By 3:00 PM, Su Mo had already searched the area eight times, yet there was still no trace of the cave.
He had found water, but without shelter, surviving until morning was uncertain. There was no telling if he’d encounter another revenant—for all he knew, one could be hiding behind a nearby tree right now.
Driven by curiosity, he walked over to inspect the tree.
And sure enough, he found one.
But this revenant was already on the ground, its mask torn off, helmet removed, and weapon likely stolen.
Who could have done this?
Su Mo figured there couldn’t be many people who, like him, had already begun cultivating in secret. Counting himself and Ye Qingyi, finding even a third person would be rare.
It was probably her.
For some reason, the thought of Ye Qingyi defeating a revenant lifted his mood. Deep down, he felt she should be this exceptional—after all, if she had lost to him, how could she possibly struggle against mere undead?
The unconscious revenant suddenly twitched. Su Mo knew its core was still intact, so without hesitation, he finished it off.
Though “finishing it off” took three precise strikes.
With practiced ease, he retrieved the core, buried the armor, and moved on—another trophy acquired, and this time, with zero effort.
“Don’t tell me I’ve actually stumbled into some ancient ruins,” Su Mo muttered, shaking his head with a bitter chuckle.
Suddenly, a fist-sized rock whizzed past his ear and struck the ground.
Furious, he turned—only to find the culprit was a white-furred monkey.
“What’s your problem?” Su Mo snapped.
The monkey seemed to understand him. It stuck out its tongue, then turned around, wiggling its bright red buttocks in blatant mockery.
Su Mo couldn’t help but laugh. Even the monkeys here are this shameless?
He decided to play along, neither angry nor leaving, simply watching with amusement.
The monkey kept wiggling, but when Su Mo didn’t react—instead grinning like a spectator—it took offense.
With an irritated screech, it snapped off a dead branch and hurled it at him. Su Mo sidestepped effortlessly.
“Is that all you’ve got? Can’t even land a hit?” He responded with a universally understood gesture—a raised middle finger.
Shockingly, the monkey seemed to grasp the insult. It shrieked and flailed, practically screaming, “Come here and fight me, then!”
Amid the lush forest, man and monkey hurled insults (and occasional rude gestures) at each other. The monkey, of course, was at a disadvantage—its repertoire consisted solely of “scree scree!” and meaningless flailing.
“Alright, enough games. I’ve got things to do.” As the sun dipped westward, Su Mo’s patience waned.
“Scree! Scree scree!” The monkey protested, refusing to let him leave, pelting him with whatever it could grab each time he turned away.
“You really don’t want to mess with me. Keep this up, and I’ll raid your nest—wait. Nest?” His stomach growled, and an idea struck.
“As friends, it’s only fair you invite me over, right?” Su Mo flashed a disarming smile.
To his surprise, the monkey paused, deep in thought, then nodded and gestured for him to follow.
Su Mo: “…”
He’d only been joking, but now the monkey was actually leading him somewhere.
Is this a trap?
He shook his head. “It’s just a monkey. No matter how clever, it’s still just a monkey. What’s the worst it could do?”
“Wait up, Monkey Bro!” Su Mo jogged after it.
The dense undergrowth made running difficult, but the monkey chose a surprisingly clear path.
After ten minutes, the monkey stopped atop a riverside tree, gazing wistfully at the opposite bank.
Su Mo reached the tree and saw what lay across the water: towering trees laden with vibrant red fruit.
“Your home’s over there?”
The monkey shook its head, pointing at its mouth, then at the fruit.
“You want to eat those?”
The monkey’s eyes lit up, nodding vigorously.
“Oh, so you tricked me? You promised a visit, but you just want me to help you snack!” Su Mo feigned indignation.
The monkey shook its head wildly, eyes locked on the fruit as if it were some divine treasure.
Divine treasure…?
A realization hit him. “Wait—did eating those fruits make you understand human speech?”
The monkey paused, then nodded emphatically.
“Then how’d you get them last time?” Su Mo was genuinely curious now.
The monkey looked up at the sky, then at the ground, before staring blankly at Su Mo—as if it wasn’t entirely sure.
Suddenly, its eyes widened in terror. It scrambled across the branches for a full thirty seconds before calming down and jerking its chin at Su Mo.
Su Mo’s eye twitched. This thing is way too human-like.
From the monkey’s antics, Su Mo deduced it had either been to the other side or stumbled upon the fruit by chance.
“Fine, I’ll help. But what’s in it for me? Got any legendary martial arts manuals?” He half-joked, recalling The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber’s plot.
The monkey scratched its head, baffled.
“You need to give me something good. Fair trade,” Su Mo clarified.
Understanding dawned. The monkey excitedly pointed elsewhere, urging him to follow.
Su Mo trailed behind, curious what “treasure” awaited.
They arrived at a cave filled with chattering monkeys.
At the cave’s heart, the white-furred monkey reigned as king. Under its command, the others merely crowded around, curiously examining the strange, furless creature.
Su Mo kept his hand near his blade, ready to draw if needed.
Past the communal area, they reached the monkey’s private chamber—dim but not pitch-black, thanks to cracks of light.
The floor was littered with “treasures”: gnarled roots, discarded plastic bottles, and… a pink bra?
Su Mo shot the monkey a dubious look.
But not all was junk. Among the clutter gleamed a jade ring, faintly luminous in the gloom.