When Ian Liu emerged from the tunnel carrying the plate, the two soldiers still on guard were utterly stunned, staring at him in disbelief.
Step by step, Ian Liu approached the two soldiers, his brows furrowed as he spoke in a low voice: "The Third Saintess has eaten, though only a little... Also, she said she knows her own limits, so you needn't worry about her health."
"Watch him. I'll go report to the General!" One of the soldiers turned and dashed away.
The remaining soldier looked at Ian Liu with suspicion.
"Did the Third Saintess really eat?"
Ian Liu nodded.
"How did you manage it?"
"I... begged her."
The soldier couldn't help but laugh, looking at Ian Liu with a hint of disdain: "Begging? You think that works on the Third Saintess?"
Ian Liu did not answer.
Unexpectedly, the soldier saw no trace of satisfaction on Ian Liu's face for having completed his task. Instead, it seemed even more solemn.
Taking the plate of leftovers from Ian Liu, the soldier said slowly, "Don't worry. Whether she ate a lot or a little, she still ate. As long as the Third Saintess truly ate something, fetching that herb for you is as easy as drinking water. But if you lied, your death will be ugly."
As he spoke, the soldier glanced at Ian Liu, intentionally or not, but saw no sign of panic on his face.
He set the plate on a stone table nearby, and the two simply stood there in silence, waiting.
Secretly gripping the hairpin hidden in his sleeve, Ian Liu suddenly asked in a low voice, "Honored Immortal, may I ask you something?"
"Speak."
"May I ask, what is the relationship between Simon Sun, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven... and the Third Saintess?"
The question caught the soldier off guard.
"Why do you ask?"
"Oh... it's nothing, really. The Third Saintess mentioned it earlier, so I was just curious. If it's inconvenient to say, Honored Immortal, please pretend I never asked."
The soldier stroked his chin, thought for a moment, and said, "It's nothing secret. Sun Wukong is the Third Saintess's beloved. You could even say he's her husband—our Second Lord's brother-in-law. Of course, he ran away on their wedding night, so they never consummated the marriage, but they did bow to Heaven and Earth. Whether that counts as husband and wife, I can't really say."
Ian Liu furrowed his brows tightly, his eyes darting back and forth. He asked in a low voice, "Then, what is the relationship between Sun Wukong and General Erlang? And why is the Third Saintess imprisoned here?"
As they spoke, Warren Wu was already hurrying over from the distance.
The soldier shot Ian Liu a glare and said, "Don't ask about those things. And what I just told you—don't let the General hear it."
Ian Liu quickly cupped his hands and said, "I understand, I understand. Thank you, Honored Immortal, for your guidance."
Striding quickly up to them, Warren Wu glanced at the plate on the stone table and asked, "Did the Third Saintess really eat?"
Ian Liu nodded.
Warren Wu turned and was about to head toward the tunnel, but Ian Liu hurriedly reached out to stop him.
"What is it?"
"The matter you promised me earlier, Honored Immortal..."
Warren Wu stopped, looked Ian Liu up and down, and said, "I doubt you could pull any tricks. Xander Tiger!"
"Here!" The soldier immediately dropped to one knee.
"Go fetch the herb for him, then escort him out. Make a note of his home address—if anything comes up in the future, it'll be easy to find him."
"Understood!"
Turning to Ian Liu, Warren Wu said slowly, "If you dare lie to me, even if your old mother is cured, I'll have your whole family stewed in one pot!"
Ian Liu hurriedly bowed and said, "Even if I had the guts of a god, I wouldn't dare pluck a tiger's whiskers. Honored Immortal, you may rest assured!"
"Get out!" With that, Warren Wu turned and headed toward the tunnel.
Xander Tiger exchanged a glance with Ian Liu, made a gesture of invitation, and said, "It's not convenient here—wait in the outer courtyard. I'll fetch the herb first, then escort you home."
"Thank you, Honored Immortal." Ian Liu quickly bowed again.
...
At this moment, Monkey and his companions were leisurely walking along the winding mountain path.
It had been over a month since they left Black Rooster Kingdom. With General Curtain joining, along with Monkey, Tripitaka, Aiden Ao, Marshal Silver, and Barry Bear, their group had grown from five to six.
By seniority, Barry Bear should still be the one carrying the luggage, but Monkey suggested that General Curtain take on the task. Originally, they thought General Curtain might object—after all, he had just been a king, and now he was being asked to play porter. Anyone would find the change hard to accept.
However, General Curtain agreed immediately, while Barry Bear felt a bit embarrassed and tried to take over the work.
With the Black Rooster Kingdom affair resolved, General Curtain showed no trace of happiness on the journey. In fact, he seemed even more troubled than before, always frowning in thought and rarely speaking, so quiet he was almost invisible.
Once, Monkey took the opportunity to ask what was on his mind. The answer surprised Monkey.
"To answer you, Great Sage," General Curtain replied, "I've been thinking about the last thing General Lee said."
"Which thing?"
"That line: 'Compassion cannot command troops, sentiment cannot establish affairs, righteousness cannot manage wealth, and goodness cannot hold office.'"
Hearing this, Monkey was at a loss for words.
So after all this time, he still hasn’t gotten over the mess in Black Rooster Kingdom?
Well, if he hasn’t moved on, he hasn’t moved on. As long as he’s here and not causing trouble, that’s enough.
It takes all kinds to make a world. Everyone’s different—some people are carefree and forget about things as soon as they’re over, while others love to overthink everything, always needing to get to the bottom of things.
In a way, Marshal Silver and General Curtain are quite alike. People like them always have eyes full of either sorrow, confusion, or melancholy—always carrying some heavy burden. Yet even among them, there are big differences.
For example, between Marshal Silver and General Curtain, General Curtain is clearly not as sharp as Marshal Silver. So Monkey figured his slump would last quite a while.
Strictly speaking, Monkey himself is the type to overthink things too. In fact, in this group, only Aiden Ao seems truly easygoing—the rest are all cut from the same cloth.
Unlike Marshal Silver and General Curtain, Monkey is the sort who only allows himself to obsess over things, but not others. He’ll overthink everything, yet look down on anyone else who does the same.
Fortunately, after all these years, Monkey has learned at least one thing: 'If it doesn’t really matter, don’t bother with it.'
So if General Curtain’s slump lasts a while, so be it. What’s it got to do with Monkey? It’s not like anyone expects General Curtain to liven up the mood.
Monkey thought about it for a moment, then put the matter aside.
On this day, as usual, the group walked along the mountain path—Monkey leading, Marshal Silver at the rear, General Curtain and Barry Bear flanking Tripitaka on horseback, and Aiden Ao guiding the horse.
In the distance, Monkey spotted a towering peak.
It was an exceptionally high mountain, reaching into the clouds, its summit covered in snow. The peak seemed to blot out the sky and sun, standing tall and solitary among the surrounding mountains.
Monkey immediately stopped in his tracks.
The others quickly caught up from behind.
Monkey turned to Barry Bear and asked, "Who lives here?"
"Who?" Barry Bear looked completely puzzled.
Seeing Barry Bear's clueless expression, Monkey waved his hand and called out to the group, "Stay alert—there's demon energy here. And not just one... This place is probably a whole 'demon kingdom.'"
At Monkey's words, Aiden Ao shivered, and the others exchanged uneasy glances.
Marshal Silver slowly approached from the rear, looked up at the mountain, and said, "The one who lives here should be the Holy Infant King."
"Who is it?"
"Bull Demon King's son—Red Boy."
Monkey immediately broke into a grin, his brows curling into a 八 shape.
Samadhi True Fire? Let's see how it burns.
...
In the shadowy depths of the cave-manor, fire crackled in an iron basin. The dim red glow painted everything around in the color of blood.
Countless demons crowded together, a dark mass that even covered the walls with lesser goblins, making the air inside thick and foul.
At the center, where the horde had parted, stood a throne carved to look like writhing ghosts tangled together. Upon it sat Red Boy, clad in bright red armor, his face sour with displeasure.
"Report!" A bare-chested, blue-skinned demon with pointed ears and wide eyes burst in from outside the cave.
The crowd parted instantly like a tide, clearing a path for him to stride straight up to Red Boy.
"Your Majesty, Holy Infant King!" The blue demon knelt on one knee, cupping his hands. "That Monkey, and the monk's party, are already five li away!"
Instantly, the cave erupted into noisy chatter.
"How many have come in total?" Red Boy asked, his face expressionless.
"Six people and one horse."
"What kind of people are they?"
"Simon Sun, Tripitaka, Prince Aiden of the Western Sea, a black bear demon, a pig demon, and a bearded human whose origin is unknown."
After a brief pause, Red Boy asked quietly, "Have you checked their cultivation levels?"
The blue demon hesitated, then replied in a low voice, "Not entirely clear. Prince Aiden of the Western Sea is no threat, Tripitaka hasn't attained Buddhahood yet, also no threat. The black bear demon is at early Celestial Sage, as is the bearded human. The pig demon's realm is hidden, can't be seen. As for Monkey... he hasn't concealed his cultivation, but for some reason, no matter what method we use, we can't measure it."
Finishing, the blue demon looked up at Red Boy.
"Can't measure it?"
Every demon in the cave held their breath, gazing at Red Boy, each face tense.
Gradually, a slow smile spread across Red Boy's face. "Come," he said. "Let's go welcome our honored 'Great Sage.'"