After arriving at the base of the mountain, Yuan raised his head to look at it one last time and entered the forest. His return journey was very smooth because of the strange rock Senior San gave him earlier. It had his king-level aura on it, scaring all the beasts away.
After a day later, he arrived at the entrance of the valley. His heart beat faster as he approached it, the memories of the Green Python chasing after him still fresh in his mind.
But more than that, he was worried about Jojo and other monkeys. It had been over a month and a half since the attack—he had to know how the Long-eared Monkeys were faring. He cautiously entered the valley again.
He made his way to the hill where the long-eared monkeys lived. Yuan noticed the tense atmosphere as soon as he arrived there. The long-eared monkeys that had once filled the area were now sparse. Only a few sentries patrolled the area, their eyes wary as he passed.
It had been some time since his last visit, and the hill, once full of life, now felt somber and quiet. As soon as he reached the base of the hill, dozens of monkeys appeared out of nowhere and surrounded him with clubs and spears in their hands. Only after seeing it was Yuan, they immediately returned to their post.
Yuan approached the entrance to the cave, and a thick smell of blood filled his nose.
Inside, the cave was filled with injured monkeys. Some were lying on the ground, nursing their wounds, while others were groaning in pain. Yuan's heart sank as he saw Jojo sitting in the corner, tending to his wounds.
Yuan immediately rushed forward and checked his wounds. He took a breath of relief when he saw the injuries were not serious but soon a frown appeared on his face. He realized Jojo was poisoned with the deadly venom of the Green Python still coursing through his body and so did many other monkeys in the cave.
Yuan had seen this before. The poison was not only halting the healing process but also slowly corroding their bodies.
He quickly took out a few poison detoxification pills from his storage bag and fed them to one of the monkeys. To his relief, the poison began to recede, and the monkey showed signs of recovery. Yuan smiled with newfound hope and began distributing the detoxification pills to the other monkeys.
When he finally reached Jojo, he handed over a healing pill, but Jojo did not take it immediately. Instead, he stood up, motioning for Yuan to follow him.
Yuan was confused but decided to follow him through the caves. The deeper they went, the more serious the situation became. The other caves were filled with injured monkeys as well, their wounds far worse than Yuan had expected. Only now Yuan realized the seriousness of the situation. But they didn't stop there.
After a while, they reached a large room where several guards stood outside. As Yuan tried to enter, the guards stepped forward to block his way and stopped him from entering the room., but Jojo exchanged a few growls with them which Yuan couldn't understand. The guards moved aside, allowing Yuan to enter.
Inside the room, Yuan was met with an unexpected sight while the air was thick with the scent of blood. The room was much larger than he had expected—spacious and dimly lit, with wooden beams supporting the roof and straw mats scattered across the stone floor.
At the center of the room, three large monkeys lay motionless on wooden beds, their bodies battered and bruised, their fur matted with blood. Surrounding them were several long-eared monkeys, their faces etched with concern, as female monkeys worked tirelessly to dress their wounds.
Yuan's eyes immediately locked onto the injured figures. Two of them were the elders of the tribe, their bodies covered in deep gashes and scratches. But it was the third figure, lying in the middle, whose condition caused Yuan the greatest alarm—the chief of the tribe.
His injuries were severe, and Yuan could see the obvious signs of poison spreading through his veins. The chief was unconscious, his breathing shallow and erratic.
Yuan didn't hesitate. He rushed forward, pushing past the other monkeys, and immediately began assessing their condition. Though he had never cultivated, Yuan had been learning about beasts since he was young. He was knowledgeable about the basic treatment of beasts especially long-eared monkeys because he studied them for a long time.
After a quick but thorough examination, Yuan's heart sank. The chief's injuries were not only grave, but the poison in his body had already begun to corrode his internal organs. If not treated within the next day, the chief would die. Yuan's pulse quickened, but he pushed the rising panic down. There was no time for hesitation.
He knew the common detoxification pills he had used on Jojo and the other monkeys earlier wouldn't be enough for these three. These 3 were grade-2 monkeys, powerful and revered by their tribe. They needed something stronger.
Without wasting a moment, Yuan opened his storage bag and retrieved two small glass bottles, each containing six round, shiny pills. These were no ordinary pills; they were grade-2 healing and detoxification pills crafted from grade-2 spirit herbs by his mother, and their potency was a hundred times greater than the simple detoxification pills he had given to the others.
Yuan took out three pills from each bottle, storing the rest back into his bag. Without hesitation, he handed the pills to the female monkeys, instructing them to feed them to the injured elders and the chief. As they carefully administered the pills, Yuan took a deep breath and prepared to treat their wounds.
"Remove the bandages," he instructed the females, his voice steady. "We need to let the poison drain out."
He quickly realized that treating the wounds alone wasn't enough. The poison had already spread too far, and Yuan wasn't willing to take chances.
He grabbed a detoxification pill from his own stash, swallowing it quickly to protect himself from any potential contamination. He then dove into his work, carefully cleaning each wound, draining the poisoned blood, and applying healing salves to aid in their recovery.
The process of treating the Chief took over an hour, and though Yuan was exhausted, he didn't stop and went on treating both elders.