Skylar Loft had thoroughly convinced the Monkey King. For someone stuck at a cultivation bottleneck and desperate to break through, the allure of the Spirit-Infusing Pill was irresistible.
But the one he truly needed to persuade was Belle. Belle was the one about to live with Anna Yang, though out of courtesy, she hadn’t voiced her concerns.
After convincing the Monkey King, Skylar Loft followed the same approach and pulled Belle aside for a talk. Yet Belle was not so easily swayed—at least, not by anyone other than the Monkey King.
In the end, Skylar Loft wasn’t sure what promises he had made to get Belle to agree to live with Anna Yang. It was only for a few days, and Skylar Loft promised to build an extra wooden cabin in Swallow Lane within that time.
With the problem solved, that night the Monkey King and Skylar Loft drank together until dawn. Skylar Loft spoke at length—about his days as a novice monk, joining Crescent Star Cave under Master Sage Subhuti, attending the Peach Banquet in the heavens, founding Cloudrise Pavilion, and all the strange tales of the world above and below. The Monkey King and Belle listened, utterly enthralled.
So this world was truly so marvelous.
As for Anna Yang, she simply sat quietly to the side, ignoring everyone, not uttering a word.
The next morning, Skylar Loft announced his return to Cloudrise Pavilion. After instructing the monastery’s stewards to build a new wooden cabin, he departed, leaving only Anna Yang behind.
This made the Monkey King even more convinced that Skylar Loft’s trip was simply to hand off the troublesome Anna Yang to Crescent Star Cave.
But if the sky fell, Master Sage Subhuti would be there to hold it up. This was not the Monkey King’s concern; he simply focused on his cultivation.