"Cheep, cheep..."
The moment the little monkey saw the Mountain-Lifting Ape on the ice, terror filled his eyes, and he struggled to climb down from Xu Taiping.
"Easy. I'll take you over."
Xu Taiping gently patted the little monkey's head, then poured spiritual power into his feet. His figure swept forward like the wind, reaching the Mountain-Lifting Ape in the blink of an eye.
The Mountain-Lifting Ape was covered in burns. Already at his last gasp, he was holding on solely to see the little monkey one last time.
"Cheep, cheep..."
The little monkey leaped down from Xu Taiping and rushed to the Mountain-Lifting Ape, cradling his face in both hands.
Then Xu Taiping watched as the two monkeys, one large and one small, began chattering to each other.
"The old monkey is giving the little one his final instructions, though I don't know exactly what he's saying."
Fairy Lingyue seemed to understand some of their language.
Xu Taiping was not particularly concerned with what the two monkeys were saying, but the scene before him still stirred memories of his grandfather.
After all, on that night of howling wind and snow, his grandfather had given him his final instructions just like this.
"You... young man..."
Just then, the Mountain-Lifting Ape seemed to have finished speaking to the little monkey. He lightly touched the little monkey's head with a finger, then looked at Xu Taiping and said:
"Could you... help me look after... my child? I can... have him forge a soul contract with you and serve you for one jiazi, young man..."
Xu Taiping already knew something about forging soul contracts with spirit beasts, but he had never imagined such an opportunity would one day be handed to him for nothing.
Fairy Lingyue did not interject. She simply watched quietly