By midday, news from Blossom Mountain had arrived.
"General Lee's envoy is already here—right at the perimeter! What do we do? You have to come back, quick!" That was Shortbeak's voice.
"If General Lee's envoy is here, it means the army won't arrive for now. What's got you so worked up?" Monkey replied irritably.
"So what do we do now?"
"Receive him, of course."
"Receive him? Who's supposed to do that?"
Monkey could tell that Shortbeak was completely flustered.
"Can't you just handle it? Don't you know how to stall? He's obviously here to reclaim King Broadgaze. Just keep bargaining—ask for this, ask for that, demand whatever he can't give, and negotiate properly. It's normal for these talks to drag on for days. If you really can't manage, have Louis Quickpaw step in!" Monkey barked into the Jade Tablet.
There was silence on the other end of the Jade Tablet.
Without waiting for a reply, Monkey simply put the Jade Tablet away.
Turning around, he saw Anna Yang lying quietly on the couch, watching him through the crack of the half-open door.
He steadied his breath, then pushed open the door and walked inside.
"General Lee's envoy has arrived?"
"Mm." Monkey blinked, avoiding Anna Yang's gaze.
Anna Yang smiled softly—a serene, gentle smile unlike any before.
Yet her face still looked so frail.
She spoke slowly, "Why not go back? I don't need you to take care of me."
"Stillwater said your condition is still unstable. If anything happens, I'm the fastest here. If it gets serious, I can take you to Crescent Star Cave. Besides, if we need rare elixirs, only I can fetch them quickly enough from anywhere in the world."
After a pause, Monkey moved his lips and added, "Blossom Mountain is fine. With the envoy here, it's safe for now."
"That's true, but things are always steadier with you there. Shortbeak and Louis Quickpaw aren't ready to handle everything yet." Anna Yang tilted her head back, smiling as she gazed at the lush green outside the window. "You didn't tell them the real situation at Blossom Mountain, did you?"
"Mm."
"That's why they gave the safest advice. It wasn't really necessary to go this far. If they'd known what's happening at Blossom Mountain, they'd have told you to go back, too."
Monkey said nothing, just sat there staring at the empty floor, his brows tightly furrowed.
Was it worry about Blossom Mountain's predicament? Or was it guilt? Anna Yang couldn't tell; she simply watched him quietly.
After a long while, Anna Yang turned to the side and slowly propped herself up with her hand.
"What are you doing?"
"Help me up."
Monkey hurried to support her.
"Take me with you—let's go back to Blossom Mountain."
"That's out of the question..."
"Don't worry, I'm really fine. I actually know a lot about medicine, and now I understand my own condition. I won't do anything reckless."
"No! That's not something to joke about!"
The two locked eyes, at an impasse.
After a long moment, Anna Yang lowered her head and coughed twice, clutching her chest. "How about we let Elder Stillwater judge? I'll ask him, you listen in, and if he has no objections, you'll have to accept it, right?"
Monkey could only agree.
Soon, Shawn Cloud brought Elder Stillwater to Monkey.
As soon as he entered, before Anna Yang could speak, Elder Stillwater smiled and said, "Your vital energy is slowly recovering. You're healing well."
Seated on the couch, Anna Yang inclined her body slightly and said, "It's all thanks to Elder Stillwater—I owe my life to you."
While checking Anna Yang's pulse, Elder Stillwater sighed, "You should call me Uncle Stillwater."
Anna Yang smiled and quickly corrected herself, "Thank you, Uncle Stillwater."
Skylar Loft, trailing behind, pursed his lips in exasperation. "I haven’t even gotten my ‘Master’ title yet, and you’re already calling him ‘Uncle Master.’ Ah, well…"
Stillwater turned his face slightly, carefully feeling Anna’s pulse for a long moment before clicking his tongue in approval. "You’ve recovered well. In another ten days or so, you should be completely healed."
Anna Yang fell silent for a moment, then asked softly, "If I return to Blossom Mountain now, would it be all right?"
"You want to go back now?" Stillwater was taken aback, releasing Anna’s wrist and stroking his long beard. "It would be best to stay a few more days. You’re not fully recovered yet—traveling back and forth would be exhausting, and not ideal."
Monkey was about to speak when Anna suddenly grabbed his wrist.
Staring at Stillwater, Anna asked softly but urgently, "If I go back now, will it be dangerous?"
Stillwater paused, then changed his question. "Is there trouble at Blossom Mountain?"
"It’s urgent," Anna answered quickly.
"If you return now, there’s no real danger—just a bit tiring. I’ll prepare some medicine for you to take along, just in case," Stillwater reassured her.
Anna smiled and looked at Monkey.
Monkey let out a quiet sigh, signaling his agreement.
Soon enough, Stillwater and Skylar Loft finished preparing all the medicine Anna would need for the next few days, packing extra in case of relapse, and then saw Monkey and Anna off at the courtyard gate.
Just as they were about to leave, another message arrived from Shortbeak: the envoy was making a scene, strutting about arrogantly and insisting on seeing Monkey, refusing to acknowledge anyone else.
Monkey didn’t hesitate. He sent back a blunt reply: "Hang him up and give him a good beating—see what he says then."
No sooner had he said this than Louis Quickpaw’s voice came through the Jade Tablet.
"When two nations go to war, envoys are never harmed, Your Majesty! It’s etiquette! Etiquette!"
"Etiquette? Give me a break. We’re demons—does Heaven treat us like a ‘nation’?" Monkey retorted.
Ignoring Louis Quickpaw’s protests, Monkey stowed away the Jade Tablet, scooped Anna onto his back, and shot off toward Blossom Mountain.
All the way, he wrapped Anna securely in his spiritual power—so much so that not a trace of the high-altitude winds could touch her.
Half-asleep on Monkey’s back, Anna nuzzled his shoulder and asked in a drowsy voice, "Why are you so good to me? Surely this isn’t part of our agreement, is it?"