On a sunlit day, Clara Frost was in the courtyard adjoining the practice yard, balancing the ledgers. Mona Frost pointed out three immortal slaves in the small yard, tending to the fodder, while Monkey had locked himself away in his room, doing who knows what.
It was an utterly ordinary day.
Suddenly, without warning, a flash of white light appeared. An old man in an orange‑yellow Bagua robe materialized, accompanied by a white sphere taller than a person. The sight startled everyone—they dropped what they were doing and knelt in terror.
"Your servants pay respects to the Supreme Immortal."
Given their status, none of them had ever met Lord Lao before, but anyone with eyes could see from his attire that he was no ordinary immortal.
Faced with their panic, Lord Lao merely waved his hand for them to rise and dispense with formalities. With a flick of his whisk, a crack slowly appeared in the white sphere. It widened until it was as large as a door, and from within emerged a refined, ethereal maiden.
Belle blinked, peering out cautiously. She took Lord Lao's offered hand, lifted the hem of her apricot-yellow dress, and stepped out of the sphere.
The scene left the assembled maids and immortal slaves utterly stunned.
Belle's attire clearly marked her as a newly ascended maiden—what virtue or fortune could have warranted such treatment from a Supreme Immortal?
Unconsciously, they bowed to Belle as well, yet none of them knew what title to use.
"Is Monkey here?" Belle asked softly.
"This is Heaven—where else could he go?" Lord Lao glanced toward one of the small houses and whispered, "He's in there."
Belle smiled sweetly, lifted her skirt, and took a few running steps—then paused, glancing back at Lord Lao.
"Go on," Lord Lao nodded.
With Lord Lao's permission, Belle once again lifted her skirt and stepped forward.
Her laughter, as melodious as her name, slowly drifted across the courtyard.
......
Inside the small room, Monkey was carefully tracing a water-dipped brush across a bamboo scroll.
One day in Heaven equals a year on earth; the time difference between Heaven and the mortal world is vast. Because of this, the usual Jade Tablet messaging system becomes a jumble of chaotic transmissions once it crosses South Heaven Gate.
For the Heavenly Army, it's manageable—they have special methods for communication that work even across South Heaven Gate, and Anna Yang knows these techniques. But Monkey, who ascended alone, has no such convenience.
But he had prepared a far more effective method—the Linked Bamboo Scroll.
Two paired bamboo slips: write on one, and the words instantly appear on the other.
If used in the mortal world, this device is unimpressive compared to Jade Tablets. But in Heaven, separated by South Heaven Gate, it’s a different story.
The gift from Elder Sky allows Monkey to remain in Heaven yet know Blossom Mountain’s situation at any time and offer his advice. Though the information lags, it’s still better than letting go completely, isn’t it?
“…The Heavenly Fleet has intensified patrols around Blossom Mountain… Minor skirmishes have broken out with squads gathering materials; there are casualties on both sides… The military bureau issued a reprimand, but I’ve deflected it by claiming those demons aren’t registered under Blossom Mountain… King Bullhorn and others volunteered to go out and gather materials under Blossom Mountain’s name. Shortbeak and Louis Quickpaw both support the proposal… Please reply soon…”
Murmuring the report, Monkey gripped the bamboo slip. His brush paused, hesitating for a long moment before he finally wrote ‘Agree’ on the scroll—and could not help but sigh deeply.
Not being at Blossom Mountain himself, he felt uneasy letting them take risks. Still, as long as he remained in Heaven as their umbrella, none of the five Demon Kings would dare betray Blossom Mountain—at least for now.
Beyond that, the rest was a dense string of updates from Anna Yang, like lines of ants—summarizing how, in the year since Monkey’s absence, a surge of new demons had caused internal problems but overall stability remained. She detailed the progress of every task Monkey had assigned.
Monkey read each line, unable to suppress a faint, apologetic smile.
If even one among Louis Quickpaw, the Nine-Headed Wyrm, or Shortbeak could manage the big picture, Anna Yang wouldn’t have to shoulder all this for the sake of the demons.
“Someday, someone will be able to take over. Isn’t this just the beginning? Once those Sage’s Path demons mature, there’ll be one or two capable commanders among them.”
At this point, both he and Blossom Mountain owed Anna far too much. Back when they made their pact, he’d worried about being dragged down by the Yang siblings—but more than ten years have passed, and now it’s he who owes Anna.
He could only hope that one day this debt would be repaid.
Brush in hand, Monkey hesitated over whether to write a few words of comfort to Anna Yang. But just as he lowered the tip, his hand paused.
“Who?” Monkey lifted his head slightly, eyes narrowing to a slit. “Belle?”
Belle couldn’t possibly have flown alone from Guanghan Palace on the Ninth Heaven to the Imperial Horse Bureau on the Eighth Heaven. Yet Monkey sensed no other presence.
The door thudded: “Dong dong dong.”
“Monkey, are you inside?” Belle’s sweet voice came through.
Hearing this, Monkey slowly stood up, but instead of moving forward, he stepped back. With a wave of his hand, the door burst open.
The pale clouds floating outside were swept into the room, swirling and slowly dispersing.