Late at night, a streak of golden light slipped through the clouds and swept across the sky, quietly making its way toward the capital of the Dharma‑Quest Kingdom.
Under the cover of night, Barry Bear carried a basin of hot water into the house, completely oblivious to the strange phenomenon in the sky.
He walked all the way to the door, hooked it open with his foot, and stepped inside.
Inside, Tripitaka was tidying up his bedding. Seeing Barry Bear, he quickly said, "Let me handle these things myself, there's no need to trouble you."
Saying this, he put down the quilt in his hands and stepped over, intending to take the basin of hot water.
But Barry Bear, without giving him a chance, squeezed past Tripitaka, walked step by step to the bedside, and set the basin down with a bow. "Tripitaka, you've suffered so much on this journey. Let me take care of these chores for you."
"I've been weary from the journey, but so has everyone else. How could I..."
"It's not the same, not at all," Barry Bear waved his hand. "The rest of us have cultivation. Even if we walked for ten days and nights without sleep, it wouldn't matter. Tripitaka, you can't compare to us."
With that, Barry Bear lowered his head and headed out the door. Once outside, he closed it behind him, leaving Tripitaka inside to sigh softly.
In another room around the corner, Marshal Silver watched Barry Bear through the window lattice and sighed quietly, "Don't you think Barry's been a bit too eager lately?"
"Eager?" Monkey had one foot on the bench, cracking sunflower seeds, and replied languidly, "He's always been this way—hardworking and never complaining. He was never part of the plan, just added in at the last minute, and now... heh, I almost feel bad for him. If I ever attain the Dao and return to Blossom Mountain, I’ll make him a great general. Honest folks like him deserve a chance to shine, don’t you think?"
"He’s always been diligent, but now he’s even more so—especially when it comes to anything involving Tripitaka. He always rushes to do it." Marshal Silver folded his arms and slowly turned around. "But honestly, I didn’t expect this leg of the journey to go so smoothly. These people in the Dharma‑Quest Kingdom... Barry Bear showed his true form, and they weren’t afraid. Not only were they unafraid, they even let us stay in this mansion. In any other city-state, forget Barry—just you, with your looks, would’ve caused all kinds of trouble."
"Maybe our hardships are finally over?" Monkey spat out the sunflower seed shell, then dumped the whole plate of seeds into his own pocket.
Marshal Silver frowned as he watched from the side.
Monkey tilted his head and grinned at Marshal Silver, "You don’t eat sunflower seeds, right? Since you don’t eat them, they’re all mine. I’ll grab the seeds from the other rooms too."
Marshal Silver pursed his lips and glanced outside.
"As long as you’re happy. Are you planning to keep watch tonight?"
"If I don’t, will you? I can’t relax. The calmer things look, the more careful you have to be. For all we know, this could be a setup."
With that, Monkey stepped outside, leapt onto the roof, and in the blink of an eye, settled in with his sunflower seeds.
Soon, an old man—hair white, toothless, leaning on a cane—arrived at Tripitaka’s door, surrounded by his family and servants.