Chapter 101: A Heart Filled with Fury, a Hatred That Boils Over

Little Gold’s fur, once like golden satin, was now a dull, bruised purple-black. Qin Haoxuan’s pupils contracted, sparks of fury dancing in his eyes. Anyone could see what had happened. The monkey has been poisoned. If you have a problem, come at me. To attack a monkey? With such a low-handed trick? Even a beast wouldn’t stoop so low!

Calm down. I have to save him. He closed his eyes, forcing his emotions down. When he opened them again, the sight of Little Gold’s purple-black body, unconscious and twitching, sent another wave of pain through his heart. It was just a monkey, but after a month of living together, its mischievousness and its surprising intelligence had made it a part of his family.

Pu Hanzhong, who was examining the monkey’s body, spoke with certainty. “Someone poisoned its food. The poison is potent. An ordinary cultivator at the Fourth or Fifth-Leaf would have died instantly. Little Gold’s unique constitution is the only reason it’s still holding on.”

The monkey’s breathing was now as faint as a silk thread. It trembled constantly, its body occasionally convulsing. It was on the brink of death.

“Is there any medicine that can cure it?” Qin Haoxuan asked, his voice tight with anxiety.

Pu Hanzhong coughed, then let out a long sigh and shook his head. “The antidote for many poisons is another, opposing poison. You must fight poison with poison. But we don’t know what kind it was given. If we give it the wrong thing, we’ll only kill it faster. Our only hope is to find the person who did this, find out what poison they used, and then formulate an antidote.”

His words were like a bucket of cold water. Little Gold didn’t have much time. Finding the poisoner and making an antidote in such a short window was impossible.

As they spoke, the two hundred Mighty Apes that Little Gold commanded had gathered outside the small room, a silent, anxious vigil, their eyes fixed on their fallen leader. They no longer needed to be controlled by taming arts; they had completely submitted to the little monkey that was half their size.

News of the poisoning spread quickly. Soon, everyone in the Spirit Field Valley, and many throughout the Taichu Sect, had heard that Qin Haoxuan’s monkey was dying.

“Make way, make way!” Xu Yu’s anxious voice cut through the quiet. She and Luo Jinhua pushed their way through the crowd of apes and into the room.

“How is he?” Xu Yu asked, her heart aching as she gently stroked Little Gold’s head. The monkey’s constant twitching was painful to watch. She was upset not only because of her own affection for the creature, but because she could see the mixture of rage and anguish on Qin Haoxuan’s face.

Behind her, Luo Jinhua was also displeased, though for a different reason. She was angry that someone had poisoned the monkey, but she was more annoyed that Xu Yu was once again wasting precious cultivation time over one of Qin Haoxuan’s problems. First it was for him, and now it’s for his monkey! she fumed internally. But she kept the thought to herself. She understood how important he was to Xu Yu.

She knew that Qin Haoxuan was the key to Xu Yu’s motivation. It was Xu Yu’s desire to protect him that had fueled her cultivation, pushing her ahead of even the highly favored Li Jing. And Little Gold was key to Qin Haoxuan’s own progress. The monkey’s business was a massive source of income, resources that he would undoubtedly share with Xu Yu.

Just then, more visitors arrived. Disciples from the four great halls began to file in, crowding the small room. These were the clients of Qin Haoxuan’s monkey enterprise. With Little Gold managing their fields, they had been free to focus on their own cultivation. Now, hearing that the monkey had been poisoned, they had all rushed over. If Little Gold died, their operation would collapse.

Seeing the monkey’s swollen, purple-black body and its dull, coarse fur, they were filled with righteous indignation.

“To do something so vile to such an intelligent and capable creature… if I find out who did this, I’ll kill them myself!”

“What’s the use of talking? We need to find a way to cure it!”

“Does anyone know what this poison is? Or what the antidote is?”

“Its breathing is getting weaker. We’re running out of time. I’ll go ask my senior brothers if they recognize the symptoms.”

“Good idea. What are we waiting for? Let’s all go!”

Their concern was genuine. The poison was clearly potent. If they didn’t find an antidote soon, the monkey would die, and their own cultivation progress would be hampered. After a flurry of discussion, they prepared to leave to search for a cure.

“Senior Brothers,” Qin Haoxuan said, his voice filled with gratitude, “I will not forget your concern for Little Gold. If you can help him through this, I will remember it.”

“Don’t worry, Junior Brother Qin,” one of them said, clapping him on the shoulder. “We all love Little Gold. He’s helped us a great deal. We won’t just stand by and watch him die.”

As they left, Luo Jinhua, who had been privately wondering what all the fuss was about, was stunned. The concern on the faces of these disciples from the four great halls was real. And in that moment, she had a revelation. Through this monkey, Qin Haoxuan was building a massive network of connections. These might be mid-to-low level disciples now, but together, they were a significant force. And the resources he was accumulating… if he shared them with Xu Yu, she would have no problem solidifying her position above Li Jing. Looking at the dying monkey on the bed, Luo Jinhua’s own eyes now filled with anxiety.

Just then, Murong Chao rushed in, his face also etched with worry. In his eyes, the monkey was a rival for Xu Yu’s attention, but he also knew that its success was her success. He was angry on her behalf. “Is there a Poison-Slowing Pill?” he asked anxiously. “We could give it one to buy some more time.”

A Poison-Slowing Pill was a difficult-to-refine, low-grade pill. It didn’t cure anything, only delayed the poison’s effects, so few people ever bothered to make or carry one. But the mention of a rare pill gave Luo Jinhua an idea.

“Do you remember Senior Brother Chang Jizi?” she asked.

“Yes,” Xu Yu said distractedly. She didn’t understand what he had to do with this.

“He’s a renowned pill-maniac from the Jade Bamboo Hall. He loves to study all kinds of spirit herbs and poisons and create new formulas. I’ll go and get him now. He might be able to identify the poison!”

At her words, Xu Yu’s eyes lit up with hope. “Then please, Senior Sister, you must hurry!”

(End of Chapter)