In Journey to the West, all pilgrims bear the weight of celestial crimes: the Golden Cicada’s negligence toward Buddhist law, the White Dragon Horse burning the Jade Emperor’s divine pearl, Sha Wujing shattering the crystal goblet, and Sun Wukong’s litany of offenses — extorting the Dragon King of the Eastern Sea, tampering with the Book of Life, destroying heavenly property, leading a syndicate (as King of Flower-Fruit Mountain), and stealing immortal peaches, elixirs, and imperial wine.
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