A Ragtag Crew Heads West

When Xuanzang set out on this journey to seek an elixir of immortality for the emperor, he had three companions. One was Lin Daiyu, an instructor of the spear and staff to the capital's 800,000 imperial troops. One was Zhuge Kongming, a twelve-year-old craftsman. One was Hua Baoyan, a mentally ill person who often let out shrill screams. Hua Baoyan, screaming: "This isn't the Four Great Classical Novels I know! This isn't the pilgrimage crew I'm familiar with! This isn't the world I know! Sun Wukong! Where's Sun Wukong? Where's my Brother Monkey? I want to see him!" Little Kongming, worried: "Sister Hua's madness seems to have flared up again." Instructor Lin, waving a hand: "It's fine. I've already written to General Hua Rong." Xuanzang, smoking: "So what if she's gone mad? Who in this world isn't mad? Let her be mad for a while. She'll be fine." That's the kind of tone this story has: a mash-up of the Four Great Classical Novels, Chinese horror and Lovecraftian elements, plenty of original ideas, and everyone wildly out of character. Written purely for love. Theme: Keep hope in your heart and grow toward the light.