"A face-to-face confrontation?" Six-Eared Macaque straightened up slightly, grinning as he leaned back in his chair, gazing at Anna Yang with a meaningful look. "What are you planning?"
Faced with the question, Anna Yang's brows slowly furrowed, but she did not rush to answer. She simply gazed quietly at Six-Eared Macaque.
...
Inside the prison, the fire in the brazier crackled, casting a dim, reddish glow.
Nine-Headed Wyrm was shackled through the shoulder blades and hung from a rack. Drops of fresh blood trickled down his arms onto the uneven stone floor below, pooling into dark, ominous puddles. The scene was horrifying.
Gavin Goathorn watched the scene with a sense of helplessness, unable to do anything about it.
"Give up your accomplices, and maybe I'll let you die quickly," the interrogating demon officer snarled.
Nine-Headed Wyrm hung his head, hair falling over his face, and said nothing.
Gavin Goathorn also remained silent. He truly could not be certain whether Nine-Headed Wyrm was the insider Six-Eared Macaque was seeking.
To be honest, what he had said before Six-Eared Macaque could easily be called slander. But who could have guessed that Six-Eared Macaque would arrest Nine-Headed Wyrm without a second thought?
Gavin Goathorn was truly at his wit's end. So, from start to finish, he never once questioned Nine-Headed Wyrm directly, only sat watching from afar. He neither stopped nor urged the interrogation.
Fortunately, Nine-Headed Wyrm was not so easy to kill, or Gavin's head would have exploded. After all, Lionback Kingdom was formed from the forces of Many-Eyes, Nine-Headed Wyrm, and the original Roc King. If Nine-Headed Wyrm truly died here, who knows what chaos would erupt in Lionback.
It was precisely this fear that kept Gavin from ordering the arrest of Nine-Headed Wyrm's trusted generals, even when Damon Macaque expressed the intention, Gavin did his utmost to dissuade him.
If all of Nine-Headed Wyrm's trusted generals were taken, what about the trusted men of those generals? Level after level, in the end, a third of Lionback's demons would have to be locked up in the dungeons. Would chaos not follow?
More importantly, judging by the current situation, Nine-Headed Wyrm might not even be the spy Gavin imagined him to be.
So, Gavin Goathorn spread word outside that Nine-Headed Wyrm was only cooperating with the investigation. Luckily, no one outside could see what was happening here. But... people talk—he couldn't control the rumors before, let alone now.
Do all you can, and leave the rest to fate.
If he could, Gavin Goathorn would have found a place to burn incense and pray. Unfortunately, he was a demon—he believed neither in Buddha nor gods. He could only trust in someone even he didn't trust... himself.
...
In the study, Damon Macaque was still quietly meeting Anna Yang's gaze, his brow lifting slightly.
"What? Are you afraid of what I might do?" Anna Yang lowered her eyes, staring at the open scroll on the desk. "Everyone's already in your Lionback Kingdom. What could I possibly do now?"
"No, you're wrong. I am afraid." Damon Macaque let out a long sigh and said slowly, "I want Lionback Kingdom because I am the true Great Sage Equal to Heaven. The title King of All Demons must never go to someone else. To be honest, I don't even understand why I built Blossom Mountain before... It was meaningless."
Anna Yang stared at Damon Macaque, her face expressionless.
"A million!" Damon Macaque raised a finger, pursing his lips. "A million demon soldiers—could they defeat Lord Lao? No. Could they stop the Buddha? Still no. They can't even stand against the Four Great Buddhas under him. In truth, they're all useless. So, the only reason I want to control Lionback is because I am the true Great Sage Equal to Heaven."
Anna Yang met Damon Macaque's gaze, her face expressionless.
After a brief silence, Damon Macaque continued, "But compared to Lionback, your acknowledgment is even more important. Do you understand what I mean?"
Anna Yang looked at Damon Macaque and slowly shook her head.