The little one arrived and immediately addressed him as "Divine Monkey Great General," which greatly displeased him. However, the Divine Monkey Great General really didn’t want to make an enemy of Wu Tian. First, Wu Tian’s background was still unclear. Second, the Great Heavenly King of Dogs would surely act on Wu Tian’s behalf.
Thinking of this, the Divine Monkey Great General chuckled as he looked at the little one. "What are you talking about, young friend?"
"What am I saying? You can’t understand?" The little one giggled. "If you don’t want anyone to know, you shouldn’t have done it in the first place."
The little one had watched countless TV series, everything from stories of palace intrigue to Hong Kong action flicks, and she had all their various schemes memorized. Coupled with her extraordinary intuition, she knew this Divine Monkey Great General was no good.
Now, she watched the Divine Monkey Great General with a bemused gaze, her eyes twinkling, which caused the Great General to frown deeply.
"General, what’s wrong?" Old White Ape noticed the Divine Monkey Great General’s strange expression and approached to ask.
"For some reason, just for a moment, I felt that this child..." The Divine Monkey Great General’s voice was heavy and low. "...might become an Empress."
Old White Ape was stunned. A thought struck him, and he immediately interjected, "General, you must not speak so rashly."
The Divine Monkey Great General came back to his senses and nodded. Discussing an Immortal Emperor could invite divine punishment. An Immortal Emperor was chosen by the Heavenly Mandate to be the spokesperson for the Heavenly Dao, representing its very face. Who would dare to speculate about such a being?
"Young friend, I am serious about my two daughters, so you don’t need to worry," the Divine Monkey Great General said to the little one, making his voice as amiable as possible.
Then, he looked at Lan Niang and Hong Ji. "We should be heading back."
"But... but we haven’t said goodbye to the Sect Leader yet," Lan Niang said, hesitating as she looked down at the sword in her hand.
Hong Ji nodded in agreement. Wu Tian had bestowed the Purple and Green Swords upon them; how could they possibly leave without a single word?
The Divine Monkey Great General considered letting them say farewell but decided against it, not wanting to risk any complications.
"No, let’s go back first. I’ll invite him to our home as a guest in the future," the Divine Monkey Great General said. He didn’t want to clash with Wu Tian; if possible, he would actually prefer to cooperate with him.
"Is that really appropriate?" Hong Ji asked, her brow furrowed. "After all, he’s been so kind to my sister and me. He even gave us the Purple and Green Swords."
Purple and Green Swords?
Only now did the Divine Monkey Great General take the time to examine the swords in his daughters’ hands. At the sight of them, his pupils dilated. He also possessed a Supreme Treasure: a ten-meter-long weapon called the Giant’s Sword. Across the entire Domain of Myriad Demons, only he, the Divine Monkey Great General, could lift it. But as he looked at the Purple and Green Swords, he had only one thought: his own sword was nothing compared to these.
I must find a way to get these two swords. My daughters are to enter the palace as concubines, so it isn’t proper for them to carry weapons. I’ll just have to keep them for safekeeping.
At this thought, the Divine Monkey Great General felt a wave of contentment. His two daughters were indeed proving their great value.
He immediately said, "But your father—"
Suddenly, the Divine Monkey Great General’s complexion turned deathly pale. Having served him for many years, Old White Ape instantly knew what was happening. "This is bad!" he exclaimed in a panic. "The General is having an attack! The medicine is back at our home—it’s specially made and can’t be bought anywhere. We must hurry back now!"
Seeing this, Lan Niang and Hong Ji could only nod in agreement.
The little one watched the scene unfold quietly. How amusing! This is just too amusing!
"I want to visit, too!" she called out.
Lan Niang nodded.
The Divine Monkey Great General didn’t object either. If I can use this child to befriend Wu Tian, all the better.
Old White Ape drove the horse-drawn carriage. Inside sat four people: the Divine Monkey Great General, Lan Niang, Hong Ji, and the little one.
"By the way, Lan Niang, Hong Ji, is there anyone you fancy?" the Divine Monkey Great General suddenly asked.
Lan Niang and Hong Ji froze, their minds involuntarily flashing to Wu Tian. They admired him greatly; after spending time with a man like him, they found they had little interest in anyone else.
"No," they replied hastily after a brief pause.
"Is that so?" The Divine Monkey Great General nodded. As long as my daughters don’t fancy anyone, this will be easy to resolve. He spoke in a detached tone, "I am about to introduce you to a Qilin of a man. He is nearly eighteen, yet he already rules a country. He is handsome, and he is none other than the Monkey King, the Emperor of the Golden Monkey Country. My daughters, if you could be with him, your futures would be secure."
"No!" Lan Niang and Hong Ji blurted out in unison, refusing without a moment’s hesitation.
"Is there something wrong with what I’ve said?" the Divine Monkey Great General asked, looking at his daughters seriously. "Marriages are for parents to decide and matchmakers to arrange. I haven’t taken good care of you, so I must find you good husbands. Only then can I be at ease."
Hong Ji was clearly displeased.
Lan Niang said, "Sister and I are only nineteen, Father. You’re being too hasty."
"Hasty? Not at all! Look at the girls out there, some are having babies at sixteen," the Divine Monkey Great General said with great earnestness.
He hadn’t expected such resistance. In that case, sending both of them to the palace at once would be even more difficult. It would be better to marry them off separately.
"Ah, that’s right," he continued. "The son of the Prime Minister of the Golden Monkey Country is also quite a prospect. He’s a true scholar, very gentle, and once wrote a poem: ’When the peaches ripen, I need not speak; which monkey would dare to eat first?’ As for his looks, he’s top-notch among monkeys. Sometime, one of you should meet him."
The Divine Monkey Great General nodded to himself. He thought of the Chief Minister, his arch-rival. If he could turn that enemy into a friend with one of his daughters, it would be extremely beneficial.
Then another idea struck him. "Oh, and I have a Deputy General! His son, although twenty-six, is uncommonly brave. At such a young age, he already has a record of illustrious military achievements. Some even suspected he was part gorilla due to his incredible strength. He’s a good prospect as well."
The Divine Monkey Great General mostly left the army under the Deputy General’s command, and he sometimes feared his subordinate might rebel. Marrying off a daughter to secure a man’s true loyalty was a worthy price to pay, in his opinion.
Lan Niang and Hong Ji just kept shaking their heads.
The little one, though young, had already guessed exactly what the Divine Monkey Great General was plotting from his words.
Meanwhile, Dao Feng had gone to find Wu Tian, who was in the Imperial Garden pondering how to use the Heavenly Eye. Yang Jian could use the Heavenly Eye for two reasons. The first was his natural talent, and the second was the teachings of True Man Yu Ding. This True Man Yu Ding was the very master who had taught Erlang Shen, Yang Jian, his craft. As for pure power? He didn’t know the first thing about it. But it couldn’t be denied that he had a real knack for teaching his disciples.
"Sect Leader, something has happened," Dao Feng, the crazy monk, said as he hurried over.
Wu Tian chuckled. What major issue could there possibly be? "Go on," he said in a relaxed tone. "What happened?"
Dao Feng thought for a moment. He wasn’t clear on the details of what had transpired between the Divine Monkey Great General and his daughters, so he could only speculate. "Your daughter... she might have been kidnapped."