Neither the monkeys nor the men on horseback noticed Chen Lin. The monkey in front spurred his horse into the river not far from him, then apparently decided the water was too deep to cross. He turned his horse back toward the bank and galloped onward.
The men behind him kept up their relentless pursuit.
Before long, their figures dwindled to a few black specks and vanished from sight.
Chen Lin breathed a sigh of relief.
He was not exactly too weak to truss a chicken, but at best, he was a minor lackey who knew a little martial arts. Without internal energy to support him, he could handle a few ordinary people, but he probably stood no chance against opponents who were clearly formidable fighters.
Besides, since people were passing through, a settlement was probably not far away. He could take his time looking for it.
He waited a little longer.
Chen Lin rose from the aquatic weeds, shook the water off himself, and headed toward the bank with his short saber in hand.
"Cheep, cheep."
A faint sound suddenly came from ahead.
Then, with a splash, a small head emerged from the water. Furry and golden, it belonged to the smaller of the two monkeys being pursued.
Chen Lin raised an eyebrow.
Holding his short saber across his body, he asked gravely, "Are you a human or a demon?"
"Jibber jabber."
The little monkey spoke again, but his intonation had changed.
Chen Lin immediately understood that the monkey was intelligent and could speak, but he did not understand his language.
Seeing this,
he immediately began switching languages, repeating his questions.
Finally, when he tried an ancient language, the monkey reacted.
In a halting voice, he replied, "My name is Tutu. Sir... save me. I... give you money."
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