Chapter 64: We Must Fight Our Way Up

Monkeyhead Gang Headquarters.

Yuan Er glared at the messenger in shock and anger. “What did you say? You want me to hand over the monkey corpses? To give them to the Disc Workshop for refining?!”

He was furious, his eyes bloodshot, and when he shouted, it was as if he were about to devour someone.

The messenger’s face was expressionless. “This is Lord Feisi’s command. Your Monkeyhead Gang has disappointed him greatly. So many of your pet monkeys have died—how could you possibly fulfill his expectations?”

“On the contrary, it’s better to make good use of these corpses, and refine more mechanical monkeys.”

“This year’s Fire Persimmon Festival is extraordinary! Even the Lord of the City has his eyes on it. You must put the greater good first.”

That phrase—“the greater good”—drained all color from Yuan Er’s face.

He gritted his teeth. “I—I need some time to consider…”

The messenger cut him off. “This is not yours to consider. You are to execute the order. It is a command!”

Yet as his gaze swept to Yuan Dasheng, who sat nearby like a crouching bear or tiger, his pupils contracted slightly. His tone softened. “But I understand your difficulty. I’ll give you a moment, let you come to terms with it.”

“I’ll be right outside. I won’t return empty-handed this time.”

“I hope you’ll adjust your attitude quickly.”

The messenger left the room and closed the door.

After he’d gone, Yuan Er, furious, grabbed everything within reach and smashed it to the ground.

The cacophony echoed beyond the door, but only brought a cold chuckle to the messenger’s lips.

“Outrageous! This is simply outrageous!” Yuan Er roared. “It’s the Disc Workshop behind this! They’re the ones buying up wild monkeys, they’re the ones paying for assassins to attack us, killing our pet monkeys. They’re the ones who tried to assassinate me!”

“They want to take over the fire persimmon picking business—they want to rip out the very roots of our Monkeyhead Gang!”

Yuan Er’s roar gradually gave way to a sob.

Yuan Dasheng remained calm throughout.

Since the assassination attempt on Yuan Er, Yuan Dasheng had moved in with him.

To prevent his own soul from being forcibly drawn into the palace, Yuan Dasheng would regularly damage his own soul, avoiding the mechanism that would summon him—at least, that was his theory.

Looking at the furious Yuan Er before him, Yuan Dasheng was reminded of the past.

Back then, Yuan Yi had been ambushed and gravely wounded.

The assailant had brazenly left his name, and sneered, “You think a beggar like you could ever hope for my lady’s hand? Give up now.”

“Let me tell you the truth—it was the young lady herself who sent me.”

“This is your lesson. Stop dreaming above your station; take a good look at yourself.”

Seeing Yuan Yi lying on the bed, gasping for breath, Yuan Dasheng flew into a rage and was about to charge at the enemy.

But Yuan Yi clung to him. “Dasheng, Dasheng! Calm yourself.”

“Anger won’t solve anything!”

“That Miss Zhang—I am determined to marry her. Only through marriage can our gang secure its footing, form alliances with other factions.”

“So even if I’m humiliated, even if I’m ambushed, I’ll pretend it never happened.”

Yuan Dasheng glared at him, broke free, and started smashing whatever he could reach—his anger seemed to warp the very air.

Yuan Yi slumped against the wall, breathing heavily, fresh blood seeping through his bandages.

He waited patiently until Yuan Dasheng’s fury ebbed, then came to his side.

He placed a heavy, hoarse hand on the ape’s shoulder. “Dasheng, I know you’re furious.”

“My humiliation hurts you even more than it hurts me!”

“But let me tell you—let me tell you…”

“There is no shame in humble origins. A true man bends and endures as needed.”

“I will marry that woman. Her father already leans toward alliance with our gang. It’s not for her to decide.”

“We can’t make a scene. If we do, everything will be ruined.”

“But I promise you—this humiliation, I will repay in double one day.”

“We have to get through this, Dasheng.” Yuan Yi clapped the ape’s shoulder. “We have to climb higher, fight our way up. One day, we’ll stand tall—higher than anyone.”

Under Yuan Yi’s reassurance, the flush and tension in the ape’s face gradually faded, replaced by a look of age and weariness.

His offspring had been poisoned, denied even burial, their bodies used as materials for the enemy’s machines.

A storm of rage burned in Yuan Dasheng’s chest, but his face was calm.

He watched Yuan Er vent his fury, remembering the old comrade he’d once fought beside.

But that friend was gone.

And so, to his fury, the old ape added a layer of grief.

He rose slowly, walked to Yuan Er, and gently placed his palm on the other’s shoulder.

Yuan Er shuddered, turned to see Yuan Dasheng, and collapsed to the floor, tears streaming down his face. “Uncle Monkey!”

…

Lava Immortal Palace.

The puppet Ning Zhuo had waited quietly for some time.

At last, he was certain Yuan Dasheng would not enter the palace again.

“The plan worked!” Ning Zhuo thought.

Whether it was offering high rewards to lure demon cultivators to slaughter Monkeyhead Gang’s pets, or deliberately failing to assassinate Yuan Er, it was all to put pressure on Yuan Dasheng.

Now, it seemed the results were good.

Yuan Dasheng sensed the gathering storm, saw his gang under siege, and had no time to explore the Immortal Palace.

“With this, the four great factions won’t discover Yuan Dasheng for now.”

“On the other hand, Yuan Dasheng can’t learn about the other competitors, and he’ll misjudge the situation here.”

“And as for me—am I not also in the midst of chaos?”

Zhu Xuanji from the Divine Constabulary arrived much earlier than Ning Zhuo had expected.

He had been on guard for this.

“Members of the Divine Constabulary master two main techniques: the Mind Warning Spell and the Tracing Art.”

“The former is the source of the Heart Warning Bell’s enchantment; the latter can uncover closely linked objects.”

If Ning Zhuo detonated the palace, he’d be exposed by the Tracing Art. To solve this, he’d revealed himself, made contact with Chen Cha in person, and deliberately exposed the Firebomb Monkey puppet.

Now, this arrangement had paid off.

“But how long can I hide?” Ning Zhuo didn’t know. Perhaps the next moment, he’d be exposed and hunted down.

He was prepared for that.

All he could do was race against time and move forward.

“Now, it’s just a matter of waiting for the Fire Persimmon Festival.”

…

Zhu Xuanji and Chi Dun concealed themselves as they left the black market.

Chi Dun was puzzled. “Master Zhu, what’s going on? Under your golden eyes, no one could lie—yet no one has recently bought large quantities of Fire Essence.”

Zhu Xuanji was silent for a long moment, then smiled faintly. “It seems the culprit was well-prepared.”

“From the mechanical monkeys alone, it’s clear—the criminal specifically guarded against our Tracing Art.”

“In all the city’s markets, there’s no suspicious big buyer of Fire Essence. Either they bought in bulk elsewhere, or purchased in small batches.”

“Whatever the method, it’s been carefully planned.”

Chi Dun asked, “So what do we do next?”

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