Recaps

Xuanzang tried to persuade the skeleton that compassion and skillful means could guide wrongdoers without resentment, but the skeleton rejected his teachings. It argued that only its method of avenging every wrong could deliver people from suffering.

• The skeleton seized Xuanzang and demanded to know why he could not deliver the woman in red, while Wukong stopped Little White Dragon from intervening.
• Xuanzang explained that giving should be free of attachment and told the story of Pure Lotus, who helped a greedy beggar without indulging his demands.
• Xuanzang told the skeleton that a pure heart could remain unstained by evil and that withdrawing when necessary was not the same as abandoning someone.
• The skeleton mocked its own impure heart, then challenged Xuanzang with the suffering of the beast, the spoiled tyrant, their victims, and the orphan girl.
• The skeleton insisted that only its method of avenging every wrong could truly deliver people.

Xuanzang acknowledged the suffering and injustice the skeleton had witnessed, then vowed to keep trying to deliver others across countless lives. The skeleton became a scholar, thanked Xuanzang, and departed for hell as Xuanzang and his disciples resumed their journey.

• Xuanzang admitted he could not save everyone but refused to abandon his vow to help those who suffered.
• Countless phantom Xuanzangs appeared and joined Xuanzang in vowing to deliver all beings life after life.
• The skeleton's resentment faded, and its bones transformed into a scholar in blue.
• The scholar thanked Xuanzang, asked whether the woman could have another life, and then departed for hell.
• Wukong asked Xuanzang whether she could be reborn, but Xuanzang stayed silent and led his disciples onward.

After Xuanzang asked the Heavenly Dao to let the skeletal monk and the woman in red meet again once they had atoned, Bajie struggled with their tragic love. Xuanzang taught him that Buddhist cultivation need not betray love, then sent him into the forest alone to find food.

• Xuanzang asked the Heavenly Dao to grant the skeletal monk and the woman in red a chance to meet again after they atoned, and it agreed.
• As the group traveled through the hills, Bajie mourned the lovers and lamented the tangled fates of people in love.
• Wukong and Little White Dragon teased and kicked Bajie, who threw a tantrum in the mud until Xuanzang comforted him.
• Xuanzang told Bajie that Buddhist precepts sever attachment, not love, and that compassion could honor both cultivation and the beloved.
• Xuanzang sent Bajie into the pine forest alone to find food despite Wukong's concern that something might happen.

Bajie wandered into Boyue Cave, where the Yellow-Robed Monster attacked him, and the two fought to a standstill. Recognizing Bajie's Nine-Toothed Rake, the Yellow-Robed Monster asked if he was Tianpeng.

• Bajie fell asleep in the pine forest, dreamed of Gao Cuilan turning into a skeleton, then woke and continued onward.
• Bajie found a magnificent cave dwelling and entered, expecting to beg for food.
• The Yellow-Robed Monster mistook Bajie for an intruder and ordered his lesser demons to seize him for a meal.
• Bajie fought off the lesser demons with his Nine-Toothed Rake, then clashed with the Yellow-Robed Monster until neither gained the upper hand.
• The Yellow-Robed Monster recognized Bajie's weapon and asked, "Tianpeng?! Is that you?"

Bajie reunited with Kui Mulang, who had secretly descended to the mortal world, and joined him for a banquet in Boyue Cave. As Bajie recounted his pilgrimage, Kui Mulang’s wife Baihuaxiu began listening with sudden interest.

• Kui Mulang revealed his true identity as Kui Lodge and brought Bajie into Boyue Cave to speak privately.
• Kui Mulang told Bajie he had secretly descended from Heaven and was using an avatar to cover his absence.
• Bajie explained that he had become a monk and was escorting the holy monk of the Great Tang westward, so Kui Mulang served him vegetarian food.
• Kui Mulang apologized for failing to help Bajie after his fall from Heaven, and Bajie said he blamed no one but himself.
• Kui Mulang introduced his wife Baihuaxiu to Bajie, who then recounted his journey and adventures at the banquet.
• Baihuaxiu’s lifeless expression changed as she heard Bajie speak about the holy monk, compassion, and seeking the Dharma.

Baihuaxiu secretly entrusted Bajie with a letter for her parents in Baoxiang Kingdom, while Bajie concealed his meeting with Kui Mulang from Xuanzang. The travelers reached Baoxiang Kingdom, where talk of Chang'an stirred Xuanzang’s memories.

• Baihuaxiu asked Kui Mulang to let Bajie carry a letter to her parents, the king and queen of Baoxiang Kingdom, and secretly revealed her hatred as Bajie departed.
• Bajie warned the drunken Kui Mulang to return to the Heavenly Court, then promised Baihuaxiu he would deliver her letter.
• Bajie returned to Xuanzang and claimed an old acquaintance had given him food, while Xuanzang’s questioning gaze left him uneasy.
• The next day, Xuanzang and his disciples reached Baoxiang Kingdom after leaving the Black Pine Forest behind.
• Wukong admired the city, Bajie compared it unfavorably with Chang'an, and Xuanzang remembered his distant home.

Xuanzang and his disciples reached the Baoxiang Kingdom, where the king endorsed Xuanzang’s Travel Pass. After the disciples frightened the king at court, Bajie presented a family letter on someone’s behalf.

• Little White Dragon and Bajie bickered until Xuanzang stopped them and ordered the pass endorsed.
• The Palace Gate Envoy escorted Xuanzang and his disciples into the Baoxiang Kingdom, where they rested before going to the palace.
• Xuanzang presented his Travel Pass to the king, who examined it, stamped it with his jade seal, and returned it.
• Bajie called out from outside the hall, and the king invited Xuanzang’s disciples to enter.
• Wukong, Bajie, and Little White Dragon boasted of their former heavenly ranks, frightening the king until Xuanzang calmed him.
• Bajie told the king he had brought a family letter on someone’s behalf and prepared to hand it over.

After Baihuaxiu’s letter revealed that the Yellow-Robed Monster had abducted her thirteen years earlier, the king begged Xuanzang’s disciples to rescue her. Wukong dragged a conflicted Bajie toward Boyue Cave, while Xuanzang warned him not to let attachment become a shackle.

• The king heard Baihuaxiu’s letter describing her abduction by the Yellow-Robed Monster and her imprisonment at Boyue Cave.
• Bajie realized the monster was his old brother Kui Lodge, and he stammered when the king asked where Baihuaxiu was being held.
• The king’s officials refused to lead a rescue, so one minister urged him to ask Xuanzang and his disciples for help.
• Wukong volunteered to rescue Baihuaxiu and insisted that Bajie accompany him, while Bajie tried to avoid going.
• Xuanzang told Bajie to go with Wukong and warned him that attachment brought sorrow and fear.
• Wukong dragged Bajie out of the hall and flew toward the Black Pine Forest.

Bajie returned to Boyue Cave to urge Kui Mulang to release the Baoxiang Kingdom princess and accept punishment, while Wukong waited outside. Kui Mulang rejected the demand and struck Bajie down as he rushed toward the rear hall.

• Wukong brought Bajie to Boyue Cave and told him to speak with Kui Mulang while he waited outside.
• Bajie asked the cave attendants to leave, then told Kui Mulang that Sun Wukong was outside and offered him a chance to return the princess and accept punishment without a fight.
• Kui Mulang smashed his wine bowl and angrily refused to hand over his wife or submit to punishment.
• When Kui Mulang charged toward the rear hall to confront the princess, Bajie tried to stop him.
• Kui Mulang hit Bajie in the chest with his Indigo-Burnt Tendon Hand, sending him crashing into a stone wall, then rushed toward the rear hall.

Kui Mulang attacked Baihuaxiu after discovering her attempt to contact her mortal family, and their eldest son died shielding her from his saber. Bajie fought Kui Mulang while urging Baihuaxiu to flee with her younger son, as Sun Wukong arrived through the cave ceiling.

• Kui Mulang confronted Baihuaxiu, accused her of betraying his devotion, and struck her down with his saber poised at her throat.
• Baihuaxiu cursed Kui Mulang and rejected their sons, provoking him to raise his saber against her.
• Their eldest son jumped in front of Baihuaxiu and was killed by Kui Mulang's saber, while their younger son fainted.
• Bajie entered the chamber and fought Kui Mulang, telling Baihuaxiu to escape with her younger son because his senior brother was outside.
• Sun Wukong smashed through the cave ceiling and brought down his Iron Cudgel toward Kui Mulang.

Wukong intervened as Kui Mulang attacked Bajie and the Baihuaxiu family, allowing Bajie to carry the mother and her sons out of Boyue Cave. As the battle continued, Taibai Jinxing and the White Tiger Divine Lord discovered they had both been urgently summoned to Lingxiao Palace, possibly over the scripture pilgrimage.

• Wukong broke through Boyue Cave’s roof, blocked Kui Mulang, and ordered Bajie to take the survivors away.
• Bajie carried Baihuaxiu and her two sons out of the cave, then used magic to protect them in the Black Pine Forest.
• Bajie returned toward Boyue Cave while Wukong fought Kui Mulang.
• Taibai Jinxing met the White Tiger Divine Lord on the way to Lingxiao Palace and learned they had both been urgently summoned.
• Taibai Jinxing and the White Tiger Divine Lord agreed to go together, suspecting the summons concerned the scripture pilgrimage.

Wukong and Bajie captured the broken and crazed Kui Mulang instead of killing him, agreeing to return to Xuanzang so the truth behind his crimes could be uncovered. At the Golden Throne Hall, the King of Baoxiang Kingdom demanded revenge, and Xuanzang asked Bajie whether he had reached a decision.

• Wukong overwhelmed Kui Mulang and stopped just short of killing him when Bajie urged him to wait for answers and consider Baihuaxiu's surviving son.
• Bajie explained that the boy's soul was close to scattering and worried that Kui Mulang's death might worsen his suffering; Wukong bound Kui Mulang and told Bajie to bring the family back to their master.
• Wukong carried the bound Kui Mulang while Bajie went to retrieve Baihuaxiu and the children.
• Bajie brought Kui Mulang, Baihuaxiu, her younger son, and her dead child to the Golden Throne Hall, where the King of Baoxiang Kingdom ordered the guards to execute the demon.
• Xuanzang stopped the guards and asked Bajie whether he had thought through what to do.

Taibai Jinxing and the White Tiger Divine Lord arrived to take Kui Mulang back to the Heavenly Court, while Xuanzang tried to save Baihuaxiu’s dying sons. The elder son’s soul resisted Xuanzang’s attempt to guide it onward because it was sustaining his younger brother, leaving both children in danger.

• The White Tiger Divine Lord announced that Kui Mulang would be taken to the Heavenly Court to await judgment.
• Taibai Jinxing explained Baihuaxiu’s past and offered to spare her punishment if she returned to Heaven, but she clung to her sons without answering.
• Xuanzang urged Taibai Jinxing to prioritize the children, and Bajie gave the elder son a Soul-Returning Pill, which failed to revive him.
• Taibai Jinxing discovered that the elder son’s lingering soul was sustaining his younger brother, whose own soul was already scattering.
• Xuanzang chanted a protective mantra, but the elder son’s remnant soul resisted the Buddhist light to keep his brother alive, and Xuanzang stopped, unable to help them.

Kui Mulang sacrificed his stellar inner core to save his younger son and died, while Baihuaxiu also died and reunited with the Jade Maiden as their souls faced judgment. Xuanzang proposed that their son inherit Kui Mulang’s position and that the two souls undergo thirteen lifetimes of trials, and the Great Heavenly Venerable approved the plan.

• Kui Mulang freed himself, gave up his inner core to restore his elder son’s soul and save his younger son, then died as the White Tiger Divine Lord tried to sustain him.
• Baihuaxiu died, and her soul returned to its former identity as the Jade Maiden; she and Kui Mulang acknowledged their guilt before Taibai Jinxing barred their way to the Netherworld.
• Taibai Jinxing ordered Kui Mulang and the Jade Maiden to return to the Heavenly Court for judgment, but Xuanzang proposed thirteen lifetimes of mortal trials for them and succession for their son.
• Xuanzang told Bajie to escort the souls to the Netherworld, and the Great Heavenly Venerable approved the proposal, naming the White Tiger Jianbing Divine Lord the child’s tutor and ordering Tianpeng to carry out the escort.

Bajie challenged Xuanzang’s plan to let Kui Mulang and the Jade Maiden resolve their sins while Baihuaxiu suffered and died. Xuanzang agreed that Baihuaxiu should not bear their burden, began restoring her life-soul, and Wukong obtained a Soul-Returning Pill from Taibai Jinxing.

• The White Tiger Divine Lord carried the sleeping child toward the Heavenly Court while Xuanzang asked Bajie whether he would escort the dead to the netherworld.
• Bajie denounced the injustice of Baihuaxiu suffering for Kui Mulang and the Jade Maiden’s trial, and refused to go.
• Xuanzang praised Bajie’s objection and asked the Jade Maiden whether she would help Baihuaxiu; she agreed and accepted responsibility for her fault.
• Xuanzang chanted and used Buddhist light to draw Baihuaxiu’s life-soul from the Jade Maiden’s soul and begin shaping it into a human form.
• Wukong stopped Taibai Jinxing from slipping away and persuaded him to hand over a Soul-Returning Pill.

Xuanzang helped Baihuaxiu confront her trauma and understand that she was not to blame for her abduction. Revived by Wukong’s Immortal Pill, she chose to remember her dead son and live on with her parents rather than erase the past.

• Wukong gave Baihuaxiu the Soul-Returning Pill, and she awoke to find her parents grieving beside her.
• Xuanzang told Baihuaxiu the story of Lotus Color and explained that the victim of assault bore no guilt for the evildoer’s crime.
• Xuanzang offered to erase Baihuaxiu’s memories and the kingdom’s rumors, leaving the choice to her.
• Baihuaxiu refused to forget, saying she wanted to remember her dead son and live openly by her parents’ side.
• Baihuaxiu vowed to cultivate and do good deeds, then bowed to Xuanzang and asked only for her son’s deliverance.

Bajie escorted the Jade Maiden and Kui Mulang into reincarnation, then rejoined Xuanzang’s group as they prepared to leave Baoxiang Kingdom. In Heaven, Guanyin asked Taishang Laojun to add tribulations to the Journey to the West, and he sent two furnace attendants down to face their own tribulation.

• Bajie accompanied the Jade Maiden and Kui Mulang to the Reincarnation Well, where they leaped into their thirteen lifetimes of retribution.
• The Jade Maiden’s sacrifice to resurrect Baihuaxiu left her destined to be impaired and to hate Kui Mulang after reincarnation.
• Xuanzang preached for three days in Baoxiang Kingdom, then urged the old king to help his people rather than spend their wealth on temples.
• Bajie returned to Xuanzang’s party, and the old king gave Xuanzang the Travel Pass and a letter of state for the Great Tang.
• Guanyin asked Taishang Laojun to lend hands and add tribulations because the Buddhist Order might not reach the required eighty-one.
• Taishang Laojun caught the Golden-Robed Youth and Silver-Robed Youth eavesdropping, then sent them plunging into the mortal world to face tribulation.

The Golden-Robed Youth and his junior brother fell from the heavens and were reborn as a golden-horned fox and a silver-horned fox in the den of a nine-tailed vixen. They began nursing under their new mother's care, and their young sister arrived eager to meet them.

• The Golden-Robed Youth woke in a cave beside a nine-tailed vixen and realized he had become a baby fox.
• The vixen gently gathered him to her belly and began nursing him alongside her newborn Silver-Horned Little Fox.
• The Silver-Horned Little Fox recognized the Golden-Horned Fox as his senior brother, and the two communicated through their souls about their transformation.
• The Silver-Horned Fox gave in to hunger and began nursing after his senior brother assured him the milk tasted good.
• Their pale-furred little sister rushed into the cave, called them ugly and cute, and sniffed the Silver-Horned Fox's rump.

Xuanzang and his disciples encountered a rugged mountain where a three-horned fox disguised as a woodcutter tried to warn them away. Wukong and the others noticed the fox’s exposed tail, but Xuanzang thanked the disguised fox and insisted they continue toward the demons.

• Bajie complained about the lack of good food and said he preferred helping people on the journey to seeking worldly emptiness.
• Bajie spotted a dangerous mountain ahead, and Wukong used his Fiery Golden Eyes to see black vapors gathering near its summit.
• A pale-brown fox with three copper horns transformed into a woodcutter and warned Xuanzang’s party that demons devoured travelers on the mountain.
• Wukong called the woodcutter a formidable demon, while Bajie, Little White Dragon, Wujing, and Xuanzang noticed the fox tail sticking out beneath the disguise.
• Xuanzang thanked the fox for its warning but said the party would continue to investigate the demons, leaving the disguised fox stiff with alarm.

The little fox tried to divert Xuanzang’s party from Pingding Mountain by warning them about the demons in Lotus Cave, but Sun Wukong exposed her disguise. Xuanzang agreed to let her guide them, leaving the party poised to take the detour.

• The little fox warned Xuanzang’s party that two powerful demons in Lotus Cave were searching for Tang Sanzang and offered to guide them safely across Pingding Mountain.
• Sun Wukong accused the woodcutter of being related to the demons and threatened her with his Golden Cudgel.
• The little fox’s disguise collapsed, revealing a young fox girl, and she burst into tears as Zhu Bajie mocked Wukong for bullying a child.
• Xuanzang calmed the little fox and agreed to follow her route around the mountain.
• The little fox joyfully grabbed Xuanzang’s robe and asked whether he truly meant to take the detour, and he reassured her.

Xuanzang accepted the little fox’s offer to lead the group along a shortcut through Pingding Mountain, while Wukong sent Zhu Bajie ahead to scout. At Lotus Cave, the Golden and Silver Horn Kings grew worried that their little sister might interfere with their plan and sent demons to search for her and Tang Sanzang’s party.

• The little fox turned back into a fox, jumped onto A-Hu’s head, and guided Xuanzang, Little White Dragon, and Sha Wujing along a secluded trail.
• Wukong told Zhu Bajie to scout Pingding Mountain and learn the demons’ numbers, mountain, and cave, then caught up with Xuanzang’s group as Bajie entered the forest.
• At Lotus Cave, the Golden Horn King worried that his missing little sister might encounter Tang Sanzang’s party and disrupt their plan.
• The Golden Horn King stopped the Silver Horn King from searching with a large force and told him to use a small group to find both the girl and Tang Sanzang’s party.
• The Silver Horn King gathered thirty demons, gave them portraits of Tang Sanzang and his disciples, and led them out to patrol the mountain.

Bajie encountered the Silver Horn King while scouting Pingding Mountain and fought him and his elite demons. The Silver Horn King captured Bajie in the Purple-Gold Red Gourd, leaving him trapped inside.

• Bajie met the Silver Horn King and his patrol, and the demons identified him using a Portrait Scroll.
• Bajie and the Silver Horn King fought with the Nine-Toothed Rake and the Seven-Star Treasure Sword, while Bajie’s blows damaged the king’s saber.
• The Silver Horn King ordered thirty elite lesser demons to attack, and Bajie fought them off before escaping under cover of dust.
• The Silver Horn King called out to Bajie while holding the Purple-Gold Red Gourd, and Bajie’s reply triggered its magic and pulled him inside.
• The Silver Horn King sealed the gourd without affixing the talisman and taunted Bajie.

The Golden Horn King and Silver Horn King feared their sister had fallen into Tang Sanzang’s party’s hands, so they interrogated Zhu Bajie. After Bajie revealed that the little fox was safe and guiding the pilgrims, the brothers prepared to pursue them and use Bajie as leverage if needed.

• Silver Horn returned to Lotus Cave with Zhu Bajie trapped in the Purple-Gold Red Gourd but without finding his sister.
• Golden Horn guessed that their sister had encountered Tang Sanzang’s party and ordered Silver Horn to release Bajie for questioning.
• Golden Horn mistakenly took Bajie’s hesitation as proof that the pilgrims had captured their sister, and Silver Horn beat him in a rage.
• Bajie explained that the little fox was alive, had volunteered to guide the pilgrims, and was being treated kindly by Tang Sanzang and his companions.
• Golden Horn told Silver Horn to take their treasures, put Bajie back in the gourd, and pursue the pilgrims, possibly trading Bajie for their sister.

The Silver Horn King captured Zhu Bajie and used his appearance to approach Xuanzang’s group, demanding that they surrender the little fox. Sun Wukong saw through the disguise and went with the impostor to find the real Bajie, leaving the others protected by a golden barrier.

• The Silver Horn King sucked the bound Zhu Bajie into the Purple-Gold Red Gourd and took his Nine-Toothed Rake.
• Xuanzang and his disciples followed the little fox in circles until Xuanzang stopped the group to rest and wait for Bajie.
• The Silver Horn King disguised himself as Zhu Bajie and claimed the little fox had led them into a demon trap.
• Sun Wukong blocked the disguised demon from grabbing the little fox and recognized that he was not Zhu Bajie.
• The demon demanded the little fox and threatened Xuanzang and the missing Bajie, while Wukong insisted on seeing his junior brother first.
• Sun Wukong placed a golden barrier around Xuanzang and the others, then took the disguised demon away to look for the real Bajie.

Wukong fought the Silver Horn King, who used the Seven-Star Treasure Sword to summon three mountains and crush him before Wukong struck back. Silver Horn then abducted Xuanzang and the little fox, and Wukong pursued him through the sky.

• Wukong restrained the disguised Silver Horn King, who broke free and revealed his true form.
• Silver Horn used the Seven-Star Treasure Sword to summon Mount Sumeru and Mount Emei onto Wukong’s shoulders, then brought Mount Tai down on his head.
• Silver Horn flew toward Xuanzang’s group, but Wukong’s Iron Cudgel struck him and a burst of light made him vanish.
• Wukong told Xuanzang that Zhu Bajie had been captured and asked the little fox where the demon’s cave was.
• Silver Horn returned and called out “Bronze Horn,” triggering a red light that carried away the little fox and Xuanzang together.
• Wukong spotted Silver Horn fleeing and raced after him.