The Sage's Path is, at its core, a study of the laws governing the development of all things. Delve deep enough, and it becomes a summary of accumulated experience.
When such experience is distilled to a certain degree, it often gives rise to something else—intuition.
Right now, Monkey's intuition told him something was wrong.
On the eighty-ninth day of Monkey's tenure in Heaven, the Jade Emperor convened a closed-door imperial council.
Only ten people attended this meeting, including Grandmaster White, the Pagoda King Li Jing, Marshal Tianfu of the Heavenly Fleet, and Jiao Mu Jiao, leader of the Twenty-Eight Mansions—each a powerful official or general of the Heavenly Court.
Since the meeting was held only once, at an unusual hour, and was never followed by a larger session nor mentioned in the morning court, it was safe to conclude that everything went smoothly and the agenda passed unanimously.
After that, it seemed that everything began to change.
First, Monkey's subordinates in the Immortal Peach Orchard stopped urging him to complete the handover. Next, Grandmaster White no longer made frequent visits to the orchard. As for the makeshift 'hundred-thousand-strong army' outside the Jade Pool, they all returned to their posts... A few days later, the Twenty-Eight Mansions relocated en masse to garrison near the Immortal Peach Orchard.
Though they brought no attendants and did not press too close to the orchard, Monkey could still clearly sense the presence of these twenty-eight figures.
All these unusual signs told Monkey: something had gone wrong... and the trouble wasn't on his end.
So where had the trouble started?
The only answer could be Blossom Mountain.
Unless they had already found grounds to attack Blossom Mountain, there was no way they'd let Monkey stall for time like this.
For this reason, Monkey repeatedly used the Linked Bamboo Scroll to ask Anna Yang about the situation in the mortal realm. The only reply he finally received was: "The Celestial Army is moving frequently. Find a chance to descend to the mortal world."
Staring at that reply, Monkey froze for a moment.
"Something really did happen..."
"Why are you so sure?" Belle asked.
"Normally, Anna Yang would remind me to be careful and stall for time. But this time, she directly told me to 'find a chance to descend.' That means she knows things can't be delayed any longer. The Celestial Army is moving frequently..." Monkey took a deep breath and said, "When have they ever not moved frequently? Something bad must have happened, and Anna Yang can't tell me—she's afraid that, with me in Heaven, if I find out... it might end up making things worse."
Clutching the Linked Bamboo Scroll tightly, Monkey's eyes narrowed to slits.
"Aren't you going to confirm with Anna Yang what exactly happened?"
"No need to ask. If she won't say, even if I ask, she probably still won't tell me."
Belle blinked, lost in thought for a long while, then softly suggested, "Then, I'll go to Tusita Palace tomorrow."
Monkey nodded silently.
This time, neither side hesitated in the slightest.
Without inside help, the two of them had no chance of escaping through South Heaven Gate. Though he didn't fully trust Lord Lao, at this moment Monkey could only entrust Belle to him for the time being.
Without any delay, before dawn the next day, Monkey was ready to personally escort Belle to Tusita Palace. But as soon as he opened the door, the Tusita Palace boy was already standing before them.
"My master instructed me to fetch Miss Belle today," the boy said, bowing respectfully.
Upon hearing this, everyone nearby couldn't help but stare in shock at Belle, who stood behind Monkey.
Grinning, Monkey hooked an arm around the boy's neck and pulled him aside. After glancing at the anxious Belle, he lowered his voice and said, "Tell your master: if Belle loses even a single hair, he can forget about the Heavenly Dao Stone."
Faced with this threat, the Tusita Palace boy's expression didn't change; he simply smiled faintly and replied in a low voice, "Steward Sun, rest assured. My master said that when the time is right, Miss Belle will be returned to you—guaranteed, not a hair harmed."
"Good." Monkey grinned and ruffled the boy's hair.
This gesture made the Tusita Palace boy's brows knit tightly.
As a disciple under Lord Lao, his status in Heaven was second to none. Even Grandmaster White and Pagoda King Li Jing treated him with utmost respect—never had anyone dared to be so casual with him.
Still, the boy was shrewd enough to know how much Lord Lao valued Monkey. He simply pretended nothing had happened, letting the slight pass without protest.
Yet to the onlookers, this scene carried unusual significance. Even Warden Joel Chow and Captain Carl Chang began to wonder if following the Queen Mother and Grandmaster White's orders had really been wise.
In front of Lord Lao, even the Queen Mother and Jade Emperor were mere figureheads—this was something all the old hands in Heaven knew well. Wasn't it Lord Lao who had spoken up for Monkey when he first took office in Heaven?
What exactly was the relationship between Monkey and Lord Lao? The question left them uneasy.
At parting, Monkey slipped a Jade Tablet into Belle's palm and gave her a few simple instructions. Belle said nothing, just clung to the Jade Tablet and gazed at Monkey, her eyes brimming with tears.
She held back for a long time, then finally managed, "Be careful." Slowly, she followed the boy away, looking back at every few steps.
All the way, seated in the skybarge sent by Tusita Palace, Belle remained silent—even when the boy offered her tea, she didn't touch it.
Dressed in a pale green robe, from afar she looked like a drifting lotus leaf—quietly carried along by the current, laden with helpless sorrow.
Upon arriving at Tusita Palace and disembarking from the skybarge, Belle softly said to the boy, "Let me meet the old gentleman."
"Old gentleman?"
"I mean... your master, Lord Lao."
At this, the Tusita Palace boy bowed and said, "My master is in seclusion and cannot receive guests."
"Really in seclusion? Did he say when he'd come out?"
"My master never sets a time for his retreats. I do not know how long it will last."
"And if I insist on seeing him?"
The boy answered seriously, "If my master says no visitors, then no matter how important the matter, he will see no one. Please, Miss, don't make things difficult for me."