When Clara Heart stated her condition, her expression was unmistakably serious.
However, the listeners felt something entirely different.
Both Nezha and General Lee looked utterly stunned. As for Monkey, his brows furrowed so deeply they nearly formed a figure-eight.
The four people standing on the empty ground all froze in place at once.
After a long moment, Monkey slowly grinned at Clara Heart and started chuckling. His laughter made General Lee's face darken instantly and left Nezha so uncomfortable he had to turn away and pretend to be distracted.
"Yes, sir," General Lee replied awkwardly, forcing a smile.
"Go back and tell the Jade Emperor that this so-called... Imperial Envoy you sent—I am very dissatisfied. Let him figure it out. Do you understand?"
General Lee gave Clara Heart a helpless glance, then cupped his hands and said, "Understood."
"You!" Clara Heart glared angrily at General Lee, her expression dazed for a moment before she turned to Monkey and stubbornly declared, "If you don't accept my condition, you can forget about getting the grain you want!"
"Is that so?" Monkey laughed even harder, pointing at Clara Heart. "General Lee, you just said she's speaking for the Jade Emperor. So, is what she's saying the Jade Emperor's own will?"
General Lee shot Clara Heart a warning look, signaling her to stop talking. Then, facing Monkey, he cupped his hands and replied, "Great Sage, the Imperial Envoy is only responsible for negotiations, not for making final decisions. This matter must be reported to His Majesty before it can be settled."
Hearing this, Clara Heart's face flushed bright red.
Monkey strolled up to her, grinning, and reached out to touch her cheek. The vast, deserted expanse outside South Heaven Gate stretched behind them.
Clara Heart was startled, her cheeks tinged with a blush, but unexpectedly she simply stood still, making no move to dodge.
It was as if she felt no psychological resistance to Monkey, as if she had long grown used to him touching her face.
"You're still too green. Go back and ask your two masters how you're supposed to handle something like this. I doubt either of them would dare talk to me the way you just did. I'm a disciple of Crescent Star Cave—well, I used to be. That hasn't changed. If Subhuti shows up and acknowledges me, I'll still pay him the respect due between master and disciple. I respect my senior-brothers too. But you, junior-sister... you should know the saying: 'third time's the charm, but that's the limit.' That 'junior-sister' title won't protect you forever."
Monkey spoke those last words slowly and forcefully, his eyes wide and fierce, clearly showing real menace.
Seeing this, Clara Heart suddenly felt a sting in her nose, and her eyes reddened.
After saying this, Monkey tilted his head back and laughed. "General Lee!"
"Yes, sir," General Lee replied, his gaze flicking repeatedly toward Clara Heart. He quickly bowed and said, "Great Sage, what are your orders?"
"Don't just stand there. I need grain, and it's urgent. Go do what you need to do."
"In that case, I'll take my leave now," said General Lee.
General Lee silently saluted, stepped back a few paces, then turned and left.
Nezha hurried to catch up with him.
When the two had walked about ten meters away, they turned back and realized Clara Heart hadn't followed. She was still standing there, biting her lip and staring at Monkey.
General Lee had originally thought that bringing Clara Heart to negotiate with Monkey was a good idea. After all, she was his junior-sister, so surely Monkey would show some respect. Clearly, he'd guessed Monkey's intentions correctly.
If anyone else had spoken to Monkey like that just now, they'd probably be dead by now.
Unfortunately, while he understood Monkey's thinking, he completely misjudged Clara Heart's.
Asking Monkey to rescue Anna Yang, then return to Blossom Mountain to marry her and abandon the westward quest—what kind of bizarre condition is that? It's downright absurd!
If Monkey's decisions could be changed by a mere bit of grain, would Heaven really need to fear him this much?
At this point, General Lee no longer wanted to investigate the cause of the mess. He could only blame himself for being too hasty, focusing all his attention on Monkey and never considering a background check on Clara Heart—leading to this fiasco.
With a helpless sigh, General Lee turned and quickened his pace toward South Heaven Gate.
In the blink of an eye, only Monkey and Clara Heart remained outside the empty South Heaven Gate.
Clara Heart pressed her lips together, staring at Monkey. Her heart pounded wildly, her empty hands sweating as memories from three lifetimes flooded her mind, filling her with a storm of emotions.
Compared to when General Lee was still standing here, the feeling was even stronger now. She was afraid, yet strangely reluctant to leave, just standing there in a daze.
She couldn't even quite remember what she'd just done. All she felt was a heavy stone pressing on her chest, making it hard to breathe.
Monkey leaned on his Golden Staff, picking at his nails, and said idly, "Why are you still standing here? Get lost."
Suddenly, a memory flashed through Clara Heart's mind—Monkey flipping a table in front of Wind-chime after returning from the Underworld. Her nose stung, and tears slid down her cheeks before she could stop them.
Monkey was stunned, his hand frozen in midair. He sighed in exasperation, "What's wrong with you? Crying already? Just how much have those two spoiled you? Can't you handle a little setback? There are so many Heavenly Generals watching inside South Heaven Gate—crying here is really losing face."
At that moment, the generals inside South Heaven Gate craned their necks, trying to catch a glimpse of what was happening.
"She... seems to be crying. What are they doing? Can you hear what they're saying?"
"I wasn't paying attention. It's too far to hear—just have to read their lips."
Hearing this, the generals all widened their eyes and stared. Nezha poked his head out from the crowd too.
After a long while, Clara Heart finally lowered her head, wiped away her tears, and took a deep breath. "I'm fine. Just got something in my eye... I know what I said just now was silly, but I meant it. It's really what you should do now."
"Did what I just said sound like a joke to you?"
"I really don't understand you. Why do you insist on heading west? What's the point?"
"That's my own business. I don't need to explain myself to you." Monkey absentmindedly dug at his ear.
"Why not just go fetch Anna Yang, return to Blossom Mountain, and live quietly? How much longer do you expect Anna Yang to wait for you at Mount Hua?"
"That's my own business," Monkey replied, scratching his face without interest.
"The Buddha Patriarch won't make a move against you again. He cultivates 'Buddha,' and as long as you behave, he has no reason to strike at you."
"Hey, I'll say it again—my affairs are none of your concern." Monkey rocked back and forth on his Golden Staff, utterly indifferent.
"Are you even listening to me?"
Monkey looked at Clara Heart with a blank face and said, "Obviously not. If it weren't for the old man, I'd have smashed you with my staff already—you’re that annoying. Take my advice and quit while you're ahead."
For a moment, the scene froze again.
Off in the distance, Nezha stretched his neck, but Clara Heart's back was to him. He could only lip-read Monkey, and the more he tried, the more confused he became.
"I'll say this one last time—I won't bring it up again."
"Go ahead."
"If you're seeking revenge on the Buddha Patriarch, there's really no need. Except for Wind-chime, everyone else who's died still exists somewhere in this world. You should learn to cherish those around you, instead of waiting until you've lost them and living forever in the past."
"I don't need you to teach me that. One way or another, I have to settle my score with Lord Buddha. Even if I gave up on revenge, I couldn't just let him keep watching me, waiting for me to slip up so he can pin me under the mountain again."
"But..."
"Didn't you say that was your last word? How about a little credibility?" Monkey said, expressionless.
The two locked eyes.
Monkey's brows were slightly furrowed, full of impatience.
Clara Heart's brows relaxed a little, her eyes still red and flustered.
After a long moment, Clara Heart finally nodded blankly.
Monkey closed his eyes, leaned on his Golden Staff, and swayed idly, muttering to himself: "Except for Wind-chime... Hmph, what an 'except'... Just for her alone, I can't let it go. Even if I can't kill Lord Buddha, I'll imprison him forever—never rest, never forgive. Get a grip, will you? Not even the old man could change my mind. I left Crescent Star Cave because he hid Birdie from me, and I saw through his ulterior motives."
After waiting a while, Monkey noticed Clara Heart still hadn't left. He half-opened one eye and asked, "Still not leaving?"
With just that glance, Monkey's brows furrowed again.
He saw Clara Heart wiping her tears away, smiling at the same time.
Monkey was left utterly baffled by the sight.
What's wrong with this girl? Crying for no reason, now smiling for no reason? Overindulgence usually just spoils the temper, but I've never heard it could spoil the brain too... Maybe those two old guys are something special.
Monkey shook his head in disbelief and asked, "What's with you?"
"You... haven't forgotten." Clara Heart said, wiping her tears, still smiling.
"Forgotten what?"
"No, I... I think Wind-chime and Birdie would be really happy to know."
"What do their feelings matter to you?"
Clara Heart collected herself and said calmly, "I'm leaving now."
Monkey raised his eyebrows and watched her go.
Clara blinked, and after a long moment, she finally turned and slowly walked toward South Heaven Gate.
Watching Clara's retreating figure, Monkey stroked his chin, puzzled. It was as if... he had 'caught the scent' of something familiar.
He tilted his head back and tried to think it over, but after a long time, he still couldn't figure it out. By the time he looked again, Clara had already entered South Heaven Gate.
Outside South Heaven Gate, the world was empty once more—he was left all alone.
...
Stepping through South Heaven Gate, Clara saw Birdie waiting quietly for her in the corridor.
She nodded silently, brushing past Birdie as they crossed paths.
Birdie turned and quietly fell in step beside her.
"You didn't tell him, did you?"
"No," Clara shook her head gently, her smile serene. She sighed, "Just now I suddenly felt as if Birdie and Wind-chime... have completely replaced me. I don't even know who I am anymore. It's such a mess. Those two girls... were way too impulsive. How could they bring up such a strange condition in a situation like that? My reputation is ruined for good."
As she spoke, Clara wandered forward, covering her mouth, tears streaming down her face as she laughed.
Her laughter was impossible to hide, blooming out of her like a flower that couldn't wait for spring.
Birdie walked silently beside her.
The Skyward Legionnaires posted at each end of the corridor glanced at them, some openly, some on the sly.
Blinking away her tears, Clara sniffled and smiled. "Love really does make people foolish and clumsy. I never want to touch it again in this life. But... after eight hundred years, he still remembers, never forgot, not once..."
Gradually, Birdie saw Clara's smile turn sweet, and in the shimmer of her tears, a look of bliss quietly blossomed.