Chapter 40: Chapter 39: Monkey Wine
Wen Qingye examined the corpses and found that their skulls had been pried open. The sight was incredibly harrowing. He could already picture the Brain-Eating Monkeys returning after he left, cracking open the skulls, and beginning to feast.
Wen Qingye then noticed that the heads of the Brain-Eating Monkeys he had killed earlier were also smashed to a pulp. He couldn’t help but frown. ’I didn’t expect these Brain-Eating Monkeys to be so savage; they don’t even spare their own kind.’
The Hundred Break Mountains were exceedingly dark and gloomy, at times even sinister, suffused with a strange, eerie aura. You never knew when or from where a Demon Beast might emerge. Danger could be lurking in every ancient tree or thorny bush.
Suddenly, Wen Qingye sensed something strange about a nearby tree. He couldn’t help but move closer to observe it carefully. The ancient tree was exceptionally tall and straight, and it seemed to be emitting a thick, rich fragrance.
’Could it be...?’ Wen Qingye’s heart leaped with joy. With a push of his feet, he flew into the air toward the top of the tree.
Wen Qingye landed on a branch and discovered that part of the trunk before him was plugged with a clump of leaves, as if concealing a tree hollow.
Wen Qingye tore the leaves away with both hands, and a thick, fragrant aroma immediately washed over him.
Looking at the clear, transparent liquid before him, Wen Qingye couldn’t help but exclaim in pleasant surprise, "It’s really Monkey Wine!"
The monkeys of the mountains gather all sorts of fruits in a hollow—usually a tree hollow. Initially, it’s just to store food for the winter. But if a particular season provides enough food, the monkeys will forget about the hollow they once filled with fruit.
Then, this hollow of assorted fruits gradually ferments, brewing into a pool of fruit wine. This type of wild brew is a product of pure chance. True Monkey Wine is priceless, and very few people ever get their hands on it.
Wen Qingye gazed at the Monkey Wine, a sense of thirst growing within him. He glanced around, plucked a large leaf from the ancient tree, cupped it to scoop up a mouthful of Monkey Wine, and drank it down.
After taking a sip, Wen Qingye felt a clear, sweet current of energy slowly fill his abdomen. A warm sensation surged through his entire body, making him feel utterly refreshed and comfortable.
"What fine wine! This is truly authentic Monkey Wine."
’The monkeys in these mountains know their wild fruits, which ones are good and which are bad. How could a wild brew made from the very best fruits they stored taste anything but exceptional?’
Wen Qingye looked at the Monkey Wine before him and started to grow anxious. There was far too much to drink all at once, but he had no way to carry it away. For a moment, he was at a loss.
THUD!
SCREECH!
Suddenly, Wen Qingye heard a noise from nearby. He turned toward the sound and saw a Brain-Eating Monkey staring viciously at him, its eyes gleaming with hatred.
’It’s the Brain-Eating Monkey that escaped!’
Wen Qingye recognized it at once. This was the Brain-Eating Monkey that had managed to escape before. Brain-Eating Monkeys are extremely vengeful. Upon seeing Wen Qingye, it was overcome with immense hatred, its eyes glowing with feral light.
’Could this Monkey Brew have been made by these Brain-Eating Monkeys?’ Wen Qingye wondered.
And Wen Qingye wasn’t wrong. Although Brain-Eating Monkeys prefer eating brains, they can’t always find them, so they often eat mountain fruits to sate their hunger.
This Monkey Brew was, in fact, the fermented result of the food these Brain-Eating Monkeys had stored for the winter.
WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
WHIRR!
The sound of objects cutting through the air suddenly came from all directions. Dozens of Brain-Eating Monkeys were slowly surrounding Wen Qingye, their eyes fixed on him as if he were a delicious meal.
Wen Qingye’s heart sank. There were dozens of Brain-Eating Monkeys densely packed around him. Furthermore, their cultivation wasn’t low; they were all at the Refining Essence First Layer Heaven. ’I’m afraid it will be difficult to even escape now,’ he thought.
POUNCE!
Brain-Eating Monkeys were incredibly ferocious and not ones for hesitation. One of them lunged straight for him.
Wen Qingye gripped his Cyan Mist Sword. With a cold flash of light, he swung out a streak of cyan Sword Qi. The Brain-Eating Monkey met the Sword Qi head-on with its claws.
HISSS!
The Brain-Eating Monkey had clearly underestimated the power of Wen Qingye’s Sword Qi. Wen Qingye’s current cultivation was at the Qi Cultivation Tenth Layer Heaven, which wasn’t necessarily weaker than an ordinary Refining Essence First Layer Heaven cultivator. On top of that, he wielded a Fifth-grade Treasure Sword—the Cyan Mist Sword—and his Swordsmanship was superb.
The Brain-Eating Monkey’s claw was gashed by Wen Qingye’s sword. It bared its fangs and snarled at him, its face a mask of fury.
Several other Brain-Eating Monkeys immediately closed in, but Wen Qingye was undaunted, the sword in his hand spinning rapidly.
"Bright Moon in the Sky!"
The light from the Cyan Mist Sword turned cold. Several streams of Sword Qi billowed out, slowly converging until they resembled a bright moon hanging in the sky, which then shot toward the Brain-Eating Monkeys.
Although the Brain-Eating Monkeys were incredibly fast, their large numbers worked against them. Most dodged Wen Qingye’s Sword Qi, but a fair few were still wounded.
Suddenly, Wen Qingye felt a chill wind rush toward him. ’Not good!’ he thought, immediately leaping up and landing on a branch of the opposite tree.
BANG!
The branch where Wen Qingye had just been standing was instantly split in two by a Brain-Eating Monkey’s strike and fell to the ground.
Wen Qingye held his sword defensively before his chest, his back pressed firmly against the large tree trunk, his eyes locked onto the surrounding Brain-Eating Monkeys.
Three more Brain-Eating Monkeys lunged, their claws glinting with a sharp, cold light, poised to fight him to the death.
"Spiritual Snake Frenzy Dance!"
Wen Qingye raised his sword and swung it again and again. In an instant, flashes of golden light filled the air. Where the Sword Qi crisscrossed, it looked like a mass of golden Spiritual Snakes writhing and surging.
BOOM!
Two of the Brain-Eating Monkeys were exceptionally agile. With a flick of their bodies, they evaded the Sword Qi in the blink of an eye and closed in on Wen Qingye.
"Clear Wind Chasing Moon!"
Wen Qingye’s body suddenly shot forward. He moved like a gust of clear wind—fast and nimble. The sword in his hand flashed with the light of pure, shimmering silk as he thrust it forward at incredible speed.
GURGLE~
One of the Brain-Eating Monkeys had just regained its footing when Wen Qingye’s sword pierced straight through its throat. Blood gushed out uncontrollably. Its claws twitched, and its body trembled.
Wen Qingye quickly withdrew the Cyan Mist Sword and used it to block the claws of the other monkey attacking him.
CLANG!
The Brain-Eating Monkey’s claws slammed against Wen Qingye’s blade. The creature recoiled in pain and fell to the ground, scattering a cloud of leaves.
Having just executed a series of moves and barely blocking the claw strike, Wen Qingye’s own stance became unstable, and he nearly fell from the branch himself.
Seeing their comrade’s death did not frighten the other Brain-Eating Monkeys; instead, it only made them more ferocious. They began to slowly close in on Wen Qingye.
Wen Qingye knew that he would be no match for them in a prolonged fight. His thoughts now turned to how he could escape.
