8 Thousand Illusion Monkey (1/2)

Yun Yang had never felt more alive.

A jade-green lotus leaf grew in his subconscious, slowly growing into the size of a fan, and now, the budding tip of another leaf could be seen as well. A plethora of information surged through Yun Yang’s mind, and the intensity of it rendered him drunk and insensate. Straightening up, he quickly started making his way back to the Residence of Yun, while his mind possessed enough clarity to remember the way there. Due to the air of vitality that the Lotus of Endless Fate exuded, the entire sight of Tiantang City was painted in chaotic lucidity as he began his trek home.

…

Among all the creatures in the universe, none were more sensitive to the ebb and flow of spiritual Qi than the mystical beasts on the Tianxuan Continent. The higher the level the creature was, the more perceptive it would be towards changes in the mystical Qi and the refined air of vitality.

Tiantang City, being one of the top three cities on the continent, contained all sorts of crouching tigers and hidden dragons1; mystical Qi experts, professional martial artists, renowned schools and clans… there were countless numbers of them. Among these people, it was not uncommon for them to own a mystical beast or two. Of course, these beasts were not regarded as pets, but as battle partners or familiars. These mystical creatures possessed an impressive array of combat skills, and it was widely known that the combat skills of a ninth level beast was equal to that of a grandmaster.

Of course, ninth level beasts were extremely rare, and were more likely to be found in legends and stories shared by bards. Third to sixth level creatures, however, were plentiful in Tiantang City, and it was not entirely impossible to find seventh level mystical beasts as well. Right at this moment, all the mystical beasts in the entire Tiantang City were abuzz with anticipation...

…

In Sky Room No.1 of Tiantang City’s Soaring Cloud Tavern, a young lady dressed entirely in black rested her face in her hands as she played with her pet happily. It was only by being in front of her little friend that she could be this relaxed and at peace.

The creature stood approximately 3 feet tall, with a pair of jade-like horns on its head and lively crimson eyes; there were actually three tails on its back, its fur as smooth as silk. It was lounging on the bed cozily.

Anyone who had an inkling of what it was would have exclaimed, “Thousand Illusion Monkey!”

Mystical beasts were rare, but what was even rarer were their offspring! Any mystical beast hunter worth his salt could kill a mystical beast, but the magnificent creatures would usually take the lives of their own offspring first before succumbing to death. It was preferable that their offspring perished than to live on as slaves to humankind. This practice was especially true for the higher leveled creatures.

In the case of the Thousand Illusion Monkey, it was even more so, hence, the word ‘invaluable’ would be a poor way to describe the value of a young Thousand Illusion Monkey!

Thousand Illusion Monkeys belonged to the Eight Mysterious Beasts, the highest ranked in the food chain among all known mystical beasts in the Tianxuan Continent. Furthermore, Thousand Illusion Monkeys could be leveled up; an extremely rare occurrence but not an impossible one.

If the people had known that there was actually one now in Tiantang City, it would definitely cause a great deal of commotion and talk. At this moment, with the owner looking at it, the monkey suddenly straightened up; ears perked and crimson red orbs glowing. Something had made it so agitated that even the horns on its head seemed to be glowing!

“Lingling, what is it?” The girl was surprised as she gasped, “Lingling, what are you doing? Hey, where are you going? Come back!”

Instead, the Thousand Illusion Monkey stood up and with a wag of all three tails, shot out from the open window. It was a tall, eight-storied building, but height was nothing for the monkey as it scampered into the dark. The girl shouted for help, but realized that there was no one for her rely on since she had run away from home.

Without giving it a second thought, she hopped off the window as well.

…

Yun Yang finally felt at ease and was only plagued by a slightly pulsing headache as the flow of information continued to rush into his mind. He had no time to inspect his thoughts, however, and continued to hurry back home.

The Residence of Yun would be around the next corner. As he was about to take the turn, an odd noise arose from somewhere in front of him in the gloom, and in the next moment, a dark shape charged towards him like lightning. Its speed was impossibly fast, and within a blink, the dark shape coalesced into a discernable shape before his very eyes.

At first glance, it looked like a small, golden-furred monkey squatting in front of his feet obediently, its lifted head looking at him earnestly with a pair of bewitching eyes.

“…” Yun Yang was speechless.

A monkey had materialized out of nowhere, right in front of him.

“What is this? It’s looking at me like we’re familiar with each other. What a friendly gaze! I’m sure this is the first time we’ve encountered each other though.”

Yun Yang was tempted to look around to see if he was still in Tiantang City or if he had been magically transported to the mystical beast forest.

The little beast was eagerly hopping up and down like all monkeys do, and would not put up with being ignored by Yun Yang. Scratching its head, it clung onto his legs and looked up, as if asking for Yun Yang to carry it. It was the scratching, however, that revealed its pair of tiny horns, further surprising Yun Yang. “Dragon’s horns on its head, several tails on its back; jade white as bones, crimson eyes; a mystical beast... Could it be a Thousand Illusion Monkey?”

Upon closer inspection, there was no doubt that the creature in front of him was actually a baby Thousand Illusion Monkey.

“This is strange…” Yun Yang began to scratch his own head as well, “A Thousand Illusion Monkey coming to me to seek shelter on its own… My luck today knows no bounds!”

Looking at the young monkey’s pitiful look, Yun Yang’s heart softened as he spread his arms to scoop the money up.