Outside Tusita Palace, a massive fleet of warships had arrived, completely encircling the palace. The Heavenly soldiers and generals who had been hovering in midair could finally rest on the decks for a while.
A Heavenly General slowly made his way through the crowd and approached General Draco Jiao, who stood with the other generals on the flagship's foredeck. He whispered, "Reporting, Star Lord, we've searched everywhere but found nothing."
Hearing this, General Draco Jiao's expression changed slightly.
King Virūḍhaka, standing nearby, quietly asked, "Star Lord, has something happened?"
General Draco Jiao's lips twitched twice, then he quickly smiled and said, "It's nothing, just a trivial matter."
As he spoke, he gripped the Heavenly General's arm and led him away from the crowd, heading toward the ship's cabin.
Watching General Draco Jiao's hurried figure, King Virūḍhaka slowly glanced over at King Northmore.
As their eyes met, King Northmore immediately swept his gaze over the other Heavenly Generals of the Twenty-Eight Mansions standing nearby. King Virūḍhaka nodded in understanding.
The two of them casually turned and strolled to the ship's rail, away from the crowd.
King Virūḍhaka asked in a low voice, "What's going on?"
"Kui-Wolf is missing."
"What?"
"His whereabouts are unknown." King Northmore slowly leaned closer to King Virūḍhaka, his eyes casually scanning the surroundings as he lowered his voice: "General Draco Jiao just sent people searching everywhere. I heard Kui-Wolf had been in secluded cultivation for over ten days, but when they opened the door, he was already gone without a trace."
"Heaven isn't that big. Where could he have gone?"
"Heaven may be small, but once you leave South Heaven Gate, the world is vast." King Northmore continued, "I just sent someone to check the entry records at South Heaven Gate—Kui-Wolf's name is there. Thirteen days ago he descended to the mortal realm, using an official Twenty-Eight Mansions mission token." He patted King Virūḍhaka's shoulder and whispered, "Don't mention this. If they don't say anything, we'll pretend nothing happened. Let's see how they handle it themselves."
With that, King Northmore turned and walked back toward the group of Heavenly Generals.
Watching General Draco Jiao still anxiously pacing nearby, King Virūḍhaka stroked his chin and sighed, "Who would've thought—Kui-Wolf is even more stubborn than Tianpeng was back in the day. General Draco Jiao is in for a headache now."
......
At this moment, the courtyard was filled with a gentle, serene atmosphere.
Sunlight slanted across the floor in front of the Monkey King, its shadows slowly shifting eastward.
Clara Heart had moved from outside the main gate into the courtyard, but she didn't step directly into the hall. Instead, she lingered just beyond the threshold, occasionally peeking inside.
Birdie said nothing, simply brewed tea in silence. Cup after cup, whenever the Monkey King's cup was even slightly low, she would immediately refill it.
Her movements, paired with her appearance and bearing, were like a plum blossom quietly blooming in the corner—unparalleled in grace.
Yet the Monkey King felt no urge to admire her beauty.
He turned his face slightly to gaze at the empty courtyard, silent and still, his heart suddenly feeling hollow.
The person before him had exactly the same memories and temperament as Birdie, yet was not truly her. If Birdie had lived, would she have grown to look like this after all these years?
And what about Belle?
Countless images swirled in his mind, so tangled that the Monkey King could not make sense of any of them.
After a long while, he could only smile bitterly in resignation.
To him, Birdie and Belle were wounds that would never heal, mistakes that could never be made right. If not for seeing this "Birdie" here, he would hardly dare think of them anymore.
This, too, must be a kind of suffering—one of the Eight Sufferings.
A soul scattered and gone...
Tianpeng is still trapped in 'unfulfilled longing,' while he himself has only 'unresolved attachment' left.
Could Tripitaka ever deliver someone from this kind of suffering?
As for Lord Lao, he could no longer bring himself to hate him. If Lord Lao was the one who killed Belle, then what did that make him?
Even his hatred of the Tathāgata, upon reflection, was now nothing but a stubborn obsession.
Lost in these tangled thoughts, the Monkey King's eyes narrowed as he gazed at the bright sunlight in the courtyard.
It all felt like a lifetime ago.
......
In the secret chamber, Lord Lao silently sensed every movement in the hall. His brows slowly furrowed, as if puzzled by something. After a long moment, he gradually relaxed.