Sun Wukong slowly narrowed his eyes.
Chu Yang continued, "I'm guessing—just guessing—that Guanyin Bodhisattva has been watching us from the shadows all along. Maybe not in person, but at the very least, her divine sight or an avatar has been keeping an eye on us."
"Whenever we run into an obstacle we can't overcome, as long as things truly become critical beyond recovery, she appears in some way and offers help."
"But the premise is that we have to try on our own first. If it's something we can solve ourselves, she won't intervene. She only appears when we truly need her."
Sun Wukong fell silent.
Zhu Bajie scratched his head beside them, utterly confused.
"Brother Chu Yang, why can't I, Old Pig, make heads or tails of what you're saying? What exactly are you trying to do?"
Chu Yang rose to his feet and dusted off his backside.
"I want to run an experiment."
He looked at Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie, an inscrutable curve appearing at the corner of his mouth.
"I want to see—if we don't rush to save Master, but go eat first instead—whether Guanyin Bodhisattva will be able to sit still."
The air was silent for three breaths.
Then Zhu Bajie was the first to react.
"Eat?" His pig snout twitched twice, and a complicated glint flashed through his tiny eyes—shock, confusion, but more than anything else, a faint anticipation he could barely suppress.
"You mean... eat first?"
Chu Yang nodded.
Sun Wukong's expression changed several times.
First disbelief, then thoughtful frowning, and finally a complicated look somewhere between agreement and helplessness.
"You brat..." He rubbed the fur on his chin, lowering his voice. "You want to test Guanyin Bodhisattva?"
"Not exactly test her," Chu Yang said. "I just want to confirm whether my guess