Chapter Seven: One Battle Erases Old Grudges

Chapter 7: A War That Erases Hatred

Zhou Yu stood up in fury, pouring every ounce of his strength into a devastating punch aimed at the oncoming Se Monkey. The collision of their fists sent forth a powerful energy wave. Countless whirlwinds erupted from the impact, spreading outward in an instant with a thunderous roar.

Both fighters were hurled backward by the force. The raging whirlwinds slammed into the earth, sky, and surrounding black bamboo. The ground split open in a vast crater, while a large swath of bamboo was reduced to splinters. Even the air above trembled violently.

The moment the explosion peaked, the entire black bamboo forest shook. Terrified wild beasts bolted from the trees and were swiftly impaled by the Ox-Head Soldiers stationed outside, their bodies pinned to the ground like trophies.

“An earthquake?” one Ox-Head Soldier panted, clutching his chest.

“Idiot! A cataclysm has erupted in the forbidden zone. We must report to the Demon King at once!” bellowed a captain.

The two soldiers snatched their forks and sprinted toward the distant horizon.

“Wait!” the captain suddenly called out. “Bring some game meat back for the Demon King. There may be a reward.”

He then ordered them to carry portions of the slain beasts to the Ox-Head being of Demon King stature.

Each soldier selected wild deer and boar, then dashed away at full speed, their burdens swinging like pendulums.

The captain slapped his own forehead. “We are oxen! How do we eat meat? We should eat grass!”

In the heart of the black bamboo forest, Zhou Yu slowly pushed himself upright, gaping at the enormous circular pit carved into the earth, then at the shattered bamboo all around. He muttered, “Did we cause all this?”

Se Monkey lay sprawled on the ground, coughing up a mouthful of blood, and let out a wild, maniacal laugh. “Haha, Brother Monkey, I really am an unparalleled genius! At the level of a Demon General, I already unleashed a Demon King’s attack!”

Zhou Yu froze. “A Demon King’s attack?”

Se Monkey frantically shoved handfuls of mud into his mouth while grinning madly and ignoring the mess, declaring, “Haha, now it’s settled! I can crush that great wild ox!”

Zhou Yu rose with effort. Although a surge of power raced through his veins, repairing his body and replenishing his energy, the earlier expenditure had left him too drained to recover for the time being.

In moments, Se Monkey crammed his belly full of mud. Stroking his swollen stomach, he staggered toward Zhou Yu.

Zhou Yu’s head throbbed. He stretched out one hand and said, “You still want to fight? I don’t mind, but you can barely stand straight.”

Se Monkey paid no heed. He reached Zhou Yu, collapsed onto the ground, and said, “No more fighting! Don’t pretend. If you could still battle, you wouldn’t be standing here doing nothing.”

Seeing Se Monkey had no combat intentions, Zhou Yu relaxed and plopped down. “Then what do you want?”

Se Monkey swished his tail. “Let’s be friends.”

Zhou Yu found the suggestion strange. “Aren’t you afraid I’ll eat you?”

“Afraid? Why would I eat you?”

“Why eat me? I want to know too! When did I ever say I’d eat you? It’s not like you keep thinking I’m after you.”

“You truly don’t want to eat me?”

“Your furry little monkey head makes me sick. I couldn’t swallow that.”

“I’m beautiful. Female monkeys call me the Beautiful Monkey King. How could you feel nauseated?”

“I’m not a female monkey.”

“We’re friends.”

“Why?”

“Once we’re friends, you’ll help me defeat that great wild ox!”

“What’s in it for me?”

“I can eat it!”

“Beef?”

“I hear it’s delicious.” Se Monkey licked his lips, coaxing Zhou Yu.

Zhou Yu offered a vague smile. “I’ve never had beef before.”

Se Monkey was stunned, then grabbed Zhou Yu’s hand and sighed, “A true hero! Those who dare eat beef are real heroes!”

Zhou Yu shook off the furry hand, touched his head, and asked, “What do you mean?”

Se Monkey explained earnestly, “The Ox Clan ranks among the top three great tribes of the Demon Realm, so no one dares eat beef.”

Zhou Yu waved him off. “You want me to help flatten the leader of the Demon Clan’s top three Ox Tribe? Do you think I’m an idiot? Wanting to die?”

Se Monkey rushed to reassure him. “No no no, this great wild ox is merely a subordinate of the Ox King of the Ox Tribe.”

“Level?” Zhou Yu inquired.

“A Demon King of very low strength,” Se Monkey added quickly to calm him.

Zhou Yu understood the power disparity among Demon Kings. The five supreme ones were peaks of the Demon King realm, possibly stepping into the Demon Emperor domain.

“But this still benefits me nothing. Why should I help you?” Zhou Yu said.

Se Monkey pondered. “Aren’t you heading back to the Human Realm? I can guide you.”

Zhou Yu sneered. “Don’t think I don’t know. You’re hiding here because other Demon Beasts chase you. Alone I’d be fine, but with you trailing, a whole pack of pursuers would follow. Then I’m finished.”

Se Monkey fell silent, hanging his head in dejection. “But I can’t defeat him alone.”

Zhou Yu relented, “It’s not impossible if you want my help.”

Se Monkey lifted his head, eyes bright with hope.

“Conditions apply. First, if I can defeat the Demon King without risk. Second, after it’s done, you must lead me back to the Human Realm.”

Se Monkey nodded. “Deal!”

Zhou Yu was surprised. “So eager? You trying to sell me?”

Se Monkey shook his head vigorously. “We team up. That kind of attack alone can fell the Wild Ox King. As for danger, you’re tougher than me. Worst case, we get hit a few more times—we won’t die. If we lose, we flee back here. The Wild Ox King won’t dare pursue.”

Zhou Yu stared, stunned. “So you think I’m tough? Damn it! When did I become a meat shield?”

“What’s a meat shield?” Se Monkey asked.

“A meat shield is super durable and gets beaten constantly. You’re one.” Zhou Yu said bitterly.

Se Monkey scratched his head, embarrassed. “Seems so.”

Zhou Yu remembered something. “Why does the Wild Ox King fear entering?”

Se Monkey spoke mysteriously. “You really fell from the sky? This is the Demon Clan’s forbidden land. Demon Beasts that enter never leave alive. Wild beasts survive here.”

Zhou Yu “oh”ed, looking enlightened. “You’re playing me or lying? Forbidden land? Never leaves? How are you doing fine?”

Se Monkey slapped his chest. “Who am I? I escaped from under the Demon Emperor White Bone Crying’s hands, fought the eighth-layer Demon Kings, and still live well, Se Monkey!”

Zhou Yu rolled his eyes. “Keep blowing!”

Se Monkey saw Zhou Yu wasn’t convinced and told the truth. “Originally there was a very fierce crab here, extremely powerful. One glare from it and you die. All Demon Beasts that came in were eaten by it. See those bones? They’re what it left behind.” He pointed at the skeletons.

Zhou Yu examined them. “You still haven’t spoken the truth. I’ve stayed here so long and never saw it.”

Se Monkey swallowed, suppressing fear. “Wasn’t it eaten by you?”

Zhou Yu glanced around. “When? I only ate wild game.”

Se Monkey gestured at the crab fragments. “Didn’t you crawl out from it? When I arrived, I spoke with it. Later it stopped talking, then you emerged from its mouth. It’s empty inside. Wasn’t it eaten?”

Zhou Yu was stunned, realizing he had devoured a crab. Without Se Monkey’s words, he wouldn’t have known the flavorful juices were crab flesh and broth.

Se Monkey suddenly slapped his forehead. “Oh right! It said it would give me something, but now it’s dead. My treasure is gone! It’s all your fault—you ate it!”

Zhou Yu thought, who knows if you’re telling the truth? He replied perfunctorily, “Since it promised to give you something, it must be nearby. Go look.”

Se Monkey clapped enthusiastically and began rummaging through the crab shells.

Zhou Yu dragged his weary body, found the half-eaten mountain goat from yesterday, kindled a fire, and began roasting it.

Soon, a rich aroma rose. The mutton’s surface glistened with oil, neither burning nor drying out.

After roasting, Zhou Yu tore at the meat, mouth slick with grease, while eyeing Se Monkey.

Se Monkey kept digging like a madman. He knew the crab was formidable. Powerful beings rarely lie. Since it had promised a gift, it would deliver, and such a gift from a mighty entity wouldn’t be worthless. These thoughts made him eager.

Yet after exhaustive searching, he found nothing. Se Monkey slumped against the black pillar, picked up a crab shell fragment, and ate it with a crunch.

The shell cracked between his teeth. Seeming unsatisfied, he grabbed another and crunched it noisily, like eating beans.

Zhou Yu watched curiously, biting into the mutton. “You really are a foodie! What do you eat? Do you eat meat?”

Se Monkey glanced over, waving a crab shell. “Delicious! Much better than mud!”

Zhou Yu laughed. “Nonsense! Things harder to eat than mud are rare.”

Then he asked, “Where did this crab come from? What does it have to do with the bamboo forest?”

Se Monkey chewed shells. “I don’t know its origins, but it’s powerful. As I said, no Demon Beast survived its gaze, not even Demon Kings. So this bamboo forest is safe for us. No Demon King dares enter. As for the black bamboo, I think it was scorched by the black mist on the crab’s body.”

Zhou Yu flipped a middle finger at him. “You really know nothing.”

When he spoke, thin strands of black mist drifted from his lips. The sky was clear, a blood-red full moon hanging high, bathing the forest in eerie light.

Zhou Yu kept eating the mutton, but more black mist seeped from his nose, mouth, and ears.

Se Monkey watched in terror. In the past month, he had seen this once, on a full moon night.

Gradually, Zhou Yu’s entire body was swallowed by the black mist, oblivious to it.

“Crack crack… I want to…” Strange voices whispered from the fog.

Se Monkey pricked his ears, thinking, last time you did this you sang songs all night. What’s this time?

The black mist swirled as if alive, and a faint, hungry growl echoed.