The sudden rain of grain poured down like a rolling tide of golden sand, and in an instant, the entire world was submerged in a golden hue.
Some people had already begun to scream, but most simply stared blankly at the sky.
"What's happening? Is it raining grain?"
"Grain is actually falling from the sky?"
After a brief moment of stunned disbelief, the entire capital erupted in earth-shaking cheers.
Everyone dropped their weapons and began to dance wildly in the grain rain, reaching out to catch the falling kernels, filling their hands, then stripping off their tattered clothes to bundle up more.
Amid the grain rain, every person cheered, ran, roared, and wailed; no one cared about Curtain anymore, nor whether there was any real grain in the palace.
In the midst of the jubilation, Curtain stared blankly at the sky. He touched the grain covering the ground, and after a long moment, he broke into a dazed smile.
"The Great Sage has arrived... It must be the Great Sage! Hahaha! The Great Sage really brought grain! Curtain, thank the Great Sage on behalf of all Black Rooster Kingdom!"
Just as Curtain was overcome with gratitude, a shadow flashed to his side and landed a heavy blow to his abdomen.
Instantly, a mouthful of fresh blood sprayed out as Curtain clutched his stomach, howling in pain.
"Thank your damn mother!"
With a shout, before Curtain could react, he was hoisted into the air and slammed hard against the palace wall.
The impact nearly knocked the already-injured Curtain unconscious.
When he opened his eyes again, a monkey face was right in front of him, baring its teeth and roaring, "Are you out of your damn mind? You went off to die before I got back? I don't care if you die, but if you ruin my Scripture Quest, I'll chase you down to the eighteenth level of hell!"
Curtain was stunned for a long moment before he managed an awkward smile and said, "Curtain thanks the Great Sage. Curtain thanks the Great Sage on behalf of the people of Black Rooster Kingdom. This grain..."
"Grain? You should thank me, but not for this grain. You should thank me for saving your life." Monkey leaned on his Golden Staff, panting, then looked up at the grain falling from the sky and said, "There is no real grain. It’s all fake. I conjured it—it's an illusion."
"An illusion?" Curtain's mouth dropped open.
"What, is that a problem? As long as it doesn’t kill anyone, they won’t figure it out for ten days or half a month. Such a simple solution—couldn’t you think of it?" Monkey yanked Curtain up off the ground. "Is your brain rusted or something?"
Before Curtain could steady himself, he saw General Lee standing behind Monkey. Instinctively, he tried to turn and run, but General Lee gave him a helpless smile, making him stop in his tracks.
Turning back, Monkey patted Curtain’s shoulder and said to General Lee, "He’s under my protection now."
General Lee hurriedly bowed his head and cupped his hands, "I understand, I understand!"
Only then did Curtain steady himself, glancing nervously at Monkey, "Great Sage, deceiving people... is still wrong. I’ve always been upright and aboveboard..."
Before he finished, Monkey had already raised his staff, threatening to strike. Curtain jumped back in fright, ready to dodge.
His look of anxiety instantly turned to terror as he watched Monkey.
Gripping the staff, Monkey bared a fierce expression and asked, "A fugitive, talking to me about 'upright and aboveboard'?"
Curtain shook his head vigorously.
"So, is deception bad or not?"
Curtain nodded quickly.
"So you can’t have a normal conversation, I have to threaten you with my staff?" Monkey finally lowered his Golden Staff, spitting in frustration. "You and Marshal Silver are just alike—fugitives talking about being 'upright and aboveboard', fussing about deception. No wonder Heaven lost to me! You people are just spoiled. If it gets results, it’s good!"
With a blank face, Monkey gestured to Curtain, "Go, find him. General Lee may not be fit to rule a country, but when it comes to manipulating power and making people submit, he’s got no equal. It’s settled—General Lee will clean up Black Rooster Kingdom’s mess."
As they spoke, a large group of Imperial Guards arrived, all staring in fear at General Lee and Monkey.
Before any of them could speak, Monkey raised his hand high and shouted, "Everyone, follow me!"
With that, he leaped onto the stone pillar atop the palace wall.
Not a single soldier moved; each looked to Curtain. Monkey also turned, face blank, and stared at Curtain.
Gazing at the swirling grain overhead and the refugees weeping with joy below, Curtain was dazed for a long while before he finally whispered, "Listen... listen to him."
At his words, the Imperial Guards immediately bowed to Monkey, showing their obedience.
"You, seal the palace gates at once. No one else is allowed in!"
"Yes, sir!"
"You, take your men and sweep the palace. Drive out all the refugees still inside—quickly!"
"Understood!"
You, gather your men and guard the palace walls! There are two cloud ladders on the west wall—remove them immediately. If anyone tries to break in, kill them without mercy!
"Yes, sir!"
In the blink of an eye, Monkey had already assigned all the tasks, and the soldiers quickly dispersed.
Only now did Marshal Silver and Tripitaka appear at the far end of the palace wall.
Monkey glanced at them indifferently, then leapt into the air and vanished in a streak of golden light.
"Where did the Great Sage go?" Curtain asked.
General Lee smiled helplessly and sighed, "The grain rain conjured by the Great Sage fills bellies, but cannot sustain life. The more people eat, the weaker they become, and in the end, it's no different than starving. If the refugees take too much, reclaiming it later will cause trouble; if not reclaimed, they'll still die. So, the rain must stop soon. But if it stops, the crowd may turn violent. The Great Sage is making sure your men control the situation first, and is personally clearing out hidden corners to guarantee nothing goes wrong. After all, leaving even one person in the palace can be a problem later."
Curtain blinked, thought for a moment, then quickly bowed, "Curtain... thanks General Lee for the guidance."
In no time, under Monkey's direction, the Imperial Guards had taken control of the entire palace. All the refugees were driven out, and a large group of soldiers used ropes to pull the massive palace gates upright again, beginning repairs.
On a distant rooftop, with rice grains swirling in the breeze, Clara Heart stood quietly, watching.
Once everything was settled, Monkey finally appeared before Marshal Silver and Tripitaka. The three looked at each other in silence.
Marshal Silver glanced at Curtain, who was listening intently to General Lee in the distance, and said, "Don't blame him. Curtain is honest and loyal, but there are hurdles he can't get past."
Monkey said leisurely, "If I were here, I would never let him go out. If he really went out, I definitely wouldn't let him come back alive."
Marshal Silver couldn't help but laugh, "That's why you're the Great Sage."
After this disaster, with Monkey watching and General Lee teaching, Curtain quickly 'grew smarter.'
The first thing they did was repair the city gates, manage the entryways, and disperse the refugees gathered in front of the palace.
The rebellion was forced by desperation—when people have no food, it's as if they've lost their lives. If they don't fight, are they just waiting to die?
Now that there's grain, who would still rebel? Even those with ulterior motives can't organize enough refugees to storm the palace. As long as the Imperial Guard stands ready to kill any intruder, the refugees immediately shrink back and lose their courage.
Thus passed two days of calm. On the third morning, under Monkey's pressure, Curtain climbed the city wall and announced to all the refugees that Heaven had sent him a dream, saying he was Lord Lao's attendant reincarnated to bless Black Rooster Kingdom. But he failed, bringing ruin instead.
As he spoke, Curtain listed his own crimes with a face full of pain. It was real pain, because Monkey was pinching him from behind.
After condemning his own actions, Curtain mourned the countless citizens who died in the chaos. He bit his lip, his face flushed, and gave his final summary: the Jade Emperor, remembering his ten lifetimes of cultivation and service, decided to give him a chance to atone—calm Black Rooster Kingdom, install a new king, and escort Tripitaka west for the scriptures.
After he finished, the crowd below the palace wall was utterly silent. The commoners frowned, looking up at Curtain on the city wall, unsure whether to believe him.
Years of suffering can't be erased with a few words.
Seeing this, Monkey decided to push the deception to the limit.
He discreetly pointed, and a shaft of rosy light descended from the clouds, illuminating Curtain. For a moment, everyone was stunned.
Monkey muttered, "Damn it, if you're going to put on a show, do the whole thing. Hurry and thank Heaven! Or do you want me to kick you?"
Hearing this, Curtain could only kneel and kowtow, trembling.
Immediately, everyone knelt and bowed.
Of course, that alone wasn't enough. Faith is fake; food must be real. Without food, many will die.
So Curtain, claiming he’d received a dream from Heaven, led a crowd of refugees to a lake ten miles outside the capital and told them the Jade Emperor had revealed the lake was full of fish.
As he spoke, Monkey secretly cast a spell, and several three-foot-long fish leapt from the water.
The crowd erupted in astonishment.
Now, the people truly believed.
Following General Lee’s instructions, Curtain told the people where to go—some went to fish, some to hunt, some to gather mushrooms in the woods.
With that, peace was finally restored.
Watching the refugees scatter, Curtain collapsed to the ground, exhausted, covering his face and crying.
Five years. For five whole years, he hadn’t slept peacefully once.
Everyone watched him quietly, including his own soldiers—a crowd of strong men helplessly watching Curtain sob until he nearly passed out.
After a long while, he finally recovered, bowed to Monkey, and choked out, "Curtain thanks the Great Sage."
Monkey pointed to General Lee, "Thank General Lee instead."
Curtain turned and bowed to General Lee, "Curtain thanks General Lee. Without General Lee... Curtain truly wouldn’t know what to do. Curtain thanks General Lee, and thanks him on behalf of the people of Black Rooster Kingdom. It’s all Curtain’s ignorance, all Curtain’s fault!"
General Lee turned to glance at Monkey, then helped Curtain up, "None of your policies were wrong."
"Huh?"
Curtain was dumbfounded.
General Lee sighed softly, "But you, as a person, were wrong. So very wrong."