The Little Monkey in the Human City

In the southern part of the Primordial Wilderness, Biro City.

The city wall is ten zhang high and is entirely made of Qing Xuan Stone.

Since the Human Emperor reached an agreement with the various tribes, Biro City has become the largest trading hub in the south.

The city's streets are crisscrossed and lined with shops.

Upon closer inspection, one could see that many of the passersby were of different ethnicities.

They traded with human merchants, drank and chatted in taverns, or hurried on their way, each with a different expression.

Although humans are an acquired race, they have demonstrated astonishing creativity and adaptability.

The business model they created amazed many ancient races who had lived for countless years, forcing them to humble themselves and learn this novelty from humans.

In the east of the city, steam rises and the aroma fills the air in front of a steamed bun shop called Baiweixiang.

The shopkeeper was a chubby middle-aged man who was deftly packing freshly steamed buns into oil paper bags and handing them to the customers in line.

"Meat buns are three coins each, vegetarian buns are two coins each, and they're fresh out of the steamer and still warm!"

Someone in the group laughed and said, "Manager Wang, what secret recipe did you put in these steamed buns? The aroma can be smelled all over the south of the city!"

Shopkeeper Wang chuckled, "A family heirloom, a family heirloom!"

No one noticed that at the entrance of a small alley diagonally opposite the steamed bun shop, a small figure, about half a person's height, was hiding in the corner, his eyes fixed on the steamed buns in the steamer.

It was a little monkey.

His fur was light brown and looked somewhat messy from not being combed for a long time.

His face was filthy, but his eyes were exceptionally bright, staring intently at the steamed bun shop, unconsciously swallowing his saliva.

The little monkey hasn't eaten for three days.

He sneaked into the Biro City of Biro.

I've heard that there are opportunities everywhere in human cities, and as long as you're willing to work, you can have enough to eat.

But once he got there, he realized things weren't so simple.

Humans need money everywhere.

"If only I knew magic..." the little monkey thought to himself.

Just then, two human children, around seven or eight years old, spotted the little monkey.

They were playing in the street when one of them, with sharp eyes, pointed to the alleyway and exclaimed, "Look! There's a little monkey over there!"

Hearing this, another child looked over and immediately burst out laughing, "It really is! What an adorable little monkey!"

The little monkey was startled by the sudden sound and instinctively tried to hide, but its stomach rumbled at the most inopportune moment.

"Haha, his stomach is growling!" The first child laughed so hard he almost fell over. "He must be hungry!"

The commotion quickly attracted the attention of passersby.

A crowd gathered around, pointing and commenting on the little monkey.

"This little monkey looks dirty; it's definitely not registered."

"Strange, why would the human guards let an unregistered Demon Race in?"

"Judging from his appearance, how did he sneak in?"

"Could they be smuggled in? The city lord's mansion has been cracking down on this lately."

Amidst the murmurs, a patrol of guards approached. Leading them was a burly man clad in black armor.

He exuded a powerful aura, clearly indicating that he was at the Dharma Aspect Realm.

"What's going on?" the black-armored guard asked in a deep voice, his gaze sweeping across the crowd before finally settling on the little monkey.

Immediately, people around started offering their explanations.

The black-armored guard frowned upon hearing this and looked at the little monkey. "All alien races entering human territory must register; this is a rule set by the Human Emperor. Come with me to see the chief and await his judgment."

The little monkey was so frightened that it backed away repeatedly, its voice trembling with tears. "I... I was just hungry and wanted to find something to eat... I didn't mean any harm..."

The black-armored guard remained unmoved and reached out to grab him. "Rules are rules. If you have something to say, go talk to the leader."

Just as his hand was about to touch the little monkey, the monkey nimbly jumped back and dodged it.

The black-armored guard was taken aback, then his face darkened with anger. "You dare to hide?"

He struck again, this time much faster.

The little monkey rolled on the ground, its small body dodging the grab.

A gasp of surprise rippled through the crowd.

"That little monkey is so agile!"

"To evade Captain Li's capture without any cultivation is quite remarkable."

The black-armored guard's expression grew even uglier.

He was, after all, a cultivator at the Dharma Aspect Realm, and considered quite skilled among the guards of Biro City. Now, he had failed twice in his attempts to capture a mere demon that hadn't even completed its transformation. Where did he put his face?

"Everyone, listen to my command!" he shouted sternly. "Surround him! Don't let him escape!"

The surrounding guards immediately dispersed, forming an encirclement.

Pedestrians on the street also stepped back, clearing out a space.

The little monkey watched as the encirclement gradually shrank, and it became extremely anxious.

He knew he was no match for the guards; his only chance of survival was to escape.

Instead of rushing towards the less crowded area, he charged towards the most densely packed part of the crowd.

The guards were taken aback, not expecting him to do this, and instinctively tightened their encirclement.

But the little monkey, halfway there, suddenly ducked down, slipped under a woman's skirt, then dodged two children watching the commotion, and finally—

He suddenly crawled between the peddler's legs!

"Ouch!" The peddler was startled, his load wobbled, and his goods spilled all over the ground.

The guards hurriedly bypassed the peddler to give chase, but in that short delay, the little monkey had already slipped into another alley.

He was short in stature, yet he moved with ease through the narrow alleyways, disappearing from sight after just a few turns.

The black-armored guard chased the enemy to the alley entrance. Looking at the intricate alleyway, he angrily punched the wall, instantly causing several cracks to appear in the bluestone wall.

"Search! Search the entire city! I refuse to believe we can't catch even a little monkey!"

Not far away, a figure suddenly stopped in his tracks. "Hmm? What's going on? Why do I suddenly sense Boss Yuan Hong Hong's aura?"

He then shook his head. "Impossible. Boss was killed by that damned Yang Jian a long time ago. Impossible."

The little monkey ran desperately through the alleyways, turning countless corners, until it was sure there were no pursuers behind it before daring to stop and catch its breath.

He was currently in an extremely secluded alley, with high stone walls on both sides, covered with moss.

The alley was piled with clutter and emitted a faint musty smell.

"That was close... I almost got caught..."

The little monkey sat down against the wall, its heart still pounding. "Didn't they say there were opportunities everywhere in human territory? They're all liars..."

He patted his empty stomach, then thought of the fragrant steamed buns, and couldn't help but swallow.

Just then, a hand suddenly landed on his shoulder.

The little monkey was so frightened that its fur stood on end, and it jumped back and turned around to look.

It was an old man wearing a yellow Daoist robe.

The old man was slightly overweight, with a kind face and a smiling expression. What was most striking about him was his round belly.

"Who... who are you?"

The little monkey asked warily, its body already prepared to flee.

The old man smiled slightly and said in a gentle voice, "Don't be nervous, little one. I'm here to take you away from here."

"Take me away?" The little monkey was taken aback. "Why?"

"The commotion just now has alerted the city lord's mansion, and the entire city's guards are now searching for you."

The old man said calmly, "With your abilities, you can hide for a while, but not forever. You'd better come with me, and I'll keep you safe."

The little monkey hesitated.

He knew the old man was telling the truth, but to just go with a stranger like that...

"How do I know you're not a bad person?" the little monkey asked.

The old man laughed heartily, "If I were a bad person, you would already be a corpse by now. Why bother saying anything more?"

As he spoke, he stretched out his hand. "Come on, take the old Daoist's hand."

The little monkey hesitated for a moment, but slowly reached out and grasped the old man's hand.

The moment their hands touched, the surrounding scenery suddenly blurred.

The little monkey felt dizzy and the wind was whistling in its ears. When it came to its senses, it was no longer in Biro City.

Before me stretched a continuous mountain forest, with ancient trees reaching for the sky and vines entwining around them.

"This is Qinglan Mountain, three hundred li away from Biro City." The old man released his grip and said with a smile, "Well, did I tell you the truth?"

The little monkey then truly realized that the person before it must be a highly skilled master with Supernatural Power.

He knelt down with a thud, kowtowing repeatedly. "Senior! Please accept me as your disciple! I wish to learn magic and supernatural Supernatural Power!"

The old man raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Why do you want to study law?"

"If I learn magic, I won't have to go hungry anymore!"

The little monkey raised its head, its eyes filled with longing. "If I learn magic, I won't be bullied anymore! I want to become stronger, like my seniors, so I can go wherever I want!"

The old man looked at him and muttered to himself, "The Arm-Through-Heaven Ape Monkey... one of the Four Mixed-World Monkeys... its talent is indeed extraordinary..."

The little monkey was completely confused. "Senior, what did you say? What is the Arm-Through-Heaven Ape Monkey? And what are the Four Mixed-World Monkeys?"

The old man did not answer directly, but asked, "Do you know where you came from? Who are your parents?"

The little monkey shook its head, its expression somber. "I don't know... I've looked like this since I can remember, wandering around alone. I tried to find a master, but no one would take me..."

The old man smiled and said, "Do you know who this old Daoist is?"

The little monkey shook its head.

"My Buddhist name Maitreya," the old man said. "Would you like to become my disciple?"

The little monkey's eyes lit up. "Senior... which sect do you belong to? When I was among the human race, I heard that in the Primordial Wilderness there were the Western Teachings, the Chan Sect, the Interception Sect, the Daoist Sect... each sect has different rules, I..."

Maitreya laughed heartily, "You little monkey, you know quite a bit. Indeed, this old Daoist belongs to a sect. But let me ask you, if I were to accept you as a disciple, would you care about the sect affiliation?"

The little monkey raised its head, its eyes hardening. "It is my blessing that you have accepted me as your disciple, senior. No matter which sect you belong to, I am willing to become your apprentice, and I will have no regrets in this life!"

Maitreya looked at the little monkey, his smile deepening.

He murmured to himself, "As expected of the old Daoist's contingency plan... the Arm-Through-Heaven Ape Monkey's intelligence is truly extraordinary..."

"Senior?" The little monkey looked at him in confusion.

Maitreya shook his head. "In that case, let's go with this old Daoist priest."

With a flick of his sleeve, he picked up the little monkey and vanished in a flash.