Marshal Tianpeng reincarnated as a pig demon? No, this is the comeback story of the Celestial Court’s most hard-done-by reality-show star!
Banished to the mortal realm, Bajie wields a rake and sports the title “Pilgrimage Team’s Top Glutton,” forced to perform every day according to a script secretly controlled by Guanyin. His master, Tang Sanzang, is a holy monk on the surface but a sly old fox underneath, sneaking bites of roast chicken and flirting with demonesses. His senior brother, Wukong, is a hot-tempered Monkey King who moonlights as the team disciplinarian, using his Golden-Banded Staff to smack his junior brother’s backside. His junior, Sha Wujing, is a man of few words, a stone-faced critic and master of hidden weapons.
The journey for the scriptures turns into a massive variety show: growing watermelons at the Flaming Mountains, fishing for tangyuan in the Flowing Sands River, and braising ginseng fruits at Five Villages Temple… Every tribulation is a ratings bonanza for the Celestial Court. Even more absurdly, the magical treasures have all gained sentience: the kasaya sneaks off to eat offerings, the monk’s staff sprouts steamed buns, and the rake insists on becoming a master chef. Meanwhile, Clairvoyant and Clairaudient livestream everything around the clock to the immortals munching on melon seeds…
When Bajie discovers that the last page of their travel permit says, “The Buddha reserves the right of final interpretation,” the four master and disciples decide to overturn the script: pelting Guanyin’s statue with stale buns, mailing a complaint to the Jade Emperor, and teaching the demons to go on strike!
This is a darkly comic clash between Buddhism and Daoism, a hilarious revolution against the 996 grind, and the ultimate philosophy of slacking off, written by a food-loving pig demon with his Nine-Toothed Rake!
