Marshal Silver's brow twitched slightly as he glanced at Monkey with some displeasure.
He knew perfectly well that Monkey King was teasing him. At this critical moment, he had no intention of arguing and simply shot him a look before turning away to gaze into the distance.
Everyone around continued to watch Monkey in silence. Even Kui-Wolf was the same. His eyes showed a hint of shock, as if he feared Monkey might suddenly announce that everything he'd just said was a joke, then swing his staff and end his life with a single blow.
From what he knew of Monkey King, such a thing was entirely possible. Monkey King's eccentricity was well-known throughout the world.
The surroundings were completely silent.
Seeing that teasing Marshal Silver was pointless, Monkey fell silent, then tapped his staff and looked at Kui-Wolf. "Alright, I accept all your last wishes. Well said, I'm satisfied. But... you said you'd serve me as an ox or horse in your next life. I can't trust that. Who knows what you'll be reborn as? If you come back as some snake or bug or rat and want to serve me as an ox or horse, I might not even want you. All told, I'm still getting the short end of the stick."
Kui-Wolf was briefly stunned, unsure what Monkey King meant. The people around were equally puzzled.
Before anyone could react, Monkey stroked his chin, pretending to think it over, then said, "How about this: your life is a debt to me now, and I'll let you hold onto it for the time being. No need to wait for the next life—this life, you'll serve me as my ox or horse. In plain terms, I'm taking you in."
At these words, everyone around furrowed their brows, unable to process it for a moment. Even Kui-Wolf was thrown into confusion.
Recruiting him? What was this supposed to mean?
He blinked, dazed for a long while before finally raising his head and saying, "Great Sage... I—I still bear the crimes of Heaven. Even if I want to..."
Before he could finish, Monkey waved him off. "Forget all that. Just pretend I've already beaten you to death. Your life is mine now. Anyone who wants it has to come through me. Take without asking, and you're a thief. Anyone who touches what's mine without my say-so is a thief. Even the old Jade Emperor—I'd whack him twice with my staff before talking. Whether he can take it depends on how tough he is."
As he spoke, he gave General Draco Jiao a meaningful look. General Draco Jiao was utterly bewildered by the glance.
Just moments ago, they'd pleaded for Kui-Wolf, hoping to spare his life and turn him over to the Heavenly Court. In a blink, Monkey had changed his mind—not only sparing Kui-Wolf, but wiping away his crimes against Heaven as well?
What was this? Had Monkey suddenly grown a conscience? Was he digging at Heaven's foundations? Or did he have some hidden scheme?
At this moment, General Draco Jiao's expression was a sight to behold. For a while, he couldn't tell whether to be glad or worried. Remembering the contents of the Jade Emperor's decree, he hurriedly said, "Great Sage, Kui-Wolf has committed grave crimes. His Majesty ordered us to arrest him. Is this... really appropriate?"
Monkey King said nothing, simply watching General Draco Jiao from the corner of his eye, his lips still curled in a smile.
Swallowing nervously, General Draco Jiao took a step forward, clasped his hands, and spoke with some trepidation: "Heavenly law is the foundation of the Heavenly Court's rule over the Three Realms. If Kui-Wolf's case isn't handled properly, it will be hard for Heaven to control the immortals in the future. If gods bear divine offices yet descend to the mortal world for private reasons, the Three Realms will surely fall into chaos."
Monkey King still said nothing, continuing to watch General Draco Jiao from the corner of his eye, the smile on his lips slowly fading.
General Draco Jiao continued, "Great Sage, this matter is far-reaching. Please reconsider. If His Majesty holds you accountable..."
At this, General Draco Jiao stopped speaking. His expression froze, for he suddenly realized Monkey King's gaze had subtly changed.
It felt like a stone, heated red-hot, exposed to the air and cooling, darkening, at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Tilting his head, Monkey King pointed his staff at him, expressionless. "Go on. Keep talking."
General Draco Jiao's lips trembled, but in the end he couldn't say a word. He just bowed his head and stepped back.
He no longer dared meet Monkey King's eyes.
"Why aren't you continuing?" Monkey King strode toward General Draco Jiao. Marshal Silver quickly stepped between them, lowering his voice: "Don't be reckless. He's the head of the Twenty-Eight Mansions. We're in no position to start a dispute with the Heavenly Court."
Monkey King brushed Marshal Silver aside with one hand and continued walking toward General Draco Jiao, saying languidly, "If I could be killed, if the Heavenly Court's soldiers could defeat me, I think I'd have died countless times by now."
As he spoke, he laughed—a laugh that made General Draco Jiao's scalp tingle. The other twenty-six Star Lords were all beginning to panic as well.
At this moment, General Draco Jiao truly wanted to turn and flee, for he knew exactly what kind of person this so-called 'Great Sage' was.
Though he hadn't experienced that great war himself, its origins remain a mystery to most in the Three Realms even to this day. Not even the Jade Emperor has tried to uncover the truth. Yet some things can't be hidden.
General Draco Jiao is a title. The previous holder was human; the current one, a flood-dragon demon. Why did the Heavenly Court reluctantly appoint a demon to the position? Because in that war, Heaven's main forces were nearly wiped out, and even the Daoist lineages in the mortal realm suffered heavy losses.
Who was the killer?
Everyone knows—it was this very Monkey King.
The previous General Draco Jiao was captured by Blossom Mountain before the war broke out, reportedly tortured to death in horrific fashion, leaving not even a soul behind. His corpse was thrown outside South Heaven Gate as a warning.
Because of this, Monkey King's vengeful nature is known throughout the Three Realms. Whether enemy or ally, everyone knows he holds grudges to an obsessive degree.
As the saying goes, 'Better to offend a gentleman than a petty man.' Monkey King... is exactly the kind of petty man you can't afford to offend.
Facing such a Monkey King, whose true intentions are impossible to guess, General Draco Jiao was on the verge of collapse.
He desperately wanted to run, to escape and be done with it. But he knew he couldn't.
Helpless, he could only grit his teeth and stand his ground.
On the other side, Monkey King looked perfectly at ease, circling General Draco Jiao, pacing slowly, occasionally sighing but saying nothing.
No one spoke; everyone just stood in silence. Only Monkey King kept pacing, and Belle's occasional sobs broke the stillness.
Tripitaka, usually the one to offer comfort, was silent as well, just quietly watching.
The entire hillside was eerily quiet.
A terrifying sense of oppression pressed down on General Draco Jiao, making his legs weak. The morning wind brushed his cheek, icy and piercing.
To his shock, he found himself drenched in sweat.
A moment ago, his concern was Kui-Wolf; now, his own life was the more urgent worry.
There was no guarantee Monkey King wouldn't suddenly smash his head with a staff.
Did Monkey King need a reason to kill him?
The answer was: no, he didn't.
Monkey King was right—if he could be killed, the Heavenly Court would have done so long ago. The only reason he was still alive was that Heaven had no way to deal with him.
If General Draco Jiao died here, would the Heavenly Court demand justice from Monkey King?
That was impossible. Any known Heavenly general leading troops against Monkey King would be like sheep entering a tiger's den.
If Monkey King killed General Draco Jiao, he probably wouldn't even bother to apologize—the matter would simply fade away. This much was clear from how he had once forced open South Heaven Gate.
At this moment, General Draco Jiao felt his mind was in knots.
Coming here was a dead end from the start.
The other twenty-six Star Lords floating in midair sensed the terrifying atmosphere too. Each was prepared—not to fight, but to run at the slightest sign of trouble.
After circling slowly for twenty laps, Monkey King suddenly slapped General Draco Jiao's shoulder from behind.
At that touch, everyone's heart nearly leapt out of their chest.
With a thud, General Draco Jiao finally collapsed, kneeling and kowtowing, crying out, "Great Sage, spare my life!"
"Spare your life? I never said I was going to take it," Monkey King said, slowly walking up to General Draco Jiao. He crouched down and, almost playfully, lifted Draco's chin with a finger, saying languidly, "But really, if I let you go back empty-handed, you'll have a hard time explaining yourself to the Jade Emperor, won't you?"
Now, the two were face to face. General Draco Jiao could see the fine fur on Monkey King's face, the bloodshot veins in his eyes.
His eyes were red and his body trembled—there was no trace of a general's dignity left, not even the will to resist.
He swallowed hard, voice low: "Whatever Great Sage says, I'll do. I wouldn't dare disobey. His Majesty... His Majesty surely won't object either."
"And what about the heavenly laws?"
"Heavenly laws are made by men—they're bound to have flaws. If they're wrong, we'll just change them."
As he spoke, he forced a nervous laugh and glanced around. His colleagues immediately caught on, nodding and forcing smiles in agreement.
They smiled, but kept a wary eye on Monkey King, eyes wide and sweat pouring down their faces.
Monkey King's expression remained unchanged, showing no reaction at all.
The laughter ended abruptly. Silence returned to the hillside.
After a long while, Monkey King's lips finally curled into a faint smile.
Seeing that hint of a smile, the heavenly generals finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"You're not wrong," Monkey King nodded, pushing himself up and turning away. With a long sigh, he said over his shoulder, "Since that's settled, why are you still here? Waiting for me to serve you breakfast?"
At those words, the heavenly generals fled as if pardoned, not waiting for Draco's orders. In an instant, all were gone. Draco too turned and soared into the sky, vanishing.
None of them dared linger a moment longer.
Now only Monkey's group and Kui-Wolf's family remained on the hillside.
Kui-Wolf quickly knelt and bowed, saying, "Thank you, Great Sage, for saving my life!"
His two children and Belle followed suit, kneeling as he did.
Monkey walked up to Marshal Silver, spreading his hands: "See? It's all settled. If you'd surrendered to me back then, things would've turned out about the same. Regret it at all?"
With that, he burst out laughing.
Marshal Silver shot him a look. "General Draco Jiao had a point. Besides, do you really think the Heavenly Court is made of paper?"
"Doesn't matter if it's made of paper, as long as I'm not. If you've got enough lice, you stop itching; enough debt, you stop worrying. Who in this world has offended Heaven more than I have?"
"Why did you save him?"
"Good mood, whim, caprice? I don't know. I just suddenly remembered trying to persuade you to surrender all those years ago, and suddenly felt like saving him." Monkey patted Marshal Silver on the shoulder as he passed, heading toward Kui-Wolf.
The whole family was still kneeling on the ground.
Tripitaka slowly closed his eyes, murmured "Amitabha" twice, though no one knew what he meant.
Monkey walked up to Kui-Wolf, waving a hand: "Get up, all of you. No need to kneel. Looks like the fighting in the city isn't over—go clean up your own mess."