She changed outfit after outfit, but the Queen of the Women’s Kingdom remained unsatisfied. The pile of discarded clothes beside her had already grown into a mountain.
Taking advantage of each change, one maid after another entered from outside, bringing wine, dishes, and sauces for the banquet. The Queen personally approved every detail, and from time to time, she would ask if Monkey’s party had any special requests.
The young attendant at her side was utterly stunned; she had never seen the Queen behave like this before.
Wearing an apricot-yellow dress edged with gold, the Queen spun in front of the mirror. Her skirt flared up in a swirl.
"What do you think of this one?"
The young attendant smiled sweetly, "Your Majesty looks beautiful in anything."
"You’re just flattering me." The Queen frowned at the golden embroidery on her sleeve. "It still doesn’t feel right—too ornate, I think."
"But Your Majesty is the Queen—your clothes should be ornate! How else can you show your nobility?"
"No matter how noble, who could outshine him?" the Queen sighed. "Who could possibly compare to the Great Sage?"
A trace of helplessness flickered across her face.
Hearing this, the young attendant asked curiously, "Your Majesty, ever since you returned, you’ve been muttering about the ‘Great Sage’ over and over. Who is this ‘Great Sage’ that matters so much to you?"
"The Great Sage is..." The Queen paused, glancing at her attendant. "Even if I told you, you wouldn’t understand. It’s an outside matter, unrelated to the Women’s Kingdom."
The young attendant pouted.
While choosing a headpiece and holding it up to the mirror, the Queen said, "You wouldn’t understand, even if I explained."
"If Your Majesty doesn’t tell me, how do you know I wouldn’t understand?"
The little maid was already a bit unhappy.
In the Women’s Kingdom, although rank and status existed as in the outside world, most of the time the people here lived more like sisters—harmonious and close, with little of the court intrigue or bloodshed found elsewhere.
Seeing this, the Queen sighed helplessly and smiled. "All right, all right, I’ll tell you. But you mustn’t spread it around."
The young attendant immediately straightened up and smiled, "Your Majesty, surely you can trust my lips, can’t you?"
Turning back, the Queen rolled her eyes at the attendant. "How should I put it... Hmm... The Great Sage is the King of All Demons in the Three Realms; all demons acknowledge him as their lord. Nearly eight hundred years ago, he founded the Blossom Mountain demon kingdom and turned the tide, forcing even the Heavenly Court to a standstill. Nowadays, almost every demon of any stature in the Three Realms was once his subordinate. So, you see how formidable he is?"
The young attendant furrowed her brow, listening in confusion. After a moment, she quietly asked, "So, has he done anything truly great?"
"Truly great?" The Queen pondered for a moment, then said, "He fought his way into the Heavenly Court alone—millions of Skyward Legionnaires couldn’t stop him. He slew the previous Jade Emperor and Queen Mother. He even shattered Lord Lao’s Heaven’s Way cultivation. Would you call those great deeds?"
"Heaven’s Way cultivation..." The young attendant grew even more confused. "Is the Heavenly Court stronger than our Women’s Kingdom? And why did he found a demon kingdom?"
"Eh?"
"What’s the Jade Emperor and Queen Mother? And what is this ‘Heaven’s Way cultivation’ anyway?"
Now it was the Queen’s turn to be confused.
The Women’s Kingdom was an extremely closed-off place. Except for a few like her who came from outside, most native citizens had no idea what the world beyond their borders was like.
For thousands of years, they had always lived this way and never imagined changing.
Helpless, the Queen sighed softly and said, "That’s why you wouldn’t understand, no matter what I say. In short, the Great Sage is a very, very important person. He showed me great kindness—a debt I can never repay."
She paused, gazing at her own reflection in the mirror, lips pressed together in a faint smile. "I used to be just a maid in Qi Tian Palace, never daring to hope he’d even glance at me. How could he possibly remember me? But times have changed. Now I’m a queen, and just now, I walked side by side with him. He even spoke to me in private mind-voice... This time, I’ll make sure he remembers me. No matter what, I want to leave him with a good impression."
At this moment, the face that usually wore a mask of royal dignity was now lit up with a happiness only a young girl could possess—soft as spring sunlight.
...
As the sun set, in the stables, Prince Adrian—the Little White Dragon—had already been cornered by a herd of mares.
Faced with a crowd of mares, their eyes shining as they surrounded him, Prince Adrian’s legs went weak and goosebumps erupted all over him.
"Neigh! Neigh—!"
A female soldier standing guard outside the stable reached up and scratched her ear.
"What’s going on in the stables?"
"It’s nothing. We just put a stallion in there. He came with those outsiders."
"A stallion... Is that okay?"
"We checked with Her Majesty. She said not to worry about it."
After thinking for a moment, the other soldier said, "Well, at least this way we won’t have to fetch water from the Mother Lake for them this year."
A moment later, a piercing horse cry echoed through the entire palace.
...
"Honored guests, Her Majesty the Queen has prepared a banquet in the main hall and has commanded us to invite you to attend."
For a long while, the door remained tightly shut; there was not a sound from within.
The maids standing outside exchanged uncertain glances.
"Honored guests, Her Majesty the Queen has prepared a banquet in the main hall and has commanded us to invite you to attend."
Still, there was no response.
After hesitating briefly, the lead maid reached out to knock, but just as her hand was about to touch the door, it swung open with a bang.
All three maids jumped in fright.
Monkey poked his head out and looked around, then pushed both doors wide open with a bang.
"Lead the way."
The three maids nodded cautiously, picked up their lanterns, and led the way.
As the party emerged one by one from their rooms, the women gathered on the opposite balcony began chattering noisily again.
"That hairy-faced one is so awful—he actually scared people!"
"I still think the bald one is better—he’s handsome and looks so gentle and refined."
"I prefer the one with the rake—he’s strong and fair-skinned, and so handsome. I heard from the sisters that his rake weighs thousands of pounds. The bald one is soft and weak; how could he compare?"
"He’s a pig demon."
"No way! A pig demon? Are you sure you’re not mistaken?"
"No mistake. We checked. Among these people, only the bald one and the big-bearded one are human. The other three are demons. The horse in the stables is actually a dragon."
"Oh, that’s a pity."
"What’s a pity?"
Suddenly, the women all jumped in fright. Turning, they saw the green-robed woman—second only to the Queen in rank—standing behind them, watching coldly. One by one, they lowered their heads.
"What’s a pity? Why did you stop talking?" The green-robed woman raised her head, eyes wide as she looked at them. A female general in armor stood behind her.
Under the Chancellor’s stern gaze, the once-cheerful girls felt their scalps tingle and dared not speak.
After a long, awkward silence, one timidly said, "I... I have to help prepare the banquet, so..."
"Go on."
The girl bowed her head and hurried away.
"I need to help in the kitchen..."
"Go on."
"Her Majesty ordered me to prepare tonight’s fireworks..."
"Go on."
Soon, everyone had left, leaving only the Chancellor and the general quietly standing on the balcony.
"Hmph, fireworks... We haven’t had fireworks in the Women’s Kingdom for a century, have we? Chancellor, Her Majesty’s sudden invitation to male outsiders into the palace is surely inappropriate."
"I did advise Her Majesty, but she wouldn’t listen." The green-robed Chancellor sighed softly. "Go quickly to Mother Lake and report this to Her Ladyship."
"Her Ladyship is still in seclusion, I’m afraid..."
"Before Her Ladyship went into seclusion, she said that if there was an emergency, she could be awakened. The demon Monkey is immensely powerful, and the others besides the monk are no pushovers either. If they cause trouble, even if we muster the strength of the whole nation, we may not be able to contain them. Isn’t this urgent enough, in your opinion?"
After a moment’s hesitation, the general bowed and said, "Understood!"
...
Rows of beautiful maids, a hall festooned with lanterns and banners.
The Queen wore light makeup and an orange gown, adorned with her favorite ornaments, standing atop the high steps like a blooming carnation—stunning beyond words.
Monkey froze the moment he stepped into the hall.
Tripitaka and the others behind him were just as astonished.
The Women’s Kingdom usually favored simplicity and naturalness, but now, glancing around, the hall unmistakably echoed the style of Qi Tian Palace—so familiar and evocative.
Atop the steps, Her Majesty the Queen straightened her back, smiling softly.
Monkey walked forward slowly, glancing around at every detail.
The wood carvings were freshly made. Red silk draped from the ceiling cleverly concealed the hall’s original designs. The side tables were laden with fruits Monkey loved.
The throne had been removed and replaced by two parallel seats on either side of the steps. For a monarch, even when hosting another ruler, there would normally be a distinction between host and guest—removing one’s own throne was almost unthinkable.
Monkey stared at the Queen in confusion, utterly stunned.
How much effort must have gone into preparing this banquet... What was she trying to do?
Now dressed in a flowing gown instead of armor, the Queen placed her hands at her waist, bent deeply, and gave a formal bow.
A voice rang in Monkey’s mind: "This maid is, after all, the Queen of the Women’s Kingdom, so... I can only wrong the Great Sage by seating us as equals. Please don’t take offense, Great Sage."
"No... it’s fine." Monkey replied woodenly, nodding.
"My true name is Rosemary. Chancellor Lü gave it to me back at the Blossom Mountain academy."