nyslfriends Chapter 18 The Monkey Misses His Brother
Chapter 18 The Monkey Misses His Brother
When Zhong Xuan woke up, it was already daylight, and the warm sunlight bathed him.
He felt refreshed all over, stretched, and felt his inner energy surge.
The fatigue and burning pain from last night have completely dissipated.
The campfire was still burning, and the porridge in the rough earthenware bowl on top emitted a faint fragrance.
The Rakshasa woman opposite seemed to have just slowly opened her eyes, looked at the ground, and got up to leave: "Eat quickly, get ready to leave—I'm going to the stream to wash up."
Zhong Xuan blinked, a slight smile playing on his lips. At the same time, a thought struck him as he sensed the surging magical power within his body, and he quietly raised his sword fingers.
The sword was pointed at the ground, and magical power surged forth.
In the blink of an eye, the soil on the ground was cleaved open by an invisible, invasive magical force, leaving a deep cut at the edge, as if scorched by wind and fire.
His eyes brightened slightly, and he felt a sense of relief.
Finally, I'm no longer afraid to travel alone in human form, lest I be easily killed by a little demon.
Then, as he was eating, his face suddenly stiffened. He raised his arm and found that his body and clothes were clean and not sticky.
For a moment, even with his Dao heart imbued with a century-long karmic connection from a previous life, he was somewhat...
Zhong Xuan silently lowered his head and continued eating.
When the Rakshasa woman returned from washing up, the two of them didn't speak, but quietly packed up their belongings and set off.
Halfway there.
The Rakshasa woman spoke first, breaking the silence: "You're so weak, yet you dare to save me? Why don't you just finish reciting the Taoist scriptures?"
Zhong Xuan's steps were steady, and his voice was clear: "As long as you are still preoccupied with the Daoist scriptures, it is not a day for you to finish listening to them."
The Rakshasa woman's gaze sharpened, and her breathing tightened slightly.
"If you wish, I will recite one more verse of scripture to you each night or early morning, depending on the circumstances."
Zhong Xuan paused for a moment, then said softly, "After I finish speaking, our fate will be over, and we should part ways."
The Rakshasa woman neither agreed nor denied, but remained silent.
"I would never sell myself to someone for a life of humiliation! So the Banana Cave in Cuiyun Mountain is the key to me completing the earth element to generate metal—you can tell me slowly, but I won't wait for you for too long. When the time is almost up, I must go back to cultivate."
After walking about ten steps, she suddenly spoke.
Zhong Xuan opened his mouth, but for a moment he was unable to respond.
He looked up at the sky, as if he could see beyond the blue sky and white clouds.
Gods and Buddhas filled the sky, their gazes sweeping down upon countless beings, weaving a strict and orderly system of rules.
The lush pines and cypresses stand tall, yet no exceptions are permitted; his path will only become more difficult.
……
……
South of Cuiyun Mountain, on the shore of the West Sea.
The mudflats are still bustling today, even though a monkey caused quite a ruckus.
Because a ring has been set up here, that mischievous little monkey demon has changed his tactics.
Everyone stood around, forming several circles to watch the spectacle.
"Let's have a friendly spar! The loser will donate incense!"
The monkey, leaning on an iron rod and clad in iron armor, was majestic and loudly proclaimed.
As for the onlookers, they were increasingly delighted, and it even twirled its stick.
On a stolen armchair nearby, lay a white-haired female Taoist priest.
It was the tiger demon, guarding the incense burner, waiting for people to come and offer incense.
Before long, another weasel came up to challenge them.
With a single blow, the monkey sent the barely transformed hundred-year-old demon flying. He held back his strength and used a clever technique to avoid seriously injuring her.
The weasel even tried to turn around and fart, but it was immediately surrounded and beaten by the crowd.
The monkey also wrinkled its face and quickly dispersed from the others.
When the crowd gathered again, where were the weasels?
It turned to the white-haired girl and asked, "Sister Tiger! How much incense have we collected today?"
The white-haired woman casually pulled out a wooden plaque, looking at the engravings: "Not many, only sixty-odd pillars. You'd better keep trying."
The monkey leaned on his iron rod, squatted down by the incense burner, looked at the old man's portrait, and said with distress, "But there are too few people. Everyone knows how powerful I am, so they don't dare to fight me."
However, at that moment, a figure in the crowd nearby heard it.
It blinked its eyes and quietly squeezed past.
"I have a way!"
"Alas?"
The monkey immediately looked over, its eyes lighting up.
But it turned out to be a monkey, of medium height, wearing a drab gray robe, with its hairy paws tucked into its sleeves, and it also had a hairy face and a thunder god's mouth.
The monkey jumped up, released the stick, and circled around, shouting, "You! You! You're a monkey too?"
The gray-robed monkey spirit grinned, his eyes gleaming with a cunning glint in them: "What! You're allowed to be a monkey spirit, but I'm not?"
The monkey clapped its hands happily, repeatedly saying "Yes, yes, yes," and then, showing off, did a somersault on the spot before curiously calling out, "I thought I was the only one! A monkey who can talk! Where did you come from? What's your name? Can you use a stick?"
The gray-robed monkey spirit quickly waved his hand: "I come from the west, my name is... Wind-Born!"
The monkey scratched its head, finding the name strange.
Suddenly, the white-haired woman spoke up, asking curiously, "Wait, Grey Monkey, what method are you talking about?"
The monkey was also taken aback for a moment, then blinked repeatedly and stared curiously.
The gray-robed monkey spirit's eyes darted around: "Excellent idea! Excellent idea! Have you ever heard of gambling with stakes?"
The tiger demon had naturally heard some of it, and hurriedly explained in detail.
Upon hearing this, the monkey was overjoyed and clapped his hands in delight.
But they wanted to turn this friendly competition into a fighting arena.
Then they would send someone up on stage, and if they won, they would take a prize.
If you lose, you have to leave behind a prize and burn incense before you can leave.
The monkey looked at the gray monkey and grew increasingly pleased. He put his arm around the white-haired girl's shoulder and exclaimed excitedly, "Sister Tiger! This Wind-Born is so clever! I was just worried! I've already returned all the gifts I owed him, and now I'm penniless!"
The tiger demon joked, "So, you're still willing to part with it?"
The monkey pouted and snorted, "What my brother says is right! If he says three things are forbidden, then they are forbidden—"
It paused for a moment, then released the wind.
Under the curious gaze of the gray-robed monkey spirit, it continued proudly, "Brother, you're right! After returning those things, I felt empty inside and out, which was strange. But after a while, I felt comfortable and no longer felt bored!"
The tiger demon said lazily, "That's good. As long as you're not sad, that's fine. But what prizes do you have? Did you only have a monkey head? Hmm, now you have two."
The gray-robed monkey spirit was not annoyed and took the initiative to ask to join the group.
He flipped his hand and produced a magical artifact, talismans, pills, and other items, saying arrogantly, "These things are all considered minor treasures. Brother Monkey, I see that you are not as old as me in terms of enlightenment, so I will lend you these. However, if you win any prizes, you must give me 30%."
The monkey was naturally delighted, but then frowned and looked around.
It immediately looked at the tiger demon, only to see the white-haired female Taoist also frowning, and asked in return, "That sounds good, but what if the little monkey loses?"
Feng Lisheng grinned: "I'm a monkey like it, we're naturally close! If I lost, I lost, consider it a gift. I've got nothing to do these days, so it's a good opportunity to get close to you and play around."
The monkey was overjoyed and nodded repeatedly.
There's nothing wrong with a tiger demon.
Soon after, news arrived, and more cultivators came over.
People gathered in three or five circles around the chair. Even those who were a hundred meters away could see several long sticks standing next to the armchair, each with a glittering object hanging from its top, which was quite tempting.
In the initial fight, three people took turns entering the fray.
A burly man, a thin Taoist priest, and a half-melted wolf-headed, human-bodied monster.
They were all knocked down with one to three blows, begging for mercy, each leaving behind a small prize.
A small bottle of pills, a handwritten booklet, and a piece of dark iron ore caught the monkey's eye, which hopped back and asked repeatedly in a low voice. When the wind told it about the origin of the item, even though it was dismissed as worthless, the monkey's face lit up with joy.
"Thank goodness! There's always some profit to be made!"
The monkey wasn't too annoyed; it just felt better as it accumulated more and more things on its body.
The tiger demon also fell silent, squinting as it secretly observed the creature.
In her eyes, Feng Lisheng was indeed very sharp-eyed! She didn't understand or even half-understand these three things, yet he had already pointed out their essential level in one breath, so he was definitely not an ordinary monkey spirit—then she thought of the Mountain God, her buttocks ached slightly, and she wasn't so flustered anymore.
But gradually, a few more challengers arrived.
The monkeys quickly became strained, especially this one!
The opponent wielded two swords skillfully, fighting and retreating with unpredictable footwork, causing most of the opponent's blows to miss. Kong Jiao's divine power could not be fully utilized, and soon several spots on his golden fur were stained with blood. He became increasingly agitated and was clearly at a complete disadvantage.
The tiger demon, seeing this, finally grew anxious and suddenly gave a light kick.
But Feng Lisheng dodged it, and it wasn't annoyed. It opened its mouth and said, "Brother Monkey! You know that with two swords in hand, you can do whatever you want. Don't just look at it, just focus on its feet!"
That one sentence immediately changed the situation.
After a few more rounds, the agile man was feinted and lost his single-edged sword while trying to protect his feet. He was immediately enraged, turned around and charged, wielding his sword to slash at the gray-robed monkey spirit.
"I'll teach you to be more talkative!"
"what?"
The gray-robed monkey spirit smiled, then placed his right hand near his mouth and gently blew air.
The man who was just agile suddenly couldn't stand up anymore. He screamed and flew up, flying a hundred or two hundred meters away before crashing down.
"This knife, however, is mine."
The gray-robed monkey spirit flicked his toes, picked up the knife that was about to fall to the ground, and arrogantly swept his gaze around. He saw the crowd's expressions change, some in surprise and some in respect, before calmly tossing the fine steel knife into the pile of prizes he had won.
After another seven or eight rounds, just as the monkey was about to rest.
But an old man with a white beard shouted, causing the monkey to underestimate him and accept the challenge. Only then did it realize that it was a trap, and the onlookers all started to shout.
"Watch out, you little monkey! This guy is utterly shameless!"
"He boasted that he was Tu Xingsun, the most skilled at burrowing underground and launching sneak attacks!"
"You've been tricked; you're about to lose your first prize!"
The monkey naturally heard all this, and then saw that when it swung its club down, the old man had already shrunk into the ground. The iron club blasted a deep crater the size of a washbasin into the ground, but all its efforts were in vain.
After several attempts, the monkey was exhausted and sweating profusely.
But then the white-bearded old man jumped out from behind, holding a three-pronged dagger in his hand. He laughed sinisterly and smugly, "How about it! You little monkey, relying on your brute strength to be so arrogant! You can't hit me, and you can't destroy this earth! Stop struggling and just admit defeat!"
The tiger demon, standing to the side, wouldn't stand for it, and kicked out with a flurry of kicks like a whirlwind.
Feng Lisheng flashed past them one by one, muttering irritably, "Don't bother me! Let it fend for itself! I can't guide it forever!"
As the tiger demon was about to grit his teeth and take action himself, he suddenly paused.
Suddenly, the scene changed.
The monkey remained silent, which was unusually strange, but its eyes darted around.
The imagery in this turn is very empty, as if it's not looking at anything.
His eyes were like mirrors, reflecting nothing, as if he were deep in thought.
The white-bearded old man had already retreated, but suddenly, he reappeared.
Bang!
It was like a blow to the head.
He was immediately dizzy and disoriented. Before he could even scream, half of his body was stuck in the ground, revealing his true form.
It was a pangolin!
The monkey's blank and bewildered expression suddenly came to life.
It stomped hard on the head, its face and eyes flashing with ferocity. It stomped three more times, shouting urgently, "Serves you right! Serves you right! You're going to hit me eventually! If you hit me, I'll kill you! You'll be so happy hiding!"
Just after three kicks, a gentle voice suddenly echoed in his mind: "Do not kill anyone."
At the same time, a gust of wind blew by.
Feng Lisheng appeared in the blink of an eye, grabbed the monkey, and slapped it hard on the head. He then lifted the carp spirit from the ground, glared at the monkey, and said irritably, "What are you angry about! Weren't you smug too? If you get angry, I would have easily taken your head if I had ambushed you earlier."
The monkey was taken aback, blinked, and its expression gradually changed.
It scratched its head sheepishly, then stammered, "I...I'm really angry...He laughed at me! He's so mean!"
After hearing the explanation, Feng Lisheng nodded and said, "It's right to beat him, but there's no need to crush him to death. We should just teach him a few more tricks."
As he spoke, he swiftly touched the unconscious carp spirit, stripped it of most of its body, and then, with a gust of wind, tossed it away, sending it flying several miles away.
Seeing his hands full of spoils, the monkey was overjoyed again, but his eyes darted around as he secretly memorized all the words he had just heard and began to ponder them slowly.
The white-haired female Taoist priest got up early, packed up the rings and long poles used for betting, and shouted to those around, "It's time to pack up! We'll rest for a few hours, so don't crowd around! Pack up, pack up!"
Monkey and Fenglisheng returned, and the three of them left.
They found a big tree and began dividing the spoils.
The monkey was a little sullen, his mind kept thinking about Feng Lisheng's instructions, but then he saw the face of his brother and unconsciously touched the two broken sticks in his arms, wondering how his brother would react if he saw him like that before.
"Hey!" The white-haired woman used a lucky charm to gently poke the monkey's face.
The monkey suddenly looked up and asked earnestly, "Sister Tiger, how many incense sticks do we have left? I'm guessing, should we go back and ask?"
The white-haired woman stroked her chin with her hand: "A lot? Not really... but it's not impossible. There are quite a few prizes here, I'd like to take a few myself, not to mention..."
Her gaze swept around, and she noticed some thoughts subtly observing her from near and far.
So she made a decision: "Alright! I'll take you back first and hide all these things with the Mountain God so that no one will covet them."
The monkey was overjoyed, but then came to its senses, picked up the iron rod again, glared around angrily, and shouted, "Who dares to come! I'll kill them!"
The white-haired woman rolled her eyes and said, "Alright, alright! Look at you covered in blood. Go wash up nearby, or I won't carry you back."
Feng Lisheng, also curious, asked, "Should I go with you too?"
The monkey readily agreed, while the white-haired woman said she hadn't thought much about it and didn't care.
"I can see you know some magic tricks too, so you'll have to walk yourself. I'm not carrying you!"
"I know, I know, I'll just pick out the more expensive prizes."
"Hey! You little monkey, you're much more sensible than the little monkey."
Not long after.
The white-haired woman transformed into a skinny white-haired tiger, carrying a heavy monkey and a large bundle on her back. She needed to use her magic to summon a strong wind to lift it, but she didn't say anything.
Instead, the wind-blown creature followed behind at a leisurely pace, occasionally blowing a gust of wind in the opposite direction to help it fly faster.
And so, the group sped off towards the heart of Emerald Cloud Mountain.
……
……
Nestled in the heart of Cuiyun Mountain is the Mountain God Temple.
The open space in front of the temple was unusually lively today.
Zhong Xuan's mountain god incarnation sat cross-legged on a blue stone, slowly expounding the Dao.
Several little demons and monsters sat around on the ground nearby.
Some were partially transformed, some were not transformed at all, some had rabbit ears, some had tails, and they were all strangely shaped and crowded together.
The sunlight was warm, and the atmosphere was lazy and gentle.