Somersault Cloud

"!!!"

Sun Wu Kong's pupils suddenly contracted to pinpoints!

The golden fur all over his body nearly stood on end, strand by strand!

Every word of his master's sentence was like thunder exploding in his mind!

"Me? A pawn?!"

He repeated it aloud, his voice turning shrill from overwhelming shock.

The vague unease that had been twisting his heart was instantly given a clear, icy, and incomparably cruel form by his master's casual words!

What followed was humiliation and fury surging from the depths of his heart like an erupting volcano!

"Master... please enlighten your disciple!"

He took a deep breath, as though forcing down both the raging flames and icy chill in his chest, turning them into the most resolute question.

"Your disciple wishes to know—"

"Who... is controlling this chessboard?!"

"Where exactly has this 'pawn' been placed, and where is it being pushed toward?!"

"And..."

A resolute light burst from his eyes, the stubborn refusal to let Destiny write his fate as it pleased.

"How... can your disciple stop being a pawn?!"

Seeing his disciple as though someone had stepped on his tail, his golden fur bristling and shame-filled fury blazing in his eyes, Wu E did not reprimand him. Instead, the amusement in his eyes deepened.

He extended a hand, its palm carrying the gentle, peaceful aura of a starry lake, and lightly rested it atop Sun Wu Kong's furry head, whose fur was now stiff as steel needles.

That palm seemed to possess a strange magic, soothing the mind as it slowly stroked over him, smoothing down the raised fur strand by strand.

The gesture was casual and natural, like an elder comforting a child throwing a tantrum.

"It would be useless even if you knew who the player was. With that tiny body of yours,