Recaps

Bodhisattva Guanyin offered his kasaya and monk's staff to Emperor Taizong of Tang after learning they were meant for Dharma Master Xuanzang. Xuanzang wore the treasures to the Dharma assembly, where a challenge to his teaching left the story poised for a debate.

• Bodhisattva Guanyin rebuked a fake monk who complained about the treasures’ price, then explained that he would sell them to evil monks but give them freely to virtuous ones.
• The chancellor invited Bodhisattva Guanyin to the palace, hoping to buy the treasures for Jiang Liu'er, who lacked a fine kasaya.
• Emperor Taizong of Tang asked why the treasures cost five thousand taels apiece and said he wanted them for the virtuous Dharma Master Xuanzang.
• Bodhisattva Guanyin gave the kasaya and monk's staff to Xuanzang without payment, then vanished despite Emperor Taizong of Tang trying to stop him.
• The chancellor delivered the treasures to Xuanzang, who wore them at the next day's assembly and began expounding the Dharma.
• Someone declared that Xuanzang's teaching was only Hinayana Dharma and could neither deliver the dead nor enable them to ascend to heaven.

Bodhisattva Guanyin preached the Sanzang of Mahayana Dharma, and Tang Xuanzang volunteered to travel west and retrieve the scriptures. After leaving Chang'an, Tang Xuanzang fled a tiger and learned from Guanyin that he should free the monster pinned beneath Five Elements Mountain and take him as a disciple.

• Bodhisattva Guanyin revealed his true form, preached the Mahayana Dharma, and vanished, prompting Emperor Taizong of Tang to seek a volunteer to travel west for the scriptures.
• Tang Xuanzang volunteered, vowed to obtain the true scriptures, and became Emperor Taizong of Tang's sworn younger brother.
• Emperor Taizong of Tang suggested Tang Xuanzang use Sanzang as his courtesy name and gave him an alms bowl and the White Dragon Horse before his departure.
• Tang Xuanzang traveled west and escaped a hungry tiger near Five Elements Mountain by fleeing to a ruined temple.
• Bodhisattva Guanyin manifested before Tang Xuanzang and told him to free the monster pinned beneath Five Elements Mountain and make him his disciple.

After nearly being killed by a tiger, Tang Xuanzang learned from Bodhisattva Guanyin that a monkey imprisoned beneath Five Elements Mountain would become his disciple and protect him. He found Sun Wukong, accidentally sat on his head, and left after Sun Wukong jabbed him; the chapter ended with Tang Xuanzang returning to ask about the imprisoned monkey.

• Bodhisattva Guanyin told Tang Xuanzang to find the monkey beneath Five Elements Mountain and promised that the monkey would become his disciple and guard him.
• Tang Xuanzang rode to Five Elements Mountain, failed to find the monkey, and sat on a rock that was actually Sun Wukong's head.
• Sun Wukong jabbed Tang Xuanzang as he sat down, and the two traded insults before Tang Xuanzang rode away.
• Sun Wukong lamented his loneliness and wondered when the scripture pilgrim would free him.
• Tang Xuanzang rode back and told Sun Wukong that Bodhisattva Guanyin had sent him to free the monkey imprisoned beneath the mountain.

Tang Xuanzang discovered that the monkey trapped beneath the Five Elements Mountain was Sun Wukong, who agreed to become his disciple and escort him to Western Heaven. Sun Wukong explained why two seals blocked his escape, leaving Tang Xuanzang to decide whether to remove them.

• Sun Wukong told Tang Xuanzang that the monkey he sought was buried in the rocks right before him, and Tang Xuanzang recognized him as Sun Wukong, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven.
• Sun Wukong confirmed that he would become Tang Xuanzang's disciple and protect him on the journey to obtain the scriptures.
• Sun Wukong told Tang Xuanzang to remove the two seals atop the Five Elements Mountain so he could regain his strength and escape.
• Tang Xuanzang questioned why Sun Wukong was trapped by two seals after losing a wager to Tathagata.
• Sun Wukong explained that Tathagata's seal weakened him and Taishang Laojun's seal then suppressed all his Law Power.

Tang Xuanzang climbed Five Elements Mountain and removed the slips pinning Sun Wukong there after Wukong convinced him their threats were bluffs. Wukong prepared to overturn the mountain, while Tang Xuanzang ran away and checked whether he was far enough to be safe.

• Tang Xuanzang climbed to the summit of Five Fingers Mountain to remove the slips trapping Sun Wukong.
• Tang Xuanzang withdrew from both slips after golden threats appeared beneath them.
• Sun Wukong assured Tang Xuanzang that Buddha Tathagata and Taishang Laojun had written the threats to frighten anyone who tried to remove the slips.
• Tang Xuanzang gathered his courage, tore down both slips, and brought them to Sun Wukong.
• Sun Wukong told Tang Xuanzang to move away before he overturned the mountain, and Tang Xuanzang ran about a li before asking if he was safe.

Sun Wukong broke free of Five Elements Mountain after nearly five hundred years and reunited with Tang Xuanzang. After accidentally striking Tang Xuanzang with a stone and calming his frightened horse, Sun Wukong went to bathe while Tang Xuanzang waited by the river.

• Tang Xuanzang hid behind a hill while Sun Wukong shattered Five Elements Mountain and freed himself.
• Sun Wukong kicked a stone that struck Tang Xuanzang, then concealed his role by claiming no one else was nearby.
• Tang Xuanzang accepted Sun Wukong's explanation and found that his white horse had been frightened by the mountain's destruction.
• Sun Wukong calmed the white horse, and Tang Xuanzang told him to wash after more than five hundred years without a bath.
• Sun Wukong bathed in a river while Tang Xuanzang waited on the bank and stared at the filthy water.

Sun Wukong washed himself in a river, poisoning the water and killing many fish, then tried to roast two fish for Tang Xuanzang. Tang Xuanzang stopped him from killing them, and Sun Wukong released them before the pair continued their journey.

• Sun Wukong washed the grime off his body in the river, leaving fish dead and turtles and ducks fleeing the polluted water.
• Sun Wukong offered Tang Xuanzang two large fish and headed to gather firewood so he could roast them.
• Tang Xuanzang stopped Sun Wukong and explained that Buddhist disciples should not kill living creatures or eat meat.
• Sun Wukong apologized, released the two fish back into the river, and was moved by Tang Xuanzang's concern for him.
• Tang Xuanzang praised Sun Wukong for obeying the Buddhist precepts, and Sun Wukong urged them to continue their journey.

As Sun Wukong led Tang Xuanzang toward Western Heaven, he asked why Tang Xuanzang had undertaken the scripture journey. Tang Xuanzang explained how Guanyin’s appearance at a Buddhist debate inspired Emperor Taizong of Tang to seek Mahayana scriptures, and how Tang Xuanzang volunteered to fetch them.

• Sun Wukong reminded Tang Xuanzang that they needed to travel to Western Heaven, and Tang Xuanzang mounted the White Dragon Horse.
• Sun Wukong asked Tang Xuanzang why he was going to fetch scriptures despite the long journey and offered to take him there on his Somersault Cloud.
• Tang Xuanzang began recounting his infancy, but Sun Wukong stopped him and asked for the important details.
• Tang Xuanzang explained that Guanyin had appeared at a Buddhist debate in Chang'an and presented Mahayana Dharma to Emperor Taizong of Tang.
• Tang Xuanzang said Emperor Taizong had asked for a volunteer to fetch the scriptures, and Tang Xuanzang had stepped forward and become the emperor’s sworn younger brother.
• Sun Wukong summarized that Tang Xuanzang had accepted the journey on behalf of Emperor Taizong, and Tang Xuanzang agreed.

Tang Xuanzang and Sun Wukong rested in a fruit grove, then continued toward the Western Heaven until a hungry tiger confronted them. Tang Xuanzang insisted on fighting it himself and charged before it could attack.

• Sun Wukong suggested picking fruit, and Tang Xuanzang agreed to rest and eat.
• Sun Wukong brought Tang Xuanzang peaches, then other fruit, and they continued their journey after eating.
• Sun Wukong offered to fight a tiger they encountered, but Tang Xuanzang refused and claimed he had learned minor spells as a child.
• Sun Wukong reluctantly let Tang Xuanzang face the tiger and took the white horse aside to watch over them.
• Tang Xuanzang charged at the tiger, startling it before it had attacked.

Tang Xuanzang defeated a tiger with five Law Techniques, then explained to Sun Wukong that he killed it to protect people and planned to make Wukong clothes from its skin. They continued west and found a household, where Tang Xuanzang asked to borrow a needle and thread; the chapter ended as he told the homeowner to close his mouth.

• Tang Xuanzang used five Law Techniques to kill the tiger after knocking it unconscious.
• Tang Xuanzang told Sun Wukong he had seen human clothing in the tiger's mouth and killed it to prevent future attacks, then said he would make Wukong clothes from its skin.
• Sun Wukong skinned the tiger and burned and buried its remains, then thanked Tang Xuanzang for caring about him.
• Tang Xuanzang and Sun Wukong continued west and found a household where they could ask to borrow a needle and thread.
• Tang Xuanzang went to the door instead of Sun Wukong, introduced himself to the homeowner, and told him to close his mouth.

Tang Xuanzang borrowed needle and thread to make Sun Wukong a garment from the tiger skin, then learned that his host’s wife was gravely ill after their child was killed by a tiger. He revealed that he and Sun Wukong had already killed the tiger and used the Universal Deliverance Mantra to cure the woman.

• Tang Xuanzang explained that he needed needle and thread to sew a garment from the tiger skin, and the householder invited him and Sun Wukong inside.
• After hearing the householder’s wife cough, Tang Xuanzang learned that she had fallen ill with grief after a tiger carried off their child.
• Tang Xuanzang told the householder that he and Sun Wukong had killed the tiger and offered to treat his wife.
• The householder begged Tang Xuanzang to help, and Tang Xuanzang examined his wife and cured her with the Universal Deliverance Mantra.

A Chang and A Qing thanked Tang Xuanzang for healing A Qing and avenging their child, and Tang Xuanzang made Sun Wukong a tiger-skin outfit before the pair continued west. At Eagle Grief Ravine, a huge creature swallowed Tang Xuanzang’s white horse, and Sun Wukong realized his master might be in danger.

• A Qing woke up, and A Chang told her Tang Xuanzang had cured her and avenged their child by killing the tiger.
• A Qing thanked Tang Xuanzang, who urged her to rest and keep the promise she had made with A Chang.
• Tang Xuanzang sewed Sun Wukong a tiger-skin vest and skirt, and Sun Wukong tried them on and thanked him.
• A Chang invited Tang Xuanzang and Sun Wukong to stay the night, and they left for the west the next morning.
• At Eagle Grief Ravine, Sun Wukong tied up the white horse and went to find food, while a huge creature flew out of the ravine and swallowed it.
• Sun Wukong heard a noise behind him and realized Tang Xuanzang might be in danger.

Sun Wukong tracked down the white dragon that had stolen Tang Xuanzang’s horse, only to learn that the dragon had already eaten it. The dragon recognized the Ruyi Jingu Bang and realized he had provoked Monkey Sun, leaving him worried for his life.

• Sun Wukong found Tang Xuanzang unharmed but learned that a creature had seized and eaten his white horse.
• Sun Wukong plunged into the ravine and stirred the water with his Ruyi Jingu Bang until a white dragon emerged.
• Sun Wukong demanded that the dragon become Tang Xuanzang’s mount, either willingly or after being beaten.
• The white dragon asked about Sun Wukong’s weapon and recognized him as the monkey who had wreaked havoc in the Heavenly Palace.
• The white dragon decided that begging for mercy was safer than confronting Sun Wukong.

The white dragon apologized to Sun Wukong and offered to become Tang Sanzang’s mount after admitting he had eaten the white horse. Sun Wukong learned that the dragon’s father was Ao Yan, the Dragon King of the West Sea, and asked who the white dragon was.

• The white dragon begged Sun Wukong for forgiveness, explained that hunger had led him to take the white horse, and chose to carry Tang Sanzang and his luggage.
• Sun Wukong accepted the white dragon’s apology and asked about the father who had told him to show respect.
• The white dragon reminded Sun Wukong that his father owned the Golden Chain Mail, and Sun Wukong pretended his memory had been damaged beneath the Five Elements Mountain.
• The white dragon first blurted out that his father was Zhang Erhe, then corrected himself and said his father was Ao Yan, the Dragon King of the West Sea.
• Sun Wukong asked the white dragon to reveal his own identity and name.

Sun Wukong brought Ao Lie, the white dragon who had eaten Tang Xuanzang’s horse, to meet his master and arranged for him to serve as their mount. Ao Lie recognized Tang Xuanzang as the monk Bodhisattva Guanyin had told him to await and declared himself Tang Xuanzang’s disciple.

• Ao Lie introduced himself to Sun Wukong as the third prince of the West Sea Dragon King and explained that he could not change into human form because his Law Power made him turn into a frightening half-human, half-dragon.
• Sun Wukong brought Ao Lie to Tang Xuanzang and explained that Ao Lie had eaten the white horse but would carry Tang Xuanzang and his luggage from then on.
• Tang Xuanzang accepted Sun Wukong’s explanation, and Ao Lie asked who their master was.
• Ao Lie told Sun Wukong that Bodhisattva Guanyin had secured his release from the Jade Emperor and instructed him to await a monk traveling west for scriptures.
• Ao Lie realized Tang Xuanzang was the monk he had been waiting for, embraced Sun Wukong as his Eldest Senior Brother, and declared himself Tang Xuanzang’s disciple.

Ao Lie took the form of a white horse and carried Tang Xuanzang west with Sun Wukong, who found them fruit and later spotted a secluded temple where they might spend the night. As Tang Xuanzang urged them toward the temple, Ao Lie protested that he had hardly done any walking himself.

• Ao Lie transformed into a white horse to carry Tang Xuanzang and his luggage, while Sun Wukong joked about his old duties tending heavenly horses.
• Sun Wukong found an orchard, picked fruit for the group, and led them west again after they ate.
• After four shichen of travel, Sun Wukong spotted a hidden temple in the forest and told Tang Xuanzang they could ask to stay there.
• Tang Xuanzang and Ao Lie initially looked in the wrong direction, then saw the temple after Sun Wukong corrected them.
• Tang Xuanzang urged Sun Wukong and Ao Lie toward the temple, and Ao Lie pointed out that he and Sun Wukong had done most of the traveling while Tang Xuanzang rode.

Tang Xuanzang, Sun Wukong, and the White Dragon Horse reached a forest temple after Tang Xuanzang exhausted himself trying to hit Sun Wukong. The temple’s gates were opened, and Tang Xuanzang introduced himself as a monk from the Great Tang traveling west to obtain scriptures.

• Tang Xuanzang attacked Sun Wukong, who dodged every blow without moving his feet, until Tang Xuanzang collapsed from exhaustion.
• Sun Wukong and the White Dragon Horse helped Tang Xuanzang up and carried him to the temple, where he punched Sun Wukong on the way.
• Tang Xuanzang knocked and shouted at the closed temple gates until a monk opened them and invited the travelers inside.
• Tang Xuanzang thanked the old monk for lodging them and told him he was traveling from the Great Tang to the Western Heaven to obtain Mahayana scriptures from Buddha Tathagata.

Tang Xuanzang and Sun Wukong stayed at a temple where the old monk showed them the staffs and kasayas collected by its abbots. After the old monk challenged Tang Xuanzang to reveal his own treasure, Sun Wukong brought out the kasaya bestowed by Buddha, setting the stage for a contest between treasures.

• The old monk praised Tang Xuanzang’s perseverance and asked about Sun Wukong, whom Tang Xuanzang described only as his disciple.
• The old monk led Tang Xuanzang and Sun Wukong to a candlelit room filled with the staffs and kasayas of the temple’s seventy-eight abbots.
• The old monk displayed the kasayas and staffs as treasures and asked Tang Xuanzang to show him his own.
• Tang Xuanzang said he had left his treasures in Chang'an, but Sun Wukong claimed his master had a treasure and scolded the old monk for doubting him.
• The old monk insisted on seeing it, so Sun Wukong fetched the kasaya Buddha had given Tang Xuanzang and took it out before him.

The old monk was captivated by Tang Xuanzang’s kasaya and admitted that his own treasured robes paled beside it. Sun Wukong then escorted him out after he showed them to a dusty side room for the night.

• The old monk admired Tang Xuanzang’s kasaya and called his own kasayas inferior by comparison.
• Sun Wukong asked which kasaya was better, and the old monk returned Tang Xuanzang’s robe while longing to possess it.
• The old monk considered ways to obtain the kasaya but concluded he could neither persuade nor overpower Tang Xuanzang and Sun Wukong.
• Sun Wukong asked for a place to stay, and the old monk led him and Tang Xuanzang to a dusty side room.
• Tang Xuanzang thanked the old monk for the room, and Sun Wukong told him to leave so they could rest.

Sun Wukong sent the old monk away before he could ask to borrow Tang Xuanzang's treasured kasaya, warning his master that the monk intended to keep it. The old monk's desire for the kasaya grew through the night until he rushed back and woke Sun Wukong and Tang Xuanzang.

• The old monk considered asking Tang Xuanzang to lend him the kasaya, but Sun Wukong urged him to leave before he could ask.
• Sun Wukong explained to Tang Xuanzang that the old monk coveted the kasaya and would likely make excuses to keep it.
• The old monk dreamed that the kasaya eluded him, then tried reciting Buddhist teachings to calm his desire, but failed.
• The old monk dressed and hurried back to Tang Xuanzang and Sun Wukong's room, where he banged loudly on the door.
• Sun Wukong woke angrily, opened the door, and shouted at whoever was disturbing them.

The old monk borrowed Tang Xuanzang’s precious kasaya for the night, but it vanished while he slept. When Sun Wukong demanded it back, the old monk claimed a black bear demon had stolen it and sent him to Black Wind Cave.

• The old monk borrowed Tang Xuanzang’s kasaya from Sun Wukong and went to sleep holding it.
• The old monk woke to find the kasaya missing and searched his dwelling without finding it.
• Sun Wukong demanded the kasaya back, and the old monk stalled before claiming a demon had stolen it.
• The old monk told Sun Wukong that a black bear at Black Wind Cave on Black Wind Mountain had taken the kasaya.
• The old monk planned to pack up the temple while Sun Wukong went to look for the black bear.

After confirming that a black bear had stolen Tang Xuanzang’s kasaya, Sun Wukong flew to Black Wind Mountain to confront him. Sun Wukong forced his way into Black Wind Cave and demanded that the Black Bear Spirit come out.

• Sun Wukong asked Ao Lie whether a demon had entered the temple, and Ao Lie confirmed that a black bear had climbed over the wall the previous night.
• Sun Wukong told the White Deer Horse to watch the old monk, then flew to Black Wind Mountain.
• Sun Wukong demanded that the leopard spirits guarding Black Wind Cave summon their king, but one boasted that Black Wind had killed the former demon king and claimed the mountain.
• Sun Wukong frightened the leopard spirits with a breath and forced his way into Black Wind Cave.
• Sun Wukong shouted for the Black Bear Spirit to come out and answer for stealing Tang Xuanzang’s kasaya.

Sun Wukong confronted the Black Wind King over the stolen kasaya, but the king mocked his past as a Keeper of the Heavenly Horses and his imprisonment beneath Five Elements Mountain. Enraged by the insults, Sun Wukong drew the Jingu Bang and prepared to fight.

• The Black Wind King appeared with his underlings and demanded to know why Sun Wukong had attacked his disciples.
• Sun Wukong mocked the Black Wind King as a black coal ball and introduced himself as the Great Sage Equal to Heaven.
• The Black Wind King realized the stolen kasaya belonged to Sun Wukong's master but refused to return it.
• The Black Wind King and his underlings ridiculed Sun Wukong's former post and five-hundred-year imprisonment.
• Sun Wukong, furious at their taunts, drew the Jingu Bang and threatened to show them his power.

Sun Wukong drove Black Wind’s underlings away and fought Black Wind over the stolen kasaya, gradually overpowering him. Black Wind faked a stomachache and retreated into Black Wind Cave, leaving Sun Wukong outside demanding the kasaya back.

• Sun Wukong defeated Black Wind’s underlings with the Jingu Bang and challenged Black Wind to fight outside.
• Sun Wukong and Black Wind clashed, but Black Wind’s weapon and strength proved inferior to the Jingu Bang.
• Black Wind called a truce by claiming he had a stomachache, then fled into Black Wind Cave and shut the entrance.
• Sun Wukong tried threats and taunts to make Black Wind come out and return the kasaya, but Black Wind stayed inside.

Sun Wukong found Black Wind Cave deserted and learned that the Black Bear Spirit had gone to the temple to seize Tang Xuanzang. The Black Bear Spirit attacked Xuanzang, and Sun Wukong arrived to find his master helpless in the demon’s grasp.

• Sun Wukong split Black Wind Cave open with his staff, but found only lesser demons inside.
• A lesser demon told Sun Wukong that the Black Bear Spirit had left to guard the cave and would return.
• The Black Bear Spirit went to the temple, where he attacked the old monk and swept him up in a tornado of black wind.
• Tang Xuanzang broke apart the tornado with One-Finger Chan and urged the Black Bear Spirit to return the kasaya and join the Buddhist Order.
• The Black Bear Spirit lunged behind Tang Xuanzang and seized him by the throat as Sun Wukong arrived.