Seeing Anna Yang's cold, indifferent expression, Monkey's face twitched involuntarily. He scratched his head and forced a goofy grin: "What brings you here?"
"Does the Chief of the Imperial Horse Bureau not want me to come?" Anna Yang shot back immediately.
"You—what are you talking about? I only went out today because... because those two Chang'e moon maidens know each other, and I wanted to get some information out of them. Marshal Silver's locked up right now, but he'll be released sooner or later. I was hoping to find some weakness of his, so when the time comes... ha ha ha ha..."
His laughter grew quieter and quieter until he couldn't laugh anymore. Monkey had to rein in his expression, his eyes darting all around, but he didn't dare meet Anna Yang's gaze.
The atmosphere in the room instantly turned bizarre and tense.
After a long silence, Anna Yang asked coldly, "Are those two Chang'e moon maidens pretty?"
Monkey nearly choked on her question, suddenly feeling as if the whole world was out to get him.
"I... I had a reason for it, I wasn't just out having fun. Really..." he said cautiously, walking over to the table and sitting down.
Sometimes women are just impossible to reason with. He could only blame his own bad luck. After all this time in Heaven, this was the first time he'd run into something like this.
Could this be another scheme by Lord Lao?
Come to think of it, he hadn't done anything wrong—so why did he feel so guilty?
He tiptoed over to stoke the charcoal stove, preparing to brew tea, all the while sneaking glances at Anna Yang, afraid she might suddenly toss out another cryptic, icy remark.
The room was quiet, save for the bubbling of water in the kettle.
Anna Yang's gaze remained frosty as she stood motionless, arms folded. After a while, she said, "The Heavenly River Navy has been growing more active lately. I doubt they'll hold back much longer. You'd better be prepared."
"Oh." Monkey carefully offered her a cup of hot tea.
"Someone inside is trying to impeach me—probably those five troublemakers stirring things up again. They want to form a ruling council and enthrone your goddaughter, taking away my authority."
"Lindsay?"
"That's right. She's never experienced war and doesn't understand much about these matters. Bullhorn doesn't know how to teach his daughter. Though she's my disciple, I've always been busy and haven't had much time to talk with her... The current rumor is that you won't return to Blossom Mountain, and although she's only your goddaughter, by title she's more qualified than I am to inherit Blossom Mountain. Plus, she fits certain people's ideals better."
"I remember not long ago they were supporting you..."
Anna Yang's brows knitted slightly as she snapped, "Do you even know how much time has passed in the mortal world? It's been over thirty years since they supported me—Lindsay was just a child back then."
"Oh." Monkey shrank his head, then asked quietly, "Do Shortbeak and Louis Quickpaw feel the same way?"
"Of course they support me. Even if they had doubts, they'd consult you before taking a stand. It's the younger faction backing those changes—the most outspoken are Many-Eyes the Centipede and the Seven Spider Sisters."
"Huh?" Monkey was surprised. "Those senior and junior siblings?"
"How did you know they call each other senior and junior siblings?" Anna Yang retorted.
"Uh, just a guess." Monkey thought for a moment, then asked, "Who's their master? Pan Silk Immortal?"
"There's no Pan Silk Immortal—'senior and junior siblings' is just what they call each other. They all trained and took shape on the same mountain, so they're close. I can still keep them in line for now, but who knows about the future. The older generation has many shortcomings, and as Blossom Mountain develops, more newcomers will enter the core ranks. If you returned, no one would dare question you, but I'm different... I'm human, I have no real connection to you, so why should I be the one in charge of Blossom Mountain?"
As she spoke, Anna Yang's gaze quietly flicked toward Monkey.
Monkey responded with an "Oh," nodding silently, thinking, "It's true—'Adversity breeds strength, comfort breeds decay.' After just a few decades of peace, we're already seeing infighting."
Seeing Monkey like that, Anna Yang let out a faint sigh and continued, "Blossom Mountain has been peaceful for too long, and the old systems no longer fit. We're facing reforms on one hand, and the threat of war on the other... The newcomers don't understand this—they take peace for granted, thinking as long as their great Handsome Monkey King stays quietly in Heaven, Blossom Mountain will be safe. There's no urgency to develop the military. My trip here is a political performance—to show them how closely I'm connected to you and keep them from acting rashly... But I'm not sure how effective it will be."
Monkey nodded again, listening quietly.
Suddenly, Anna Yang interjected, "By the way, when you went out picnicking with the Chang'e moon maidens today, did you manage to get anything out of them?"
"Huh?"
Why was she bringing this up again?
"Uh, well..." Monkey forced a goofy smile. "I got found out, so I didn't get anything."
Anna Yang sat down across the table, her tone icy. "So you're saying you spent a whole year in the mortal world and came up empty-handed?"
With those words, her beautiful eyes lingered on Monkey, full of meaning.
"How can you put it that way? I..."
Under Anna Yang's gaze, Monkey swallowed his words.
At times like this, any explanation is just an excuse—nothing he said would help. Blossom Mountain was beset by internal and external troubles, and here he was, having a rare visit to Heaven, only to be grilled about a picnic. Why did women always miss the point?
Thinking this, Monkey whispered, "Should I try sneaking back to Blossom Mountain with you and put those troublemakers in their place?"
"You can't leave. Descending to the mortal world without permission is a serious crime. Right now, plenty in Heaven are watching you, hoping you'll slip up. If you go, it's no different from open rebellion."
"Then what should I do now?"
"This time, Borosen Jeti helped me get here. Their ship will pass by again before dawn, and I'll leave with them, taking the materials and weapons from the Celestial Treasury. Borosen Jeti will also come over and brief you about the South Heaven Gate Grand Formation. You should be ready—if anything happens, escape immediately. Don't get caught like a turtle in a jar."
After a brief pause, Anna Yang lowered her voice. "If Heaven captures you, Blossom Mountain will be doomed."
Hearing this, Monkey blurted out, "Why don't you take Belle with you too? If something happens, I might not be able to protect her."
Anna Yang's face darkened instantly, her tone returning to its earlier chill.
Monkey couldn't leave, so how could Belle possibly leave early? This would take careful planning.
For the rest of the time, Anna Yang gave Monkey a detailed account of Blossom Mountain's situation. Although Monkey already knew the basics from the Linked Bamboo Scroll, it was far clearer hearing it from Anna herself.
According to Anna Yang, although the clashes between Blossom Mountain and the Heavenly River Navy had never stopped, the current conflict was on a whole new level. As the Navy grew stronger, they began setting up outposts all around Blossom Mountain. Even Cloudwatch Harbor had been moved from the Western Ox Continent to within five thousand li of Blossom Mountain's core. Cloudrealm Sky Harbor, which had already been relocated during the Blossom Mountain War, was now back in its original position.
With this deployment, the Heavenly River Navy aimed to restrict the activity of Blossom Mountain's demons to within a thousand li, while also limiting the influx of new demons from outside and further strengthening Blossom Mountain's power.