On the barren, nearly lifeless summit of Blossom Mountain, the wind swept gently across.
A brown-furred monkey demon was trussed up like a rice dumpling with the Immortal-Binding Rope and tossed among the rubble.
His eyes, wide as bronze bells, stared in terror at Clara Heart pacing nearby, yet he could not utter a sound. With his cultivation, he was utterly powerless before Clara.
It seemed she was waiting for the monkey demon to calm down. After a long moment, Clara slowly clasped her hands and said, "I ask, you answer. No irrelevant talk. As long as you tell me everything you know, I'll let you go unharmed. But if you dare lie, no one can guarantee what will happen. Understand?"
The monkey demon panted heavily, his gaze darting toward Nathan Young, who had disguised himself as a rat demon, as if seeking help from his 'kin.'
For a long time, Nathan showed no reaction at all, simply watching with an air of indifference.
Despairing, the monkey demon finally nodded obediently.
Seeing this, Clara gently flexed her ten fingers.
A ripple of spiritual power followed, and the monkey demon immediately felt able to speak again. He coughed violently twice, then blurted out, "Who exactly are you..."
Before he could finish, his entire expression froze, his voice stuck in his throat. Worse still, this time he could not even breathe.
Veins bulged on his forehead, and his gaze toward Clara grew even more terrified.
"I told you, no irrelevant talk. This is your last chance. Understand?"
The Immortal-Binding Rope slowly tightened, digging into his flesh. He opened his mouth wide in pain, yet not a sound escaped.
Nathan watched in bewilderment, sighing softly, "Is it really necessary to treat such a little monkey like this? What exactly are you after?"
"I want to know the precise origins of my senior-brother Wukong."
"What's the use of knowing his origins? If you're so curious, why not just ask your two masters?"
Clara glanced at Nathan with a faint, indifferent look.
After a brief pause, Nathan added, "I heard he sprang out of a stone."
"A monkey springing out of a stone? Now that's strange. I want the truth, not some baseless legend." As she spoke, Clara's fingers trembled slightly again.
The Immortal-Binding Rope and the spiritual restraints on the monkey demon eased a little. His mouth seemed to burst open, gasping desperately for air.
"Really?"
Clara raised her hand again, ready to punish him. Just then, Nathan's Flame Spear blocked her path.
"What's the matter?"
"He's telling the truth," Nathan said, pointing at the monkey demon. "He's not lying. Blossom Mountain really couldn't grow Peaches of Immortality, but eight hundred years ago, that monkey did receive a batch of peaches. It's all old history now, and... not something Heaven likes to spread around. Later, I heard the Great Sage distributed them as merit rewards to his troops."
With that, Nathan spread his hands helplessly.
Though Clara didn't deal directly with Heavenly Court affairs, she often came and went from Heaven. Seeing Nathan's attitude now, she more or less understood the situation.
She rolled her eyes at Nathan, then reluctantly composed herself and continued, "If those peaches were given as merit rewards, and you're on the Sage's Path, what was your cultivation eight hundred years ago?"
"Spirit-Focusing Stage."
"You got a Peach of Immortality at Spirit-Focusing Stage? Blossom Mountain had millions of demons—no matter how they were distributed, a Spirit-Focusing demon shouldn't have gotten one, right?"
"I earned military merit."
"Then tell me, how did you earn your merit?"
"I saved the Great Sage's life."
"You saved him?" Clara snorted, laughing out loud.
The monkey demon glared at Clara. "You don't believe me?"
"I didn't say I don't believe you." Clara fiddled with the ring on her finger, stepped up to the monkey demon, squatted down, and said blandly, "It's just, what you said is rather odd. With his cultivation, why would he need you to save him?"
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"The Great Sage didn't start out with such cultivation," the monkey demon said, closing his eyes and showing no expression. "When he first sprang from the stone, he had no cultivation at all, couldn't even climb a tree. But there was a tiger in the mountains. When the tiger chased him, we threw fruit to save him. Later, the Great Sage went to sea for fifteen years, became immortal, and returned. During the merit ceremony, he brought this up, so I was rewarded."
"Oh? So you were already living on Blossom Mountain when he sprang from the stone?"
The monkey demon nodded slightly.
"What's your name?"