At dinner that night, it was the three of them again.
Originally, Monkey had already instructed that the dishes he enchanted be sent to the residence atop the cliff, but Ao Cunxin insisted on joining them. Thus, what was meant to be a dinner for two turned into a dinner for three.
Under the pale lamplight, the three diners sat in silence. Monkey kept his head down, gnawing at fruit and lost in thought. Anna Yang watched him intently, while Ao Cunxin’s gaze drifted between the two, as if trying to glean something from their expressions.
Halfway through the meal, Monkey looked up at Anna Yang and said, “Yi Su and Louis Quickpaw have returned.”
This was a rather unusual move, since Monkey knew that Anna Yang never spoke during meals.
“How did it go?”
“Not well,” Monkey replied lightly.
“Was it a flat refusal, or did they set conditions?”
“They set conditions. They want Gold Essence, but we don’t have any. Unless... we fight the Celestial Army. But if it comes to that, I’d rather just fight them directly.”
In five years, Blossom Mountain had clashed with the outside world for all sorts of reasons—most of the time, the opponents were other demon factions, and the main solution was always battle.
The world of demons is steeped in blood and darkness.
In a place where order means nothing, the most direct and effective way to solve problems is for everyone to put their fists on the table and see whose is bigger. Normally, the weaker side gives in, the stronger side gets what they want, and that’s the end of it.
The tricky part now is that, aside from fighting when necessary, Blossom Mountain usually prefers not to show its strength.
Anna Yang fell silent.
Ao Cunxin, lost in the conversation, asked, "What are you two talking about? I have Gold Essence—how much do you need?"
Monkey glanced at her and said, "Here at Blossom Mountain, we don’t have the habit of buying things with Gold Essence, and I don’t plan to break that rule."
Ao Cunxin blinked, momentarily stunned and unable to react.
Peeling a lychee and chewing thoughtfully, Monkey said, "Shortbeak and the others want to go straight to war—after all, with the Celestial Army soon returning to the mortal realm, we won’t be able to hide for long. Might as well make some noise and expand our influence. But I support Yi Su’s view. It’s too early to show ourselves. We should first see what the Heavenly Fleet does."
"So what’s your plan? Put this aside for now?"
"No. I plan to go there myself."