After Damon Macaque handed power back to Anna Yang once again, Anna did not scheme as she had before. Perhaps for this reason, although Damon Macaque was constantly in motion, Lionback Kingdom did not experience any major upheaval.
Every day, Anna stood atop the loft built into the mountainside of Holy Mother Palace, gazing down at Lionback Kingdom like a cold, elegant wild goose, watching all that unfolded in its farthest corners.
Although Anna did not possess the sprawling intelligence network of Many-Eyes or Gavin Goathorn, nor the vast spiritual awareness of those on the Sage's Path, her day-after-day observation from above let almost nothing escape her notice.
In recent days, Gavin Goathorn had become obviously busier. Truly busy now—where before, it was just for show.
This was clear from how often Gavin came and went between the prison and Qi Tian Palace. At first, he would parade through the streets with his followers, gathering evidence and arresting suspects. But once those suspects were locked away, he rarely visited the cells, much less interrogated anyone himself. Instead, he spent most of his days idling in Qi Tian Palace, even when there was little to do.
And now?
Now, Gavin seemed much more discreet; he brought fewer subordinates, yet arrested more suspects. Most importantly, he no longer had much time to linger in Qi Tian Palace, instead spending his days running between prison cells, hoping to find even the smallest clue.
Watching Gavin wipe his brow and sigh more and more often, Anna gently turned and asked, "Have you figured out who's spreading all these rumors yet?"
"No, we haven't," replied the demon general behind her, shaking his head. "Rumors are everywhere, swirling wildly. The clues are tangled together like a ball of thread—some true, some false, impossible to unravel. And it's not easy for me to investigate openly."
"Even if you did investigate openly, you'd probably find nothing," Anna said softly, gazing at the disheveled Gavin from afar. "Look at him—he's searching openly, isn't he? He has the whole power of Lionback at his disposal, and still hasn't found anything."
"Who does Her Holiness the Holy Mother think it might be?"
Anna slowly shook her head and did not answer.
Yet at that very moment, the image of Many-Eyes surfaced in her mind.
Monkey only has Louis Quickpaw at his side, who doesn't seem the type for this sort of thing. As for Monkey himself, although he might be capable, he was trapped beneath Five Elements Mountain for over six centuries, and much has faded; these years have been spent escorting Tripitaka westward. Even if he wanted to, he simply wouldn't have the manpower.
The one behind this must be one of the demon kings within Lionback, and the style clearly points to Many-Eyes.
After a long silence, the demon general asked again, "Her Holiness, should we... do something?"
"No, just keep watching," Anna replied calmly.
Faintly, Anna felt a trace of unease in her heart.
If it truly is Many-Eyes, then everything makes sense. Given his abilities, he could certainly pull it off, and Anna could understand his motive. But the way things stand, his goal is still far from being achieved.
If he insists on pushing forward... then he will surely find a way to drag her into it. But if that happens, it could trigger events that are truly beyond anyone's control...
...
Just then, a demon general hurriedly burst into the courtyard where Gavin Goathorn was staying, dropped to one knee, and saluted: "Chancellor, the Great Sage requests your presence!"
At those words, Gavin visibly froze; his hand holding the teacup trembled slightly.
"The Great Sage... what does he want with me?"
The reporting demon general glanced up at Gavin, speaking cautiously: "I don't know, sir, but... it seems to be about the recent rumors."
In that instant, Gavin drew a sharp breath, feeling as if he might die on the spot...
Whirling around, he snapped furiously at his subordinates standing behind him: "Well? What do I do? Tell me—what am I supposed to say when the Great Sage asks? Should I tell him we haven't found a single clue?"
Every subordinate hung their head, not daring to make a sound.
Looking at all those miserable faces, Gavin was furious—he wanted nothing more than to slap each one.
But what good would that do? These brutes were all muscle, no brains; even if he beat them to death, they still wouldn't come up with an idea.
"Calm down, calm down," Gavin muttered to himself, pacing back and forth. "The Great Sage will definitely ask how the investigation is going. If I haven't found anything, then I simply haven't found anything—there's no way to bluff through it. But no matter what, I can't have absolutely nothing; at the very least... I need a suspect."
Closing his eyes, Gavin frowned deeply. "This was stirred up by a spy, that's for sure. Their goal must be to split Lionback Kingdom. A spy capable of all this... could only be one of the demon kings. But who? I can't just guess—if I do, I'll be playing right into the spy's hands."
A demon general suddenly blurted out, "Could it be Nine-Headed Wyrm?"
Gavin's eyes flew open. "Nine-Headed Wyrm?"
That's it! It must be him!
King Roc and King Liontusk—those two—fled from Blossom Mountain in the heat of battle, and then, after the Westward Quest began, they even colluded with the Buddhist Order, only to later defect to our side. No matter how you look at it, they don't seem like inside agents for the other side.
As for Many-Eyes... honestly, our own Great Sage owes his entire rise to him. How could he possibly be the enemy's agent?
But Nine-Headed Wyrm—he stumbled into Lionback by accident, and back at Blossom Mountain, he was a trusted general with deep ties to the original Great Sage.
Don't forget, that other Great Sage is different from ours—he still remembers everything. In that case, Nine-Headed Wyrm could reconcile with him with just a word or a letter.
So, it must be him!
With that thought, Gavin quickly rolled up his sleeves, stepped out the door, and hurried towards Qi Tian Palace.
...
In the study, Damon Macaque raised his eyebrows slightly. "So you're saying the one spreading rumors is most likely Nine-Headed Wyrm?"
"Exactly," Gavin replied, bowing hurriedly. "I find it hard to believe myself, but after weighing all the possibilities, he really does seem the most likely."
"Do you have any concrete evidence?"
"N-no, I don't." Gavin thought for a moment, then quickly added, "Nine-Headed Wyrm is truly cunning—he's stirred up Lionback until the rumors are everywhere, yet hasn't left a single trace behind. If I hadn't reasoned it all out, we'd still be lost, with no idea where to start investigating."
Hearing this, Damon Macaque stroked his chin, his eyes narrowing to slits.
Gavin swallowed hard and continued, "Great Sage, Nine-Headed Wyrm is one of your top generals. I really don't dare investigate him rashly. But if you also find him suspicious, how about I quietly investigate the people around him next?"
Gavin's point was that the lack of evidence was because he hadn't dared to investigate before. Why not? To preserve stability, and out of respect for Nine-Headed Wyrm's status. Now, with things as they are, he was reporting in advance and preparing to begin the search.
In other words, he was just stalling for time.
However, he had clearly misjudged Damon Macaque's temperament.
Before Gavin could come up with another excuse, Damon Macaque lightly slapped the table and said coolly, "Why bother investigating? Just arrest him directly."
"Huh?" Gavin was stunned.
Damon Macaque continued leisurely, "If he's that suspicious, just take him in."
"But... isn't that a bit much? After all, he's..."
"What? If I want to arrest someone in Lionback, do I need anyone's permission?" Damon Macaque shot him a glare.
Under Six-Eared Macaque's glare, Gavin dared not say another word. Sweat poured down his forehead.
This was sure to become a major incident.
...
"Senior brother," Violet-Spider Demoness bowed slightly, "Damon Macaque has already sent Gavin Goathorn to lead men to Nine-Headed Wyrm's residence."
"Understood." In the secret chamber, Many-Eyes, seated in his chair, waved his hand lightly, signaling Violet-Spider Demoness to withdraw. He raised his head and nodded to the demon general standing nearby, saying, "Well done. Go collect your reward."
"Thank you for your praise, Lord Many-Eyes!" The demon general saluted Many-Eyes, then cast a meaningful glance at King Roc seated at the other end of the table, bowed, and exited.
This demon general was the very one who had just suggested to Gavin that Nine-Headed Wyrm was the culprit!
When the wooden door closed, King Roc gave a cold snort and laughed, "So you even planted someone at Gavin's side."
"What's so hard about that?" Many-Eyes slowly closed his eyes. "He's just a newcomer, with no real foundation. If not for Damon Macaque's trust, he'd never have gotten this far. Placing someone at his side is child's play."
After speaking, Many-Eyes chuckled softly and continued, "Sometimes, those in the thick of things are the most confused. Being demoted isn't always a bad thing. If I were still swamped with official business, I wouldn't have the energy to plot all this out, to quietly place people and discreetly hint to the demon king, all without arousing suspicion. Hah, when you can focus all your efforts on one person, things are much easier than you'd think. Like when Her Holiness the Holy Mother dealt with me—it only took a few moves to keep me obediently in this rundown courtyard."
"Looks like I underestimated you, Lord Many-Eyes." With that, King Roc raised his wine in a toast.
Many-Eyes politely raised his own cup and took a sip.
"So, what does Lord Many-Eyes think we should do next?"
"From here on, it all depends on Her Holiness the Holy Mother..."