At these words, the crowd of Daoist disciples fell silent, every pair of eyes turning toward Sister May.
The old Daoist nun could only purse her lips in resignation and bowed, saying, "Since Grandmaster has said to ask here, then let it be here."
With that, she turned to the Monkey King and asked calmly, "Let me ask you, did you go to the Sanctity Pool halfway up the mountain today?"
The Monkey King glanced sideways at Jade Cauldron, who gave him a slight nod. Only then did he reply, "I did go to the small pool halfway up the mountain, but whether it’s the Sanctity Pool you mentioned, I do not know."
Sister May nodded, then asked, "Why did you go to the Sanctity Pool?"
"To bathe," the Monkey King answered simply. "I was caught in the rain last night, so I went to freshen up. The disciples who saw me also saw my clothes drying—they can vouch for me."
"When my disciple first arrived, she saw only the clothes, but not you."
"That’s right." The Monkey King lifted his head and answered frankly, "After bathing, my clothes weren’t dry, so I took a walk in the woods."
"Oh!" Sister May’s eyes suddenly sharpened, as if she had caught something. She pointed straight at the Monkey King and shouted, "Did you meet my female disciple in the woods? Did you have ill intentions and try to harm her?"
The Monkey King shook his head, answering each word with emphasis, "I did not meet her."
With those words, the crowd’s objections were immediately suppressed.
Clearly, he was using his status to protect the Monkey King.
Even if he was not liked by his peers, he was still the Grandmaster of Kunlun Mountain, and the authority of one of the Twelve Golden Immortals was not something these disciples could challenge!
Seeing this, Sister May had nothing more to say. She bid farewell and led the disciples away along the mountain path.
But those disciples were dissatisfied, cursing all the way down.
Watching the long line of torches winding around the mountain, Jade Cauldron asked in a low voice, "Did you know something but kept it to yourself?"
The Monkey King hesitated, then softly said, "I suspect the killer is Wang Luqi."
"Oh?"
"Today in the woods, I saw him arguing with a woman."
Jade Cauldron’s lips curled slightly. He turned to look at the Monkey King and said, "Today he led the group here to demand someone. If you had said this in public, no one would have believed you. You’d end up being accused as the thief crying thief. Sometimes, it’s better to avoid trouble. In the path of cultivation, it’s best to avoid entanglements. This approach is unlike the Way of the Traveler—more like the Way of the Enlightened."
The Monkey King nodded slightly, "I have read some books on the Way of the Enlightened and picked up a few of its habits."
Jade Cauldron could only shake his head helplessly.
The Monkey King looked at him in confusion.
The two stared at each other for a long time. Jade Cauldron sighed deeply, patted the Monkey King’s shoulder, and walked away in silence.
"Did I do something wrong?" the Monkey King wondered, scratching his head.
Late at night, after two sleepless nights, Anna Yang was clearly exhausted and went to rest early. As for Jade Cauldron, he was discussing something with Ling Yunzi, each holding a magical artifact.
Three followed the Way of the Enlightened, but only one followed the Way of the Traveler. Although the Monkey King had read many books on the Way of the Enlightened, he obviously couldn’t keep up with the other three.
Pacing around the cave twice, the Monkey King quietly slipped out and began to practice with the Cloud Wand.
Perhaps because he was diligent and earnest, he learned quickly. In a short time, he had mastered a set of staff techniques, and the weapon felt perfectly suited to him.
But with martial arts, without someone to guide you, it always feels like something’s missing.
Caught up in the excitement, the Monkey King burst out laughing. The Cloud Wand spun in his hands, creating a wall of dust that filled the air.
Suddenly, sensing something, he dodged to the side. Two hair-thin silver needles appeared in the rock behind him!
In the moonlight, the two embroidery needles stuck in the hard blue stone, gleaming coldly.
"Was that... a sneak attack?" The Monkey King shivered and looked around.
Under the moonlight, the breeze stirred, shadows danced in the woods. Except for the rustling leaves and chirping insects, there was nothing else.
Looking back, he saw the two silver needles had vanished, leaving only faint marks on the stone.
"Who’s there? Show yourself—!" The Monkey King shouted, scanning the surroundings.
The surroundings remained silent.
He slowly straightened up, gripping the Cloud Wand tightly, eyes scanning carefully but finding nothing.
Squinting, he tried to sense the attacker’s position with his spiritual power, but still found nothing.
Although in terms of spiritual perception, the Way of the Traveler is less refined than the Way of the Enlightened, the Monkey King’s innate talent for sensing spiritual power was still top-notch.
Clearly, either the intruder’s strength was enough to overwhelm the Monkey King, or... they had deliberately concealed their spiritual power.
He paced slowly around the clearing, his eyes constantly scanning the shadows.
Suddenly, another whistling sound cut through the air. Before the silver needle could hit, the Monkey King darted into a nearby thicket!
With that leap, he even concealed his own spiritual power.
Instantly, all sounds vanished.
Under the moonlight, the breeze continued to stir the leaves, casting shifting shadows.
At this moment, neither the clearing nor the forest made a sound, save for the occasional cry of a beast.
Clouds slowly drifted across the sky, obscuring the moonlight.
Behind a tree, a figure hesitated before reaching out to retrieve the silver needles stuck in the rock nearby.
But just then, from another direction, a long staff came whistling through the air, even faster than the retrieved silver needle!
"Damn!" Just as the silver needle was about to be retrieved, the staff was already inches away.
With no other choice, she dodged to the side, but ended up in a dead corner.
Before she could steady herself, a furry hand locked around her throat!
The clouds parted, moonlight spilled down, illuminating both their faces.
Her long black hair was tied up, her eyes shone like black jade, her skin fair as snow, her figure graceful, dressed in orange robes.
Before him stood a woman as beautiful as a fairy.
Seeing the Monkey King, the woman’s eyes widened in fear. The Monkey King bared his fangs and asked coldly, "Who are you? Why did you attack me? Speak!"
His grip on her throat tightened slightly.
Taking a deep breath, the woman said, "Shi Yuxuan, disciple of Rainflower Monastery. I was just testing your strength."
"Oh?" The Monkey King scratched his cheek. "Then why test my strength?"
"Because... I wanted to see if you could have defeated Sister Yuhe without her being able to fight back."
"Yuhe?"
"The one who died in the woods today... my junior sister."
"So now you know?"
Shi Yuxuan slowly closed her eyes, tears glistening at the corners, as if awaiting a fatal blow.
Before him stood a woman as beautiful as a fairy.
Seeing the Monkey King, the woman’s eyes widened in fear. The Monkey King bared his fangs and asked coldly, "Who are you? Why did you attack me? Speak!"
His grip on her throat tightened slightly.
Taking a deep breath, the woman said, "Shi Yuxuan, disciple of Rainflower Monastery. I was just testing your strength."
"Oh?" The Monkey King scratched his cheek. "Then why test my strength?"
"Because... I wanted to see if you could have defeated Sister Yuhe without her being able to fight back."
"Yuhe?"
"The one who died in the woods today... my junior sister."
"So now you know?"
Shi Yuxuan slowly closed her eyes, tears glistening at the corners, as if awaiting a fatal blow.