“What audacity! What audacity!”
The Jade Emperor's expression was dark, while the Lady Queen Mother looked on in surprise. “Your Majesty, why do you arrive at my Jade Pool in such a rage? Has someone angered you?”
“It’s those three!” The Jade Emperor snorted, speaking with disdain. “When the Three Clear Ones established the Four Sovereigns back then, they had no good intentions. Now, the Celestial Emperor Ziwei, the Southern Pole, and the Lord of the Gourd increasingly disregard me!”
“Do not be upset, Your Majesty.” The Lady Queen Mother gently offered the Jade Emperor a cup of tea. “Have a sip and tell me what’s on your mind.”
The Jade Emperor took a sip from the tea cup, and as he settled beside the Lady Queen Mother, his initial fury seemed to dissipate. “Qing Nu, you may not be aware, but for many years, those three have secretly trained troops and expanded their strength. I’ve turned a blind eye out of respect for the Three Clear Ones, but now they’ve grown bolder. Just Celestial Emperor Ziwei alone commands no less than eight hundred thousand troops!”
“What? Eight hundred thousand?!” The Lady Queen Mother was taken aback.
The Jade Emperor and the Lady Queen Mother were both born from the primordial yin-yang stone, and they had been nurtured by the Ancestor Hongjun to serve as attendants in the Purple Cloud Palace. After the great battle between the Witch and the Demon tribes, with the fall of the Demon Emperor, the three realms were left leaderless. Thus, Hongjun appointed the Jade Emperor as the sovereign and the Lady Queen Mother as the queen.
They had always supported each other, and it was only before the Lady Queen Mother that the Jade Emperor would shed his facade. Therefore, she was acutely aware of the resources at his disposal.
For the ruler of the three realms to be unable to mobilize more than eighty thousand troops was one thing, but for Celestial Emperor Ziwei to command over eight hundred thousand was a matter of great concern.
His ambitions were clear!
“There’s no need for Your Majesty to worry. We have the Ancestor’s support behind us. Even if those three command troops, what can they do? Moreover, the ordinary heavenly soldiers are weak; they can only play a limited role in real battles. The ones who truly matter on the battlefield are those with extraordinary powers. By the way, didn’t you recently recruit a Demon-Slaying General? I’ve heard he possesses quite a bit of strength…”
Before the Lady Queen Mother could finish her sentence, the Jade Emperor coldly snorted. “Xu Fang does not genuinely align himself with me; he is not worth nurturing…”
There was a hint of regret in his voice, mixed with a resolute desire for self-assertion!
“Once I achieve my goals, everything will fall into place!”
“What do you intend to do?” The Lady Queen Mother sensed the deeper meaning in the Jade Emperor's words and immediately inquired.
A glint of cold light flickered in the Jade Emperor's eyes. “I will have the Lord of the Breaking Army handle everything. Does Xu Fang wish to protect Sun Wukong? I will ensure he cannot do so. I want him to see that I am ultimately the ruler of the three realms!”
……
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Time flowed gently by.
In the Peach Garden.
The majestic Sun Wukong lay carefree among the branches of the peach trees, his golden-hooped rod serving as a pillow.
Of course, this Sun Wukong was Xu Fang in disguise.
Having studied alongside Sun Wukong at Mount Fangcun, they knew each other well. Xu Fang’s impersonation of Sun Wukong was impeccable, leaving no trace of doubt for onlookers.
“Today marks the final day. Tomorrow is the Lady Queen Mother’s birthday, and the Peach Banquet will commence. I will finally be able to stop pretending to be a monkey…”
Xu Fang stretched lazily beneath the tree, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
You want Sun Wukong to steal the peaches? I’ll simply swap things out and play my hand! Let’s see how you’ll trouble me now!
The script you’ve written—how will it continue?
“Your Greatness, what are you doing here?”
At that moment, the Earth God, tasked with guarding the Peach Garden, rushed over, panting. “The Peach Banquet hosted by the Lady Queen Mother is about to begin. As per tradition, the Seven Fairies will likely come to gather peaches today. Your Greatness, let’s go wait for them…”
“Go wait by yourself; I have no time for that,” Xu Fang waved his hand, mimicking Sun Wukong’s tone.
The Earth God, lacking the authority to manage Sun Wukong, could only cast a sidelong glance at Xu Fang before grumbling and departing.
……
Within the Divine Strategy Camp.
‘Xu Fang’ rubbed his arms, looking at the bruised faces of the heavenly soldiers on the training field, a smile creeping onto his face.
This ‘Xu Fang’ was none other than Sun Wukong in disguise!
A month ago, he had followed Xu Fang’s instructions to transform into Xu Fang and assist in training the soldiers. Over the course of this month, he had exerted himself tirelessly, pushing the soldiers to their limits, much to their dismay.
Many soldiers believed that Xu Fang was in a foul mood and had deliberately made their training rigorous.
“At last, I have fulfilled my brother’s request and trained the soldiers of the Divine Strategy Camp thoroughly. Tomorrow I will attend the Peach Banquet; tonight, I will go find my brother to take credit.”
Truth be told, the current monkey was still somewhat naive, thinking he had done a favor for Xu Fang and was eager to claim his reward.
His way of requesting credit was simple—just to have Xu Fang treat him to drinks.
……
In the Jade Pool.
The Jade Emperor secretly summoned the Lord of the Breaking Army, giving him a quiet task.
The Lord of the Breaking Army nodded and immediately transformed into a beam of golden light, heading straight for the Divine Strategy Camp.
The Jade Emperor watched the direction in which he left, his expression complex.
“I told you, you cannot protect that monkey. I hope you do not do anything foolish…”
……
At the Divine Strategy Camp.
The Lord of the Breaking Army subtly observed the heavenly soldiers guarding the camp, waiting for the patrols to drift away. He pointed his finger, and the two guarding soldiers immediately froze in place.
Then, the Lord of the Breaking Army rushed forward, dragging the two soldiers away. He transformed into one of the soldiers and swaggered toward the camp tent.
As a celestial deity of the Heavenly Court, the Lord of the Breaking Army was formidable. Deceiving the ordinary heavenly soldiers was not difficult for him. Acting under the Jade Emperor’s instructions, he easily approached the camp.
At the entrance of the tent stood two more soldiers. The Lord of the Breaking Army strutted up and asked, “Is the Demon-Slaying General inside? I have urgent news to report!”
One of the guarding soldiers nodded, rubbing his bruised eye, and replied, “The General is indeed inside the tent. However, he seems to be in a foul mood lately, so be careful when you enter.”
As he spoke, the soldier winced at the pain and took a sharp breath.
The Lord of the Breaking Army nodded, passed by the two soldiers, and entered the tent.
Inside, he indeed found ‘Xu Fang’ sprawled out on the cot, fast asleep.
“General! General! Not good! Something terrible has happened!”
The Lord of the Breaking Army, ever the dramatist, conjured sweat using his magical powers and exclaimed in a panic.
Outside, the two guarding soldiers were baffled; hadn’t this fellow been calm just a moment ago? Why was he suddenly so frantic?
They, of course, did not voice their confusion, leaving everything for Xu Fang to decide.
The ‘Xu Fang’, snoring loudly, suddenly stirred at the sound of the Lord of the Breaking Army’s urgent cries. He sat up abruptly, rubbing his eyes and shouted, “What’s all the noise? Can’t you let me sleep? Don’t you know I have a banquet to attend tomorrow?”
