The stone Xiaoshu held halfway aloft was met by the sudden appearance of dozens of great apes surrounding them, front, back, left, and right, all glaring, teeth bared, regarding them like class enemies.

At the leader’s sharp, distant chittering, the surrounding monkeys surged forward like a tide. Two slightly larger ones grabbed Xiaoshu's legs and yanked, lifting him suddenly forward. Xiaoshu let out a terrified scream and tumbled backward onto his rear. Fortunately, I managed to catch his arm to cushion the fall, softening the landing. Then, several other large apes hoisted his head and shoulders from the ground, bustling him off toward the depths of the forest.

However, the same treatment was far less pleasant for me. Two monkeys gripped my ankles and pulled upward in unison. I felt like a chicken seized by the legs, held upside down and dragged out of a coop. My backside slammed hard onto the earth, sending a jolt of dull pain shooting through my entire body.

Before I could fully recover from the shock, several more large apes grabbed my shoulders and waist and roughly followed the group carrying Xiaoshu. They didn't support my head; instead, my neck was painfully strained back as I struggled to draw ragged breaths.

Just as I was resigning myself to my fate, Xiaoshu cried out with all his might, "What do you think you're doing?"

Unable to see his predicament, hearing his shout ignited a flare of anger within me. I tried to struggle free from the apes' grasp, only to discover their dozen-plus claws possessed immense strength. Not only could I not shake them off by kicking or twisting my arms, but the more I struggled, the tighter the claws gripping my body squeezed, digging painfully into my flesh. It was then I realized struggling was useless, only increasing the torment.

Very well, discretion is the better part of valor. I yielded, ceasing my struggle, content to wait for them to haul my limp body off to some unknown place, presumably to be tossed into a pot and boiled, provided they even possessed a cooking pot.

After an unknown distance, the leaves, branches, and grass blurred past my upside-down vision. A thought surfaced: wouldn't a grown man captured by a troop of monkeys become the laughingstock of tales told far and wide? Suddenly, a child’s high-pitched giggle reached my ears: “Hahahaha… look at your pitiful state…”

The voice was sickeningly sweet, like a young girl speaking in the woods.

Could it be A-Li? A surge of delight washed over me. I strained my neck to look forward, noticing Xiaoshu's escort had stopped. A small, white-furred monkey was leaping about a low shrub. As I tried to raise my head to see further, the ape gripping my right shoulder clamped its claw over my entire face, forcing my head violently down.

The paw was rank and foul; fine dirt and sand sifted down from beneath its sharp nails. I shook my head wildly, spitting, Pah! Pah! to clear the muck that had unfortunately reached my lips. But the claw reached out again, pinching my nose hard.

“Damn it,” I started to curse, when I suddenly noticed the hand—no, the hand—that was reaching up to pinch my nose. It was pale and clean, and shockingly, it even had a shred of blue, floral-patterned sleeve fabric attached.

“A-Li…” I choked out, my eyes widening as I looked up. A small, smiling face peered down over my head, opening its mouth to pretend to take a nip out of my shoulder.

“Owoo… you’ve been eaten by the monkeys…” the little mouth chirped, puffing its cheeks and moving them side to side, mimicking the act of chewing.

“Finally found you. You had everyone worried sick!” I said cheerfully, still hanging upside down.

She patted her shoulder with an air of undue maturity and declared, “Small potatoes. A little difficulty like this wouldn't stop you lot.”