The golden skyship docked. Supported by General Lee and General Curtain, the still-shaken Jade Emperor quickly disembarked, surrounded by a large retinue of court officials and guards, heading straight for the main gate.
Their frantic haste looked exactly like fleeing for their lives.
Not far away, the Queen Mother and her entourage stared in shock.
They had arrived much earlier than the Jade Emperor’s group, but unfortunately, Tusita Palace wouldn’t even let them in the door.
But not being let in was no big deal—they just waited at the gate. If Monkey really showed up at Tusita Palace’s entrance, surely Lord Lao would have to intervene?
Seeing the Queen Mother, who had arrived first to seek refuge, made the Jade Emperor’s face look even worse. He couldn’t help but curse inwardly: “That woman runs faster than a rabbit whenever trouble hits!”
But he had neither the time nor the energy to argue with the Queen Mother.
Right now, dealing with that rampaging Monkey was more important than anything else.
When the Jade Emperor’s group arrived, a Tusita Palace boy stationed at the gate spotted them from afar and ran over.
Stopping before the Jade Emperor, the boy shook his duster, bowed, and said, “Disciple greets Your Majesty. May I ask what urgent business brings Your Majesty here in such haste?”
After a brief pause, the boy said calmly, “My master foresaw today’s events. He left a message for Your Majesty in advance and instructed me to deliver it.”
“What... what did Lord Lao say?” the Jade Emperor asked hurriedly.
The boy straightened, and said loudly, “My master said that at this point, keeping the demon monkey trapped inside South Heaven Gate does more harm than good. If Your Majesty wishes to resolve the crisis, open the gate. Once it’s open, the demon monkey will not linger. This will both relieve Heaven’s danger and force the demon army to retreat—a win-win.”
Everyone present was stunned.
Even the Jade Emperor was dumbfounded.
Is that really Lord Lao’s attitude?
“Open South Heaven Gate... and let the demon monkey go?”
No way! Then everything before was for nothing...?
Five hundred thousand Heavenly Fleet sailors lost, and now we’re just going to let the tiger return to the mountain?
“This, this, this...” The Jade Emperor was so furious he leaned back, mouth agape, unable to catch his breath.
His eyes bulged so wide they seemed about to pop out, staring fixedly at the boy.
His face was now tinged purple and green.
Everyone around was so shocked they couldn’t utter a word.
They had served the Jade Emperor for so many years, yet none had ever seen him so enraged. One after another, they pleaded, “Your Majesty, please calm down!”
The boy remained indifferent, turning his face away from the Jade Emperor with an air of “leave if you wish.”
“Your Majesty, why not summon General Erlang Yang Jian to Heaven?” General Lee whispered, supporting the Jade Emperor.
“Outrageous!” Before General Lee finished, the Jade Emperor exploded, shoving Lee aside and pointing at the boy, shouting, “No matter what, I must see Lord Lao today—no one can stop me!”
With that, he ignored everything else, gathered up his wide dragon robe, broke free of General Lee and General Curtain, and charged forward.
All the courtiers were so terrified their souls nearly fled their bodies.
But just then, the boy furrowed his brows, flashed a palm-sized metal ring shining with brilliant gold light, stretched out his arm to block the Jade Emperor, and said sternly, “My master is in seclusion—no one may disturb him!”
“Is that... the Adamantine Ring?”
As soon as the treasure appeared, an uproar broke out!
...
“What exactly is going on? Tell me clearly!”
Belle grabbed the boy’s collar, startling him.
He couldn’t understand how Belle, usually so gentle, could turn fierce the moment Monkey was mentioned.
“Speak—!”
Her voice quickly spread through the courtyard, even making Birdie in the distant stone pavilion stand up and look over.
“Miss Belle, don’t be so loud. Someone might hear. You don’t want her to know, right?” The boy, still gripped by the collar, blinked rapidly and pleaded in a low voice, “He... he’s fine, Miss Belle. Please, calm down. Let go, let go.”
Belle was beyond caring. With both hands, she lifted the boy clean off the ground and demanded, “If he’s fine, then what’s the matter? Tell me clearly!”
With his feet off the ground and nowhere to hide, the boy clenched his teeth, squeezed his eyes shut, and shouted, “It’s just—the Jade Emperor sent people to catch him, but they couldn’t. Then they locked the South Heaven Gate so he couldn’t escape, but now Monkey is running wild everywhere. The Jade Emperor was out of options and came to ask my master for help!”
Belle let go, and the boy collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath.
“Something’s already happened... Didn’t you say you’d always tell me everything? Why not this time?” Belle said blankly.
She suddenly remembered the complex array diagram sent by Master Borosen.
“How long ago was this?”
“How long ago? Just a few hours,” the boy said, smoothing his collar and frowning. “But our brothers warned us last night that something would happen, told us not to panic.”
“A few hours ago? So... Monkey didn’t use that diagram to get through South Heaven Gate?” Belle widened her eyes and asked, “Did the old master know about this all along?”
The boy grimaced, “Miss Belle, please don’t ask anymore. I really can’t say. If I keep talking, someone’s going to get hurt. We were told not to tell you or Miss Birdie.”
“If you won’t tell me, I’ll go ask someone else!”
Belle picked up her skirt and ran out of the courtyard.
“Don’t go!” the boy scrambled to his feet and hurried after her.
“What’s going on? What is she doing?” Seeing Belle run for the gate, Birdie lifted her skirt and followed with curiosity.
Before Belle could step out the courtyard gate, two boys—who looked only eleven or twelve—blocked her way.
“Miss Belle, it’s dangerous outside. Please don’t run off,” one of the boys said softly.
“So, the old master wants to keep me under house arrest?” Belle said expressionlessly, taking a step back. Just when the boys thought she was giving up, she lifted her skirt, drew a dagger from her boot, and pressed it to her throat.
“Move aside—!” she shouted sternly at the two boys.
Faced with the gleaming dagger, all three boys—and Birdie, who had just arrived—were stunned.
...
In the main hall, Lord Lao could only furrow his brows, shake his head, and sigh helplessly.