The next morning, a dewdrop slid down the rock and landed on the Monkey King's cheek. He woke with a start and sat up.
The sudden rain had passed; sunlight poured in, and the air was exceptionally fresh. The ground was slick with puddles everywhere. A few sparrows landed in the clearing before the cave, pecking at the wet earth, as if searching for worms unearthed by the rain.
Rubbing his eyes, the Monkey King yawned, then stood up and stretched lazily. He took two deep breaths, bent down to pick up his Cloudwalker Staff, and turned to walk into the cave.
Inside the main hall of the Golden Mist Cave, several wine bottles lay toppled and askew upon the stone table, creating a scene of utter chaos.
Skylar Loft sprawled across the stone table, lips pursed and teeth grinding, while Jade Cauldron lay flat on the ground, snoring loudly.
Judging by the scene, those two had gotten carried away with their conversation and drank quite a lot last night.
Nearby, Anna Yang was almost buried beneath a heap of books, chests, and bottles. She still sat cross-legged, carefully reading a bamboo scroll. Her once bright eyes were now bloodshot and slightly squinted, as if she was exhausted but unwilling to sleep just yet.
"You're up?" she asked casually without looking up.
"Yeah."
"I prepared rooms for you all, but none of you used them. What a waste of my time."
The Monkey King didn't answer her. He walked over and hefted the still-hungover Skylar Loft onto his shoulder, asking, "Where's the room?"
Anna Yang pointed casually.
Following her directions, the Monkey King tossed Skylar Loft onto the prepared bed, then turned back and hoisted Jade Cauldron.
This time, without needing to ask, Anna Yang pointed to another stone chamber and said, "His room is over there."
"Mm." The Monkey King responded simply, then threw Jade Cauldron back into his own room.
Anna Yang added, "There are some of my brother's clothes in that room. You can take them and change, but they might be a bit big."
Glancing down at his soaked pants, the Monkey King said, "No need. They'll dry on their own soon enough."
"Suit yourself."
With things as they were, it seemed Skylar Loft wouldn't be waking up anytime soon. Grabbing his Cloudwalker Staff, the Monkey King headed out of the cave again.
"Don't wander too far. There are sects all over this area, and you're a demon. If you leave Golden Mist Cave's territory, you might get into trouble."
"Got it."
"Take this." Anna Yang picked up a waist token she'd prepared earlier and tossed it to the Monkey King, saying, "If you run into anyone, show them this. Tell them you're a guest of Golden Mist Cave."
The Monkey King nodded silently and left Golden Mist Cave.
He followed the mountain path, passed through a small grove, and finally found a mountain spring halfway up the slope.
The spring poured down from the mountain as a small waterfall, forming a clear pool about five zhang wide halfway up. Overflowing from low rocks nearby, it trickled down the mountain.
The water was crystal clear; standing on the shore, one could easily see the little fish darting back and forth beneath the surface.
After drinking a few mouthfuls of spring water at the lakeside, the Monkey King felt refreshed. He promptly took off his clothes, washed them in the pool, and hung them on a branch to dry. Then he dove into the pool himself, swimming and washing away the mud from last night.
When he'd had enough, he climbed out of the pool and reached for his clothes.
"Almost dry."
Up here, the mountain winds were much stronger. In just a short time, his clothes were only slightly damp. If left a bit longer, they'd surely be completely dry.
With that thought, he put on just his pants and lay shirtless on the rock, basking in the sun. It felt like a leisurely outing, truly relaxing.
Squinting his eyes, he dozed for a while and faintly heard voices nearby.
Propping himself up, he sat halfway up and listened. It sounded like a man and a woman arguing.
With nothing else to do, he hunched over and followed the voices.
He saw a man and a woman standing in the grove. The woman wore blue, her long black hair cascading down, her figure graceful and light. The man was tall and sturdy, dressed all in white.
The two stood one in front of the other, not far away, both with their backs to the Monkey King, so he couldn't see their faces.
The woman seemed agitated, shouting, "Didn't we agree to cultivate immortality together and become local immortals? Why are you talking about joining the Celestial Army now?"
"I'm just giving it a try. Cultivating immortality doesn't mean sticking to one path forever. If I get selected as a deputy, that's another way forward. It's not even certain yet, is it?"
"You're lying! They say you've already made connections in the Heavenly Court, and you'll definitely pass this time! Why are you still hiding it from me? Why?" The woman burst into tears.
"You... You believe their nonsense?"
"Then do you dare not go to the selection this time?"
"I..." The man slowly turned around, and the Monkey King finally saw his face—square-jawed, with sharp brows and piercing eyes, quite handsome. He frowned and said, "Why are you so unreasonable?"
The woman cried out, "If you dare go, I'll tell Master you harassed me! I'll spill everything and ruin your reputation. Let's see if the Celestial Army will still want you then!"
"If you ruin my future, even as a ghost I won't let you off!"
At that point, the Monkey King stopped listening.
"Foolish lovers, huh. A sentimental girl and a heartless man." Rubbing his eyes, he turned and walked away.
How could he meddle in such trivial matters?
He retraced his steps to the pool, only to find two Daoist disciples drawing water. The moment they saw the Monkey King, they were stunned.
"D-demon monkey! Where did this demon monkey come from?"
The two appeared to be newly initiated disciples. Facing the Monkey King, one gripped a carrying pole and the other raised a bucket as makeshift weapons. Unsure of his strength, they refused to take a step forward.
Their legs were trembling so hard, it looked like a gust of wind could knock them over.
Ignoring them, the Monkey King reached for his clothes—they still weren't dry.
"Forget it, they're only a little damp. They'll dry as I wear them. No point lingering in a place like this."
Though he hadn't cultivated the Way of Enlightenment, he'd read enough books on the subject to understand this principle.
Right in front of the two startled disciples, the Monkey King put on his clothes.
After tying his leggings, fastening his belt, and grabbing his Cloudwalker Staff from beside the tree, the Monkey King finally took out his waist token and showed it to the two disciples.
"I'm a guest of Golden Mist Cave."
Only then did the two disciples breathe a sigh of relief and collapse to the ground.
Not bothering with the two still-shaken disciples, the Monkey King turned and left, retracing his steps back to Golden Mist Cave.
It was already midday. Entering the main hall, he saw that the once chaotic stone table had been tidied up, and a plate piled high with fruit now sat atop it.
"This is for you." Anna Yang said coolly as the Monkey King entered.
She was no longer studying the bamboo scrolls, but instead dusting off the boxes and organizing all sorts of strange items.
Looking at the fruit, the Monkey King muttered, "Is this because you realized you were wrong before, so now you're treating me so well?"
"I'm half a host here in Golden Mist Cave. That old man doesn't know how to treat guests, so I'm doing it for him," Anna Yang replied casually, ignoring the Monkey King after that.
Thunderous snores came from Jade Cauldron's room, while the sound of teeth grinding echoed from Skylar Loft's.
"Those two... Looks like they won't be waking up anytime soon." The Monkey King sighed helplessly, sat at the table, and began munching on fruit, watching Anna Yang busy from afar.
Ever since he'd entered Golden Mist Cave, he hadn't seen her stop once—such energy. Seeing her like this, and recalling stories Jade Cauldron had told, the Monkey King suddenly felt he needed to reevaluate his impression of Anna Yang.
He couldn't help but grow curious. In Crescent Star Cave, he rarely saw her around—what was she always so busy with?
Alchemy? Impossible. Forging? Even less likely.
Both require specialized facilities, and while Crescent Star Cave has them, usage must be reported. He'd never heard of her using them.
Would someone like her really spend her days wandering the mountains for fun? That didn't seem like her at all.
"Wait!" The Monkey King suddenly widened his eyes in shock, staring at Anna Yang. "Don't tell me..."