"That’s it, I’m done!" I slammed the kettle onto the ground, dropping my weight onto my backside, refusing to budge. A man of my stature shouldn't be bowing down to a bunch of monkeys. Let them come; I’ll meet their every move.

Seeing me planted on the ground, the monkey troop started leaping and screeching. At that moment, Xiao Shu finally rolled over and sat up straight, regaining his human composure as usual.

"What do you want?" He asked me, his gaze fixed straight ahead at the frantic monkeys, his tone perfectly calm.

"I don't want anything, except I absolutely refuse to crawl like a dog to reach two children, led by monkeys. My old face would have nowhere to hide," I spat out bitterly.

"Sigh," Xiao Shu let out a long breath. "Fine, but we can’t let this sour things; they can’t think we’re enemies."

"Hmph," I spat onto the dirt. "As long as they don't push their luck."

As if on cue, the circle of monkeys parted in the middle, creating a path. It was the leader—that imposing, meter-tall monkey—who emerged, brow furrowed in a look of pure arrogance, walking slowly and deliberately toward us. At first, it took measured, leisurely steps. Then, when it was barely a meter or two away, it suddenly accelerated with a swoosh-swoosh-swoosh, closing the distance in a flash, hurtling straight toward me.

As a child, I loved watching nature documentaries. I’d heard that in a monkey troop, dignity is only earned through combat. It must be that the leader felt my refusal to submit threatened its reign, making it necessary to put me in my place with a swift lesson.

However, I truly wished to avoid conflict. Aside from the obvious fact that Xing’er and A’li were in their custody, the pleasant memories I carried from visiting the zoo as a boy made me loath to harm any monkey. Abusing them would surely damage the character cultivation I’d worked so hard to achieve.

So, I sidestepped lightly, letting the leader’s lunge pass by. It spun around quickly upon missing, leaped upward, aiming for my crown—a strike from above. But I had anticipated the ploy; with a swift motion, I straightened up and drove my shoulder directly into its chest, forcefully shoving it back. The monkey tumbled three times on the ground, its brows already knitting for another charge.

Just then, Xiao Shu pulled out the last of our compressed rations from his backpack, broke off a small piece, and offered it to the large white-furred monkey standing beside him. The white one smelled the biscuit, snatched it instantly, and began chewing with loud crunches.

Seeing the white one take food from Xiao Shu, the leader halted its attack, ambled over, delivered a resounding slap to the white one’s head, and sent it skittering aside. Then, it positioned itself directly in front of Xiao Shu, its backside on the ground, drooling as it fixed its eyes on the compressed biscuit in his hand.

As the saying goes, "Men die for wealth, birds perish for food." Whether these were the monkeys of the Necropolis or those in a cage, in the monkey world, only two things hold ultimate value: sustenance and a mate. To subdue the monkey leader, one must grasp its lifeblood. Xiao Shu had perfectly leveraged their inherent greed for food, transforming what could have been a great human-ape battle into a biscuit banquet with a mere crumb.

Yet, the cost of averting this war was substantial. Those compressed biscuits were our dwindling supply, the key to our return to the Reflection Villa. Thus, every time the leader took a piece from Xiao Shu, my heart hammered once; every time it devoured a piece whole, a single tear traced a path down my cheek. Not until the entire package was gone did Xiao Shu reach into his bag again. I grabbed the backpack, clutching it, and choked out to him, "No more, brother, it truly breaks my heart!"