Chapter Ninety-Six: Wukong

The huge backpack was stuffed full by He Tian. Even his coat was stripped off and wrapped around a pile of things.

Though the things all looked a little bloodstained, He Tian knew very well that every one of them was a treasure.

If these were handed over to Longtou, He Tian was certain that Longtou’s side would produce many valuable things. And among them, his own share would be absolutely indispensable.

By then, his wish to advance rapidly would truly be realized.

These could already be counted as rare heavenly treasures.

Once washed clean, the monkey was no longer covered in blood. When it was not angry, no one would ever guess that it possessed such formidable strength. In He Tian’s eyes, the monkey’s adorable expression was the very essence of pretending to be a pig to eat a tiger.

A natural advantage.

“Come on, take me out of here.” He Tian smiled as he rubbed the monkey’s head.

The monkey, scarcely more than a foot tall, sprang onto He Tian’s shoulder. It chattered in his ear, then kept stretching out a hand to direct the route He Tian should take.

This was the monkey’s territory.

Of course it knew it inside and out.

When He Tian saw that the communicator on his wrist had begun working again, he finally let out a long breath.

Even someone like He Tian had no desire to remain trapped in the jungle forever. And speaking of the present, his stomach was already starving.

Who told him to throw away all his food in order to move faster and lighten his load while escaping the giant python?

The monkey noticed He Tian rubbing his stomach.

Its eyes turned once, and then it suddenly leaped down from his shoulder.

“Hey...” Only then did He Tian realize that the monkey did not even have a name yet. In his anxiety, he could not think of how to call it back.

“Did it leave? Was it only sending me out?” He Tian felt a little uneasy, because he was so fond of the monkey that all sorts of unpleasant thoughts rose unbidden in his mind.

But very soon, when the monkey bounced back into view beside him, stood upright, and held two bright red coconuts in its forepaws, He Tian finally understood what it had been doing just now.

He Tian chose a clean rock to sit on.

“Would you like it if I gave you a name?” He Tian opened the coconut and drank the juice, filling his emptied belly.

The monkey chattered happily and nodded.

“In the myths and legends of human history, there is also a very remarkable and powerful monkey, one of your kind. Its name is Sun Wukong. But that is only a legend, perhaps it never even truly existed! From now on, I’ll give you that name: Wukong.” He Tian said with a smile, delighted beyond measure. Wukong. Wukong. Hahaha, what a wonderful name.

The monkey was overjoyed, darting to and fro among the branches all around them. Its astonishing skill and lightning speed left He Tian staring in dumbfounded amazement.

By comparison, He Tian suddenly realized that even as a practitioner of the third level of internal force, he had no real basis for comparison with Wukong at all.

The gap was simply too great.

“Wukong!” He Tian called out.

The monkey instantly sprang to his side, baring its teeth in a grin at him.

He Tian could not help laughing as well.

“Remember this: my name is He Tian.” He solemnly introduced himself.

Wukong nodded emphatically to show it had remembered.

The road that followed was filled with laughter.

He Tian kept calling that name again and again without ever tiring of it, while Wukong responded with all manner of swift, jungle-born feats to express its fondness for the name.

Perhaps what it liked was not the name itself, but the joy of having a name at all.

But what difference did that make?

So long as Wukong was happy, that was enough; everything else could be ignored.

With this “local” guide, He Tian only needed to indicate a direction and that was enough.

It made everything far easier.

Moreover, wherever Wukong passed, there was no danger from any living creature. This alone was proof enough of the monkey’s formidable standing in the jungle.

This was a magical forest. He Tian had to define it that way.

Suddenly, Wukong’s expression turned grave, and it rushed swiftly toward a certain direction.

Its cries warned He Tian that danger was approaching and that he should be prepared.

It had to be said that Wukong’s intelligence was truly something else.

“Wait!” He Tian glanced at the communicator on his wrist and immediately shouted in alarm.

But clearly, it was already too late.

Wukong moved far too fast.

“Tian, is that you?” A voice came through clearly from the other side, sounding angry and vexed, yet also shocked.

“Ugly, it’s me! Wukong! Stop, stop right now!” He Tian hurried out while calling to Wukong.

By then, Wukong and Ugly were already locked in combat.

What shocked He Tian was that Ugly was completely at a disadvantage. Wukong’s nimble body and powerful claws posed a tremendous threat, leaving Ugly too occupied to do more than parry in a flurry.

Wukong stopped and leaped back onto He Tian’s shoulder.

But its eyes still watched Ugly warily.

Clearly, by animal instinct alone, Wukong could sense Ugly’s strength and that it posed a great threat to He Tian. So it had to remain alert, ready to strike at the first sign of anything amiss.

“Wukong, this is my friend, my brother! Do you understand? My most intimate brother in life and death! He’s one of us!” He Tian turned to look at Wukong and said earnestly, “Go on, apologize. Shake hands.”

The wariness in Wukong’s eyes vanished at once.

Chattering excitedly, it leaped down from He Tian’s shoulder and bounced up to Ugly. First it straightened its body, then bowed slightly, and finally extended its hand.

Its monkey face was full of smiles, and there was even a trace of embarrassment in its eyes.

This scene, so full of intelligence, left Ugly completely stunned.

Mechanically, he extended his hand and shook Wukong’s furry paw.

Only then did Wukong chitter happily and return to He Tian’s shoulder, settling down with great ease.

Yet it still kept its gaze on Ugly, as if it were very interested in his face.

“Ugly!” He Tian stepped forward, then said in surprise, “You’re injured?”

He could see that a large patch of blood stained Ugly’s left arm, soaking through the clothes around it.

“This monkey... where did you find it? Too impressive. It caught me off guard and scratched me once.” Ugly said with an unconcerned laugh.

“We can talk about that later... Do you have anything? Hurry and bandage it first!” He Tian hastily tore open Ugly’s sleeve.

“Quickly tell me what happened.” Ugly took off his backpack, and He Tian used the supplies to help him bandage the wound.

When it came to wilderness first aid, He Tian could be considered quite skilled.

A battle king was not merely someone with formidable fighting power. The title also represented comprehensive ability.

“It’s called Wukong... here’s what happened...” He Tian told Ugly everything he had experienced.

Ugly gasped in disbelief again and again, looking at Wukong with a much gentler expression.

“This is a spirit beast!” Ugly stated with absolute certainty.

“A spirit beast...? Surely not! Aren’t those things only in legends?” He Tian was no stranger to the world of martial practitioners; on the contrary, he was very familiar with it. He also knew of the existence of spirit beasts. But even a creature like the giant python could not truly be called a spirit beast... Could Wukong be one?

Some records described it very clearly: spirit beasts were treasures of heaven and earth, things approaching myth and legend.

Indeed, some myths and legends had originally spread from enlarged and embellished accounts of real examples.

“You should know this very well,” Ugly said, looking at He Tian in surprise. He knew He Tian had a powerful national background.

“Well...” He Tian scratched his head, thinking it over. It seemed that his understanding of spirit beasts was very limited. Had he been lazy about that part?

“Don’t think about it anymore. Treat this monkey well. You’re not unfamiliar with the ancient martial arts clan of the Xuan Yuan family, are you? Leaving aside everything else, the Xuan Yuan family itself has a spirit beast, one with strength comparable to a fifth-level internal force expert, perhaps even stronger.” Ugly said.

He Tian looked at Wukong.

Wukong cooperated by straightening itself proudly, as if showing off, and also confirming what Ugly had just said.

“Whether Wukong is a spirit beast or not makes no difference. I only know that it is my companion now.” He Tian stroked Wukong’s head and said with a smile.

Wukong chirped happily.

Ugly said nothing further.

The difference between spirit beasts and ordinary beasts lay in the fact that spirit beasts could absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth on their own, with an advantage even greater than that of internal force practitioners. Moreover, spirit beasts had long lifespans and immense combat power.

He Tian was fortunate indeed to obtain such a spirit beast.

And to have obtained it amid a series of dangerous circumstances.

Ugly could only sigh; he truly did not know what else to say.

As they walked, He Tian also learned about Ugly and Shen Feng’s situation.

Ugly had successfully brought Shen Feng out of the jungle.

But neither of them felt at ease leaving He Tian behind, so after finding a place to settle Shen Feng, Ugly returned to the jungle to search for him.

For a while, he had been unable to sense He Tian’s position, and had been deeply anxious...

Only after He Tian was led out of the lost region by the monkey did his location become clear again.

He had not expected that the moment he drew near, he would be attacked by Wukong.

He Tian patted Ugly’s shoulder and said nothing more.

Returning to the jungle to search for someone sounds simple, but the danger contained within it was something He Tian understood very clearly himself.

Only, between him and Ugly, there was no longer any need for too many words.

They could understand the bond between them; that was enough.

“Ugly, what happened to you?”

“Boss, the monkey... where did this monkey come from?”

In a ravine, He Tian and Ugly found the hidden Shen Feng.

“It’s called Wukong...” He Tian crouched down to inspect Shen Feng’s injuries and explained with a smile.

“Wukong...” Shen Feng froze for a moment, then looked at He Tian seriously and said, “Boss, then are you Tang Monk?”

“Get lost. Your boss is not a monk...”