The little star from the Gobi Desert, handed over to the state, is hailed as a national treasure.

As they climbed, a small rock, about half a meter square, appeared in front of them, just big enough for one person to sit on. The python hung its body on a branch next to it, lowered its head, and let Tian Tian slowly get down.

As soon as Tian Tian sat down on the rock platform, her whole body went limp, and her two little hands ache a little.

Before she knew it, she had climbed very high, and the trees below had turned into small clusters of green dots, with a layer of snow-white mist swirling around the mountains.

A gust of mountain wind blew under Tian Tian's feet. If it weren't for the big monkey holding her up, it would probably have blown her off.

But when she looked up, the top of the cliff seemed to be very, very high, and even with the sun shining, she still felt that she could not see clearly.

The old monkey also climbed up. It didn't have much strength left, but because it was worried about Tian Tian, ​​it insisted on staying by her side.

The large python was coiled up in the tree, seemingly resting.

Sweetie looked at them, then suddenly remembered something and took something out of her pocket.

These were two wild fruits that the little monkey had given her before. One of them was too sour, so she had already thrown it away. She had casually put the other one in her pocket, and now she could take it out and eat it.

She removed the crescent-shaped silver ornament from her head, cut the fruit in half, handed one half to the old monkey, and the other half to the python's mouth.

The old monkey took it, took a bite, and made a "squeak" sound at her, its expression seeming to be a thank you.

The python looked at the half-eaten fruit, licked it with its tongue, and then slowly swallowed it.

After resting for a while, the old monkey stood up, looked at the cliff face, and then looked back at the giant python. The cliff was still quite a distance from their heads, and it would be difficult for them to get Tian Tian up there by themselves.

But now, there's no going back. The python and the monkey belong to this forest, but Sweetie can no longer stay in the valley.

Just then, the big monkey suddenly pointed downwards and made a "squeak" sound!

Sweetie looked down and saw one gray shadow after another flashing below the cliff. They swept past the shadows of the trees, passed through the vines, and climbed up one rock after another, like a group of divine soldiers descending from the sky, darting up with a whoosh!

Some of them clung to the vines, swinging their bodies on them; some stood on the treetops, rising and falling gently with the wind; and some climbed onto the rocks, peeking out their little heads.

The most mischievous one simply climbed onto the python's body, straddling its back, and placing its paw on its forehead in a watchful gesture—

"Sun Wukong!"

Sweetie shouted excitedly!

This pose is clearly drawn in a comic book, exactly the same as Sun Wukong's movements!

"Wow, little monkeys, are you all here to help Sweetie?!"

Sweetie clapped her hands happily, but a sharp pain shot up her palm, and she dared not move again.

The little monkeys were squeaking and chattering, and their expressions made it clear—yes, they were there to help you!

The old monkey called out to them a few times, as if asking for directions. The mischievous little monkey pointed upwards, then pointed to itself, and quickly climbed a few steps up. Another little monkey climbed onto its head, and a third one climbed up and piled on top of the other two.

The three monkeys lay on the rocks one after another, their meaning quite clear: these clever little creatures would rely on their own strength, one after another, to help Sweetie climb up.

The old monkey was tired, and the python was also tired from climbing all the way here, but the little monkeys still had energy.

They would start from here, carrying her all the way to the top of the cliff.

As Tian Tian watched, her eyes welled up with tears, and a single tear rolled down her chin and fell to her feet.

"Waaaah... Little monkey, big snake, you...you're all...so kind..."

The little girl could no longer stop crying and began to sob uncontrollably.

She received gentle care from the monkeys after she fell off the cliff, but she did nothing to thank them and didn't even have a decent gift to give them.

"I want to thank you... but I... I don't have any gifts..." Sweetie said, feeling more and more aggrieved. Her mother had said that good friends should help each other, but they had helped her so much, and she couldn't repay them in any way.

The old monkey stood beside her, reached out its paw, and gently stroked the little girl's head. Seeing the tears streaming down her face, it thought for a moment and pointed to the chain on its chest.

Sweetie was taken aback and asked, "Grandpa Monkey, what does this mean?"

The old monkey grabbed her hand, placed it on the chain, and then lowered his head to get closer to her.

Sweetie thought for a few seconds and understood; the old monkey wanted her to take off the chain.

Although she didn't know why it was doing this, the little girl still listened to it and obediently raised her hand to take the chain off.

Because it had been hanging for so long, it wasn't an easy task, but the little girl was very gentle and careful, removing the chain little by little without hurting the old monkey.

This chain is so old that it has faded a bit, and there is a simple copper plaque with a few words engraved on it.

At the base, Tian Tian has been learning cultural lessons from Aunt Zhang Zhixiu in the secretariat and can recognize some simple characters. Facing the sun, she carefully examined the characters for a long time and saw that it read "Respectfully presented to my beloved daughter Fangfang".

She didn't recognize the characters "爱" (love) and "惠存" (to cherish), but she did recognize the characters "女" (woman) and "芳芳" (fragrant).

With her exceptional comprehension and imagination, she immediately understood, "Grandpa Monkey, this sign belongs to a little girl named Fangfang, right?"

The old monkey nodded, his gaze fixed on the sign, a hint of emotion in his eyes.

This was given to its owner's daughter decades ago. At that time, the country was in trouble, and the owner took the dog and his daughter and fled south, hiding in these mountains.

It followed its owner to make a living by performing. The owner would always share the food with it and the little girl first, and then eat the leftovers himself.

As the Japanese bombed the area, they were forced to take refuge in this valley. The owner's daughter was tragically wounded by shrapnel and died young. The owner was heartbroken and left the chain to the dog, and then he himself was laid to rest there.

It looked at the little girl in front of it, who looked just like Fangfang from back then. It was just a pity that Fangfang never had a day of peace.

It pointed to the necklace, indicating that Sweetie could put it on herself, and then made a gesture to the little monkeys.

The little monkey let out a soft cry, and then, with Sweetie wrapped around its neck, it carried Sweetie on its back and began to climb up the cliff.

Behind it, other little monkeys huddled around, partly to protect Tian Tian from falling, and partly to climb in front and take its place when their companion got tired.

This vast procession traversed clouds and mist, overcame obstacles, and transcended races, winding its way up the mountainside.

The giant python coiled itself around the tree trunk, its head raised high, watching them climb. The old monkey also squatted there, observing this peculiar group.

As Sweetie climbed, she turned back to see them, their figures bidding her farewell in the cloud valley.

The mountain winds blow, and the higher you go, the stronger the winds become.

Although the little monkeys were nimble, they were not as strong as the older monkeys. They could only carry Tian Tian on their backs, and they would choose places with vines and crevices to climb, using the mountain's slope to stabilize their bodies as they were swayed by the strong wind. When they couldn't climb anymore, another little monkey would take over.

Several times, the little monkeys were too afraid to move because the wind made the vines and branches rustle, and they clung tightly to the mountain wall.

To prevent Tian Tian from falling, several monkeys surrounded the little girl, some holding down her head and others her feet, protecting her with their own bodies.

On two other occasions, the clever monkeys simply pulled the flexible vines and wrapped them around Sweetie and themselves, so that Sweetie wouldn't be blown off.

Sweetie didn't know how many little monkeys she had switched with. She only remembered that every time they "relayed," furry paws would support her bottom and help her climb onto the back of another monkey.

Her arms were already sore, and her legs were numb and she couldn't feel them, but she knew that this was no longer just her own problem, but that the whole group of monkeys and the giant snake were protecting her together.

Therefore, we cannot stop.

We absolutely cannot stop!

"Come on..." she told herself. "Sweetie will definitely climb up! She'll definitely find Daddy!"

Now, another little monkey has taken her place. This is the last one; the rest of the monkeys are exhausted and rest in place.

And this one was almost out of strength; she could feel the little monkey's paws trembling as it held her up.

Sweetie gritted her teeth and looked up—

There are only three meters left to the top of the cliff.