Silence returned to the canyon. The heat was still oppressive, and the road ahead was still long and dangerous.

"A trial?" Bajie groaned. "More fighting? I'd rather have a bowl of noodles."

"Come on then!" the Monkey King laughed, his voice echoing through the mountains. "We still have a long way to walk!"

The Archivist's face darkened, the starlight on his robes flickering violently. "You would choose pain over perfection, Monkey?"

"You think only of your belly, Pig," snapped Sha Wujing, the quiet water buffalo demon, shifting the heavy luggage on his shoulders. "We are on a holy quest. We do not seek handouts."

Tang Sanzang stood up, a proud smile gracing his face. He placed a hand on Wukong’s furred shoulder. "You have learned well, my disciple. The true scripture is the journey itself."