A gentle night wind drifted through the valley.
In the silent mountain valley, moonlight flickered and danced among the swaying branches and leaves.
Clara Heart and Saint Samuel stood quietly, facing each other across hundreds of zhang. Behind Clara, Yvonne Rain gripped her magic disk tightly, nerves stretched to the limit.
The monk whose throat was pinned by Clara’s sword was already trembling with fear, turning his face slightly to cast a pleading glance toward Saint Samuel.
After a long silence, Saint Samuel suddenly laughed. "There was no flaw in the illusion; the flaw lay in its caster. So that’s how it is. But, apart from Crescent Star Cave and Tusita Palace, Miss Clara, you’ve hardly lived anywhere else, and yet you can still tell which of these are true specialties of the Western Ox Continent and which are not. That’s truly remarkable."
“Did you forget I once had a master who was all-knowing and all-powerful?” Clara lifted her sword a little tighter against the monk’s throat and smiled sweetly. “Come now, exalted Saint Samuel—why set an array of illusions to deceive a little girl like me?”
"Miss Clara, you overthink things. In truth, there’s no deeper motive," Saint Samuel replied calmly. "I merely wished to discuss Buddhist scriptures with you, but feared you might be suspicious."
"Oh? If you have no designs on me, then you must have designs on my senior brother, right?" Clara pressed further.
Saint Samuel maintained his calm expression and spoke softly: "It seems, Miss Clara, you hold quite a prejudice against me."
Clara took a deep breath and said slowly, "Set such an array of illusions, and you can’t blame others for mistrusting you. Now that I’ve seen through it, let’s be clear—will you leave on your own, or shall we have a good, hard fight?"
Samuel was momentarily stunned. Even Yvonne Rain, standing behind Clara, widened her eyes in astonishment, staring at Clara’s cold, determined face.
After all, Saint Samuel was one of the highest-ranking figures in the West—his strength rivaled even Elder Terran Zhen.
The atmosphere instantly grew tense and rigid.
After a long moment, Saint Samuel steadied himself and asked, "Miss Clara, if you fought me, what odds do you think you’d have of winning?"
"To be honest—thirty percent," Clara replied.
"To risk a fight with only thirty percent odds—isn’t that a bit childish?" Samuel remarked.
Clara slowly extended three fingers. Between them glimmered two tiny spheres, one blue and one white—elixirs. She said softly, "But I have ten-tenths certainty I can hold out until both my masters arrive."
Master Sage Subhuti and Lord Lao—both arriving together...
At these words, Samuel’s mouth twitched slightly—twice.
It was clear she was threatening to trigger a war between Buddhism and Daoism...
After a brief hesitation, Samuel pressed his lips together, slowly stepped back, and said softly, "In that case, I shall take my leave. Until we meet again."
With those words, he dissolved into a wisp of green smoke and vanished on the wind.
Seeing this, Clara slowly lowered her sword from the monk’s throat. Both monks pressed their palms together, bowed to Clara, and then turned into streaks of golden light, disappearing into the sky.
As soon as they left, Yvonne Rain collapsed to the ground, clutching her chest and gasping for breath.
Large beads of sweat rolled down her forehead, one after another.
"If... if he really had accepted the challenge, what would we have done?"
"If he had, we’d have fought." Clara replied, sheathing her sword with a crisp clang, then turned and reached out to help Yvonne up. "Are you all right?" she asked softly.
Yvonne slowly shook her head, looking nervously at Clara’s calm, collected face. She asked in a low voice, "Weren’t you... even a little afraid?"
"A little, I suppose."
"A little?" Yvonne frowned, puzzled.
The two fell silent for a while. At last, Yvonne asked in a low voice, "Maybe we should just go back. Eugene said that with Uncle Wukong out in the world again, there’s bound to be trouble with the Buddhist Order. What if—what if we get caught up in it by accident...?"
"Are you afraid?" Clara asked softly.
"Aren’t you at least a little scared?" Yvonne shot back.
Clara pursed her lips, thinking for a moment, then lifted her head. "My master taught me something..."
"Which master?"
"Lord Lao." Clara cleared her throat and said, "He told me that fear doesn’t solve problems; it can even make things worse. Opponents love to target those who hesitate. If you’re afraid, it means they can act against you without restraint. Right now, Uncle Wukong dares to demand anything from the Heavenly Court because he knows they fear him. Even if they’re not attacking now, it’s only because the timing isn’t right. But if you’re not afraid, your opponent has to think twice before provoking you."
Yvonne’s eyes narrowed to slits, her lips pursed. "But being ‘fearless’ might just land you in danger without even realizing it."
Clara burst out laughing, cheerful. "Don’t worry. If they started with illusions to trick us, it means their goal can’t be achieved by force alone. Now that we’ve seen through them and are on guard, they won’t risk making another move anytime soon."
As she spoke, Clara began to look around carefully.
"So what do you plan to do next?"
"We wait," Clara sighed lightly. "Since we’re here, we should at least meet face to face before leaving. There are things I have to tell Uncle Wukong—after all, we’re family."
...
Fifty li away, Monkey hovered in midair, gazing into the distance.
"What’s wrong?" Tripitaka asked gently, passing by below on his white horse.
Monkey slowly descended to Tripitaka’s side and took the reins. "Someone used a large spell, but it’s been lifted now. Seems like it was a Buddhist illusion."
"How far?"
"About fifty li. Actually, I sensed something yesterday, but wasn’t sure. There’s no Daoist temple, no monsters, not even human settlements in this area—it might’ve been a trap set for us." Monkey raised his voice and called out, "Stay alert, everyone! There could be an ambush nearby!"
Marshal Silver, carrying the Nine-Tooth Rake, glanced back at Monkey, while Little White Dragon at the rear stared wide-eyed in fright.
"An ambush? What kind of ambush?"
"Just be on guard. Whatever it is, we’ll deal with it as it comes!"
In the desolate mountain pass, the party continued their slow march forward.
It was only fifty li, yet it took them until the afternoon of the third day to cover the distance, including one night spent camping in the forest.
When they reached the valley, the sunlight was soft and gentle.
Before them lay a dozen scattered houses, farmers working the fields in twos and threes, and children playing by a stream.
Gazing at the village, Monkey King couldn't help but furrow his brow.
"Great Sage, is this the place you mentioned, the one with the large-scale spell?"
"This is the place, but..." Monkey King hesitated, uncertain.
If the location he sensed had been a deserted wilderness, that would be one thing—but it turned out to be a village?
How could such an ordinary village possibly be the site of any spellwork? If the village itself was a Buddhist illusion, why couldn't he detect a single flaw?
Could it be that Lord Buddha himself had come in person?
After a long hesitation, Monkey King looked up at Tripitaka, who sat atop his horse, and said, "Should we... go around it?"