Tang Sanzang and his disciples arrived at The Webbed Hollow. Seeing a house in the distance, Tang Sanzang decided to go and beg for alms by himself. His three disciples declined to go, citing reasons of seniority and respect. However, Tang Sanzang insisted, "You usually handle the dangerous and distant places. This time it's right in front of us; let me go alone." The three disciples reluctantly agreed, and Tang Sanzang went to the house by himself.

Tang Sanzang Begs for Alms

Upon stating his purpose, Tang Sanzang was invited inside. He found seven extremely beautiful women who referred to each other as sisters. The house was sparsely furnished with simple stone tables and stools, and there was an eerie feeling in the air. Although he felt uneasy, he didn't want to return empty-handed, so he continued to beg for alms.

The eldest sister, who seemed to be in charge, instructed three of her younger sisters to prepare a meal while she and the remaining three engaged in small talk with Tang Sanzang. He had no idea that the meal they were preparing was human flesh. When the food was brought out, Tang Sanzang immediately sensed it wasn't vegetarian and refused to eat. The seven sisters began to blame him for being picky and wasting their efforts. As he apologized and tried to leave, they pushed him to the ground. The sisters then revealed their navels, from which white silk threads emerged, wrapping Tang Sanzang and suspending him from the ceiling.

The Seven Spider Yaoguais

After waiting for a long time without seeing their master return, the three disciples grew worried. Sun Wukong decided to check on him. Sneaking into the house, he found it empty except for a cocoon of spider silk containing Tang Sanzang. Sun Wukong thought to himself that one strike with his golden staff could break the silk, but it might also injure his master and alert the Yaoguais. He decided to consult the local keeper about the Yaoguais' origins first.

The keeper informed Sun Wukong, "This mountain is called Webbed Ridge, and within it is Webbed Hollow, home to seven female Yaoguais who are spider Yaoguais. They bathe daily in a hot spring three miles away, and they should be there now." Sun Wukong transformed into a fly and went to the hot spring, where he saw the seven spider Yaoguais discussing how they planned to steam and eat Tang Sanzang. Sun Wukong thought that raising the water temperature would handle the Yaoguais, but he didn’t want to tarnish his reputation by fighting women. Instead, he decided to delay them while rescuing his master. He transformed into an eagle and stole their clothes.

Returning to other disciples, he explained the situation and prepared to rescue their master. However, Zhu Bajie was more interested in the clothes Sun Wukong had stolen. After explaining again, Zhu Bajie insisted they should defeat the Yaoguais first to save Tang Sanzang, using the excuse of ridding the world of evil. Sun Wukong, not wanting to fight, told Zhu Bajie to handle it himself while he and Sha Wujing rescued their master.

Zhu Bajie Battles the Yaoguais

Zhu Bajie, excited and waving his rake, ran to the hot spring and found the seven beautiful women lamenting the loss of their clothes. Zhu Bajie shamelessly requested to bathe with them. The sisters refused and mocked him, but he ignored them, stripped down, and jumped into the pool. The sisters, enraged, attacked him, but Zhu Bajie, an excellent swimmer, turned into a catfish and swam around them. After toying with them, he emerged from the pool, revealed his identity, and challenged them to a fight. The furious sisters, ignoring their lack of clothing, attacked him with their spider silk, wrapping him up tightly. Zhu Bajie struggled and could only watch helplessly as the sisters fled.

The sisters returned to Webbed Hollow, dressed quickly, and realized they were in big trouble. Afraid Zhu Bajie would return, they left Tang Sanzang behind and sent some minor Yaoguais to stall Zhu Bajie while they fled to the Temple of Yellow Flowers to seek refuge with their senior brother.

After freeing himself from the spider silk, Zhu Bajie rejoined Sun Wukong and Sha Wujing. They fought off the minor Yaoguais blocking their path and rescued Tang Sanzang from Webbed Hollow. Seeing that the spider Yaoguais had fled, they decided not to pursue them further. After a brief rest and some dry food, they continued their journey.

Reflecting on the ordeal, Tang Sanzang remarked, "Truly, everyone has their own expertise. From now on, you disciples should handle the begging for alms."