Bandit monkeys were strong and robust, as big as elephants. Adult bandit monkeys stood up to one zhang tall, with bulging muscles all over. Their upper arms were more than twice as thick as their lower limbs, and their tails were like iron rods that could smash rocks.
The bodies of bandit monkeys were covered in golden fur with black tiger stripes. Strangely, fur grew naturally from their waists, covering their crotch and tails, looking like leather skirts.
Roar!
The monkey king of this bandit monkey group suddenly opened its huge mouth and let out a mighty roar.
Their roars were as deep and powerful as lions and tigers.
Roar, roar, roar…
The monkey king’s roar drew responses from the entire group.
For a moment, wind and clouds surged, sound waves swept through, dispersing much of the white mist.
The people’s field of vision suddenly opened up, and they realized that the mountains on both sides of the road were covered with bandit monkeys. As many as a thousand bandit monkeys surrounded the caravan.
Their bodies were huge, their heads reaching the height of the trees. Some young trees only came up to their waists.
At the front of the caravan, the even larger monkey king sat majestically on a stone stool. A gray stone wine jar, as big as a water vat, stood beside it, emitting a strong fragrance of wine.
After roaring once, the monkey king closed its mouth. The other bandit monkeys kept roaring endlessly.
This only highlighted the monkey king’s aura.
Its gaze was calm, its eyes held intelligence, and it sat still. In contrast, the ordinary bandit monkeys stared at the goods of the caravan, restless and eager.
Animals like monkeys, foxes, and badgers all have intelligence.
The intelligence of this bandit monkey king was only that of a three-year-old child, inferior to the cunning lightning badger, but still smart enough to communicate.
The caravan leader, Jia Long, narrowed his eyes at the monkey king and suddenly said, “Jia Yong, you go.”
“Yes, leader.” Jia Yong stepped forward.
He was tall and fat, with a big belly, looking very sturdy.
He was a defensive Gu master, his life-bound Gu was the Water Armor Gu. Second rank cultivation, adept at water fighting. Once, by chance, while swimming in a river, he caught and killed a turtle as big as a small boat. From it, he obtained a Turtle Strength Gu. After using it, he permanently gained the strength of a turtle.
Seeing Jia Yong approach, the roars of the monkeys suddenly grew louder, shaking the forest.
Jia Yong had a solemn expression. He rolled up his sleeves and faced the monkey king.
The monkey king was huge; even sitting, it was a head taller than Jia Yong.
It looked at Jia Yong and roared. Immediately, several bandit monkeys carried a stone table over, huffing and puffing.
The stone table was as big as a bed, extremely heavy, and landed with a dull sound.
Two more bandit monkeys brought stone stools and placed them in front of the monkey king.
The monkey king patted the stone table, making a sound like drumming a giant drum.
Jia Yong swallowed, sat down, and placed his right elbow on the table.
The monkey king also extended its left hand, and they clasped hands.
A female bandit monkey beside them suddenly let out a loud shriek.
At this signal, Jia Yong and the monkey king simultaneously exerted force, starting the unusual contest.
Bandit monkeys revered strength, and arm wrestling was the main social activity among them. Little monkeys could arm wrestle from birth. Arm wrestling in the bandit monkey group was not only a game but also a common method to resolve disputes.
In the past, the righteous Gu master Guan Tianhou, with only fifth rank cultivation, naturally couldn’t storm the peak with force. He used this custom of the bandit monkeys, arm wrestling his way all the way to the top of Bandit Monkey Mountain and defeating the monkey emperor. Then he gained the acceptance of the monkey group, set up an agreement, and opened the trade route.
From then on, every caravan entering or leaving Bandit Monkey Mountain had to follow this agreement and arm wrestle with the bandit monkeys.
Those who won would be acknowledged by the bandit monkeys and exempted from toll fees. Those who lost let the monkey group take part of their goods.
In this way, the caravans could do business, and the bandit monkeys also got benefits and enjoyed it.
Over the years, the caravans adhered to the agreement, the trade route gradually prospered, and the agreement became entrenched.
Beside the stone table, Jia Yong’s face was red and his expression twisted from strain; he was giving his all.
But he still couldn’t resist the monkey king’s strength; his arm slowly tilted, and finally with a bang, the monkey king’s arm pinned Jia Yong down.
Victory!
The monkey king stood up and happily beat its chest with both fists.
The monkey group shouted and screamed, the noise shaking the sky.
Jia Yong lowered his head and retreated. On the way back, the bandit monkeys on both sides mocked him thoroughly. Some lifted their leather skirts and showed their red bottoms at Jia Yong, some made faces, some wagged their fingers.
“I can’t believe I’m being laughed at by beasts…” Jia Yong sighed helplessly, a bitter smile on his face.
Jia Long remained expressionless and waved his hand back.
The Jia family’s team began to advance. The monkeys swarmed forward, grabbing goods freely from the open carts.
The Jia family had played a minor trick: they covered the high-grade coal with a layer of colorful silk and cloth. The monkeys were attracted by these colored fabrics and ignored the gray, dull-looking coal stones that had a higher market price.
The monkeys played wildly, many of them wrapping the cloth around their arms, waists, and draping it behind them. The scene was incredibly noisy.
“Where is Jia Ping?” Jia Long called out deeply.
Jia Ping slowly stepped out. He was in stark contrast to Jia Yong: skinny as a stick, seemingly frail.
“I’ll avenge you.” He walked past Jia Yong, and then…