That question instantly drove Marshal Silver into a corner. He stood there, stunned, unable to speak for a long while, his gaze flickering with uncertainty.
After all, Old Master Gale was Nisha's father—even if only in this life, he was still her father. In the fallen marshal’s heart, the order of 'Heaven, Earth, Sovereign, Parent, Teacher' was eternal and unchanging.
It had taken all of Tripitaka’s persuasion to finally earn Old Master Gale’s forgiveness. Was he supposed to say ‘no’ at such a moment?
He couldn’t say it, nor could he even find words to explain.
What’s more, Nisha was still watching him expectantly from the side. He suddenly felt that this calm-faced monk before him was actually far more troublesome than that fierce, demonic monkey.
After a long hesitation, all he could do was nod slightly.
Seeing this, Old Master Gale—unaware of the earlier events—simply nodded quietly. The others all breathed a sigh of relief, and even Nisha did the same.
Nisha carefully looked at her father and said softly, "Since it's settled, and night has already fallen, why not stay a few days before heading out?"
"Stay a few days?" Old Master Gale pointed toward the villagers lurking in the distance and said, "With them hanging around here, do you think that's appropriate?"
"Well..." Nisha looked helplessly at her father. The words she was about to say caught in her throat.
Tripitaka pressed his palms together and said, "We won’t trouble Old Master Gale and the villagers any longer. We’ll set out right away."
"Very well," Old Master Gale nodded, glanced at Marshal Silver, and said, "Go early, come back early."
With that, Old Master Gale turned and walked back toward the manor.
After Old Master Gale left, Nisha said, "I’ll go help you pack a few things."
"Pack what?" Marshal Silver asked.
"Who knows how long you’ll be gone? True, you know transformation magic, but..." Nisha didn’t finish. She pressed her lips together, looked at Marshal Silver for a long time, then bowed slightly, lowered her head, and walked into the manor.
Watching Nisha’s departing figure, Marshal Silver couldn’t help but feel a little lost.
Today was supposed to be a day of celebration, yet he had revealed his true form and ruined everything. Worse still, he was now about to escort a monk westward alongside his lifelong enemy.
Only when Nisha’s silhouette vanished from sight did Marshal Silver press his palms together and bow deeply to Tripitaka, saying, "Thank you, Master Tripitaka, for resolving the crisis."
Tripitaka returned the gesture, saying, "Marshal, there’s no need for such courtesy. I only did what little I could. Besides, I acted without your permission—please forgive me."
"Master Tripitaka, you flatter me."
With that, Marshal Silver turned away, sat cross-legged to the side, his eyes drifting now and then toward the manor, and occasionally glancing at Monkey.
Monkey couldn’t help but laugh, "What kind of question is that? If he didn’t come ask me for peaches, why would I be angry? Actually, when he did come for peaches, it was a real headache for me. Don’t forget, back then my cultivation wasn’t much stronger than his. If he hadn’t come, I’d have felt much more at ease."
"Exactly," Tripitaka sighed. "Actually, Great Sage, you think the problem lies with Marshal Silver, but in fact, it’s just the opposite—the problem lies with you."
With that, Tripitaka glanced at Monkey, shook his head helplessly, and walked over to his travel pack.
"How so?" Monkey asked in confusion.
"Doesn’t it feel familiar?" Tripitaka adjusted his Buddha-crown, gazed at the bright moon, and said, "Back then, when you subdued Nine-Headed Wyrm, wasn’t it this very trick? Hundreds of years have passed, yet it’s the bystander who remembers most clearly."
Tripitaka pressed his palms together and said, "Actually, the problems you faced with these two people are nearly the same, and could be solved in the same way. The only difference is your attitude toward them. Nine-Headed Wyrm was willing to submit, so you went along with it and everything worked out. Marshal Silver, however, gritted his teeth and refused to listen to you… There’s a saying: ‘A good heart gets bitten by a dog.’"
Monkey was stunned, then thought for a moment and laughed, nodding, "Exactly, that’s how I feel. It’s clearly a mutually beneficial arrangement, yet he causes me so much trouble. If he actually had some skill, it’d be fine, but he can’t even take one of my moves and still tries to act tough. To put it bluntly, he’s just asking for it. If you weren’t here, I might have really killed him just now—out of sight, out of mind."
Tripitaka smiled, took a deep breath, and continued, "Back then, when I received the imperial edict to go west, I wanted to save all beings, but Emperor Taizong threw me in prison and sentenced me to death. In the imperial jail, the Buddha told me: ‘All beings are ignorant and refuse to listen, so salvation is impossible.’ But I insisted on going west. You see, the journey is meant to save all beings—how could I solve everything with a cudgel? What, kill everyone who refuses to listen? If that worked, why would I be needed? If that were the way, ten times the distance wouldn’t be enough to attain the Way. Great Sage, don’t you agree?"
Monkey looked up at Tripitaka, "What are you trying to say? Go with the flow? Like you did with Goldenpool?"
Tripitaka shook his head, held up a finger, "That’s just one aspect."
"What else?"
Tripitaka pursed his lips, thought carefully, and asked softly, "Great Sage, have you ever heard the difference between ‘inclusion’ and ‘forbearance’?"
At this, Monkey’s eyes took on a teasing look.
He turned, sat cross-legged, and said with a grin, "Please, Master Tripitaka, explain it to me. Since you helped me out today, you can talk as much as you like."
In the distance, Marshal Silver saw Monkey suddenly break into a smile and couldn’t help but perk up his ears to listen closely.
Tripitaka laughed as well, but didn’t refuse. He cleared his throat and said slowly, "Great Sage, you know I’m the reincarnation of Saint Cicada. But do you know why Saint Cicada chose to reincarnate, instead of attaining enlightenment in his own lifetime?"
Monkey shook his head, "Never thought about it."
"Come to think of it, they really aren’t the same," Tripitaka sighed softly.