A gentle breeze brushed across Belle's cheek.
Belle's wind chime swayed slightly. She reached up to rub her eyes, absentmindedly smearing dust and sand onto her face.
She opened her eyes just a little, but in the next instant, her eyes flew wide open—startled awake.
Not far away, Lord Lao sat cross-legged, lifting his eyelids to glance at her.
"Old gentleman, why didn’t you wake me? The sun’s already high!" She jumped up in a panic and began frantically packing her things. "This is terrible—it's so late today, we won’t get far at all."
"It’s fine to rest for a day—after all, you were exhausted yesterday." Lord Lao sighed softly.
"That won’t do! How can we take a break on just the second day of the journey? At this rate, when will we reach the Eastern Divine Continent? Wait—why is my spiritual power so full? Does it only increase when I release it all at once?"
Belle stared blankly at her own hands, utterly confused.
Lord Lao smiled but said nothing.
"Never mind, let’s go! A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step!"
Belle slung her bundle over her shoulder, found her bearings, and set out eastward step by step with Lord Lao.
She had only walked a few steps, not yet ready to take flight, when she stopped, frowned, and retraced her steps.
Coming up to Lord Lao, she stared at the ground for a long while, puzzled, then asked, "Old gentleman, don’t you feel something’s off?"
On the ground was a stark line: one side was black soil, with only a few stray blades of grass, while the other was yellow earth, covered in withered weeds.
It looked as if two completely different pieces of land had been forcibly stitched together.
"What’s off about it?" Lord Lao replied calmly, asking in return.
"This... and this... Old gentleman, don’t you think anything’s wrong?"
Looking around, even the types of trees on each side were distinctly different. It felt like two paintings had been pieced together.
"I don’t see anything wrong—there’s no end of strange things in this world. You, girl, just haven’t traveled enough."
"But last night, it wasn’t like this."
"It was pitch dark last night—did you really see clearly?"
Belle furrowed her brows and circled around, then gazed into the distance. Turning back, she said, "I... I don’t think we were here yesterday. Strange—could someone have moved us while we slept?"
"We weren’t here?"
"Look, we didn’t see that mountain yesterday. That spot should’ve been a plain."
Lord Lao watched Belle quietly for a long time, then asked with a hint of concern, "Are you sure you’re not just exhausted and misremembering? If you ask me, we might as well rest here for the day."
"I misremembered?"
Lord Lao pointed to the nearby campfire. "Go look—wasn’t that fire the one you lit last night? Aren’t those the branches you gathered? And check if the trees around the fire are the same as yesterday."
Belle stared for a long time, growing more and more confused. After a while, she smoothed her hair and sighed, "I must’ve really been exhausted yesterday and got it wrong. Good thing you’re here, old gentleman—otherwise I’d be hopelessly lost."
She laughed softly.
Lord Lao nodded slightly and smiled too.
"Then let’s hurry and set out!"
With her worries dispelled, the two each used Wind Riding Technique and soared eastward together.
The vast earth below was all withered yellow. If one looked down from thousands of zhang above, they could see a bustling human town beyond the mountains.
At this moment, they were on the Southern Jambu Continent, less than eighty thousand li from Blossom Mountain.
......
At dinner, in the upper monkey dining room of Water Curtain Cave, only Monkey and Anna Yang remained.
Halfway through the meal, Anna Yang asked softly, "I heard you moved my master into the underground city?"
As she spoke, she picked up a green bean and put it in her mouth, chewing as she silently watched Monkey.
"Mm." Monkey peeled an orange, popped a segment into his mouth, and replied, "It was Shortbeak’s idea—I agreed."
"He still hasn’t agreed to help you?"
"Looks like he wants to refuse."
Anna Yang gently put down her chopsticks and stared at Monkey. "Then what do you plan to do?"
"Just keep doing what I’m doing—scare him a bit. Whether he agrees or not, I’ve got ways to deal with it. For this, no one but him will do."
"Scaring him is fine, but if he really agrees to help you, you must guarantee his safety. No matter what, you must keep him safe."
Monkey looked up and grinned at Anna Yang. "I will. You know what kind of person I am. I wouldn’t use these methods unless I had no choice."
"Good. If anything happens to my master, not just me—my brother won’t let you off. Before the Celestial Army arrives, the Guang River Estuary troops will come first."
"Heh, I know." Monkey took a deep breath and asked, "How’s the elixir refining going?"
"It’s going smoothly. Shortbeak sends freshly collected spring water every day, but that might not last. Word is, South Heaven Gate’s army is ready to march on the Eastern Divine Continent at any moment. When that happens, Wisdom Spring will be a priority target." She paused, then continued, "After all, the fall of that Daoist temple was reported to Heaven at the time."
"Who’s the vanguard?" Monkey asked.
"Nezha. I’ve already spoken to him, told him not to head there too quickly—but he can’t stall for long. The Four Heavenly Kings behind him only listen to General Lee."
Monkey pursed his lips and stayed silent for a while, then asked, "How long until South Heaven Gate sends out its troops?"
"Not sure—the decision isn’t up to Nezha. I’d guess within a few months. When the time comes, they’ll strike at the Eastern Divine Continent first."
"What about the Milky Way Navy?"
"Why do you care about the Milky Way Navy? They’re busy with Northern Jambu and Western Ox Continents—they’re not our concern for now." Anna paused, then continued eating.
"Just want to know their situation. The Milky Way Navy is much stronger than South Heaven Gate’s army—we’ll have to face them sooner or later. Know yourself and know your enemy, and you’ll win every battle."
Anna Yang smiled knowingly. "You just want to know if the Serpent Lord is dead yet, don’t you? After all these years, you’re still hung up on that?"
"Hmph, that minor character is doomed sooner or later—the only question is whose hand does the deed. If I get to finish him off myself, all the better." Monkey reached out and touched his Cloudwalker Staff beside him.
(Irrelevant system message skipped.)
If not for Blossom Mountain being in a critical phase right now, he would’ve gone to Western Ox Continent long ago to deal with the Serpent Lord.
Anna Yang chuckled. "Minor character? The Six Demon Kings aren’t so easy to handle. If they weren’t so divided, even the Milky Way Navy would struggle to take them down. Marshal Silver only succeeded because they were too cowardly to fight. This time, things are still uncertain—the Milky Way Navy is already in Western Ox, but the Six Demon Kings have gathered few troops. I expect the outcome will be much the same as last time; it’s just a matter of how long they can hold out."
"Let them wear each other out. Once Blossom Mountain grows into a great tree, I’ll deal with them all at once."
"You’re bound to clash with Heaven sooner or later, and you’re on bad terms with the Six Demon Kings. Is this really wise? When war breaks out, you’ll be all alone..."
"Making peace with them would get me reinforcements?" Monkey snorted. "Just look at the Serpent Lord’s behavior and you’ll know what the other five demon kings are like. With those types, it’s best not to expect anything. If they don’t stab you in the back, that’s good enough—let alone count on them for support."
With that, Monkey wiped his mouth, slowly stood up, and said, "I’m full. Take your time finishing."
"Remember—my master’s safety!"
"Got it, got it. Even if I’m not afraid of you, I still have to watch out for your brother’s Trident Saber." Monkey laughed as he walked out.
After Monkey left, Anna Yang sat alone in the dining room, sighing quietly as she stared at the dishes for a long, long time.
"Should I go check on that old man myself?"
......
At that moment, in a forest a hundred li from Water Curtain Cave, under slanting moonlight, Gold and Silver Attendants slumped together, utterly exhausted.
"Master still hasn’t replied?"
Silver Attendant looked down, took out a Jade Tablet, and sighed, "No, not a word. It’s been so long—what’s going on? First Ao Cunxin, then Jade Cauldron, all reported, and still not a single reply."
"Well, we did our duty by reporting. Master shouldn’t blame us."
"Exactly. As long as Master doesn’t hold us responsible, everything’s fine."
"But..." Gold Attendant frowned, worried. "Monkey’s been in such close contact with the outside lately—what’s he really up to? I hear South Heaven Gate is about to march on the Eastern Divine Continent. Isn’t he afraid of dying at a time like this?"
"Who knows? Monkey’s always strange. But think about it—Anna Yang, Ao Cunxin, Jade Cauldron, all connected to Guang River Estuary. Wouldn’t be surprising if Erik Yang shows up next. That’ll be a show worth watching."
Not far away, a tall figure in white scholar's robes stood half-hidden behind a tree, silently watching them.
After a long while, he turned away, transformed into a wolf demon, and vanished into the dense forest.