Monkey paused for a moment, then turned to gaze out the window at the thriving demon city. He couldn’t help but sigh: “So, it’s time to prepare for war again.”
General Lee is coming. I suppose this was always to be expected.
Things have dragged on this long; there’s no way to stall any further.
If I stall any longer, General Lee will surely see through it. He’s not one to show mercy—if he realizes King Broadgaze can’t be retrieved, he’ll gamble everything and launch a siege on Blossom Mountain. That much is certain.
Since battle is inevitable, it’s better to seize the Peaches of Immortality first, then fight.
Seeing Tina Ao, Belle silently nodded to her and brushed past Monkey, carefully sorting her sketches and measuring instruments into the cabinet, each item in its proper place.
Tina Ao continued sipping her tea leisurely. She was now one of the most idle residents of Blossom Mountain, spending her days strolling about—at most, occasionally helping Anna Yang.
"You go on ahead. I have work to do."
Lost in thought for a long while, Monkey quietly said this to Tina Ao, then strode quickly to his desk, spread out a bamboo slip, dipped his brush in ink, and began writing carefully.
Seeing this, Tina Ao rose slowly, but instead of leaving, she carried her teacup and walked step by step to stand behind Monkey, watching with interest.
"You're mobilizing the troops this quickly? Heaven won't react for at least a few more months, right?"
"There's nothing wrong with preparing early. The troops have gotten a bit lax lately."
Monkey never puts up his guard around Tina Ao.
She's clever—she might scheme a little if she's upset, but she'd never provoke those the Eastern Sea Dragon Palace couldn't possibly afford to offend.
Even with the rainfall issue earlier, she eventually agreed under Monkey's insistence. For that, the East Sea Dragon King had to send several memorials to Heaven, explaining the sudden change in rainfall.
After a moment, Monkey stamped his seal, bundled up two bamboo slips, and handed them to Louis Quickpaw. "Give these to Shortbeak and Lyu Liuguai—make sure they announce it immediately and follow through."
Louis Quickpaw nodded silently, took the slips, and turned to leave. As she stepped out, she bumped into Isabel Su, who was just coming in.
She looked far more mature than a year ago—clad in red leather armor, her fiery hair tied back, a longsword at her waist. She had the crisp, decisive air of a Traveler’s Path cultivator.
She glanced at Louis Quickpaw, then strode inside and saluted Monkey with a soldier’s gesture. "Brother Monkey, the new firearms are ready for testing. Teacher asks if you’ll come watch."
"When?"
"Tomorrow morning at the training grounds outside the city."
"Tell him I'll be there."
"Understood." Isabel Su nodded, then added, "Also, Teacher hopes you can review the expansion plans for the new city."
"Tell him the city expansion is postponed."
"Postponed?" Isabel Su looked up at Monkey in surprise.
"Yes, postponed." Monkey hesitated slightly, as if remembering something, then turned to Tina Ao and asked, "Where's Anna Yang right now?"
"The missing materials only arrived this morning. Sister Anna is buried in work in the alchemy lab."
Monkey leaned on the table, lowered his head and thought for a moment, then sighed, lips pressed together. "Come with me to see her."
At those words, both Isabel Su and Tina Ao froze in surprise.
Ever since Belle arrived at Blossom Mountain, Monkey hadn't shared a meal with Anna Yang. Even during Blossom Mountain's rare New Year celebration, they sat apart.
Even though their living quarters were separated by only a wall, days would pass without seeing each other. When matters needed discussing, it was usually Tina Ao—who had almost no duties—who relayed messages.
A subtle rift had formed between them, though neither spoke of it.
After a moment of surprise, Tina Ao silently nodded.
Monkey and Tina Ao left the pavilion together and soon arrived at the alchemy building.
It was a ten-zhang-tall white, arched structure, bearing a hint of Middle Eastern style. The walls were almost bare, with hardly any decoration, but among the cluster of low houses it stood out as grand and imposing.
At the entrance, several robe-clad demons were just coming out. Seeing Monkey, each hurriedly bowed in greeting.
Most were Sage’s Path demon cultivators trained at Blossom Mountain over the past few years; a few had already entered the Sage’s Path before arriving. Now, they were assigned here and to the underground forges—partly to assist Anna Yang, partly to learn alchemy and refining.
In terms of numbers alone, including those studying metallurgy and array work in the underground city, Blossom Mountain’s Sage’s Path demon cultivators now numbered an impressive four thousand.
Unfortunately, sheer numbers meant little for the Sage’s Path.
Over ninety percent had only begun cultivating the Sage’s Path after arriving at Blossom Mountain. At a normal pace, they’d be lucky to reach mid Spirit-Focusing Realm by now, but these disciples clearly weren’t advancing by ordinary means.
Large quantities of elixirs had forcibly boosted their cultivation; now, there were already over a hundred Sage’s Path demon cultivators at the Spirit-Refinement Stage. Yet their training time was even shorter than Belle’s, meaning their foundations were even weaker. With so much knowledge still unlearned, they were little more than empty shells. To fill those shells would require astronomical time and countless elixirs.
As for the handful who arrived at Blossom Mountain already at the Spirit-Refinement Stage, their cultivation was high but their knowledge nearly blank—some were even illiterate.
In short, it would be a long time before Blossom Mountain’s Sage’s Path demons could form real combat strength or build a fully independent technical system. Even as assistants, they often fell short.
That’s why leading this group left Anna Yang with an almost unbearable workload.
They entered the two-zhang-tall main gate, walked down the corridor, and soon reached the central alchemy chamber.
In the vast space stood a rough, five-zhang-high pill furnace; through gaps in its top, the fire inside blazed fiercely.
Several junior Sage’s Path demons were below, sorting scattered alchemy ingredients. Anna Yang stood high on the staircase, watching into the furnace—apparently monitoring the heat.
When she saw Monkey, she froze, wiped the sweat from her brow, then turned back to the furnace as if she hadn’t seen him.
One of the junior demons started to announce his arrival, but Monkey quietly stopped him.
With a soft sigh, he climbed the stairs, crouched beside Anna Yang, and looked into the furnace with her.
"Still not done?"
"What do you think?" Anna Yang replied without turning. "These pills have to be finished tonight. The materials that should've arrived four days ago only showed up this morning."
Her tone was cold as ice.
"They already explained it to me," Monkey said softly after a pause. "Some of the shipment was damaged en route, so they had to send replacements. That’s what caused the delay. By the way, Rhino’s baby is about to be born—you know that, right? He asked me to beg you for a good name, says the ones you give always sound better."