Chapter 20

Squeak! Squeak!

Beside the waterfall, two little monkeys scratched the cloths on their bodies, their bright eyes full of curiosity, occasionally glancing at the cloths and then at Li Chen, who was scratching his head and rubbing his cheeks on a large rock.

It seemed as if they were asking, why is he just like us, always loving to scratch?

"What are you looking at? You're the monkeys, your whole family is monkeys!"

Li Chen noticed the monkeys' gazes and, as if by some divine guidance, seemed to understand their looks, which made him so angry that he jumped up and started cursing.

But then he slumped down on the rock, deflated, and weakly cursed himself for arguing with two monkeys. What was important now was how to deal with the situation.

Rush! Rush! Rush!

After much thought, Li Chen was suddenly startled awake by a series of urgent sounds, and he raised his head, alertly looking around.

Such a commotion must mean some fierce beast was around. The one who comes with ill intent is never good. In an instant, Li Chen was ready for battle, even thinking that if he couldn't defeat the intruder, he might have to abandon the monkeys and escape alone.

But what left him speechless was that the two little monkeys were no longer listless; they were excitedly squeaking and jumping around.

Just as he was pondering, the entire forest seemed to fall silent, but then came a cacophony of shrill squeaks.

"Trouble, I've disturbed a whole troop of monkeys!"

It wasn't hard to imagine that these were the reinforcements the two escaped monkeys had brought.

Seeing the large number of monkeys, it was too late to run. Li Chen's eyes darted around, and he picked up the two little monkeys, holding them as if nothing had happened, standing on the rock and pretending to admire the scenery, while his eyes darted around, thinking of how to escape.

In an instant, countless gray and black monkeys appeared on the ancient trees beside the waterfall, squeaking wildly and pounding the tree trunks.

Li Chen's mouth twitched uncontrollably. If they attacked in a group, he would be left with nothing.

Seeing the arrival of the troop, the two little monkeys tried to break free from his arms, but how could they match Li Chen's strength?

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Several loud thuds followed as seven or eight large black-haired monkeys leaped to the ground, surrounding the rock.

"Misunderstanding... hey, misunderstanding..."

Li Chen laughed nervously, essentially bullying the weak and fearing the strong.

Of course, if he had the strength, he wouldn't be afraid.

At this moment, he recognized the origins of these monkeys: Iron-Arm Monkeys, first-stage beasts, living in groups. The gray-haired ones were of middle to early-stage strength, while the black-haired ones were of late to peak strength.

Seeing the dense number of monkeys and the occasional black Iron-Arm Monkey, it wasn't hard to imagine that even a True Forging Realm martial artist wouldn't dare to provoke such a clan easily.

It had to be said, this time Li Chen had really disturbed a monkey's nest.

Huh! Huh!

A particularly robust Iron-Arm Monkey, with eyes that seemed to emit red rays, stared intently at Li Chen.

It wasn't a delusion; when Li Chen felt it looking at the two little monkeys in his arms, specifically the bandages on their bodies, the red rays in its eyes seemed to diminish.

Squeak!

The little monkey with golden eyelashes, seemingly very familiar with this Iron-Arm Monkey, kept reaching out its arms to grab it.

Strangely, this Iron-Arm Monkey first shook its head, then nodded.

This human-like scene made Li Chen's eyes widen, and his arms loosened.

Feeling a lightness in his arms, the two little monkeys immediately darted out. By the time he realized and tried to stop them, it was too late.

"Fine, fine, looks like I don't have that luck. Grandfather, I'm coming to see you. Father, Mother, where are you? I'm only fourteen, I don't even know what you look like, whether you're alive or dead!"

Li Chen, stunned, was filled with regret. Facing the troop of monkeys, even if he had broken through to the seventh or ninth layer of Inner Breath, he might not have a chance to escape.

But after a long sigh, he felt no pain, and he looked down in surprise.

What startled him was a face, several times larger, covered in pitch-black fur, with two brown eyes right in front of his nose.

"Ghost!"

A shrill scream echoed, and with a splash, Li Chen fell into the water.

Squeak!

The troop of monkeys squeaked excitedly, the ancient trees rustling and bouncing.

"Too much, if you want to kill me, just do it quickly. I won't frown, I'm a hero. At most, in twenty... no, fifteen years, I'll be a hero again!"

Li Chen, who had lived in others' ridicule all his life, couldn't bear to be mocked by a group of animals. He immediately started cursing, imitating the heroic behavior he had heard from Old Li.

Surprisingly, his anger seemed to have a calming effect on the troop, and the chaotic squeaks stopped.

Huh! Huh!

The black Iron-Arm Monkey leader jumped onto the rock where Li Chen had been standing and beckoned to him.

"What do you want?"

Li Chen replied irritably, but then he noticed that this seemingly fierce monkey leader didn't seem to have any ill intentions toward him, so he scrambled up the rock.

Next, he saw the entire troop of monkeys start to leave the ancient trees and climb into the forest.

The Iron-Arm Monkey leader, like a human, kept beckoning to him and quickly moved forward.

Even the two injured little monkeys, especially the one with golden eyelashes, kept beckoning to him from the arms of other Iron-Arm Monkeys.

"Am I supposed to follow?"

Li Chen's eyes lit up, but he hesitated. He had already been mocked by the troop of monkeys, and if he didn't go, he would be laughed at for being cowardly.

Without much hesitation, he steeled his resolve and, using his strong body and the agility of the Wind-Stepping technique, swiftly darted into the forest.

Looking at the distant ancient trees, though he couldn't see many Iron-Arm Monkeys, Li Chen knew they were ahead.

Being young and competitive, he didn't want to be looked down upon, or rather, he didn't want to be looked down upon by the monkeys. He pushed himself to the limit, using his Inner Breath to move forward.

After running for a long time, even with Li Chen's strong body, he felt waves of fatigue, and his Inner Breath was almost depleted.

Breathing heavily, he took a few more steps, his feet feeling as heavy as lead, and he plopped down on the ground.

Looking up at the towering ancient trees, the sunlight filtering through the gaps made him feel dizzy and disoriented.

Squeak!

A few gray monkeys leaped down from the trees, holding bunches of fruit, and cautiously walked over, placing the fruit on the ground before jumping back up and disappearing.

"Sweet pears, you still have some conscience!"

Li Chen's eyes sparkled, and he rolled over to the fruit, grabbing and eating it. The sweet juice immediately spread around his mouth.

As the juice entered his stomach, a warm current spread through his body, making him feel incredibly comfortable, and he even felt his strength quickly recovering.

After eating a few sweet pears, Li Chen sprang up and dashed toward where the monkeys had disappeared.

After a short while, he reached an open area. Looking around, he was stunned, his eyes wide with disbelief.