Chapter 96: Kou Yuanwai Receives the Holy Monk with Joy; Tripitaka Refuses Riches

A verse says:

Color and form were never truly color;
emptiness and vacancy are not empty.
Stillness and clamor, speech and silence, were one from the first.
Why speak of dreams inside a dream?
In use there is no use; in merit there is merit without striving.
When the fruit ripens, it turns red of itself.
Do not ask how it was tended and planted.

Now to return to Tripitaka and his party. Wukong had used his divine power to stop the monks at the Give-and-Lonely Gold Temple. When those monks saw the black wind sweep by and found the pilgrims gone, they only thought a living Buddha had descended among them, so they kowtowed and went back inside. No more need be said of that.

The four pilgrims continued westward. It was now the season from the end of spring into the beginning of summer:

Clear and mild weather made the air bright, and lotus leaves rose in the pools.
Plums ripened after the rain, and wheat filled out in the wind.
Grass gave off its scent where the flowers had fallen; orioles grew old, and willow twigs were light.
River swallows brought their young to learn, and mountain pheasants fed their chicks with calls.
The southern day grew long, and all things showed their brightness.

It is impossible to tell of all their breakfasting by day and lodging by night as they wound through ravines and along streams. For half a month they traveled in peace. Then once more they saw city walls ahead.

Tripitaka asked, "Disciples, what place is this?"

Wukong said, "I do not know, I do not know."

Bajie laughed. "This road has already been traveled by us. How can you say you do not know? You are only pretending, trying to trick us."

Wukong said, "You fool, you do not understand at all. Though we have passed this road many times, we came then in the sky and went away in the sky. When did we ever set foot on the ground here? If it has nothing to do with us, why should I bother learning it? That is why I do not know. What is there to trick you about?"

As they spoke, they reached the city gate. Tripitaka dismounted, crossed the bridge, and entered by the main street. Under the eaves he saw two old men sitting and talking. He called to his disciples, "You three stand in the middle of the street. Lower your heads and do not act wildly. I will go under the eaves and ask the place."

Wukong and the others obeyed at once. Tripitaka stepped forward, joined his palms, and said, "Old benefactor, this poor monk asks for your guidance."

The two elders were talking idly about rise and fall, gain and loss, saints and sages, the heroic deeds of former times, and where all those things had gone. They were sighing deeply over it when they heard the greeting. They answered the greeting with a bow and said, "What does the master wish to ask?"

Tripitaka said, "This poor monk has come from afar to worship the Buddha. We have just arrived in your honored district, but we do not know its name. Is there some household here that loves goodness and would give us a meal of vegetarian food?"

One old man said, "This humble place is Tongtai Prefecture. Behind the prefectural seat is a county called Deling County. If the master wants a vegetarian meal, there is no need to beg for it. Go past this archway. On the south-north street, on the west-facing side, there is a gatehouse shaped like a crouching tiger. That is the home of Kou Yuanwai. On his gate hangs a board that says, 'No monks barred.' Monks from far away such as yourself are free to enjoy his hospitality. Go, go, go. Do not keep interrupting our talk."

Tripitaka thanked him and turned back to Wukong. "This is Tongtai Prefecture, Deling County. The two old men said, 'Go past the archway. On the south-north street, on the east-facing tiger gate, there is the home of Kou Yuanwai, and on his gate hangs a board that says "No monks barred." They told me to go there for vegetarian food.'"

Sha Wujing said, "The western land is a Buddhist country. It is only natural that monks are fed there. Since this is a prefecture and a county, there is no need to check our travel papers. We may go and beg for food, eat, and continue on our way."

The elder and the three disciples walked slowly down the main street, and the people in the market all stared at them in alarm and guesswork, crowding around to look at their faces. Tripitaka told them to keep silent and only said, "Do not be rude, do not be rude." The three disciples lowered their heads and did not dare look up.

They turned the corner and indeed saw a broad north-south street. Soon they came upon a tiger-shaped gatehouse. Inside the gate, on the screen wall, there hung a large board with the four characters "No monks barred." Tripitaka said, "In this western Buddhist land, the wise and the foolish alike are without deceit. When the two elders spoke, I did not believe them, but here it is exactly as they said."

Bajie was a crude rustic and wanted at once to go in. Wukong said, "Hold on, fool. Let someone come out first, and when we know the proper way to enter, then we may go in."

Sha Wujing said, "Brother speaks reasonably. We should not blur the inside and outside and make the benefactor unhappy." So they tied up the horses and luggage at the gate and waited.

Before long a serving man came out carrying a scale and a basket. When he saw them, he was so startled that he dropped the scale and basket and ran back inside to report, "Master, there are four strange monks outside!"

Kou Yuanwai was leaning on a walking stick and pacing idly in the courtyard, muttering prayers under his breath. When he heard the report, he dropped the stick and came out to welcome them. Seeing the four of them, he did not mind their ugly faces at all. He only cried, "Please come in! Please come in!"

Tripitaka was full of courtesy and went in with him. They turned down a side lane, and Kou Yuanwai led them to a house, saying, "The rooms above are for receiving honored guests. There is the Buddha hall, the scripture hall, and the vegetarian hall. The lower rooms are where my servants and family live."

Tripitaka praised him again and again. He put on his robe and went in to worship the Buddha. When he stepped into the hall and looked around, he saw:

Incense-clouds hung low, and candle flames shone bright.
The hall was packed with splendor from wall to wall.
Vermilion stands held purple-gold bells overhead,
while painted lamps faced flowered drums in pairs.
Banners embroidered with the eight treasures rose in ranks,
and a thousand Buddhas were gilt from head to toe.
Bronze censers and bronze vases stood in orderly sets;
in the censers sandalwood burned without end,
and in the vases lotus blooms seemed always to appear.
On carved lacquer tables the five-colored clouds were bright,
and in carved lacquer boxes the incense petals had piled high.
Glass cups held clear water;
crystal lamps burned with bright oil.
A single strike of the bronze chime rang out with a long, clean note.
Truly, it was a treasure tower beyond the dust of the world,
a Buddhist hall that outshone even the holy monasteries.

Tripitaka washed his hands, took up incense, bowed, and then turned back to pay his respects to Kou Yuanwai. Kou Yuanwai said, "Please wait a moment and let us meet in the scripture hall."

There they saw:

Square tables and tall cabinets, jade boxes and golden cases.
The tables and cabinets held countless rolls of scripture;
the boxes and cases preserved many slips and tablets.
On the painted tables lay paper, ink, brushes, and stones,
all of them finely made and neat as can be.
Before the pepper-dust screens stood books, paintings, zithers, and chessboards,
all full of subtle, marvelous charm.
A light jade chime hung there, floating like gold;
a dragon-whisked robe hung there, light as wind and moon.
The air was so pure it refreshed both body and spirit,
and the vegetarian heart could not help but turn calm and clear.

Tripitaka was just about to bow when Kou Yuanwai again held him back. "Please do not stand on ceremony in your monk's robe." Tripitaka took off his cassock, and only then did they greet each other properly. The three disciples were also asked to pay their respects. The horse was fed, the luggage placed under the corridor, and then they asked after one another's health.

Tripitaka said, "This poor monk was sent by imperial command from Great Tang in the Eastern Land to go to the Western Heaven of India, visit Lingshan, see the Buddha, and seek the true scriptures. I heard that your honorable house respects monks, so I came to pay my respects and ask for one vegetarian meal before continuing on my way."

Kou Yuanwai's face lit up with joy. Smiling broadly, he said, "My humble name is Kou Hong, courtesy name Dakuan. I have lived sixty-four years. From the age of forty I vowed to feed ten thousand monks, and only now have I nearly fulfilled that vow. For twenty-four years I have kept a ledger of the monks I have fed. Lately, when I was counting them, I found that I had already fed nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-six monks, and only four remained before the vow was complete. Now Heaven has sent four masters down to me at just the right time, so that the number of ten thousand may be fulfilled. Please leave your honored names and, whatever the case, stay here for a month or so. When the vow is completed, I will send you up the mountain by sedan chair and horse. From here to Lingshan it is only eight hundred li. It is not hard at all."

Tripitaka was overjoyed at these words, and for the time being he agreed.

The servants carried firewood and water into the house, fetched rice, flour, vegetables, and ingredients, and prepared the vegetarian fare. This roused Kou Yuanwai's wife, who asked, "Where has this monk party come from, that you are all so busy?"

The servants said, "There are four holy monks outside. When father asked after them, they said they had been sent by the emperor of Great Tang in the Eastern Land to go to Lingshan and worship the Buddha. They have come from a great distance. Father said they were sent from Heaven and ordered us to prepare the vegetarian food at once."

The old woman heard this and was delighted too. She told a maid, "Bring me my clothes. I will go and have a look."

The servants said, "Mistress, only one of them is fit to look at. The other three are too ugly."

The old woman said, "You do not understand. If their faces are ugly and strange, then they must be immortals come down to earth. Go and tell your father first."

The servant ran to the scripture hall and reported, "The mistress has come and wants to pay respects to the men from the Eastern Land."

Tripitaka rose at once. Before he could speak, the old woman had already arrived at the hall. She lifted her eyes and saw that Tripitaka's face was upright and handsome, with a noble and heroic bearing. Then she turned to Wukong and the others and saw that their looks were not ordinary. Even knowing they were heavenly beings come down to earth, she still felt some awe and knelt to bow.

Tripitaka hurriedly returned the bow and said, "You are too kind, bodhisattva."

The old woman asked Kou Yuanwai, "Why are the four masters not seated together?"

Bajie puckered his mouth and said, "We three are disciples."

That one sentence sounded like a tiger roaring in a deep mountain, and the old woman grew even more frightened.

Just then another servant came to report, "The two young gentlemen have arrived."

Tripitaka turned quickly and saw that they were two young scholars. The scholars came into the scripture hall and bowed full-length to the elder.

Tripitaka was so flustered he hurriedly bowed back. Kou Yuanwai stepped forward and held them. "These are my two sons, Kou Liang and Kou Dong. They have just returned from the study to eat their midday meal. When they heard that masters had come down from above, they came to pay their respects."

Tripitaka praised them. "Excellent, excellent. Just as the saying goes: if you want a high family line, you must cultivate goodness; if you want worthy children and grandchildren, you must have them read books."

The two scholars said to their father, "Where has this honorable master come from?"

Kou Yuanwai laughed. "He has come from far away. He is an imperial envoy from Great Tang in India, traveling west to Lingshan to worship the Buddha and seek the scriptures."

The scholars said, "I have read the Illustrated Record of Affairs. It says that under heaven there are only four great continents. Our place is called the Western Continent of Oxen, and there is also the Eastern Continent of Victorious Gods. If one starts from India and comes here, who knows how many years the journey must take?"

Tripitaka laughed. "This poor monk has spent far more days delayed on the road than actually traveling. We have often suffered from poisonous monsters and cruel demons, and it was only thanks to my three disciples that I was protected. After fourteen full years of winter and summer, I have only now reached your honored district."

The scholars were full of praise. "Truly a divine monk! Truly a divine monk!"

They had not finished speaking when another servant came to invite them. "The vegetarian banquet is ready. Please come to the meal."

Kou Yuanwai sent the old woman and his sons back into the house, while he himself accompanied the four pilgrims to the vegetarian hall. The table had been set with great care. There were:

Gold-lacquered tables and black-lacquered chairs.
In front were five-colored trays of fine fruit,
all arranged in the latest style by skilled hands.
The second row held five platters of small dishes;
the third row held five plates of fruit;
the fourth row held five large platters of snacks.
Every item was sweet and fragrant.
Soup and rice, steamed buns, and all the hot dishes were piping fresh and delicious enough to fill the belly.
Seven or eight servants hurried back and forth to attend them,
while four or five cooks never let their hands rest.

See how the soup was ladled out, the rice bowls filled, the dishes carried in and out, all like shooting stars chasing the moon. Bajie, with one bite after another, swallowed bowl after bowl like a gale sweeping away the clouds. The master and disciples all ate their fill.

When the meal was done, Tripitaka stood and thanked Kou Yuanwai, then made ready to leave. Kou Yuanwai stopped him. "Master, please stay a few more days in peace. As the old saying goes, 'It is easy to begin, but hard to finish.' Wait until I have completed my vow, and only then dare I send you on your way."

Tripitaka saw that his sincerity was true and his heart earnest, so he had no choice but to stay. Before long, after five or seven dawns and dusks had passed, Kou Yuanwai invited twenty-four local monks who believed in the Buddha and prepared a complete ritual assembly.

The monks spent three or four days writing and selecting an auspicious day before the Buddhist rite was opened. In that place the custom was much like the customs of Great Tang:

Banners were raised high, and gilt images were set in place;
candles were lit in order, and incense was burned as offering.
Drums were struck, cymbals clanged, flutes were blown, and pipes were played.
The cloud-gongs rang clear, and the transverse flutes sounded bright;
they beat one round, then blew another, chanting the scripture vaults in clear, plain voices.
First they settled the local earth spirit, then they invited the divine generals.
They issued the documents and bowed before the Buddha images.
They recited the Peacock Sutra, line by line, to remove calamity and blockage;
they lit a row of Medicine Buddha lamps, each flame bright and shining.
They bowed to the Water Repentance, dissolving grievance and debt;
they chanted the Huayan Scripture to sweep away slander.
The three vehicles were practiced with great devotion,
and all the monks, great and small, were alike in diligence.

They held this rite for three full days and nights, and when it was done, Tripitaka thought of Lingshan and wanted to take his leave once more. Kou Yuanwai said, "Why are you so eager to depart, Master? I suppose these past days of ritual have kept you busy and perhaps I have been neglectful. Do you hold that against me?"

Tripitaka said, "I have disturbed your honored house far too long. How could I dare speak of blame? But when the holy emperor sent me out through the passes, he asked when I might return. I foolishly replied that I would be back in three years. Who could have guessed that I would be delayed on the road and that fourteen years would already have passed? I do not yet know whether I will obtain the scriptures. If, after I return, I still need another twelve or thirteen years, would that not violate the imperial command? How could I bear such a crime? I beg you, old gentleman, to let this poor monk go. When I have obtained the scriptures and returned, I will come again and stay with you for a longer time. What would be wrong with that?"

Bajie could not hold his tongue and cried, "Master, you are far too unwilling to meet people's wishes and far too ungenerous. This old gentleman is rich beyond measure and made such a great vow to feed monks. Now the vow is complete, and he is holding us with such sincerity that we ought to stay a year or so. Why keep insisting on leaving? Here is a ready-made good meal, and you refuse to eat it, only to go begging at someone else's door. Have you left your old father and mother at home?"

The elder scolded him, saying, "You beast, you only know how to eat well. You do not care at all about the cause of dedication. You are nothing but an animal who stuffs himself at the trough and scratches his stomach for pleasure. If you three want to cling to greed, anger, and delusion, then tomorrow I will go on my own."

Wukong saw that his master had changed color, so he seized Bajie, grabbed his head, and boxed his ears a few times, cursing, "You fool, you do not know what is good for you, and now you have made Master angry with us too."

Sha Wujing laughed. "Well hit, well hit. That fellow never knows when to stop speaking, and he still keeps butting in."

The fool stood huffing to one side and did not dare say another word.

Kou Yuanwai saw that the pilgrims were growing annoyed, so he forced a smile and said, "Master, please do not be upset. Be a little more patient today. Tomorrow I will arrange some flags and drums, and invite a few neighbors and relatives to see you off."

Just then the old woman came out again and said, "Masters, since you have come to our house, do not leave in such haste. How many days have you been here now?"

Tripitaka said, "Half a month already."

The old woman said, "Then that half month counts as my benefactor's merit. I too have some little money from sewing and mending, and I would like to feed the masters for another half month."

Before she had finished speaking, Kou Dong and his brother came out and said, "Honored masters, our father has been feeding monks for more than twenty years and never once met such worthy people. Now that the vow has been completed and you have come down here, it truly shines on our poor house.

We students are young and know little of cause and effect, but we often hear it said, 'If a man cultivates, he receives the reward; if a woman cultivates, she receives the reward; if one does not cultivate, one gets nothing.' Our father and mother both wish to offer a little of their own heart. They are seeking merit, not trying to hinder you. Why insist on refusing? Even we foolish brothers would save the money we spend on tutors, and we also hope to support the masters for another half month before seeing you off."

Tripitaka said, "Your honorable mother's great kindness is already more than I dare accept. How could I then accept the love of your worthy brothers as well? I truly dare not. We must set out today, and I beg you not to take offense. If we delay much longer, we will miss the imperial deadline, and the crime would be unforgivable."

The old woman and the two sons saw that he was fixed in his resolve. Their faces darkened, and they said, "We were kind enough to keep him, and yet he insists on leaving. If he wants to go, then let him go. Why keep talking about it?"

They turned and went back inside.

Bajie could not hold his tongue. He said to Tripitaka, "Master, do not pull the reins too hard. As the saying goes, 'If you keep what is in your hand, you are bound to incur blame.' Let us stay one month and satisfy this mother and son's wish. What is the harm in that? Why keep rushing?"

Tripitaka scolded him again. Bajie slapped himself twice on the mouth and said, "Tsk, tsk, tsk. I said not to talk so much, and there I go again!" Wukong and Sha Wujing laughed quietly to one side.

Tripitaka then scolded Wukong. "What are you laughing at?"

At once he pinched a spell and was ready to recite the Tightening Spell. Wukong was frightened and dropped to his knees. "Master, I was not laughing. I was not laughing. Please do not chant. Please do not chant."

Seeing that the pilgrims were growing more and more restless, Kou Yuanwai no longer dared keep them. He only said, "Masters, there is no need to argue. I will certainly send you off tomorrow morning."

Then he left the scripture hall and ordered the secretary to write a hundred or so invitations, calling on neighbors and relatives to see the Tang monks westward tomorrow morning. At the same time he told the cooks to prepare a farewell banquet, and told the managers to make twenty pairs of colored flags, hire a band of wind-and-drum players, invite a group of monks from the southern monastery, a group of Daoists from the Eastern Peak Temple, and have everything ready by tomorrow at the hour of the snake.

The stewards all took the orders and went off to do their work.

Before long, evening came again. After the late vegetarian meal, each person returned to sleep. It was just as the verse says:

A few crows flew back over neighboring villages;
bells and drums could be heard faintly from the tower.
On the six streets and three markets the human noise fell still;
in ten thousand houses and a thousand gates the lamplight dimmed.
White moon and clear wind played with the flowers' shadows;
the Milky Way lay pale across the sky.
At the cry of the cuckoo the night had grown deep;
heaven had no sound, and the earth lay quiet.

In the third and fourth watches of the night, the household servants in charge of each task rose early and bought everything needed. You could see the banquet crew hustling in the kitchen, the flag makers shouting in the front hall, the monks and Daoists sent racing on foot, the musicians summoned in haste, the invitation bearers running east and west, and the sedan-chair men and horsemen being called up one after another. They kept shouting through the half night until dawn. By the hour of the snake all was ready. Money made every task easy.

Now to return to Tripitaka and the disciples. They rose early, and that entire band continued to wait upon them. Tripitaka ordered the luggage packed and the horses made ready. Bajie heard that they were to leave and began pouting with his thick lips and muttering under his breath, but he could only pack his robes and bowl and haul out the high shoulder pole.

Sha Wujing washed the horses and set up the saddles and bridles. Wukong placed the nine-ringed staff in his master's hand and hung the satchel containing the travel papers across his chest. At last all of them were ready to leave.

Kou Yuanwai again invited them into the great rear hall, where a banquet had been laid out even more splendid than the vegetarian feast they had received before.

There were:

Curtains hung high and screens stood all around.
In the middle hung a painting of longevity mountains and seas of blessing;
on both walls were four scrolls showing spring, summer, autumn, and winter.
In the dragon-patterned censers incense rose in shimmering clouds,
and in the magpie-tail burners auspicious vapors drifted up.
Fruit platters were piled in bright colors;
sugar sculptures of lions and immortals were set in perfect rows.
On the steps, drums and dances kept time to the pitch pipes;
on the hall floor, fruits and dishes spread out like brocade.
Vegetarian soup and rice were finely prepared;
fragrant wine and fragrant tea were fair to see.
Though it was the house of common people, it did not fall short of a prince's residence.
The sound of merriment rose in a great wave, enough to shake heaven and earth.

Tripitaka was exchanging courtesies with Kou Yuanwai when a servant came to report, "The guests have all arrived."

It was the neighbors and relatives they had invited, along with brothers-in-law, sisters' husbands, fellow devotees, and good friends who chanted the Buddha's name. They all came forward to bow to Tripitaka. After the bows, they all took their seats.

Below the hall, drums and zithers sounded together, and above the hall, song and wine filled the air. Bajie watched this feast with great care and said to Sha Wujing, "Brother, eat your fill while you can. Once we leave the Kou house, there will never again be such a rich spread."

Sha Wujing laughed. "Second Brother, what are you talking about? As the saying goes, 'A hundred fine dishes are still only one full belly.' One may have hidden roads, but one does not have a hidden stomach."

Bajie said, "You are truly no good at this, no good at all. I can eat until I am full in one meal and then not feel hungry for three days."

Wukong heard him and said, "Fool, do not split your belly open. We are about to travel."

Before he had finished speaking, the sun was already at its height. Tripitaka lifted his chopsticks and recited the meal sutra. Bajie panicked, grabbed the rice bowl, and emptied bowl after bowl, stuffing five or six more into himself. He also crammed his sleeves full of steamed buns, cakes, and fried pastries, taking them all in no matter how they came, and only then did he rise and follow his master.

Tripitaka thanked Kou Yuanwai and thanked the others as well, and they all went out together. Outside the gate were the colored flags and embroidered canopies, the drummers and musicians, and the two teams of monks and Daoists just arriving. Kou Yuanwai said with a smile, "You have come a little late, and the masters are in too much of a hurry to wait for the vegetarian meal. When they return, we shall have our thanks."

The crowd made a path. The sedan-chair bearers took up their poles, the riders mounted their horses, and the walkers went on foot, all letting the four pilgrims go first. Drums and music filled the sky, flags and pennants blocked out the sun, and the roads were crowded with people, carts, and horses, all come to see Kou Yuanwai send off Tripitaka. It was wealth and splendor beyond compare, not at all inferior to a brocade tent hidden in spring.

The monks played a Buddhist tune, while the Daoists blew a Daoist air. They escorted the party out beyond the city walls and on to the ten-mile pavilion, where they offered bowls of food and cups of water and parted with one another over drink. Kou Yuanwai still could not bear to let them go. Tears stood in his eyes as he said, "When the masters return with the scriptures, you must surely come back to my house and stay a few more days, so that I may set my heart at ease."

Tripitaka was grateful beyond words and kept thanking him. "If I reach Lingshan and get to see the Buddha, I will be the first to report your great virtue. When I come back, I will certainly come to your gate and thank you again and again."

They talked a while longer, and before they knew it they had gone another two or three li. Tripitaka bowed deeply to take leave. Kou Yuanwai burst into loud tears and turned back. Truly:

A vow to feed monks brought him to wondrous awakening;
without a karmic bond, he could not behold the Buddha.

We need not speak of Kou Yuanwai seeing them off to the ten-mile pavilion and returning home with the others. Let us return to the four pilgrims. They had traveled forty or fifty li when evening began to fall. Tripitaka said, "It is getting late. Where shall we stay for the night?"

Bajie, carrying the burden pole, pouted and said, "We gave up a ready-made meal and would not even stay in a clean tiled house. Why are we still hurrying along as if fleeing a funeral or dodging a ghost? Now it is dark, and if rain starts, what then?"

Tripitaka scolded him. "You wicked beast, you are complaining again. As the saying goes, 'Though Chang'an is fine, it is not a house for long attachment.' Once we have had the good fortune to bow before the Buddha and obtain the true scriptures, then when we return to Great Tang and report to our lord, you may eat from the imperial kitchen for several years and burst yourself wide open, you vile beast, and become a full-bellied ghost."

The fool only laughed to himself and did not dare say more.

Wukong looked around from a distance and saw a few buildings by the roadside. Quickly he asked his master, "Let us lodge there. Let us lodge there."

Tripitaka came near and saw that it was a collapsed archway, with an old tablet on it whose faded letters were covered in dust: Huaguang Monastery.

Tripitaka dismounted and said, "Huaguang Bodhisattva was a disciple of the Flaming-Light Buddha. Because he helped wipe out the Poison-Fire Ghost King, he was demoted and became one of the Five Manifest Spirit Officials. There must be a temple keeper here."

So they all went in. The corridors and side rooms had all fallen down, and there was no sign of anyone. Just as they were preparing to leave, black clouds suddenly covered the sky and a heavy rain came pouring down. They had no choice but to take shelter under the broken rooms, hiding wherever they could from the wind and rain. They kept quiet and still, afraid that some demon might notice them. Some sat, some stood, and they endured the whole night without sleep.

Ah! Truly:

Great peace gives rise again to loss;
in the place of joy, sorrow returns.

But whether they would go forward when dawn came is another matter; that must wait for the next chapter.