“Damn it, so what do you suggest?” Ground Monkey stuffed his hands into his pockets, a cigarette dangling from his lips. “Should we go up and help?”
Ground Chicken paused for a moment before replying, “Old Fat Monkey, what’s your mission?”
“Can you stop calling me Old Fat Monkey? Don’t you know who I am?” Ground Monkey shot back.
“Hah… Weren’t you just pretending not to know me earlier?”
“There were too many outsiders. What else could I do?”
“Just spit it out. What did Qi Xia assign you?”
“My mission was to break a door at the ‘head of the train,'” Ground Monkey said, shaking his head. “What about you, Quail? Aside from ‘counter-killing,’ what else were you tasked with?”
“My mission’s already done,” Ground Chicken replied. “My only job was to relay the ‘rebellion plan’ for the ‘Zodiac’ next to me and rally them together.”
“So now you’re just here to see me off?” Ground Monkey asked.
“No,” Ground Chicken shook her head. “Idle hands and all that. I wanted to do something for Qi Xia.”
“This thing could cost us our lives,” Ground Monkey muttered.
“Cost us our lives?” Ground Chicken chuckled, covering her mouth. “Old Fat Monkey, we already lost our lives at that ‘gathering of the old and dead.’ I don’t fear death anymore—just the joy of reuniting with an old friend like you. Your ‘Spirit Vision’ is still intact, right?”
“Duh,” Ground Monkey scoffed. “What about the others? Are they alive?”
“Hard to say,” Ground Chicken shook her head. “I didn’t fully recognize them. Ground Ox is my sworn sister—I’m a hundred percent sure of her. Ground Pig and Ground Rabbit are mostly confirmed, but their fates are uncertain. And… Sister Zhuang is definitely dead. As for Ding Ding, who became Ground Dragon, he’s probably…”
“What a bloodbath,” Ground Monkey said bitterly. “Everyone thought the war started today, but we’ve been losing people long before that.”
“Yeah, I was worried I might’ve been acting too calm today,” Ground Chicken mused. “Did chatting gossip with the other ‘Zodiacs’ seem weird?”
“Nah,” Ground Monkey replied as they walked. “Earlier, I was pretending to be a ‘participant’ and strolling through the crowd.”
“Good.”
As they spoke, they arrived near Ground Rat, who was groveling before two ‘Celestials.’
“One of ours?” Ground Monkey whispered.
“Yeah, but I didn’t expect him to be standing here alone,” Ground Chicken whispered back. “What now?”
“Play it by ear,” Ground Monkey said. “Keep your ‘Echo’ suppressed. Don’t give us away.”
As they advanced, Ground Rat’s voice reached their ears:
“…Yes, I did receive the message. The moment I heard the ‘summons,’ I rushed over. It was quite the bloodbath along the way… So, what are your orders, honored leaders?”
“‘Honored leaders’?” Celestial Rat sneered. “Who exactly is your superior?”
“Ah, you see…” Ground Rat chuckled nervously. “Both of you are ‘Celestials.’ Someone as lowly as me wouldn’t dare offend either. After all, I don’t know which of you is stronger. I can only follow orders—anything else is beyond me.”
“You damn rat… ‘Don’t know who’s stronger’? Isn’t it obvious?” Celestial Rat snapped. “Who’s the one making you live in fear every day? Have you forgotten?”
“Hah,” the elderly Celestial Horse let out a dry laugh. “What an amusing youngster. Celestial Rat, you had to scheme just to make ‘Ground Levels’ obey you. Meanwhile, I only need to stand here.”
“Are you blind?” Celestial Rat snarled. “If I weren’t here, do you think he’d show you any respect?”
“I suggest you watch your tone!”
As the two bickered, they noticed a Ground Monkey and Ground Chicken approaching.
The pair walked past them on either side, as if the ‘Celestials’ were invisible.
Ground Rat, still bowing, frowned upon spotting Ground Chicken and quickly assessed the tactical situation.
Three against two?
No—he was being too optimistic. Their path clearly wasn’t heading toward Celestial Horse or Celestial Rat. They were searching for their ‘counterparts.’
“Stop!” Ground Rat barked coldly. “Any further and you’ll reach the ‘head of the train.’ What’s your business?”
Ground Chicken frowned and glanced at Ground Monkey.
Knowing they had to gamble again, Ground Monkey recalled Ground Rat’s earlier words and echoed them:
“Greetings, honored ‘Celestials.’ We’ve also received the ‘summons’ and are heading to Celestial Chicken and Celestial Monkey’s quarters for orders.”
Celestial Rat eyed them skeptically, baring his few remaining teeth. He believed Ground Chicken might truly belong to Celestial Chicken, but this monkey…
“That little girl Celestial Monkey… has a ‘Ground Level’ like you under her?”
“Yes. Didn’t she mention me?” Ground Monkey countered.
Celestial Rat studied him—his tone was firm, without a hint of deception. Besides, the only ones heading to the ‘head of the train’ were either summoned or rebels.
But would rebels boldly march through the ‘train’ with just two people?
To be safe, he sniffed the air but detected no trace of ‘immortal energy’ on them.
“Fine. Move along.”
He waved them off like shooing flies.
Relieved, the two exhaled and continued forward. Engaging these ‘Celestials’ now would ruin their entire plan.
Just as they were about to pass, Ground Rat’s sharp instincts caught a fleeting hint of ‘relief’ from Ground Monkey.
“Halt!” Ground Rat barked. But when he stepped closer, the scent vanished.
“Is there something else?” Ground Monkey asked flatly.
Having weathered countless storms with Qi Xia—victories, defeats, even death—their minds were unshaken. This emptiness left Celestial Rat baffled.
After a moment, Celestial Rat muttered, “Better safe than sorry. I can’t afford to cross Qinglong.”
“Oh?” Celestial Horse arched a brow, wrinkles creasing her forehead. “Are these two trouble?”
“Possibly,” Celestial Rat nodded. “If we’re wrong, blame my nose. Even injured, between us and this damn rat, two ‘Ground Levels’ won’t stand a chance.”
“Very well…” Celestial Horse cracked her knuckles. “Getting old—could use some exercise.”
Ground Monkey tensed, ready to fight, when footsteps echoed behind them.
A limping female Ground Horse approached. “Celestial Horse! Finally found you… I just saw Celestial Tiger—he’s surrounded by ‘rebels’!”
“What?!” Celestial Horse paled, scanning Ground Horse’s injuries. “How many?!”
“Too many…” Ground Horse leaned against the wall. “They already wounded me. You need to come now.”
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