I was forced to cultivate immortality when I just wanted to lie down

Chapter 257 Social Skills, Monkey's Blessing

You can say you'll fight and then we'll fight, or you say you won't fight and then we won't fight?
This is some kind of monkey show!
Xu Qing finally understood. As long as he didn't show his strength today, this monkey might just say to other people that the leader of the Cat Immortal Hall had personally invited him to the hall. Then, when he met outsiders, he would call him brother and greet him warmly as Brother Xu. Would he still give him a bad look?

That's so clever! The old saying is definitely true!

"Brother Xu, we're neighbors. What kind of behavior is this, fighting and killing each other? Why don't we go have some drinks? I have monkey wine on my mountain."

Xu Qing blocked the red-tailed monkey's retreat and said with a smile, "Between neighbors, it's just a matter of exchanging skills. Immortal Hou, there's no need to worry."

As he spoke, Xu Qing whistled, and the next moment a crow flapped its wings and flew over, hovering in front of him.

"Go to Huangtiao Mountain and tell Huang Laoxu that my Cat Immortal Hall is exchanging blows with Immortal Hou from Monkey Mountain today, so as not to make too much noise and frighten the neighbors."

"."

The red-tailed monkey immediately understood that it had met its match. Putting aside whether it could win in a magical battle, it had already lost in terms of cleverness alone.

"Does Master Xu truly wish to engage in a sparring match?"

Xu Qing's gaze fell on the red-tailed monkey, nodding and then shaking his head.

"A friendly exchange, but not between you and me."

Xu Qing had other plans. Xuan Yu had recently condensed his demon core and was just missing a whetstone of similar cultivation level. This monkey in front of him was just right.

The red-tailed monkey was unaware that Xu Qing was using it as experience points to help Xuan Yu level up. When it heard that its opponent was the kitten in front of it, it actually breathed a sigh of relief.

Xu Qing gave it the feeling of a mountain, a mountain shrouded in clouds and mist. The red-tailed monkey couldn't figure out its opponent's strength, but one thing it was very clear about was that it was definitely no match for Xu Qing.

In comparison, the sword pellet in the girl's hand, though it was wary of it, was not so much so that it felt it could not defeat it.

On Laotaishan Mountain, Xu Qing stood to one side and watched.

At one moment, a foul wind blew by, and a burly man in yellow appeared beside him.

"Sect Leader! This monkey is extremely rude! Let me step forward and demand an explanation!"

Xu Qing waved his hand, signaling Guan Dazhuang to quiet down.

“Immortal Xuanyu has just survived a calamity and hasn’t fully mastered the power of the demon core yet. This monkey has come at just the right time. You should take a good look at him; you might even learn something.”

Guan Dazhuang's tiger-like eyes lit up, and he immediately held his breath and began to observe the battle in front of him.

When Xuan Yu went out, Xu Qing had styled her hair into two buns, making her look obedient and harmless.

But when she picked up the longsword, the cat's entire demeanor changed noticeably.

She was as light as a falling leaf, and with a light touch of her toes, she flew silently to the red-tailed monkey.

The monkey was somewhat surprised that the girl hadn't used the sword pellet. Did this little cat think it could defeat it just because it had a toothpick in its hand?
However, just as Xuan Yu was about to reach him, the Red-tailed Monkey noticed that the figure blurred and, in the blink of an eye, split into two identical clones, followed by a third, and a fourth...

In an instant, eight figures resembling Xuan Yu appeared out of thin air on the mountaintop, and without exception, each of these girls held a long sword in her hand. For a moment, the red-tailed monkey could not tell which one was real and which one was fake.

As the eight sword lights swept in simultaneously, the red-tailed monkey chuckled, and its bright eyes instantly gleamed.

"Bluster! I don't believe your clones are real!"

The red-tailed monkey is born with clear eyes, which can perceive the changes of yin and yang and see the enemy's weaknesses. In addition, when it cultivated, it opened up the ability to see far and wide. Not to mention a few illusory clones, it can see the true location of the opponent even if there are hundreds or thousands of clones at a glance.

"Hey? Wait! Hold on!"

The red-tailed monkey realized something was wrong; how come all eight of the girl's clones were solidified?

In its haste, it could only think of one possibility: that the eight figures of the other party were all their real bodies!
Eight against one, plus mental arithmetic, caught them completely off guard. This is just too unfair!

Ignoring the chattering monkey's words, Xuan Yu swung his sword at the red-tailed monkey.

"Get off!"

The red-tailed monkey's hair stood on end, its arm muscles bulged instantly, and the Dragon-Binding Staff swept forward like a sea dragon emerging from the sea, carrying the domineering aura of imprisoning a blue dragon.

Just before unleashing the sweeping strike, the Red-tailed Monkey's clear eyes turned black and white, as if yin and yang energies were flowing within them, constantly deducing the flaws in the Xuan Jade.

As the staff struck, Xuan Yu's figure visibly froze. The different sword moves unleashed by his eight clones at the same time were all neutralized by the Red-tailed Monkey!
Not far away, Xu Qing, who was watching the battle, exclaimed in surprise. This monkey seemed a bit unusual.

Whether human or demon, even if Jiutongshi opens his eyes, he can only see evil spirits and has no other functions. In addition to being able to distinguish the auspiciousness or inauspiciousness of battle formations, the eyes of the Red-tailed Monkey are also accompanied by the strange phenomenon of black and white energies.

This is extremely similar to his Heavenly Eye and Yin Eye. Xu Qing thought about it and realized that only innate supernatural abilities could produce such an effect.

Just as Xuan Yu's innate supernatural power is the Nine Lives Clone, the monkey in front of them clearly also has its own supernatural power.

On this day, the clear blue sky of Laotaishan seemed to be struck by thunder, or as if the mountain had collapsed. The sound of the landslide could be heard from twenty miles away.

The Dragon-Binding Staff was incredibly powerful, probably weighing no less than a thousand catties. Everywhere on Laotai Mountain that the staff swept was left pitted and uneven, and the air was filled with the burnt smell of stones colliding.

The Red-tailed Monkey's moves seemed wide and powerful, but in reality they were extremely exquisite. Xuan Yu's skill was slightly inferior to his opponent's, and when he saw that he could not suppress the opponent's arrogance with the Yue Maiden Sword Technique, Xuan Yu finally unleashed the Male and Female Sword Pills.

On Laotai Mountain, the battle between the two great demons intensified. On one side, countless sword shadows accompanied the ever-changing clones, making the attacks unpredictable and treacherous. On the other side, a cage of staff shadows stood as steady as a mountain, and wherever the staff wind swept past, it shattered illusions and precisely intercepted deadly attacks.

A cat and a monkey darted about, their movements a blur of metal on metal, the clanging of metal mingling with the whooshing of sword pellets, locked in a fierce and evenly matched battle.

Guan Dazhuang was sweating profusely. If he were to enter this battle, he would be wiped out in the blink of an eye!

Xu Qing smiled instead. With this battle over, Xuan Yu's realm would be stable, and he would be more measured in future battles.

Throughout the arena, Xuan Yu remained focused. When the Dragon-Binding Staff came at a tricky angle, she lightly touched her toes to the ground, her body as light as a feather. Her small body glided past the violent trajectory of the Dragon-Binding Staff by the slightest difference, landing silently, like a hunter roaming in the night, unable to be distracted by any commotion.

At one moment, the eight girl clones simultaneously unleashed the most offensive move of the Yue Maiden Sword – the Technique Against the White Ape!
This move was one of the most treasured sword techniques that Master Yuan taught Xuan Yu, and it was this move that the Goddess Xuan Nu used to defeat it.

Yuan Gong asked the Goddess Xuan Nu what the name of this move was, but the Goddess Xuan Nu said that the Yue Nu Sword Technique had no name; it was simply a sword technique that she had come to understand herself and had been using ever since, nothing more.

Even the name "Yue Nu Swordplay" was given by people on their own initiative.

Therefore, when Xuan Yu learned the Yue Maiden Sword Technique and asked Yuan Gong what the name of this move was, Yuan Gong did not answer.

But this didn't stump the clever Xuan Yu, who took it upon itself to name the sword technique "Skill Against the White Ape".

Right now, this strongest sword technique is being used against the red-tailed monkey, which is also a monkey.

At this moment, a warning screamed in the red-tailed monkey's heart. This sword strike had condensed the essence of swordsmanship and already contained a trace of the true meaning of the Nine Heavens Mystic Maiden's sword technique!

The red-tailed monkey cursed inwardly.

For some reason, it always felt that this sword technique was specifically targeting it!

The monkey just wants to earn some offerings for its offspring, why make such a big deal out of it?

As the sword intent reached its peak, the girl's eight figures leaped into the air and merged into one, while a sword beam, almost solidified, descended from the sky! Xuan Yu belatedly exclaimed, "Monkey, run!"

"."

Whether the monkey could escape or not, I don't know, but I was cursing it in my heart.

The red-tailed monkey's face turned green, and the intense throbbing of the omen of death on its head, along with its sensitivity to changes in the yin and yang energies, allowed it to react almost instantaneously, as if it had foreseen the future.

The lean body unleashed unprecedented potential. The red-tailed monkey, who was originally Xuan Yu's sparring partner, broke through its limits and, with an extremely messy yet exquisitely skillful ground roll, crawled into the rock crevice covered in dirt.

This was a relatively rudimentary earth-遁 (earth-遁 is a type of magic or technique), but this simple technique, combined with the Red-tailed Monkey's ability to foresee the future, allowed him to narrowly escape a fatal sword strike.

When it came to its senses, the dazzling white sword light had already transformed into a rainbow, cutting off a section of the distant mountain peak.

Guan Dazhuang stared in disbelief and exclaimed, "The Hall Master is truly amazing!"

Xu Qing raised an eyebrow but did not respond.

Xuan Yu seemed to have the upper hand, but he was using all his strength. Although the red-tailed monkey was in a sorry state, it still had the strength to fight. If the fight continued, it would only be a war of attrition. It would be a matter of who could hold out longer.

The Red-tailed Monkey survived the lightning calamity more than ten years earlier than Xuan Yu, and its cultivation level was also higher. If the fight continued, Xuan Yu, who had only recently condensed his demon core, might not be able to gain the upper hand.

Moreover, Xu Qing also discovered that the monkey in front of him seemed to have received a great opportunity, otherwise it would have been impossible for it to last so long under the sword technique taught by Master Yuan with ordinary staff skills.

From the crevice in the rock, a dusty-faced red-tailed monkey sprang out. As it leaped into the air, it twisted its waist, pushed off the rocks, and used the momentum to jump onto a pine branch.

Despite being at a disadvantage, the red-tailed monkey showed no anger. It grinned, showing its teeth, and said with a smirk, "I'm impressed! Your clone technique is so powerful, and your swordsmanship is so unreasonable. No wonder you are worthy of being the leader of the Cat Immortal Hall."

Xu Qing looked at the red-tailed monkey that treated people differently and felt that this monkey was somewhat different from what he remembered.

If I had to pinpoint a difference, it would probably be like the difference between the Monkey King and the Horseman.

The red-tailed monkey is clearly more like the latter.

At the Guanpo Temple, the red-tailed monkey, who admitted that he was not as skilled as others, obediently offered incense to Guanpo, as if to pay respects to the temple.

"Old hag! I was wrong to eat the offerings you made a few days ago. I apologize to you today."

Guan Dazhuang looked at the monkey bowing with its hands clasped, and felt that his back was straighter than usual.

A powerful demon who had survived a lightning calamity and possessed over six hundred years of cultivation, suddenly came to apologize. If word got out, it would not only enhance the prestige of the Cat Immortal Hall, but the mountain lord of its branch hall would also benefit from the honor.

"Master Hou, what's the name of your staff technique?"

On the way to Monkey Mountain, Xu Qing led the horse, and the red-tailed monkey carried a stick ahead. When Xu Qing asked a question, the monkey replied without turning its head, "I learned my stick technique in a cave. It's called the Qitian Stick Technique."

What the hell?
Xu Qing sensed something was amiss, and he quickly asked, "How did you learn the staff technique in that cave?"

Seemingly realizing his words had been somewhat presumptuous, Xu Qing quickly added, "Don't overthink it. I don't want to learn your staff techniques. It's just that I once went to a cave and had some fortuitous encounters there."

The red-tailed monkey said nonchalantly, "Even if I wanted someone to learn my staff technique, I'm afraid they wouldn't be able to!"

"how do I say this?"

"Brother Xu, you don't know, the cave I encountered was in a very secret place. There were tadpole runes painted on the walls inside. As soon as I went in, I slept for seven days and seven nights. In my dream, there was a monkey king with golden armor and a red crown. We drank and made merry with each other and played dice for six days. On the last day, he taught me a set of staff techniques, but the staff techniques didn't have a name."

When the Monkey King left, I asked him where his immortal mountain and cave were, and what his name was. He simply said two words: "Equal to Heaven."

"He taught me the staff technique, so it's naturally called the Qitian Staff Technique."

"."

Xu Qing's expression was strange. When he was performing the ritual to help Hong Baoya pass on to the afterlife, through the other party's memories, he also discovered some strange runes on the wall of a cave and comprehended the Thirty-Six Axes of the Heavenly Gang. That axe technique also had no name. Only when the white-robed youth performed the last move did he shout out the words "Opening Heaven".

"By the way, what kind of opportunity did you receive?" the red-tailed monkey asked curiously.

In response to the red-tailed monkey's question, Xu Qing replied quietly, "A set of axe techniques used for chopping wood."

The red-tailed monkey rolled its eyes and chuckled, "Your technique is like an axe for chopping wood, while mine is like a stick for fighting snakes. We're both law-abiding citizens."

"."

This monkey.
Xu Qing raised an eyebrow and looked at the red-tailed monkey.

"Master Hou, have you ever heard of the Red-Bottomed Macaque?"

"What monkey?" The monkey scratched its head.

Xu Qing was speechless. He patiently explained, "Legend has it that there are four kinds of mischievous monkeys in this world, one of which is called the Red-bottomed Horse Monkey."

"This monkey understands yin and yang, knows human affairs, is good at entering and exiting, avoids death and prolongs life, and has the ability to communicate with the heavens."

Understanding Yin and Yang refers to comprehending the laws governing the operation of Yin and Yang in the universe and discerning the laws and changes in Qi in the world.

Being good at interpersonal relationships means being adept at social interactions and being worldly-wise.

"Skilled in entering and exiting" refers to the ability to flexibly enter and exit various spaces, such as formations and dangerous places, and to possess a certain ability to escape.

"Avoiding death and prolonging life" refers to the fact that these clever monkeys can predict the future and thus avoid misfortune, escaping death and achieving the effect of prolonging life.

Xu Qing had previously guessed that the Red-tailed Monkey had yin-yang eyes and always left himself an escape route when doing things and speaking. When dodging Xuan Yu's sword pellets, the monkey shrank on the spot and disappeared into the crevice in the cliff in the blink of an eye.

Aside from the fact that his survival was ultimately uncertain, the monkey seemed to fit perfectly in every other respect, which inevitably made Xu Qing suspicious.

Upon hearing this, the red-tailed monkey was quite excited and elated.

"Avoiding death and prolonging life is the way of divination. I know this magic. So, does that mean I'm also a clever monkey?"

Xu Qing was speechless. People can't be compared, and zombies are even less so, because some creatures are truly born with unique advantages, and there's no way to reason with that.

"Since you can predict the future, why didn't you foresee my Cat Fairy Hall beforehand? Aren't you afraid that my Cat Fairy Hall will be your retribution?"

The red-tailed monkey shook its head vigorously: "The immortals can't be bothered by divination. If anyone tries to predict my fate and I find out, I'll cut all ties with them forever. Similarly, I don't try to predict the fates of other immortals. We're all neighbors; if we keep calculating, all our friendship will be gone."

Indeed, he is a good person.

Xu Qing chuckled and said, "You do have principles. Not counting me is a blessing for you."

"Good fortune?" The monkey scratched its head.

"It's nothing. I just don't like people scheming behind my back. If I found out, hehe."

Seeing Xu Qing's forced smile, the red-tailed monkey felt uneasy all over. Its instinct for survival told it that if it tried to figure out Xu Qing's background, it would probably be in trouble!
(End of this chapter)