Chapter 10

"Journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step!" After finally shaking off those pessimistic feelings, the monkey stood atop the mountain and shouted loudly.

Taking a step forward, he set off.

Almost without any preparation, ignoring the canary's worries, he set off.

Perhaps this strong drive for action was itself a manifestation of a pessimistic mindset. It had a tragic sense, much like the saying, "The wind howls cold over the Yi River, the brave warrior departs and will never return."

He kept saying words to boost morale, ostensibly for the canary, but in reality, for himself.

Could this journey really lead him smoothly to the Slanting Moon Three Stars Cave?

Deep down, did he really have any confidence?

The world before him was clearly full of unexpected twists, far beyond what a single *Journey to the West* could explain.

But just staying here, unable to advance or retreat, how could he bear it?

As the canary had expected, there were wolf packs in this desert.

Before long, the monkey found himself trapped on a dead tree in the desert.

He trembled, curling his body, with hungry wolves below.

These fierce animals circled the dead tree, digging at its trunk with their claws, drooling.

Their howls felt like heavy hammers pounding on the monkey's chest.

He was terrified.

One misstep, and he would be devoured to the bone by the wolves.

At that moment, perched on the dead tree, the monkey felt as if he were walking on a tightrope. Despite his excellent tree-climbing skills, he felt as if he could slip at any moment.

For a moment, the monkey regretted and wavered.

Perhaps he shouldn't have rushed here... But what good would regret do now?

For three whole days, during which the canary ran back and forth, bringing him bitter wild fruits and even just two drops of water.

From her pitch-black little eyes, the monkey saw fatigue, but she still forced a smile.

His heart ached a little, and the monkey said, "Sparrow, I'm sorry."

He no longer called her "Mountain Sparrow" or "Sparrow," not even "Canary," but simply "Sparrow."

This naturally became her name.

"What are you sorry for?"

"I shouldn't have dragged you along."

"What are you talking about? Didn't you say you wanted to cultivate and marry me? Do you want to back out? I'll peck you to death!" Sparrow angrily pounced at the monkey.

The monkey hurriedly dodged, but he laughed heartily, confusing the wolves below.

Those words sweetened his heart. Here, he was not alone.

On the third day, the equally hungry and thirsty wolves reluctantly dispersed. Sparrow led the monkey to an oasis as quickly as possible, and he was saved again.

Drinking the sweet spring water, the monkey, who had once again escaped from the brink of death, stood on a rock and solemnly swore, "I swear, once I master the seventy-two transformations, I will marry Sparrow as my wife!"

"What if I can't cultivate and you can?" Sparrow asked worriedly.

"You can't?" The monkey thought for a moment: "If you can't, I'll steal Laozi's elixirs. One pill can make you immortal; a woman named Chang'e once became immortal by eating one!"

Sparrow, nearly exhausted, giggled. She didn't know if it would come true, but she liked hearing it.

How silly.

It took them more than a month to successfully cross the desert.

What followed was not a lush forest, but a lifeless grove of dead trees. Except for some drought-resistant plants, everything else had withered—this place hadn't seen rain for a year.

The world was desolate, almost everything was a withered yellow color: yellow earth, yellow sky, even the occasional green was tinged with yellow.

The air was filled with a despairing smell.

"No rain?" The monkey thought, "Shouldn't the rain in this world be controlled by the Dragon King? Did the people here do something to offend the Heavenly Court?"

Along the way, they occasionally saw the skeletons of large animals—horses, cattle, deer, and the like. It felt as if the death desert hadn't ended but was continuing.

"Water and fire are merciless, and the Heavenly Court seems no more merciful than nature."

They walked cautiously through the forest.

Vultures circled in the sky, forcing the monkey to carry a stick at all times.

The vultures might not be interested in attacking the monkey, but they were definitely interested in attacking the canary.

This directly reduced the canary's field of vision. To avoid these fierce predators, she had to keep a certain distance from the monkey and could no longer act as his scout.

"How long will it take to cross this place?" the monkey asked.

"I don't know," Sparrow said. "When I passed here over a year ago, it wasn't like this... There's a human village ahead, with some hunters. We should avoid it."

"I doubt they can still hunt animals in a place like this. They probably left to escape the famine long ago," the monkey grinned.

The reality was always beyond the monkey's expectations.

"Whoosh—thud."

A sharp whistling sound, followed by a sharp pain in his abdomen, the monkey slowly lost consciousness. In a daze, he felt Sparrow screaming and flapping her wings.

A figure approached him.

When he came to, the sky was filled with stars.

He was curled up in a strange position on the cracked mud ground.

Beside him, a bonfire burned fiercely, black logs crackling and spitting sparks. A broken but still intact iron pot hung over the fire, boiling water inside.

In the firelight, a gaunt, ragged man was sharpening a knife not far away, a bow beside him.

"Great... great... I didn't expect to find a monkey in this forest... great... great..."

The voice was dry and hoarse, like that of a ghost.

The monkey was startled.

A sharp pain came from his abdomen, making the monkey sweat.

It was a bloody wound, the arrow already removed, leaving a shocking gash. Fortunately, the bleeding had stopped.

The monkey had indeed become prey, and the man in front of him was clearly the hunter.

He struggled fiercely, but found his hands and feet tightly bound, unable to move.

Oh no! This is it!

After some thought, the monkey decided to speak.

A talking monkey would surely be enough reason to spare his life.

"Brother! Brother!"

The man slowly turned his head, searching for the source of the voice in a panic.

"It's me! Brother! Look here, the monkey!"

The monkey almost waved his hands, if they weren't tied up.

But when their eyes met, he realized how naive his thoughts were.

The man's face was pale, his body emaciated to the bone, like a skeleton.

His sunken eyes were hollow, filled with nothing but hunger.

Those were the eyes of a man-eater. Even if the one tied up was a human, the monkey had no doubt that the man would eat him!

The hunter panted heavily, staring at the monkey for a long time before suddenly turning back, sharpening the knife even faster!

"Finished! Really finished!" The monkey struggled desperately.

Suddenly, a familiar voice came from behind, "Don't move..."

"Sparrow? Sparrow? Is that you?"

"Shh! Don't move!"

"Can you break the ropes?" The monkey was delighted.

"I'll try."

One peck at a time, Sparrow used her small beak to peck at the grass ropes.

Each peck only broke a little, but she didn't give up.

After a long time, the harsh sound of sharpening gradually slowed.

The hunter stood up, lightly touching the blade.

When he turned back, the monkey understood.

The moment of death had arrived, and he began to struggle with all his might.

"Run... run... Sparrow, run!"