Sneak Attack

"Pervert! Take this!"

By the creek, Chu Xin, her clothes soaked through, splashed water at Gu Sheng on the opposite bank. After Gu Sheng had thoroughly sized her up, the girl had simply given up resisting and no longer cared that his wolfish gaze roamed over her curvaceous figure.

"Xin'er, are you trying to murder your husband?"

Gu Sheng lay lazily in the river, his head resting against a slightly hollowed-out rock. He looked as if his body had been completely drained. Anyone who didn't know the circumstances might have thought he'd just finished doing something indecent.

"Hmph~"

Seeing that her repeated provocations had no effect, Chu Xin could only grit her teeth and resentfully abandon the idea of continuing her futile efforts. She walked over to Gu Sheng, sat down on him, and deliberately kicked her legs twice to add some weight.

"Heh~"

Gu Sheng helplessly shook his head, reached out to stroke her head, and pulled her into his arms as if he were coaxing a child.

"Hmph~ Pervert!"

Chu Xin gave a little snort, but she stopped making trouble and quietly lay in Gu Sheng's embrace, enjoying this brief moment of warmth.

"Xin'er!"

Gu Sheng spoke gently. "Have you prepared the Serpent King Balm?"

"Ah~ Not yet!"

Chu Xin jerked her head up in alarm. If Gu Sheng hadn't held her back, she would have run off immediately. The girl's memory wasn't very good. She was always prone to selectively forgetting things. She never forgot anything important, but in ordinary situations, she was very forgetful.

Gu Sheng often said that her subconscious was simply being lazy.

"It's fine! I still have plenty over there!"

Gu Sheng held Chu Xin in his arms to keep her from moving. He was very much enjoying this brief moment of warmth.

The Serpent King Balm was a precious medicine Gu Sheng had obtained after processing the shed skins left behind by Verdant Python Azure Spirit's multiple molts. It was similar to the "Foundation-Building Spirit Liquid" from Battle Through the Heavens. Adding some whenever one bathed not only aided cultivation, but also tempered the body and enhanced resistance to poison.

Aiding cultivation and tempering the body were, strictly speaking, merely secondary effects. Though they were effective, the results were minor. Even after bathing in it for years, one's body and cultivation would not improve by much.

It was the final effect, enhanced poison resistance, that Gu Sheng valued most. Since the Serpent King Balm was made from Verdant Python's shed skin, anyone who used it became completely immune to snake venom weaker than Verdant Python's. Even stronger poisons would have part of their effects nullified.

Poisons were extremely common in every world. Though they could not be considered mainstream, they were often used for covert attacks.

Gu Sheng had no desire to harm anyone, but necessary precautions were still essential. His poison resistance could not compare to a body immune to all poisons, but it was still far stronger than that of ordinary martial artists.

"Roar~"

Just as Gu Sheng and Chu Xin were being affectionate and preparing to break through the barrier once more, two enormous "light bulbs" arrived behind him.

"Hiss hiss~"

Verdant Python Azure Spirit hissed and nudged his back to show its affection, but Gu Sheng was not happy in the slightest. His little brother, which had been so high-spirited moments ago, had been forced to lower its head in surrender by this sudden turn of events.

After Verdant Python Azure Spirit swallowed three Cinnabar Fruits, its appearance had changed considerably. Its originally greenish body was transforming toward a translucent emerald green, and it seemed that a small lump had grown on its head as well.

"I—"

Gu Sheng wanted to curse, but he did not know what he could say. Could he, as its "poop-scooper," lose his temper at his own "snake master"? After sizing up the difference between their bodies, he decisively held back. At least for now, it was not the time to establish his authority as its master.

"Hahahaha~~"

Seeing Gu Sheng's aggrieved expression, Chu Xin laughed loudly without showing him the slightest consideration. Her bell-like laughter left Gu Sheng fuming.

At the bottom of a cliff somewhere on Iron Arm Ape Mountain, more than twenty Iron-Arm Apes guarded a fissure. The fissure was roughly one zhang wide. Its depths were pitch-black and unfathomable, yet a faintly scorching aura spread out from within and hit them in the face.

At the bottom of the fissure, a stream shrouded in white mist flowed out. Right at the cave entrance, four Cinnabar Fruit seedlings swayed in the hot wind. Two of them bore bright-red Cinnabar Fruits that were particularly enticing.

"Whoosh~"

A breeze swept past. Several Iron-Arm Apes instinctively hunched their bodies, and the fiery-red fur covering their bodies suddenly stood on end.

"Yaa! Yaa!"

One Iron-Arm Ape shrieked, and the cries of the others rang out after it. Several Iron-Arm Apes that appeared larger than the rest bounded away in a few leaps, searching for enemies in every direction.

"Yaa! Yaa-yaa~"

"Yaa-yaa!"

"Yaa-yaa-yaa~~"

After a while, the Iron-Arm Apes that had gone to scout for enemies found nothing and returned to the fissure. They called back and forth to one another, seemingly saying that they had not seen any enemies.

Recently, an unknown "Demon Beast" had appeared on Iron Arm Ape Mountain and actually dared to steal Cinnabar Fruits from the Iron-Arm Ape tribe everywhere. The Ape King had already ordered the Iron-Arm Apes guarding the Cinnabar Fruits in every area to be especially vigilant. Ten Iron-Arm Ape leaders patrolled back and forth, determined to wipe out this group of Demon Beasts.

On Iron Arm Ape Mountain, the Iron-Arm Ape tribe was the strongest force. Even the venomous snakes of Serpent Pool, which ranked just below them, were no more than food in their mouths. Yet now a Demon Beast actually dared to steal their treasures and kill so many Iron-Arm Apes. It was truly audacious beyond belief!

In the woods not far from the fissure, in a blind spot beneath the shade of a mountain, Gu Sheng and Chu Xin lay atop a tree root, looking down at the fissure. Behind them, an extinguished fire continued to give off green smoke. Strangely, however, the smoke dispersed into nothing not long after rising, while a peculiar smell spread through the air.

Dense branches and leaves concealed their clothes. Combined with the awkward angle of the place, their figures could not be detected even from above.

The same was true of the green smoke. Because this was a small slope and the woods were rather dense, the smoke dispersed soon after leaving the fire. Unless someone came close, nothing could be noticed.

A breeze swept past. Several Iron-Arm Apes downwind twitched their noses. They seemed to sense that the smell in the air had changed somewhat.

"It's about time!"

Gu Sheng had been observing the Iron-Arm Apes' reactions the whole time. When he noticed that several of them were beginning to look dazed, his eyes lit up. He turned to Chu Xin, gestured, and nodded.

A few breaths later, most of the Iron-Arm Apes had sensed that something was wrong. They suddenly felt that their condition was somewhat abnormal.

Before they could react, a sudden whoosh rang out. A gigantic python suddenly shot from the stream near the fissure's entrance. Its massive tail, hard as an iron whip, swept horizontally toward the numerous Iron-Arm Apes.

Bang!

Verdant Python Azure Spirit's attack was far too unexpected. The Iron-Arm Apes could not react in time and suffered heavy losses. At least eight Iron-Arm Apes were either dead or gravely wounded, having lost their ability to fight. Most of the remaining fifteen were injured, and only three that had been farther away escaped unharmed.

"Yaa-yaa~"

The Iron-Arm Apes reacted swiftly after being attacked. They shrieked and communicated with one another. Some joined forces to counterattack, while others leaped to higher ground and cried out repeatedly, trying to draw Iron-Arm Apes from other areas over. A few cautious ones were already darting through the woods, attempting to return and report the news.