Chapter Eighteen: Flame Tail Heaven Ape

  Whooshing sounds... In the dense forest, branches and leaves swayed back and forth. Figures darted about like lightning, leaping quickly through the tree branches, rushing towards Si Suo.

  The intruder's movements were so fast that they couldn't be caught by the naked eye, and Liang Xin could only barely see that behind those clear figures was a trail of flame-like red marks.

  Qu Qingshi had been practicing archery since childhood, and his eyesight was much stronger than Liang Xin's. Before long, he finally made out the appearance of the intruder, and hastily turned around to shout at Liu Yidai in the driver's seat: "Wait, don't activate the seal! The one who broke in is not a barbarian... nor is it a cultivator!"

  In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, more than 100 fire-tailed macaques had passed through the dense forest and gathered in the empty space in front of the temple gate. Their orange-yellow eyeballs moved up and down, carefully sizing up Qu Qing and Liang Xin.

  Liu Yiye also carried a widow and ran out, standing shoulder to shoulder with the two brothers. He looked at the monkey's eyes, compared to the monkey looking at them, much more curious, and said in a low voice: "They... have the same physique as Tianyuli Shi. What's going on?"

  Qu Qing didn't dare to withdraw his evil bow, even if he was extremely quick to react, now he's a bit dizzy. He bumped Liang Xin with his shoulder: "Go ask."

  Liang Xin's mouth moved slightly, and he stuttered in response: "A-ask... who?"

  Before the words had fallen, a sudden burst of chaotic noise came from the room behind them, sounding like a hardware store moving house, clanging and banging with incredible racket.

  Qu Qing Shi's evil bow aimed at Huo Wei Yuan, not daring to divide his attention. Liang Xin and Liu hurriedly turned around with their crossbows, took one look, and the two brothers let out a strange cry together. Within sight, there was a big pile of widow's crossbows scattered all over the place, shaking and swaying as they ran towards them...

  Liāng Xīn felt that all 36,000 pores on his body had exploded at the same time. In his heart, he muttered a phrase: "The fruit of Bān Shān Yuàn is indeed extraordinary, even the crossbow mechanism has become a spirit."

  A small hill-like "widow's heap" swaggered past the three brothers, all the way to the monkey group, like a giant nose worm, shrinking, expanding, and panting slightly twice before exploding with a loud bang!

  More than a hundred widow's strength scattered and flew, until now the three brothers saw clearly that in the 'widow's heap' was still buried a particularly tall and majestic giant ape with a fiery tail, not inferior to Liu Yi.

  The giant ape's waist still had a large green calabaza hanging from it.

  Other monkeys also jumped up one after another, each monkey grasped a crossbow in mid-air, and although they still had a solemn face after landing, the joy, curiosity, restlessness, and eagerness to try in their eyes had already burst out, and could no longer be concealed.

  Liang Xin finally understood that it wasn't 'widow becoming a ghost', but rather the giant ape had secretly entered the place at some point and was stealing the crossbow for its companions.

  The giant ape finished distributing the vigor and didn't stay, and ran into the room with a swoosh without even looking at the three brothers.

  Liu also swallowed a mouthful of saliva, and asked Qu Qing Shi in a dry voice: "These crossbows, Jiulong's sharp weapons, Dahong's domestic products... can't just let these apes and monsters take them away, right?"

  Qu Qing's voice was even more awkward than Liu Yixi: "Old Three Liang Xin, he is also a product of Da Hong, protect him first."

  Liáng Xīn suddenly realized that he was a criminal, a prisoner of the imperial court.

  The loud noise came again, this time it wasn't the "Widow's Heap" that ran over, but a large bundle of crossbow arrows... After a moment, more than 100 fire-tailed monkeys each took a big bundle of arrows and collectively gave the three brothers a cold look before turning their faces away and exiting the dense forest, leaving behind only the giant ape that had stolen the crossbow and arrows.

  The fire-tailed monkey came and went like the wind, without disturbing the mechanism in the dense forest. From coming to going, not a word was spoken, each face was icy cold, very serious, not a bit of mischievousness, but rather like an old Confucian scholar who is stern and unsmiling.

  Liang Xin had never heard of such a monkey, and was just feeling surprised and nervous when suddenly a burst of cheers erupted from the dense forest outside. The monkeys left everyone's line of sight and immediately returned to their true nature, laughing and playing with all their might, shooting each other with bows and arrows for fun.

  The widow's cruel instrument became a fun toy in the hands of these fire-tailed monkeys.

  The giant ape standing at the gate of the temple suddenly looked embarrassed, and coughed twice.

  The three brothers came back to their senses, and the two older brothers hastily puffed out their chests, aiming the bows in their hands at him.

  The giant ape's gaze swept across the faces of the three people, finally stopping on Liang Xin's face. The high-bridged mouth moved slightly, and a rough voice spoke out in human language!

  "Go back and tell your family's adults that we will take these crossbow arrows away for a few days to play, and he won't bother you anymore."

  The giant ape's tone was unusually stiff, sounding like a congenitally deaf person trying to speak, with each word's pitch not quite right, but still barely intelligible.

  Liáng Xīn was stunned, standing in place at a loss for what to do, stuttering out an answer: "M-my family's elder... there's only one old mother left, she doesn't care."

  The giant ape let out a surprised "ah" sound: "Only two people are left? Are they mother and daughter?"

  Liang Xin nodded hastily, thinking to herself, there's still Feng Xi Xi, I couldn't possibly tell you.

  The green stone and willow beside him also heard something was off, even though the situation was strange, they couldn't help but laugh.

  Liu Yi also hurriedly stopped Liang Xin who still wanted to talk nonsense and asked Ju Yuan: "Sir? Who is the sir you are referring to?"

  He pointed at Liang Xin and replied loudly: "It's him!"

  Liu Yi was also stunned, and for a moment he didn't know what to say. Fortunately, the giant ape asked Liang Xin with great difficulty: "Is your mother the owner of the Mountain Moving Institute or the commander of the Nine Dragons Bureau?"

  Liang Xin finally understood that this was a different kind of "daren" (big shot), and the previous conversation was just a waste of time. As he realized this, he also noticed that he was still wearing the green battle robe from Bi Huang Mountain Valley, and the mischievous gibbon spirit had mistaken him for the Green Robe of Mount Moving Institute.

  The giant ape stared at Liang Xin in a daze, made an impatient expression, and waved its paws to ask: "You three, have you seen a little guy named Liang Xin?"

  The three brothers were shocked, and they never thought that this giant ape would say Liang Xin's name, nor did they know whether it was good or bad luck. Qu and Liu, two old rivers and lakes, had thunderstorms in their chests, but their faces were calm as a flat lake. Liang Xin wasn't so calm, his 100% shock was all on his face. The giant ape suddenly stretched out its arm, grabbed Liang Xin, and coldly asked: "Speak!"

  Qu Qing Shi and Liu Yi were both furious, seeing Liang Xin being captured wanting to jump up to help. The giant ape just slightly waved its hand and knocked them both to the ground. At the moment when the scene in front of the gate was chaotic, the last ray of sunlight finally disappeared from the horizon. And at this time, a familiar voice suddenly echoed in Liang Xin's ears: "Liang Xin! You're not dead! I knew it, King Yan has blessed you, you're not dead!"

  A weak and surprised voice, a sickly ghost appeared, floated up and grabbed Liang Xin, it was Xiao Gui Feng.

  The giant ape let go of Liang Xin in a daze and chuckled twice: "You're Liang Xin?"

  Liáng Xīn was no longer concerned about the giant ape, as the shock of the sudden changes had been washed away by the joy of reuniting with his family. He tightly grasped Feng Xi Xi's hand, not knowing whether to cry or laugh, and suddenly fell into a daze. It wasn't until half a day later that he barely regained consciousness. Looking at his two older brothers, then at the giant ape, and finally at Little Devil Feng Xi Xi, he asked in a daze: "What...what's going on?"

  Then, Liang Xin exclaimed in a low voice: "Old uncle, what's wrong with you?"

  The wind is howling, and all over his body and face, terrible wounds have burst out. His pale skin has cracked open, revealing red and white muscles underneath, as if he had just been scalded by boiling water.

  Feng's mouth cracked open, forming an ugly smile, but he couldn't make a sound.

  The giant ape walked forward, its hands forming a Buddhist hand seal, and gently tapped on Feng Xiuxiu's forehead. In a soft voice, it said: "Li Xing is safe and sound, calm your mind and rest, you still have a long life ahead of you!"

  Feng nodded slightly with a hint of effort, his eyes never leaving Liang Xin. A moment later, the air around him rippled and he vanished into thin air.

  The giant ape and Feng Xi became acquainted, naturally they were friends not enemies. The three brothers all let out a sigh of relief. Liang Xin wanted to ask about what had happened, but the giant ape was in no hurry at all. He puckered up his lips and whistled loudly. Soon, a fire-tailed monkey with a quiver on its back jumped in from outside, holding a pile of juicy peaches in its paws, which it solemnly placed in front of the three brothers.

  The three brothers were overjoyed and thanked them before grabbing the peaches, wiping them on their clothes, taking a big bite, and savoring the sweet fragrance...

  Six peaches down the hatch, Liang Xin finally let out a breath of relief and respectfully bowed to the giant ape: "Elder, what's going on?"

  The giant ape, with a majestic appearance, received Liang Xin's courtesy and then spoke in a strange tone: "I am the Mountain Ape of Suffering, three hundred years ago I received two favors from Liang Yi, and I once promised to do three things for him."

  "The first thing, nine heavenly apes masters joined the Jiulong Temple's mountain-moving institute, usually stationed at Kunai Mountain, listening to Liang Yier's orders at any time, but only for tasks within Kunai Mountain. The heavenly apes had once sworn an oath, generation after generation would not leave Kunai Mountain a single step."

  Liang Xin and Liu Yi exchanged a glance, the nine monkeys in green robes in the valley, their origins were finally clear. Qu Qing Shi's thoughts were the most meticulous, unwilling to let go of any clue, frowning and asking: "Why did Tian Yuan swear not to leave Su Nai Mountain?"

  The giant ape shook its head impatiently and said, "This is our own business, it has nothing to do with you!" Then it raised a second finger: "Secondly, replace Liang Yier in guarding this temple. Except for the Mountain Qingyi, no outsiders are allowed to enter."

  Liang Xinzuo rubbed his chin and asked in puzzlement: "Then... you usually guard the vicinity of the government office? Why come now?"

  The giant ape rubbed its palms together and chuckled: "This place has been deserted for 300 years, we've been guarding it for a while, and no one has come... just, just..."

  Liáng Xīn Shùn rubbed his belly again and picked up another peach, persistently asking: "What's going on? Tell me!"

  The green stone is laughing secretly, and the willow is also stealing a smile.

  "I'm just playing hooky!" The giant ape gritted its teeth and spoke the truth while swinging its school bag.

  Kuno-yama Tengu guarded the shrine for decades, but eventually couldn't stand the loneliness and ran back to their old nest. They would occasionally come back to take a look, but it's not so much that they came to see if the shrine was safe, rather they came looking for toys. The armory, where weapons were stored, was in disarray, a testament to their rummaging.

  Liang Xin disregarded the two green-clad men's shocked expressions and picked up the eighth peach.

  Liu also spoke in a low voice to Qu Qing Shi: "Our family's Old Three is indeed a good hand at eating!"

  Liuxin smiled brightly and looked at the giant ape: "What's the third thing?"

  The giant ape shook its head, with a look of helplessness: "The third thing, has never been completed, it's a lifelong regret!" As it spoke, the wind blew cold and mournful.

  Liu Yihui smiled and said: "The second thing you guys didn't do well either, don't sigh, old man, quickly say what the third thing is!"