: We Must Fight Our Way Up

Monkey Head Gang Headquarters.

Yuan Er stared at the messenger in shock and fury. "What did you say? Hand over the monkey corpses? To that Flying Disc Workshop for refining?!"

His hair seemed to stand on end with rage, eyes bloodshot, roaring as if he wanted to devour someone.

The messenger remained expressionless. "This is Lord Fei Si's command. The Monkey Head Gang has greatly disappointed him. With so many monkey pets dead, how can you possibly live up to his expectations?"

"Instead, it's better to make good use of these monkey corpses and refine more mechanical monkeys."

"This year's Fire Persimmon Festival is extraordinary! Even the City Lord is watching closely. You must consider the bigger picture."

The words "bigger picture" instantly made Yuan Er's face pale.

Gritting his teeth, he said, "I... I need time to think this over..."

The messenger interrupted, "This matter requires no consideration from you. Just execute the order. This is a command!"

But then, he caught sight of Yuan Dasheng, who was crouched nearby like a bear or tiger. His pupils contracted slightly, and his tone softened. "However, I understand your difficulties. I'll give you some time to... accept it."

"I'll be right outside the door. I won't leave empty-handed this time."

"I hope you can adjust quickly."

The messenger left the room and closed the door.

After he left, Yuan Er, enraged, grabbed everything within reach and hurled them violently to the ground.

The sound of shattering and crashing echoed incessantly, reaching the messenger's ears outside, who only responded with a cold sneer.

"This is too much! Absolutely too much!" Yuan Er roared. "It was the Flying Disc Workshop! They're the ones who massively bought up wild monkeys! They're the ones who offered huge bounties, luring demonic cultivators to ambush us and kill our monkey pets! They're the ones who tried to assassinate me!"

"They have their eyes on the fire persimmon picking business! They want to destroy the very foundation of our Monkey Head Gang!"

Yuan Er's怒吼 gradually took on a悲切的哭腔.

Yuan Dasheng remained calm throughout.

Ever since Yuan Er's assassination attempt, it had moved in to live with him.

To prevent its soul from being extracted and drawn into the palace, it periodically damaged its own soul, avoiding the soul-snatching mechanism (Yuan Dasheng's hypothesis).

Watching Yuan Er now, Yuan Dasheng felt as if it had returned to the past.

Yuan Yi had been ambushed, severely injured.

The assailant brazenly left his name, stating outright: "A mere beggar like you, wanting to marry our young lady? Hah!"

"Give up that idea."

"To be frank, I was sent by the young lady herself."

"This is a lesson for you. Stop daydreaming. Take a piss and look at your reflection."

Seeing Yuan Yi lying in bed, barely breathing, Yuan Dasheng was furious and wanted to charge out to fight the enemy to the death.

Yuan Yi held onto it tightly. "Da Sheng, Da Sheng! Calm down!"

"Rage won't solve anything!!"

"I am determined to marry that Miss Zhang. Only through marriage can our gang gain a foothold and form alliances with other gangs."

"So, even if I'm humiliated, even if I'm ambushed, I will act as if it never happened."

Yuan Dasheng glared at Yuan Yi, angrily broke free, then grabbed anything within reach and smashed it wildly. Its fury seemed to distort the very air.

Yuan Yi leaned against the wall, breathing heavily for a long time, fresh blood seeping through his bandages.

He waited patiently until Yuan Dasheng calmed down slightly before approaching it again.

He placed a hand on its shoulder, his voice hoarse and heavy. "Da Sheng, I know you're angry."

"My humiliation angers you more than your own!"

"But let me tell you, let me tell you..."

"Being born lowly is no disgrace. Being able to bend and stretch makes a true man!"

"I will marry that woman. Her father is already inclined to cooperate with our Monkey Head Gang. This isn't something she can decide."

"We can't make a scene. It would ruin everything."

"But I promise you, today's humiliation will be repaid twofold in the future."

"We must overcome this hurdle, Da Sheng." Yuan Yi patted the ape's shoulder firmly. "We must climb up, fight our way up! One day, we will stand very, very high!"

Under Yuan Yi's reassurance, the ape's flushed face and furrowed brow gradually smoothed, replaced by an aged and weathered calmness.

Its monkey offspring had been poisoned to death, yet they weren't even allowed a proper burial, instead being used as materials for the enemy to create mechanisms!

Yuan Dasheng's chest burned with towering rage, but its expression remained utterly calm.

It watched quietly as Yuan Er smashed everything in sight, thinking of its old comrade who had fought side by side with it.

Unfortunately, he was no longer here.

Thus, a layer of sorrow was added to the ape's anger.

It slowly stood up, walked to Yuan Er's side, and gently placed its hand on his shoulder.

Yuan Er shuddered, turned around, saw Yuan Dasheng, and collapsed to the floor, tears streaming down his face. "Uncle Monkey!"

Lava Fairy Palace.

The puppet Ning Zhuo waited quietly; some time had already passed.

Finally, he believed Yuan Dasheng would not enter the Fairy Palace again.

"The plan worked!" Ning Zhuo thought to himself.

Whether it was offering high prices to lure demonic cultivators to continuously attack the Monkey Head Gang's monkey pets, or intentionally failing the assassination attempt on Yuan Er, it was all to pressure Yuan Dasheng.

It seemed the effect was good.

Yuan Dasheng realized a storm was brewing, that the Monkey Head Gang was being targeted. How could it still have the mind to explore the Fairy Palace?

"This way, the four major factions won't discover Yuan Dasheng for the time being."

"On the other hand, Yuan Dasheng, failing to find other competitors, will misjudge the situation here at the Fairy Palace."

"And as for myself, am I not also in precarious circumstances?"

The arrival of Divine Arrest Department member Zhu Xuanji was much earlier than Ning Zhuo had anticipated.

Although Ning Zhuo had long been prepared.

"The two main techniques cultivated by Divine Arrest Department members are the Heart-Warning Alert Technique and the Trace Back to the Origin Method."

"The former is the source of the Alert Heart Bell's restrictions; the latter can unearth closely related objects."

If Ning Zhuo were to blow up the Fairy Palace, under the Trace Back to the Origin Method, he would definitely be exposed. To solve this problem, Ning Zhuo proactively showed himself, contacted Chen Cha in person, and deliberately exposed the mechanical explosive monkey.

Now, this setup had taken effect.

"But how long can it last?" Ning Zhuo didn't know. Perhaps the next second, he would be exposed and hunted down.

He had long been prepared.

He could only race against time, pressing forward.

"Now, we just wait for the Fire Persimmon Festival."

Zhu Xuanji and Chi Dun concealed their figures and left the black market.

Chi Dun was puzzled. "Lord Zhu, what's going on? Under your Golden Eyes, they couldn't lie. But no one has purchased large quantities of Fire Essence recently."

Zhu Xuanji was silent for a long moment, then smiled slightly. "It seems the culprit came prepared."

"From the mechanical monkey, we can see the culprit specifically prepared against our department's Trace Back to the Origin Method."

"There are no suspicious buyers making large purchases of Fire Essence in any major or minor markets of Fire Persimmon City. Either they bought in bulk elsewhere, or they purchased in small batches over time."

"Either way, it shows meticulous planning!"

Chi Dun: "Then what do we do next?"

Zhu Xuanji stroked his chin and sighed. "Next, we prepare for the Fire Persimmon Festival!"

(End of )