Chapter Eight: The Howling Mad Monkey

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Late October, and the chill of autumn was growing deeper.

A brisk autumn wind drifted in, swirling through the mountains. A layer of dead leaves had gathered on the forest floor; when the wind blew, they spun and danced into the air, scattering freely and covering the little path that spiraled up the mountainside.

At the same time, they hid several unusual traces along the path...

The third season’s spiritual rice had already formed its golden heads of grain.

In another month, the harvest would come.

The previous turmoil had faded from everyone’s minds.

On the slopes, hundreds of acres of golden spiritual fields were filled with the busy figures of spirit farmers. The yield of this final season’s spiritual rice was of vital importance to them—more than words could say.

With the harvest just around the corner, none of the farmers dared relax for even a moment. Nearly all spent their days in the fields, never leaving their plots unattended.

In Qin Ming’s field of golden spiritual rice for the third season, only a single “Weak Spiritual Power” entry had appeared.

His hope to accelerate the ripening of “Beast Fang Rice” had come to nothing.

He gazed at the four entries displayed over his field of Beast Fang Rice, feeling a burning envy.

[Name]: Beast Fang Rice [Entry]: High-Level Spiritual Rain Technique x5 (Ripeness: 28%)
[Name]: Beast Fang Rice [Entry]: Quality Enhancement x1 (Ripeness: 26%)
[Name]: Beast Fang Rice [Entry]: Accelerated Ripening x5 (Ripeness: 33%)

And the news that he had successfully cultivated Beast Fang Rice had spread; some people in the marketplace were already taking interest in the state of his acre of land.

He had no choice but to wait patiently.

Currently, his spiritual storage contained three instances of “Weak Spiritual Power.”

Qin Ming was standing in the field, casting the Spiritual Rain Technique to summon rain, when he heard footsteps approaching from behind.

He became instantly alert.

He immediately halted the technique and turned around.

A young man in white robes, carrying a small bamboo basket on his back, appeared before his eyes.

“Master Su, of all people.”

“What could he be doing here?”

Just as Qin Ming was puzzled, Master Su walked straight toward him and got right to the point: “Fellow Daoist Qin, I hear you’ve succeeded in cultivating Beast Fang Rice?”

Qin Ming quickly greeted Master Su with a respectful gesture, replying humbly, “It was a stroke of luck.”

“No need to be so restrained, my friend. I’m here today for the companion product of Beast Fang Rice—Red Spirit Dew.”

Qin Ming had never heard of this before and was deeply surprised.

Master Su explained, “Red Spirit Dew is a rather obscure alchemical auxiliary ingredient, useful for harmonizing medicinal properties. Very few people know about it.”

With that, Master Su circled the Beast Fang Rice field, observing closely.

He made a round, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

After a long pause, Master Su turned to Qin Ming and exclaimed, “To be honest, Fellow Daoist Qin, your cultivation of Beast Fang Rice has exceeded my expectations. The quality, once ripe, should be quite impressive. It seems you have unique planting secrets.”

Qin Ming was privately moved: I don’t have any secret formula, but I do have a secret I can’t tell.

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Master Su gently parted the topmost leaves of a stalk of Beast Fang Rice.

He waved for Qin Ming to come have a look.

When Qin Ming leaned in, he saw, nestled at the base of the leaf, a droplet of crimson dew, red as blood.

“So this is Red Spirit Dew,” Qin Ming said with sudden understanding.

Had Master Su not spoken, he would never have known; not even the spiritual plant manuals recorded it.

“Harvesting this Red Spirit Dew has no effect on the plant itself.”

“And I happen to need it for alchemy.”

“Fellow Daoist Qin, may I collect some?”

“I can offer ten spirit stones for it,” Master Su inquired calmly.

“You’re too kind, Master Su. If this spiritual dew is of use to you, by all means, take as much as you need,” Qin Ming replied. How could he accept payment? To cultivate a relationship with such a promising alchemist was a rare opportunity. Besides, he’d gotten a free Vitality Pill from Master Su last time; this was a perfect occasion to do him a favor in return.

“In that case, I won’t refuse.” Master Su produced a jade porcelain bottle, preparing to collect the Red Spirit Dew.

Suddenly—

The surrounding forest’s canopy began to shake violently!

Something—some kind of beast—was leaping through the woods, heading straight for the hundreds of acres of spiritual fields!

Hearing the commotion, Master Su immediately stopped his movements.

“What’s happening?” Qin Ming’s expression changed. He instinctively drew out a Golden Light Protection Talisman, his brows tightening with a sense of foreboding.

The spirit farmers on the mountain also noticed the disturbance and stopped their work.

Abruptly—

Before they could react—

“Eeek—eeek—eeek—!”

One shrill cry after another echoed over the fields.

Dozens of monkeys, bodies covered in sickly, bizarre fur, burst out of the forest!

Some among them radiated an even stronger, more menacing aura.

They were clearly mid-tier first-rank demon beasts!

“This is bad! Mad Howler Monkeys!” Master Su seemed to recognize them.

With a slap to his storage pouch, a set of formation flags appeared in his hand. He swiftly performed an incantation and flung them to the ground.

A bluish protective barrier, spanning nearly twenty feet, instantly enveloped him.

In a rapid voice, Master Su shouted to Qin Ming, “The Golden Light Talisman is useless. Get in here, now!”

Qin Ming didn’t hesitate—he dashed inside the formation’s bounds.

All at once, the sounds outside were cut off.

Qin Ming quickly looked toward the nearby fields.

There, among the rampaging Mad Howler Monkeys, their cries resounded ceaselessly, and arcs of sonic energy radiated from their mouths, spreading in all directions.

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He saw that any of the lower-ranked spirit farmers struck by the sonic waves immediately had their eyes turn blood-red, their faces twisted and ferocious, as if seized by madness.

They began attacking and fighting one another!

In an instant, chaos engulfed the fields; much of the yet-unripe spiritual rice was trampled and destroyed.

One spirit farmer, in the middle stage of Qi Refining, tried to summon a flying sword to escape, but a sudden sonic wave broke his spell, causing him to fall from the sky.

Swish!

A Mad Howler Monkey, larger than the rest, leaped from the field with astonishing speed!

In a flash, it seized the spirit farmer, bared its scarlet fangs, and bit clean through his throat.

Blood sprayed everywhere!

The fear was still frozen on his face as he died.

“Eeek—eeek—eeek—!”

Those sharp, piercing screams reverberated through the mountains.

Qin Ming’s scalp prickled at the gruesome, bloody scene.

His heart pounded in his chest, and without a moment’s hesitation, he wanted to flee.

Crops could always be replanted, but a lost life was lost forever.

But he suddenly stopped himself. If he left the range of Master Su’s formation now, he’d surely fall victim to the sonic attack and end up just like that spirit farmer.

For a moment, he was torn with indecision.

Looking back, he saw that although Master Su’s face had turned grim, he wasn’t panicking.

Does he really have that much confidence in his formation?

A dozen thoughts flashed through Qin Ming’s mind, his expression growing complicated.

“Don’t panic. My formation can hold those beasts off for a while,” Master Su said, clearly having guessed Qin Ming’s thoughts.

“Mad Howler Monkeys—their greatest weapon is their sonic attack, which can seize the mind, strange and insidious. It’s nearly impossible to guard against.”

“We just need to hold out; help from the Spirit Feather Sect should arrive soon.”

No sooner had he finished speaking, seven or eight Mad Howler Monkeys grouped together, moving to surround them and launching a fierce assault!

Among them was the very same mid-tier Mad Howler Monkey that had just killed the spirit farmer.

Eight at once?

Now even Master Su’s expression changed.

Qin Ming watched as the Mad Howler Monkeys ravaged the fields, drawing ever closer to his own plot.

Immediately, he slapped his storage pouch, eyes resolute.

A small bronze bell spun into his hand.

With a gesture and a spell, the bell instantly enlarged, floating before him in midair.

It was the Beast-Repelling Bell!

“So, it’s a battle of voices, is it? Let’s see whose is louder!”