Zhu Bajie and Violet Spider are two key characters in the game Black Myth Wukong. Their romance, not mentioned in the original Journey to the West, is an adaptation made for the game. So, what exactly is the love story between Zhu Bajie and Violet Spider?
It all began when Zhu Bajie and Violet Spider were still Immortals in the Celestial Court. Formerly, Violet Spider was a minor Fairy in Heaven, holding a lowly position. At that time, Zhu Bajie, then known as Marshal Tianpeng, was deeply infatuated with Taiyin Xingjun. During one pursuit of Taiyin Xingjun, he accidentally bumped into Violet Spider. As Marshal Tianpeng, who was in charge of the River of Heaven, Zhu Bajie was true to his name—handsome and striking. Violet Spider fell in love with him at first sight, secretly giving him her heart. From that moment on, Violet Spider’s affection for Marshal Tianpeng blossomed.
However, what seemed like a mere chance encounter to Zhu Bajie was not much of a concern to him regarding Violet Spider. After stumbling upon Taiyin Xingjun and an unidentified immortal in a secret meeting, Zhu Bajie’s identity was exposed. Consequently, the formidable Marshal Tianpeng was demoted to the mortal world, mistakenly entering the Animal Path and reincarnating as an ugly pig fetus. Later, Violet Spider also chose to descend to the mortal realm to meet Zhu Bajie again. Unlike Zhu Bajie, who possessed thirty-six transformations and wielded the Divine Weapon, the Nine-Toothed Rake, Violet Spider had minimal magical power. Once in the lower realm without Ritual Implements or guidance from a master, she had to dance with demons to survive, eventually transforming into a Spider Guai.
After being demoted to the mortal realm, Zhu Bajie became a Pig Guai. He later arrived in Gao Lao Village in Wusizang Nation and married into the Gao family, taking Gao Taigong’s third daughter, Gao Cuilan, as his wife. Zhu Bajie worked in Gao Taigong’s fields, plowing without oxen and harvesting crops without a scythe, tirelessly working from dawn till dusk. However, he accidentally reverted to his monstrous appearance with a long snout and large ears. Gao Taigong, fearing that having a monster as a son-in-law would ruin his reputation and deter relatives from visiting, decided to call off the marriage. Zhu Bajie refused and confined Gao Cuilan to the inner quarters, preventing her from seeing her family. In response, Gao Taigong spent money to summon monks and Taoist Priests to subdue Zhu Bajie, but after several failed attempts, the steward was sent to find a more capable master just as Tang Seng and Sun Wukong happened to be passing by on their journey to the West.
After Zhu Bajie joined the pilgrimage team, he followed Tang Seng on the journey to the Western Heavens to obtain sacred scriptures. Later, as the pilgrimage team passed by the Spider Cave, they encountered seven Spider Guai living there, each bewitchingly beautiful. One of these Spider Guai was Violet Spider. Violet Spider had not forgotten Zhu Bajie; she still harbored affection for the former Marshal Tianpeng, regardless of Zhu Bajie’s appearance or his official status. Thus, they shared a night of passion, a fleeting encounter of love. Later, Sun Wukong instructed Zhu Bajie to kill all seven Spider Guai as a cleanup measure, but Zhu Bajie, moved by compassion, spared Violet Spider’s life. In the face of the grand quest for the scriptures, how could fleeting romantic entanglements compare? Despite his lingering attachment and guilt towards Violet Spider, Zhu Bajie chose to follow Tang Seng in pursuit of the sacred texts after waking from a dream.
After Sun Wukong resigned from his Buddha Position, he was tragically encircled and silenced, scattering his Six Roots across the mortal realm. During this time, the Violet Spider in the Silk Cave suffered severe injuries and was on the brink of death. When her fellow disciple, the Hundred-Eyed Daoist Master, who had studied under the same master, came to her aid with the “good intention” of using the grand Root Instrument of the Great Sage to extend her life, Violet Spider had no choice but to passively accept it. Although she was aware of the Hundred-Eyed Daoist Master’s malevolent heart, she was forced to trust this fellow disciple. Consumed by hatred, Violet Spider thus became a pawn in the hands of the Hundred-Eyed Daoist Master, used against the Destined One. Later, Zhu Bajie followed the Destined One to the Silk Cave to collect Sun Wukong’s “Root Instrument”. The Destined One killed Violet Spider, but Zhu Bajie, under pressure from the Celestial Court, did not acknowledge his connection to Violet Spider and her daughter.
After the death of Violet Spider, a Preservation Orb will be placed on her grave. In the original “Journey to the West”, the Preservation Orb appeared twice; its purpose is to prevent corpses from decaying, preparing them for resurrection. The first time it was used on Tang Seng’s father, Chen Guangrui, and the second time it was used to preserve the corpse of the king of Wuji Country.
Why is the Preservation Orb related to Zhu Bajie and the Violet Spider? It’s because when the Dragon King used the Preservation Orb, Zhu Bajie was right there and knew about its effects. In “Black Myth: Wukong,” there is a tombstone in front of the chest containing the Preservation Orb, which indicates that this tomb belongs to the Violet Spider. This suggests that Zhu Bajie placed the Preservation Orb there after the Violet Spider’s death, with the intent to preserve her corpse for possible resurrection later.
Additionally, there’s a particularly obscure detail in this chapter. The Root Instrument that stores the Great Sage’s spiritual root is a Lotus Seedpod, which initially appeared with seven seeds. However, by the time it reached the hands of the Destined One, there were only six seeds left. It’s possible that Zhu Bajie, after handling the Lotus Seedpod, secretly took one of the seeds, likely also for the resurrection of the Violet Spider.
For this reason, many players suggest not taking the Preservation Orb, as doing so would fail to preserve the Violet Spider’s corpse, preventing her from being resurrected and reuniting with Zhu Bajie, and leaving players with a sense of guilt.
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