After taking in Zhu Bajie, the scripture-fetching party had grown from four to five—Tang Monk, Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie, Chu Yang, and White Dragon Horse.
Along the way, Zhu Bajie's arrival added quite a bit of liveliness to the group.
This pig was talkative and long-winded. His mouth never stopped moving even while he walked.
Gossip about the Heavenly Court, how he had once secretly watched Chang'e at the Peach Banquet, how he had been banished to the mortal world and mistakenly reincarnated as a pig...
It was always the same old stories, repeated over and over until Sun Wukong's ears were practically callused.
"Idiot, can't you quiet down for a while?" Sun Wukong said irritably. "That mouth of yours is sharper than your Nine-Toothed Rake. You're giving Old Sun a headache."
Zhu Bajie chuckled. "Brother Monkey, you don't understand. How boring would it be to walk without talking? Old Pig was born to enjoy a lively time. Making me keep quiet would be harder than killing me."
Sun Wukong rolled his eyes and could not be bothered to respond.
Chu Yang walked at the very back of the group. Watching the monkey and pig bicker ahead of him, the corners of his mouth curled into a smile.
This scene was far more amusing than anything described in the book.
After leaving Gao Village, they followed the official road westward, passing several small mountains and wading across two streams.
The scenery along the way gradually shifted from rolling hills to plains, and the view became much more open.
On the distant horizon, pale blue mountain silhouettes appeared and vanished like a light brush of ink softly blurred across rice paper.
The early summer breeze carried the scent of grass and earth straight toward them. The locust trees by the road