《西遊記》在布局上採用「過關」的寫法，其中所蘊含的宗教元素，既有道教的「持戒」之說，也有全真教的「酒色財氣」四戒，這些文化資源都取自道教聖傳、全真傳記。作者為了跳脫既有的敘述限制，乃加重配角、閒角群的份量，設計了一組佛、道俱有的護法群，既在暗中保護，也隨時驗察、全程俱在，後一安排直到全書之末才予揭露。作者面對原本的佛教取經故事，有意置入道教的知識，此一秘密即隱藏於層層話語下，故需細膩解讀其中所掩飾的消息：其一即襲用密教的准提咒，但行法驅遣護法群的寫法，則可能挪用了道教的天律說；其二敘寫行者雖也被護法群所驗察，但既有仙官的身分也就像法官一樣，有厄難即可差遣護法職司保護；其三就是細寫五聖如何在持戒中修行心性，將全真道規範性的「酒色財氣」四關予以小說化，同樣可以適用於佛門弟子的五聖。這種改寫之秘常在不經意中流露出來，即可推測作者面對世代累積的佛教傳統，在改寫時仍存在著心理壓力。故只能暗中使用道教資源，將其包裝於文本細節中。這種讀法雖也是一種假設，但將其置於當時的宗教語境中，卻方便詮釋「監護之眼」下的過關設計，這種「自小觀大」的創新寫法正是其改造成功之證。

The novel Journey to the West 西遊記is structured using a paradigm of “progressing through levels.” It makes use of religious concepts such as the Taoist “abiding by prohibitions” 持戒, which forbids the four cardinal vices of “wine, lust, avarice, and pride” taking from biographies of Taoist saints and the biography of Quanzhen 全真. In order to transcend the existing limitations of narrative, the novelist emphasizes the supporting cast, creating a group of divine protectors who secretly protect pilgrims throughout their entire journey, as well as testing them—an arrangement not fully exposed until the very end of the novel. The novelist deliberately incorporates Taoist knowledge into the original Buddhist story of pilgrimage. This “secret,” however, is hidden under layers of language, and requires that readers analyze hidden information. My paper discusses three examples: first, while the novel uses the Buddhist Cundi Incantation, the order to dispatch the divine protectors is very likely borrowed from the Taoist “heavenly principle.” Second, although Sun Wukong is also tested by the divine protectors, being immortal (similar to being a judge) enables him to order the protectors to guard pilgrims in trouble. Third, the novel details how the pilgrims, or the five saints, cultivate their minds during “abiding by prohibitions,” thus transforming the Quanzhen principle—the four cardinal vices—into stories, but at the same time maintaining the five saints’ identities as Buddhist followers. The underlying work of these adaptations is revealed incidentally in the novel. It indicates that the novelist contended with lingering pressures when adapting Buddhist tradition, which had been passed down through prior generations. Thus, he employs Taoist sources in secret, dressing them up with textual details. This reading approach is hypothetical; however, reading the novel against this religious context helps us interpret the literary trope of “progressing through levels” under “guardian eyes.” Such creativity in “viewing the large from the small” proves the successes of the novelist’s rewriting of Buddhist narratives.