"But if you give up halfway and stay here, you'll get nothing. Not only won't you get Miss Cui'er, you won't even get your freedom. You failed to complete the task Guanyin Bodhisattva gave you, and the Heavenly Court won't let you off. When that happens, you won't even get to be a pig anymore, let alone live a peaceful life."
Zhu Bajie shuddered all over.
He had never considered that.
He had only thought about how nice and comfortable it would be to stay, forgetting Guanyin Bodhisattva's instructions—protect Tang Monk on his journey to Western Heaven, and only attain fruition after the task was complete.
He knew perfectly well what would happen if he gave up halfway.
"Besides..." Chu Yang poured more wine into his bowl. "Master and Brother Monkey are counting on you. Brother Monkey may complain about you, but when a real fight breaks out, he has a hard time handling it alone without you helping at his side."
"Not to mention Master. He can't even truss a chicken. He needs someone to look after him while traveling in the day and someone to stand watch while he sleeps at night. Without you, all that burden falls on Brother Monkey alone."
"And there's you..." Zhu Bajie said quietly.
Chu Yang shook his head. "You've seen what I can do. When we run into powerful demons, I'm not much help. I can cook, but I can't fight. The ones who can truly protect Master are still you and Brother Monkey."
Zhu Bajie picked up his wine bowl but did not drink. He merely stared blankly at the waning moon reflected within it.
The moon lay shattered in the wine, swaying and rippling, impossible to piece back together.
Silence spread between them, soft and lingering as the night mist.