Monkey Wine Enters the Mountains

"Blame me!"

South of Huzhou, in a small county seat, neither Monkey Wine nor Sweet Potato Shochu was particularly good with people. Even so, they could tell Bald Old Zhang was growing suspicious and didn't want to fight.

They were racing against time now. Every moment they wasted, who knew how many more variables might arise outside? Sweet Potato Shochu was getting a little angry. "That bald monk doesn't know what's good for him!"

"I'll find out where his wife and children live, then have a nice, long talk with him..."

"..."

Monkey Wine gently stopped her and advised, "People can't pin their hopes on something they've never seen. He doesn't believe that the two of us can pull him out of his predicament, so it's understandable that he has doubts."

"This is our fault for failing to earn his trust, not his. The fact that he didn't just drive us out shows he's got a pretty good temper."

"..."

Sweet Potato Shochu looked at Monkey Wine in surprise. "You're actually a pretty nice guy..."

She thought back to the meeting, when no one had wanted to team up with him. She'd assumed he was disliked, but now he seemed gentle and courteous, if a little distant. He looked like someone who wasn't very good at talking to people.

Sweet Potato Shochu wanted to help this seemingly honest young fellow. She'd find a chance to advise him that it was hard to get by in this world with a personality like his. Smiling brightly, she asked, "So what are you going to do if he doesn't believe us?"

Monkey Wine said softly, "If we tell him to send out his troops, it'll be easy to cause a misunderstanding. So, of course, we should choose a way of persuading him that