It really was the Great Sage!

Yang Qi watched as the Monkey King leaped lightly from an old pine tree, landing not far in front of him. It was scratching its ears and cheeks, looking both anxious and excited.

"You snuck out again?" Yang Qi took a few steps forward and familiarly ruffled the Great Sage’s furry head.

"CHEEP! CHEEP!"

The Great Sage chirped and gestured wildly.

’The good drink, it’s ready.’

’You come too.’

’You can have some of the good drink too.’

’But there’s a fierce beast in the mountains.’

’I’m scared.’

...

’The last time we met, the Great Sage was also going on about some "good drink," wasn’t it?’

Yang Qi recalled that was indeed the case.

As for the "fierce beast" it mentioned, that was clearly the mother cloud leopard, Caiyun.

The Great Sage was afraid of running into Caiyun after entering the mountain, which was why it had been hesitating near the entrance. It was no wonder it was so happy to bump into him.

"CHEEP! CHEEP!"

Seeing that Yang Qi seemed to understand, the Great Sage grew even more excited and pointed toward the depths of the forest.

’Let’s go! Time for the good drink!’

With that, not even waiting for Yang Qi’s response, it shot back up a nearby tree with a WHOOSH. It then scurried nimbly and swiftly through the intertwining branches, heading deep into the woods.

Curiosity stirred in Yang Qi’s heart.

He hesitated no longer. A trickle of Magical Power flowed through him, and the Spirit Crane Body Technique activated naturally. Though it wasn’t true flight, his body became as light as a swallow’s. His steps were silent as he skimmed just above the ground, flying low and fast, staying right behind the Great Sage.

The night was dark, the mountain path was rugged, and the forest was dense.

But thanks to his superhuman hearing and reflexes, coupled with the beam of his flashlight, the darkness had a negligible effect on Yang Qi.

At first, the Great Sage worried that Yang Qi couldn’t keep up and paused on a branch to wait. But when it looked back, it saw Yang Qi following silently behind like a phantom. His speed was not the least bit slower; in fact, he seemed to be moving with ease.

It scratched its head, a humanlike expression of astonishment on its monkey face. Then, it stopped waiting and focused on forging ahead.

One man and one monkey traversed the silent mountain forest, venturing deeper and deeper into the heart of the back mountains.

Eventually, the Great Sage led Yang Qi to a rather steep cliff face halfway up the mountain.

It agilely climbed an old tree with powerful branches that grew tenaciously from a crack in the cliff.

The tree jutted out from the cliff face at a precarious angle. Without professional equipment, an ordinary person could never climb it.

But for Yang Qi, this was nothing.

He identified a landing spot, tapped his foot lightly, and his body floated up like a feather, landing precisely on a thick branch. After a few more leaps, he was just like the Great Sage, having arrived lightly at the top of the tree near the crown.

Here, there was a natural hollow in the tree, cleverly concealed by dense leaves and branches. The opening wasn’t large.

The moment Yang Qi steadied himself, a strange and mellow aroma of wine wafted out from the tree hollow and tickled his nose.

The fragrance was unique, a mixture of sweet, ripe wild fruits, fragrant flowers, and a faint yet rich aroma of fermented vegetation.

Looking at the Great Sage, it was already scratching its ears and cheeks in excitement, pointing at the tree hollow and cheeping nonstop.

’It’s ready to drink!’

’You drink too!’

While cheeping, it leaned halfway over and stuck its furry arm into the hollow. It dipped a finger into the viscous, amber-colored liquid inside, then quickly pulled it out, stuck it in its mouth, and licked it gleefully, an expression of utter bliss on its face.

’The legendary Monkey Wine?’

Yang Qi shone his flashlight into the hollow. It seemed to be sealed quite well. The Great Sage must have gathered various wild fruits and nectars, mixed them with some special plant sap or rainwater, and allowed it all to ferment naturally in the hollow, creating this "Hundred Fruit Wine."

To think such a rare treasure could be found here in the back mountains.

’Come drink!’

’Drink up!’

The Great Sage gestured for Yang Qi to come and share its "fine wine."

"Alright, I’ll have a taste of this legendary Monkey Wine too," Yang Qi replied with a smile.

With a flick of his hand, he produced two small, clear plastic cups—the kind he usually used for drinking—from his Hundred Pouches Belt.

When the Great Sage saw Yang Qi conjure two "strange containers" out of thin air, its eyes went wide. It stared blankly and reached out, wanting to inspect Yang Qi’s hand and the plastic cups.

But Yang Qi had already acted. He deftly used one of the cups to scoop up half a cup of the viscous, sparkling, amber-colored Monkey Wine from the hollow and held it out to the Great Sage.

"Use this. It’s more convenient."

"Cheep~" The Great Sage scratched its head, curiously took the plastic cup, and imitated Yang Qi, bringing the cup to its mouth and carefully pouring the liquid inside.

The moment the wine entered its mouth, its eyes immediately narrowed in bliss. Its face showed pure enjoyment, and a satisfied purr rumbled in its throat.

Yang Qi also scooped out half a cup for himself. He first brought it closer to smell it; the complex, fruity aroma of the wine was even richer up close. Then, he took a small sip.

The taste... to be honest, it wasn’t as amazing as he had imagined. It was even a bit coarse, with the slight sourness and faint astringency characteristic of wild fermented wine, though it was quite sweet.

But that unique aroma, as if the essence of a hundred forest fruits had been concentrated, rushed straight to his head.

As the liquid slid down his throat and into his stomach, a gentle warmth spread through him. It wasn’t a burning sensation; instead, it made his whole body feel cozy and warm, and his spirits were instantly lifted.

"This Monkey Wine... it’s full of Spiritual Qi!" Yang Qi praised.

Although it couldn’t compare to medicinal pills, it was definitely an excellent tonic for nourishing the body of ordinary people and animals.

’How is it?’

’Good, right?’ the Great Sage chirped smugly.

"It’s really good." Yang Qi smiled, scooped another half cup, and slowly savored the rare, wild vintage.

"Grrrr—"

A low, warning growl suddenly came from the woods below and to the side.

It was immediately followed by the RUSTLE RUSTLE of leaves as two agile figures, one large and one small, approached rapidly like phantoms, moving along the thick branches of several nearby trees.

It was the mother and cub cloud leopards, Caiyun and Ta Xue.

The Great Sage jumped in fright, nearly dropping its plastic cup. With a terrified SQUEAK, it quickly hid behind Yang Qi, clutching his clothes tightly and pointing at the rapidly approaching mother and cub while jabbering in panic.

’The fierce beast is here!’

’Let’s get out of here!’

"It’s okay, it’s okay." Yang Qi quickly soothed the frightened Great Sage. "They won’t hurt you. Don’t be afraid."

As he spoke, he called out to Caiyun, who had already stopped on a branch of another nearby tree, and to Ta Xue, who had leaped lightly onto the same tree and was now curiously observing them. "Caiyun, Ta Xue, don’t scare the Great Sage. This is the Great Sage, you’ve met him before. We’re all friends. If you run into him in the mountains from now on, don’t hurt him."

"Grr~"

’Understood.’

Ta Xue nodded its small head. It looked at the Great Sage, who was shivering behind Yang Qi, then at the plastic cup in Yang Qi’s hand, its nostrils flaring.

Then it gave two more curious whimpers.

’What’s that delicious thing?’

’I want some too!’

Caiyun, on the other hand, just let out a low growl.

’Got it.’

Her glowing eyes glanced at the Great Sage before looking away. She then lay down lazily on the branch, the tip of her tail swaying gently.

Seeing this, Yang Qi smiled and beckoned to Ta Xue.

"Alright, you can try some too."

With that, he poured some Monkey Wine into his palm and held it out to Ta Xue.

Ta Xue came closer and licked Yang Qi’s palm a few times with its small, pink tongue.

The moment the Monkey Wine entered its mouth, the little one immediately wrinkled its nose and shook its head.

’Doesn’t taste good.’

No sooner had the thought formed than its legs suddenly gave way. Its body swayed, and it fell right off the branch...