Monkey swooped down, snatched up the medicine bottle Clara Heart had left behind, and held it in his hand. Staring at Clara's departing figure, he found himself momentarily at a loss.
"Was my last remark too harsh? That can't be right. I've said far worse before, and it wasn't the first time... So why do I suddenly feel so strange?"
In the distance, the remaining Blossom Mountain demon survivors lay hidden, watching in bewilderment.
Little Seven stared, utterly transfixed.
"Is that... the Great Sage? Daisy Grass, is that really the Great Sage?" He turned to find that Daisy Grass was also stunned.
As soon as he spoke, seven or eight demon survivors clustered together all turned their eager eyes to Daisy Grass.
Of all present, only Little Seven and Daisy Grass had ever seen the real Great Sage. Even Little Seven, after so many years, could barely remember.
Unlike demonfolk elsewhere, these Blossom Mountain survivors were far too weak—so weak that a careless misstep could mean being devoured whole. Years of hardship had taught them caution: never reveal themselves until they were absolutely sure of the other's identity.
At this moment, only Daisy Grass remained with any hope of identifying the newcomer.
Yet even Daisy Grass was uncertain.
She stared wide-eyed at the monkey on the distant slope, her mouth half open but unable to utter a single word.
She recognized Monkey, but in a world full of shape-shifters and masters of illusion, that meant little. If Clara Heart hadn't just left, she might have believed Clara truly was Monkey's junior sister, genuinely sent to find her. But now, with this 'Great Sage' arriving and Clara gone... what was going on?
Her thoughts tangled into a dead knot, leaving her completely bewildered.
Monkey let out a long breath, tucked the medicine bottle into his robe, and carefully settled each of the five unconscious companions.
Nuwa could strike again at any moment; he had no time to ponder what Clara Heart's reaction truly meant.
Turning, he beckoned toward Daisy Grass's hiding place and shouted, "It's me—I've returned! I know you're out there. Come out, now! It's urgent!"
...
"He sensed us from this far away? Could it really... be the Great Sage?"
"It's really the Great Sage! There's no mistake!"
Before Daisy Grass could give the order, Little Seven and several other demon survivors had already rushed out, tears of joy streaming down their faces, leaving Daisy Grass standing alone, blinking in astonishment.
After a long hesitation, she finally stepped forward and walked out.
...
South Heaven Gate, atop the city tower.
Grandmaster White hurried in from outside the gate, bowed, and said, "Your servant greets Your Majesty."
"Rise." The Jade Emperor glanced at Grandmaster White, seemed to recall something, adjusted his demeanor, and softly said, "You have served three reigns, old friend. You must be familiar with matters concerning Mother Nuwa, yes?"
Grandmaster White paused, straightened slightly, glanced around, and hesitated before bowing again and asking in a low voice, "Which aspect does Your Majesty wish to know?"
"Everything."
"Everything... this—"
"What, am I not entitled to know?"
Grandmaster White glanced left and right, looked up at the Jade Emperor, and smiled awkwardly.
The hall was utterly silent.
Seeing this, the Jade Emperor waved his hand and said, "The rest of you, leave us."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Only after the other generals had left did Grandmaster White shake out his sleeves, step forward, and bow again: "Your Majesty, the matter of Mother Nuwa is truly not fit for public discussion. I beg Your Majesty's understanding."
"Usually, even if something is best kept quiet, Li Jing just casts a silencing spell and that's that." The Jade Emperor gave Grandmaster White a cold look and snorted, "But you—no, you insist on clearing the hall."
"Your Majesty, some matters are weightier than others." Grandmaster White smiled and lowered his voice, "Ordinary affairs may touch only on court politics. But when it comes to Mother Nuwa, we are dealing with the Three Pure Ones and Lord Buddha. Say too little and it's useless; say too much and it's dangerous. Since Your Majesty asks, I will speak—but in front of a crowd, even if I had ten times my usual courage, I would not dare."
The Jade Emperor gave Grandmaster White a meaningful look: "Then tell me—what is Mother Nuwa's true cultivation? Can she defeat that monkey?"
"Mother Nuwa's cultivation is what you might call 'half Heavenly Dao.'"
The Jade Emperor snorted, "Heavenly Dao is Heavenly Dao. What is 'half Heavenly Dao'?"
"Your Majesty may not know." Grandmaster White cleared his throat and continued, "This goes back to the legend of Nuwa Mending the Sky. Allow me to explain in detail..."
...
"Great Sage! You’ve finally come back! We’ve waited so long for you!"
By now, the little demons were already kneeling before Monkey, each one sobbing uncontrollably, tears and snot streaming down their faces.
"Grandpa’s dying wish was to think of the Great Sage above all else. He told us we must guard Blossom Mountain, never leaving until the Great Sage returned. If you come back, our demon race can rise again! Great Sage, you won’t leave us again, will you?"
Monkey’s nose tingled, and his tears nearly spilled out as well.
"Not yet. I still have important things to do."
"Great Sage, will you come back to rebuild the demon nation?"
"I will. Once I finish the Scripture Quest to the west, I’ll return for sure. Hang in there a bit longer—it won’t be long now. When I come back, we’ll feast and celebrate together!"
"Great Sage, you won’t lie to us, will you?"
"Don’t worry. If I lie to anyone, it won’t be to you!"
"Great Sage would never lie to us!" Little Seven clung tightly to Monkey’s hand, wiping away tears and snot as he cried, "When Great Sage set out to sea in search of immortality, he promised he’d come back once he succeeded—and he really did! Great Sage’s word is as good as gold. He’ll keep his promise this time too! No matter who bullies us, Great Sage will always stand up for us!"
"That’s right!" All the demons shouted together, bursting into even louder tears.
After all these years, they’d lived like beggars, yet still clung to this barren land, waiting for this very day.
"That’s what I was afraid of. That’s what I was afraid of. Last time I came back, I didn’t even dare see you all..." As Monkey spoke, he couldn’t hold back anymore, and tears began to fall. The few of them hugged each other and cried out loud.
After a long while, Monkey finally helped each of them up from the ground.
In the distance, Daisy Grass slowly walked over, bowed slightly in greeting, but didn’t say a word.
Her gaze at Monkey held some joy, but even more wariness.
Letting go of Little Seven’s hand, Monkey asked softly, "What’s wrong? Aren’t you happy to see me back?"
"I wouldn’t dare."
Seeing the tension, Little Seven hurried to explain, "Great Sage, don’t misunderstand. Of course Sister Daisy is happy you’re back. Ever since word spread that you’d escaped from the Buddhists, she... she’s talked about you every day, really, every day—how could she not be happy? She must be too happy, that’s all..."
"Enough."
With Daisy Grass’s cold words, Little Seven swallowed all his words, and the smile on his face faded. He blinked at Daisy Grass.
Daisy Grass lowered her head slightly, eyes fixed on the empty ground before Monkey, standing motionless. Coldly, she said, "Since you claim to be the Great Sage, shouldn’t you prove it to us first?"
At this, not only Little Seven, but all the other demons froze, shrinking back in silence, watching Monkey with wary eyes. Every heart was in their throat.
If this Great Sage was a fake—what then?
"How do I prove it?" Monkey frowned.
"A token, or something only the Great Sage would know. For example, what position I held at Blossom Mountain, what duties I had, who I was close to, who I disliked." Daisy Grass added coldly, "Forgive my rudeness, Great Sage. The hearts of men are dangerous—I must be cautious."
Monkey felt both annoyed and amused, standing with hands on hips, tilting his head to size up Daisy Grass.
"What’s wrong? Don’t tell me I can’t prove it?"
Monkey burst out laughing, then sighed, "I never realized you were so cautious before. But it’s a good thing—you’ve worked hard all these years."
He shook the Golden Staff in his hand, making it grow and shrink. Monkey said softly, "This is the Golden Staff—you should recognize it. Of course, everyone in the Three Realms knows it. Making something that looks similar isn’t hard. So it proves nothing. Here’s something fewer people know."
He took off the Adamantine Ring from his wrist and shook it. "See, this is Wind Chime’s Adamantine Ring—I’ve kept it all this time. It can grow or shrink, but after so many years, it’s not as useful as it used to be. When I was trapped under the mountain, these were the only two things I kept. Any other tokens, like badges, are long gone."
After putting the Adamantine Ring back on his wrist, Monkey scratched his head and continued, "Now, to answer your questions. Your position was Chief Steward of Qi Tian Palace—you handled everything related to internal affairs. Whenever I needed something, I’d come to you. As for who you disliked, I’m not sure, but you got along well with Yang Chan and Wind Chime, I know that. Oh, and you were close with Bai Juan too."
Listening to these words, Daisy Grass’s expression grew complicated, her lashes fluttering. After a long moment, she lowered her head and asked softly, "Once, you personally wiped out a group of demons and seized Wisdom Spring. What kind of demon was their leader?"
"Brown Bear spirit."
"That night, where did you see me?"
"In front of the Water Curtain Cave waterfall."
"Who else was by the waterfall that night besides you and me?"
Monkey took a deep breath and said quietly, "Yi Su. She came to see me about something."
All doubt vanished. Daisy Grass smiled, tears streaming down her face, and quickly bowed. "Your humble servant greets the Great Sage!"
The surrounding demons finally relaxed and cheered in unison.
"Get up, quickly." Monkey hurried forward to help Daisy Grass up, saying softly, "A few of them have been poisoned—I need the dew you condense to cure them."
"Poisoned?" Daisy Grass froze, hesitating before asking, "Great Sage, may I ask—who poisoned them?"