Bai Wanye never imagined that she, a little rabbit spirit who had spent her days loafing around in the Celestial Court, would stir the hearts of the three realms’ most unlikely men all at once.
The Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Sun Wukong, was wild and unruly, looking down on all under heaven. He protected her as if she were the only thing he owned. His Golden Cudgel swept away the demons and monsters of the eighty-one tribulations, yet could not quell the restlessness she stirred in his heart. “Little rabbit, stay behind me!” It was his domineering way of protecting her, and the only tenderness he could offer.
Shi Ying, the young fate deity of Jiuyi Mountain, was cool and celibate, wielding the power of destiny. His love was possessive protection, taking her by force without leaving room for refusal, and an unshakable resolve to defy heaven itself to shelter her beneath his wings. “Wanwan, you can only marry me.” It was his declaration, and the destiny he could never escape.
And then there was Tang Sanzang, the holy monk from the Eastern Lands, compassionate and devoted to Buddha. He could guide all living things to enlightenment, but not free himself from the delusions she had stirred in him. She was a drop of ink falling quietly onto his pure Buddhist heart, sending soundless, violent waves rippling through it. When he saw her smile like a flower, his heart fluttered in a way that even a million recitations could not suppress. When he saw her in danger, the prayer beads in his hand nearly cut into his palm. But all he could do was press his palms together and lower his eyes, saying, “Wanye, be careful.” He buried all his pain and longing beneath his unruffled expression and the surging verses of scripture. He was her master, her shore, and an ascetic who could never draw near to her.
The road to the Western Heaven was long, and demonic obstacles lurked everywhere. The greatest trial was not demons or monsters, but a heart slipping further and further out of control. Wukong’s love was a wildfire sweeping across the plains, blazing in all its glory; Shi Ying’s love was ice locked deep within, chilling and unforgettable; Tang Sanzang’s love was pain borne to the utmost, with shackles in every breath.
