040: I Refuse to Be the Monkeys’ Captive Husband!

When the Big Monkey appeared, Ji Jie initially feared her hiding spot had been compromised.

Observing Tou being playfully handled by the Big Monkey, she nervously drew her Platinum Star, poised to strike the Big Monkey from behind with a fatal blow the moment it dared to harm Tou.

Fortunately, the Big Monkey did not harm Tou; in fact, its demeanor suggested it was raising Tou as its own child!

Ji Jie nearly burst into laughter at that moment.

Only after the Big Monkey departed did she wipe a bead of cold sweat from her brow.

Suppressing her urge to laugh, she knew her priority was to rescue Tou.

Perhaps she could even spirit Tou away before Yue Ye Si arrived?

The cage, fashioned entirely from vines, was hardly sturdy.

Ji Jie circled around and severed one of the thick strands.

His head fit through, his rear fit through, and even his legs could pass, but his chest, alas, became hopelessly stuck!

‘Too big,’ she sighed inwardly.

With no other recourse, she cut another vine, then stealthily approached Tou without disturbing the other small monkeys.

****

Having eaten his fill and played to his content on the stone bed, Tou intended to enjoy a splendid sleep, anticipating that upon waking the next day, his master would have dealt with all the monkeys and taken him home.

The moment his eyes closed, he felt something poke him, and a surge of anger coursed through him!

He assumed it was one of the monkeys again.

‘To dare disturb my sleep is to court death!’

“Mm-mm…”

His mouth was covered, preventing Tou from crying out.

Yet, upon seeing Ji Jie, his eyebrows shot up in utter delight.

He immediately embraced her.

Although Tou had appeared quite nonchalant earlier, being in such an unfamiliar place and regarded as mere food had filled him with boundless grievance.

Now, seeing a familiar face, he truly wished to weep his heart out.

‘But why wasn’t it Four-Master who came? She’s so formidable; shouldn’t she have found me even sooner than Ji Jie?’

‘Could it be that Four-Master no longer wants me?’

Tou’s sense of grievance deepened, and his face contorted, on the verge of tears.

“Ugh, this is awful…”

“Eh? Master, don’t cry, don’t cry! If you wake the other little monkeys, we won’t be able to escape!”

Ji Jie had never imagined Tou would actually cry, and seeing him weep in her arms was, surprisingly, rather endearing!

Realizing the peril of the situation, she quickly covered Tou’s mouth, urging him to stifle his cries, but it was already too late!

Three Little Monkeys had already detected Ji Jie’s presence, and with frantic ‘cheep-cheeps,’ they scattered in all directions.

Their loud cries seemed to be summoning something.

Indeed, they were calling for someone—no, for monkeys.

In an instant, the Big Monkey from outside burst forth, completely sealing the cave entrance.

Now, the two of them were truly trapped, like turtles in a jar!

Ji Jie, ever quick-witted, pulled her hood over her head and vanished from her spot in a flash.

Tou was left alone, seething with frustration and resentment.

Before he could unleash his fury, however, he was seized by the Big Monkey.

Tou and the three Little Monkeys were encircled by several larger monkeys within a recessed mountain cave.

Outside, the other monkeys scrambled about chaotically, searching for Ji Jie.

“Ugh! It’s so noisy!”

It was the middle of the night, and Tou was utterly exhausted!

But the commotion outside was simply unbearable!

His head throbbed with a persistent ‘buzzing’ ache.

“Cheep-cheep, cheep-cheep-cheep!”

Upon hearing Tou’s complaint, one Little Monkey chirped a few times towards the outside.

As if receiving a command from the Monkey King, the cacophony outside swiftly ceased.

Subsequently, all the monkeys linked hands, forming concentric walls around the small cave where Tou was held.

They abandoned their search for the invisible Ji Jie, instead fixing their gazes on Tou, determined to prevent his rescue.

The noise had indeed subsided.

However, being stared at by so many eyes made him feel an unsettling prickle of dread.

“Baka! With so many monkeys staring at me, how am I supposed to sleep?!”

“Cheep-cheep, cheep-cheep-cheep!”

As if one Little Monkey were translating his words to the larger ones, all the monkeys outside turned around, presenting their backsides towards the cave.

‘Oh, for heaven’s sake!’

Tou was speechless!

This was even more terrifying!

Who knew if they would start farting?!

Nevertheless, Tou’s large, aquamarine eyes darted, and a thought struck him: the monkeys’ behavior seemed rather peculiar.

If Tou were merely food, and they feared his escape, wouldn’t it be simpler to cripple him or kill him outright?

Yet, they were following his instructions, making Tou feel as though he were being protected by them.

To ascertain if the monkeys were indeed complying with his demands, he cleared his throat and loudly declared:

“The bed is so hard! And I’m starving!”

He then peeked open one eye, covertly observing the monkeys’ reactions.

‘Cheep-cheep, cheep-cheep-cheep!’

Tou noticed that the Little Monkey chirping orders to the others was smaller than the other two, with slender limbs, a lithe waist, a plump chest, and long-lashed, large eyes—

This was a female monkey?!

Tou’s jaw dropped.

It was this very monkey that had previously poked him with a small stick and even peeled bananas for him.

Just moments ago, whenever Tou wished for something, it was this monkey that would ‘cheep-cheep-cheep’ to relay his messages to the other large monkeys.

‘This female monkey… could it be that she…’

“Ahhh!”

Tou clutched his head, letting out a hoarse cry, realizing he had been chosen by the monkeys, dragged up the mountain, and was now intended to be their captive husband!

‘How could Tou possibly accept such a fate!’

‘This wretched world! I might as well bash my head against a wall and die!’

“Cheep-cheep!”

The Little Female Monkey chirped, then spread a tiger-striped blanket on the ground.

The female monkey then lay on it, wiggling its backside, much like a courtesan at the entrance of a brothel might entice you inside with a seductive call.

Tou felt an immediate urge to vomit!

‘This melodramatic nonsense! Tou genuinely wanted to smash that foul female monkey’s head in with a single punch.’

Tou wanted to shout out, but he knew he was a captive; while they might indulge his other requests, they would never permit him, their captive husband, to escape!

Otherwise, they wouldn’t have assigned so many monkeys to guard him!

With no escape in sight, Ji Jie’s whereabouts unknown, and the prospect of being forced to become the monkeys’ groom, while his master still hadn’t arrived to rescue him…

A wave of sorrow washed over Tou, and he retreated into a corner, weeping silently to himself.

“Master… Master… *sob*…”

“Cheep-cheep!”

The Little Female Monkey seemed to sense Tou’s sorrow, its eyes welling with tears.

Like an older sister, it draped a warm tiger skin over Tou.

‘This damned monkey actually understands sorrow?!’

Tou felt a profound revulsion deep within him.

It was merely a beast, and one that had captured him.

To be comforted by such a wicked creature only intensified Tou’s disgust!

A surge of displeasure instantly consumed his heart, steadily rising, and his rage began to swell.

In any case, he was spiraling into darkness!

Using the tiger skin draped over him, he swung it back, covering the monkey, and began to pummel it relentlessly with his fists.

Initially, the other monkeys paid no heed to their commotion, but as the female monkey’s cries grew louder, it finally caught the attention of the other two monkeys.

They then each grabbed one of Tou’s arms, pulling him aside.

The female monkey was beaten black and blue, yet it showed no anger.

It seemed to be smiling, albeit a grotesque smile.

With a wave of its hand, the two monkeys holding Tou chirped hesitantly for a moment before releasing him.

The female monkey’s eyes dropped, its expression suddenly turning sorrowful, and it reached out to grasp Tou’s hand.

Tou instinctively recoiled; he utterly detested these monkeys.

Seeing that the monkey no longer approached, Tou retreated to his familiar corner, tore a piece of cloth from his clothes, and simply bandaged his hand, which had been scraped raw from his earlier punches.