Du Youqian glanced into the Water Mirror and imdiately slapped a hand over his mouth. It was a close call; he’d almost burst out laughing.
In the valley, a group of wild beasts was engaged in a chaotic, bizarre dance.
An antelope stood on its hind legs, mimicking a human walking upright. A tiger lay before a large drum it had found sowhere, listlessly tapping its tail against the surface. A black bear, as tall and sturdy as a small hill from afar, moved with nimble steps, limbs flailing as it perford a "seductive" dance...
It was an absolute assault on the eyes.
Soon, Du Youqian’s eyes landed on a swaggering monkey.
The monkey sat atop a massive wild boar, a wine gourd clutched in its left paw. It would occasionally take a couple of swigs from the gourd and let out a few "SQUEAK SQUEAKS," as if it were directing the whole affair.
The wild boar looked ferocious. Its bristles stood on end like steel needles, and its long tusks were enough to make anyone shrink back in fear.
Yet, where its eyes should have been were two empty, black holes, and it remained perfectly docile beneath the monkey.
’Brother Monkey, what did you do to Second Brother?’
’Second Brother was so lovable! Why did you have to bully him?!’
Du Youqian didn’t rush over to say hello.
So of these fierce beasts were actually quite powerful.
Even the wild boar had beco a spirit beast. Though it hadn’t reached Foundation Establishnt, its cultivation was likely equivalent to the Qi Cultivation Late Stage.
With its tough hide, thick flesh, and imnse strength, even a typical Loose Cultivator at the Qi Cultivation Late Stage would have a hard ti dealing with it.
If Du Youqian were to be surrounded by the herd, he’d likely have to expend a great deal of effort to get away.
So, he decided to find an opportunity to secretly make contact with the monkey first.
For the ti being, all he could do was continue to enjoy this animal sports et... or perhaps it was a concert.
But the longer he watched, the stranger his expression beca.
When he absolutely couldn’t hold it in any longer, he unleashed his Body Technique and dashed several miles away before he finally clutched his stomach and burst out laughing.
He only stopped when his sides ached from laughing, rubbing his stomach as he slowly made his way back.
There was nothing to be done. He may have received strict training in the political arena and been called a stoic "old silver coin" by his enemies for never showing his emotions...
...and normally, he could refrain from laughing no matter how hilarious sothing was. But good heavens, this was just impossible to endure.
’Have you ever seen a fawn walking on its forelegs, its butt stuck straight up in the air?’
’Have you ever seen an old ape tie a few snakes to a large tree to use as strings, then pluck them to play music?’
’Or two foxes tied back-to-back, having an eight-legged race?’
’It was truly an eye-opening experience.’
Du Youqian could only watch for a short ti before he’d have to run off to a secluded spot, clutch his stomach, and laugh for a bit.
Even with the powerful physique of a Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer Cultivator and a Martial Arts Innate Grandmaster, he nearly laughed himself breathless...
The ruckus in the valley continued for several hours.
As dusk approached, the monkey gesticulated wildly and squeaked loudly, apparently giving the order to disperse. The animals then scattered one by one, disappearing into the woods.
The monkey, for its part, climbed onto the wild boar’s back and fed it a few mouthfuls of whatever was in the gourd.
The boar began to sway back and forth, lumbering out of the valley like a bulldozer operated by a drunk driver.
It was then that Du Youqian revealed himself from dozens of yards away and called out, "Monkey, do you rember an old friend from Soul-shaking Mountain?"
The monkey scratched its furry head, its drunken eyes staring at Du Youqian and sizing him up.
After a long mont, it began to squeak and chatter, gesturing with its hands.
Du Youqian smiled. "That’s right. I’m his descendant."
The Monkey joyfully leaped off the boar’s back. Du Youqian couldn’t even catch a clear glimpse of its shadow before it was right in front of him.
’This Monkey!’ Du Youqian was inwardly astonished.
He had assud that this kind of spirit beast would know no Magic and possess no Magical Artifacts.
He figured that even if one reached Foundation Establishnt, it would just be relying on animal instinct, possessing a body stronger and more agile than a human’s, but its actual combat prowess wouldn’t be all that great.
Given that his cultivation was about to reach the Qi Cultivation Eighth Layer, if he used his various Magical Artifacts, laid out his Talismans, and set up an array, killing a Foundation Establishnt-level beast—a feat spanning realms—was practically a sure thing.
It seed now that he had underestimated the combat prowess of these spirit beasts.
The monkey’s face was filled with joy as it handed the gourd to Du Youqian.
The rich aroma of wine wafted over. It must be Monkey Wine, brewed by this Monkey following its instincts.
It wasn’t as... refined as the wine brewed by humans.
But it possessed its own unique, wild flavor.
The aromas of several fruits had settled within it, making it quite tantalizing.
Du Youqian didn’t mind at all. He tilted his head back and took several large gulps. GLUG GLUG GLUG.
The Monkey was beaming. It started gesturing again, squeaking and chattering.
Du Youqian sighed. "He’s dead. He never broke through to Foundation Establishnt, so he died at just over one hundred and twenty years old."
The Monkey’s head drooped, and it looked a little sad.
’In my past life at the Daoist Temple, you were always teasing and bullying ,’ Du Youqian thought. ’I don’t recall you having such deep feelings for back then.’
Animals, after all, don’t get bogged down by their Emotions the way humans do.
The Monkey seed to co to terms with it quickly. It grew excited again, grabbing Du Youqian and chattering while gesturing wildly.
Du Youqian said, "I just ca to see you. For now, there’s nothing I need your help with. I’m doing pretty well for myself. You know about the Profound Sects Orthodox Sects? You know what a True Disciple is? Well, I’m a True Disciple of a Profound Sects Orthodox Sect."
Showing off to a monkey felt a little... well, it was an odd feeling.
But when he saw the look of envy in the monkey’s eyes, Du Youqian suddenly found it quite satisfying.
"You’re at the Foundation Establishnt Middle Stage, aren’t you?" Du Youqian asked. "What’s happened all these years?"
The monkey nodded and began to communicate with Du Youqian in its own unique way.
The man and the monkey passed the gourd back and forth, and soon, the Monkey Wine was all gone.
Du Youqian wasn’t stingy either. He took out the Magical Artifact Wine Gourd he had refined himself. It looked to be only the size of his palm, but it could hold a surprising amount.
When he uncorked the red Warm Jade stopper, the aroma alone made the Monkey drool.
Du Youqian and the Monkey continued their conversation, a mix of gestures and guesswork.
The wild boar couldn’t understand any of it. Bored, it started rooting around in the dirt. It must have dug up sothing tasty, because it began snorting excitedly without end.
As the sky grew dark, the Monkey started to show so impatience.
Monkeys are just like that—restless.
Du Youqian didn’t find it strange; he was long used to it.
He pulled a Phoenix Wing Purple Gold Crown from his Storage Treasure Pouch. "A gift for you. It’s a Defensive Spiritual Artifact."
It took the Monkey a mont to understand, but then it happily placed the Phoenix Wing Purple Gold Crown on its head and zipped away in a flash.
It returned a mont later, squeaking and chattering, repeatedly clasping its hands at Du Youqian... or rather, its front paws. It was as excited as a little kid.
He guessed it had just run off to find a place to admire its new look and was quite satisfied with what it saw.
Du Youqian was also satisfied. When he had crafted this Defensive Treasure, he had based the design on Sun Wukong’s appearance in the *Great Celestial Palace Rebellion*.
Unfortunately, this Phoenix Wing Purple Gold Crown was all for show. It had no flashy functions and was rely an ordinary Upper Grade Defensive Spiritual Artifact. As for its style, though? That was a perfect ten out of ten.
Now, however, Du Youqian felt a pang of regret. If he had known the monkey had tad its own "Second Brother," he absolutely would have forged a Nine-toothed Nail Rake for it.
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