"How can you be sure these are Big Bull's hairs?"
"There's no way they belong to those three demonlings. There was a fourth demon in this camp, and he just left. After him!"
In the camp, Shadow—who had fainted on the ground—stirred slightly, groggily lifting his head and opening his eyes. The next moment, he snapped awake, gripping his trident tightly and leaping to his feet.
"People always say Big Bull is stubborn, but I think Anna Yang is even more stubborn—especially when it comes to anything related to Big Bull."
Setting down his trident, he sat cross-legged beside the Monkey King. Just then, he spotted the two figures circling in the distant sky.
"Are those... humans?"
...
After searching for quite a while, even Miles Moon grew a bit anxious. "How could we not find him? Logically, if he saw us, he would definitely come out."
With that, Master Sage Subhuti turned away with a long sigh. "Let him be. He lost his Cloudwalker Staff—later, have your fifth junior disciple bring him another, a little heavier this time."
"Even if Big Bull is unconscious, what about the Monkey King? Are both of them unconscious?"
"What if they ran into Skyward Legionnaires..." The thought flashed through Anna Yang's mind, but she quickly shook her head, forcefully banishing it.
A wounded Big Bull, an unconscious Monkey King—what would happen if they encountered Skyward Legionnaires?
She dared not think further.
Hovering in midair, she steadied her breath and commanded, "Keep searching!"
After circling over the valley woods for quite some time, they finally discovered the camp. Shadow and the Monkey King were nowhere to be seen—only three demonlings remained.
Seeing that those three unsuspecting demonlings were still sound asleep, Miles Moon simply cast a spell to deepen their slumber.
The two landed openly in the rough camp and began searching everywhere. Soon, Miles Moon found a few monkey hairs.
"Where did you find them?" Anna Yang snatched the hairs away and examined them carefully under the moonlight.
Anna Yang immediately bent down, brushing her hand over the leaves and sensing a faint warmth. "He was just here."
"How can you be sure these are Master Uncle's hairs?"
"There's no way they belong to those three little demons. There was a fourth demon in this camp, and he just left. After him!"
With a flick of her sleeve and riding the wind, Anna Yang was already ten zhang away.
"He's probably just another demonling who escaped with them. Don't get worked up," Miles Moon glanced at Anna Yang and sighed helplessly.
Watching Anna Yang rush off, Miles Moon could only sigh and follow after her.
On a rocky outcrop, under the moon's shadow, Master Sage Subhuti and Elder Gale watched the two from afar.
Elder Gale turned his face and asked, "Master, aren't you going to use this chance to bring our junior brother back?"
"I can't bring him back." Master Sage Subhuti pursed his lips and smiled faintly. "If I tried, Wukong would demand a full explanation for everything that's happened. But if I told him the truth, he'd be even less willing to return."
"Just leave the Monkey King here?" he thought.
"Your disciple will do as you command."
A chilly breeze swept by, bending the branches slightly, and the two atop the rock vanished without a trace.
In the pitch-black forest, the small-framed Shadow carried the Monkey King, running desperately. Sweat dripped from his fur, and in his panic, he even dropped his trident.
Suddenly, sensing something, he quickly rolled to the side, pulling the Monkey King with him into a nearby clump of grass.
Overhead, Miles Moon and Anna Yang swept past.
"He's moving—in this direction!" Anna Yang gripped the Jade Tablet, her excitement plain to see. "He's alive... he's alive!"
On the ground, Shadow lay hidden in the grass, watching their figures disappear into the distance. Panting, he swallowed hard. "Who are these two, anyway? They don't look like Skyward Legionnaires."
Lowering his head, he looked at the Monkey King lying beside him.
Strength-wise, carrying the Monkey King wasn't too difficult for him. But in terms of height... the Monkey King was much taller, making it rather awkward to carry.
Propping himself up, Shadow slowly stood and hoisted the Monkey King onto his back again. He let out a long sigh and stepped out of the grass, ready to head back. But after only a few steps, he suddenly froze, holding his breath.
Large beads of sweat rolled down his forehead, gliding along the short fuzz.
Behind him, Anna Yang and Miles Moon were quietly staring at Shadow.
"Who are you? Why are you running?" Anna Yang had one hand on her sword hilt, shouting, "Put him down!"
"He's probably just another little demon who escaped with them. Don't get worked up," Miles Moon glanced at Anna Yang and sighed helplessly.
"Definitely not. Otherwise, why wouldn't he recognize us? If he did, why would he run?"
With a ringing sound, Anna Yang's sword was drawn.
The sound made Shadow's heart skip a beat.
He had no idea what level of cultivation these two humans possessed—he just knew he stood no chance against them.
"Just leave Monkey Brother here?" he thought.
His brows, originally raised in shock, slowly drew together. Gritting his teeth, he broke into a wild run. But after only a couple steps, he found his feet tangled by some tree vines that had suddenly appeared. As his body tilted, he abruptly felt something trying to pull the Monkey King away from him.
Without thinking, he twisted around and grabbed hold of the Monkey King's leg.
"Let go!" Anna Yang, floating in midair, also clung tightly to the Monkey King.
"You let go!" Shadow lifted his head and shouted back, his hands trembling as he clung to the Monkey King.
"If you don't let go, I'll kill you!"
"Go ahead! Kill me then!"
Miles Moon, unable to watch any longer, folded his arms and shot Anna Yang a look. He said to Shadow, "Little guy, we're here to save him."
"S-save him?"
"That's right. If we weren't here to save him, we could've just attacked. No need to fight over him."
Only then did Shadow loosen his grip a little.