Chapter 161: The Old Monkey Appears

The knife in my hand felt as heavy as a thousand jin, and just as it was about to touch Xiao Changsheng's leaf, my hand went limp and drooped.

In the end, I simply couldn't bring myself to strike……

"Xiao Changsheng, why, why didn't you tell uncle earlier that you are Huangjing! Now that things have come to this, how could uncle possibly bring himself to strike? If I really hurt you, how could uncle's conscience ever find peace|"

I slumped my head in dejection, trying to stem the tears flowing down, but I found my tears seemed to flow endlessly, no matter how I covered them, they ultimately burst forth like a broken tide, overflowing from between my fingers,

As it turns out, in this world there really is something called fate. Although we had only spent half a day together, our feelings felt as long as if we had known each other for half a century. Although we were basically strangers, we now felt a bond as close as father and son.

"That brat, daring to covet grandfather's treasure… give me your life!"

As I was shedding tears, my mind torn in inner conflict, a long whistle suddenly came from beside me, startling the leaves to scatter.

Although the voice was aged, it was full of vigor, and in my moment of stupor, a black shadow swiftly came running from the tree.

This voice… how familiar! In that instant, I finally recalled where I had heard such a sound before.

That's right, on Zhou Bin's body, the so-called Great Sage Monkey's tone of voice is exactly like that..

Just as I figured it out, the owner of the voice, after a few climbs, had clearly stopped on a parasol tree not far in front of me.

The owner of the voice is indeed a monkey, no mistake, and moreover an aberrant species of monkey, its whole body covered in red fur, its arms as long as those of an arm-extending ape, actually able to speak human words, perched on the tree and glaring at me with anger.

"How is it you, you brat!" After the monkey stopped on the tree and looked at me, it involuntarily froze.

This only confirmed my suspicion that it was the Great Sage Monkey Zhou Bin had summoned that day; he had previously blown up his own home, his origin being this Xiao Tan Shan. I never expected to run into him at this critical juncture.

"You little brat, old scores unsettled, Grandpa hasn't yet settled accounts with you, and now you dare come personally to Xiao Tan Shan, even dreaming of stealing Grandpa's treasure—you little brat, you're truly bold." The red monkey, up in the tree, angrily twisted its brows and scratched its ears.

This is the monkey's nature—its behavior and actions are all like that; if one were to look for a hyperactive individual in the animal kingdom, the monkey would rank second, with no one claiming first.

But the monkey before us is far from an ordinary zoo monkey; it has cultivated a Spiritual Aperture, no different from a wild immortal. The depth of its mana cannot be guessed from appearance alone. Moreover, judging by its aim, it is clearly headed straight for Xiao Changsheng.

Under normal circumstances, if my mana were still present, I could match him in strength. But now my mana has vanished, and relying solely on a seal, I simply cannot stand against him on equal footing.

Thinking of this, I took a deep breath, and in my desperation a plan came to mind unbidden.

"Ha ha, you old monkey fiend, I've finally found you!" I suddenly burst out laughing, and in the moment he was stunned, my tone turned cold as I pointed at him and shouted: "Do you still remember the disciple you possessed? I tell you, after you left, he became a madman. You old monkey fiend, heaven acknowledges your hard cultivation and gave you a chance at life, yet you fail to cherish it, instead doing evil. Young master I tell you, today I come with my brothers, my master, and my brother's master to seek you out on the mountain."

To bolster my courage and make this old monkey think twice, I flipped my hand and produced the seal, forming a Seal Finger as if it were the real thing. Pointing at him, I again coldly shouted: "I tell you, I have already notified my brothers and two masters. They will be here shortly, you old monkey fiend—either surrender meekly, or we will blast your soul to scattered fragments… I know my brother's methods, and I assure you, my two masters' abilities far surpass my brother's… they will certainly not toy with you to death!"

As I finished speaking, I looked at him and gave a heheh cold smile, revealing a cruel grin.

Actually, the palm of my hand behind my back had already clenched out a full sweat. This move of mine was actually meant to scare him off by feigning strength.

By now, how could I not know this monkey's origin? Wherever a spiritual object is born, there must be a strange beast guarding it. If anyone dares to covet that spiritual object, the guarding beast will immediately and mercilessly dispose of the intruder. However, these beasts are absolutely not bodyguards of the spiritual object.

Their purpose is simply to wait until the spiritual object matures, then pluck and consume it to boost their own cultivation. While the spiritual object is immature, they are its most loyal partners, driving away any intruders that harm it. But once the spiritual object matures, they instantly turn hostile, refusing to acknowledge people, shifting from most loyal partners to most ruthless butchers.

Why did Xiao Changsheng discard his true form and flee? I didn't understand before, but upon seeing this old monkey, I somewhat grasped it. The companion strange beast possesses an extraordinarily keen sense of smell for the spiritual object; no matter where it flees, the beast can locate its hiding place. The only way is for the spiritual body to detach, abandoning the true form to escape.

However, even if the true form is abandoned and the spirit escapes, the spirit cannot run far due to innate limitations that prevent it from straying too far from its true form. After all, the so-called spirit also survives by absorbing the essence of sun and moon through the true form.

I think Xiao Changsheng likely intended to use a feint-to-the-east, strike-to-the-west ploy to lure the monkey away. Once the monkey is searching all over the mountain, he would seize the chance to return to his true form and undergo transformation on the night of the full moon.

However, meeting me turned this into an unforeseen variable for Xiao Changsheng.

At this moment, I seem to have returned to the scene of my first encounter with the Mountain Goblin last night; there is only one thought in my mind: no matter what, I must protect Xiao Changsheng, and absolutely cannot let him fall into the hands of this old monkey ape,

After I specifically threatened this old monkey, it also hesitated, especially when it heard my last words, seemingly recalling the terror of the Thirteen Needles of Ghost Gate, causing the red fur on its body to involuntarily tremble twice.

After struggling for a long while, this wild monkey first gritted its teeth, then a flash of extreme struggle appeared in its eyes. Although I was very nervous, I must admit, the monkey's expression is incredibly rich—far richer than a human's—it could definitely work as a temporary actor.

If a book on the monkey's self-cultivation were published, I estimate it would surely stir up a bloody storm in the publishing world; major bookstores would undoubtedly experience another heaven-shaking upheaval.

Seeing its clenched fist slowly loosen, I involuntarily let out a quiet sigh of relief, thinking it was finally going to give up.

Who would have thought, this old monkey actually sighed, very human, very heartbroken, saying: "Enough, enough, I originally wanted to wait until it matured before plucking it, but now it seems this old monkey grandfather won't get to wait for that moment. Enough, enough, since that's the case…"

The old monkey's words not only failed to relax my vigilance, but actually made my heart tighten sharply. From his tone, it seems he doesn't intend to wait for Xiao Changsheng to become a spirit; instead, he prepares to seize Xiao Changsheng now and eat him. He would rather lose a mature spiritual herb than let anyone else have it cheaply.

Next, the old monkey proved my words with action. It grabbed a vine, exerted force with its legs, leapt into the air, and let out a shout of 'Hai!' from its mouth. Its red eyes widened wide, and it flew fiercely toward Xiao Changsheng behind me.

I must not let it touch Xiao Changsheng! I gritted my teeth, leapt forward, and threw the Huaguang Seal in my hand at it. I only hoped that, relying on the seal's power, I could knock this old monkey down.

However, what I never expected was that this old monkey's agility was astonishing. While lunging into midair, it actually managed to grab a vine, forcibly change its direction, and wobble backward in retreat.

After dodging the glowing seal, its two furry thighs slammed against the large tree behind it, instantly unleashing power, and it lunged again toward Xiao Changsheng.

"It's over..." The old monkey's speed was extreme; in less than the blink of an eye, it had already flown airborne above my head, its ferocious claws reaching toward Xiao Changsheng. As I lifted my head, I could clearly see its ferocious expression.

My heart felt as if it had fallen into an ice cellar, utterly cold..