Chapter 01 - First Game

First Game is the first chapter of Saiyuki.

Summary
The Sanzo-ikkou stops at the town of Kochin and runs into a girl named Homei, who is being threatened by a bunch of thugs. After Gojyo and Goku beat up the bullies, Homei brings the ikkou to her family's inn where she and her father thank them with their hospitality. Sanzo asks about the yokai situation in the area, and Homei's father tells him that everything was peaceful until the local yokai population went berserk and killed ten humans before disappearing. Homei angrily bursts out that she hates yokai, and her father explains to them that a dear friend of hers was killed by them.

The Sanzo-ikkou retreats to a room at the inn to relax, where Sanzo reminisces on his meeting with the Sanbutsushin. The Sanbutsushin had informed him that the Seiten Sutra, which he should have inherited from his late master, Koumyou Sanzo, is being used for Gyumaoh's revival. The Maten Sutra, which Sanzo carries, has the power to shatter darkness, whereas the Seiten Sutra, which went missing on the night of Koumyou's murder, has the power to create light. Sanzo ponders on how the Seiten wound up in the west.

The Sanzo-ikkou retire to their individual rooms for the night. Later, while everyone is asleep, a man who arrived at the inn as part of a large group of traveling performers sneaks into Sanzo's room and attempts to kill him. Sanzo easily defends himself with hand-to-hand combat and holds his assailant at gun point. The man is revealed to be a yokai, and upon being threatened by Sanzo, admits that he is only following Kougaiji 's orders and reveals that other assassins have been sent to Goku, Gojyo, and Hakkai's rooms.

Suddenly, webbing shoots towards Sanzo and wraps around his arms, hands, and wrists, causing him to drop his gun. The web was created by the leader of the Dark Spider Clan, who has appeared in the room holding Homei as a hostage. She threatens to eat Sanzo and says that the rest of the ikkou will soon be joining him in death.