Leaving

"Xin'er!"

Inside Ape King Cave, Gu Sheng filled the last gourd in his hands and passed it to Chu Xin beside him. The liquid level in the stone pit had already fallen by half, while the noises in the tunnel grew louder and louder. They could faintly hear the Iron-Arm Apes' cries.

"Here~"

Chu Xin snatched the wine gourd from his hand, then grabbed the half-man-high gourd behind her and handed it over.

"Run~"

Gu Sheng's constantly raised ears twitched. He abruptly rose, seized Chu Xin's slender wrist, and turned to run.

"What happened?"

The two hurried to the cave entrance. Chu Xin asked breathlessly.

Gu Sheng did not answer. He pushed Chu Xin onto a black giant python. "Go~" Then he took a fire starter from his robes and blew on it beside his mouth.

"Whoosh~ whoosh~ ignite~"

The fire starter caught. Gu Sheng hurriedly bent down and touched it to an oil-soaked cotton cord beside him.

"Boom~"

The cotton cord quickly caught fire. Gu Sheng glanced toward the depths of the tunnel, where the noise was growing louder, then sprang into action. He grabbed a rope to reduce his momentum and used his equipment to move rapidly along the mountainside.

"Bang~"

With a heavy impact, Ape King Cave was broken through once again by the Silver Ape King. Unable to suppress its impatience, it rushed into the tunnel to search for the Vermillion Fruit Wine. But halfway there, it froze when it saw the unfamiliar passage ahead. Wind blew from within, proving that the passage was open—that there was another exit.

"Eek eek~"

The Ape King cried out in alarm. Its intelligence was considerable. At the thought that its home might have been looted, its heart lurched. Just as it took a step to pursue them, it suddenly felt another wave of dread and abruptly shrank back and leapt away.

"Rumble~"

After an explosion, another powerful wave mixed with flames and thick smoke swept over them. The tunnel was completely sealed by rubble. The Silver Ape King, which had just risen, was utterly dumbfounded. This familiar formula, this familiar taste—hadn't this just happened before?

"Eek eek eek, eek eek eek~~~"

The sudden explosion alerted the Iron-Arm Apes. One after another, they ignored the Ape King's orders and surged into Ape King Cave...

Whoosh!

On the mountainside of Iron Arm Ape Mountain, a figure rapidly fell along the steep cliff face.

Gu Sheng carried a half-man-high wine gourd on his back and faced the cliff. The hooked claws in both hands sank into the rock, and he slid down the entire way. The fierce wind howled, leaving six parallel, deep furrows in the cliff.

Gu Sheng remained extremely calm. After sliding a certain distance, he extended a leg and lightly kicked against the cliff to shed some of his momentum. This ensured that the impact would not injure him when he landed.

"I hope that Ape King doesn't hold a grudge forever!"

As he slid downward, Gu Sheng occasionally looked up at the cave above, from which rocks were still falling. That was the passage he had blown up. Although his calculations suggested that the explosion should collapse the tunnel, even the most perfect plan could go wrong. He had to consider every unforeseen circumstance.

The Ape King was incredibly powerful, and Gu Sheng had stolen half its Vermillion Fruit Wine. If those apes discovered that everything had been his plan, he would be in serious trouble. For safety's sake, he had chosen the fastest—and most dangerous—way to flee the scene.

"Eek eek eek~~"

"Eek eek~"

"Eek eek~"

As Gu Sheng descended at high speed, the chattering cries of apes came from the mountaintop.

"I'm afraid Iron Arm Ape Mountain isn't safe to stay at anymore!"

Gu Sheng's heart tightened. The commotion from the apes was even greater than before. Even from his current position near the foot of the mountain, he could hear it clearly.

The Iron-Arm Apes were shrieking wildly. They had probably discovered that the Vermillion Fruit Wine had been stolen. Gu Sheng knew exactly how ruthless he had been today. He had definitely enraged the entire troop.

That Golden-Eyed Ape King would probably order its subordinates to search the whole mountain for the stolen Vermillion Fruit Wine. Although I made a backup plan, I've already achieved my goal. There's no point in staying any longer. I'd better leave while I can.

Gu Sheng made his decision. This time, he had completed the mission far beyond expectations, but the consequences were also much more serious.

If it had only been him and Chu Xin, they would have been lucky to make two trips before the Iron-Arm Apes broke through the stone wall. They could not have carried away much Vermillion Fruit Wine, and the liquid level in the stone pit would not have changed significantly.

As long as they collapsed the passage in time, the Iron-Arm Apes might not notice the subtle change in the liquid level without seeing anyone. Gu Sheng might even have been able to fool them.

But now, with the giant snakes' assistance, they had filled twelve one-man-high gourds and two half-man-high gourds, carrying away nearly half of the Vermillion Fruit Wine. With such an obvious change in the liquid level, it would be strange if the Iron-Arm Apes failed to notice.

As Gu Sheng thought, his descent grew faster and faster. The closer he got to the foot of the mountain, the more relaxed he became. His Internal Fist had already reached a certain level. He would not die from falling five hundred meters straight down.

When he was less than two hundred meters from the bottom, Gu Sheng braced himself with both hands and withdrew the hooked claws. He suddenly leapt downward, spreading his hands to catch the cliff and pause after every ten zhang. In this manner—ten zhang, pause; ten zhang, pause—he made seven or eight jumps before soaring toward Chu Xin at the foot of the mountain.

"Crack!"

Gu Sheng stepped on and broke a branch of a large tree at the mountain's base, then used the force to land lightly beside Chu Xin. Nearly twenty giant snakes, each more than six zhang long, were beside them, most of them carrying a gourd in their mouths.

"Go~"

Gu Sheng did not dare delay. He and Chu Xin flipped onto the largest black python. This black python was more than ten zhang long, with a bulge on its head, and its strength was no weaker than Azure Spirit's before its evolution.

"Hiss hiss~"

Azure Spirit, hidden on Gu Sheng's body, poked out its dragon head and hissed twice. The twenty giant snakes immediately sped into the forest, vanishing into the boundless wilderness.

Bang~

An explosion suddenly rang out halfway up Iron Arm Ape Mountain. Another passage was opened. After discovering the change in the wine pit, the Ape King quickly thought of the previous passage. With the help of a large number of Iron-Arm Apes, the blocking stones were rapidly cleared away, and the passage leading to the cliffside dead end saw daylight once more.

"Eek eek eek eek~~~~"

The Golden-Eyed Silver Ape King poked its head out and looked downward. Clouds and mist swirled below the cliff, making it impossible to see the bottom. However, the furrows Gu Sheng had left while descending still caught the Ape King's attention, and it roared furiously!

The roar resounded through the sky, and anyone could tell how enraged the Ape King was. Yet even with claws capable of reducing its momentum, it did not recklessly leap down the unfathomably deep cliff.

"Eek eek!"

"Eek eek eek!"

The ape troop chattered noisily inside the cave, each Iron-Arm Ape clearly furious. Twelve tall Iron-Arm Apes came to stand behind the Golden-Eyed Silver Ape King, each waiting for its command.

"Eek!"

The Ape King bared its teeth and roared. Four of the tall Iron-Arm Apes and nearly three hundred ordinary Iron-Arm Apes charged out of the cave and headed down the unknown mountainside.

Unlike Teng Qingshan in the original story, who took only one gourd, Gu Sheng had nearly emptied their entire stock. How could the Ape King not order a pursuit? If it had not been worried that enemies might invade its lair after it left, the Ape King would have gone after them personally.