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I've already talked about our heroes, so now let's talk about the villains. For the sake of convenience, I'll only be discussing the ones who have appeared on the show so far as well as the order in which they'd appeared in according to the book, unless the villains in question are connected in some way.

NIÚ MÓWÁNG (牛魔王), TIĚSHÀN GŌNGZHǓ (鐵扇公主) and HÓNG HÁI'ÉR (紅孩兒)

Consisting of three of Sūn Wùkōng's more well-known enemies, each of them has a story to tell.

Starting with NIÚ MÓWÁNG—Bull Demon King, or Demon Bull King on the show—this powerful character was the eldest of seven demons who had sworn loyalty to each other—Sūn Wùkōng among them—and had styled himself Píngtiān Dàshèng (平天大圣), or Great Sage Who Pacifies Heaven, after the Monkey King had picked his own title. Sometime during Sūn Wùkōng's imprisonment, he ends up starting a family, becomes the owner of a BÌSHUǏ JĪNJĪNG SHÒU (避水金晶獸), or Water-Repellent Golden-Eyed Beast, becomes an ally to a family of dragons, learned seventy-two transformations, and it's also mentioned that he'd met Zhū Bājiè and Shā Wùjìng before they became Buddhists.

HÓNG HÁI'ÉR—Red Boy, or Red Son as he's called on the show—is the next member of the family to meet Sūn Wùkōng. I kind of already talked a little about him here, but to go into more detail on his role in the novel, he's also known by the title Shèngyīng Dàwáng (聖嬰大王), or Great King Holy Child, and after spending three hundred years self-cultivating on Huǒyànshān (火燄山), the Flaming Mountains, to the point of being able to wield Sānmèi Zhēn (三昧真火), the True Fire of Samādhi, he was eventually sent by his father to guard Liùbǎi Lǐ Zuàntóu Hàoshān (六百里鑽頭號山), or the Roaring Mountain of the Six-Hundred-Mile Awl-Head Peak, where he then proceeds to bully the local gods and spirits.

He first encounters the Pilgrims under the guise of an innocent boy stuck in a tree in order to get close to Tripiṭaka in order to—as is the case with most demons in this story—kidnap him and then eat his flesh in hopes of gaining immortality. Naturally Monkey tries to warn Sānzàng, and naturally the latter doesn't listen, and naturally Red Boy manages to make off with the monk afterwards!

Fortunately, thanks to that old sworn brotherhood with Red's father, this technically makes Sūn Wùkōng the boy's uncle—more specifically his shū (叔), or the younger brother of one's father. So of course Red Boy would have to listen him, even though they'd never met before, Sūn Wùkōng didn't even know of his existence until now, and—from Red's perspective, at least—the monkey had absolutely everything to gain by lying.

So really, what could possibly go wrong?

Everything. The answer is everything.

Creating a fire that not even the Dragon Kings are able to extinguish thanks to it being samādhi and rendering Sūn Wùkōng immobile in the process, Zhū Bājiè is sent to ask the Bodhisattva Guānyīn, the Goddess of Mercy, for help, but then he gets captured by Red Boy as well. Despite his pain, Sūn Wùkōng soon decides to confront Red Boy again, this time transforming into the Bull Demon King himself, but the younger demon soon grows suspicious after "Bull Demon King" says he's been keeping a vegetarian diet and then gets these suspicions confirmed after the disguised Monkey King fails to remember when his "son" was born.

Afterwards, the real Guānyīn comes along and after Monkey tells her what happened, to say that she gets upset at Red Boy disguising himself as her would be an... understatement, let's just put it that way. Eventually, the samādhi fire is put out with help from the water inside Guānyīn's vase and after that's dealt with, the Goddess of Mercy then decides to have Red Boy sit on a lotus throne, impale him with an entire set of swords, and—when he fails to genuinely surrender—envelopes the demon's body with five golden hoops, similar to the gold fillet Sūn Wùkōng himself had to wear during the journey, before finally taking him away.

Afterwards, Red Boy becomes her disciple and is given the name Shàncái Tóngzǐ (五個箍兒), Boy Skilled in Wealth, which is also the name of one of the Bodhisattva's actual disciples in Buddhist iconography. And as a fun little detail, I should also point out that red is traditionally considered to be the color of good luck in China!

Later, while crossing a stream, Táng Sānzàng and Zhū Bājiè drink from the water, only to discover afterwards that it's pregnancy water from Xīliáng Nǚguó (西梁女國), the Woman State of Western Liang. And as the name implies, it's a kingdom populated by only women. After teasing Sānzàng and Bājiè for a bit, the Pilgrims learn of that the kingdom houses an Abortion Spring—Luòtāi Quánshuǐ (落胎泉水)—but it's since been taken over by an immortal who's holding the entire land's reproductive rights hostage by blocking the spring unless he's payed in offerings.

Yes, really.

Anyway! This immortal goes by the name of RÚYÌ ZHĒNXIĀN (如意真仙), or True Immortal Compliant, the younger brother of the Bull Demon King. As a result, he has a score to settle with Sūn Wùkōng over what happened to Red Boy, so a fight ensues, True Compliant causes Wùkōng to drop the water and so Monkey asks Shā Wùjìng for help getting more while he distracts this latest adversary, and they soon succeed! Out of the old alliance he has with the Bull Demon King, Wùkōng decides to spare his life.

Much later on, the Pilgrims come across the perpetually hot region of Huǒyànshān (and as we find out later, the reason it's like this turns out to accidentally be Monkey's fault), which the Pilgrims can't cross without getting hurt because of how extreme the climate is. Wùkōng soon learns from the locals that there's an immortal by the name of Tiěshàn Xiān (鐵扇仙), Iron Fan Immortal, who owns a bājiāoshàn (芭蕉扇), a palf-leaf fan, that would be able to do away with the heat altogether. After traveling to her home on Cuìyúnshān (翠雲山), Jade Cloud Mountain, he not only learns that her name is actually TIĚSHÀN GŌNGZHǓ (鐵扇公主)—Iron Fan Princess, or Princess Iron Fan—and is also called Rākṣasī (羅剎)—in reference to a type of evil female spirit in Hinduism and Buddhism—by those living on Cuìyúnshān, but that she's also the wife of the Bull Demon King.

Much like with Red Boy, Sūn Wùkōng didn't know about her at all until now, but also like with Red Boy, he's quick to acknowledge her as family, calling her sǎosǎo (嫂嫂), sister-in-law in the context of her being the wife of his older brother, when first meeting her in person. And also much like Red Boy, Iron Fan isn't happy to see him at all, precisely because of what happened to her son!

So of course he doesn't get the fan. But Monkey is nothing if not persistent, so he then transforms into a mole cricket, flies into Iron Fan's mouth, and gets the palm-leaf fan that way.

Except not really, because the fan he got actually turns out to be a fake.

So what's a poor monkey to do? Go to his eldest sworn brother directly, of course! Or as he's known these days, Dàlì Wáng (大力王), Vigorous King.

Which brings us to our final member of the Demon Bull Family!

Well, sort of.

Because at least two years before the start of the Palm-Leaf Arc, the Bull Demon King took a concubine.

Meet YÙMIÀN GŌNGZHǓ (玉面公主), Jade-Faced Princess, nicknamed Měirén (美人), Pretty Lady, by the Bull Demon King. The daughter of a fox king, who'd passed away after ten thousand years, she was left with a vast fortune and, after learning how powerful the Bull Demon King was, sold it all as a dowry in order to make the Bull Demon King her consort, leading to him abandoning Iron Fan in the process, though it's noted he still provides for her despite this, something the fox princess thinks she should be grateful for.

When Sūn Wùkōng meets her after arriving at Jīléishān (積雷山), Hoard-Thunder Mountain, he scolds her for her actions and later attacks her, she complains to the Bull Demon King about it, even insulting him at one point while he does his best to comfort her before going to see Sūn Wùkōng, and unfortunately for Monkey, the reunion isn't a happy one due to the Pilgrim not only hurting his son, but insulting both of his wives as well. So a fight breaks out between them, but before a winner can be decided, the Bull Demon King literally calls for a time-out because he has a banquet to attend first!

So Monkey follows him, steals his Bìshuǐ Jīnjīng Shòu while his eldest brother is feasting with that family of dragons I mentioned earlier, disguises himself as the Bull Demon King himself, and tricks Iron Fan into giving it to him this way. Naturally, the real Bull Demon King is enraged when he learns about what had happened, and after comforting Iron Fan over it, he goes to confront Sūn Wùkōng once and for all by giving him a taste of his own medicine and disguising himself as Zhū Bājiè, which soon leads to the two fighting. Even after the Bull Demon King gets outnumbered when the real Bājiè joins in, he's no closer to either winning or losing and Jade-Faced quickly sends her own captains to assist him when she finds out what's going on, giving the Bull Demon King enough time to escape, until it's time for another round and he and Monkey engage in a shapeshifter duel while Jade-Faced and her soldiers get killed by Bājiè.

Before another fight can commence, several Buddhist warriors and celestial generals arrive at the scene to arrest the Bull Demon King, who is soon captured by Nezha and taken to see Buddha, while Iron Fan finally surrenders her fan willingly in exchange for her life and promises to never misbehave again.

Say what you will about this family, but at least they're loyal (or mostly loyal) to each other till the end, especially where Red Boy is concerned.

BÁIGǓFŪRÉN (白骨夫人)

For as powerful as she appears to be, BÁIGǓFŪRÉN—White Bone Lady—also called BÁIGǓJĪNG (白骨精), or White Bone Spirit (Lady Bone Demon on the show) in the novel is essentially the exact opposite. She, like so many other demons, had heard that eating a monk's flesh would grant the eater immortality and as soon as she sees the Pilgrims passing by prior to them coming across Red Boy, she decides to make her move and, after disguising herself as a young girl (whom Bājiè becomes attracted to), an old woman, and then an old man—all quickly attacked by Sūn Wùkōng—she's finally killed.

What should've been a minor inconvenience at best, however, actually serves to have massive consequences for the next few chapters, as Táng Sānzàng—with some convincing from Zhū Bājiè—comes to believe that Sūn Wùkōng actually just killed three innocent people, leading the monk to perform the Tight-Fillet spell, banish his eldest disciple from the group after Monkey's third attack, and eventually get captured once again in Sūn Wùkōng's absence while the other three Pilgrims become otherwise too indisposed to save him (an incident I already brought up in my post discussing the Pilgrims).

After defeating the Monster of the Week, Wùkōng and Tripiṭaka make amends.

JĪNJIǍO DÀWÁNG (金角大王) and YÍNJIǍO DÀWÁNG (銀角大王)

Sometime after Sūn Wùkōng rejoins the group, the next demons the Pilgrims encounter are a pair of brothers named JĪNJIǍO DÀWÁNG and YÍNJIǍO DÀWÁNG, or the Gold and Silver Horn Kings, who live on Píngdǐngshān (平頂山), Level-Top Mountain, in Liánhuā Dòng (蓮花洞), Lotus-Flower Cave.

Of the the two, Jīn is apparently the eldest and is the one who suggests going after Tripiṭaka to eat him, and while Yín is at first reluctant to capture what he initially assumes to just be some ordinary monks, he immediately changes his mind once Jīn says that eating one—specifically one who had once been Buddha's own disciple—would be a much quicker way to prolong their lifespan rather than the usual way. Despite this, Jīn still suggests that they be cautious.

While patrolling Píngdǐngshān (and falling asleep at one point), Zhū Bājiè gets captured after being mistaken for Tripiṭaka, one of the brothers disguises himself as a Daoist and then proceeds to trap Monkey under three mountains—Sumeru/Xūmíshān (須彌山), Emei/Éméishān (峨嵋山), and Tai/Tàishān (泰山).

Working with the brothers are two other demons named LÍNGLÌ CHÓNGDÀO (伶俐蟲道) and JĪNGXÌ GUǏDÀO (精細鬼道), Wiley Worm and Sly Devil respectively, and it's noted that Yīn has a soft spot for the former. They plan to catch Sūn Wùkōng using the Purple Gold Red Gourd/Zǐjīn Hónghúlu (紫金紅葫蘆) and the Pure Mutton-Jade Vase/Yáng Zhīyù Jìngpíng (羊脂玉淨瓶), which are able to trap anyone inside if their name is said aloud.

Monkey, meanwhile, manages to get out from being trapped beneath the mountains with the help of the local mountain deities, but rather than go and rescue his friends first, Sūn Wùkōng decides to make stealing demon treasure his first priority, the gourd and vase among them. To do so, he disguises himself as a Daoist, tricks Línglì and Jīngxì into exchanging their treasures for his normal gourd after Monkey "proves" to them that it can capture Heaven itself.

Línglì and Jīngxì are spared, but when Jīn and Yīn decide to invite their mother JIǓWĚI HÚLÍ (九尾狐狸), Nine-Tailed Fox, to dinner, they send for two other demons called BĀSHĀNHǓ (巴山虎), Hill-Pawing Tiger, and YǏ HǍILÓNG (倚海龍), Sea-Lolling Dragon, to fetch her instead.

Overhearing this, Sūn Wùkōng learns that the one in possession of the third treasure, the Yellow-Gold Rope/Huǎngjīn Shéng (幌金繩), is none other than Jiǔwěi Húlí herself. So Monkey does as Monkey does and eventually kills the tiger and dragon, kills the mother and her attendants, and then ends up disguising himself as Jiǔwěi before meeting with Jīn and Yīn.

And then Bājiè blows his cover.

A fight ensues and the demon brothers eventually manage to catch Sūn Wùkōng, except not really, because the one they've captured turns out to be a fake. Meanwhile, the real Sūn Wùkōng pretends to be his own younger brother and gets sucked into into the gourd even after using a fake name, tries the same trick once more under a different name after switching the gourds again, and kills Yīn by sucking him inside it.

With his little brother dead and after being told by Zhū Bājiè of Sūn Wùkōng's trickery, Jīn then decides that the next best course of action is vengeance! So another fight ensues and Jīn eventually flees, leading to Monkey to soon obtain the next treasure, the Palm Leaf Fan/Bājiāoshàn (芭蕉扇), as well as free the other Pilgrims without issue.

But it's not over yet, because as it turns out, Jīn actually started to form an entire army to use against Sūn Wùkōng! Joining him is his maternal uncle HÚĀQĪ (狐阿七), Great King Fox Number Seven, but the demons are soon beaten and Jīn faces his brother's fate by being sucked inside the vase. Afterwards, Wùkōng finally acquires the final treasure, the Seven Stars Sword/Qīxīngjiàn (七星劍).

Unfortunately for Wùkōng, he's not able to keep any of his new toys, because as it turns out, they all belong to the immortal founder of Taoism Tàishàng Lǐ Lǎojūn (太上李老君), otherwise known as Laozi, who explains to the Pilgrims that the demon brothers were actually two Taoists who worked for him and that they not only stole the treasures from their master, but also got turned into demons by Guānyīn herself in order to test the group; Jīn and Yīn are then both restored to life and taken back to Heaven afterwards.

LÍNGGǍN DÀWÁNG (靈感大王)

Granted, this demon is never actually stated to be the exact same one the Pilgrims encountered, but the name's the same, so I'm counting it!

So, one day, the Pilgrims come across Tōngtiānhé (通天河), Heaven-Reaching River, but due to being unable to cross it, they end up taking shelter with two brothers from Chénjiāzhuāng (陳家莊) named Chén Qīng (陳清) and Chén Chéng (陳澄), who both share the exact same secular surname as Táng Sānzàng himself (Chén as in 陳).

After the Pilgrims notice funeral arrangements being prepared, the brothers explain that their village has a tradition of sacrificing one boy and one girl to the local river demon called the LÍNGGǍN DÀWÁNG, Great King of Numinous Power, in exchange for wind and rain, and this time, it's their children's turn: Chéng's daughter Yīchèngjīn (一秤金) and Qīng's son Guānbǎo (關保).

Agreeing to help, Wùkōng and Bājiè (much to the latter's dismay) disguise themselves as the year's sacrificial lambs in order to lure the Great King out. Once they're confronted by him, the two Pilgrims begin to attack, but he manages to escape and later devises a plan with another water demon to, of course, kidnap Tripiṭaka, which works. Shā Wùjìng and Zhū Bājiè try to fight him, but because he's in hiding, Wùkōng decides to go to Guānyīn to find out the demon's origins.

Unfortunately for him, Guānyīn isn't in the mood to see anyone right now, but Monkey being Monkey, goes to see her anyway. After he tells her what had happened, she travels with him to Tōngtiānhé and quickly captures the so-called Great King herself... who actually turns out to be her pet goldfish, who'd self-cultivated after listening to her lectures. He then leaves with Guānyīn and Tripiṭaka is rescued afterwards.

It's also here where he meets a giant turtle who'd self-cultivated for three hundred years and only asks in return for safe passage across the river is for Tripiṭaka to ask Buddha to make him human.

DÚJIǍO SÌ DÀWÁNG (獨角兕大王)

He's only appeared in video game form so far, but yeah, I'm counting him too.

Following the goldfish incident, we get to my favorite of Sūn Wùkōng's enemies, DÚ JIǍO SÌ DÀWÁNG, the One-Horned Rhinoceros King!

So what happens is that the Pilgrims begin traveling through another mountain range, Golden Pocket Mountain/Jīndōushān (金兜山), when—in Sūn Wùkōng's absence after the others leave a circle he explicitly told them not to leave while he searched for food—Tripiṭaka, Bājiè, Wùjìng, and Liè all soon get captured by the Rhino King here.

After Monkey finds out where the others has been taken to this time, he finds the demon's lair, but rather than getting scared or trying to avoid the Great Sage altogether, Rhino is instead excited!

So the two have a battle and even start praising each other's abilities, but they can't fight forever, so Rhino eventually ends up stealing Wùkōng's staff by sucking it into a white fillet, rendering the Monkey King without a weapon of his own. However, due to a comment the enemy made during their fight, Sūn Wùkōng quickly comes to the conclusion that Rhino came from Heaven and immediately goes to the Celestials to investigate.

After explaining the situation, the Jade Emperor soon agrees to send Devarāja Lǐ Jìng, his son Prince Nézhā, several Heavenly soldiers, as well as the thunder squires Dèng Huà (鄧化) and Zhāng Fān (張蕃) to subdue the Rhino King, but then most their weapons get sucked into the white fillet too and Monkey is so distressed that he actually ends up laughing at the situation afterwards. Lǐ Jìng then brings up that only fire and water can resist being sucked away, so Sūn Wùkōng decides to go to Huǒ Dé Xīngjūn (火德星君), Star of Fiery Virtue, and then to Shuǐ Dé Xīngjūn (水德星君), Star of Watery Virtue.

I'll give you three guesses as to what happens with both of them.

So Monkey and Rhino duke it out again as Jìng and Huǒ Dé look in in awe while both the thunder squires and Nézhā try to help out. After Sūn Wùkōng gets praised for his efforts when Rhino and his minions flee, one of the thunder squires suggests that they steal the white fillet and who better to do it than the Great Sage himself?

After taking the compliment, Monkey changes himself into a fly, and though he doesn't get the white fillet, he does at least manage to find his staff. Afterwards, he goes in a second time and duplicates himself to retrieve the Heavenly weapons, mounts one of Fiery Virtue's captured fire dragons, and then charges out of there with all the awesomeness that riding a literal fire dragon entails!

Have I mentioned I loved this arc yet?

Unfortunately, Sūn Wùkōng has yet to steal the white fillet.

Again, three guesses as to what happens.

Soon enough, most of the Celestials start arguing with each other while Watery Virtue stands off the side to sulk, so Monkey tries to cheer them all up, and after being asked by Nézhā where he could find information on this latest enemy since Heaven couldn't find anything on him, Sūn Wùkōng decides to go directly to Buddha himself, who refuses to reveal the Rhino King's true identity, but does still offer his assistance by having his arhats release eighteen grains of golden cinnabar sand.

Good thing Buddha had a backup plan! And that's to go to Laozi!

So after Monkey gets done being annoyed over why Tathāgata couldn't have just told him that in the first place, he does just that. And it's from Laozi he not only finally finds out about the true identity of the Rhino King, but the origin of the white fillet as well, because they both belong to Laozi himself: the former is actually an escaped buffalo while the latter is a diamond snare.

Hearing what the buffalo has done, Laozi decides to go the mountain himself and uses his fan to change the creature back into his true form before apprehending him, everyone gets their weapons back, and the rest of the Pilgrims are finally freed!

XIĒZI JĪNG (蠍子精)

Xiēzi Jīng, or Scorpion Spirit—Scorpion Queen on the show—appears following the Kingdom of Women arc, specifically right after Táng Sānzàng rejects the queen, who had wanted him for a husband. Overhearing this, a disguised Scorpion decides that if the queen can't marry him, then she certainly will, and then proceeds to kidnap him. She does however make sure that he's treated well and even tries to lighten the mood with puns, but Tripiṭaka is having none of it and just wants to leave.

Soon, Sūn Wùkōng and Bājiè confront her, but neither of them can manage to actually beat her. Eventually, they're approached by Guānyīn, who informs them that what appears to be a strange maiden is actually a scorpion spirit who'd listened in on Buddha's lectures. Buddha however tried to get her to leave, but was instead stung by her, hence an earlier statement made by Scorpion about how even Tathāgata is afraid of her, and she then fled afterwards.

Guānyīn then directs Sūn Wùkōng to speak with an old friend of hers named Mǎorì Xīngguān (昴日星官), Star Lord Orionis, who agrees to help by literally turning himself into a giant rooster and just crushing Scorpion to death.

LIÙ ĚR MÍHÓU (六耳獼猴)

The show did a pretty good job at covering the basics of the origins of Sūn Wùkōng, but Liù Ěr Míhóu, or the Six-Eared Macaque, is a different story entirely.

So in the original book, Sūn Wùkōng—not for the first time—has been banished from the group for killing the thieving son of a couple who'd been kind to the Pilgrims. Taking advantage of the Monkey King's absence in order to obtain the scriptures and gain all the fame and glory that would come with it for himself, Macaque disguises himself as Sūn Wùkōng, attacks Tripiṭaka to the point of knocking the monk unconscious, steals the luggage, and then makes his way to Huāguǒshān, where he then proceeds to order the other monkeys to apprehend Shā Wùjìng after finding out that he had followed him before revealing to the disciple that he's already made copies of the others.

Horrified, Wùjìng manages to kill the copy of himself, which turns out to be just another monkey, and decides to go inform Guānyīn about what's happened. The imposter doesn't give chase, however, and instead orders the other monkeys to skin and fry the dead one before simply having another monkey change into Shā Wùjìng, showing that he views his "subjects" as expendable.

Meanwhile, Wùjìng soon makes it to Guānyīn's home, only to find that Sūn Wùkōng—the real Sūn Wùkōng—is already there. After realizing Monkey had indeed been replaced by an imposter, the two disciples return to Huāguǒshān to try and stop him, but as soon as Sūn Wùkōng and his double engage in battle, they turn out to be evenly matched, nor can anyone tell the difference between the two no matter what they do.

Eventually, Buddha gets involved again, and it's from him that we learn there are actually four spiritual primates: the Intelligent Stone Monkey (靈明石猴) Sūn Wùkōng, the Red Bottomed Horse Monkey (赤尻馬猴), the Long Armed Ape Monkey (通臂猿猴), and the Six-Eared Macaque. Also according to Buddha, each monkey has their own specialty, with Macaque in particular having, to quote Yu:

A sensitive ear,

Discernment of fundamental principles,

Knowledge of past and future,

And comprehension of all things.

Afterwards, Buddha manages to capture Macaque himself in an almsbowl and Wùkōng strikes him dead.

Fun fact, Macaque's name may also be derived from the old Buddhist saying, "the dharma is not to be transmitted to the sixth ear (法不传六耳)," referring to a secret that can't be known by a third party. Sūn Wùkōng previously referenced this while he was still under the tutelage of Patriarch Subodhi.

ZHĪZHŪJĪNG (蜘蛛精)

Unlike on the show, the Zhīzhūjīng, Spider Spirits, are actually comprised of seven sisters and no queen. They reside in Cobweb Cave/Pánsīdòng (盤絲洞) at Cobweb Ridge/Pánsīlǐng (盤絲嶺).

The Pilgrims encounter them sometime after the Bull Demon King's arrest, and after seeing their house, Tripiṭaka decides to go to the homeowners and beg for food, though his disciples remain weary. Even Bājiè insists on approaching the house himself, but Tripiṭaka is adamant on going on his own. While at the house, he's greeted by seven young maidens, who attempt to feed him human flesh. Sensing that something is off, Tripiṭaka tries to leave the house, only to be held hostage. Following this, the maidens reveal their true forms as spider spirits and cover the entire nearby village in silk.

Sūn Wùkōng of course goes to investigate and finds out from the local deity that the sisters have taken over a spring known as Purgation Spring/Zhuógòuquán (濯垢泉), which once belonged to the Qī Xiāngū (七仙姑), Seven Immortal Dames, and that the spider spirits go there frequently. Monkey ends up following them there, but due to an old proverb that states a man shouldn't fight a woman, stays his hand and just steals their clothes instead so they'll be too embarrassed to come out.

After returning to the other disciples, Zhū Bājiè decides it would be best to just kill them instead and Wùkōng doesn't even try to stop him, but Bājiè is eventually tied up in silk as well. After running home to put on their other clothes, the Spider Spirits call upon their adopted sons to get rid of the disciples: Bee/Mì (蜜), Hornet/Mǎ (螞), Cockroach/Lú (蠦) Catharsis/Bān (班), Grasshopper/Měng (蜢), Maggot/Là, (蜡) and Dragonfly/Qīng (蜻).

Of course, it doesn't end well for them, with Sūn Wùkōng transforming seven of his hairs to transform into seven hawks to devour the insects. The disciples manage to find Sānzàng afterwards and burn the cave to the ground, but the Spider Spirits are nowhere to be found.

Later, the Pilgrims come across Huánghuāguān (黃花观), Yellow Flower Abbey, where they are then greeted by a Daoist, who actually turns out to be the elder sworn brother of the Spider Spirits. After finding out what had happened earlier, he agrees to help them seek revenge against the Pilgrims by serving them poisoned tea, which only Sūn Wùkōng doesn't drink. Monkey is then attacked by the Spider Spirits, but he manages to escape and is eventually able to capture the sisters and kill them after the Daoist refuses to exchange their lives for Táng Sānzàng's.

Feeling remorse, the Daoist then attempts to avenge his fallen sisters and eventually defeats Sūn Wùkōng after emitting golden beams from his thousand eyes. Afterwards Monkey comes across a Bodhisattva who has recently lost her husband to the very same Daoist and it's from her Sūn Wùkōng learns the poisoner is actually called DEMON LORD OF A HUNDRED EYES/BǍIYǍN MÓJŪN (百眼魔君) as well as MANY-EYED FIEND/DUŌMÙGUÀI (多目怪).

After promising to avenge her husband, the woman suggests Sūn Wùkōng seek the help of Orionis' mother Pralambā (毘藍婆), who resides on Purple Cloud Mountain/Zǐyúnshān (紫雲山). Afterwards, the woman reveals herself to actually be the Old Dame of Li Mountain/Líshān Lǎomǔ (黎山老姆). So Monkey goes to Pralambā, who helps him free the other Pilgrims, gives them the antidote to the poison, and defeats the so-called Daoist—who actually turns out to be a giant centipede—herself.

YÙTÙJĪNG (玉兔精)

Yes, I'm counting the bunnies!

Last but not least, we have the Jade Rabbit Spirit, Yùtùjīng, the final adversary the Pilgrims meet on the journey before finally reaching Buddha at last.

Upon finally reaching Tiānzhú (India), the Pilgrims travel to the palace to get their papers certified, unbeknownst that the Princess of Tiānzhú is going to choose a husband at that moment using a ball, and whoever it lands on is to become her husband.

So guess who it lands on.

Funnily enough, this also happens to be how Sānzàng's own parents met!

Afterwards, Wùkōng senses that something is amiss and quickly discovers that the princess is actually a fake, so to save Sānzàng from yet another female adversary who wishes to marry and/or sleep with him and absorb his yang energy, Monkey eventually battles her, until she flees to Hairbrush Mountain/Máoyǐngshān (毛穎山) and he follows her there, where he learns from the Star Lord of Supreme Yīn/Tàiyīn Xīngjūn (太陰星君) that the False Princess is actually the Jade Rabbit, who held a grudge against another immortal who'd slapped her eighteen years prior called Sùé (素娥), the reincarnation of the real Princess. Jade Rabbit later kidnapped her and assumed the princess' identity for herself as vengeance.

Jade Rabbit is then apprehended by the lunar deities while the real Princess is eventually reunited with her family afterwards.

#ooooooo #holds this gently and respectfully #hella interesting 👀#jttw #gjdjg need to continue reading the book #ty op for the lore

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