Journey to the West: Please Call Me the White Bone Demon

On the other side, after the Silver Horn King left, the master and his disciples continued their journey.

Yun Zhao rode his white horse at a leisurely pace along the mountain path, the jingling of the jade pendants on his nine-ringed staff ringing out clearly in the quiet forest.

The apprentices followed behind, but were much quieter than usual.

The black bear spirit, who was usually always chattering and asking all sorts of questions, was now walking with his head down, not uttering a single word.

Yellow Wind Monster followed silently behind, his gaze fixed on Yun Zhao's back, looking at him again and again before quickly looking away.

Sha Wujing walked at the back, carrying luggage on his shoulder, his lips tightly pursed, not uttering a single word.

Sun Wukong, carrying his golden cudgel, walked at the front of the group. He glanced back at his fellow disciples' silent expressions, pursed his lips, but said nothing.

He had known his master the longest and knew that his master's abilities were far more than what he had shown today; what he had revealed today was just the tip of the iceberg.

But his junior brothers were clearly seeing their master make a move for the first time. He could clearly see their surprise, their awe, and their cautious probing.

The mountain road was winding, and after traveling for about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, Yun Zhao reined in his horse, glanced back at his disciples, smiled, and suddenly spoke: "Why are you all so quiet? You're usually quite talkative, aren't you?"

The black bear spirit, taken aback by being called out, scratched his head and stammered, "Master, I... I was just wondering why you never told us you had such great abilities..."

His voice trailed off, as if he were talking to himself.

The Yellow Wind Monster mustered his courage and said, "Yes, Master, I always thought you were just a mortal, powerless to even kill a chicken. I never expected... I never expected you to subdue that monster with just one hand. I'm so happy, yet also a little..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was already quite clear.

Sha Wujing was silent for a moment, then said in a low voice, "Master, it's not that I'm afraid of you, it's just... I feel so useless. I've been by your side for so long, yet I didn't even know you had such great abilities, and I always thought I could protect you."

After he finished speaking, he lowered his head.

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong jumped forward, tapped the ground with his golden cudgel, and glared at the ground, saying, "You bunch of fools! It's a good thing that Master is so capable! But you're all hanging your heads like you've suffered some great injustice, what kind of talk is that!"

He pointed at the black bear spirit, "You, usually so loud and fearless, why did you become a coward when you saw Master showing him your skills?"

He then pointed at the Yellow Wind Monster, "You, who always boasts about how powerful your Samadhi Divine Wind is, how come you've become so deflated after being captured by a bottle?"

Finally, turning to Sha Wujing, he said, "And you, weren't you known as the Curtain-Rolling General? How come you're afraid of Master now?"

His three apprentices blushed with embarrassment at his words, but none of them refuted him.

Yun Zhao waved his hand, signaling Sun Wukong to stop, and said gently, "You don't need to do this."

"The reason I didn't tell you is not because I don't trust you, but because some things are better left unsaid. I will remain the same in your eyes from now on. You don't need to be overly cautious towards me because of what happened today."

He paused, then said, "You are my disciples, and I am your master. This will not change because I have displayed any special abilities."

The black bear spirit raised its head and looked at Yun Zhao's gentle face, feeling deeply ashamed.

He knelt down with a thud, kowtowed, and said in a muffled voice, "Master, your disciple was wrong."

"I shouldn't have been timid and hesitant just because you are so capable. You are my master, and I am your disciple; this is an indisputable fact. I will never have such thoughts again!"

Yellow Wind Monster also knelt down, saying, "Master, I shouldn't have been thinking such things. The greater your abilities, the happier I should be. Now I'll have more confidence if we encounter anything on the road!"

Sha Wujing didn't say anything, but silently knelt down and kowtowed.

Yun Zhao reached out and gently helped them up, then smiled and said, "Get up, all of you. I understand your good intentions."

The apprentices stood up, and the barrier between them had lessened considerably. Although they still felt a sense of awe, it was no longer the distant fear, but a deeper respect.

Sun Wukong chuckled, shouldered his golden cudgel, and said, "These are my true junior brothers! Let's go, up the mountain! Up the mountain!"

The crowd returned to their usual boisterous manner, and they even talked more than usual.

"I really didn't expect that Master would have such ability. If he had hit me, Old Bear, with that move just now, I would have been knocked to the ground and wouldn't have been able to get up."

"Yes, yes, Master is amazing!"

The Black Bear Spirit and the Yellow Wind Monster started talking back and forth.

"What a pity." The black bear spirit chuckled later, exclaiming, "My second senior brother went home. If he were here, I wonder how surprised he would be."

Yellow Wind Monster laughed and said, "If we said that to him, Second Senior Brother would think we were teasing him."

Yun Zhao listened silently from his horse, without interrupting.

After walking for a while, Sun Wukong suddenly said, "Master, that monster just now, you neither killed him nor did you say you were going to his cave to find his elder brother. I found the meaning behind your words rather strange."

He paused, then continued, "Could this monster have some powerful background that makes it worthwhile for us to seek him out?"

Upon hearing this, the other disciples immediately fell silent, their gazes fixed on Yun Zhao as they listened attentively to his words.

Yun Zhao laughed and said, "You lot don't know, but that Silver Horn King, despite his demonic appearance, didn't have a trace of demonic aura about him."

Sun Wukong thought about it carefully and realized that he hadn't thought about it before, but now that his master said it, it made perfect sense!

The monster exuded a pure aura, clearly not the aura of a monster that inhabits the mountains, absorbing the essence of the sun and moon and feeding on the blood of living beings.

Clearly, they are practitioners of supreme and wondrous techniques.

"this……"

The monkey scratched his cheeks: "Master, do you mean we're going to meet the person behind him?"

Yun Zhao laughed and said, "What do you mean by 'can't I'? Don't talk nonsense. I'm going to pay you a visit and ask for your guidance!"