Sneak Attack

"You pervert! Take this!"

By the stream, Chu Xin, her clothes soaked through, splashed water at Gu Sheng on the other side. After Gu Sheng had thoroughly assessed her measurements, this girl had gone all in, not caring that Gu Sheng's wolfish gaze was roaming over her shapely figure.

"Xin'er, you're trying to murder your husband!"

Gu Sheng lazily lay in the water, his head resting on a half-sunken rock, looking like he'd been completely drained. Anyone who didn't know better would think he'd just finished doing something!

"Hmph~"

Seeing that her repeated provocations had no effect, Chu Xin could only grit her teeth and give up on her futile efforts. She walked up to Gu Sheng and plopped down on top of him, deliberately kicking her legs a couple of times to add weight.

"Heh~"

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

"Hmph~ You pervert!"

Chu Xin grunted, but didn't make any more trouble, quietly lying in Gu Sheng's arms, enjoying this moment of warmth.

"Xin'er!"

Gu Sheng said softly, "Is the Serpent King Balm ready?"

"Ah~ Not yet!"

Chu Xin looked up with a start. If Gu Sheng hadn't been holding her, she would have run off already. This little girl's memory wasn't great, and she always tended to selectively forget things. She never forgot important things, but she was very forgetful at other times.

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

"It's okay! I have plenty more!"

Gu Sheng held Chu Xin in his arms, not letting her move. He really enjoyed this moment of warmth.

Serpent King Balm was a treasure medicine that Gu Sheng had concocted from the shed skin of the Verdant Python, Qing Ling, after it had molted several times. It was similar to the Foundation Establishment Liquid in Battle Through the Heavens. Adding some to the bath each time not only helped with cultivation, but also tempered the body and enhanced resistance to poison.

Helping with cultivation and tempering the body were just added benefits. Although they had an effect, it wasn't significant. Even bathing in it for years wouldn't improve the body or cultivation much.

The last point, enhancing resistance to poison, was the effect that Gu Sheng valued the most. Serpent King Balm used Verdant Python's shed skin as its raw material. After using it, one would be completely immune to snake venom that wasn't as potent as Verdant Python's, and even be partially immune to more potent poisons.

Poison was very prevalent in every world. Although it couldn't be considered mainstream, it was often used in schemes.

Although Gu Sheng had no intention of harming others, he definitely needed to take necessary precautions. Although his poison resistance wasn't as great as a body immune to all poisons, it was still much stronger than that of ordinary martial artists.

"Roar~"

Just as Gu Sheng and Chu Xin were being all lovey-dovey, preparing to break through the fortress again, two big 'light bulbs' arrived behind him.

"Hiss, hiss~"

The Verdant Python, Qing Ling, hissed and nudged his back to show affection, but Gu Sheng wasn't happy at all. His little brother, who had been 'arrogantly high-spirited' just now, had been forced to 'lower his head' due to this sudden situation.

After consuming three Vermillion Fruits, the Verdant Python, Qing Ling, had changed quite a bit in appearance. Its original green body was turning into a translucent emerald green, and a small bump seemed to have grown on its head.

"I~"

Gu Sheng wanted to say something harsh, but he didn't know what to say. Was he, the 'shit shoveler', going to get angry at his 'snake master'? After sizing up the difference in their figures, he decisively held back. At least now wasn't the time to establish his authority as the master.

"Hahaha~~"

Chu Xin laughed out loud at Gu Sheng's frustrated look, showing him no respect at all. Her silvery laughter made Gu Sheng feel annoyed.

At the bottom of a cliff in Iron Arm Ape Mountain, more than twenty Iron-Arm Apes were guarding a crevice. The crevice was about ten feet wide, and pitch black inside, unfathomable. Only a faint fiery aura permeated from the crevice, hitting the face.

At the bottom of the crevice, a stream of water covered in white mist flowed out. Right at the entrance of the cave, four Vermillion Fruit seedlings swayed with the hot wind. On two of the seedlings, two red Vermillion Fruits were especially tempting.

"Whoosh~"

A gust of wind blew past, and several Iron-Arm Apes unconsciously shrank back, the fiery red fur on their bodies suddenly standing on end.

"Aah!"

One Iron-Arm Ape shouted, followed by the voices of other Iron-Arm Apes. Several Iron-Arm Apes that looked taller and stronger darted off in several directions, searching for enemies.

"Aah! Aah aah~"

"Aah aah!"

"Aah aah aah~~"

After a while, the Iron-Arm Apes that had scouted for enemies returned to the crevice, empty-handed. The Iron-Arm Apes called out to each other, as if saying that they hadn't seen any enemies.

Recently, there had been an unknown 'demon beast' in Iron Arm Ape Mountain that actually dared to snatch the Vermillion Fruits of their Iron-Arm Ape tribe. The Ape King had ordered the Iron-Arm Apes guarding the Vermillion Fruits in various places to be extra vigilant. Ten Iron-Arm Ape leaders patrolled back and forth, determined to exterminate this group of demon beasts.

In Iron Arm Ape Mountain, the Iron-Arm Ape tribe was the strongest force. Even the venomous snakes in the Serpent King's Pool, which were second only to them, were just food in their mouths. Now, there were actually demon beasts that dared to steal their treasures and had even killed several Iron-Arm Apes. They were really audacious!

In the forest not far from the crevice, in a blind spot in a shady part of the mountain, Gu Sheng and Chu Xin lay prone on the roots of a tree, overlooking the crevice. Behind them, a fire that had already gone out was constantly emitting green smoke. However, what was strange was that the green smoke disappeared not long after it came out, and there was also a strange smell in the air.

Dense branches and leaves obscured their clothes, and the angle of this place was a bit off, so their figures couldn't be seen from above.

The green smoke was the same. Because it was a small slope and the forest was dense, and the green smoke dissipated not long after it left the fire, nothing could be detected without getting close.

A breeze blew past, and several Iron-Arm Apes at the downwind end twitched their noses. The smell in the air seemed to have changed.

"Almost there!"

Gu Sheng had been observing the Iron-Arm Apes' behavior. When he noticed that some of the Iron-Arm Apes were starting to look dazed, his eyes lit up. He turned to Chu Xin and nodded in signal.

After a few breaths, most of the Iron-Arm Apes realized something was wrong. They suddenly felt that their condition was off.

Before they could react, whoosh! A huge python suddenly shot out from the stream near the crack. Its massive tail, like a steel whip, swept across the group of Iron-Arm Apes.

Boom!

The Verdant Python Qing Ling's attack was too sudden. The Iron-Arm Apes couldn't react in time and suffered heavy losses. At least eight Iron-Arm Apes were either dead or seriously injured, having lost their fighting ability. Most of the remaining fifteen were wounded, with only three at a distance escaping unscathed.

"Aah! Aah!"

The Iron-Arm Apes reacted quickly after the attack. They communicated with each other through cries. Some joined forces to fight back, while others scurried to higher ground, constantly crying out, trying to attract other Iron-Arm Apes from all directions. Still others, more cautious, were already darting through the forest, trying to return and report the news.