Wuxia: Start with max-level Nine Yang Divine Skill

Chapter 261 Mountain Legends, Man-Eating Ape Monster? (4k6)

The lobby fell silent for a moment.

The scholar-like young man was taken aback at first, then a look of deep regret crossed his face. He sighed softly, "So clueless—utterly clueless! Such a beautiful woman serving tea with her delicate hands, and he—"

He didn't finish his sentence, only shaking his head repeatedly, as if he had witnessed some regrettable waste of resources.

The traveling merchants looked at each other in bewilderment.

One of them stroked his chin and said, "That young man has quite the temper. Such a beautiful woman is pouring him tea, and he doesn't even appreciate it?"

Song Zhaoxue, however, showed no sign of annoyance.

She paused for a moment, then gently took the teacup back and placed it on her table, her tone as usual, with a touch of gentle insistence.

"Alright then. The mountain road is difficult to travel, so I'll have Wei Ying go and change your bedding. It's cool in the mountains at night, so thicker bedding will make you more comfortable."

As she spoke, she actually instructed Wei Ying to make the arrangements.

Everyone was stunned again.

Being coldly rejected to one's face would make any ordinary woman feel resentful or even ashamed, let alone this woman who seems to be a celestial being, who must have been cherished as a precious jewel since childhood, with countless men pursuing her.

But the woman was not angry at all. Instead, she found another reason to take care of him. There was no sign of reluctance in her tone. It was as if she was used to this kind of care.

The local old man stroked his beard and said in a low voice, "This woman is quite rare—with such a temperament, even a stone would be warmed up by warmth."

Among the traveling merchants, some clicked their tongues in amazement: "Just who is this young man? Is he a scion of a noble family? Or some famous scholar? How can such a beautiful young lady serve him so meekly and obediently?"

Li Fu took another sip of coarse tea, but then refused again, saying, "No need. I need to rest soon. I've been traveling all day and can't wait. I'm not that delicate."

Along the way, Song Zhaoxue's behavior was too unusual and she was too caring. She personally brewed tea for him, made his bed, and even pushed dishes that suited his taste in front of him during meals.

These things wouldn't be unusual between ordinary masters and servants, but she was a daughter of the royal family, and even with her special status, she was still a precious person.

By being so humble and patient in caring for a stranger, she has already placed herself in an extremely low position.

Her actions made Li Fu suspicious.

In addition, Wei Ying's complicated and indescribable gaze when she looked at him, and the guard from the Prince's mansion disguised as a stable boy named Uncle Tai, who acted as if he were a thief, were almost admitting their guilt without being asked.

Why would a master in a prince's mansion be so wary of a mere constable?

Why did he believe this person would harm his young lady? All these unusual behaviors could only be related to that old incident from years ago.

Could it be that former members of the Prince's Mansion have planted spies in the Prince of Nankang's residence?

Rejected again, Song Zhaoxue stood still, watching Li Fu's profile as he drank tea. Her expression remained calm, but a faint trace of sadness flashed in her eyes.

She didn't say much, but simply picked up the slightly cooled teacup and took a small sip.

Everyone in the lobby watched in silence.

Unaware of the inside story, they only saw a woman repeatedly placing herself in a humble position and speaking in a lowly manner, while the man remained indifferent.

This situation seems to suggest that the woman is willing but the man is indifferent, yet the woman is not the type of woman who is usually devoted to a man, making it difficult to understand.

Uncle Tai watched the whole scene unfold from outside the door. He tightened his grip on the reins a little, then slowly loosened it, without stepping forward.

By this time, it was already dark, and oil lamps were lit in the hall, casting long shadows of everyone in their dim light.

The traveling merchants sat around a table, eating coarse flatbread and chatting idly.

One of them suddenly lowered his voice, a hint of worry in his tone, and said, "You guys think we'll run into that thing if we stay here tonight?"

The person next to him frowned: "What, that thing?"

The man looked around and said in an even lower voice, "It's that strange ape I heard about on the way here."

The innkeeper, carrying an oil lamp, came out of the kitchen and interjected, "Gentlemen, speaking of which, I must also remind you that when you rest at night, make sure to close the doors and windows tightly. If you hear any strange noises or see any shadows outside the window, do not open the door rashly or light any lamps, lest you disturb them."

He said this in a normal tone, not as if he were deliberately trying to scare people, but rather as if he were saying a common reminder that he often gives to his guests day after day.

But that ordinary tone sent chills down one's spine.

Song Feizhang, who happened to be sitting at the next table, asked curiously, "Shopkeeper, what do you mean? Is there a thief running rampant in the neighborhood?"

A look of apprehension flashed in the shopkeeper's eyes. He shook his head and was about to reply.

A local at the next table sighed, his voice extremely low, as if afraid of being overheard: "It would be better if it were just a thief. At least a thief is human, but what's causing trouble in these mountains is a monster."

Song Feizhang was taken aback: "A monster?"

Wei Ying couldn't help but ask, "What monster?"

Li Fu turned his gaze to them.

The local hesitated for a moment, as if mentioning the creature filled him with fear: "Legend has it that it's a monstrous ape. More than twice the size of a normal person, covered in black fur, with thick, long limbs and hooked nails, possessing immense strength, preferring to travel at night when it's dark and windy, and carrying a foul stench. It can climb walls, silently slip through windows into houses, abduct people, and then—"

He swallowed hard, then uttered the rest of the sentence with difficulty: "Open up a person's skull and eat their brains raw."

The lobby fell into a deathly silence.

The flame of the oil lamp flickered, as if startled by the words.

Song Feizhang's curiosity froze, and his fingers tightened slightly around the teacup.

Hearing the other party recount this terrifying event with such seriousness, Wei Ying's expression changed slightly.

The traveling merchants turned pale, one of them his voice hoarse: "This—this is too bizarre. How could there be such a beast?"

The local man shook his head and said, "I didn't believe that at first either, but this autumn, in Zhangjiazhai, which is two villages away, five people disappeared overnight. The doors and windows were all intact, but the people were gone."

Two weeks later, someone found several corpses in the deep mountains. The skulls had all been opened, and inside—

He didn't finish his sentence, but the unspoken meaning had already sown a chill in everyone's hearts.

The shopkeeper slowly said from the side, "That's why I said that the doors and windows must be closed after nightfall."

As he wiped the oil lamp, he said, "This thing has been bothering these mountains around here since last year."

Some say it was a ferocious monkey king that emerged from the deep mountains; others say it was the work of a mountain demon; still others say it was a mad, wild man who escaped from the mountains and survived by eating people.

No one has ever seen what it really is; they've only seen its shadow in the moonlight as it climbs over the wall, tall and large, its claws resting on the windowsill, peering inside like a human.

He mimicked the movement, leaning slightly forward, his withered hands resting on the edge of the table, his gaze sweeping over the crowd.

"Shopkeeper, don't try to scare people on purpose," Song Feizhang said, his throat dry.

Wei Ying couldn't help but shrink back, and whispered to her young mistress, "This—there are no monsters in this world, it's mostly just hearsay from the mountain people."

Song Zhaoxue also showed disbelief on her face.

Li Fu frowned slightly.

The journey into Sichuan revealed a stark contrast to what was seen and heard in the Central Plains.

He didn't really believe in any mandrill monsters that ate human brains.

The people of Sichuan are indeed fierce and tough. You often encounter mountain people carrying knives and bows on the treacherous mountain roads. The old women and children in the villages and towns also have a wild look in their eyes that makes people feel cold.

Unexpectedly, its mountain legends are even more fierce and terrifying than those of other places.

Uncle Tai had already settled the carriage and walked in from outside.

He poured himself a bowl of tea and said to Song Zhaoxue, "Nonsense. Just a strange tale from a remote mountain village or a desolate household."

"I have heard of dishes made from raw monkey brains in the Western lands, but I have never heard of monkeys abducting people, opening their skulls and eating their brains."

Even the largest ape is only chest-high to a normal person; how could it climb onto a window and drag a person away?

His tone was confident and somewhat disdainful, which did reassure the people present.

Song Feizhang nodded and said, "Uncle Tai is right. I think it's probably just some kind of gorilla or baboon from the mountains. People saw it and the story got out of control."

""

The traveling merchants felt uneasy. Looking out at the deep night, they felt as if something was lurking in the shadows of the mountains, silently watching the brightly lit inn.

It was getting late.

After tonight, if we travel for another two days, we should be able to reach Tangmen.

Li Fu and the others rested, feeling somewhat tired from traveling all day, and went back to their rooms to lie down early.

The inn gradually quieted down, with only the mountain wind whistling through the eaves, sounding like something crying softly in the distance.

The rumors about the strange ape that the locals and the shopkeeper had told them during the day were not taken seriously by the group.

Even Li Fu thought it was impossible for there to be any strange apes. Although he was still on guard, he thought that there might be thieves pretending to be ghosts. If he encountered them, he would just deal with them casually.

In the middle of the night, a piercing scream shattered the silence.

The sound came from the side room on the left side of the main hall; it was short and sharp, as if it had been abruptly cut off. This was followed by the muffled thud of tables and chairs overturning, and then an eerie silence.

A traveling merchant lived there.

Inside the inn room, Li Fu opened his eyes and frowned slightly.

One of Song Feizhang's guards, who lived next door, was the first to make a move. He put on his clothes, got up, picked up his knife, pushed open the door and peeked out, only to see that the door of the opposite room was wide open, and the moonlight shone in, reflecting a messy dark red.

His heart tightened, and he took a step forward.

A dark figure suddenly darted out from inside the door and pounced on him.

He only had time to let out a short scream before the dark figure slammed him to the ground. Then came the dull thud of his skull shattering, and then silence.

When the other guards rushed over at the sound, they were met with a scene they would never forget.

Moonlight slanted in through the open window. The first guard to arrive lay dead to one side, and a large, dark figure crouched beside the dead traveling merchant, head bowed, hands cradling the man's head.

The head had been torn open, and something bright red and dark white was slowly oozing from the wound.

As it sucked and chewed, it seemed to sense the approaching person and slowly raised its head.

It did indeed resemble an ape, with black fur all over its body, thick and long limbs, and fingernails that were slightly curved like iron hooks, gleaming coldly in the moonlight.

The most terrifying thing was its eyes—the pupils were a deep, dark green, gleaming with a light that was neither human nor beast.

One of the guards cried out, "A strange ape! It really is a strange ape!"

The strange ape seemed to be enraged by the shout, and suddenly bared its mouth, revealing a mouthful of sharp teeth, and let out a low, hoarse roar.

Its body blurred, moving as fast as a ghost, and in the blink of an eye it pounced on the nearest guard.

The guard raised his sword to parry, but the strange ape struck the blade with its palm, bending the steel longsword. The guard, sword and all, flew backward, crashing into the wall and spitting out blood.

The other guards drew their weapons and surrounded the ape, but the ape moved like the wind, dodging left and right, weaving freely through the flashing blades.

A guard slashed at its shoulder with his sword, but the blade seemed to strike pig iron, only managing to scrape off a few black hairs without even cutting through the flesh.

With a backhand swipe of its claw, the guard suffered a deep, bone-revealing claw wound on his chest, and collapsed with a scream.

When Song Feizhang came downstairs, this was exactly what he saw. His eyes widened, and his voice trembled: "Mountain demon? Be careful!"

""

"Protect the Duke!"

The remaining seven or eight guards gritted their teeth and rushed forward, but the strange ape was incredibly strong, impervious to swords and spears, and moved like lightning. In just a moment, two or three more were struck by its sharp claws, their tendons and bones broken, and they fell to the ground, unable to get up.

Upstairs, Li Fu had already been awakened.

He got up, put on his clothes, pushed open the door, and stood in the corridor, looking down at the hall. He didn't rush to make a move, but just watched the strange ape roar and pounce in the moonlight, his gaze sweeping over its emerald eyes and thick, long limbs.

At this time, Uncle Tai and Wei Ying also arrived.

Upon seeing the strange ape and then glancing at the guards lying on the ground, Wei Ying cried out urgently, "Protect the young lady!" She then leaped forward and struck the strange ape with a palm.

She used the martial arts masterpiece, Spring on the Branch Palm, whose force was like spring sweeping across the earth, possessing an unstoppable momentum. Her palm struck the strange ape's chest.

The giant ape's massive body was sent flying backward by the blow, crashing into the earthen wall behind it with a loud bang, sending bricks and stones flying everywhere.

But after landing, it just shook its head, then flipped over and stood up again, as if the slap was nothing more than a gust of wind to it.

Wei Ying's expression changed slightly.

She used seventy percent of her strength in that palm strike, enough to shatter even an ordinary stone tablet, yet the strange ape seemed unharmed, not even a drop of blood seeping from its mouth.

The strange ape was clearly enraged by her, letting out a sharp roar and lunging at Wei Ying on all fours like a black whirlwind.

Wei Ying dared not be negligent. She unleashed the full power of her Spring on the Branch Palm technique, her palm shadows flying, each palm striking the strange ape with precision.

But the strange ape was as hard as iron. It took more than ten blows from her, but it only swayed and showed no signs of injury.

Its attacks are completely haphazard—tearing, scratching, biting, and ramming—purely driven by the instincts of a wild beast. Yet, it relies on its invulnerable body...

With lightning speed and immense strength capable of tearing metal apart, Wei Ying gradually found herself at a disadvantage.

"What a formidable beast! Or is someone disguised as an ape and playing tricks?!"

Uncle Tai was surprised and moved at that moment.

He swayed and unleashed both palms simultaneously, his palm technique steady and skillful, filling the gap left by Wei Ying.

The two of them worked together and finally managed to subdue the strange ape.

After making seven or eight moves, Uncle Tai's breathing became slightly rapid, he coughed and wheezed, and his face turned a little pale.

The force of his strike was noticeably decreasing, as if some old wound deep within his lungs had been aggravated.

Li Fu's eyes flickered slightly. This Uncle Tai's martial arts skills were extremely strong, but he probably suffered serious internal injuries in his early years, which damaged his fundamental abilities and made it inconvenient for him to fight.

This Uncle Tai is most likely a former member of the Prince of Wei's mansion, and must have been seriously injured in the events of that year.

Everyone in the inn was awakened. Several traveling merchants hid behind the door and in the corner, trembling with fear.

As they watched Wei Ying and Uncle Tai join forces to fight the strange ape, and saw that the ape had taken so many blows yet remained as ferocious as ever, their fear grew even stronger.

"Monsters, there really are monsters."

"Oh God!"

"It really is a mandrill that eats people."

The strange ape seemed to be at a disadvantage due to the combined efforts of Wei Ying and Uncle Tai, but the two of them could not cause any serious injury to it. Instead, it aroused the ferocity in its bones, let out a furious roar, and swung its claws fiercely, forcing the two of them back at the same time.

With a twist of its body, accompanied by a foul gust of wind, it lunged straight at Wei Ying's face, its sharp claws aimed directly at her cheek.

This claw strike was swift and ruthless, as fast as lightning. Wei Ying's skills were already rusty, and she had no time to dodge. Her heart sank.

Just then, a gust of wind arrived silently and struck the strange ape precisely on the shoulder.

The giant ape's massive body was sent flying by this seemingly casual flick of the finger, crashing through a wooden pillar in the hall before falling heavily to the ground.

The lobby fell silent instantly.

Everyone looked in the direction the wind had come from, and saw that Li Fu had somehow arrived at the top of the stairs, standing with his hands behind his back, his expression indifferent, as if he had just casually flicked away a flying insect.

"There really are some kind of ape monster."

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