Six-Eared Macaque

If even Diting dared not speak the truth, can the answer to the mystery of the True and False Monkey Kings truly be trusted?

This question has haunted readers for over four hundred years. In Chapter 58, Diting crouches on the ground, listening for a long while, and explicitly tells Yama King: "I have heard the demon's true identity, but I cannot say." It was not that he could not discern it—it was that he dared not speak. A divine beast capable of "listening to eight hundred while sitting and three thousand while lying" identified the truth yet chose silence, subsequently pushing two identical monkeys toward Lingshan to be judged by Rulai Buddha. Rulai's verdict was: this is the Six-Eared Macaque, one of the Four Mischievous Monkeys, who is "good at listening and discerning reason, knowing the past and future, and clear on all things." As soon as the words fell, the Golden Bowl descended, and Wukong struck him dead with a single blow. The case ended there—but did the truth actually come to light? Or did we simply receive a "standard answer issued by the highest authority"? The reason the "True and False Monkey Kings" remains the most unforgettable story arc in Journey to the West is not because it provided an answer, but because it ensures that one can never fully believe that answer.

Foreshadowing in Chapter 56: Why Wukong Killed the Bandits

It all began with a murder in Chapter 56.

As the pilgrimage party traveled through a desolate mountain, they encountered a gang of bandits blocking the road. The original text is very blunt—these bandits were ordinary mountain thieves, possessing no demonic aura or magic; they were merely "petty thieves cutting across the path." Tang Sanzang was tied to a tree, and upon arriving, Sun Wukong dispersed the bandits with a few quick strikes. The matter should have ended there. But Wukong did not stop—he chased down the fleeing bandit leader and killed him with a single blow of his staff.

Not a demon, not an evil spirit, but a living human being.

There was a similar precedent earlier in the text. In Chapter 14, Wukong killed six bandits (named "Eye-Seeing Joy, Ear-Hearing Rage, Nose-Smelling Love, Tongue-Tasting Thought, Mind-Seeing Desire, and Body-Itself Worry"—clearly allegorical "Six Bandits" representing the six senses). Tang Sanzang reprimanded him then as well, but that instance was underpinned by the metaphor of the "Six Roots," which readers could interpret as the removal of obstacles during spiritual cultivation. Chapter 56 is different—these bandits had no allegorical names and no symbolic meaning; they were simply a group of mortals stealing money. After killing them, Wukong even brought the severed head before Tang Sanzang. Terrified, Tang Sanzang trembled "with fear," recited a Rebirth Mantra to deliver the souls of the dead, and then spoke severely to Wukong—essentially saying, "Since you kill and take lives like this, I dare not keep you any longer."

Wukong's reaction is also worth careful study. He did not submit or admit fault as he had before; instead, his "temper flared," and he said: "Master, if you do not want me, I shall simply return to Flower-Fruit Mountain." The subtext of this sentence is: it doesn't matter if you don't want me; I have my own home. This attitude enraged Tang Sanzang, who immediately recited the Band-Tightening Spell. Wukong rolled on the ground in agony and flew away in rage.

This scene is the true starting point of the entire "True and False Monkey Kings" story. Wu Cheng'en used an entire chapter to lay the groundwork for a core conflict: the rift between the "monkey nature" in Wukong's heart (decisive in killing, unrestrained) and the "monk nature" required by the pilgrimage party (compassionate, abstaining from killing). This rift had accumulated countless times in the preceding chapters—every time Wukong fought a demon, Tang Sanzang would nag him to "not harm human life"—but Chapter 56 was the first total eruption. The rupture between master and disciple was not caused by a demon, but by an ethical disagreement over "what should be killed and what should not."

Wukong flew to Guanyin to lodge a complaint. Shortly after his departure, a monkey identical to him appeared before Tang Sanzang.

The Four Mischievous Monkeys: Existences Outside the Ten Categories

In Chapter 58, Rulai spoke a crucial passage to the assembled Bodhisattvas and Arhats in the Thunder Monastery:

"Within the heavens there are five immortals: Heaven, Earth, Spirit, Human, and Ghost. There are five insects: Worm, Scale, Fur, Feather, and Insect. There are also four monkeys that confuse the world, who do not enter the seeds of the ten categories."

This passage is the ultimate footnote to the identity of the Six-Eared Macaque. All living beings in heaven and earth are divided into ten great categories—the "Five Immortals and Five Insects." Immortals have records, demons have registrations, and even ghosts are listed in the Book of Life and Death in the Yama Hall. But the "Four Mischievous Monkeys" do not fall within these ten categories. They are existences outside the classification system, blind spots in the order of the universe.

The four monkeys are: the Spirit-Bright Stone Monkey (capable of transformation, knowing the timing of heaven and the advantages of earth—Wukong), the Red-Bottomed Horse Monkey (knowing yin and yang, understanding human affairs, skilled in entering and exiting), the Long-Armed Ape Monkey (grasping the sun and moon, shrinking a thousand mountains, discerning good and evil), and the Six-Eared Macaque (good at listening and discerning reason, knowing the past and future, and clear on all things). Each of the four monkeys possesses divine powers, but their common characteristic is that they "do not enter the ten categories"—meaning all identification methods based on the "Ten Category" system are completely useless against them.

This explains a problem that has left readers perplexed: why couldn't the Demon-Revealing Mirror expose him? Why couldn't he be found in the Book of Life and Death? Why did both monkeys cry out in pain when the Band-Tightening Spell was recited? It is because all these methods are built upon the "Ten Category" system. The Demon-Revealing Mirror distinguishes between demons and non-demons, but the Six-Eared Macaque is not something within the "demon" category. The Book of Life and Death records beings with household registrations among the "Five Immortals and Five Insects," but the Six-Eared Macaque has no registration. The Band-Tightening Spell constrains those wearing a fillet, and the Six-Eared Macaque's ability to "listen and discern reason" allowed him to perfectly replicate even the sensation of the fillet—he didn't "also wear a fillet," but rather he could perceive the vibration frequency of the mantra and synchronously produce a pain response.

"Not entering the ten categories" is an extreme concept in Buddhist and Taoist cosmologies. The ten categories cover everything—from the highest heavenly immortals to the lowest insects, from the living of the yang world to the ghosts of the yin realm. To say an existence "does not enter the ten categories" is to say it does not exist on the cosmic ledger. No origin, no affiliation, no record. It simply appears, like a bug in the system.

Why did Wu Cheng'en design such an existence? One possible answer is: he needed an opponent against whom "all means of identification would fail" in order to push the proposition of "truth versus falsehood" to its absolute limit. If the Demon-Revealing Mirror had exposed the truth instantly, the story would have ended in two pages. Only when all means fail—Guanyin fails, Yama fails, Diting fails—and finally only Rulai remains to provide the answer, can the story touch upon the question it truly wishes to explore: in a world where all conventional standards have failed, in whose hands does the power to define "truth" reside?

Perfect Replication: From the Ruyi Jingu Bang to the Tight Fillet

The Six-Eared Macaque's replication of Wukong reached a level that was truly chilling.

Their appearance was identical—"the same dress, the same face" (Chapter 57)—down to the exact number of hairs, the tiger-skin skirt, and the cloud-patterned boots. Their voices were indistinguishable; as the two monkeys hurled insults at one another before Guanyin, even she "found it difficult to tell them apart." Their martial arts were equally matched; they fought for hundreds of rounds without a victor, battling from the earth to the Heavenly Palace, from the Heavenly Palace to the Netherworld, and from the Netherworld to Lingshan, neither able to gain the upper hand.

Even more startling was the replication of equipment. The Ruyi Jingu Bang is the Sea-Hushing Divine Needle of the East Sea Dragon Palace, a divine weapon unique in all the world. Yet, the "Heart-Following Iron Staff" held by the Six-Eared Macaque was exactly the same, changing size at will with the same weight and power. The original text never explains the origin of this weapon. It could not be another Sea-Hushing Divine Needle (as the Dragon Palace only has one), nor could it have been stolen from the Heavenly Palace's armory (for if a weapon of such caliber were missing, the Heavens would have been turned upside down). The most logical explanation is that the Macaque's ability to "listen to all sounds and discern reason, knowing all things past and present" was not merely a sensory perception of information, but a material replication—he could "hear" the essence of the Ruyi Jingu Bang and somehow manifest it.

The most inconceivable part was the Tight Fillet. This was placed upon Wukong by Guanyin's own hand, with the mantra held by Tang Sanzang, creating a unique binding between the fillet and the person. Yet, the Six-Eared Macaque also wore an identical golden fillet, and both cried out in pain when Tang Sanzang recited the spell. When Guanyin herself recited the Tight Fillet spell, "both cried out in misery" (end of Chapter 57 into 58). Even Guanyin was bewildered—she had provided the fillet and designed the binding mechanism, yet here was a replica that even she could not distinguish.

The perfection of this replication raises a profound question: if two beings are identical in every observable dimension, where does the distinction between the "original" and the "replica" actually lie? There is no difference on a physical level. No difference in capability. No difference in appearance. Even on the level of magical binding, there is no difference. The only distinction exists on an unverifiable plane: "who appeared first." But even this distinction becomes blurred under the setting of the Six-Eared Macaque's ability to "know all things past and present"; he knows everything that has ever happened and can perfectly recount all of Wukong's memories and experiences. When the two monkeys stand together and each tells their own origin, every detail matches perfectly. No one can tell them apart by "testing their memories."

Here, Wu Cheng'en touches upon a philosophical deep end: an extreme version of the Ship of Theseus. If a replica is identical to the original in every single attribute, is it still "fake"? If the definition of "real" does not depend on any observable attribute, then what does it depend on?

Guanyin Cannot Tell, Yama Dares Not Speak, Diting Dares Not Utter

Wu Cheng'en designed the process of discerning truth from falsehood as a three-stage chain of failure, where each failure is deeper and more unsettling than the last.

The first stage: Guanyin Bodhisattva. The two Wukongs fought their way to Mount Potalaka in the South Sea, each claiming his own truth before Guanyin. Guanyin is the inventor of the Tight Fillet, Wukong's most important benefactor on the journey, and the symbol of wisdom in Journey to the West, second only to Rulai. She attempted to use the Tight Fillet spell—her most confident method, as she had personally established the binding. The result was both monkeys rolling on the ground in pain simultaneously. Guanyin admitted on the spot: "I also cannot tell." The weight of this failure is immense—it means "the creator cannot distinguish their own product from a counterfeit." Guanyin then had Muzha take them to the Heavenly Palace to try the Jade Emperor's Demon-Revealing Mirror. The mirror "showed their forms to be the same, their Ruyi Jingu Bangs the same, only that there were two sets of ears"—the mirror could confirm there were two, but it could not say which was real.

The second stage: The Palace of Yama. The two monkeys fought from the Heavenly Palace down to the Netherworld. Yama searched the Book of Life and Death but found no result—the Six-Eared Macaque "does not belong to the ten classes," and there was no record of him in the book. Then Diting appeared. This divine beast, who serves beside Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, is established as the most sensitive auditory being in the universe—"listening to eight hundred while sitting, and three thousand while lying." Diting lay on the ground, listened intently, and then whispered to Yama: "Though the demon's name may be discerned, it must not be spoken aloud. First, the demon is cunning; second, the Great Sage has three brothers, and the Dragon Kings, Yama, and Heavenly Soldiers can be summoned at any time. If the truth is spoken and the demon's malice is sparked, the Netherworld will be unable to withstand it. It is better to let them go to Lingshan, where the Buddha himself can discern."

The information in Diting's words is staggering. First, he did hear the truth—"the demon's name may be discerned" is explicit. Second, he dared not speak—because the consequence of doing so would be the Six-Eared Macaque running amok in the Netherworld, and the Netherworld lacked the power to subdue him. Third, he made a political judgment—this matter could only be handled by Rulai, for only Rulai possessed sufficient power and authority to end the dispute.

The absence of a third stage is precisely the most intriguing part. Diting knew the truth, but he chose silence, deferring the judgment to Rulai. This choice is morally contentious—he could have exposed the truth on the spot, yet he chose "safety first." Diting's silence reflects a cruel reality: in the world of power, the value of truth does not depend on the truth itself, but on "who has the capacity to bear the consequences of revealing it." Diting could not bear it, so the truth was sealed in the Netherworld until it was delivered before a judge powerful enough to handle it.

From Guanyin to Yama to Diting, the capacity for discernment increases at each level: Guanyin could not see it, Yama's system could not find it, and Diting heard it but dared not speak. This progressive structure is exquisitely designed—it is not a simple repetition of "cannot tell," but a demonstration of three different levels of "helplessness": insufficient ability (Guanyin), system failure (Yama), and knowing but fearing (Diting). The third is the most terrifying, for it means the truth already existed, yet was actively suppressed due to fear.

Rulai's Judgment: The Ultimate Verdict Beneath the Golden Bowl

The two monkeys fought from the Netherworld to Lingshan, continuing their struggle before the Great Hall of Eternal Bliss. Rulai, seated upon the lotus throne, delivered a lengthy discourse on the "Four Mischievous Monkeys," and then shifted his tone—"I see that the false Wukong is the Six-Eared Macaque."

The moment the words were spoken, the Six-Eared Macaque was "stricken with panic" and transformed into a bee to escape. With a flip of his hand, Rulai lowered the Purple-Gold Alms Bowl, trapping the bee inside. When the bowl was lifted, the original form of the Six-Eared Macaque was revealed. Wukong swung his Ruyi Jingu Bang and killed him with a single blow.

The entire trial was exceptionally swift. From the moment Rulai spoke to the death of the Six-Eared Macaque, the original text uses less than two pages. Compared to the dozens of pages of failed identification that preceded it, Rulai's verdict was so abrupt as to be suspicious.

How did Rulai discern the truth? The original text provides no technical explanation. He did not use the Demon-Revealing Mirror, he did not recite the Tight Fillet spell, he did not search the Book of Life and Death, nor did he ask Diting to listen—he simply "observed" and announced the result. In a Buddhist context, this "observation" has a specific meaning—the Buddha's eye perceives all dharmas—but for the reader, it is essentially a circular argument: "because he is Rulai, he can see it."

More critical is the reaction of the Six-Eared Macaque. The instant Rulai uttered the words "Six-Eared Macaque," the false Wukong immediately showed panic—this is the first and only time in the entire book that the Macaque reacts differently from Wukong. Before this, whether facing Guanyin, Yama, or the Heavenly Generals, he remained as composed and flawless as Wukong. But the moment Rulai spoke, he collapsed. This allows for two interpretations: first, Rulai's discernment truly transcends all, and the Macaque knew he could no longer hide; second, it was not that Rulai "saw" the truth, but that Rulai's authority itself constituted the verdict—whoever he declares fake is fake, requiring no proof.

The detail of the Six-Eared Macaque turning into a bee to escape is also significant. Until then, he had fought and argued with Wukong with total confidence, claiming he was the real one. If he truly "listened to all sounds and discerned reason, knowing all things past and present," he should have known long ago that Rulai could see through him—so why come to Lingshan at all? Was it a failure of judgment? Or did he simply have no choice—since Lingshan was the only place capable of ending the dispute, coming or not coming both led to a dead end?

Once trapped by the bowl, Wukong killed him with one blow. Rulai did not intervene. This is starkly different from how he handled other demons—the Golden-Winged Great Peng was kept by his side, the Yellow Brow Demon King was taken back by Maitreya Buddha, and even a minor demon like the White Bone Demon was given a requiem by Tang Sanzang. But the Six-Eared Macaque? He was killed on the spot, without salvation, without subjugation, and without a second chance. Rulai only said, "Excellent, excellent"—a Buddhist term used at the moment a life was extinguished by a single blow, calm to the point of cruelty.

One Blow to Death: The Most Decisive Demon Termination in the Book

The Six-Eared Macaque is the demon with the most abrupt end in Journey to the West. He was not subdued and taken back to Heaven, nor was he released after being beaten back into his original form, nor was he imprisoned in some grotto or magical artifact for future use—he was simply struck dead with a single blow, perishing on the spot.

The anomaly of this ending lies in its "absoluteness." In Journey to the West, the vast majority of demons are not killed. The Bull Demon King was subdued by having his nose pierced and sent to Lingshan to be set right; Red Boy was taken in by Guanyin as the Sudhana Child; the Yellow Wind Demon was subdued by Lingji Bodhisattva using the Flying Dragon Staff; the Scorpion Spirit was only killed after being countered by the Pleiades Star Official's Cock-Crow Technique—and even then, it was because the Scorpion Spirit's toxicity was truly insurmountable. Most demons with a pedigree are "returned to their original owners": whoever's lost mount, attendant, or pet they were, that person takes them back. Only minor demons without a pedigree are killed outright.

The Six-Eared Macaque was no minor demon. He was one of the "Four Mischievous Monkeys," an entity of the same rank as Wukong. Yet he had no master, no pedigree, and no one to claim him. Rulai stated that he "did not fall into the ten categories"—the flip side of this statement is that no god or Buddha needed to be responsible for his existence, and no power within the establishment would plead for mercy on his behalf. He was a complete "outsider," so his death required no formalities—no official documents, no approvals, and no cleanup. With one blow from Wukong, everything was settled.

This method of handling suggests a cruel logic: in the universe of Journey to the West, the "manner of death" of a being depends on its position within the establishment. Those with a formal status—stray mounts of Heaven, fugitive attendants of the Buddhist fold—cannot be killed or must not be killed, because they have backing. Those without status—the White Bone Demon, the Spider Spirits, various rogue cultivators and wild monsters—can be killed, though there is usually a ritual involved (such as salvation or soul-collecting). The Six-Eared Macaque, however, didn't even count as "without status"—he "did not fall into the ten categories," meaning he simply did not exist in the cosmic household registration system. Killing something that does not exist is not even considered "taking a life."

After Wukong killed the Six-Eared Macaque, Rulai simply said, "Excellent, excellent," and then had Guanyin send Wukong back to continue the pilgrimage. This single sentence constituted the entirety of the aftermath. There was no investigation into the Six-Eared Macaque's origins, no inquiry into how he cultivated abilities identical to Wukong's, and no reflection on why the entire surveillance system of Heaven and the Netherworld was completely ineffective against him. Once a being who could deceive the Demon-Revealing Mirror, fool the Tight Fillet, and remain invisible in the Book of Life and Death was struck dead, everyone returned home relieved. This "lack of pursuit" is itself an attitude—killing him was enough; do not think any deeper.

The Theory of "Two Minds": Wu Cheng'en's Zen Metaphor

The title of Chapter 58 is "Two Minds Disturb the Great Universe, One Body Struggles to Cultivate True Nirvana." These fourteen characters serve as the philosophical outline for the entire story arc.

"Two Minds" is a core concept in the context of Zen Buddhism. The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch speaks of "one mind not giving rise to a second thought." The ultimate goal of Buddhist practice is "one mind undisturbed"—where only one thought exists in the heart: right mindfulness. Once a second thought arises, it is "two minds," the root of delusion, obsession, and evil intent. What was Wukong's "two minds"? It was the thought in his heart that "did not want to be controlled" and "wanted to return to Flower-Fruit Mountain to be King." In Chapter 56, after killing bandits, he told Tang Sanzang, "If you don't want me, I'll go back to Flower-Fruit Mountain"—this sentence is the externalization of "two minds." He claimed to be willing to seek the scriptures, but in his heart, he always kept a retreat: "if I'm done, I'm leaving."

Wu Cheng'en externalized this internal conflict into a physical entity—the Six-Eared Macaque. The Six-Eared Macaque was not an enemy from the outside, but a projection of Wukong's own heart. He injured Tang Sanzang, stole the luggage, and returned to Flower-Fruit Mountain to form a fake pilgrimage group—these actions were precisely what Wukong most desired when his "mind-monkey" was restless in Chapter 56. At the moment Wukong was driven away by Tang Sanzang, these thoughts must have flashed through his mind: I might as well just beat Tang Sanzang, take the luggage, and go back to Flower-Fruit Mountain to be the Great King myself. He did not act on these thoughts, but they coalesced into the Six-Eared Macaque.

The words Rulai spoke after revealing the truth support this interpretation. He did not treat the Six-Eared Macaque as an external intruder, but characterized the entire affair as a problem of Wukong's own cultivation. The gist of what he told Wukong was: if your heart is not pure, such demonic obstacles will arise; only with "one mind" can one "cultivate true nirvana." In other words, the Six-Eared Macaque was not an enemy Wukong needed to destroy, but a version of himself that Wukong needed to overcome.

From this perspective, Wukong's act of killing the Six-Eared Macaque takes on a new meaning: he was not killing a demon, but killing the "two minds" within his own heart. After Chapter 58, Wukong's personality indeed underwent a noticeable change—he became more obedient, argued less with Tang Sanzang, and felt less murderous intent. That flamboyant Great Sage Equal to Heaven, always ready to throw in the towel, gradually vanished after Chapter 58. From the perspective of cultivation, this was the success of "removing two minds and returning to one thought"; from a character perspective, it was more like a loss—a vivid soul had its sharpest edges worn away.

"One body struggles to cultivate true nirvana"—"one body" refers to the fact that Wukong and the Six-Eared Macaque were originally one. The two monkeys were not two independent beings, but two sides of a single existence. Killing the Six-Eared Macaque was killing half of oneself. The price of cultivation is becoming an incomplete version of oneself.

This is perhaps the deepest tragedy in the story of the "True and False Monkey King": regardless of which one was beaten to death, the one who survived was no longer whole.

A Four-Hundred-Year Cold Case: Who Was Actually Killed?

Returning to the question at the beginning of the article: if even Diting dared not speak the truth, must Rulai's answer be correct?

There is a widely circulated folk interpretation suggesting that the one killed was the real Wukong, and the survivor was the Six-Eared Macaque. Those who hold this view usually offer several reasons: First, the Six-Eared Macaque "was good at listening and discerning reason, knowing all things past and future"; he should have known that going to Lingshan meant certain death, so why go? Unless the one going to Lingshan was the real Wukong—believing that Rulai would grant him justice. Second, Wukong's personality changed drastically after Chapter 58, and he never showed a rebellious spirit again—this is unlike the Great Sage Equal to Heaven who refused to submit even after being pressed under a mountain for five hundred years. Third, Rulai needed an obedient pilgrim; the Six-Eared Macaque was more useful to him than the recalcitrant real Wukong.

This interpretation is difficult to sustain based on the text—the original work explicitly describes Rulai's identification process, and the Six-Eared Macaque revealed his original form after being captured by the Golden Bowl—but it has endured because it touches upon a genuine pain point of the story: we cannot verify Rulai's judgment. Throughout the entire identification process, there was no third-party witness who could independently confirm whether Rulai was right. Diting heard the answer but did not speak; Rulai announced the answer but did not explain. In legal terms, this is an "unappealable final judgment." You can believe it, but you cannot prove it.

This "unverifiable authoritative judgment" is precisely Wu Cheng'en's most brilliant narrative design. He leaves the reader in a state of perpetual "half-belief and half-doubt"—those who trust Rulai feel the case is closed, while those who doubt him feel the truth has been covered up by power. The countless debates over the past four hundred years prove the success of this story: it created a cold case that can never be fully closed.

The Six-Eared Macaque is also the most extreme inquiry into the concept of "identity" in Journey to the West. In a universe where everything is categorized, he is the only existence that "did not fall into the ten categories." In a story where everyone has a clear identity, he is the only impostor. In a moral system where good and evil are distinct, his morality depends entirely on "who Rulai says he is." After he was struck dead, no one performed rites for him, and no one remembered his name—the only evidence that he ever existed is that Wukong became a more "obedient" monkey from then on.

Related Characters

• Sun Wukong — The target of the Six-Eared Macaque's impersonation; both are Spirit-Bright Stone Monkeys among the Four Mischievous Monkeys. Their ultimate duel spans chapters 56 to 58, finally ended by a single blow from Wukong's staff. In Buddhist metaphor, the Six-Eared Macaque is viewed as the externalization of Wukong's "two minds."
• Tang Sanzang — The direct victim of the True and False Monkey King incident. In chapter 56, he casts Wukong away because of the latter's killing of humans; in chapter 57, he is injured by the False Wukong, who steals his luggage and Imperial Travel Pass. The conflict between master and disciple serves as the trigger for the Six-Eared Macaque's appearance.
• Guanyin — The first level of failed identification. As the inventor of the Band-Tightening Spell, she finds that both monkeys suffer headaches simultaneously upon the chanting of the mantra. Guanyin admits on the spot, "I too cannot tell them apart," and suggests seeking Rulai.
• Diting — The mount of Ksitigarbha, possessing the supernatural hearing to "listen to eight hundred while sitting and three thousand while lying." After listening while prone, Diting clearly distinguishes the true from the false, yet fearing the Six-Eared Macaque would wreak havoc in the Underworld, he dares not reveal the truth and defers the judgment to Rulai.
• Yama King — The second level of failed identification. Upon searching the Book of Life and Death, no record of the Six-Eared Macaque is found—since he "does not belong to the ten categories," such an entry simply does not exist within the Underworld's registry system.
• Rulai Buddha — The ultimate arbiter. He reveals the theory of the "Four Mischievous Monkeys" and uses the Golden Bowl to trap the Six-Eared Macaque, forcing him to reveal his original form. He is the only being in the entire book capable of identifying and subjugating the Six-Eared Macaque.
• Zhu Bajie — The Six-Eared Macaque uses monkey soldiers to create a fake Bajie, a fake Sha Wujing, and a fake Tang Sanzang, establishing a counterfeit pilgrimage party on Flower-Fruit Mountain. Upon discovering this, the real Bajie rushes back to report the news, driving the process of distinguishing truth from falsehood.
• Sha Wujing — The first member to notice the anomaly. In chapter 57, Sha Wujing travels to Flower-Fruit Mountain to investigate and witnesses the existence of the fake pilgrimage party with his own eyes, subsequently seeking a way to identify the impostor across various locations under Guanyin's guidance.