In the pitch-dark forested mountains, a dozen or so minor demons were gathered around the Yellowwind Brute.
"My lord, maybe... maybe we should just forget it?" one of the little demons stammered, shrinking back. "I heard people say that Simon Sun already has Heaven’s Way-level cultivation, same rank as Lord Lao back in the day—above and below, only the Buddha himself could subdue him. He’s not someone to cross."
"Isn’t it the Buddha himself who ordered us to do this?" The Yellowwind Brute glared at the demon, pulling out five pigeon-egg-sized objects and stuffing them into their hands one by one, sneering. "Besides, that Heaven’s Way cultivation of his is long gone. What’s there to be afraid of?"
"But... even if he’s lost Heaven’s Way, he’s still terrifying," another little demon interjected.
"Is he tougher, or am I tougher?" The Yellowwind Brute swung his fist menacingly, glaring at the crowd of little demons.
Instantly, all the little demons bowed their heads—none dared speak another word.
The Yellowwind Brute licked his teeth with the tip of his tongue, eyes wide: "Listen up! These are treasures bestowed by Venerable Leonard. Take one each, and plant them at the corners at the foot of the mountain. Tomorrow at noon, pour your spiritual power into them. Once this is done, I’ll return to Spirit Mountain, and you’ll all get your rewards. But if you mess up my business... I’ll make sure your souls scatter! Got it?"
With a roar, the little demons shrank back in terror, nodding repeatedly.
"You understand? Then get moving."
The dozen or so little demons spun around and dashed off toward the foot of the mountain.
Once the dozen little demons had left, the fierce look on the Yellowwind Brute’s face vanished, replaced by nervousness. He glanced around, wiped the sweat from his brow, and muttered, "Whether I get back to Spirit Mountain or not all depends on this."
Saying this, he carefully crawled over to the grass by the edge of the cliff, keeping low as he watched the pitch-dark manor from afar.
Behind him, in the shadowy depths of the mountain forest, two butterflies gently settled onto fresh green leaves.
One butterfly softly asked, "What did you give them?"
"Nothing much, just a few trinkets," replied the other butterfly, its long antennae twitching slightly. "Small things, but useful. Tomorrow, there’s bound to be a good show."
"Oh? So tonight, they're not just here as guests at the manor?"
"There’s someone in Gao Village who is the reincarnation of a celestial maiden from the Heavenly Court centuries ago."
"Who?"
"Fairy Nisha of Guanghan Palace."
The other butterfly fell silent.
After a long pause, one butterfly murmured, "If Fairy Nisha is here, then Marshal Tianpeng must be here as well."
"Marshal Tianpeng is truly one of the biggest fools in all Three Realms—almost two thousand years, and he still can't let go of a single love. By the way, you never did tell me exactly what happened at Mercy Abbey."
At this, the other butterfly gave a helpless laugh and sighed, "I thought Goldenpool, after more than two hundred years of practice and still clueless about the true Buddha, would make things difficult for Golden Cicada. But in the end..."
"Converted?"
"Not exactly, but he did break through years of delusion. You could say... it was a willow planted by chance that grew into shade. It was accidental, but a loss is a loss. After that, I couldn't show my face again."
"Goldenpool may have wandered off course, but his heart is truly devoted to the Buddha. He doesn't count as a player in this."
"A loss is a loss—no point in talking it up."
The other butterfly fell silent. After a long moment, he said softly, "If you won’t act, then I’ll take the lead this time. I want to see how Golden Cicada deals with the stratagem I’ve laid."
Soon, the little demons had split into five groups, each heading to its assigned spot, anxiously waiting for dawn.
Each of the five locations was at least several li from the manor, yet together they formed a perfect circle around it.
—
At dawn the next day, the manor was bustling—people were up early, slaughtering chickens and sheep for the wedding feast.
Guests from far and wide made their way up the mountain path, bearing generous gifts. Old Master Gale stood at the gate, greeting each one with a broad, uncontainable smile.
Carter Gale, carrying a tray and flanked by two maids, came slowly to Marshal Tianpeng’s door. He knocked and called out cheerfully, "Brother-in-law, time to get up! The old master wants you over there. All the guests have arrived—can’t have the groom missing at his own wedding."
"Alright... I’ll be there, right away," came Tianpeng’s weak reply from inside the room.
"Brother-in-law, are you alright?"
Carter Gale was about to push the door open when Tianpeng opened it himself.
The two locked eyes, both momentarily stunned.
Frowning, Carter Gale carefully studied Tianpeng’s pale face and asked softly, "Brother-in-law, are you feeling sick?"
Tianpeng quickly wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and turned away. "No, just didn’t sleep well last night."
Carter Gale burst out laughing, and the two maids behind him covered their mouths, giggling.
Tianpeng’s face turned bright red in an instant.
One of the maids teased, "Brother-in-law, you see Miss Lana every day—why so shy? Are you so nervous you couldn’t sleep?"
"What do you know?" Carter Gale turned and scolded, "Today’s his big day—the wedding night! It’s not like any other day. Being nervous is only natural. He’s a good man, but he’s still the groom; don’t you poke fun at him like that."
Despite his scolding, Carter Gale couldn’t hold back a laugh himself.
Tianpeng grew even more embarrassed, lowered his head, and hurried out toward the front hall.
The other three quickly followed after him.
—
In a deep valley, several little demons stood around a pigeon-egg-sized white orb placed on a rock.
One demon reached out to touch it, but another quickly slapped his hand away.
"What are you doing?"
"My lord... didn’t he say to infuse spiritual power?"
"It’s only morning—he said noon!"
A more cautious demon spoke up, "Even at noon, we’d better not rush to pour in our power."
"Why?"
"We’re far from the manor right now, and Simon Sun hasn’t sensed us yet. But if we pour in spiritual power... who knows, he might notice us right away."
At those words, a chill ran through all the little demons.
They might be minor demons, only a century or so into their transformation and not from Blossom Mountain, but they knew the name of the Great Sage Simon Sun well enough.
—