Chapter 5  : Qi Cultivators

The next morning, Wei Huo discovered something fascinating.

The monkeys were imitating Wei Huo, setting up traps just like how he did yesterday. After setting up the traps, they put chips as bait. They clutched onto the rope and stared at the trap anxiously waiting for pheasants to take the bait.

The always raucous monkeys suddenly became silent. They sprawled on the ground with bloodshot eyes as they concentrated on their traps.

It seemed like those pheasants felt an unusual aura causing none of them daring to come close.

Wei Huo was speechless. “…”

They were simply… too clever by half?

Those monkeys were ranked the same as Wei Huo. All of them were at the normal rank. Wei Huo could also view their information feed. In one of their social bars, it showed ‘Established Rapport with Wei Huo’. Their Inventory Menu was empty, and there was no Character Attributes tab. They only had health attributes which showed that those few monkeys were quite healthy.

Those restless monkeys could not stay put after a while. They scattered and loitered around. Few entertaining themselves with some jumping all over the place. Several of them were running after each other, picking lice, hanging on the tree, and rolling just about everywhere. Only one monkey kept holding on to the rope with its gaze never leaving his trap.

Wei Huo thought that monkey was quite peculiar.

Probably because the tension in the air subsided, one pheasant came trailing along with the scent. The pheasant appeared warier of its surroundings compared to that pheasant from yesterday and yet, it still fell into the trap. The monkey which was gripping the rope yanked hard and penned the pheasant in a trap.

All the other monkeys were stupefied. All of them cast an admiring gaze toward that monkey who caught a pheasant.

Pleased with itself, that monkey walked towards the coop but was bewildered. It did not know how to catch the pheasant out from that coop. That monkey would of course also have no idea how to slaughter and grill it.

They suddenly turned their head towards Wei Huo.

Wei Huo was speechless. “…”

‘F*ck your sister, am I your chef?’

Although he was grumbling in his heart, he was still content to pick up the job. He was even imagining if those monkeys would learn more if he kept teaching them skills. Maybe they would evolve into intelligent creatures like those monkeys in the movie ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes’.

As the saying goes, just do it.

From that day onward, besides intensive training (100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, and 10-kilometer jog), Wei Huo also taught those monkeys all sorts of skills. He taught them everything from hunting using a lance, bow, and arrow; to grilling food, weeding, plowing, and farming crops.

In the blink of an eye, three years had passed!

Many events happened throughout those three years. Electricity and the Internet were suspended in the first year. They could no longer use any electrical appliances. In the second year, the water supply was also cut off leaving Wei Huo with no other choice but to fetch water from the river. Fortunately, the waters had turned crystal clear within those two years.

The packaged food went rotten after a year and a half. Luckily, those monkeys had already learned how to hunt and farm. They obtained seedlings from an agricultural supplies store located in a county 20 kilometers away. Ever since the human limiter was removed, Wei Huo had been transformed into a sturdy man through constant intensive training. Hunting was no longer a big deal. As luck would have it, Wei Huo and the monkeys still had sufficient food since animal reproduction speed had been accelerated.

In those three years, humanity’s time has not resumed. Even God’s voice had disappeared. Wei Huo nearly thought that God had forgotten their world!

Finally, in the third year, God’s voice appeared once again!

“New event added Raging Animals. Ceaseless hunting at the same spot will infuriate some animals, leading to pack-attacks on humans.”

“Qi System implemented.”

“New event added Caves. Rare scrolls left behind by ancient Qi Cultivators could be found hidden in selected caves.”

“Alterations made to the life span system. The player can now prolong their life through Qi Cultivation.”

Wei Huo was speechless. “…”

It had been so long since Wei Huo was taciturn. Wei Huo honestly had no idea how long he had been stuck here in the service area. He sprouted a beard and had long and messy hair. He currently resembled a caveman as he was carrying his bow and arrow on his back. He was dressed in clothes made from the fur of unknown beasts while holding onto a bloodied lance. There were wounds from hunting small and medium-sized beasts on his torso.

The group of monkeys also gradually expanded with baby monkeys that were just born. Although there was a king amongst them, they respected Wei Huo a lot. If possible, Wei Huo had hoped to continue staying there.

However, he still had to leave.

He still did not know how long the time halt would last.

He wanted to survive.

“I’m leaving!” Wei Huo suddenly started talking to the group. He could not believe how hoarse his voice had become due to not speaking a word for the past three years.

The monkeys were sun-bathing when Wei Huo spoke up. They looked at Wei Huo startled and dumbfounded, not understanding a single word he said.

Wei Huo said again, “I’m leaving now!”

Misinterpreting Wei Huo’s action, a baby monkey approached him and handed him fruits as he thought Wei Huo was hungry since baby monkeys would always cry for food when they were hungry.

Wei Huo felt emotional. He really did not want to leave that place but was left with no other options. The fear of death compelled him to search for rare scrolls handed down by Qi cultivators. Without the archives, he would only live until 88 years old.

As the only person in the whole world who was abandoned by God, Wei Huo had to find ways in staying alive. He should start finding methods to increase his lifespan. Otherwise, he would not get the chance to see his parents, friends, and even a living person anymore.

The monkeys belonged in the group while Wei Huo belonged to human society. He had to stay alive until he could witness that day!

“I’m really leaving!” Wei Huo received the fruit, packed his equipment, placed his food inside his bag, secured his filled bottle, and walked out of the service area.

A few monkeys trailed behind him holding onto hunting equipment. However, Wei Hao chided them. “Go back!”

The monkeys were at a complete loss. They could not understand what Wei Huo was saying. As Wei Huo kept yelling at them, they started to understand his message. Wei Huo was leaving, and he might not come back again.

Sadness was engraved on their faces. They were becoming more and more like humans.

Wei Huo’s heart-wrenched when he saw that scene. He said to those monkeys as he retreated, “I hope you will still remember me when time recovers. I also hoped you would help humans, and live in peace with them. Last but not least, I wish for all of you to stay safe.”

With that said, he turned around and left. He set foot on the expressway overgrown with wild grasses. That was the first time he regretted passing down so much knowledge to those monkeys.

The group watched as Wei Huo left. They had not understood what was going on. They even thought that Wei Huo was just heading out to fetch water. A baby monkey hopped onto a human’s head whose time was halted. It ended up slipping and fell down to the ground.

The time halt did not affect humans in the service area. Not even a single dust left a trace on them.