The sky was clear, with white clouds drifting overhead.
Tang Sanzang rode a white horse while Sun Wukong ambled alongside him. The two of them and their horse headed west at a leisurely pace, looking less like pilgrims seeking scriptures and more like a group on an outing.
There was practically no conversation between them.
After all, Tang Sanzang was no longer the Tang Sanzang he had once been, and neither was Sun Wukong.
Tang Sanzang had become more worldly and developed a taste for meat, while Sun Wukong had lost some of his unruliness and appeared much more composed.
Before long, a small mountain village appeared ahead.
Just then, six or seven bandits charged out and surrounded Sun Wukong and Tang Sanzang.
"I opened this mountain road, I planted these trees! If you want to pass this way, leave your toll with me!"
"Move it! Hand over everything valuable on you, or we'll kill you and leave your corpses unburied."
"Well, what a surprise! We actually ran into a monk. And judging by everything he's wearing, he's definitely rich. We're making a fortune today!"
At the sight of this, Tang Sanzang immediately realized they had reached another trial.
It was precisely this trial that had caused Tang Sanzang and Sun Wukong to quarrel in the original story. Sun Wukong had then left, and Guanyin Bodhisattva had promptly brought Tang Sanzang the Tight-Fillet Spell.
From that moment onward, the world had no more Great Sage Equal to Heaven, only the Buddhist School's Victorious Fighting Buddha.
So Tang Sanzang was genuinely curious about what Sun Wukong would do next.
Yet Sun Wukong showed no intention of striking first. Instead, he simply asked, "Tang Sanzang, how do you think we should handle this?"
Tang Sanzang: "..."
He looked utterly taken aback. This