Inside the great hall.
Bajie stood in the shadows, watching Baihuaxiu kowtow before the steps.
Large tears rolled from his eyes again, splashing onto the dark bricks.
He clumsily raised his sleeve and wiped his face, took two steps forward, then bent both knees and knelt rigidly before Xuanzang.
He pressed his palms together.
Xuanzang slowly raised his eyes and asked gently.
"Wuneng, are you willing to go now?"
Bajie straightened his back and nodded firmly.
He turned his face, directing his gaze toward the two phantom figures in the air outside the hall, invisible to mortal eyes.
The Netherworld.
The Waters of Forgetfulness shimmered with murky yellow light, countless souls rising and sinking among the waves.
The riverbank was utterly silent.
With the Nine-Toothed Rake over his shoulder, Bajie walked beside Taibai Jinxing, who held a horsetail whisk.
Kui Mulang and the Jade Maiden followed behind them.
Kui Mulang kept his head lowered, his tangled hair hiding his face.
The Jade Maiden's soul flickered, yet she seemed somewhat relieved.
They reached the Reincarnation Well.
Taibai Jinxing stopped and turned, resting his whisk in the crook of his arm.
"Kui Lodge, Jade Maiden. This tribulation of love is both a punishment and a slender chance left for you to save yourselves."
The Jade Maiden turned and glanced at Kui Mulang.
Then she withdrew her gaze and leaped without hesitation into the churning, ghostly green vortex.
Kui Mulang abruptly stepped forward, his Adam's apple bobbing violently.
Taibai Jinxing looked at him, his sigh dispersing in the chill, ghostly wind.
"To resurrect Baihuaxiu, the Jade Maiden sacrificed part of her vital soul."
"Thus, after reincarnation, whatever she becomes, her mind will remain impaired. She may be crazed or obsessive. She will hate you and torment you."
Kui Mulang's body suddenly went