High above, Master Sage Subhuti gripped his Divine Wand, his expression unreadable as he sped silently toward Mount Hua, quietly accelerating.
No raging currents of air, no clouds parting to make way.
Unlike the Monkey, his aura was gentle, like a clear spring.
......
In the small town below, Ian Liu had just returned from the village school.
Pushing open the door, he sat on the couch, gazing forlornly at the neatly folded child’s quilt in the corner.
He let out a long, heavy sigh.
......
In the Netherworld, inside a small attic, a Ghost Messenger bowed slightly to the Earth‑Store King: “Reporting, Your Holiness, Master Sage Subhuti has left Crescent Star Cave and appears to be heading toward Mount Hua.”
“Oh?” The Earth‑Store King put down his bamboo scroll and smiled faintly.
“Will you go?” Saint Raymond, titled Right-Dharma Radiance, asked softly from the side.
The Earth‑Store King slowly shook his head. “I’ll change the method.”
“Change the method?” Saint Raymond looked puzzled.
......
Inside the great hall, the Monkey King stared wide-eyed at Birdie and Eugene.
“Do you think it could be true?”
His gaze was a mix of hope and anxiety, enough to make Eugene furrow his brow.
In that moment, he seemed less the legendary Great Sage Equal to Heaven, King of All Demons, and more a troubled child.
In this world, some people seem powerful, seem to see through everything, detached from it all—but really, they’ve simply never been struck at their softest spot.
Birdie, too, seemed to realize something. She silently lowered her head and took a sip of tea.
“Well? Don’t just sit there in silence. Do you think… maybe his father lied to him?” The Monkey King craned his neck, hoping for any kind of advice.
The two exchanged a furtive glance. Eugene forced a smile: “Uncle Master Wukong, you’re asking us, but how could we possibly know? If you still have doubts, why not check for yourself? Flip through the Book of Life and Death in the Netherworld—wouldn’t that make everything clear?”
With that, Eugene spread his hands helplessly.
The Monkey King froze, suddenly noticing the odd expressions on their faces. Only then did he realize his own lapse and hurriedly composed himself.
He bowed his head, took a deep breath, and waved his hand: “I’ve already been to the Netherworld. I came here because I couldn’t find anything there. If it weren’t for that, I wouldn’t want to see that so-called junior sister at all.”
Birdie covered her lips with a faint smile. “Junior Sister Clara… hasn’t really done anything wrong, has she? I wonder why, as her senior, the Great Sage is so distant.”
“Because I dislike her.” The Monkey King shot Birdie a glance. “I just can’t stand her—always meddling without knowing anything, weak yet oblivious to the dangers of the world.”
“Maybe… the Great Sage has misunderstood her?”
“Misunderstood what?”
“For example… maybe she actually knows everything. Maybe she knows even more than the Great Sage.”
At that, the Monkey King hesitated, his expression tightening just a little.
This Birdie was originally a replacement for another Birdie. The Monkey King knew this well. He also knew she now served in Tusita Palace.
Could it be that after so long in Tusita Palace, she’s learned the art of speaking in riddles?
But what hidden meaning could there possibly be?
His eyes spun round and round, but the Monkey King couldn’t figure it out. He muttered, “Does she really look like she knows everything? Even if she does, what’s it to me? Am I supposed to go out of my way to understand her? I don’t have time for that. Dislike is dislike—let’s just say we’re enemies from a past life, fated to clash in this one.”
Enemies from a past life…
Birdie lowered her head, sipping her tea in silence.
Turning his head, the Monkey King asked Eugene, “I remember, when I first joined the sect, I had to record my history. Is that still the case?”
“Of course. Crescent Star Cave doesn’t accept anyone with unclear origins. That rule hasn’t changed for a thousand years.”
“Let me see Aiden Chen’s registration scroll. It should have his original address on it.”