Chapter 76: Three Months of Cultivation, Still Worse than a Monkey

Pu Hanzhong, ever the patient teacher, smiled wryly. “This is only the most basic of taming arts. It’s fine for low-level beasts like the Mighty Ape. For stronger beasts, you would still use the pill and the needle, but the spiritual art itself would be different.”

“As for taming spirit beasts,” he continued, “it’s usually best to start when they are young. You raise them with the best food and drink, and when they grow up, they will naturally be loyal to you. That’s the simplest method, but spirit beast cubs have enormous appetites and are very picky eaters. Most people can’t afford to raise one. And finding a cub in the first place is incredibly difficult.” He paused, then added, “Also, a spirit beast raised from birth will lack its wild nature and won’t be as powerful as one tamed from the wild.”

“Then how do you tame a wild, adult spirit beast?” Qin Haoxuan asked curiously.

Pu Hanzhong’s smile turned bitter. “Those wild adult spirit beasts are highly intelligent and extremely powerful. I have no idea how to tame one. I’ve heard rumors that if you consistently feed one precious spirit herbs, over time, it might submit to you. But whether that’s true or not, I can’t say.” He thought for a moment, then added, “But in my opinion, spirit beasts are very proud creatures. Even if you offered them something, they probably wouldn’t eat it.” His words were like a bucket of cold water, instantly extinguishing the small flame of hope that had lit up in Qin Haoxuan’s heart.

Qin Haoxuan had to agree. The idea of winning over a wild spirit beast with just food seemed too good to be true. More likely, the beast would eat your spirit herbs, and then eat you for dessert.

Pu Hanzhong handed him a silver needle. “You try.”

Just then, the little golden monkey, who had been watching the proceedings with great interest, a human-like intelligence shining in its eyes, hopped in front of Pu Hanzhong and cheekily snatched a needle from his pouch. Pu and Qin Haoxuan just exchanged an amused smile and let the mischievous creature be.

Qin Haoxuan followed the instructions his senior brother had given him. He inserted a needle into the temple of a Mighty Ape, fed it a Beast Taming Pill, and then began to circulate his spiritual energy, forming the hand seals and chanting the incantation. But this was his first time, and either his hand seals were wrong or his incantation was off. The needle didn’t sink into the ape’s head at all. The beast just stared at him with a vacant expression, standing motionless.

His first attempt was a failure. He realized that as he was forming the seals, his spiritual energy hadn’t kept pace, rendering the technique useless. But he wasn’t discouraged. His aptitude was what it was; if he could master everything on his first try, he wouldn’t be an Uncolored Seed. He just had to practice more diligently than others.

Pu Hanzhong watched with a knowing smile but didn’t intervene. He took three more needles and, in quick succession, inserted them into the temples of three other apes and fed them the pills. Then, he deliberately slowed his own movements, chanting the incantation loudly so that Qin Haoxuan could see and hear more clearly. He gave detailed pointers on the key parts, explaining how to coordinate his spiritual energy with the hand seals.

As Pu’s hands moved, the three needles sank into the apes’ heads simultaneously. He then began to command all three of them at once, making them perform different actions. When they resisted, he would reward them with dried figs, and before long, the three apes were preliminarily tamed.

Qin Haoxuan looked at his patient and meticulous senior brother with gratitude, then refocused, trying to copy him exactly. After several more attempts, the needle in his ape’s temple finally sank in an inch. When he tried to command it, the ape was uncooperative. He continued to feed it figs while practicing the hand seals and incantation, trying to perfect the coordination between his mind, hands, and spiritual energy. Pu Hanzhong nodded, quite satisfied with his progress.

But then, the little golden monkey, who had been watching with a needle in its hand and a glint of eagerness in its eyes, picked up a Beast Taming Pill and trotted over to another ape. It stuffed the pill into the ape’s mouth, inserted the needle, and then, with surprising accuracy, began to mimic Pu Hanzhong’s hand seals.

Qin Haoxuan and Pu Hanzhong, who had been watching the monkey’s antics, just smiled at each other. The little thing was certainly amusing, but a complex Daoist art like Taming was not something a monkey could possibly learn.

The sight that followed wiped the smiles from their faces. As the little monkey’s hands moved through the seals, it let out a few chirping squeaks, and a spiritual energy vortex formed around its hands. The ambient energy of heaven and earth swirled and gathered at its command. As it flawlessly replicated the gestures, it channeled this dense energy, and the dazed Mighty Ape began to move in perfect sync with its commands.

What… what is happening?

Pu Hanzhong felt like he was dreaming. His master had always stressed that the three components—hand seals, incantations, and one’s own spiritual energy—were all indispensable. But this little monkey had no spiritual energy of its own and couldn’t speak the incantation. Yet with just the hand seals, it was able to command the energy of the world and actually tame the beast. And what was more, it didn’t even need to use the figs. The ape it controlled showed no resistance at all, completely subdued by the little creature it had once bullied.

Having just experienced firsthand how difficult it was to perfectly coordinate the three components, Qin Haoxuan stared at the little monkey, dumbfounded. He was a whirlwind of emotions: thrilled that he had stumbled upon such a treasure, and mortified that a monkey had already mastered a technique he was still struggling with. I’m actually worse than a monkey, he thought with a sigh.

He looked at the little creature with its dark golden fur and asked again, “Senior Brother Pu, are you absolutely sure this isn’t a strange beast?”

Pu Hanzhong nodded, then shook his head. He stared at the monkey for a long time before finally sighing in resignation. “It’s truly not in the Record of Strange Beasts. It looks like an ordinary monkey. But for it to be able to command the energy of heaven and earth and use our human taming arts… that alone is extraordinary.” He thought for a moment more. “Perhaps it’s a species that even the bestiaries don’t know about. We should take it to see Master. Perhaps he will be able to identify it.”

“Good idea,” Qin Haoxuan agreed. Perhaps only the wise and experienced Hall Master could explain the monkey’s abilities and tell them what it was. Then he could teach it properly, maybe even some spiritual arts. It could become a powerful ally, even greater than a normal spirit beast. After all, what kind of spirit beast, aside from those in the legends that could move mountains and fill seas, could so casually command the energy of the world?

He walked over, intending to pick up the little monkey. It hopped back a few steps, its eyes wary.

“Little fellow,” Qin Haoxuan said, crouching down and putting on his most harmless smile. “My senior brother and I want to take you to see my master. He’s the only one who might know what kind of monkey you are.”

The little monkey blinked and tilted its head, considering his words. It seemed to understand that there was no malice in his voice and, with a single leap, it jumped onto his shoulder.

By the time they brought the monkey to the Nature Hall, night had fallen. Xuanji, who was meditating, opened his eyes. In the dim light of the oil lamp, he looked Qin Haoxuan up and down. “Did those elders give you any trouble?” he asked with concern.

“Thank you for your concern, Master. They did not.”

“Good. The path of cultivation is filled with dangers. You must be more careful in the future. If you ever encounter something you cannot handle, tell me at once.” His gaze then fell on the golden monkey, a hint of intelligence in its eyes. “Bringing a monkey to see me so late at night,” he said playfully. “What is the matter?”

“Master, my senior brother and I are not knowledgeable enough to identify this monkey,” Qin Haoxuan said, stroking its head. “We were hoping you might have seen one like it before.” The little monkey chirped and looked at Xuanji with an expectant expression.

“It certainly is a spirited little thing,” Xuanji chuckled. He stepped down from his cushion and walked over, examining the monkey closely for a long time. “This is just an ordinary monkey,” he finally said. “There is no record of such a creature in the bestiaries. It has very weak spiritual energy of its own, but it can call upon the energy of the world… I suppose it must be because it is very intelligent.”

Qin Haoxuan stroked the monkey’s head, a little disappointed. He had thought that a creature with such an ability must be a remarkable species. But if his master said it was an ordinary monkey, then it must be so. Still, for an ordinary monkey to have such an ability was impressive enough. The little monkey, sensing his affection, rubbed its furry head against his chest.

“Though it’s not a strange beast, if you raise it well, it might not be inferior to one!” Xuanji said with a smile and reached out to pet it. But the little monkey, apparently holding a grudge that he had not spoken well of it, snarled at him and scrambled behind Qin Haoxuan’s back. The sight made Xuanji chuckle.

By then, it was very late. “The mountain path is treacherous at night,” Xuanji said to Pu Hanzhong. “And I am to teach Qin Haoxuan the Celestial River Dao Art tomorrow morning. Go and prepare a guest room for him. He can stay here for the night.”

“Yes, Master,” Pu Hanzhong said. He led Qin Haoxuan to a room and, after getting him settled, went to get some much-needed rest himself.

In the room, by the dim candlelight, Qin Haoxuan looked at the little monkey. “Little fellow,” he said, “how about I give you a name? Hmm… I’ll call you Little Gold.”

The little monkey tilted its head, thinking. It could understand his words, but it had no way of knowing if “Little Gold” was a good name or not. So, after a moment’s thought, it simply left the matter in his hands.

(End of Chapter)