Chapter 46: A Journey to the Deep Ravine with Little Hope of Return

Chapter 46: Journey into the Deep Valley with No Return

The Colorful Monkey and Zhou Yu turned around simultaneously as a hefty figure approached the entrance.

"Two great kings! Ah Fei has arrived!" Ah Fei crashed through the cave door, stumbling and falling flat on the ground.

"What is the matter?" Zhou Yu stepped forward to help Ah Fei up and checked him over, only to find that he was completely uninjured.

Ah Fei opened his eyes, stared straight at the jar of wine on the table, swallowed hard, and suddenly burst into tears. "Wuuu... the valley is so terrifying... the Flower King is so terrifying..."

"What did they do to you?" The Colorful Monkey gripped the Golden-Hued Ruyi Jingu Bang in his hand.

Seeing that the Colorful Monkey was ready to pick a fight, Ah Fei felt a warmth in his heart and said, "They didn't do anything to me. It's just that after rushing all the way and finally obtaining the datura essence, I kept thinking and worrying about the two great kings' important affairs, so I didn't rest for even a moment before rushing back. The moment I got back, I came straight to find the two great kings, without even sparing a drop of water."

Zhou Yu gradually understood what Ah Fei was driving at. It was true that this fellow had just returned, but rushing in so frantically and crashing through the door was probably because he had learned that he and the Colorful Monkey were drinking in here, and his gluttonous nature had made him throw all caution to the wind.

The Colorful Monkey rolled his eyes and said, "You've really worked hard, Ah Fei! Someone come, quickly take Commander Ah Fei down to get a good rest!"

Ah Fei instantly panicked, leaped to his feet, pushed away the wild boar soldiers who came to carry him off, and grabbed the Colorful Monkey's hand. "The moment I see the great kings, I feel full of spirit! I feel that my condition is simply fantastic right now! I wouldn't get drunk even after three hundred bowls of wine with the great kings!"

The Colorful Monkey let out a sudden chuckle, patted Ah Fei on the shoulder, and said, "Very well then! Come and drink!"

Thus, Zhou Yu, the Colorful Monkey, and Ah Fei all sat down to drink.

After swallowing a bowl of wine, Ah Fei let out a refreshing sigh. "This wine is truly excellent!"

Zhou Yu took a large gulp. The taste was mediocre at best, but having gone without alcohol for quite some time, he found it exceptionally delightful. The liquor was as fierce and burning as a blade of fire.

"I traded a bottle of refined datura essence from the Flower King in the valley," Ah Fei said as he grabbed a roasted chicken and tore into it.

"How much is in a bottle? Is it enough?" Zhou Yu asked.

Ah Fei pulled it out from his bosom and placed it on the table.

Zhou Yu instantly felt like weeping. Damn it! This was no mere bottle; it was clearly a jar!

Given Ah Fei's massive stature, no wonder he considered it a bottle, but in Zhou Yu's eyes, this was undeniably a jar.

Zhou Yu took the jar containing the datura pills and opened it. It was filled to the brim with at least several hundred pills. Out of curiosity, Zhou Yu took a sniff, and an exotic fragrance instantly rushed into his nose, making him feel as though he were floating into immortality.

Forcing his focus back, Zhou Yu re-covered the jar and said, "This stuff is truly formidable!"

Ah Fei was somewhat surprised by Zhou Yu's self-control and remarked, "The quantity here is definitely enough!"

Zhou Yu wholeheartedly agreed. Just a single sniff had almost made him lose control; if he were to consume the whole thing, the consequences would be unimaginable.

For some reason, the Colorful Monkey seemed to hold a certain dread toward these datura pills and refused even to look at them. Noticing this, Zhou Yu asked, "What is it?"

The Colorful Monkey downed a bowl of wine and replied, "Back then, my adoptive father was addicted to it, which caused his strength to plummet and allowed White Bone Crying to succeed."

Hearing this, Zhou Yu became even more certain of the item's efficacy. He promptly stored the jar of datura pills away safely and then joined the Colorful Monkey and Ah Fei in a drinking bout.

The Colorful Monkey had once been the adoptive father of the Black Mountain Old Demon. Although alcohol was a luxury among the demon race, the Colorful Monkey had consumed quite a bit back then. Coupled with his strength, which was close to that of a demon king, his tolerance for alcohol was quite decent.

Zhou Yu's situation was similar. Not to mention his past life on Earth, ever since he transmigrated and followed the old man, he hadn't lacked wine.

On the other hand, Ah Fei, a fellow who had never touched alcohol before, grew bolder with every cup. After finishing two jars of wine, his expression remained unchanged and he was exceptionally sober.

"I noticed that a lot of fruits were wasted on Flower Fruit Mountain this year. Next year, we can use the surplus fruit to brew fruit wine," Ah Fei suggested.

The Colorful Monkey slapped the stone table in applause and ordered the wild boar guards standing outside the door to haul in all the remaining wine.

"Since we are drinking today, let us drink to our heart's content!" the Colorful Monkey declared.

Zhou Yu's craving for alcohol was now fully aroused, and he shouted his approval aloud as well.

In truth, all three of them knew that the operation a few days later would be extremely perilous. But whether for Zhou Yu's sake or for the future of Flower Fruit Mountain, that formidable expert had to be eliminated.

One could say everything hinged on this single endeavor. Once that powerful expert was successfully eradicated and they joined forces with Lady Fox, the entire northern demon territory would fall into their pockets as if by design. The two strongest demon kings in the northern territory, the Eagle King and the Leopard King, were currently nursing their respective injuries from fighting over Wild Ox Valley. As for the other demon kings, either they harbored disloyal intentions toward White Bone Crying and had long wanted to rebel, or their strength was mediocre at best.

However, the sudden appearance of this mysterious powerhouse was undoubtedly a major variable.

In Ah Fei's mind, this expert must also be eliminated, otherwise, he would be unable to control the entire situation.

The three of them exchanged words, drinking bowl after bowl, while roasted chicken, duck, venison, and various fruits were continuously brought to the table.

All three possessed voracious appetites. Zhou Yu and the Colorful Monkey had extraordinarily powerful digestive capabilities, while Ah Fei simply had an enormous belly.

This drinking session lasted from morning until night.

During this time, Zhou Yu briefly went to deliver some food to Xiao Qing. After drinking, his emotions were inevitably stirred, and after letting his hands wander over Xiao Qing's body for a moment, he was called away by the Colorful Monkey's booming voice shouting for more drinks.

Zhou Yu had no choice but to forcefully suppress the raging fire within him, converting that burning passion into alcohol tolerance as he returned to the cliff cave and drank until the Colorful Monkey begged for mercy.

As night fell, the snow that had fallen for days finally stopped. The three of them, flushed and feverish with heat, had long since opened the cave door. The cold wind from outside blew in, passing through the long cavern and reaching the Colorful Monkey and Zhou Yu; it no longer felt quite so chilling.

The table and the floor were littered with fruit peels and shattered bones. The Colorful Monkey slumped over the table, muttering incoherently, "Damn it! You've got it made! You found a fox for a wife... tsk tsk, her skin is so tender..."

Zhou Yu raised his head, looked at the Colorful Monkey with hazy, intoxicated eyes, patted him on the head, and cursed, "Damn it! Don't you dare harbor any thoughts about Xiao Qing! You hairy ball of fur, just looking at you is disgusting!"

The Colorful Monkey grabbed an apple—half-eaten by someone—and stuffed it into his mouth, mumbling, "Sigh, why am I a monkey? Actually, I still prefer humanoid lasses... their skin is so smooth..."

Ignoring him, Zhou Yu nudged Ah Fei and said, "You fat pig, you're truly the smartest fat pig I've ever seen. How on earth can you be so clever?"

Ah Fei rolled his eyes, raised a finger to point at his own head, and replied, "Because my head is big."

Zhou Yu let out an "oh" and said, "Big head means intelligence, so that's how it is."

All three of them were dead drunk.

After who knows how long, the cold wind blew in from outside, sobering Zhou Yu up a bit. He opened his eyes and looked at the two fellows sprawled across the table.

The Colorful Monkey and Ah Fei were snoring, each one louder than the other. After listening for a moment and finding it irritating, Zhou Yu unsteady on his feet, stood up and walked toward the cave entrance.

Standing on the snowy ground outside the cave, he looked up at the starry sky and the bright moon.

Zhou Yu took a deep breath, exhaling the stuffy frustration in his chest, which turned into a plume of white vapor.

While drinking inside the cave, Zhou Yu, the Colorful Monkey, and Ah Fei had already finalized their plan: as soon as dawn broke, they would set out for the fox clan.

This journey into the deep valley might well be a one-way trip.

Although he felt some worry and fear, he had to go.

Were they supposed to just sit around and wait for the enemy to storm their gates?

Although Zhou Yu and Xiao Qing hadn't spent much time together, and Xiao Qing spent most of her time sleeping, they hadn't even had many deep conversations.

Yet Zhou Yu really liked this feeling, this companionship based purely on instinct.

Xiao Qing was very beautiful.

Zhou Yu had to admit that he was indeed infatuated with Xiao Qing's beauty, but that was not the primary reason he decided to eliminate that powerhouse. The main reason was that after interacting with the Colorful Monkey and carefully analyzing the current grand strategy, he realized that initiating a rebellion within the demon race in coordination with the Colorful Monkey was the only way to fundamentally keep the Demon Emperor White Bone Crying in check.

And the biggest variable and obstacle at present was that formidable expert. Furthermore, the fellow had even dared to covet Xiao Qing—that was utterly unforgivable!

Scooping up a handful of white snow, he rubbed it across his face. The chill swept away a fraction of his drunkenness. Zhou Yu then took off his outer garment and, standing in the snow, began to scrub his entire body with snow.

Before long, his whole body felt as though it were burning. Zhou Yu put his clothes back on, took a running start, leaped onto a bifurcated ox branch, and then used the branch's elasticity to vault back into the cliff cave.

Expecting Xiao Qing to be fast asleep, Zhou Yu moved very lightly. To his surprise, Xiao Qing was wide awake, her eyes open as she watched him enter the cave.

Startled, Zhou Yu asked with a trace of reproach, "Why aren't you asleep?"

Xiao Qing shook her head and replied, "I knew you were leaving tomorrow... so I was waiting for you."

Zhou Yu hurried forward, pulling Xiao Qing into his embrace. Inhaling the faint fragrance of her hair, he said, "Don't worry, I'll be back before long."

Xiao Qing nodded gently and obediently wrapped her arms around him.

Zhou Yu shed his outer garments and began to untie Xiao Qing's clothes.

Xiao Qing trembled slightly in his arms, lifting her head to gaze at Zhou Yu.

Zhou Yu lowered his head and sealed her lips with a kiss, while his hand cupped and massaged her soft, plump curves.

A muffled moan escaped from the back of Xiao Qing's nose.

The next day, Zhou Yu heard a commotion outside.

Clambering up, he put on his clothes, tucked the blankets around Xiao Qing, and gently pushed the door open.

On the snowy ground beneath the cliff wall, one hundred formidable wild boar elite soldiers selected by Ah Fei stood neatly in formation.

The Colorful Monkey brought out the remaining two jars of wine, smashed open the clay seals, retrieved some bowls, and went down the line to toast each of them.

Zhou Yu leaped down from above.

Every single one of these one hundred wild boar soldiers looked fierce and hardened, and among them was the mute wild boar soldier.

One hundred wild boar soldiers with high-level soldier strength, one mute wild boar soldier with general-level strength, plus the Colorful Monkey and Zhou Yu—two powerhouses who had already stepped with one foot into the Demon King realm—this force was more than enough to wipe out two Demon Kings.

Once the wine was finished, the Colorful Monkey smashed all the bowls and jars to pieces.

Ah Fei had already made the relevant matters clear to these wild boar soldiers. Since they were standing here, they had all been thoroughly brainwashed by Ah Fei, and each one of them was fearless and willing to die.

Emboldened by the wine, their eyes flashed with a fierce, murderous light.

Zhou Yu felt a lingering sense of astonishment. He had no idea what methods Ah Fei had used to brainwash these fellows into casting fear of death aside within such a short span of time.

The Colorful Monkey stepped forward and spoke in a low voice, "Though I am not of your kin, I shall lead the wild boar clan to glory, and this mission is our very first battle!"

The wild boar soldiers showed little reaction; their gazes toward the Colorful Monkey were filled mostly with awe, as the scene of the Colorful Monkey displaying divine miracles that night remained deeply etched in their minds.

Ah Fei walked up and whispered into the monkey's ear.

After listening, the Colorful Monkey nodded and continued, "Not long ago, I already negotiated with the fox clan. Once this mission is successfully completed, every single one of you will be rewarded with a fox maiden!"

The wild boar soldiers' eyes instantly lit up with excitement, and several of them let out howls like wolves.

Zhou Yu broke out in a cold sweat. So it was a honey trap after all...

Finally, both Zhou Yu and the Colorful Monkey each left behind a clone to guard against any emergencies, before leading the hundred wild boar soldiers toward the territory of the fox clan.

High up on the cliff cave, Xiao Qing leaned against the edge, silently watching Zhou Yu depart.