"Do you think General Lee will keep opposing me?"
"Mm!" Belle nodded vigorously.
Monkey chuckled, fiddling with the Exquisite Pagoda in his hand. "Look how fast he ran—faster than a rabbit! And his pagoda is still in my hands. Even if he dares to turn on me, I’m not afraid of him. The South Heaven Gate isn’t just weaker than the Heavenly Fleet when it comes to soldiers—their generals aren’t much better either. I hear they haven’t drilled in proper battle formations for centuries. Them? Against us?"
"That’s not it!" Belle protested. "The important thing isn’t his troops—it’s him! He’s not like Marshal Silver. He can make Heaven send reinforcements!"
Monkey gazed at Belle and asked, "Can he?"
"Uh..." Belle bit her lip, unable to answer for a moment.
"Heaven isn’t just against Marshal Silver for personal reasons. Even if he truly wants reinforcements, does one more voice really mean Heaven will send troops right away?"
"I... I don’t know. But you mustn’t release him!"
"Releasing him was a promise I made before. Heaven has already ordered their withdrawal—if I don’t let him go now, the whole scheme falls apart. Then they’ll probably risk everything and join forces with the Heavenly Fleet to attack Blossom Mountain." Monkey braced himself on his knee and slowly stood, reaching out to pat Belle’s head. "You, just stay safe in the cell. Leave the outside matters to me."
Belle blinked, looking at Monkey with a face full of grievance.
Monkey squeezed Belle’s puffed-up cheeks. "Don’t worry. I’ll win. They can’t beat me."
...
South Heaven Gate Fleet, flagship grand hall.
Marshal Silver strode quickly across the high threshold and into the hall, his once-white cloak now stained deep crimson with blood.
Step by step, he walked to the center of the hall, bowed deeply, and said, "Marshal Silver greets General Lee. This desperate move was truly out of necessity. I beg your forgiveness."
Seated at the head, General Lee looked exhausted. He pointed to a seat beside him and said, "Marshal Silver, please sit. Speak quickly—I have imperial orders to return to South Heaven Gate immediately. I cannot afford delays."
After speaking, he tapped the lid of his teacup on the side table with two fingers and sighed lightly, "Serve the tea."
The celestial soldier at his side quickly poured tea for Marshal Silver.
Settling into the secondary seat, Marshal Silver bowed slightly. "This matter is of grave importance. Please, General Lee, dismiss your attendants."
Before General Lee could respond, Nathan Young, leaning on his Flame Spear, pointed at Marshal Silver and said, "You’re a disgraced man now. My father’s even agreeing to meet you is more than generous—don’t make any more demands! If you have something to say, say it quickly and leave!"
Marshal Silver said nothing, simply glancing sideways at General Lee.
The entire grand hall fell silent.
After a long moment, General Lee raised his hand and sighed, "Everyone, leave."
"Father!"
"Leave."
Nathan Young shot Marshal Silver a cold look and was the first to walk out. The others quickly followed him outside.
At the same time, Marshal Silver sensed that many celestial soldiers and generals had surrounded the grand hall.
They must be worried that General Lee, having just escaped the tiger’s den, might fall into the wolf’s lair. After all, the Heavenly Fleet is now at the end of its rope—it’s only natural to think this way.
Marshal Silver could only smile wryly.
"Nathan Young is just like that. Please don’t take offense," General Lee said softly.
"I wouldn’t dare."
"Well then, can we speak now?" General Lee lifted his teacup and took a sip.
Taking a deep breath, Marshal Silver braced himself on the armrest and slowly stood, bowing. "I came here for the war at Blossom Mountain. I hope for your support, General Lee—to help us wipe out the demon scourge at Blossom Mountain in one decisive blow."
General Lee pursed his lips and let out a laugh. "The war at Blossom Mountain... Marshal Silver, you want my South Heaven Gate army to join the battle, don’t you? To be honest, my Exquisite Pagoda is still in that demon monkey’s hands. Besides, King Virūḍhaka already reported the situation to me—most of my officers and men have no desire to take part in this fight. And Heaven has ordered my army to return to South Heaven Gate immediately. Marshal Silver, do you expect me to defy imperial orders like you? If that’s all you came for, there’s no need to discuss it further."
Finishing his speech in one breath, General Lee lowered his head and took another sip of tea.
His hand holding the teacup was still trembling.
"If Marshal Silver wants my South Heaven Gate Fleet to join the war, then I must ask you to leave."
Setting down his teacup and seeing Marshal Silver remain silent, General Lee repeated his words.
Marshal Silver stared blankly at General Lee’s somewhat haggard face. After a long moment, General Lee avoided his gaze and looked forward.
For a while, the grand hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
A cool breeze drifted in from high above, stirring the window curtains, making the bloodstained cloak of Marshal Silver flutter, circling the potted plant on the table before slipping out through the window lattice.
Marshal Silver took a deep breath and spoke slowly: "General Lee, do you still remember Chen Tang Pass? The commander Lee who, for the sake of the people, handed his eight-year-old son to the Four Dragon Kings?"
General Lee closed his eyes and said, "That time and this time are not the same."
"How are they not the same?"
"What do you think?" General Lee opened his eyes and slowly looked at Marshal Silver.
"I don’t understand," Marshal Silver said with a faint smile, rubbing his wrist. "I only know that a commander must have his own integrity. Whether in Heaven or among mortals, it’s the same. Back then, for the people of Chen Tang Pass, you could go that far. Why not now? If we let things go, when Blossom Mountain rises, it won’t just threaten one region. Even if Heaven sends ten times the troops and sheds several times the blood, it may still be impossible to take it."
After a pause, Marshal Silver continued, "When that day comes, the demon monkey of Blossom Mountain will stand equal to Heaven, and war will rage across the mortal world, bringing ruin to countless lives. Tell me, General Lee, how could you bear such a thing?"
"Don’t try to frighten me!" General Lee slammed the table, eyes blazing. "Blossom Mountain is just a nest of mortal demons—how could they ever stand equal to Heaven?"
Meeting General Lee’s gaze, Marshal Silver replied, "Whether it’s possible or not, I think you know better than I do."
For a moment, both sides stared wide-eyed at each other. The tension in the grand hall was palpable, yet the silence only grew deeper.
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After a long standoff, General Lee finally looked away from Marshal Silver, took a deep breath, and said quietly, "Even if I were willing, my men are not. No favor from above, no heart below. Do you think all armies are like your Heavenly Fleet? How am I supposed to mobilize my troops? If I force an order, and the troops rebel, will your Heavenly Fleet help me suppress them?"
General Lee slowly closed his eyes, trembling as he exhaled a warm breath that turned to mist in the cold air and drifted away.
"Do you think I don’t want to redeem my disgrace? Everyone knows how this war is going—me, you, and my men. Even if I add my 180,000 soldiers, can we win instantly? Fine, let’s say we crush them on the surface. What then? Have you thought about how to fight an underground war? If they break up and scatter, what then? Do you know how many bases they have outside Blossom Mountain?"
"Have you seen the underground works at Blossom Mountain? Do you know how far they’ve gone?"
"You don’t know, but I do!"
"How many more demons in the mortal world are waiting to join them? And us—without Heaven’s support, we simply can’t hold out!"
"That damned demon monkey counted on exactly that when he let me go. Can’t you see it?"
Pressing his lips together, General Lee said, "If they had refused to release me, my South Heaven Gate army would’ve been determined to join the fight. But now that they’ve let me go and taken my Exquisite Pagoda…"
Leaning back in his chair, he stared vacantly at the ceiling and sighed, "Marshal Silver, I admit it—you’re incredible. Only you in all Heaven would dare fight this war. But… listen to me: this battle should never have been fought! I advise you to withdraw early. When you stand in the High Sky Throne Hall, the emperor can speak for you. If you lose… no one can save you! Don’t let your men bleed for nothing. When the immortals in Heaven finally come to their senses, they’ll find a way. As generals, we fight where Heaven points us—it’s not our place to choose."
Lowering his head, General Lee stared at the sunlight pooling in patterns on the carpet through the window lattice, lost in thought.
The tide of fate cannot be turned by any one person…
At this point, nothing more could be said.
Watching the dejected General Lee in silence, Marshal Silver bowed slightly. "Since that’s the case, I won’t press further. I have only one last request, General Lee: when you return to Heaven, please do everything you can to persuade them to send reinforcements. Don’t let those tens of thousands of Heaven’s sons die in vain."
Hearing this, General Lee could only give a bitter smile. "You overestimate me. The games in the High Sky Throne Hall aren’t mine to play. No matter how much I speak up for you, it won’t change a thing."
"I’m not asking you to speak for me, but for the war at Blossom Mountain. You’re the one with the most authority after coming back from the front. If the immortals believe you, then…"
"Believe me?" General Lee looked up and sighed. "Marshal Silver, you’ve wasted all those years as a commander… Let me put it this way: the only person who can settle everything in the High Sky Throne Hall is Lord Lao. For anyone else, it’s useless—even the emperor. At this point, who cares what the truth is? To be blunt, court politics have always been about backroom deals and a façade of peace—my words won’t change anything."
Marshal Silver watched General Lee in silence for a long time, then finally gritted his teeth, swept his cloak aside, and knelt on one knee. "Then please, General Lee, use backroom deals to secure reinforcements from Heaven. I have nowhere left to retreat. Please, help me!"
After a long hesitation, General Lee gazed at Marshal Silver and sighed softly, "I… I’ll try."