When Monkey King saw Elder Skylar Loft for the first time in ages, he simply nodded and hurried toward Elder Stillwater, blurting, "Second Senior Brother, Anna Yang is in trouble!"
Elder Stillwater was slightly startled, but Elder Skylar Loft reacted first.
"What happened to Anna Yang?" He widened his eyes and grabbed Monkey King's hand.
"I don't know yet. She's in your courtyard now. Please help me check on her."
The three of them rushed to Elder Stillwater's residence.
When they entered the room, Anna Yang was lying on the couch, her face pale. Seeing Monkey King, she tried to sit up but couldn't muster any strength.
Her breathing seemed even more rapid than before, and her forehead was drenched in cold sweat.
"Don't move." Elder Stillwater quickly stepped forward and took her pulse. After a long moment, he asked softly, "Did you recently try to break through to the Spirit-Transformation Realm?"
Elder Skylar Loft's expression changed slightly.
The subtle shift in breathing did not escape Elder Stillwater. He immediately asked, "What is it? Eighth Junior Brother, do you know something?"
Elder Skylar Loft coughed lightly and said, "When I took her as my disciple, Erik Yang mentioned she had a heart-knot. That's why, after all these years, she still can't reach the Spirit-Transformation Realm."
"A heart-knot?" Elder Stillwater turned his face toward Anna Yang.
After glancing at Elder Stillwater, Anna Yang took a deep breath. After a long silence, she nodded and said quietly, "I just can't accept it, so I keep trying to break through... This has never happened before."
People with a true heart-knot rarely admit it, but its existence is undeniable.
Elder Stillwater slowly stood up and walked outside, saying to the other two, "Come outside and help me prepare medicine."
"Alright." Elder Skylar Loft quickly rolled up his sleeves and followed.
Monkey King wanted to follow, but Anna Yang tugged at his sleeve.
"It won't help if you go. Stay with me." Covering her mouth, she frowned and coughed softly twice.
Her bright eyes were already starting to look dazed.
Monkey King glanced at Elder Stillwater, and only after receiving his approval did he sit down on the stool by the couch.
Following Elder Stillwater, they hurried through the courtyard and entered the alchemy room opposite. Elder Skylar Loft asked anxiously, "How is Anna Yang, really?"
"So you do care?"
"She's my disciple. Is it strange that I care?"
"I thought you'd forgotten you had a disciple. You only know how to take disciples, not how to teach them. Honestly..."
"At a time like this, can you stop criticizing me? How is she, really?" Elder Skylar Loft widened his eyes and stared at Elder Stillwater, waiting for an answer.
Elder Stillwater ignored him, opened the pill cabinet, and searched for medicine bottles as he asked, "Do you know the specifics of her heart-knot?"
"What else could it be? Saving her mother, rebelling against the Heavenly Court. That's all. Now her mother is dead, so the first hope is gone. Obviously, her heart-knot must be the second one."
Taking out two jars of pills, Elder Stillwater poured a few into his palm, weighed them, and sighed softly, "Her heart-knot has already loosened."
"What? Loosened?" Elder Skylar Loft was taken aback.
Isn't the Jade Emperor still sitting perfectly fine on the throne in the High Sky Throne Hall? How could this be?
"Strictly speaking, it's not fully unraveled, just loosened—not as stubborn as before."
"What do you mean?" Elder Skylar Loft quickly leaned closer to Elder Stillwater.
Elder Stillwater paused his actions, let out a long sigh, and said slowly, "It means either she's seen hope of rebelling against Heaven, or something else has entered her heart, causing her old obsession to loosen. Or perhaps, both."
Elder Skylar Loft lowered his head, tapping his fingers, and after a while finally responded, "So she can break through her cultivation? That's wonderful news!"
"That's exactly what's bad!" Elder Stillwater snorted, pursed his lips, and stood in a daze for a while. After a long pause, he sped up his movements: "The Sage's Path is different from the Traveler's Path. Either you have no heart-knot, or you do. If you have none, breakthroughs are smooth; if you do, you can't even touch the threshold. Anna's current state is somewhere in between, and after a thousand years at the Spirit-Refinement Stage, her constitution has changed. Do you know what that means?"
The smile on Elder Skylar Loft's face gradually faded, replaced by concern.
...
Sunlight streamed through the cracks in the window lattice, illuminating Monkey King seated by the couch.
Monkey King quietly watched Anna Yang, and Anna Yang quietly watched Monkey King. The difference was that one looked grim, while the other wore a faint smile.
"Is there anything to be happy about, ending up like this?" Monkey King asked.
"You were really nervous about me just now." She smiled sweetly, like a little girl, still clutching Monkey King's sleeve so tightly that he had to bend awkwardly beside the couch, struggling to maintain the uncomfortable posture.
"I promised to keep you safe. That's part of our deal. I'm just fulfilling my promise."
"Is that so?" Anna Yang looked up at the ceiling and asked, "Then if I go and provoke the Heavenly Court for no reason, would you still help me?"
Monkey King fell silent.
Anna Yang gave a faint smile. "When you made that pact with me, did you ever think I might do something like that?"
"I did. At the time, I thought, if you dragged me into it, Erik Yang would be involved too, and with him as backup, things wouldn't be so bad. Besides, if things got out of hand, I could just tie you up and hide you somewhere—Heaven is vast, and the Heavenly Court would have trouble finding you. Once your cultivation matured, you wouldn't be my match. That wouldn't break our agreement."
"That was then. What about now? Would you still tie me up?"
"You wouldn't do that, at least not before you're ready. Our goals are the same. Besides, the agreement has changed—I promised to grant you one request."
"What if I would? Would you still tie me up and hide me?" Anna Yang turned to look at Monkey King, her gaze clear, waiting for his answer.
But Monkey King did not answer.
He didn't answer for a long, long time.
Anna Yang waited so long that her smile gradually faded and she pressed her lips together, but he still did not answer.
Lowering his head, he gently pried Anna Yang's hand off his sleeve, bit by bit.
He vaguely saw Anna Yang's eyes redden and quickly turned his face away, not daring to look directly at her.
Was that an answer?
He wasn't afraid of the Heavenly Court; he even wanted to challenge them. What he worried about was something else—something he could never allow himself to betray.
Anna Yang surely understood this, but all along she had chosen not to see it.
Slowly closing her eyes, Anna Yang said nothing more.
The room suddenly grew oppressively silent.
After a long time, Elder Stillwater finally rushed in with Elder Skylar Loft. "Help me sit her up."
Monkey King quickly did as he was told.
After a bowl of fresh water and a few pills, Anna Yang drifted off into a deep sleep.
Her complexion seemed to improve slightly.
Stepping outside, Monkey King stood shoulder to shoulder with Elder Stillwater, who was still sorting pills in his sleeve. They gazed up at the blue sky, and Monkey King sighed quietly.
"What's really going on with her? Is she breaking through?"
"She's breaking through, yes. But in her current state, she can't succeed—in fact, it could cost her life." Elder Stillwater answered briefly, then continued after a pause, "It could happen again in the future. It's best she stop cultivating for now. Her condition is still unstable; it will take days to recover. For now, let her stay in my courtyard. I'll explain her situation to you in detail later."
He patted Monkey King's shoulder and reminded him, "Also, her lifespan is running out."
Monkey King opened his mouth as if to say something, but couldn't.
All along, Anna Yang had relied on the longevity peaches and ginseng fruit that Erik Yang provided to extend her life.
A rogue cultivator at the Spirit-Transformation Stage gets only eight hundred years of lifespan if they don't advance. For Anna Yang, a Spirit-Refinement Stage cultivator to live a thousand years is already a miracle.
"So, this matter needs to be handled soon." Monkey King took a deep breath and looked at the drifting clouds in the sky.
...
Above the clouds, the sunset dyed everything red, like a sea of fire.
A tall, golden-armored Heavenly General sped forward, clutching his pagoda, the compressed air streaming outwards and carving a deep trail across the cloud surface.
He looked to be about fifty, with a long beard down to his waist and piercing eyes.
Soon, an immense fleet appeared on the horizon.
The Skyward Legionnaires on deck, responsible for keeping watch, were stunned to see General Lee himself. No one expected their commander to cross tens of thousands of miles alone at such a time.
Landing on the deck, General Lee, face grim, flung aside his red cloak and strode toward the flagship's cabin.
Two Heavenly Generals, already waiting by the door, hurried over and bowed, but General Lee stopped them with a gesture.
"Where is he?"
"Reporting to Your Majesty, he's in the main hall."
"Let's go!"
The grand hall doors thundered open as General Lee strode inside.
In the center of the hall knelt a Heavenly General, both arms lost, his body covered in blood and scars. He trembled slightly, his expression haunted by terror.
"L—Lord Lee..."
"No need for formalities." General Lee glanced at him, then walked past to take the seat of honor.
A Skyward Legionnaire quickly offered a cup of tea, already prepared.
"Speak while standing." General Lee took the cup and sipped.
The armless Heavenly General trembled as he slowly rose, still keeping his head lowered.
Setting down his cup, General Lee took a deep breath and, with a hint of anger, stared at the general and asked, "Did the Handsome Monkey King let you go?"
"Yes." The Heavenly General answered timidly.
"Is King Broadgaze still alive?"
"His Majesty is alive, but he's been captured by the Handsome Monkey King. According to the demon who released me, only I and King Broadgaze survived this time..."
General Lee's eyes narrowed as he stroked his long beard and asked, "The Handsome Monkey King spared Broadgaze—did he mention any demands?"
The Heavenly General slowly shook his head.
"No demands?" General Lee frowned, pointing at the general and commanding, "Tell me everything, from the beginning."