In the quiet of night, the Monkey King and Anna Yang sat together in the house, dining by the light of a green lamp.
Except for banquets, demons rarely gather in groups to eat.
There are many reasons for this, but the most important is that none of them have families.
"You don’t have to say it—I already know. There are traces of spellcasting there, and the spiritual energy feels just like what’s on these houses. Who else could it be? Only him. If I couldn’t sense that, my thousand years of fighting would be for nothing. Alright, go rest. I’ll finish up here."
As for forming families after transformation, that’s an unimaginable luxury for these wandering demons. So, they’re used to eating alone, each with their own bowl and plate.
Though the two dined together, the dishes on either side of the low table were completely different.
Anna Yang ate ordinary food, while the Monkey King had a heap of sliced fruit and a few pastries.
Head down, the Monkey King gnawed on fruit, occasionally glancing up at Anna Yang.
His expression was still cold, but at least the anger from earlier had vanished.
"Soon. You’re recovering quickly," Anna Yang replied, withdrawing her hand and pouring two elixirs from a bottle. "Take these."
The Monkey King tilted his head back and swallowed them.
Anna Yang tucked the medicine bottle into her sleeve, walked to the desk, lit a green lamp, and began writing on a scroll, occasionally pausing to calculate on her fingers.
The Monkey King sat on the couch by the window, gazing up at the starry sky, sometimes lowering his head to glance at Anna Yang.
When Anna Yang focused on her work, she had a unique charm—an air of boldness more often seen in men. Unlike other women, she was efficient and decisive.
In fact, Anna Yang truly was that kind of person. In both her past and present lives, the Monkey King had never met a girl like her.
So steadfast it was hard to believe, a versatile master of countless arts, she bore heavier burdens than most men. Her only regret was a heart knot in her cultivation, keeping her from reaching the Spirit-Transformation Stage—a major breakthrough in spiritual cultivation (see glossary for ranks).
But if not for that heart knot, Anna Yang might have been someone else entirely.
Maybe she would be a beautiful girl dressing up for the man she loved before a mirror, or a refined scholar lost in her scrolls, or a carefree fairy living in the Heavenly Palace. Maybe...
But in this world, there is no "maybe."
It’s just as Elder Stillwater once said: "Every gain brings a loss, and every loss brings a gain." When Heaven closes one door, it opens another window.
Hatred and hardship brought suffering, but also gave her unmatched resolve, letting her bloom like a proud plum blossom in the icy snow, radiating a beauty all her own.
Watching her, the Monkey King found himself entranced.
Thinking back to what she said the night they left Dragon's Pool, the Monkey King suddenly wondered to himself, "Is she actually into me? Huh... that's kind of weird."
Whenever it came to matters of love and Anna Yang, the Monkey King found it unbelievable. To him, apart from killing the Jade Emperor and defying Heaven, nothing else seemed to interest her.
Her liking him? That was just bizarre.
Suddenly, Anna Yang turned and caught the Monkey King staring at her. Her previously furrowed brows relaxed into a smile. "What?"
"Nothing," the Monkey King quickly turned to look out the window. "Stargazing made my neck sore."
Anna Yang shot him a glance, dipped her pen in ink, and resumed writing. "If there’s nothing else, get some sleep. You’re injured and need rest. I’ll close the door when I leave."
"Okay," the Monkey King mumbled, but stayed put. Anna Yang didn't push him.
After a while, Anna Yang let out a long sigh, rolled up the bamboo scroll, and pulled out another one to write on. Offhandedly, she remarked, "Louis Quickpaw's rounded up all the food and says he'll handle the distribution."
"Mm, and then?"
"I checked the inventory. There’s enough for a month," Anna Yang replied.
"A month..." The Monkey King pursed his lips.
Anna Yang continued, "There’s no sunlight in this valley, almost no mortal plants or animals, and it’s not suitable for farming. In a month, we’ll have to organize expeditions outside to gather food."
"Can't we just conjure some?" the Monkey King blurted, then instantly realized how dumb that sounded.
Anna Yang shot him another look and replied coldly, "Anything conjured at the Spirit-Refinement Stage (an intermediate level of spiritual cultivation, see glossary) is just an illusion—even if it looks, smells, and tastes real, it isn’t true food. Spirit-Transformation Stage (a major breakthrough; see glossary)... well, if the caster loses consciousness, everything reverts to its original form. Only the caster can eat it; if you let these demons eat it, they’ll waste away. Besides, you probably don’t want to keep bothering Elder Stillwater to go out and gather food, do you?"
"So, we can’t stay in Stillwater Valley for long," the Monkey King said with a bitter smile.
"Give it a few days," Anna Yang replied calmly. "I’ll go out and take a look. If the Heavenly troops have dispersed, it won’t matter. They won’t keep searching here forever—the Milky Way Navy is efficient, and they don’t waste effort. If we time our food gathering right, we won’t have to leave."
"What are you writing now?" the Monkey King craned his neck to ask.
"Prescriptions," Anna Yang said, twirling her pen without looking up. "The spirit herbs Elder Stillwater gave us are almost used up, so I’m substituting some mortal ingredients with Netherworld plants."
"Huh? Is that okay? Didn’t he say not to touch anything?"
"He said not to let people who don’t understand touch things. I know what I’m doing," Anna Yang replied, covering her mouth and coughing lightly.
The Monkey King was startled. "Are you alright?" he asked quickly.
"It’s nothing, just a sore throat."
"Even at the Spirit-Refinement Stage (an intermediate rank in spiritual cultivation; see glossary), you can still get a sore throat?"
"It’s normal. Overusing spiritual power and energy causes this. The Celestial Court often shortchanges Guankou’s supplies, so when we were on campaign, it was common to run out of elixirs—even the simplest ones we had to make ourselves. Don’t worry, it’ll pass soon."