Chapter Summaries

Sun Wukong brought Zhu Ganglie to Tang Xuanzang, where Zhu explained that Bodhisattva Guanyin had sent him to protect the scripture pilgrim. Bodhisattva Guanyin arrived and confirmed that Zhu would become Tang Xuanzang’s second disciple, leaving Tang with the task of guiding him on the journey west.

• Sun Wukong told Zhu Ganglie that Tang Xuanzang was the scripture pilgrim and brought him to Old Gao Village.
• Zhu Ganglie stared at Gao Cuilan until Sun Wukong slapped him and twisted his ear, then sent him to explain himself to Tang Xuanzang.
• Zhu Ganglie knelt before Tang Xuanzang and revealed that Bodhisattva Guanyin had instructed him to wait for the scripture pilgrim and protect him.
• Zhu Ganglie explained that he had been Marshal Tianpeng, had been banished after harassing Chang'e, and had waited in Old Gao Village for more than fifty years.
• Bodhisattva Guanyin arrived and appointed Zhu Ganglie as Tang Xuanzang’s second disciple, telling Tang to guide him on the journey to Western Heaven.

Tang Xuanzang accepted Zhu Ganglie as a disciple and renamed him Zhu Bajie before setting out from Old Gao Village. As Gao Cuilan promised to wait for Zhu Bajie until he returned with the scriptures, he left in tears.

• Bodhisattva Guanyin urged Zhu Ganglie to overcome his laziness and follow Tang Xuanzang to obtain the scriptures.
• Tang Xuanzang named Zhu Ganglie Zhu Bajie, and Squire Gao and Gao Cuilan thanked him for subduing the demon.
• Zhu Bajie teased Little White Dragon, who revealed his true form as Ao Lie and demanded respect; Tang Xuanzang told them to greet each other as fellow disciples.
• The next morning, Zhu Bajie reluctantly prepared to leave Old Gao Village, and Sun Wukong scolded him for lingering after harming Gao Cuilan.
• Gao Cuilan told Zhu Bajie she would wait for him and become his bride after he obtained the scriptures, and Zhu Bajie turned away in tears.

Tang Xuanzang and his disciples reached a deserted, impoverished town and accepted shelter from a poor farmer’s family. The cause of the town’s poverty remained unknown as they settled in for the night.

• Ao Changsheng and Old Ancestor Hongmeng discussed weakening the Devil Race during the Immeasurable Tribulation.
• Tang Xuanzang’s group entered a deserted town and decided to rest there for the night.
• Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie frightened a farmer, who fainted when he saw them.
• Tang Xuanzang explained who his disciples were, and the farmer’s wife let them stay in her home.
• Zhu Bajie complained about the meager meal, then apologized and promised to adjust to the hardships ahead.

Tang Xuanzang and his disciples learned that the Black Wind Monster had drained the city of its oil, leaving its people impoverished. Sun Wukong sent Zhu Bajie to challenge the demon, and the peasant woman pointed him toward a tall tower.

• The peasant woman warned Tang Xuanzang and his disciples not to go outside at night, then told them a demon called the Black Wind Monster had ruined the city by drinking all its oil.
• Sun Wukong offered to deal with the demon, while Tang Xuanzang urged him to learn more about the Yellow Wind Monster first.
• Sun Wukong ordered Zhu Bajie to fight the demon, and Tang Xuanzang backed him when Zhu Bajie protested.
• Zhu Bajie agreed to go and asked where to find the Yellow Wind Monster, and the peasant woman directed him toward a tall tower.

Zhu Bajie returned battered after losing to the Yellow Wind Monster, whose powerful treasure stirred up blinding sand. Sun Wukong went to confront the monster and gained the upper hand in their fight.

• A farm woman told Tang Xuanzang's group that the city offered candles to the Yellow Wind Monster to keep him from harming people.
• Zhu Bajie went to challenge the Yellow Wind Monster but returned covered in sand and said the monster had nearly defeated him with a treasure.
• Sun Wukong set out to confront the Yellow Wind Monster despite Tang Xuanzang's concern.
• Sun Wukong found the Yellow Wind Monster at a candlelit tower, and the monster mocked him as the Keeper of the Heavenly Horses.
• Sun Wukong and the Yellow Wind Monster began fighting with their staffs, and Sun Wukong held the advantage.

Sun Wukong fought the Yellow Wind Monster, who transformed into a giant rat and unleashed a sandstorm with a black stone. While Zhu Bajie went to help, the Yellow Wind Monster’s minions attacked Tang Xuanzang’s shelter, and Tang Xuanzang surrendered after a leopard spirit took the farmer’s wife hostage.

• Sun Wukong pressed the Yellow Wind Monster, who transformed into a huge black-furred rat and summoned a sandstorm with the black stone in its mouth.
• At the farmer’s house, Zhu Bajie worried that Sun Wukong had been eaten, so Tang Xuanzang sent him to help his senior brother.
• Several spirits broke into the farmer’s house and demanded that Tang Xuanzang come with them on the Yellow Wind King’s orders.
• Tang Xuanzang used a golden light to knock down several minor fiends, then warned them to stop fighting.
• A leopard spirit seized the farmer’s wife and threatened to kill her, so Tang Xuanzang agreed to go with the spirits.

The Yellow Wind Monster’s attack kept Sun Wukong occupied while the leopard demon captured Tang Xuanzang. After learning that Tang Xuanzang had been taken to Yellow Wind Cave, Sun Wukong entered the cave in disguise while Zhu Bajie waited outside.

• The leopard demon had Tang Xuanzang bound and ordered his demons to take him away, promising to spare the peasant woman.
• Zhu Bajie arrived to help Sun Wukong fight the Yellow Wind Monster, but the monster escaped after revealing that his demons had likely captured Tang Xuanzang.
• Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie returned to the peasant woman’s home, learned that Tang Xuanzang had been taken, and headed for the mountain behind the city.
• The brothers reached Yellow Wind Cave, where Sun Wukong told Zhu Bajie to wait outside while he went in to rescue Tang Xuanzang.
• Sun Wukong plucked a hair and vanished from sight, while Zhu Bajie mistook him for someone who had disappeared.

Sun Wukong infiltrated Yellow Wind Cave to find Tang Xuanzang, but the Yellow Wind King defeated him with a powerful black bead called the Obsidian. Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie remained outside without a plan to rescue their master when the White Dragon Horse arrived.

• Sun Wukong turned into a fly and entered Yellow Wind Cave while Zhu Bajie stood guard outside.
• Sun Wukong found the Yellow Wind King drinking oil, was swallowed as a fly, and returned to his normal size inside the monster's mouth.
• The Yellow Wind King used the Obsidian to summon a fierce wind and drove Sun Wukong from the cave.
• Zhu Bajie suggested dividing the luggage and returning to Old Gao Village, but Sun Wukong warned him not to abandon Tang Xuanzang.
• The White Dragon Horse arrived and asked Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie why they had not gone to rescue Tang Xuanzang.

Ao Lie explained that the Yellow Wind Monster’s Obsidian controlled flying sand and stones, then suggested water could weaken its power. Sun Wukong sent Zhu Bajie to challenge the monster while Ao Lie prepared to bring water.

• Ao Lie told Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie that the Obsidian came from Candle Dragon and controlled flying sand and stones.
• Ao Lie suggested that water would weigh down the sand and weaken the Obsidian’s power.
• Sun Wukong asked Zhu Bajie to summon rain, but Zhu Bajie said he could no longer do it.
• Ao Lie offered to draw water from his abilities as the West Sea Dragon King’s third prince.
• Sun Wukong threatened Ao Lie with the Jingu Bang until Ao Lie agreed to help, then ordered Zhu Bajie to hold off the Yellow Wind Monster.
• Zhu Bajie went to the cave entrance and shouted a challenge to the Yellow Wind Monster.

Zhu Bajie was overwhelmed by the Yellow Wind Monster and the cave’s little demons, then accidentally drove them back by relieving himself in his pants. Sun Wukong and Ao Lie arrived to help, and Sun Wukong found Zhu Bajie fighting timidly while Tang Monk remained captive.

• The Yellow Wind Monster defeated Zhu Bajie and ordered the little demons to surround him.
• Zhu Bajie pleaded to be let go because he had to relieve himself, but the Yellow Wind Monster refused.
• Zhu Bajie shit his pants, filling the area with a foul smell that made the Yellow Wind Monster and little demons cover their noses.
• Sun Wukong and Ao Lie decided to head to Yellow Wind Cave after realizing Zhu Bajie might not rescue Tang Monk.
• Sun Wukong struck down several little demons, then questioned Zhu Bajie for fighting the rest so timidly.

Sun Wukong used Little White Dragon’s rain to neutralize the Yellow Wind Monster’s sandstorm and defeat him with the Ruyi Jingu Bang. The Yellow Wind Monster surrendered and went into his cave to bring out Tang Xuanzang.

• Zhu Bajie ran off to take care of his upset stomach, leaving Sun Wukong to face the Yellow Wind Monster and his Obsidian.
• The Yellow Wind Monster unleashed a sandstorm at Sun Wukong, who escaped it by leaving a hair clone in his place.
• Sun Wukong asked Little White Dragon to pray for rain, and the downpour soaked the sand and stones, rendering the Yellow Wind Monster’s technique useless.
• Sun Wukong struck the Yellow Wind Monster with the Ruyi Jingu Bang and pinned him beneath it until he begged for mercy.
• Sun Wukong ordered the Yellow Wind Monster to release Tang Xuanzang and stop harming the city’s people, and the defeated monster went into the cave.

Tang Xuanzang and his disciples defeated the Yellow Wind Monster and returned him to the town, where Xuanzang persuaded its ruler to let him spread Buddhism. Meanwhile, Guiche and Luohou agreed to enslave humans and consume their vital essence to strengthen their forces, while Xuanzang’s group set out west the next morning.

• Tang Xuanzang reunited with Sun Wukong after the Yellow Wind Monster invited him out, and the disciples discovered an old man’s bronze statue in the cave.
• Near the poles of the Primordial World, Guiche proposed that he and Luohou join forces and enslave humans to devour their vital essence.
• Tang Xuanzang and his disciples brought the captured Yellow Wind Monster back to the town, and the farmwoman called for the city lord after seeing him alive.
• Tang Xuanzang told the ruler he wanted to spread Buddhist teachings, and the ruler welcomed him and agreed to let him preach among his people.
• After spending the night in town, Tang Xuanzang and his disciples departed early the next morning, while Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie discussed their master’s enthusiasm.

Tang Xuanzang and his disciples reached a town beside the frozen Tongtian River, also called the Flowing Sand River, and learned that no one had ever crossed it. Sun Wukong urged them to cross, while Zhu Bajie advised taking a month-long detour, leaving Tang Xuanzang to decide.

• After crossing several mountains, Zhu Bajie spotted a town and hurried the group toward it to beg for alms.
• Sun Wukong scouted the town and learned that the Tongtian River’s year-round ice made the area bitterly cold.
• Town officials questioned Tang Xuanzang and his disciples, then warned them that crossing the Flowing Sand River was forbidden and suggested a long detour.
• Tang Xuanzang asked his disciples whether they should cross the frozen river or go around it.
• Sun Wukong recommended crossing, while Zhu Bajie urged Tang Xuanzang to avoid the risk and take the detour.

Sun Wukong proposed crossing the frozen Flowing Sand River, and Tang Xuanzang agreed despite Zhu Bajie's warnings. The group set out across the ice while Zhu Bajie stayed behind, grumbling at their insults.

• Sun Wukong kicked at Zhu Bajie, who dodged and hid behind Tang Xuanzang before the two argued about how to cross the Flowing Sand River.
• Zhu Bajie suggested they keep heading west, but Sun Wukong rejected his idea and Tang Xuanzang asked Sun Wukong to devise another way.
• Sun Wukong proposed walking across the river's thick ice, and Tang Xuanzang accepted his plan.
• Zhu Bajie warned that a river monster could attack them on the ice, but Tang Xuanzang asked him for a better alternative and then decided to trust Sun Wukong.
• Sun Wukong reassured Zhu Bajie that he and the White Dragon Horse would protect Tang Xuanzang, and the three headed onto the ice as they mocked Zhu Bajie.
• Zhu Bajie complained that the others were bullying him and warned that they would face retribution one day.

Sun Wukong, Tang Xuanzang, and Zhu Bajie crossed the Flowing Sand River over its sturdy ice while an enemy waited beneath them, plotting to capture Tang Xuanzang. Their banter turned into a quarrel between Zhu Bajie and the White Dragon Horse, which Tang Xuanzang stopped with a threat to use his Great Might Heavenly Dragon.

• Sun Wukong tested the ice with a blow from the Jingu Bang, nearly cracking it, then led the group across.
• A dark figure beneath the ice blamed Sun Wukong for damaging his cave and planned to break through the ice and seize Tang Xuanzang.
• Sun Wukong asked Zhu Bajie about the Heavenly River, and Zhu Bajie boasted about his former rank as Grand Marshal Tianpeng.
• The White Dragon Horse mocked Zhu Bajie for harassing Chang'e and being banished, prompting Zhu Bajie to draw his Nine-Toothed Rake and challenge him.
• Tang Xuanzang ordered Zhu Bajie to stop and threatened him with Great Might Heavenly Dragon, so Zhu Bajie begged for mercy and the group continued.

Tang Xuanzang was captured by a black shadow in the Flowing Sand River after the ice broke beneath him. Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie, and the others were trapped by giant sand men and fought to rescue him.

• Tang Xuanzang ignored Sun Wukong's warning and walked ahead across the ice.
• The ice shattered, and a black shadow seized Tang Xuanzang and dragged him underwater.
• Tang Xuanzang unleashed his Great Might Heavenly Dragon, but the black shadow easily defeated him and put him to sleep inside a giant shell.
• The black shadow summoned more than ten giant sand men, who bound Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie, and the others.
• Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie drew their weapons and charged the sand men to rescue Tang Xuanzang.

Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie fought the seemingly indestructible sand men while Little White Dragon plunged into the Tongtian Flowing Sand River to rescue Tang Xuanzang. After Sun Wukong froze and they destroyed the sand men, neither Tang Xuanzang nor Little White Dragon had returned, so Zhu Bajie entered the river to search for them.

• Sun Wukong told Little White Dragon to go into the river and rescue Tang Xuanzang while he and Zhu Bajie held off the sand men.
• Little White Dragon transformed into a water dragon and plunged into the river as the dark figure sent sand men to attack him.
• Zhu Bajie used Heaven and Earth Manifestation, but the sand men kept reforming, while Sun Wukong struggled to fight them above the water.
• Sun Wukong summoned a frigid wind that froze the sand men, then he and Zhu Bajie destroyed them while they were moving slowly.
• When Tang Xuanzang and Little White Dragon failed to surface, Sun Wukong stopped Zhu Bajie from giving up and ordered him into the river to find them.

Little White Dragon searched the Flowing Sand River for Tang Xuanzang but was overwhelmed by the shadow's home-ground advantage and repeatedly wounded. As the shadow prepared to kill him, Zhu Bajie arrived and intervened.

• Little White Dragon searched the sand-choked riverbed for the monster and was discovered by the shadow.
• The shadow attacked Little White Dragon, mocked him, and blamed Sun Wukong for what had happened.
• The shadow ambushed and badly wounded Little White Dragon, then demanded that he leave or summon Sun Wukong.
• Little White Dragon refused to abandon Tang Xuanzang and charged again, so the shadow raised his staff to kill him.
• Zhu Bajie's flying rake forced the shadow to dodge, and Zhu Bajie appeared to condemn him for capturing Tang Xuanzang and attacking Little White Dragon.

Zhu Bajie battled the dark figure in the Flowing Sand River after the figure defeated the Little White Dragon, but the dark figure’s hidden attack and six sand men overwhelmed him. Zhu Bajie fled with the injured Little White Dragon, leaving their chances of rescuing their master uncertain.

• Zhu Bajie challenged the dark figure to avenge the Little White Dragon, then fought him with his Nine-Toothed Rake.
• Zhu Bajie gained a slight advantage until the dark figure vanished into the river and struck him from behind.
• Zhu Bajie used Heaven and Earth Manifestation, but the dark figure summoned six giant sand men to attack him.
• The sand men quickly defeated Zhu Bajie, who took the Little White Dragon and fled.

Sun Wukong rescued Zhu Bajie and Little White Dragon from the dark figure’s giant sand hands, then faced the demon, who revealed himself as the former Curtain-Raising General and blamed Sun Wukong for his banishment. The demon threatened to eat Zhu Bajie next, and Sun Wukong raised his Ruyi Jingu Bang to confront him.

• The dark figure trapped Zhu Bajie and Little White Dragon in giant hands formed from silt and threatened to eat Zhu Bajie.
• Sun Wukong arrived, shattered one of the sand hands with the Ruyi Jingu Bang, and freed Zhu Bajie and Little White Dragon.
• The dark figure revealed his true form and identified himself as the Curtain-Raising General, accusing Sun Wukong of causing his banishment.
• The demon showed the nine skulls of people he had eaten and said Zhu Bajie would become his tenth victim.
• Sun Wukong pointed the Ruyi Jingu Bang at the demon as Zhu Bajie asked him to stop the threat.