The Xiyou ji, as a representative work of "novels of gods and demons" (shenmo xiaoshuo 神魔小說 ), has always engendered people's interest. Although elite readers can put forward all kinds of penetrating analyses, but because they lack or are distanced from the everyday knowledge and background of ordinary people, it is often difficult for them to understand the general context that the fictional texts depend on to be established, as well as the context in which the works are read. This paper strives to avoid this elitist position, and, by approaching or perhaps constructing the context of ordinary people's thinking, to treat anew the characteristics of the Xiyou ji. Through this route, we may realize, on the one hand, that for the ordinary reader, the Xiyou ji may have been perceived as the sacred herald of the Great Sage, Equal to Heaven (Qitian dasheng 齊天大聖). At the same time, Qitian dasheng faithful were not simply satisfied with fictional texts, and furthermore created related scriptures that reflect their understanding and interaction with the text. On the other hand, the Xiyou ji text conceals ritual structures and connotations of death and salvation, but it's not only through a textual analysis that we are we able to grasp them. In the daily lives of people, Xiyou ji themed implements, images, and stories exist in funerals and salvation rituals, indicating that ordinary people certainly are capable of fully understanding the structures and connotations related to the Xiyou ji.