Zhu Bajie quickly pulled back his hand, looking thoroughly guilty.
"I forgot, I forgot... Brother Chu Yang, are you all right?"
Chu Yang rubbed his shoulder and shook his head with a wry smile.
"I'm fine. Let's head back. We need to tell Master the news."
The three of them left several strong laborers behind to continue guarding the spring and clearing the gully, while everyone else returned to the city together to report the news.
Before they even reached the city gate, they saw a figure rush hurriedly out from within.
It was Tang Monk.
He had not even had time to put on his kasaya properly. One corner dragged along the ground, gathering a layer of dust. He had clearly received some news and run all the way out of the city.
"Chu... Benefactor Chu—" He ran up to Chu Yang, panting so hard he had to bend over and catch his breath several times before he could finish his sentence. "The people in the city said... water is flowing in from outside the city... Is that true?"
Chu Yang tilted his head toward the northeast outside the city.
"Master, go see for yourself."
Tang Monk looked in the direction he indicated.
At the foot of the distant hills, a long, slender silver ribbon was winding toward the city along the gully. Under the scorching sun, its surface reflected a blinding white glare, like a slithering silver snake.
Tang Monk froze.
He stared at that stream for a very, very long time.
Then he turned and looked at Chu Yang.
There were tears in his eyes.
"Benefactor Chu..."
Chu Yang said, "Master, there's no need to thank me. If anyone deserves thanks, it's Sun Wukong and Ba Jie. They did all the digging and stone-breaking. And those villagers