In the southwestern forests of the Southern Lands, a fierce battle had just ended.
Corpses littered the ground. Three or five demons circled like vultures, rifling through the dead, trying to squeeze out anything of value.
King Roc sat cross-legged and expressionless atop a high green boulder in the distance. His ever-present fangtian ji was stained with blood, now resting crookedly against his neck.
"What's wrong? Third Brother, you don't seem in good spirits today. They all begged for mercy, but you still wiped them out. Was that really necessary?"
From afar, King Macaque approached, carrying his black steel staff, and slowly walked up to King Roc, leaping onto the boulder.
King Roc glanced indifferently at King Macaque and said impatiently, "The sooner they die, the sooner they're reborn. Isn't that better for them?"
King Macaque chuckled. "You’re not wrong. With their talent, no amount of cultivation would ever amount to much."
He squatted down beside King Roc and asked in a low voice, "Are you still upset about Big Brother’s decision?"
King Roc snorted coldly. "How could I dare be upset? The vote was unanimous—what’s there to be unhappy about?"
King Macaque’s expression changed slightly. He turned away, not responding to King Roc.
After a moment, King Roc asked slowly, "That little girl—where did you find her?"
"You mean Belle Whitebone?"
"Who else would I mean?"
King Macaque sighed softly and, watching the demons cleaning up the battlefield nearby, replied, "Last time Big Brother and I passed through a small town looking to pick up a few things, we happened to meet her in a private school."
"A human private school?" King Roc cast a sidelong glance.
King Macaque nodded. "A human private school. She only gained her true form a few years ago—when she was little, a childless teacher found her, mistook her for a human, and adopted her."
King Roc snorted with laughter. "Humans adopting a demon? Now that's a rare tale indeed."
"She has no demon aura and looks just like a human. Blending in was easy."
"So you killed everyone in that private school?"
"No," King Macaque shook his head. "Not a single one. We’d just arrived when we met her. Big Brother noticed she wasn’t afraid of us, which was odd. Turns out she’s a demon too. There was nothing worth taking from that private school, so Big Brother agreed to spare her foster parents and all the students. Of course, she had to come with us."
King Roc’s brow furrowed as he thought for a moment. "Why does that sound so awkward? The old ‘adopted daughter sacrificing herself out of gratitude’ trope?"
King Macaque glanced at King Roc, brushed the fur on his cheek in the wind, and smiled. "Not quite. First, she revealed herself as a demon in front of everyone, so even if she didn’t come with us, she couldn’t go back. Second, demons grow up but don’t age. Once she’s grown, she can’t keep hiding forever. Sooner or later, she’d be exposed."
After a brief pause, King Macaque took a deep breath and continued, "Big Brother saw that she’d read some books with the teacher, so he thought she might be useful. Besides, if we’re going to Blossom Mountain, don’t we need someone with a friendly face? That girl’s quick-witted too—she’s the best fit among us."
King Macaque spoke in detail, but King Roc clearly wasn’t paying much attention.
He nudged his hook-shaped beak and lazily yawned. "Anyone would do. If you ask me, tying up that mud eel would be best—nothing else is worth a damn."
"That depends on what the Handsome Monkey King thinks. If he puts the greater good first, he’ll set aside old grudges and ally with us. If not..."
"Is that so?" King Roc patted his boots, slowly stood up, and leaned on his fangtian ji. "These days, strength is all that matters. What Blossom Mountain thinks is their business. Either way, we need those elixirs...and magical gear too. If Blossom Mountain refuses, we’ll just send them that mud eel. He’s useless anyway—might as well trade him for some elixirs. I’ll distract Big Brother, you and Fourth Brother coordinate the hand-off. How about it?"
...
"Before you came, did no one tell you about the grudges between me and them?" In the temporary cave-palace, Monkey slowly rose from his throne.
Belle Whitebone—Bai Su—instantly recoiled in shock, staring wide-eyed at Monkey.
Under her gaze, Monkey descended the steps one by one, stopping in front of her and staring coldly at the terrified Belle. "Your Second Demon King—that flood-dragon, that damned mud eel—tried to sell me to the Celestial Army for Gold Essence. I was lucky; he failed. But because of him, I lost many good brothers. I dream of skewering him and roasting him alive. Now you come to me talking about an alliance? Hah. What a joke—there’s nothing funny about it."
His tone was as casual as idle chatter, but anyone could sense the deep hostility within.
Belle was stunned, silent for a long moment. She swallowed, blinked, and finally summoned her courage. "But... but the Heavenly Fleet could attack at any time. My lord, you lack materials for alchemy, while my masters control vast territories and command hundreds of thousands of troops. At their word, we can gather a mountain of top-tier ingredients. All you need to do is give us a portion of the elixirs as payment. When the Heavenly Fleet attacks, my lords will reinforce Blossom Mountain. No matter how you look at it, this deal is all benefit and no harm to Blossom Mountain... I even brought—"
Before she could finish, Monkey waved his hand and brushed past her. "Take your materials and go home. Tell your Second Demon King I’ll deal with him sooner or later. He’d better pray for Blossom Mountain’s safety—if I’m the only one left, killing him will be even easier."
With those words, Monkey’s figure disappeared at the cave entrance, leaving only Belle and the Azurewave Dragon King in the vast cavern.
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With a thud, Belle collapsed to the ground, curling up like an ordinary little girl, tears welling in her eyes.
She had truly been afraid just now—afraid Monkey would kill her on the spot. Before coming, she only knew the Six Demon Kings and Blossom Mountain had some minor feud; she had no idea of the real grudge.
Only now did she understand why the demon kings sent a newcomer like her on such an important mission—anyone who knew the full story would be terrified to come.
"Are you alright?" The Azurewave Dragon King gently patted her head to comfort her.
From a distance, the scene looked just like a grandfather comforting his granddaughter.
After a long while, Belle took a deep breath, looked up at the Azurewave Dragon King, and managed a smile. "I’m alright."
She slowly stood, bowed to the Azurewave Dragon King, and said, "Regardless, I still thank you for the introduction. Since the Handsome Monkey King has refused, I’ll return to the Southern Lands and report back."
After a brief silence, the Azurewave Dragon King spoke. "This deal... is genuinely good for Blossom Mountain. You should stay a few days. I’ll see if I can find another chance to persuade the Monkey King. If possible, I’d rather not see the Demon Kings and the Monkey King go to war."
Belle bit her lip and nodded quietly.
...
In the wooden loft of the underground city, painted red by firelight from outside, Monkey and Shortbeak cracked melon seeds. The kettle on the stove began to whistle.
Monkey brushed his hands to shake off the crumbs, picked up the kettle, lifted the lid of the teapot, and began pouring in boiling water.
Shortbeak cracked a seed and said, "I heard other demon kings sent someone over today."
Monkey paused for a moment, silently finished brewing tea, and pushed a cup to Shortbeak. "You really do keep track of everything I do."
"Just happened to hear it from Ao Lie."
"It was those six sworn brothers. They want an alliance—materials for elixirs. I ignored them."
"I heard the envoy was a little girl."
"Yes. Bone-demon, no demon aura, looks just like a human. But that's exactly what's so contemptible." Monkey stared at his teacup and snorted. "Six great demon kings, and they send a little girl as envoy. Cowards."
Shortbeak sipped his tea. "Actually, allying with them wouldn’t be a bad idea."
Monkey froze, shooting Shortbeak a sideways glance.
"What, am I wrong?" Shortbeak asked.
"You’re right," Monkey said. "But it’s not your place to say it. Have you forgotten how White Ape and Bullhorn died?"
Shortbeak straightened up a little. "I’m just speaking the truth. If we could get them as allies, our situation would improve dramatically, wouldn’t it?"
Monkey stared at Shortbeak, expressionless. "True. But if they betray us at the crucial moment, our situation will ‘improve’ in a whole new way. There’d be no coming back from that."
Shortbeak frowned slightly. "That... shouldn’t happen. After all, if we fall, they’re next. I’m sure they understand that."
"How could things go wrong? It wouldn’t be the first time they ran away. During the Western Ox Continent war, they bailed before the Celestial Fleet even attacked. You know that, right?"
"But they did come back, didn’t they? No one likes hiding and running for their lives. What I mean is, if you think it’s right, then ally with them. If Bullhorn or the other elders from Evil Dragon Pool object, I’ll handle it—you don’t need to say a word. In a crisis, we should do what’s needed, not get hung up on the past."
Was that a show of support?
Monkey stared at Shortbeak, who silently sipped his tea, and sighed. "Alright, let’s drop it. By the way, I heard you’ve been spending time with Ao Lie lately."
"He just likes hanging around here. Hard to shoo away."
"Did he say when he’s leaving?"
"No."
Monkey pursed his lips, lost in thought.
That little white dragon was a headache. He’d come to Blossom Mountain out of nowhere and loafed around for almost a year. Because of a past incident, Monkey owed him a favor. With all this back and forth, it was hard to ask him to leave.
For the past year, he’d idled about, first hanging around Monkey, trying to get close. Monkey had no time for him, so Ao Lie started ‘bothering’ others.
Even now, he still dropped by Monkey’s place from time to time. Today, he happened to be around when Belle Whitebone was brought by the Azurewave Dragon King, so he found out about it.
He really was a blabbermouth—just a few hours later, Shortbeak knew everything.
Monkey had thought Blossom Mountain could afford to feed one more person—or rather, one more dragon. But now, it seemed this troublesome guest needed to be dealt with.
Thinking it over, Monkey said, "If you see him, tell him to come see me. I want to talk."