In this episode, the Destined One encounters Spider Guai The Second Sister, a character sure to intrigue many readers. Thus, this episode will delve into the origins and story of Spider Guai.
Originally from “Journey to the West,” episodes seventy-two and seventy-three, Spider Guai’s tale begins after Tangseng and his disciples leave the Purple Heaven Nation. One day, Tangseng notices a household by the roadside and, against his disciples’ advice, goes Begging for Alms. He sees several thatched cottages with four women sewing by the windows and three others playing ball in a pavilion. These seven Spider Guai, hospitable and cheerful, are thrilled to welcome Tangseng from the Eastern Land of the Great Tang. Four of them immediately rush to the kitchen to start cooking, among them Violet Spider.
The dishes served are chilling: human oil for frying and human meat for stewing, darkened to resemble Gluten, and human brains fried like tofu slices. The sight is overwhelmingly grotesque for Tangseng, who declares he is vegetarian and hastily tries to leave. However, the seven female hosts insist their meal is indeed ‘vegetarian.’ Refusing to eat and attempting to leave, Tangseng is stopped by the women, who are skilled in martial arts. They knock Tangseng down, tie him up with ropes, and skillfully hang him from a beam.
Meanwhile, Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie, and Sha Wujing are waiting by the main road for their master Tangseng to return from Begging for Alms. However, the ever-restless Sun Wukong climbs a tree to look towards the estate, only to find no estate or household at all. It turns out Tangseng has once again been captured by Yaoguai.
Sun Wukong summoned the Keeper to inquire about the origins of these Yaoguai. It turns out that they were seven Spider Guai who had taken over the Seven Fairy Sisters’ bathing spring, Zuo Guo Quan, without any competition from the fairies, who simply yielded the spring to the Spider Guai.
When Sun Wukong arrived at Zuo Guo Quan, the seven female spirits were already bathing. Sun Wukong transformed into an eagle and snatched away the garments of the seven female spirits. Meanwhile, Zhu Bajie, naturally lecherous, turned into a Catfish spirit and frolicked in the water with the female spirits, even enjoying a romantic tryst with one of the violet-dressed Spider Guai. However, since the Spider Guai and the Hundred-Eyed Daoist Master were intent on devouring Tangseng, Sun Wukong had to eliminate all seven Spider Guai sisters. The task of cleaning up the battlefield was left to Zhu Bajie, who let the dying Violet Spider escape. She followed Sun Wukong on the journey to the West, which she later resented in her old age, because Zhu Bajie always chose Sun Wukong over her.
Later, Violet Spider managed to survive by feeding on the flesh and blood of her six sisters. After Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie obtained the true scriptures and achieved instantaneous enlightenment, Sun Wukong grew tired of the hypocritical world of the Immortals and longed for the freedom of Mount Huaguo. Thus, he renounced his Buddha Position and waged a great battle against the Celestial Court’s Immortals, an event later depicted in the video game Black Myth: Wukong.
Violet Spider survived by consuming the corpses of her sisters, yet she was extremely weak. At this time, her senior brother, the Hundred-Eyed Daoist Master, lent her one of Sun Wukong’s Root Instruments that he had seized. This act served a dual purpose: not only to keep Violet Spider alive but also because he saw that she, the only one to survive an encounter with the scripture seekers, must have a story with them. Furthermore, keeping the Root Instrument in his possession was too risky, so he devised a plan to lure the Destined One to reclaim it. Thus, he lent it to Violet Spider under the guise of helping her sustain her life.
Violet Spider was always the most lucid among them. She loved Zhu Bajie, not for his appearance or identity, but for their past connection. She had always hoped to meet Zhu Bajie again and rekindle their former relationship. However, her body was failing, making it unlikely she could endure until his return. Therefore, she willingly entered the plot, declaring her intention to personally kill Zhu Bajie as a means of exacting revenge.
Violet Spider adopted five foster daughters, including The Second Sister, possibly as a tribute to her six deceased sisters. Soon after, she gave birth to a daughter with Zhu Bajie, named Liu Mei. At this time, Spider Guai had returned to being seven spiders, likely manifesting Violet Spider’s obsession. She acknowledged that the misdeeds of her sisters and their senior brother were deserved, and she harbored no resentment towards Zhu Bajie. She understood his moral dilemmas and knew she could not seek him out on her own, just as he could not seek her out due to his own difficulties. Aware that the Destined One was approaching in pursuit of the Root Instrument, she knew her end was inevitable. Anyone associated with the Destined One was marked for death, but she felt her life was complete, having lived enough days without Zhu Bajie. She wanted to see Zhu Bajie one last time, to tell him about their daughter. She merged her body with the Root Instrument given to her by the Hundred-Eyed Daoist Master, managing to survive until the Destined One appeared. When Zhu Bajie arrived at Pansi Cave and saw Violet Spider, she was an old woman marked by the ravages of time, yet still wearing the makeup of her youth.
Finally, the Destined One battled the Violet Spider, who was defeated and sought help from the Hundred-Eyed Daoist Master. In the end, the Hundred-Eyed Daoist Master, having merged with the Root Instrument-infused Violet Spider, absorbed her into his body and fought the Destined One. The Destined One killed him, and the Violet Spider was expelled from his body, her life hanging by a thread. Bajie was heartbroken but could not show any emotion; he could only look towards his daughter from afar, sigh deeply, and leave without turning back.
What awaited the Violet Spider was utter annihilation, her soul shattered. From then on, there were no more returns, and the world never saw such a devoted lover again. When the Destined One returned after killing the Hundred-Eyed Daoist Master, he saw a grave that the Spider Guai sisters had built for Violet Spider. At the grave, there was an Eternity Pearl, likely secretly placed there by Zhu Bajie as a tribute to his beloved.
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