The night wind drifted softly by, and the flames rising from the campfire all leaned in a single direction.
Tripitaka sat motionless, gazing forlornly ahead, silent and unmoving.
In the distance, the demons watched the two by the fire in quiet stillness.
After a long silence, Monkey sighed softly, "We failed, didn't we?"
"Not... not yet," Tripitaka lowered his gaze slightly. "As long as we haven't reached Spirit Mountain, we haven't failed."
As he spoke, Tripitaka gently ran his fingers over the prayer beads in his hand.
"We haven't failed as long as we haven't reached Spirit Mountain?" Monkey couldn't help but laugh. "So you mean we're just supposed to stay on this road forever? Oh, wait, that's not possible—because you never plan to stop walking."
As he spoke, Monkey picked up a stone, bit his lip, and hurled it with all his strength into the distance.
The stone shot through the night sky like a meteor, vanishing swiftly into the endless darkness.
Not far away, Prince Adrian, the Little White Dragon, froze for a moment and murmured, "Did the talk fall apart?"
"No idea," Marshal Silver shook his head. "But it's certainly nothing good, that's for sure."
At this, Prince Adrian gave Marshal Silver a meaningful look. "You don't seem worried at all. We're all in the same boat—if it flips, it's bad for everyone."
"Would worrying help?" Marshal Silver retorted.
The question stumped Prince Adrian, who could only purse his lips and keep watching the two by the fire from afar. "I'm still hoping that, once we succeed in the Westward Quest, the Great Sage will help me search Heaven and Earth for a wife."
Marshal Silver could only smile wordlessly.
Behind them, a demon general hurried over, quietly recounting something to Louis Quickpaw. Whatever he said left King Bullhorn and Louis Quickpaw both wide-eyed in shock.
"How is this any different from failure? It's just dragging things out. Spin a lie, fool the Three Realms, and in the end, everyone becomes a joke." Monkey rubbed his brow at the acupoint, eyes squeezed shut, sounding impatient. "At your current pace, we'll reach Spirit Mountain in three months, tops. Got any other tricks? Let's hear them. I want something concrete, not vague hopes and unreliable talk."
Faced with this challenge, Tripitaka pressed his palms together and sighed softly. "As long as the heart is sincere, I believe that one day, Universal Salvation can be attained."
"You believe..." Monkey bared his teeth, continuing, "one day. But just when is that day, exactly?"
Tripitaka gave no reply, only closed his eyes and sat in perfect stillness, like a Buddha statue.
"Someday... heh, what a pretty phrase. It sounds almost like begging for mercy." Monkey tilted his head back, gazing hazily at the stars, and laughed softly. "I've rebelled against Heaven my whole life, and now you tell me to ask for mercy. How amusing! Amusing! Damn it, it's hilarious!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Monkey slammed his fist into the stone beside him, shattering the massive rock into pieces.
The thunderous crash made the distant demon soldiers shrink back in fright.
"Did they fall out?"
"No way. We've protected Master Tripitaka all this way—no matter what, there's no need for a fight."
For a moment, the demons glanced at each other; their earlier agitation vanished, replaced by a touch of worry.
Bracing himself on his knees, Monkey rose slowly and walked away without looking back.
...
Inside Crescent Star Cave, Six-Eared Macaque glanced, half-intentionally, at Clara Heart, whose face was grave. "Master, letting them go just now was really like releasing a tiger back to the mountain."
As he spoke, Clara Heart kept glaring at him.
With Clara Heart staring at him like that, Six-Eared Macaque felt thoroughly ill at ease, shifting his knees restlessly as he knelt. On the other side, Master Sage Subhuti seemed lost in thought, not saying a word for a long time.
"Master, Master." Six-Eared Macaque waved his hand in front of Master Sage Subhuti's eyes.
Startled, Master Sage Subhuti took a deep breath and said quickly, "You... you go back first."
"Go back first? Master, you're just going to leave them be?" Six-Eared Macaque scratched his cheek and chuckled. "The two of them, off on their own, who knows what they'll do. If you just let them go, the whole Westward Quest could fall apart."
Master Sage Subhuti lowered his head, blinking blankly, his thoughts drifting off somewhere unknown even in that short moment.
"Master..."
Six-Eared Macaque was about to reach out again when Clara Heart quickly grabbed his wrist, scolding softly, "Master told you to go, so go. Why all the chatter?"
"What? Are you mad now?"
"Why would I be mad?"
"Mad at me, of course." Six-Eared Macaque shook his head, grinning. "Just because I didn't listen to you and barged into the temple."
Clara Heart still didn't answer, only kept staring fiercely at Six-Eared Macaque.
Six-Eared Macaque shot Master Sage Subhuti a lazy glance, then braced himself on his knees and slowly stood up with a long sigh. "Alright, fine. I'll head back first. Just call if you need anything."
As he spoke, he leaned on Iron Sentinel and walked step by step toward the door. Just then, a demon soldier hurried over and whispered something in his ear.
Hearing this, a hint of joy flashed across Six-Eared Macaque's face, leaving Clara Heart momentarily stunned.
...
By the dried-up stream, Tripitaka still sat quietly by the campfire. The demons remained off to the side, left to their own devices.
Without a word, Monkey pulled Marshal Silver over to the other side of the stream.
Seeing Monkey's grim expression, Marshal Silver asked quietly, "I heard you fought Six-Eared Macaque in Crescent Star Cave?"
"Yeah, not just a fight. My master—that old bastard—even sided with Six-Eared Macaque, and tried to make him my replacement." Monkey's teeth ground audibly as he spoke.
At this, Marshal Silver glanced at Monkey, his expression unchanged.