Wukong watched as Xu Linglong gently traced the black blade with her fingers, acutely aware of her gaze fixed upon him.
Yet he understood—this was nothing but a blatant threat.
If killing the Pig Mask wasn’t enough, then Donggua could die too.
Either answer and let the mission proceed, or all perish, and the mission fails.
Striking down their own without hesitation—all to force an answer that might simply require patience to uncover.
After piecing together the intelligence provided by Chu Xingchen, Wukong responded:
"The Supreme One suspects that the fall of the Eastern Victory Divine Continent may have involved betrayal from within. By his order, I am to protect the last two who hold critical information and assist them in uncovering the traitor."
Xu Linglong nodded in understanding, her tone light and breezy:
"It’s been some time, and with a Buddha’s disciple like you aiding them, surely you’ve gathered some leads?"
Wukong shook his head. "None whatsoever."
Xu Linglong’s eyes shifted to Donggua, kneeling nearby.
Sensing the weight of that gaze, Donggua stammered:
"Th-there really isn’t any."
"Oh?" Xu Linglong’s voice dripped with feigned curiosity. "I overheard some of your earlier exchange. Is it that you refuse to cooperate with this disciple of Buddha… or, as he claims, that you care little for our cause, merely dragging out your days?"
Her tone was mild, almost as if asking whether they’d eaten breakfast.
But to Donggua, it sounded like: This useless dog might as well be stewed.
"This subordinate didn’t recognize this monk. He showed no trace of demonic energy—how could I know he wasn’t a spy trying to infiltrate us? How could I trust him blindly?"
Donggua dared not hide anything, laying bare her thoughts while subtly shifting blame for incompetence elsewhere.
Xu Linglong nodded approvingly, then turned back to Wukong, her voice sweetly innocent:
"She makes a fair point. Even I can’t discern your true nature."
"You’re called Donggua, right? Tell me—how can we establish simple trust?"
Though her words sounded foolish, Donggua knew this was a veiled command. She had to answer, with no room for evasion:
"At the very least, we must confirm he is one of us!"
Xu Linglong smiled in satisfaction, then fell silent, watching Wukong expectantly.
After a moment’s assessment—confirming he stood little chance against Xu Linglong—Wukong spoke calmly:
"I cannot demonstrate."
"Oh?" Xu Linglong lifted the black blade, her tone deceptively gentle. "Is it that you cannot… or that you will not?"
"The Supreme One has placed a seal upon me. I cannot, and must not, reveal myself," Wukong replied evenly.
"The Buddha’s teachings are vast as the clouds. If we could be so easily seen through, how could we remain secure? My stance remains: if you doubt me, you may inquire directly."
Xu Linglong ignored him, instead asking Donggua:
"Given his answer, should we believe him or not?"
"Not!"
Donggua’s reply came swift—whether out of spite or genuine suspicion.
Xu Linglong nodded again, raising the blade slightly, as if her next strike would claim the monk’s head.
Wukong remained unshaken.
If Xu Linglong truly meant to kill him, words were pointless—he’d defend himself.
If she couldn’t see through him, she wouldn’t act rashly. Stalemate suited him fine.
Besides, the indirect exchange had yielded useful clues.
Only the matter of reporting back to Chu Xingchen posed a problem.
Clutching the golden gourd, Wukong met Xu Linglong’s gaze without flinching, letting the silence stretch cold and heavy.
Finally, Xu Linglong broke it, her voice now icy:
"How typical of a branded demon—forgetting even the most basic rules. Before this seat, why do you not kneel?"
She removed her hat, revealing her true visage—stern, her eyes brimming with menace.
The earlier debate over authenticity was now discarded. This was pure discipline.
Wukong’s voice stayed calm. "Cloaked in Buddha’s form, I cannot kneel. Stripped of it, I would pay proper homage."
Xu Linglong’s expression softened instantly, a smile playing on her lips.
"In that case, let it be."
"By the way, how fares your side? Any news to share?"
Wukong seamlessly spun a lie:
"All is dire. With the emergence of the Bright Buddha, the pressure on our sect is immense. The Supreme One’s plans are hindered at every turn. Now, only he holds full knowledge of affairs."
He knew no details, but painting things bleakly excused many irregularities.
No reinforcements? Desperate measures? All could be blamed on the crisis.
Xu Linglong nodded sympathetically, as if accepting his words.
Both harbored questions, each probing for answers.
Xu Linglong sought to learn the Buddha faction’s stance—were they turning traitor?
Wukong aimed to uncover the traitor within the Buddha’s ranks.
Their dialogue was a dance of implications.
In the end, neither gained what they sought.
Donggua remained kneeling, absorbing every word.
She heard clearly—yet understood nothing.
This only tightened her dread. Comprehension might have offered a sliver of hope.
But ignorance meant uselessness.
Her breathing grew slightly ragged.
Xu Linglong seemed to tire of the exchange, steering toward business:
"Since you’ve come to aid, working together to investigate would be wise. Clarity benefits us all."
Wukong nodded vigorously in agreement.
Seeing her last chance slip away, Donggua blurted out—not in human speech, but in the guttural, twisted tongue of demons:
"Master, he may not even speak our tongue. He might not be one of us."
Xu Linglong’s gaze flicked over, her expression unchanging. She continued smoothly:
"Enough. I vouch for him. You will serve as his subordinate henceforth. Expedite the investigation into the Eastern Victory Divine Continent. No further delays."
Donggua’s throat constricted. Her mind raced—but she could only submit:
"...Yes."
Without another word, Xu Linglong turned and left.
Only the two remained—one kneeling, one standing—and the lifeless Pig Mask sprawled nearby.
Donggua exhaled heavily as her essence stabilized, slumping to the ground. Her eyes lifted to Wukong.
Wukong met her gaze, a faint smile forming as his voice twisted into the same grotesque cadence of demon-speak:
"I do speak your tongue."
Donggua was taken aback upon hearing the unmistakably fluent demonic tongue, then noticed the faint smile on Wukong's face.
Wukong’s gaze shifted to the lifeless boar-masked figure before he resumed speaking in common speech:
"Burn him thoroughly first. Leave no traces."
With that, he turned and walked away.
This demon really underestimates people.
Since he’s infiltrating their ranks, learning their language was a given. For Wukong, obtaining materials on the demonic tongue was hardly a challenge.
Now then…
Once he’s exposed, there’s bound to be traces left behind.
Perhaps he could even trace it back to someone—or at least narrow down the suspects.
He had already prepared a method to relay the intelligence he uncovered directly to the Bright Buddha.
As for offering his own body to the demons…
What did it matter?
. As long as he maintains the villain image and follows the plot to the grand finale, he can obtain generous rewards and return to the real world. So Gu Chen'an entered the role and began to act as a scumbag villain, but who would have expected that the female leads could hear his inner thoughts. Miss Su from the Su family was shocked: "I originally thought Gu Chen'an was a scumbag, but I didn't expect he turned out to be a gentleman! What? You said I have to call off the engagement? I definitely won't, I'll piss you off!" Bai Yuan Tian was dumbfounded: "Young Master Gu is usually unreasonable and a complete brat, but he actually calls me little sweetie in his heart? What, Young Master Gu even said he likes me?" As the female leads' images collapsed more and more, the plot also collapsed with it. Gu Chen'an looked at all this chaos. "Ladies, don't aggro me, if you keep this up the male lead really will stab me, I still need to survive to the grand finale!"
【Prologue: The Beginning of It All – Use holy water to heal the saintess tainted by demonic energy, then converse with her.】 Shen Nian stared at his older sister sipping yogurt, lost in thought. So you’re telling me my sister is the saintess, and yogurt is the holy water? 【Main Quest 1: Brave Youth, Become an Adventurer! Reward: Rookie Adventurer Title.】 【Side Quest 1: Find the Adorable Kitty! Reward: 1000 Gold Coins.】 Shen Nian: "Wait, I’m a high school senior here—did some guy who got isekai’d accidentally bind his system to me?" Hold on, completing quests gives gold rewards? Titles even boost stats? Is this for real? (A lighthearted, absurd campus comedy—not a revenge power fantasy.)
close your eyes and open them again, only to find yourself transmigrated into the role of a villainous male supporting character. Readers familiar with urban wish-fulfillment novels know that it is only through the relentless antics of the villainous male supporting character that the plot between the male and female leads can progress. As the villainous male supporting character, Long Aotian not only has to bully the female lead, harass the second female lead, and flirt with the third female lead, but he also has to go all out to antagonize the male lead. In the end, when his body is discovered, he is still clutching half a moldy fried dough stick in his hand. Fully aware of the plot, Long Aotian is determined to change his fate, starting with the female lead! In the beginning, the female lead lacks confidence: "Big brother, I hope I didn't scare you?" In the middle, the female lead treads carefully: "Brother Long, please don't hit me, okay?" Later on, the female lead becomes coquettishly clingy: "Aotian, it's time to pay the 'public grain' tonight." Long Aotian's legs go weak, and he feels like crying: "I taught you to be thick-skinned, not shameless!"
u Chenyuan transmigrated into a female-oriented novel about a real and fake heiress, becoming the CEO elder brother of both. Unfortunately, the entire Lu family—including himself, the CEO—were mere cannon fodder in the story. Determined to save himself, Lu Chenyuan took action. The spoiled, attention-seeking fake heiress? Thrown into the harsh realities of the working class to learn humility. The love-struck real heiress? Pushed toward academic excellence, so lofty goals would blind her to trivial romances. As for the betrayed, vengeful arranged marriage wife… the plot hadn’t even begun yet. There was still time—if he couldn’t handle her, he could at least avoid her. "CEO Lu, are you avoiding me?" Mo Qingli fixed her gaze on Lu Chenyuan. For the first time, the shrewd and calculating Lu Chenyuan felt a flicker of unease.
