Ye Qiu’s face was filled with shock.
As he pulled out the bamboo leaves, a rich aroma of wine wafted from the bamboo tube.
Looking inside, he saw the liquor was greenish, brimming with the scent of kiwi.
“Is this monkey wine?”
Without hesitation, Ye Qiu drank the entire contents of the tube in one gulp.
The wine slid down his throat, sweet and smooth.
Ye Qiu had tasted fifty-year-old vintage Maotai and thirty-year-old premium Wuliangye, both top-tier liquors, but compared to this monkey wine, their aroma and taste were leagues apart.
Moreover, with Ye Qiu’s knowledge of wine, he could tell this monkey wine was at least a hundred years old.
He licked his lips, still craving more.
“Little brat, save some for me!” Master Longbrow, slow to react, shouted and quickly snatched the bamboo tube from Ye Qiu’s hand, tilting it to his mouth.
One drop…
Two drops…
Gone!
Master Longbrow, a wine enthusiast, tasted a few drops and pointed at Ye Qiu, cursing, “You drank all this fine wine by yourself? I could kill you!”
Ye Qiu laughed, “Kill me? Go ahead and try!”
“Try? I’ll show you!” Master Longbrow rolled up his sleeves, looking ready to fight Ye Qiu.
Ye Qiu laughed and cried, “Old man, is our friendship worth less than a bit of wine?”
“You know nothing!” Master Longbrow said, “A hundred-year-old monkey wine is a rare treasure.”
“Especially wild-brewed monkey wine like this, its taste and aroma make it a divine elixir.”
“Plus, drinking monkey wine has many benefits, like relieving fatigue, boosting vitality, and enhancing cultivation…”
Just then, Ye Qiu felt his pores open, his exhaustion swept away.
He felt refreshed and invigorated.
“Old man, you’re right. Monkey wine is amazing,” Ye Qiu exclaimed.
“Damn it, you heartless little bastard, not leaving me any. I could tear you apart,” Master Longbrow fumed.
Ye Qiu handed the bamboo tube back to the baby monkey and asked, “Got any more monkey wine?”
The baby monkey nodded eagerly.
“Can you give me a bit more?” Ye Qiu asked.
The baby monkey nodded, stood up, grabbed Ye Qiu’s trouser leg, and gestured for him to follow.
“Old man, stop sulking. Let’s go drink,” Ye Qiu said, following the monkeys deeper into the forest.
Soon, a strong kiwi scent filled the air.
After walking a few hundred metres,
Ye Qiu saw a vast patch of wild kiwi vines.
The fruits were abundant.
Each kiwi was as big as a dinner plate, weighing at least two or three pounds.
As everyone knows, market kiwis, even the largest, are only about the size of a goose egg.
Wild kiwis are even smaller, roughly the size of a chicken egg.
Ye Qiu was astonished, “Why are these kiwis so big?”
Master Longbrow answered, “As I said before, Changbai Mountain is a dragon vein, full of vital energy that promotes plant growth. Combined with the fertile black soil, it’s no surprise these kiwis are so large.”
Ye Qiu sighed, “The Northeast is truly a treasure land.”
“No kidding! Why else would I come here?” Master Longbrow urged Ye Qiu, “Quick, ask that monkey where the monkey wine is.”
Ye Qiu asked the baby monkey, “Where’s the monkey wine?”
The baby monkey led Ye Qiu to the base of an ancient tree and pointed up.
“Up there?” Ye Qiu asked.
The baby monkey nodded.
Ye Qiu leapt up, landing lightly on a branch, and scanned the surroundings. He immediately spotted a half-metre-high tree hollow in the thick trunk.
Using his heavenly eye, Ye Qiu saw over a hundred bamboo tubes inside the hollow.
“Damn, that’s a lot.”
Ye Qiu quickly grabbed a dozen tubes and tossed them to Master Longbrow.
“You’ve got some conscience after all,” Master Longbrow grinned, pulling out the leaves and drinking deeply.
“Don’t drink too much and get drunk,” Ye Qiu warned.
Master Longbrow ignored him, downing a dozen pots in one go, his face flushed as he sat cross-legged on the ground.
Soon, wisps of white vapour rose from his head, and his aura began to climb.
“Is he breaking through?”
Ye Qiu was surprised and quickly drank some monkey wine himself. Moments later, he felt a warm current rising from his dantian.
He found a spot, sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and began circulating the Nine-Turn Dragon Art.
Soon, a golden light radiated from his body, making him look like a Buddha.
Seeing this, the monkeys knelt and worshipped Ye Qiu, mistaking him for a deity.
Half an hour passed.
Ye Qiu opened his eyes, feeling a bit disappointed.
Though the monkey wine had boosted his power slightly, he hadn’t made a significant breakthrough. Neither his innate true qi nor the Nine-Turn Dragon Art had progressed much.
He glanced over and saw Master Longbrow still cultivating.
Ye Qiu waited nearly an hour before Master Longbrow stopped.
Ye Qiu could clearly feel that Master Longbrow’s aura had grown stronger.
“Hahaha, I’ve broken through…” Master Longbrow laughed, three streams of true qi manifesting behind him, and asked, “Little brat, did you break through?”
Ye Qiu shook his head.
“No way, the monkey wine had no effect on you?” Master Longbrow found it odd.
Ye Qiu said glumly, “It had an effect, but not much.”
“Little brat, don’t be discouraged. Cultivation takes steady steps, no rushing,” Master Longbrow said, though inwardly he thought, “You little bastard, just wait. Once I cultivate nine streams of true qi, I’ll give you a beating.”
Unaware of Master Longbrow’s thoughts, Ye Qiu said, “Let’s hurry up and move.”
“Little brat, take all the monkey wine,” Master Longbrow said. “A hundred-year-old wild monkey wine is a rare treasure. It could sell for millions per ounce.”
“Don’t be greedy. Leave the rest for them,” Ye Qiu said, waving to the baby monkey, “Goodbye.”
The baby monkey understood Ye Qiu’s words and, with a few leaps, picked two kiwis from the vines and handed them to Ye Qiu, chattering “screech screech.”
Ye Qiu took the kiwis, his heart filled with emotion.
“Even beasts know to repay kindness, let alone humans?”
In today’s society, people chase fame and fortune. Some, for personal gain, betray kindness, forget gratitude, even turn against their country and insult its heroes—worse than beasts.
“Take care!” Ye Qiu patted the baby monkey’s head and, under its reluctant gaze, left with Master Longbrow.
Two hours later,
Deep in the Changbai Mountain restricted area,
Ye Qiu asked, “Old man, which way now?”
Master Longbrow took out a compass, studied it for a moment, and said, “Straight west!”
