"Get lost, all of you! Look closely—this is Bear Ridge's fourth ninth-rank enfeoffed subject. Don't neglect him!"
Big Monkey roared, and the monkeys around them swiftly scampered away with chirps and squeaks. They were quite obedient.
Big Monkey then beamed at Wang Wu. "Brother Er Gou, don't worry. Take it one step at a time—I have faith in you. Now then, let's get acquainted first. I am a ninth-rank enfeoffed lord of Bear Ridge. Though I'm the lowest-ranking enfeoffed lord, I'm still a lord, while you're a subject. That's not the same, you know!"
"So, while I won't interfere with what you do, anything I tell you to do must be done properly. If you understand, nod your head. Ah, Brother Er Gou certainly looks clever."
"Big Monkey, are we having braised carp for dinner tonight?"
At that moment, a muffled voice rang out. An old man, slovenly, disheveled, and reeking of drink, came flying over from afar on a sword. With a bang, he crashed to the ground. He was actually a human!
"Haha! Brother Er Gou, don't worry. This is Bear Ridge's second-ranked ninth-rank enfeoffed subject. His name is Zhou Jun. That village you just saw is his fief. Besides him, Bear Ridge has two other ninth-rank enfeoffed subjects. One is True Man Mu, but it is in seclusion, so you won't see it for another three to five years."
"The other is a member of my own clan, Jia Ding Monkey. It is responsible for driving water over from eight hundred li away. Within these three hundred li of Bear Ridge, all the grass, trees, living creatures, people, and livestock rely on taking turns driving water over to survive. Why else would I say the West River Water Tribe is so damned immoral? It hasn't rained in