Eternal Life: Talent Grows with Age-Chapter 119 - 104: White Ape’s Friendship

This wine is no ordinary brew—it has healing properties.

Lu Chang’sheng felt a strange sense of wonder surging in his heart, mixed with a trace of warmth.

When he saved the mother White Ape, he’d simply wanted to put to rest the old grudge of killing the little white ape. He hadn’t expected that not only would the White Ape forgive him, but would even treat him as a true friend now.

"Since you mean it, I, Lu Chang’sheng, can’t just sit around doing nothing. Tomorrow, how about I help you take down that giant python together?"

Lu Chang’sheng said with a grin.

The White Ape was taken aback for a moment, then patted Lu Chang’sheng on the shoulder, as if to say thanks.

The next day, after the man and ape made their preparations, they followed the stream upward and trekked deep into Great King Mountain. By a deep pool, they found the enormous python that had fought the White Ape the night before.

Looking closer, the giant snake was at least forty or fifty feet long, its black scales gleaming in the sunlight.

When enemies meet, their eyes blaze red with hatred.

The White Ape leapt out first, its heavy fists smashing into the python.

The giant python recoiled in pain, twisting about madly. In the blink of an eye, it was locked in battle with the White Ape.

It was a bit incredulous. The White Ape usually avoided its lair—why had it come today? Was it here for revenge over last night’s fight?

Just then, a surge of crisis swept over the black python’s sinuous body.

Thrashing frantically, it tried to dive into the pool, but in the next instant, a figure landed on its tail, driving half a spear straight into its flesh and muscle.

The attacker was none other than Lu Chang’sheng. But at that moment, he was actually full of emotion—when the broken spearhead pierced the snake’s hide, he could clearly feel its solid resistance. He had to draw on his True Qi again and again just to keep the weapon from slipping aside.

The scales on the black python were in no way inferior to the armor worn by the Black Mountain Army.

He rammed the spear in several inches before having to let go. The python’s rolling bulk carried immense force, enough to shatter mountains and stone. Lu Chang’sheng, unlike the tough-skinned White Ape, had no desire to get hit by that kind of power.

Man and ape chased their quarry relentlessly.

The distance from where the python was to the deep pool was only a matter of a few hundred meters, but they made it feel like the gap to the ends of the earth.

More and more wounds appeared on the snake’s body. Sensing escape was impossible against two equally matched foes, its ferocity burst forth in an instant, and it whipped its head around, lunging at Lu Chang’sheng.

The python knew the White Ape inside and out—it was well aware killing the ape quickly was impossible, so it set its sights on making a breakthrough with Lu Chang’sheng instead.

"Bang!"

Lu Chang’sheng hadn’t expected the snake would turn and attack so suddenly. He could only dive aside behind some rocks—the python’s massive head swung and shattered the stones to bits.

But by now, Lu Chang’sheng had already gained his footing. Relying on his nimble body technique, he dodged back and forth, keeping the python’s attention fixated on him.

Meanwhile, the White Ape attacked with wild abandon.

Man and ape—at this moment perfectly in sync—slowly ground down the python’s vitality, bit by bit.

Half an hour later, the black python was lying on the ground almost lifeless, its scales battered and torn, flesh in tatters.

The White Ape’s fists crashed down like bells, pounding the wound seven inches behind the snake’s head. In the next instant, the python erupted with a final burst of violent life, struggling madly one last time before its massive body crashed to the ground with a thunderous rumble.

In the distance, a swarm of baby snakes of all shapes and sizes scattered desperately in all directions.

Though they had no intelligence, their animal instincts for survival were sharp enough—they knew the two creatures ahead were far too much for them to handle, so they bolted, lest they share the Snake King’s fate.

"Just as I thought—life-or-death battles are incredibly beneficial for cultivation."

A flash of realization crossed Lu Chang’sheng’s eyes as he glanced at his Light Curtain Panel.

It looked the same as always, but he knew he’d made a huge step toward the Innate Realm.

"Tomorrow, I turn thirty!"

Lu Chang’sheng’s eyes brimmed with anticipation.

By the time he made his way back to the mountain valley, it was afternoon and he was preparing to leave.

But just then, the White Ape pressed him down onto a rock.

"You want me to wait for you?" Lu Chang’sheng watched its gestures and chuckled.

The White Ape nodded, turned, and left. Over an hour later, he saw the White Ape return, carrying a big "rock" and setting it down before him.

Since the White Ape couldn’t speak, it had no way to explain things to Lu Chang’sheng clearly.

At that moment, a lightbulb went off for the ape. It fetched the broken spear Lu Chang’sheng had left not far away yesterday and started gesturing with it wildly.

"You’re saying this thing can be used to forge me a spear?"

The White Ape nodded vigorously.

A glint flashed in Lu Chang’sheng’s eyes. Though he didn’t know how the White Ape could tell, he examined it carefully all the same.

On the outside it looked like a regular stone, but inside, it was abnormally hard. Even when he channeled his True Qi, he couldn’t scratch it—a top-quality material, no doubt.

Still, to forge a weapon out of it, he’d want to consult a real expert first.

"Perfect. I need to rescue my master soon—if I had a weapon that truly fit me, that’d be a huge boost!"

Lu Chang’sheng grinned and glanced at the White Ape. "Thanks, Brother White Ape. I’m afraid after I leave, it’ll be a year or more before I’m back. While I’m gone, please don’t mess with the folks on that other mountain."

He cupped his hands in a bow, hoisted up the snake carcass and the stone, and sped off toward the edge of Great King Mountain.

Fufeng Town.

Master Mo and a group from the Protector Institute were just returning from outside.

Lately, a lot of shady folks had cropped up in Fufeng Town, so, lest their people get caught up in trouble, Li Nangua had set everyone to righteous work—which conveniently earned the Lu Mansion a bit of extra income, too.

They hadn’t reached the mansion gate yet when they suddenly saw an odd figure approaching.

"That is one big snake!"

Master Mo and the men from the Protector Institute nearly jumped in alarm.

Taking a closer look—wasn’t the one lugging the giant python Lu Chang’sheng?

"Second Young Master, where did you bag that snake? Isn’t it huge!"

Master Mo got goosebumps just looking at the sheer size of the thing.

The rest of the group were no better off.

After all, the strongest among them, Master Mo, had only just reached the Great Success Realm of Pile Skill. Breaking into the True Qi Realm might still take years—they had no idea how long.

Talent counted for a lot when it came to the True Qi Realm. Just mastering True Qi Martial Arts didn’t guarantee anyone could get there.

"Caught it on Great King Mountain—nearly got taken out by it myself!"

Lu Chang’sheng replied.

He’d be leaving after tomorrow, and didn’t want Master Mo and the others to venture into Great King Mountain out of curiosity once he was gone.

If the White Ape mistook them for enemies and beat them to a pulp, that’d be a problem.

"Hss~"

Master Mo and the rest looked petrified. In recent years, Lu Chang’sheng had dragged them out for sparring often enough that they all remembered the bone-deep aches—and had figured out Lu Chang’sheng was already at the True Qi Realm.

If even someone that strong nearly bit the dust, then as folks not yet at the True Qi Realm, wouldn’t they be dead for sure if they ran into something like that?

Seeing their scared faces, Lu Chang’sheng nodded subtly to himself, but after thinking about it, started to worry.

Master Mo was almost ready to break into the True Qi Realm. If, while I’m gone, he gets cocky and wanders in himself, and gets his ass kicked, then what?

"I’ll pull them all out for training tomorrow morning—it’s about time they understood just how massive the gap is between normal True Qi Realm folks and me!"

Lu Chang’sheng thought to himself.

Hauling back a python forty-plus feet long left the whole Lu Mansion in an uproar.

Little Lu Chang’an was even more excited, eyes as big as saucers, circling the snake carcass. Once she was sure the python was dead, she ran up, her tiny hands poking and prodding it all over.

The adults, though, didn’t have that kind of nerve.

Lu Chang’sheng rolled up his sleeves and went to work himself—gutting and cleaning the python, saving the blood in clay jars sealed with wine, then stowing them in the cold cellar, so they’d keep a while longer.

The same was done with the snake meat.

Even if everyone in the Lu Mansion stuffed themselves, a snake this big would take them ten days or more to finish.

"Exotic beast flesh and blood are insanely nourishing—ordinary folks shouldn’t eat too much at once."

Lu Chang’sheng reminded Li Nangua, who had come over to help.

She’d often been the helper for Chef Niu Dazhuang, and had later studied cooking herself—this was nothing new to her.

"I’m heading to Black Mountain Prefecture tomorrow. Things are getting trickier there by the day—if I’m too late, I may not make it in time!" Lu Chang’sheng said.

Li Nangua’s hands paused for a moment. She nodded, "Just be careful. We’ll be waiting for you at home!"

Lu Chang’sheng smiled gently at her, "Your husband’s pretty damn capable—nothing’s gonna happen to me!"