The desert wind blew gently. Overhead, the stars flickered faintly.
Monkey sat by the campfire, lightly prodding the wood with a branch, lost in thought.
According to his plan, he had meant to use this opportunity to find out what exactly Mother Nuwa and Tripitaka discussed. Yet, Mother Nuwa said nothing—she simply gave them two boxes, offered Tripitaka a bit of blessing and encouragement.
It felt as if that great, earth-shaking conflict spanning three continents had never happened at all.
This change... isn't it a bit too drastic?
Mother Nuwa was clearly as stubborn as he was. She could fight for something as trivial as Rosemary, or for her own dignity, and battle Monkey until the heavens turned upside down—from Western Ox Continent to Eastern Divine Continent, from the first layer of Heaven to the sixth... How could someone like that simply change her mind so easily?
No matter how Monkey thought about it, he couldn't make sense of it.
After bidding farewell to Mother Nuwa and resting one night in the Women’s Kingdom, the group set out again at dawn the next day.
Before they left, Rosemary thoughtfully prepared a large supply of travel necessities for Tripitaka, so Barry Bear once again had baggage to carry.
This was, perhaps, the best condition the team had been in since leaving Blackwater River.
Almost all of Tripitaka's belongings had been swept away by the river at Blackwater. Once ashore, he was saddled with a badly wounded Prince Adrian as extra baggage. By the time they reached Cartwright Kingdom, the entire party was injured.
After finally recovering a bit, they arrived in the Women’s Kingdom, encountered Mother Nuwa, and were promptly forced to flee for their lives…
After so many days recuperating at Blossom Mountain, now, aside from Prince Adrian’s lingering 'minor injuries,' the whole team was in far better shape than before. At least Monkey no longer had to worry about Marshal Silver and the others’ fighting strength.
But Monkey still couldn’t bring himself to feel happy.
Mother Nuwa’s change was simply too abrupt—so abrupt that Monkey found it hard to accept, and could not help but harbor doubts.
"Is Mother Nuwa planning some trick? Or did my oh‑so‑dear master say something to her..."
After pondering for a long time, Monkey glanced suspiciously at Tripitaka nearby.
At that moment, Tripitaka was quietly examining the gift Mother Nuwa had given him—the Heart‑Hiding Stone.
"Let me see it," Monkey reached out his hand.
Tripitaka hesitated briefly, then handed the Heart‑Hiding Stone over without much reluctance.
It was a piece of emerald-green crystal, as clear as lotus root. At first glance, it looked much like any ordinary jade, but as soon as Monkey held it in his hand, he felt something strange—the Heart-Hiding Stone was cold as ice to the touch.
Wiping away the mist that had condensed on the surface and holding it up to the moonlight, Monkey could clearly see countless tiny barrier formations and runes drifting and swirling within the stone. It was as if there were a miniature cosmos inside, with those sigils and formations floating like stars.
Monkey turned the Heart-Hiding Stone over and over, examining it from every angle for a long time, but still could not figure out its secrets.
But perhaps that was to be expected.
This artifact was profoundly mysterious. With Monkey’s shallow attainments on the Sage’s Path, there was no way he could discern the workings of such a high-level Daoist relic crafted by Mother Nuwa. The runes inscribed within the Heart-Hiding Stone belonged to a completely different system than what he had learned at Crescent Star Cave.
"Should I find someone to identify it for me?"
Frowning, Monkey suddenly realized that among all the great Daoist powers, there was hardly anyone he could truly trust.
Lord Genesis and Lord Skygate were out of the question. As for Lord Lao, their relationship was always delicate. Even if Lord Lao was willing to explain, Monkey might not dare believe him—one careless moment and he could fall into another trap.
The only ones left were Zhenyuan—who, while not an enemy, wasn’t exactly a friend—and his own master, Master Sage Subhuti…
Rolling his eyes, Monkey sighed, "Compared to my master, even Lord Lao and Zhenyuan might be more believable."
"What’s up?" Marshal Silver ambled over.
Monkey glanced up at Marshal Silver, then pointed at the Heart-Hiding Stone in his hand. "Can you make sense of this?"
"No idea," Marshal Silver shook his head. "The script inside isn’t from the Celestial Sect, nor the Sundered Sect. It’s vaguely similar to Buddhist script, but not quite."
"We’d better study it carefully before trying to use it."
"Didn’t Mother Nuwa already explain to Tripitaka how to use it?" Tripitaka said softly from the side. "Why bother investigating further?"
Monkey shot Tripitaka a look and snorted, "You just believe her because she said so?"
"Why shouldn’t I?"
"What if she intends to harm you?"
"Mother Nuwa would never do that," Tripitaka replied quietly. "Someone who created all beings in the Three Realms out of compassion would not harm me."
With that, Tripitaka straightened his robe and stood up, calmly watching Monkey.
He was silently requesting the Heart-Hiding Stone back from Monkey.
Helpless, Monkey pursed his lips and handed it back.
"Do you think you’ll ever forget your vow to universal salvation?"
"I won’t," Tripitaka replied.
"Then why do you need this artifact?"
"Since it’s a token of Mother Nuwa’s regard, of course I must accept it." As he spoke, Tripitaka had already put the Heart-Hiding Stone away and turned to leave.
Monkey could only sigh and turn away, picking up the wooden box Mother Nuwa had given him and inspecting it closely.
"What’s up?" Marshal Silver asked, stretching his neck.
"Just checking for any traps. Why did Tripitaka get his gift opened right there in the palace, with instructions, while mine was sent away sealed and unexplained?"
"You’re way too suspicious," Marshal Silver laughed. "Come on, she’s Mother Nuwa—a goddess of her rank wouldn’t stoop to such tricks."
"Even Lord Buddha, so open and aboveboard, can lay traps," Monkey retorted, rolling his eyes at Marshal Silver.
Lowering his head, Monkey resumed his careful inspection.
Not far away, Prince Adrian sat pale as death, occasionally glancing down his trousers to check his wounds.
His heart was in turmoil.
"Don’t be so down, it’s nothing," Curtain-Lifting General said, handing him a water gourd with a deadpan face. "It’s just a few days of trouble, nothing you can’t get over. Didn’t you already have your cousin rush over with medicine? Relax, we won’t tell your wife what you did in the stables. Actually, it’s a good thing—if you hadn’t been cut, the Great Sage might never have let you turn back, and you’d still be a horse."
As he spoke, Curtain-Lifting General couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
Prince Adrian glared fiercely at Curtain-Lifting General, snatched the water gourd from his hand, and snapped, "A good thing? Why don’t you get yourself cut then?"
"Me? What would I do that for?" Curtain-Lifting General shook his head and waved his hands, walking away.
Off in the distance, Barry Bear finally lost control and started laughing as well.
Prince Adrian’s face flushed red with shame, and he glared resentfully at Monkey.
By now, the box had been opened, and as Monkey peered inside, he couldn’t help but freeze.
"What is this... two ducks?"
"Those are emerald mandarin ducks," Marshal Silver replied.
"I know they’re ducks," Monkey said, "I mean, why would she send me two mandarin ducks?"
Monkey looked up, his face twisted in confusion, staring at Marshal Silver.
For a moment, both of them were stunned.
Marshal Silver scratched his chin, thinking for a while before saying, "She mentioned there were two items in the box—one for you, one for your junior sister Clara Heart. But there’s only one pair of emerald mandarin ducks here, which means each duck is a separate gift. If you split the pair and give one to Clara Heart... well, that’s not something you’d do unless you were really close. Are you and Clara Heart..."
"No way!" Monkey protested. "What could I possibly have with her? She just helped me out once, that’s all. Mother Nuwa wouldn’t misunderstand just because of that, right?"
"That’s impossible," Marshal Silver shook his head. "Mother Nuwa isn’t the type to give out mandarin ducks lightly. If she did this, there’s definitely a reason."
"What reason? She might not have even met Clara Heart. Old Lao told her everything about me, even what happened under Five Elements Mountain. She knows my past. If she wanted to give a pair of ducks, she should’ve given them to me and Princess Yang, or at least me and Lady Birdie. Don’t you think?"
Marshal Silver laughed, "You’re overthinking it. Maybe it’s just a test. Mother Nuwa might be trying to figure out what’s in your heart."
Monkey frowned, "Why would she test me?"
Marshal Silver shrugged, "Who knows? Gods have their own way of doing things. If she wants to test you, just play along."
Monkey shook his head, still unconvinced.
He carefully placed the emerald mandarin ducks back in the box, closed the lid, and sighed.
The moon was rising higher, casting a silvery glow over Blossom Mountain.
Monkey gazed up at the moon, lost in thought.
He wondered what Mother Nuwa’s true intentions were.
But no matter how much he pondered, he couldn’t make sense of it.
In the end, he could only sigh and let it go—for now.
The night wind rustled through the trees, carrying with it the scent of mountain flowers.
Tomorrow would bring new challenges.