Chapter 32: The Monkey King

Chapter 32: The Handsome Monkey King (Part 3)

Zhou Yu followed the sound and looked over, spotting a dark shadow lying motionless in the grass not far away.

Zhou Yu and the lecherous monkey exchanged a look, signaled to each other, and crept forward.

When they were within a dozen meters of the shadow, the monkey leaped out, brandishing his golden staff, while Zhou Yu sprinted forward, dragging his ox-fork weapon. The two approached the shadow from high and low, pincer-like in their formation.

Upon reaching the spot, they discovered it was a dead boar soldier lying in the grass.

The boar soldier’s mouth was agape and his eyes were wide open, as if he had died in a state of extreme terror. His lower torso appeared to have been pulverized by some sharp weapon, with mangled flesh and blood scattered everywhere.

"There really is something sinister here!" the monkey exclaimed. "To think it died so miserably!"

Zhou Yu rolled his eyes and retorted, "Are you one to talk? Look at how miserably the boar soldiers you killed died—every one of them turned into meat paste!"

The monkey stuck out his tongue and said, "Even if it’s truly strange, I’ll drag this mystery out, beat it to a pulp, and then claim this mountain as my own."

Zhou Yu said nothing. He channeled his internal energy, his hands moving in a blur as he shouted, "Divide!"

Five clones manifested. Zhou Yu ordered four of them to take up positions in the cardinal directions to guard their perimeter, while the fifth led the way. Only then did he and the monkey continue forward.

As the monkey snacked on an apple plucked from a roadside tree, he remarked, "This clone technique of yours is truly useful."

Zhou Yu smiled. "Oh, it’s great for chopping wood, feeding horses, and cooking, too."

*Pfft!* The monkey spat out the piece of apple he was chewing. He was already quite wasteful with his demonic energy, but he never expected Zhou Yu to be even more reckless—using clones for menial chores! Even most Demon Kings couldn't manage a single clone. For top-tier experts, a well-used clone was essentially an extra life. Yet, in Zhou Yu’s hands, such a powerful technique was used for firewood and stable work.

Zhou Yu leaped slightly, plucking a strange, bright red gourd-shaped fruit from a tree. Not recognizing it, he hesitated to eat it.

The monkey glanced at it and said, "That’s a blood gourd. The taste is mediocre."

Zhou Yu asked, "Is it edible?"

"Nonsense! Of course it’s edible. Why else would it grow?"

"Are you saying that everything that grows is edible?"

"Obviously!"

"Oh, forgive me. I forgot you’re such an oddball that you’d even eat dirt."

The man and the monkey continued on, snacking on various fruits and shielded by the clones, moving at a rapid pace. Before long, they heard a chaotic din ahead.

The monkey tilted his head to listen for a moment. "It’s the boar soldiers! They seem to be camping ahead, and they’ve discovered something!"

"Let’s go! Move up and see!" Zhou Yu commanded his clones to advance first, then beckoned the monkey to follow.

They traveled a bit further until they were nearing the top of the mountain. Though Flower-Fruit Mountain was vast, it was not particularly tall, so the terrain was not steep. As they reached the end of the path, a massive clearing suddenly appeared around a bend.

For reasons unknown, there were no trees in the open space, only wild grass and a pool of water in the center. The boar soldiers were gathered there.

In the middle, two boar soldiers were fighting with weapons, while the others watched, snacking on fruit.

"What are they doing?"

"Dueling, of course! The boar clan has lost two of their strongest, so the rest are scrambling for power. That’s why they’re fighting."

"Truly, wherever there are people, there is a struggle for power—even among boars."

The two boars clashed with their weapons for a long time. Both were injured and exhausted, yet neither could deliver a finishing blow.

"Damn it! Let’s go!" the monkey said.

"Why are you in such a hurry? Let’s observe the situation first," Zhou Yu advised.

"It’s not that I’m rushing, it’s just that their fighting is too pathetic to watch!" the monkey replied.

Zhou Yu thought for a moment and said, "We need to find a way to subdue them all at once."

The monkey replied, "What’s there to think about? Just charge in and beat them until they surrender, right?"

Zhou Yu surveyed the terrain and realized the clearing was actually a valley shaped like a mountain pass—wide in the middle and narrow at both ends. "You’ve already terrified them. If we block the exit and trap them inside, then you show yourself, they’ll definitely be scared into kneeling."

Zhou Yu explained the plan in detail, and the monkey nodded repeatedly.

Moments later, the duel between the two boars finally reached its conclusion. The victor collapsed, panting over his weapon, while the loser fainted from exhaustion.

Just then, a booming sound erupted at the valley entrance. The boars turned to look, only to see massive boulders rolling down from both sides, sealing the exit completely.

"Good thing we already passed through there, otherwise we’d have been crushed, right?" one boar said. The others nodded in agreement.

At that moment, a cry of alarm erupted from the other side of the pond. The boars there panicked and leaped into the water, swimming toward the group.

"The pig-slaughtering devil is here!"

"Run!"

At the path leading up the mountain, the monkey stood with his golden staff enlarged, resting on his shoulder. With a ferocious glare, he walked down step by step, baring his sharp, white teeth at the boars.

"Oh, mother! It’s really that demon king! When did he get up the mountain?"

"The demon king has boundless power; he must have flown up!"

"Have you forgotten the legends of this mountain? Maybe this place was his home all along!"

The boars fell into complete disarray. Wherever the monkey walked, the soldiers scrambled backward like terrified ghosts, their legs trembling so violently they could barely stand. Many boars, terrified upon jumping into the pool, forgot how to swim and drowned.

The monkey, relishing the display, felt immensely proud. He couldn't help but swing his massive golden staff, casting a brilliant golden light that turned the valley as bright as day.

High above, inside a cave on the cliff face, a flash of white light occurred. A pair of crystalline, bright eyes peered out for a moment before vanishing back into the endless darkness.

"The demon king is here to slaughter us! Run!"

"Damn it! Who stepped on my loincloth?"

The boars surged toward the valley entrance, but it was blocked by the massive boulders positioned by Zhou Yu and his twenty clones. They were trapped. The crowd grew denser, and the boars at the front were crushed against the rocks, vomiting blood.

Just then, Zhou Yu and ten of his clones hid behind the boulders and shouted in unison, "Kneel!"

The command stunned the noisy hoard. Startled, they all instinctively dropped to their knees. The boars at the front were so terrified they wet themselves.

"The demon king is clearly over by the pond, so why does his voice sound like it’s coming from behind us? It’s as loud as thunder!"

"Shut up! That’s disrespectful to the demon king! His power is infinite!"

Some boars were weeping in terror, while others bowed their heads repeatedly to the monkey, crying, "Spare us, Grandfather Monkey!"

Once the pleas began, the others followed suit, kneeling to the monkey.

The monkey, satisfied with the scene, slammed his massive golden staff into the pond.

*BOOM!*

A column of water erupted into the sky, showering the boars.

Soaked by the icy water and buffeted by the cold wind, the boars shivered, their fear deepening.

"Do you know your crimes?" Zhou Yu and his ten clones shouted at the perfect moment.

The boars prostrated themselves on the ground, bowing incessantly. "We know our crimes! We know!"

"Are you willing to submit?" The booming voice resonated like thunderclaps in their ears.

"We are! We are! Great King, spare our lives!" The boars kowtowed so hard their foreheads bled.

Though they had conceded, Zhou Yu felt they needed a further lesson. He signaled two clones to climb to the summit and push a massive boulder down onto the herd, while he and the other clones shouted, "Those who do not submit shall face divine retribution!"

As the words faded, the boulder crashed down, turning five boars into paste.

Chaos erupted as the boars tried to scatter.

"Kneel!" the thunderous voice roared again.

Terrified, the boars dropped back to their knees.

"Those few met their end because they harbored rebellion. If you follow me with a single heart, the heavens will protect you!" Zhou Yu shouted from behind the rocks.

The boars were completely broken. No longer capable of resistance, they kowtowed wildly, chanting, "We are willing to follow! We are willing!"

Seeing that the time was right, Zhou Yu and the monkey exchanged a nod across the crowd. Zhou Yu, burning through the last of his energy to manifest ten more clones—totaling twenty—hid once more. The clones exerted their combined strength, causing the massive boulder that had rolled down to shift.

At that moment, the monkey pointed a finger at the giant rock behind the boars and whispered, "Rise."

The rock moved, prompting another round of frantic kowtowing. None of them doubted anymore that the monkey was a supreme Demon King with heaven-defying abilities.

"Go!" The monkey flicked his hand, a flash of golden demonic energy shooting out. The massive boulder rolled away down the mountain. The twenty clones vanished simultaneously.

The boars stared in shock, mouths agape. To move such a massive rock from this distance—was this even the power of a Demon King? It was surely a Demon Emperor!

The rest proceeded smoothly. The monkey continued to display his might, keeping the boars in line, and called for A-Fei.

A-Fei was stunned that the monkey had managed to tame thousands of boars, but as he was appointed the new commander, he was overjoyed, believing he had finally chosen the right master.

A-Fei began to sing the monkey’s praises, hailing him as a Demon Emperor, ensuring the boars’ absolute loyalty.

The next morning, A-Fei led the boars down the mountain to the boar forest to move their belongings, as the monkey had decided to settle on Flower-Fruit Mountain.

Though they had initially feared the mountain, after witnessing the monkey’s "divine powers," they had no more reservations.

Looking at the fruit-laden branches and the vast clearing, the monkey said with satisfaction, "Sun Wukong’s mountain was called Flower-Fruit Mountain, and now, I have my own Flower-Fruit Mountain."

Zhou Yu smiled. "Congratulations on finally becoming a king."

The monkey laughed, did a somersault, and shouted down the mountain, "I am the Handsome Monkey King!"

Zhou Yu teased, "Shameless."

Below, the boars prostrated themselves, bowing over and over.

High on the cliff face, in an inconspicuous cave, two eyes watched. They studied the monkey for a long time before shifting their gaze to Zhou Yu, lingering there for a long while.