"Careful!"

Yang Qi cried out in alarm, his hands moving even faster. The moment Ta Xue’s legs gave way, he had already subconsciously channeled his Magical Power.

Small Transport Technique!

An invisible, gentle force instantly enveloped the falling Ta Xue’s entire body. It was as if an unseen hand had gently caught it and then steadily "transported" it right to Yang Qi.

Yang Qi reached out and steadily caught the still-dazed little fella.

"Oowoo~"

Ta Xue shook its fluffy head. It was clearly unaware of the danger it had just been in, only feeling a dizzying spin before ending up in Yang Qi’s arms.

Its eyes were half-closed and hazy, a muffled whimper escaping its throat. Its whole body was limp, looking utterly drowsy.

’It’s already "drunk"?’

Yang Qi breathed a sigh of relief, but also found it rather amusing.

The Monkey Wine wasn’t very strong, but for a little creature like Ta Xue, the delayed kick seemed quite potent.

He rubbed the little fella’s head and felt that its body temperature had even risen a little.

"ROAR~"

Nearby, Caiyun stood up, her eyes fixed on Ta Xue in Yang Qi’s arms. Only after confirming it was unharmed did she let out a low growl and lie back down on the branch, though her gaze still swept over them from time to time.

"Squeak squeak..."

Great Sage saw Ta Xue’s dazed appearance and wanted to laugh, but didn’t dare to laugh out loud.

Its monkey face scrunched up as it tried to stifle its laughter, its shoulders shaking, making for a comical sight.

"Alright, that’s enough."

Yang Qi glanced at it, then downed the rest of the Monkey Wine in the plastic cup before stowing the empty cup back in his Hundred Pouches Belt.

"We’ve had our tasty drink. Time to head back."

Yang Qi said to the still-snickering Great Sage.

"Squeak squeak!"

Seeing the cup vanish into thin air, Great Sage realized Yang Qi was leaving. It hurriedly pointed to the tree hollow where the Monkey Wine was hidden, gesturing wildly with a look of reluctance and urgency.

’There’s still a lot more inside.’

’Take some with you.’

’Drink it slowly when you get back.’

...

"Next time. I’ll take some next time I come."

Yang Qi explained, "It’s late today, and Ta Xue is drunk. I have to take it back to rest."

With that, not caring whether Great Sage could understand such a complex sentence, he cradled the drowsy Ta Xue, stepped onto a thick branch, and leaped away.

"Squeak squeak~"

Seeing this, Great Sage quickly tossed aside the empty plastic cup in its hand, scurried onto a nearby branch, and closely followed Yang Qi.

’Wait for me!’

As it scurried along, it deliberately detoured around the area where Caiyun was, appearing very cautious.

The mother clouded leopard let out a low growl, leaped lightly from her perch, and followed unhurriedly at the very back.

She escorted Yang Qi, who was carrying Ta Xue, and Great Sage all the way to the edge of the back mountain and into a relatively safe area before stopping. She let out a low growl as a farewell, then turned, and with a few nimble bounds, her agile figure vanished into the dark mountain forest.

...

Once down the mountain, Great Sage chirped "squeak squeak" twice at Yang Qi, then dashed off toward the wall in a flash.

Yang Qi didn’t stop it, letting it return to the Zoo on its own.

He drove back to the dorm with Ta Xue.

The little fella had fallen completely asleep in the car, letting out soft snores.

Yang Qi placed it in its little den and let it sleep soundly.

"Meow?"

Xiaojiu, who had been waiting in the room, came over and sniffed Ta Xue, its eyes full of confusion.

’What’s wrong with it?’

’It smells weird.’

"It’s drunk."

Yang Qi explained with an amused smile, "It snuck a sip of Monkey Wine and ended up like this."

"Meow?"

Xiaojiu leaned in again and sniffed the alcohol-tinged breath Ta Xue exhaled. It immediately snorted in disgust, took a few steps back, and even wiped its nose with a paw.

"Haha!"

Yang Qi burst out laughing at its human-like actions.

"Woof!"

Bai Wan also trotted over and circled Ta Xue’s little den, its tail wagging happily, seemingly finding Ta Xue’s state very amusing.

After settling Ta Xue, Yang Qi moved the Demon Extermination Array equipment back to the rear courtyard, set each piece in place, and plugged it in.

Soon, a faint purple light and a soft humming sound filled the air again as the device began to steadily provide Yang Qi with contribution points.

...

「Meanwhile.」

Under the cover of night, Great Sage nimbly and swiftly made its way back toward Monkey Mountain, traveling along the thick, intertwining branches of the trees lining the Zoo’s paths.

Moonlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting dappled shadows and draping the agile Monkey King in a silver glow.

As Great Sage passed the chimpanzee enclosure, a massive, muscular figure in the cage below suddenly stirred.

The next moment, a prime adult male chimpanzee emerged from the shadows. It walked over to the side of the cage near the trees, looked up at Great Sage, and let out two low, distinct grunts while gesturing in the unique way of chimps.

’Where’s the good drink?’

’The good drink you said you’d bring back?’

At the sound, Great Sage stopped. It crouched on a thick branch and looked down at the chimpanzee, scratching its ear and cheek. A guilty and helpless expression crossed its face as it responded with gestures and squeaks.

’Didn’t bring the good drink back.’

’There’s a fierce beast in the mountains.’

’A very, very fierce beast.’

It deliberately bared its teeth, making a terrified and frightened face.

The chimpanzee’s name was "Vajra." He was the boss of the chimp enclosure and highly intelligent. Ever since discovering that Great Sage could roam outside at night, they had been communicating, and he had never forgotten the "tasty drink" Great Sage described.

Hearing this, he now slapped his thick arms against his sturdy chest, producing a dull thud, and gestured again.

’What fierce beast?’

’Let me out, and I’ll go kill it.’

’I’ll get all of the good drink back for you.’

"Squeak squeak~"

Great Sage hurriedly shook its head and waved its hands.

’No, no, no!’

It knew just how powerful and violent this chimpanzee was.

’If he’s really let out, forget snatching Monkey Wine—the whole Zoo will be thrown into chaos, and my good days as Great Sage will be over.’

Seeing this, Vajra let out an impatient grunt, seemingly thinking Great Sage was a coward.

He slapped the cage mesh again, his eyes filled with ferocity and longing.

Great Sage’s eyes darted around, and it suddenly seemed to have an idea. It gestured with both hands and squeaked.

’You don’t have to come out.’

’You can find a Two-legged Beast that smells really nice.’

’He knows where the good drink is.’

’You can ask him for it.’

Hearing this, Vajra tilted his massive head, a look of confusion in his eyes.

’A nice-smelling Two-legged Beast?’

’Who?’

’Where?’

"..."

Great Sage scratched its head. It didn’t know Yang Qi’s specific name or where he lived.

But it remembered what Yang Qi looked like and the scent he had, which made it feel very comfortable and close to him.

"Squeak squeak~"

Great Sage gestured to indicate Yang Qi’s height, then pointed to the fur on its own body and compared it to Yang Qi’s hair. Then it pointed in the general direction of the employee dorms and finally emphasized its points.

’The really tall one.’

’Walks without a sound.’

’Anyway, you just have to find him.’

’He’ll definitely have a way.’

With that, without waiting for Vajra to ask more questions, Great Sage waved a paw, turned around, and bounded deftly along the branches, heading for Monkey Mountain in a few leaps.

Inside the enclosure, Vajra stood in place, his palm gripping the cold iron bars. He watched the direction where Great Sage had disappeared, then looked up at the night sky, a low, inscrutable rumble coming from his throat. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

A thoughtful glimmer flickered in his intelligent eyes.

’A very tall, nice-smelling Two-legged Beast?’