"Why are you so quiet now?" Aflra's gaze, concealed beneath her hood, was fixed intently on the old monkey.
"Chirp..." The old monkey feigned ignorance, as if to say, "I'm just an ordinary monkey, I don't understand what you're talking about."
The other monkeys followed suit, creating a cacophony of sounds, trying to confuse her.
"Hehe..." Aflra's lips curled into a cold smile, sending a chill down the spines of all the monkeys, causing them to huddle together.
"Don't play the fool with me," Aflra's eyes sparkled with intelligence. "The chirps you made just now had 17 syllables, very regular. Moreover, your behavioral patterns clearly indicate that you have your own language and can communicate, can't you?"
Aflra's smile deepened, revealing her pearly white teeth, gleaming ominously in the sunlight.
The old monkey sighed, not expecting this human to be so perceptive.
"Your Excellency, may I ask what you need here?" The old monkey's voice was unclear, but Aflra understood.
"I've heard that your flame wine is delicious. Bring it out for me to taste," Aflra replied.
The old monkey breathed a sigh of relief. As long as it wasn't a matter of life and death, everything was negotiable. "Of course, take as much as you want, Your Excellency. But why did you have to harm my children?"
Aflra chuckled, her voice tinged with mockery. She knew that without first demonstrating her strength, these monkeys wouldn't be so obedient.
The old monkey didn't get angry, instead, he became even more fearful and quickly ordered, "What are you waiting for? The noble one wants to drink our wine. Bring it out, and pick some fresh fruit."
The monkeys quickly got to work. Under the old monkey's command, they moved clean stones to serve as tables and chairs, spread animal skins to invite Aflra to sit. A barrel of flame wine was brought out, and colorful fruits were neatly arranged on the leaves.
A monkey cleverly ran over to rub Aflra's legs, two others massaged her shoulders, and another gently waved a banana leaf fan, creating a cool breeze. Aflra felt like an ancient emperor, enjoying the utmost treatment.
Aflra picked up a piece of fruit, feeling its coolness. She couldn't help but take a closer look at the old monkey.
The old monkey explained with a smile, "Your Excellency, this fruit was picked this morning and soaked in well water. It's especially cool and delicious."
Aflra nodded with satisfaction. She took a bite of the fruit, and indeed, it was exquisite, more refreshing than picking it straight from the tree.
"Not bad, bring the wine," Aflra said.
A monkey quickly picked up the wine barrel and poured wine into a wooden bowl lined with lotus leaves. Aflra took a sip, and the fiery red flame wine immediately emitted the fragrance of lotus leaves and the sour sweetness of fruits. After being refrigerated for a long time, a coolness spread from her mouth to her entire body, followed by a warm heat, as if the fire elements in her body were activated.
"What a great thing," Aflra took off her hood, revealing her waterfall-like black hair and an almost perfect face. She wiped the sweat from her forehead and took another sip.
The other monkeys didn't react much, but the old monkey was different. He had been in human society and knew the importance of appearance. A beauty like Aflra's was almost unseen, only noble children could possibly possess it. Coupled with Aflra's demonstrated strength, the old monkey's hatred in his heart deepened, and the smile on his face became even more flattering.
He bowed his head and asked with extreme caution, "Your Excellency, are you satisfied?"
Aflra smiled and said, "Not bad."
The old monkey continued, "Your Excellency, these two guys have offended you unintentionally. They have been punished. May I ask if you..."
Aflra waved her hand. "Bring them here."
The old monkey breathed a sigh of relief, and then a trace of ecstasy appeared on his face. "Quick! Bring those two fools up."
A group of monkeys clamored and carried Iron General and Seven Hairs to Aflra. Aflra casually waved her hand, and two flames shot into their nostrils, burning their nasal hair. Immediately, the two monkeys covered their noses and screamed and jumped up, obviously severely scalded.
In fact, Aflra hadn't taken their souls, she had merely knocked them out. Splashing a basin of cold water or burning nasal hair could wake them up, but the latter would be more painful. This move made the monkeys more respectful.
After a satisfying meal, Aflra patted her slightly bulging belly, stretched, and her beautiful curve was vaguely visible under the broad cloak. She yawned and looked at the sky. "It's getting late, it's time to go."
The monkeys showed a happy expression, but Aflra's next sentence made their mood plummet.
"You follow me and move all the flame wine to my side."
The old monkey almost spat out a mouthful of old blood. He had never seen such a domineering person—eating their food, drinking their wine, and now taking all their belongings.
"Your Excellency, please don't!" The old monkey threw himself at Aflra's feet, hugging her leg and crying. "These wines are not only our winter food, if you take them all away, we can't survive!"
Aflra frowned slightly and asked, "What's going on?"
Seeing that Aflra seemed to waver, the old monkey breathed a sigh of relief, let go of her leg, and began to tell his story.
"It's a long story..." The old monkey began. "The reason why White Fang Mountain got its name is not because of its shape like white teeth, but because there were dragons here."
"It was Emperor Daniel, a powerful old dragon. Before I was born, he had been sleeping for more than fifty years. When I grew up, His Majesty still hadn't woken up, and everyone thought he had passed away." The old monkey's eyes welled up with tears. "Since then, White Fang Mountain has not been peaceful. Many adventurers came here in search of the dragon's lair, and many of my companions died because of it."
Aflra fell into deep thought. According to the game's setting, an old dragon was about eight hundred years old. Those living on the top of White Cliff Mountain were usually white dragons or red dragons, and sometimes green dragons, also known as poison dragons.
The old monkey continued: "Later, the boss took us four brothers out to learn and avoid disaster. It took ten years. When we came back, those adventurers had left, and White Fang Mountain was in chaos."
"With the skills we learned, the eldest brother led us to pacify the entire mountain area. However, the good times didn't last long. A lion named Alik appeared. It had golden fur, tremendous strength, was invulnerable to swords and guns, its roar could break large trees, and its sharp claws could crush stones into mud. The third brother died in battle, and I was the only survivor, forced to offer the flame wine every year as a sign of submission."
Aflra asked curiously, "How did you survive?"
The old monkey's face suddenly changed, and he stammered.
Aflra immediately understood something and laughed. "Are you the most timid one and also the most useless one?"
The old monkey forced a smile, but his heart was bleeding.
"Don't be sad, fearing death is human nature," Aflra patted him on the shoulder.
The old monkey looked at the gaze of the surrounding monkeys with embarrassment, feeling as if a thousand arrows were piercing his heart.
Anger surged up in an instant, but seeing Aflra's expression, he calmed down again.
"Well, no more jokes. I'm leaving, remember to prepare the wine," Aflra said.
The old monkey almost cried, but he quickly recovered. "Of course, of course!" He ordered a group of monkeys to prepare two barrels of wine and escort Aflra.
As Aflra was about to leave the territory, she turned back and waved. "Old monkey, you're very interesting. I'll come to play often!"
The old monkey couldn't hold back any longer. He spat out a mouthful of blood, causing an uproar.