The other disciples were angry at Sun Wukong for driving off the master. To them, he had offended by refusing to learn. Despite their loathing, the Monkey King was cheerful. In the back of his mind was the answer to the riddle, so he bore their resentment without response. The actions of Subhuti in leaving held subtle clues that suggested a meeting in secret to the keen mind of the monkey. For the rest of the day Sun Wukong waited impatiently in the cave, staring at the sky until dusk. He went to bed with the others, but made sure to stay awake.

At the third watch, the monkey would go to the back door. Lacking another method for keeping track of time, he breathed slowly and counted until the approximate time. Outside was a brilliant, clear sea of stars and emptiness in the sky. Sun Wukong made his way along an old path to the back door, which was ajar. Seeing this as confirmation of his belief, he quietly entered and crouched by the bed inside. Not wanting to disturb the Immortal who slumbered upon it, the Monkey King knelt and waited until they awoke. Subhuti was surprised to see the monkey inside instead of at the door, but once composed was impressed that he understood the cryptic message. They offered to teach Sun Wukong the Way of Immortality, and he accepted.

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