Tang Monk rolled off the horse, scrambling on all fours to Chu Yang's side. He grabbed hold of him, tears streaming uncontrollably down his face.
"Benefactor Chu... you're badly hurt... We should stop. This humble monk will bandage you..." Tang Monk's voice trembled as he looked at the bone-deep wounds covering Chu Yang's body, his heart filled with guilt and fear.
"I'm fine... won't die..." Chu Yang weakly waved a hand. "This bamboo grove... has heavy yin energy. It can hide our aura. Master, go deeper inside and find a concealed cave to hide in. I'll set up a concealment formation here. Birdman won't find us anytime soon."
Tang Monk nodded desperately and helped Chu Yang deeper into the bamboo grove. Beneath an extremely hidden rock wall, they found a dry cave that could barely fit two or three people.
Chu Yang forced out the last thread of his spiritual power and set several aura-concealing formations at the entrance. Then he leaned against the icy stone wall, slowly slid down to the ground, and closed his eyes.
The cave was utterly silent. Only their heavy breathing could be heard.
Time trickled away, drop by drop. Every second was inhuman torment for Tang Monk.
His hands clutched the string of rosewood Prayer Beads so tightly that his knuckles turned white. Yet the scriptures on his lips were no longer prayers begging Buddha for protection.
"Sun Wukong... You have to live... You have to come back alive..." Tang Monk closed his eyes, tears endlessly sliding from their corners as he repeated those words again and again. Only now did he truly understand that the gods and Buddhas filling the heavens could not be relied upon at all. The only ones he could depend on were these disciples who had shared life and