into a human, and the six of them traveled together until they reached the banks of a vast, white river.
Beside the river stood a stone stele bearing three large seal-script characters and, below them, two lines of ten smaller characters. The three large characters read "Tongtian River," while the smaller ones said, "Eight hundred li across; few have crossed since ancient times."
The river was so wide that Ye Chen and the others decided not to cross it straightaway, just to be safe. Instead, they planned to find a family to stay with and learn more before crossing.
Goku went to investigate. The sound of gongs and drums in the distance told him there was a village ahead. Looking farther off, he spotted a flag hanging outside a house and realized someone was home. He returned and told the others what he had found.
As they drew near, they saw a fasting flag hanging outside a house. Goku went up to ask about it.
Goku knocked on the door. The person inside took one look at him and screamed, "Monster!"
Bajie teased Goku from the side, then went to ask himself. The person screamed even louder.
The village head, Chen Qing, came out and shouted, "Monster!"
Tang Sanzang stepped forward and said, "Please don't be afraid, sir. We're monks from the Eastern Tang Lands, passing through and hoping to stay the night. We're no monsters."
Chen Qing saw Goku, Bajie, and Sand Monk and cried out in fright, "Those faces! You're monks?"
Ye Chen burst out laughing. "They are pretty scary, huh?"
The three glared at Ye Chen, while even White Dragon Horse laughed.
When the village head