Myth

English Project  ·  Journey To West

An Epilogue

A three-page short story reimagining the ending — leaving a cliffhanger.

Original — 1500

The Original Ending

  • Mission Accomplished After enduring exactly eighty-one ordeals, the four protagonists successfully retrieve the sacred scriptures.
  • The Return They return to the Heavenly Kingdom and present the scriptures to Tathagata Buddha with utmost sincerity and respect.
  • A Happy Ending Tathagata approves of their dedication and rewards them with spiritual status, divine authority, and titles — Sun Wukong becomes the "Victorious Fighting Buddha" — ending the story in absolute harmony and fulfilment.

My Version — 2026

My Ending

  • The Nature of Greed Revealed The disciples return with the scriptures just as in the original. But during the reward ceremony, they immediately fall into a fierce argument over who deserves the most authority.
  • Is the Bond Unbreakable? The deep, brotherly bond forged over years of shared hardship instantly shatters in the face of greed, arrogance, and ambition.
  • The Plot Twist Tathagata reveals that the ceremony was actually the hidden 82nd ordeal — a test of the heart. They have failed badly. As punishment, he strips them of all rewards and sends them back to earth to begin the eighty-one challenges all over again.

Side by Side

A Quick Comparison

Dimension The Original Ending Adapted Ending
The Nature of the Story It is an external quest. Surviving the predetermined hardships qualifies characters for the salvation. It is more of an internal battle. Surviving external monsters is just the prerequisite; resisting internal temptation is the real odreal.
The Team Of Four True Brotherhood. The challenges they been through breeds lifelong loyalty and a shared world view. Fragile Team. The bond lasts only as long as there is a common enemy. Once it's time to claim reward, the bond brokes.
The Role of Tathagata He acts as a benevolent judge, handing out well-deserved promotions and rewards. He acts as a wise psychologist, using the ultimate bait (power and status) to expose their hidden, unhealed charactersitcs.

The Full Epilogue — by William

The Full Essay

After the master and his three disciples obtained the Buddhist Scriptures, they returned to the Heavenly Kingdom to meet Tathagata, the supreme Buddha of the world. The four wise adventurers presented the scriptures to Tathagata with the utmost sincerity and respect. After overcoming the eighty-one tribulations, the group had gained a complete rebirth and built what seemed an unbreakable relationship with each other.

Tathagata was surprised and pleased when he looked down from the sky. He said to the team: "The long journey has reached its fruition. Through the eighty-one trials, the veil of illusion has been retracted from your eyes and heart. You have now perceived the true nature of life and the void, and found the merit of humility towards all beings of this vast world. I shall grant you status and respect."

Wukong stepped forward with his usual playful voice: "So, Great Buddha, I thank you for the compliment. After smashing eighty-one trials and saving this monk from countless monsters, I want you to know that I seek the most prestigious prize. Wouldn't you agree?" Pigsy followed: "Oink — every time Wukong went to battle, I was next to Monk Tang to protect him. If I weren't on the journey, Monk Tang would have been captured many times. I used to be Marshal Tianpeng. I have great leadership. Oink — I should be promoted and respected by more believers than the others."

Monk Tang stepped in with a preaching voice: "Pigsy, Wukong, please be respectful towards Tathagata. You shall keep your words to yourselves." Wukong snapped back: "Shush, Tang. All this time you use that preaching voice on me. You have been holding us back, using tight spells to manipulate me. You are weak — every time you were captured, all you did was scream. You should not be rewarded for anything."

Friar Sand halted Wukong with a serious voice, but it was too late. Their dispute had grown into a full battle — one of reputation, greed, hatred, and violence. The deep bond forged through years of shared hardship shattered in an instant. They fought just as Wukong had once devastated the Heavenly Kingdom five hundred years before. Intricate furnishings of jade and gold fractured into pieces. History repeated itself: Wukong had learned no respect, Pigsy had not let go of greed, Monk Tang remained arrogant and two-faced, and Friar Sand still lacked the skill to resolve conflict.

Through all of this, Tathagata showed no surprise. He sat on his throne with eyes closed, a serene stillness in stark contrast to the chaos around him. This was the eighty-second ordeal — a hidden final test he had set for the team. For even if a group overcomes every challenge in the world, they may still not overcome the greed and flaws within themselves. And to break even the most formidable team takes no more than a few well-chosen words.

After their battle had raged for what felt like five hundred years, Tathagata opened his eyes. With a grand sweep of his arm, the scattered jade fragments rose into the air. He pressed his hands together, and every fracture healed, mending back to its original form.

"The journey has yet to begin. Return to Chang'an."

And in an instant, the four wise men found themselves back in Chang'an — where a long journey of eighty-one ordeals awaited them once more.