The main troop hadn't been gone long before Da Hou’er, the vanguard, returned, looking imposing, his tail held high and his eyebrows sharply arched. Xiao Hou’er, waiting at home, was utterly awestruck, gathering his fellows and crowding behind the triumphant warrior to escort him before the Chief.

That Chief was the very monkey who had first bowed his head to Sakura when she appeared holding Xing’er. Yet, a human is always human, and a monkey is always a monkey; no matter how much the Chief courted Sakura’s favor, she could never usurp his position within the troop. Thus, the messenger bringing good tidings first sought an audience with him in the woods.

The monkey bounded close to the Chief, issuing a flurry of sharp chirps, his upright tail rising even higher, his horizontal brows arching further in an expression of utter self-satisfaction. The Chief, perched on a branch, gently swayed his tail from side to side, maintaining a solemn expression, seemingly unmoved. When the monkey finally hushed, the Chief leaped down from the branch and walked deeper into the forest.

At that very moment, Sakura, having been pulled along by Congcong to witness the excitement, caught sight of the Chief turning and walking away alone. She was puzzled by the sole returnee, wondering why a whole troop had left, but only one monkey had come back.

As she pondered this, a rustling sound—of wind whipping through branches and twigs snapping—arose from beyond the edge of the forest. Sakura turned toward the noise and saw the troop she had just wondered about, now rushing toward her, swinging from branch to branch. The momentum was like a tidal wave, freezing Sakura in place, stunned and unsure what to do.

Seconds later, a monkey, taller than half a person, carrying a dark, shapeless bundle on its back, suddenly stopped directly in front of Sakura. She peered closely, realizing what the monkey carried was no mere object, but a filthy small child, slung upside down! It was fortunate the monkeys traveled exclusively via the branches; had they been running on the ground, the child might have been dashed against a stone at any moment.

Sakura hastily set Congcong down and took the child from the monkey’s back into her arms. Gently, she wiped the dust from the little face, revealing a young girl. Perhaps stunned by the shock of the journey, the girl kept her eyes tightly shut, her small fists clenched. Even as Sakura lifted her, the girl remained hunched and timid, clearly terrified. Sakura’s eye caught a familiar trace on the small features; she thought this might be the child she saw on the Blood Kin Compass, and a burst of delirious joy swept over her. Clutching the little girl, she looked around eagerly, hoping to see other children being carried back by the monkeys.

However, the figure she longed to see did not appear, no matter how long she waited. Sakura sighed deeply, tinged with disappointment, and walked toward the forest, intending to bathe the little girl with water from the Spring of Agelessness.

At first, the girl merely stared without speaking, shaking her head to every question Sakura posed, like a tumbler doll repeating the same movement. Knowing the child was shell-shocked, and uncertain if the spring water could truly heal, Sakura resolved to try anything and directly poured the water over the girl.

The instant the first drop of spring water touched her skin, the girl felt an immediate lightening. Her long-stilled speech suddenly returned to her tongue.

“Auntie…” The girl stood by the spring, offering Sakura a shy smile, uttering two simple words.

Hearing a human voice after so many days, Sakura stared at the girl in astonishment—it was the first human speech she had heard in ages. Though the speaker was timid, the listener was overcome with emotion, immediately pulling the girl into a tight embrace and weeping uncontrollably.