Chapter 47
Seeing the little monkey shrink guiltily behind her, Ruan Qingzhu let out a helpless sigh, her lips curving into a faint, wry smile.
“Xiao Ling… didn’t I tell you not to take other people’s things? Why didn’t you listen?”
Her voice was soft—gentle even—but there was unmistakable reproach beneath it.
The little monkey raised its tail and covered its eyes, refusing to meet her gaze, its entire posture radiating shame.
Watching the two, it was obvious to everyone present—their relationship was anything but ordinary.
“Junior Sister,” Ruan Qingzhu said after a moment, glancing at the Enforcement Hall disciples behind Lou Yuqing, her tone tinged with awkwardness, “did Xiao Ling take anything else from you that hasn’t been returned?”
Lou Yuqing caught the helplessness in her expression and gave a dry chuckle. “Well… my things have already been returned. But the little monkey didn’t just take mine—quite a few fellow disciples were affected. The Enforcement Hall sent us here to take it in. Probably… just a verbal reprimand.”
After all, it was a descendant of the sect’s guardian spirit beast.
Out of respect for the guardian’s past contributions—defending the sect against powerful enemies—the sect would not deal too harshly with its offspring.
Ruan Qingzhu frowned slightly, then loosened her hold on the monkey. “That’s… good. I’ve always been worried it would cause trouble. I’ve been unwell recently and can’t keep an eye on it all the time. If the Enforcement Hall can discipline it a little, that might not be a bad thing.”
Lou Yuqing: …For a monkey this troublesome, I’m honestly not even qualified to be its victim.
Ling Yunxiao stepped forward and lifted the monkey effortlessly, gripping it by the back of its neck.
The little creature let out a series of indignant squeaks, thrashing wildly—but no matter how it struggled, it couldn’t break free.
Si Nidie suddenly seemed to remember something. “Junior Sister Ruan, you said you’re not in good health. Then why are you still participating in the selection competition? Fighting like that will only make things worse. Your aura is much weaker than before—you should focus on recovering.”
Ruan Qingzhu blinked, clearly confused. “Senior Sister… I don’t quite understand. What selection competition? I haven’t left this place for days.”
Si Nidie scratched her head. “But we saw you on the stage today. You even won—you secured a spot in the exhibition match.”
Lou Yuqing nodded quickly. “Yes.”
She studied Ruan Qingzhu’s face carefully.
That confusion… didn’t look fake.
If she really hadn’t left—then who was the “Ruan Qingzhu” they had seen earlier?
“Exhibition match…” Ruan Qingzhu repeated under her breath.
Her gaze slowly shifted to the monkey. A complicated emotion flickered in her eyes.
“Xiao Ling,” she said quietly, “tell me the truth… did you transform into my appearance and go participate in the sect’s selection competition?”
The monkey froze.
Then its struggling stopped completely.
Its head lowered.
Ruan Qingzhu sighed, equal parts helpless and resigned. “So it really was you.”
Silence fell.
Everyone stood there, stunned.
The monkey had impersonated her… entered the competition… and won?
And no one had noticed?
The air grew strangely still.
Then—
“Chi, chi, chi!”
The little monkey suddenly began squeaking animatedly, waving its furry arms as if delivering an impassioned speech.
No one understood a word.
Only Ruan Qingzhu listened, her expression softening.
“You wanted to help me fulfill my wish… so you went to compete…” Her voice trailed off, tangled with emotion. “You…”
She let out a quiet sigh.
“I heard some time ago that the sect would be holding a Seven Sects Alliance competition,” she explained to the group. “But I fell ill and couldn’t participate in the selection rounds. I mentioned it once… I suppose this little one heard me.”
Her tone was filled with both helplessness and affection.
Yes, it broke the rules.
Yes, the method was crooked.
But still—someone had taken her offhand words and tried to make them real.
That kind of sincerity… warmed her heart.
Ling Yunxiao raised a brow. “So it also has transformation abilities?”
Lou Yuqing felt a chill run down her spine.
The Spirit Ape was already known for its mastery of illusions—manipulating enemies with layered deceptions.
She remembered the story.
Years ago, when a powerful enemy invaded, the sect’s guardian spirit beast had cast thirty-three layers of illusion, trapping the enemy within until their life force was extinguished.
No struggle.
No escape.
Just death, sealed inside a dream.
Even now, the thought made her scalp prickle.
She had experienced something similar before—Wu Fengshu’s illusion technique had already shown terrifying potential.
If cultivated to the Nascent Soul stage… perhaps it would rival that of the Spirit Ape itself.
And this little monkey—it could render her unconscious without a sound.
That was, somehow, even more unsettling.
And now—it could transform into others as well.
Ruan Qingzhu hesitated slightly before saying, “Xiao Ling can only take on my appearance for now. I think… it’s limited by its strength. But even so, the resemblance is perfect. Sometimes when I stand face to face with it, I get a little disoriented myself.”
Lou Yuqing exhaled internally.
Good. So it’s not just me.
The problem isn’t me—the enemy is just ridiculously good at disguises.
Si Nidie crossed her arms, looking at the monkey with a half-amused expression. “Well then, you troublesome little thing… looks like you’ve added another charge to your list. When Captain Wei locks you in solitary confinement, don’t come crying.”
The monkey tilted its head, eyes flashing with displeasure.
Ruan Qingzhu looked troubled. “Will the Enforcement Hall really confine Xiao Ling? It’s free-spirited—it hates being restrained. It loves roaming the mountains and forests… that kind of punishment would be unbearable for it. Could you ask your captain to be lenient?”
Si Nidie shook her head so fast it was almost comical. “Not a chance.”
Pulling a tiger’s whiskers?
Unless she had a death wish, she wasn’t about to ask Captain Wei for favors like that.
Ruan Qingzhu’s expression dimmed slightly.
Ling Yunxiao spoke casually, “What about its parents? Don’t they discipline it?”
“Parents?” Ruan Qingzhu looked startled. “When I found Xiao Ling, it was alone. Over the years, none of its kind have come looking for it. Perhaps… they’re already gone.”
The monkey shrank back, looking pitiful.
Ling Yunxiao clearly didn’t buy it.
He loosened his grip slightly, shifting his hold to the monkey’s shoulder. At the same time, his fingers curled inward, hidden strength coiled and ready—if it tried to escape, he could restrain it instantly.
The monkey simmered with resentment.
If not for Ruan Qingzhu watching closely, preventing it from acting rashly—there was no way it would have been caught by a mere human.
“You don’t know its identity?” Lou Yuqing asked, seeing Ruan Qingzhu shake her head.
She reached out and rubbed the monkey’s head. “It’s called a Spirit Ape—a descendant of the sect’s guardian spirit beast. I thought you named it ‘Xiao Ling’ because you already knew.”
Ruan Qingzhu’s pupils trembled.
She lowered her head quickly, hiding the emotion in her eyes.
After a long pause, she spoke. “I found it in the farmland on Qishan. It was trying to steal the spirit rice I planted… but it ate too much and choked, nearly suffocating.”
Everyone: “…”
They all struggled—very hard—not to laugh.
Lou Yuqing muttered under her breath, “A repeat offender, just as expected. Started stealing this early… and even targeting people’s hard-earned crops.”
“After I saved it,” Ruan Qingzhu continued, “it bowed to thank me and began visiting the fields often. But it never stole again. Over time, I saw that it was lively and clever, so… I gave it a name.”
That explained everything.
Qishan had stretches of flat land suitable for spiritual farming, and the sect had assigned disciples to manage them—Ruan Qingzhu among them.
Si Nidie glanced around, curious. “Don’t you usually live with the others? This place is quite far from the fields—it must take a lot of time to go back and forth.”
Meanwhile, the monkey—its embarrassing past thoroughly exposed—buried its face into Ling Yunxiao’s clothes, too ashamed to look up.
Ruan Qingzhu smiled faintly. “Xiao Ling likes playing by the waterfall. So I moved here. There are also many wild fruits nearby—it likes those too.”
Si Nidie nodded in understanding.
No wonder.
For someone willing to go this far, it made sense the monkey would be so attached to her.
“Junior Sister,” Si Nidie said, straightening, “we’ll be taking this little guy with us. If you’re worried, you can come to the Enforcement Hall to check on it.”
Ruan Qingzhu hesitated, a flicker of interest crossing her face—then shook her head.
“No. I trust the Enforcement Hall’s judgment. I just… don’t know where Xiao Ling’s parents are. Seeing it alone all these years… it hurts.”
No one had an answer.
The whereabouts of a Nascent Soul–level guardian spirit beast were far beyond them.
Watching the group depart, Ruan Qingzhu stood there for a long time, unmoving.
Then, slowly, she turned back into the small house, tidied a few things, and summoned a low-grade flying artifact—and flew toward the mountain gate.
—
On the way back to the Enforcement Hall—
Ling Yunxiao suddenly spoke. “Ruan Qingzhu has a problem.”
Everyone turned to him, startled.
Lou Yuqing blinked. “What do you mean?”
She knew he wouldn’t say something like that without reason.
But she truly hadn’t noticed anything off—aside from the close bond between Ruan Qingzhu and the monkey.
Ling Yunxiao looked at them meaningfully. “Do you really think she didn’t know? The monkey stole everyone’s magical artifacts—so why did it return them?”
Lou Yuqing froze—then her eyes lit up.
“Right! That little rascal is far too mischievous. Unless someone told it to, it would never return everything on its own. And the only person who could’ve done that…”
She trailed off.
“…Ruan Qingzhu.”
Ling Yunxiao nodded.
Si Nidie frowned. “Even if that’s true, it’s not necessarily a problem. Maybe she just didn’t want credit—doing good deeds in secret, you know?”
Ling Yunxiao shook his head lightly. “Or maybe… she didn’t want us to notice her injury.”
Everyone went still.
“Injury?” Si Nidie scratched her head. “Didn’t she say she was sick?”
“Sickness and injury are not the same,” Ling Yunxiao said calmly.
“My guess is this—Ruan Qingzhu was injured somehow. The monkey found out, went to the arena, and stole everyone’s magical artifacts.
It probably intended for her to sell them for spirit stones.
But she scolded it harshly… and made it return everything. ”
As he spoke, his gaze never left the monkey.
Sure enough—the monkey looked left, then right, avoiding his eyes entirely.
Caught.
Lou Yuqing stopped walking. “So… her injury might be serious?”
“I observed her closely,” Ling Yunxiao replied. “Her breathing was steady, her movements unhindered. Her aura was slightly weak, but her spiritual light remained intact. It’s likely a minor injury.”
Lou Yuqing let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding.
“Then why hide it?” she asked.
Ling Yunxiao answered without hesitation. “Because she doesn’t want us to know who injured her.”
Lou Yuqing fell silent.
If it had been a fellow disciple, there would be no need for secrecy.
Which meant—an outsider.
Si Nidie and the others gradually came to the same conclusion.
Ling Yunxiao continued, “Of course, this is just inference. What truly caught my attention was her reaction whenever I mentioned the monkey’s abilities. She didn’t want us to know.”
Lou Yuqing hesitated. “Maybe she was just afraid it would attract trouble. At the time, she didn’t know the monkey’s origins—she might have thought we were targeting it because of its abilities. If she wanted to protect it… she didn’t have much power to do so.”
Ling Yunxiao smiled faintly.
They weren’t wrong.
“I’ve read a bit about innate abilities,” Si Nidie added. “High-level spirit beasts like the Spirit Ape awaken them between the ages of three and six. This one is still young—it probably just awakened recently. And… it seems to have awakened two abilities.”
The monkey squeaked twice in apparent agreement.
Si Nidie reached out to poke its tail—
It dodged instantly.
Lou Yuqing couldn’t help asking, “Then how did it steal my storage ring? Illusions? I don’t think I was bewitched.”
The monkey grinned smugly.
Ling Yunxiao sighed. “If you’re curious, let it demonstrate.”
He released his hold.
Lou Yuqing nodded, eyes fixed on the monkey.
The monkey shook out its fur, puffed up its chest, and lifted its chin proudly.
You want me to demonstrate? And I should just obey? Do you think I’m that shameless?
“Hurry up,” Lou Yuqing urged.
The monkey’s eyes darted around.
Now’s the time to run.
It didn’t want to go with these humans.
Who knew what they’d do?
Lou Yuqing sensed something was off—but too late.
In the blink of an eye—the monkey vanished.
A streak of lightning. Gone.
Everyone: ???
They stood there, collectively stunned.
Then—
Snap.
Ling Yunxiao flicked his fingers.
The fleeing shadow halted midair.
Black threads surged from the darkness, coiling around the monkey’s body, binding it tightly.
The group let out a collective sigh of relief.
And when they looked at Ling Yunxiao again—their gazes had completely changed.
Ling Yunxiao lifted a hand.
The little monkey, which had only just bolted, was yanked back mid-flight as if caught by an invisible thread. In the next instant, it reappeared right in front of everyone.
He gave a light laugh. “Looks like my backup plan paid off.”
Lou Yuqing silently raised a thumb. “Very nice.”
Ling Yunxiao tilted his head slightly. “What does that mean?”
“It means I’m praising you.”
“…Thank you.”
The brief exchange ended, and everyone’s attention returned to the monkey.
The black threads binding it had already vanished.
Lou Yuqing bared her teeth in a grin that was far from friendly. “Why run? We’re not going to kill you. Was that really necessary?”
The little monkey froze.
“….”
At this point, crying for help seemed like a very reasonable option.
Under the weight of everyone’s gaze—and the implicit threat—it finally gave in.
Its eyes flickered.
A strange light surfaced within them.
It met Lou Yuqing’s gaze for just a heartbeat—then looked away.
“Squeak.”
Demonstration complete.
Lou Yuqing: “…What?!”
Her reaction was immediate.
She looked down at her left hand—
Empty.
Her storage ring was gone.
Her mind blanked for a split second before she snapped her head to the right—there it was.
The ring had somehow moved to her right hand, sitting neatly beside the silver decoy.
“…?”
Lou Yuqing stared at it, stunned. “Was that… an illusion?”
She squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them again.
No change.
The ring remained exactly where it was.
“…Teleportation?” she asked weakly.
The monkey wagged its tail.
Shook its head.
Ling Yunxiao narrowed his eyes. “A teleportation technique?”
Another shake.
“Did you hide it somewhere?” Si Nidie and the others were equally baffled. They hadn’t seen anything clearly—only a blur, and then it was done.
The monkey rolled its eyes.
Humans are so slow.
With a look of pure superiority, it performed the trick again.
This time, its eyes didn’t glow.
There was only a flicker—a blur across everyone’s vision—and it was over.
But unlike before, they caught something.
Movement.
Fast—but not invisible.
They all turned to Lou Yuqing. The storage ring… was back on her left hand.
Ling Yunxiao exhaled softly. “I see.”
Everyone looked at him.
“You used your innate ability to push us into a momentary lapse of awareness,” he explained calmly. “When we regained our senses, everything appeared unchanged—but in that gap, you had already completed the action.”
The monkey squeaked brightly.
Correct.
Lou Yuqing, remembering the information she had unlocked earlier, quickly skimmed through it.
[At age three, the little monkey awakened its first innate ability—Illusion. At four, its second—Soul Capture. At five, its third—Transformation.]
[Just now, it used group Soul Capture on us.]
“Hiss—”
Someone sucked in a sharp breath.
Si Nidie stared at the monkey, suddenly feeling a wave of jealousy.
One innate ability was already enviable enough.
But this one—just kept unlocking them like achievements.
For a brief, irrational moment, she wished she were the monkey.
The monkey, sensing the shifting emotions, hopped lightly onto Ling Yunxiao’s shoulder.
Then—it turned its back on everyone.
Radiating disdain.
Everyone: “…”
Right.
Just a monkey.
No need to compare.
—
Enforcement Hall
The figure seated at the head of the hall had changed.
A woman in green robes sat upright, her appearance youthful—but her presence was steady as a mountain.
“Elder Shi Hua, they’ve arrived,” Wei Houming said respectfully, standing at her side.
He had originally sent for someone who could understand beast speech.
Instead—an elder had come.
Shi Hua’s gaze swept across Lou Yuqing and the others.
Then it landed on the little monkey.
Her expression shifted.
After a pause, she murmured, “This child… resembles her.”
Wei Houming understood immediately.
Her referred to the sect’s guardian spirit beast.
Generally speaking, spirit beasts at the Nascent Soul stage could not take human form. But certain races were exceptions.
The Spirit Ape clan was one of them.
Upon reaching that level, they could transform.
Shi Hua was a beast tamer. Over the years, she had fought alongside that very Spirit Ape—who had taken the name Lingzhu Zhenren after transforming.
They had forged a deep bond.
Twenty years ago, Lingzhu had found clues about her clan and set out to return to her ancestral home.
Shi Hua hadn’t stopped her.
She knew she had always longed to find her people.
Back then, she had thought—she would return soon.
But time passed.
Years blurred into decades.
Twenty years, gone in the blink of an eye.
No news.
Only the soul lamp she had left behind in the sect still burned quietly.
She had even begun to suspect—that perhaps she had found her home… and simply never looked back.
A thread of gentle spiritual energy slipped from her fingertips, wrapping around the little monkey and drawing it into her arms.
She checked its bone age.
“…Five years old.”
The monkey tilted its head, sensing her emotion.
“Squeak?”
Shi Hua smiled faintly, her voice soft. “I knew your mother. How did you come to the sect? Did she leave you any message? And… is she well?”
Mother?
The monkey froze.
Its face went blank—completely, unmistakably confused.
“I’ve been here since I was born,” it squeaked. “Who’s my mother? I only have one good friend.”
Shi Hua stilled.
This… was not what she had expected.
The child of Lingzhu—didn’t even recognize its own mother.
After a moment, she asked gently, “Do you have a name?”
The monkey puffed up proudly. “Xiao Ling! Qingzhu gave it to me. Isn’t it nice?”
“It is.”
Shi Hua’s smile softened. “Then tell me, Xiao Ling—why did you steal everyone’s magical artifacts? If you answer honestly, I’ll reward you with a cup of honey nectar. How does that sound?”
The monkey’s eyes lit up instantly.
Honey nectar.
Just hearing the name made its mouth water.
It loved sweet things.
The spirit rice Qingzhu grew had a faint sweetness—but not enough.
Wild fruits helped.
But this—this sounded far better.
Shi Hua produced a cup.
Golden nectar shimmered within.
The scent alone drifted through the hall—rich, sweet, irresistible.
Even Lou Yuqing, standing several feet away, caught the fragrance.
Three seconds, she thought. It won’t last three seconds.
Three…
Two—
“I’LL TALK!”
The monkey blurted it out before she could even finish counting.
“Qingzhu is injured! She needs spirit stones to heal, but her savings were stolen by bad people. I wanted her to get better, so I… I stole things…”
Its voice grew smaller toward the end.
Once, when it was young, it had taken anything that looked tasty.
Then Qingzhu had taught it—things that belonged to others must not be touched.
That was stealing.
So it stopped.
But this time—Qingzhu had vomited blood.
And panic overrode everything.
“I returned everything!” it added quickly, glancing at Shi Hua. For some reason, this human felt warm—safe. It didn’t want to disappoint her.
Shi Hua sighed softly, stroking its head. “Good child. I understand. Your intention was kind—but you mustn’t do this again.”
The monkey nodded obediently.
Meanwhile—Lou Yuqing was thinking something else entirely.
Ling Yunxiao… is terrifyingly accurate.
Then—
System. Care to explain yourself?
Why was all the information she got just basic biography? No relationship context, no connected details—just raw, unprocessed “gossip”?
She had basically eaten a pile of unseasoned melon.
Refund!
The system responded calmly:
Lou Yuqing’s expression darkened. “I’m asking you to improve the function—not upsell me. You dare trick your only customer? Believe me, I won’t spend another gossip point on you.”
Her patience snapped.
She was just about to teach it a lesson—
Lou Yuqing paused.
…That would be foolish to refuse.
Without hesitation, she paid the single point and opened Ruan Qingzhu’s gossip.
After hearing Ling Yunxiao’s analysis—her curiosity had already peaked.
So—
Who exactly… was the one who injured Ruan Qingzhu?