Abstract: The first two chapters of Pilgrimage to the West have implied in metaphor that the “final finalizer” of the novel was the master and the disciple of Quanzhen Taoist Yan xi-yan of Qianyuan Temple in Maoshan in the time of Emperor Wanli of Ming Dynasty. By the implied train of thought of the novel, the paper once again decodes the truth of the preface by Chen Yuanzhi and “Zhenyuanzi” and “the leader of Huayang Cave.” In the text of Pilgrimage to the West, we can sense “the three in one” of corresponding each other and each representing another among artistic image of Zhenyuanzi appearing, Chen Yuanzhi, the author of the preface and “the finalizer” , Shu Benzhu, of Pilgrimage to the West appearing before its publication. By adding “the leader of Huayang Cave”, “the finalizer” will have three representatives, forming “the four in one”. Judged by “the three in one” or “the four in one, the preface by Chen Yuanzhi, i. e. written by Shu Benzhu, is “the confession” of “the finalizer”, the main contents of which include the re-implication that Yan Xiyan is the leader deciding the final draft of Pilgrimage to the West, the enlightened guidance to the drafting text of the novel and emphasis of alchemic study.

Key words: Pilgrimage to the West, Preface, Yan Xiyan, Shu Benzhu, Chen Yuanzhi