Two consecutive monkey cries echoed through the sky above the mountains and rivers.
So the clear, resounding cries he had heard earlier were actually made by these ferocious, loathsome things?
Lin Jue had no time to think about this. The tallest and most robust monster monkey was already sprinting toward him. Seeing this, the monkeys behind it quickly dropped the scholar's book chest and followed suit.
What were these things trying to do?
Lin Jue's eyes went wide, but he refused to retreat. He tightened his grip on his dagger and took a deep breath.
"Sss..."
Even in midsummer, the scorching air felt icy cool as it rushed into his mouth. Once it reached his belly, it stirred the fiery energy stored within his body and immediately turned blazing hot.
His cheeks puffed out, and he exhaled a forceful blast!
"Boom..."
A ball of flame expanded, erupting forward!
"Ah!"
The monster monkeys were instantly startled, letting out ear-piercing shrieks.
At the same time, the monkeys all stopped in their tracks and backed away a fair distance, watching Lin Jue warily.
The two sides temporarily stood in a standoff, sizing each other up.
Lin Jue knew these were absolutely no ordinary monkeys. They were nearly as tall as he was, and it was easy to imagine they were likely much stronger than normal humans, too.
Lin Jue could only use his fire to temporarily drive them back, pinning his hopes on them fearing flames like ordinary wild beasts.
Now it seemed his assumption was correct.
Sure enough, the monkeys did not dare advance any further.
A few even chose to retreat and resume rummaging through Lin Jue's scholar's book chest.
Soon, however, Lin Jue realized that while these monkeys feared fire, they were extremely intelligent—
They knew how to throw stones at people!
"Crack..."
Fortunately, a fair distance remained between them. With his full concentration, backing away and relying on his agility, Lin Jue managed to avoid getting hit.
It wasn't until he was forced back quite a distance from his scholar's book chest that the monkeys stopped trying to drive him off, though they all kept their eyes fixed on him.
Lin Jue gritted his teeth in anger, but he temporarily couldn't think of a solution. He could only watch as the monkeys ate his dry rations, went through his scholar's book chest, and glared at him with tiger-like intensity in their standoff.
He tightened his grip on his small dagger again and again.
Right at this moment, the sudden clatter of horse hooves rang out behind him.
The monkeys ahead raised their heads, looking past Lin Jue toward his rear.
"Clop, clop, clop..."
The sound of hooves approached rapidly.
Just as Lin Jue was debating whether he should also glance back, and whether turning his head would invite a sudden attack from the monkeys, he heard a faint swish tear through the air.
"Swish!"
Then came a heavy thud.
One of the monkeys ahead was instantly pierced by an arrow and fell backward.
The troop of monkeys panicked, falling into chaos.
"Swish!"
Another arrow followed, but this one missed.
At the same time, the horse reached Lin Jue's back and came to an abrupt halt.
Lin Jue was no longer worried about the monkeys ambushing him while his back was turned. He quickly looked back and saw a young man in commoner's clothes riding a tall steed. A long spear with a cloth-wrapped tip hung from the horse, while a long saber was fastened to his waist, and a bow and arrows were held in his hands.
One man looked up; the other looked down.
"What a bold scholar. You dare walk this path alone? And you even dare stand off against these monster monkeys!"
"What kind of monkeys are these?" Lin Jue asked. "How did they grow so big?"
"You don't know?"
"I don't..."
"No wonder you're so daring!" the man said. "Didn't you see everyone else gathering into groups in the village back there, waiting until they had enough people before setting out?"
"I didn't see that either..."
"You really didn't know!"
The man on the horse was a little surprised. He explained, "These monster monkeys originally lived deep in the mountains, but starting last year, they came down near the mountain roads. They commit all sorts of outrages and do every evil imaginable. If a man traveling alone meets them, they'll bite and beat him, then rob him of his rations and livestock. If there are women in a group, they'll be snatched away and tormented for amusement. Only skilled martial artists and large groups of men dare pass through here." Enjoying the story? Read on at novelping . com.
As he spoke, the monster monkeys actually gathered together much like humans would. Not only did they check on their injured companion's wounds, but they also grew furious, roaring continuously.
However, they were also smart. They didn't close the distance, but kept peering down the road behind the two men instead.
Throughout this, they frequently let out roars, as if communicating with each other.
Lin Jue also turned his head to look back.
A group of people was approaching from behind. There were about twenty or thirty of them, all men, leading mules, horses, and donkeys. Most appeared to be traveling merchants and pedestrians.
These monster monkeys were wary of them.
"You're in luck today. It just so happens you ran into me," the man on horseback said. "When the people behind us catch up, go and leave with them."
"With them? What about you?"
"Me? Haha!"
The man actually burst into laughter, displaying quite a bit of Jianghu swagger. "The magistrate of Danxun County issued a bounty on the heads of these monster monkeys. Two liang of silver a head. It just so happens that along my journey, I ran a bit short on travel funds... Even though these monster monkeys are fierce, hold grudges, and are highly vindictive, they're also cunning and cautious. With so many of you here, they'll only run away. Only after you leave will they deliver their heads right to me."
"All by yourself?"
Lin Jue stared at him, briefly stunned.
These human-sized monster monkeys were not something an ordinary person could deal with alone, even armed with a bow, arrows, saber, and spear. But back in Shu Village, when Lin Jue listened to the village elders at the bridge pavilion, he had frequently heard tales of Jianghu chivalry alongside stories of the strange and supernatural. There were often martial artists of superb skill, brimming with vitality and courage, and possessing extraordinary abilities, who could cleave ghosts and gods with their sabers or slay demons and monsters with their swords.
Could this man before him today be one of them?
"Go gather your baggage!"
The man didn't answer, merely urging his horse forward.
By now, the twenty-odd traveling merchants and pedestrians from behind had arrived. Some among them held sabers and staffs. Seeing the monster monkeys, they were all somewhat afraid and broke into murmurs, yet they still followed behind the man's horse and pressed forward.
With safety in numbers, their collective presence looked imposing even without them trying.
And so, for every stretch the crowd advanced, the troop of monkeys retreated a stretch, until they finally left the official road and perched in the distant trees to watch them.
Lin Jue hurried over to his scholar's book chest.
He hastily picked up his things to inspect the damage.
The voices of the traveling merchants echoed beside him:
"Great hero, these monster monkeys are not something you can easily deal with alone! Besides growing so large, word is their leader can spit clouds and puff out mist, making horses too terrified to advance! The county yamen runners came a few times and couldn't do a thing about them. You shouldn't risk your life here just for a bit of bounty money. Leave it for next time and call up a few friends to come with you!"
"Since when do monster monkeys know spells? Can clouds and mist block swords and spears?" The man on horseback paid no heed, even boldly proclaiming, "Have none of you heard the story of the former dynasty's great general slaying a yaksha in the night?"
That was a story from before the former dynasty's great general joined the army.
Legend had it that when his concubine passed away, her body was placed in the mourning hall. In the middle of the night, yakshas came to devour it. At the time, the great general had not yet made a name for himself in the world, and he naturally felt a degree of fear. However, unable to bear the thought of his beloved concubine's corpse being eaten, he bolstered his courage and drew his precious sword. His sheer imposing aura alone frightened the yakshas away, and one yaksha that ran too slow was even struck with his blade.
Unable to persuade him, the crowd had no choice but to group up and leave.
Meanwhile, Lin Jue was still taking inventory of his luggage.
Aside from his dry rations being eaten clean, the canopy atop his scholar's book chest had been torn apart, his bamboo water tube had been crushed underfoot, and a book had suffered several torn pages after being tossed around by the monster monkeys.
The dry rations were no big deal; he could just buy more, and at worst, he'd go hungry for part of the journey. But the other items were different.
The scholar's book chest was a gift from Old Patriarch Wang of Heng Village. Regardless of how close he was to Old Patriarch Wang, since it was a gift, it held sentimental value, making it fundamentally more precious than going out to buy a new one off the street. As for the other books, even though he primarily brought them along to camouflage the Ancient Book, not a single one was bought with his own money. They were all gifts given to him when he borrowed books in the village, offered by households that took pity on him and admired his studiousness.
The water tube had even been made by his uncle, who had gone up the mountain to cut the bamboo himself.
These creatures! They were truly despicable to the extreme!
Lin Jue was furious, his teeth practically grinding together.
How could he easily swallow this anger?
As a man who could muster the ferocity to scare off monsters, and who could calmly converse when faced with the ghosts of fallen soldiers, how could he be afraid of a pack of slightly sturdier wild beasts? If he backed down and left when facing these animals today, how would he cope the next time he encountered spirits and ghosts on his path to seek the Immortals? How would he ensure his aura didn't waver?
Lin Jue calmly packed up his scholar's book chest and lifted his head. Glancing back, he saw that some of the merchants had already moved on, but others had stopped to wait for him upon seeing that he was still gathering his things.
His eyes, however, were fixed on the weapon in the hands of a burly man.
"Brother! Lend me a saber!"
"Hm?"
"I too shall emulate the former dynasty's great general!"
"You..."
A Simple Saber was tossed over, landing at his feet.
"How will I return it?"
"Inside Danxun City, at the tea shop by the North City Gate."
"My thanks, brother!"
Lin Jue picked up the Simple Saber. Only then did he turn his head and speak through gritted teeth to the martial artist beside him. "Let me lend you a hand! Once we chop off their heads, all the bounty money is yours!"
"What a bold scholar!"
The man readily agreed, his eyes shining.
"Lin Jue."
"This spot is no good. Let's change locations."
"Lead the way!"
After exchanging those few words, they walked off into the distance.
The monster monkeys were still watching them from the trees, their eyes brimming with rage and hatred. Seeing the two men leave, they all trailed after them in a swarm.
Luo Seng picked a spot at the fork between a river and a stream, deliberately walking right into the angle between them. As the monkey troop gave chase, they cornered the two men in the wedge of land. Every so often, both sides would turn their heads to glance at the traveling merchants slowly disappearing into the distance.
Finally, the monster monkeys ahead grew restless.
A chorus of hooting and roaring erupted.
These monster monkeys could hold back no longer.
The martial artist surnamed Luo remained unhurried, nocking an arrow and drawing his bow.
"Swish!"
An arrow fired off, piercing right into the troop of monkeys.
"Thunk!"
A muffled thud rang out as it struck a tree trunk in the rear.
This action, however, thoroughly enraged the monkeys.
"Ooh ooh! Ah!"
The strongest leader among the monster monkeys glanced back at the arrow lodged in the tree trunk. It immediately stood upright, throwing its arms wide in a show of force, and shook the branches beside it as if rallying its subordinates. This instantly sparked a wave of answering cries.
The continuous roars by the riverside echoed far into the distance.
Right after, the woods and the underbrush began to thrash about.
The swarm of monster monkeys charged out in a frenzy.
Lin Jue had never experienced such a life-and-death struggle before. He had long since hunched his back in a combat stance, completely focused. His eyes were glued to the monster monkeys ahead, and his hands squeezed tightly around the wooden shaft of the Simple Saber.
Beside him, the Jianghu martial artist surnamed Luo was composed and collected. He first lowered his hand to grip the long spear on his horse, but after a moment of thought, he let it go. Instead, he drew the saber at his waist, unhurriedly dismounted, and walked forward to meet the monkey troop on his own initiative.
One side bounded over obstacles in a frantic sprint; the other advanced with steady, measured steps.
The two sides clashed in an instant.
Lin Jue could hear the sound of blades cutting through the air. The midday sun was at its peak, and intense sunlight frequently caught the reflection of the long saber, casting gleaming flashes into the dark woods or flitting right past his eyes. Yet he never once looked away, nor did he blink a single time. In his vision, there were only the two monster monkeys hurtling straight toward him.
Both monster monkeys were as tall as a man, with very long arms. Coming one after the other, their momentum was fearsome.
Lin Jue dared not relax in the slightest.
This was all because, although the Simple Saber was longer than a standard saber and counted as a polearm, the attack range of its frontal blade was actually quite limited. To put it bluntly, it was merely a Firewood Chopper attached to a long staff. He had to strictly control the distance.
Otherwise, the Simple Saber would just be a wooden stick.
Even under intense pressure, his ability to think remained unaffected.
In a split second, the leading monster monkey was already right in front of him. However, it slowed down slightly, cautiously eyeing the Simple Saber in his hands while tentatively closing in and swiping its arms at him.
Conversely, the monkey trailing behind possessed an even stronger momentum.
Lin Jue's mind raced, and he swung the Simple Saber with both hands.
He instantly felt the immense weight of the Firewood Chopper affixed to the end of the Simple Saber. Being top-heavy and light-shafted, its momentum naturally magnified as he swung it, bringing a heavy, crushing force.
"Whoosh!!"
The Firewood Chopper slashed through the air, leaving a bright arc in its wake.
As expected, the leading monkey was fully prepared and quickly rolled away to dodge. Seizing the opening, the monkey behind it accelerated. Baring its fangs and roaring, it charged straight at Lin Jue, clutching a jagged stone in its hand.
This Simple Saber was long and heavily weighted at the tip. While it possessed great force when swung, if a strike missed, the effort and distance required to swing it back into position were significantly greater. Perhaps due to fighting humans so frequently, these creatures were far more intelligent than Lin Jue had thought, and they understood humans perfectly.
However, they didn't know that Lin Jue had come prepared as well.
Even though the Simple Saber had completed its swing, Lin Jue's face remained pointed in that exact direction. He had already inhaled a massive breath deep into his belly, puffing out his cheeks to the bursting point.
"Fwoosh-boom..."
A mouthful of fiery energy erupted, and a veil of flames burst open. It looked exactly like a fire-breathing trick from a temple fair, but it instantly halted the monster monkey's assault.
At the same time, the fire completely blocked both sides' lines of sight.
But Lin Jue didn't care about that at all. His heart surged with nothing but pure fury. Gripping the Simple Saber tightly, he unleashed every ounce of strength in his body for a vicious swing.
"Whoosh!!"
The shaft let out a whistling shriek, and the blade blossomed with a chilling light. The Firewood Chopper swept horizontally right through the raging flames, its edge trailing a tail of fire in its wake.
"Spurt!"
Fresh blood sprayed out in a straight line, and the monkey's head tumbled diagonally to the ground.