Meanwhile.
Wukong turned into a streak of golden light and landed back in the woods.
Xuanzang leaned against a pine tree, his face still somewhat pale. A-Hu lay beside him, enormous wings half spread, sheltering Xuanzang in their shade.
Bajie sat nearby, idly scratching at the ground with a twig, his gaze vacant.
Sha Wujing stood a little farther away, his treasured staff planted on the ground as he kept a wary eye on the mountain path.
Seeing Wukong return, Sha Wujing hurried over to meet him.
Bajie tossed aside his twig too, scrambled to his feet, and asked impatiently:
"Brother Monkey! How did it go? Why are you back alone? Did you find that brat? Where's our third junior brother?"
Wukong shook his head and thumped the Golden Cudgel against the ground, his expression grim.
"That brat took Little White somewhere, but I don't know where. His cave's empty too. All the demons inside have scattered."
The smile vanished from Sha Wujing's face.
Bajie froze, his large ears flapping twice.
"He ran? With a whole person in tow, where could he possibly go?"
"Hao Mountain stretches six hundred li. There are hiding places everywhere. He has the Earth-Escape Technique-once he burrows underground, he vanishes without a trace."
Frowning, Wukong scratched his cheek in frustration. "I've already sent the mountain gods and earth gods out to search, but whether they'll find him is hard to say."
Leaning against the tree, Xuanzang listened to Wukong, his brow creasing slightly as well.
His throat was still hoarse, leaving him unable to speak.
Earlier, he had asked Bajie to make him a wooden board, and Sha Wujing had found a piece of charcoal for him to write with.
Xuanzang picked up the board, wrote a few words, and handed it to Wukong.
Wukong