CHAPTER 58: CHAPTER 57: STONE APE (PART 1)

Collecting grain is not an easy task.

Don’t be fooled by his carefree words; each time it’s accompanied by a lot of bloodshed and loss of life.

I’ve just arrived here, and they want to entrust me with such an important task?

Or perhaps, they’re looking to deplete my strength...

After thinking it over, Lou Yi declined, saying: "Big brother, I’ve only been here a few days, how could I have the qualifications to lead the team? I might lead the brothers into a ditch, we might not even make it through the year.

Besides, quite a few under my command are not acclimated, they’ve been unable to stand due to severe diarrhea, they need to recuperate a bit."

Lou Yi’s reasoning was very sound, leaving Xu Xi with nothing to say, so he turned his gaze to Zhu Darui.

"Third brother!"

"Big brother, I’ve been having a headache these past two days, I can’t do the job well!" Zhu Darui, resentful for having just been refused, started to play rogue, "The second brother is quite capable, let him go!"

"Hmm?" Xu Xi felt like exploding with anger, but as he had broken his promise first, he had nowhere to vent his frustration, and thus turned to the old Daoist, Wu Yiping.

Wu Yiping was so angry he blew his beard and glared, but with Lou Yi and the others both backing down, he too couldn’t let Xu Xi lose face and reluctantly agreed.

The high-level meeting at Sunset Mountain ended under a less-than-cheerful atmosphere.

The bandits outside exchanged confused glances.

They had a feeling that ever since the fourth leader took residence in Sunset Mountain, it was subtly trending towards splitting into two factions.

"Aren’t you afraid of offending the big brother by doing this?" Lou Yi asked Zhu Darui quietly as they walked out of the Hall of Unity.

"Humph! I long repaid my debts to him, now he owes me! Besides, he’s been breaking his word!" Zhu Darui said with a face full of anger, "If he disregards our brotherhood, then let it dissolve, we could go down the mountain and set up our own base!"

’This fellow clearly has his own weighing scale in mind; he’s not just blindly loyal after all.’ Lou Yi thought.

Then, he heard Zhu Darui’s somewhat nervous voice: "Fourth brother, surely you’re not afraid of big brother, right?"

"I’ve never come into contact with a martial artist in the Second Blood Realm, I’m not confident." Lou Yi replied truthfully.

"Ah?" Upon hearing this, Zhu Darui’s expression turned bitter.

Elsewhere, in the Hall of Unity.

"Big brother, we really can’t keep this Lou Yi!" As soon as there was nobody around, Wu Yiping brought it up anxiously, "Just look, ever since he’s been here, the third brother’s disobedient, and he’s even become unprecedentedly interested in the Breathing Technique, it’s definitely the ambition of that Lou Yi.

What are the ones below going to think? Your prestige is greatly diminished!"

"This Lou Yi, I can’t sense the Secret Blood within him." Xu Xi couldn’t help but touch his bald head, "The third brother said he killed Man Slaughter within a few moves, so he must be competent.

I’ve never seen him make a move usually, not a hint of Qi-Blood is revealed, so naturally, I can’t tell how many strands of Secret Blood he has condensed."

"That guy must have practiced a Cultivation Technique to hide his Secret Blood!" The old Daoist’s expression became serious, "But once he makes a move, he won’t be able to hide it."

He stroked his white goatee thoughtfully, pacing back and forth in the hall, the sound of his footsteps echoing, and then suddenly said: "Why not use that wild creature in the back mountain?"

Xu Xi’s eyes lit up at this: "Perfect, that thing even gives me a headache; testing its strength on him is just right."

...

Two days later.

In the Hall of Unity, the four leaders of Sunset Mountain, along with some core members, were discussing the arrangement of food supplies before winter.

An errand boy ran in hastily amidst the intense discussion.

"Something’s wrong, something’s terribly wrong!"

"What’s the matter?" Xu Xi asked with a frown.

"A few of our brothers went hunting in the back mountain and got injured by a wild monkey!"

"Quick, get the blind man over here!"

The blind man was not actually blind, it was just that his eyes were deeply sunken, almost squinting into slits, making him seem blind.

He was ragged and unkempt all over, but none of the bandits dared to look down on him, because he was the only doctor on the mountain.

"This wild monkey didn’t go easy, those wounds just won’t heal on their own." The blind man assessed the injuries of several wounded, then instructed his assistants, "Bring over my needle and thread!"

Three people lay on the ground in disarray, each with multiple gruesome wounds, moaning miserably.

"With this hidden threat in the back mountain, not only can the brothers not hunt, their safety is also jeopardized." Xu Xi looked at Lou Yi, "Fourth brother, we’re busied with the grain collection in the next few days, I’ll have to trouble you to take care of this scourge."

"You’re too kind, big brother." Lou Yi cupped his fists, "I’ll bring you good news."

Refusing again at this point would be discourteous.

Lou Yi readily accepted the task, which made Xu Xi’s face look much better.

"I’ll go too!" The third brother Zhu Darui shouted, practically becoming Lou Yi’s shadow.

Xu Xi’s face fell again at hearing this, but Zhu Darui remained oblivious.

"What are the traits and dangers of this wild monkey you mentioned?" Lou Yi inquired from the injured.

"Too fast, hard to see..."

"It’s a gray ape..."

"I don’t know..."

Despite a long inquiry, not much useful information was gathered.

All that was known was that the monkey had white fur and moved at speeds unusual for normal beasts.

Back at his quarters, Lou Yi planned with Zhu Darui to bring only a few trusted followers along. Bringing too many people might alarm the monkey, making it hide and causing more trouble.

Zhu Darui’s men were all old hands at Sunset Mountain.

Among them was Huang Lei, who had tried to oppress Lou Yi in prison, and was considered one of the best in archery on Sunset Mountain.

Lou Yi’s jail companions included two particularly outstanding individuals who were extremely reliable, having once shielded Lou Yi in an attack on the Government Office, showing their gratitude.

One was named Lu Yang, tall and strong.

He was once a butcher who was sentenced to death for killing a hoodlum in a conflict, but Lou Yi rescued him, making him eternally grateful.

The other was named Liu Yuan, quite handsome, and skilled with sword techniques.

The reason for his imprisonment was rather baffling; he had an affair with his sister-in-law and was caught by his older brother who reported him to the Government Office.

The group set off with weapons like swords and bows and began their hunt on the back mountain.

Unlike the bustling front mountain, Sunset Mountain’s back mountain was an entirely undeveloped Primitive Forest.

The trees were dense, the lush grass reached waist height, the area vast, and various birds, beasts, and insects hid within, their chirps and rustlings echoing the air.

"Don’t stray too far." Upon entering the back mountain, Lou Yi instructed Zhu Darui and the others.

With a short axe from the mountain storeroom in his left hand, and a newly made slingshot in his right,

he wore a straw hat, and his whole body was wrapped in rough cloth and hemp to ward off poisonous insects from all sides.

Shortly after entering the back mountain.

’Whiz!’

Huang Lei drew and shot an arrow, hitting a large bird perched in a tree, bigger than an average village goose, and chuckled: "Dinner’s secured for tonight."

For the bandits of Sunset Mountain, hunting in the back mountain was also one of their important means of gathering food.

"Brothers, stay alert, if this wild monkey has gained intelligence, it won’t be easy to handle!" Zhu Darui shouted loudly.

"Lower your voice, don’t scare it away." Lou Yi was somewhat speechless.

The group searched from morning until afternoon, having caught quite the bounty of game, but still no sight of the wild monkey.

"Everyone, spread out a bit, if you encounter danger, remember to blow the whistle." Lou Yi had to let everyone spread out, partly to expand the search range, and partly to prevent the wild monkey from being scared off by the crowd.

The effects were immediate.

Soon, from the dense woods several hundred meters away from Lou Yi, came the urgent sound of a whistle.

...