The sound of laughter drifted out through the doorway, just as Belle, returning, caught it on the breeze.
“What are you all laughing about so happily?” Belle lifted the hem of her dress and, beaming, poked her head in from outside the door.
In an instant, Lord Lao slipped back into his kindly old gentleman’s persona, and Monkey’s face softened a little as well.
“Nothing much, just chatting with your Monkey about last night,” Lord Lao replied.
Monkey’s expression shifted slightly at those words, and he shot Lord Lao a sidelong glance.
“Talking about last night? What happened last night?” Belle asked, sitting down beside Monkey, her skirt still in hand.
Lord Lao chuckled softly, glanced at Monkey, and drawled, “Your Monkey went up to the Seventh Heaven last night and gave Elliot the Matchmaker a bit of a beating. Today, the Matchmaker went straight to the Jade Emperor to complain, and I ended up being scolded in the Throne Hall for standing as guarantor when you two ascended. Ah, when you first came to Heaven, it was me who vouched for you both.”
“Really?” Belle stared at Monkey in shock.
Monkey looked a little uncomfortable under her gaze. He shifted on the bench and muttered, “I just wanted to check something, but that old man wouldn’t let me. So… I gave him a lesson on behalf of the Jade Emperor. Don’t worry, I didn’t hit him hard—it’s nothing serious, he won’t die.”
“How could you do that?” Belle frowned, her brows knitting as she glared at Monkey. “The old gentleman was just trying to help—you really shouldn’t cause him trouble.”
Monkey laughed, "Nice? Maybe. The old man loves to mess with me, especially, but he's never told me a single lie or exaggerated anything. I think Master Subhuti must have his reasons for judging Lord Lao so harshly."
With that, Monkey turned and left, leaving Belle standing there in confusion. She muttered softly, "Now that you're working in Heaven, won't you need the old gentleman's help? If you offend him, you'll be all alone, and all those Heavenly Generals are your old rivals. What will you do then?"
As she spoke, Belle couldn't help but stamp her foot in frustration.
Lord Lao was gone, but his presence lingered.
Though Belle was technically just a newly ascended handmaid, Mona Frost and Clara Frost treated her like a high immortal, refusing to let her do any work. Mona even compiled all the Bureau's documents and presented them to Monkey for review.
Monkey didn't even glance at the documents. He said calmly, "You all managed just fine before I came. Keep running things as you always have. I'll just occupy a room and won't get in the way. From now on, you're in charge of all Bureau affairs. If you need my seal, come find me."
Mona couldn't figure out what Monkey was thinking, but out of respect for Lord Lao, she tried to insist. In the end, seeing Monkey's resolve, she had no choice but to agree.
That afternoon, Grandmaster White came to the Imperial Horse Bureau and took Monkey to complete all the official procedures for his post in Heaven. Along the way, immortals stared at Monkey as if he were a monster. Though the Heavenly Court didn't welcome a demon king as an official, with Grandmaster White escorting him, everything went smoothly.
Just like that, half a month passed in the blink of an eye.
During these two weeks, countless eyes in Heaven watched the Imperial Horse Bureau. Mona noticed many unfamiliar immortals coming and going nearby, while Monkey, now in charge, remained unusually quiet, locking himself in his room and refusing to go out.
King Bullhorn was summoned for a meeting about the issue.
Naturally, as the leader, King Bullhorn protected his own and refused to let the girl go, only promising a hefty bride price.
When word reached Blossom Mountain, the demons were even more incensed, demanding that King Bullhorn and the other Demon Kings be challenged.
At this critical moment, King Bullhorn and Lu Sixturn suddenly lost their nerve.
Monkey understood their predicament. After all, they were responsible for the lives of millions of Blossom Mountain demons and still needed the Demon Kings' strength. It wasn't an easy choice to make.
To them, one demoness was not especially important.
But they clearly overlooked one thing.
The demoness in question was a Spirit-Refinement cultivator on the Sage's Path, personally trained by Anna Yang.
While internal arguments raged, Anna Yang bypassed King Bullhorn and marched into the military camp, rallying the fleet with a single call.
According to King Bullhorn, he stood in front of the fleet with the command token, but no one paid attention. He watched helplessly as the entire fleet followed Anna Yang.
Hundreds of warships formed a black mass, their cannons blazing as they bombarded the Demon Kings' mountain, blasting it down by several zhang before stopping.
After all this chaos, King Bullhorn, unwilling to break with Blossom Mountain, ordered King Gloomape to hand over the girl. King Gloomape was slapped repeatedly by Anna Yang in front of the assembled officers.
Monkey clicked his tongue and shook his head, "Tsk, tsk, tsk. That woman... She doesn't even blink when it comes to killing and burning. How could she ever be a gentle wife and mother?"
Anna Yang never mentioned the incident, but King Bullhorn's report described everything clearly.
After this upheaval, it seemed Demon King integration with Blossom Mountain would be a long time coming. King Bullhorn and Lu Sixturn's reputations plummeted, while Anna Yang's soared. The demons jointly nominated her as Blossom Mountain's new principal leader.
Monkey had considered this possibility before, but thought Anna Yang's human status made it inappropriate. Clearly, he had worried too much.
Compared to humans, demons cared little about the line between human and demon.
After much thought, Monkey finally wrote 'agree' on King Bullhorn's nomination for Anna Yang, but let out a long sigh.
"Now that she's chief, she won't have time to send me messages every day," Monkey thought.
On Monkey's seventeenth day in Heaven, General Titan, one of Marshal Silver's few friends in the Heavenly Court, arrived at the Imperial Horse Bureau with an imperial edict.
This was to be expected.
Even though Marshal Tianpeng was imprisoned, his roots were still in the Heavenly Fleet, and that fleet was never a conservative force. If better weapons were available, why would they refuse?
After that, the Heavenly Fleet's firearms were frequently upgraded, and the Demon Kings' resource collection missions faced increasing obstacles.
Although the firearms couldn't threaten the Demon Kings directly, the collected materials had to be shipped back on warships. If a transport ship was attacked, the whole operation was for nothing.
With no other choice, Blossom Mountain sent fleets to escort the shipments, which sharply increased casualties on both sides, though losses remained within acceptable limits.
As joint operations continued, the Demon Kings and Blossom Mountain's demons grew closer, hinting at full integration. Anna Yang even notified Monkey, asking whether to intervene, but the issue resolved itself before Monkey could reply.
Then something happened that left Monkey utterly stunned.
The lowest-ranked of the five surviving Demon Kings, King Gloomape, took a liking to a Blossom Mountain demoness and kidnapped her to make her his bride.
In the past, such an incident wouldn't have been worth mentioning—a Celestial Sage Demon King marrying a Spirit-Refinement demoness by force was nothing unusual.
But now, in the 'new' Blossom Mountain shaped by Monkey's laws and Anna's ethics, a crowd of demons demanded King Bullhorn hold Gloomape accountable.
King Bullhorn was summoned for a meeting about the issue.
Naturally, as the leader, King Bullhorn protected his own and refused to let the girl go, only promising a hefty bride price.
When word reached Blossom Mountain, the demons were even more incensed, demanding that King Bullhorn and the other Demon Kings be challenged.
At this critical moment, King Bullhorn and Lu Sixturn suddenly lost their nerve.
Monkey understood their predicament. After all, they were responsible for the lives of millions of Blossom Mountain demons and still needed the Demon Kings' strength. It wasn't an easy choice to make.
To them, one demoness was not especially important.
But they clearly overlooked one thing.
The demoness in question was a Spirit-Refinement cultivator on the Sage's Path, personally trained by Anna Yang.
While internal arguments raged, Anna Yang bypassed King Bullhorn and marched into the military camp, rallying the fleet with a single call.
According to King Bullhorn, he stood in front of the fleet with the command token, but no one paid attention. He watched helplessly as the entire fleet followed Anna Yang.