Wukong cast Bajie a sidelong glance and laughed.
"With all that meat on you, you're still afraid of the cold?"
Bajie hugged the Rake, hunched his shoulders, and shivered again.
"Brother Monkey, listen to yourself."
He wiped the river water off his face, his nose red from the cold.
"You have no idea how heavily it snowed earlier."
"As the saying goes, cold before the frost, bitter cold after the snow."
"Cold is cold."
"Who says having more meat keeps you warm?"
Wukong nodded.
He walked over, threw an arm around Bajie's shoulders, and gave him a couple of pats.
"All right, all right. Drink plenty of hot water. Don't freeze."
Hearing this, Bajie was just about to think Brother Monkey was being unusually considerate when he looked up and saw Wukong grinning.
"Frozen meat won't fetch a good price!"
He immediately shrugged Wukong's arm off.
"There you go again!"
Wukong laughed even harder.
Little White Dragon came over from the water's edge and smiled at what he heard.
Sha Wujing stepped through the snow with the carrying pole on his shoulder.
The waterlogged snow crunched softly beneath his feet.
He looked at Bajie, then at Xuanzang, and said in his low voice,
"Master, are you cold?"
"Your clothes are all in the luggage. Let's hurry and find Senior Brother Tiger!"
Xuanzang smiled. "I'm fine. Don't worry."
The waters of the Tongtian River surged onward.
Waves crashed against the jagged rocks along the bank, spreading layer upon layer of white foam.
Snow still lay along the shore.
In the distance, the stone marker bearing the words "Tongtian River" stood half-buried in snow. Mist had dampened its face, and thin ice filled the grooves of the lettering.
A-Hu lay beside the stone marker.
He seemed caught between sleep and wakefulness.