Chapter 209: The Spirit Monkey Sees Them Off

Chapter 209: The Spirit Monkey Sees Them Off

It was March, and Thousand Sakura Mountain was at its most beautiful. The mountain cherries were in full bloom, like clouds and a rosy glow.

But Xin You and Xiaolian had no heart for the scenery. They left the coachman at the foot of the mountain to watch over the carriage and horses and took a detour to the cliff bottom.

The waterfall cascaded down from the cliff bottom, and the lush grass and trees seemed unchanged from the previous year.

"Do you remember the cave?" Xin You asked Xiaolian, turning her head.

Xiaolian nodded vigorously. "I remember."

How could she ever forget? Her dear Miss Qingqing was laid to rest there. This secluded cliff bottom and hidden cave had appeared in her dreams countless times.

The two followed their memories to find the cave. The stones blocking the cave entrance had grown vines, blending seamlessly with the mountain wall. If not for carefully noting the surroundings back then, it would be nearly impossible to spot the hidden entrance.

Xiaolian stepped forward and used the dagger she brought to cut through the vines and weeds, revealing the original appearance of the stones.

"Let me move it," Xin You gestured for Xiaolian to step aside.

"It's better for me to do it, Miss."

Xin You patted Xiaolian's arm. "I have more strength; you won't be able to move it."

Xiaolian opened her mouth, feeling a bit dejected.

Without Miss Qingqing, she felt lost and unable to do anything.

Xin You moved the stone away and pulled Xiaolian, who was about to go inside, back. "Wait a moment, let the air settle."

After a while, the two went in one after the other.

The cave opened up inside. With the light from the entrance, they could see a colorless cloth curtain in the corner.

Xiaolian covered her mouth and wept. "Miss Qingqing—"

She firmly grabbed Xin You, who was about to go forward. "Miss, let me do this. I want to personally collect my Miss's remains."

Xin You nodded and stepped aside.

Xiaolian walked over, kowtowed several times, and choked. "Miss Qingqing, I'm taking you away from here."

She wanted to say taking Miss Qingqing home, but there was no home for Miss Qingqing in this capital city.

Wiping her tears, Xiaolian put on soft leather gloves and carefully lifted the carriage curtain that wrapped the body.

The once beautiful face had become nothing but bones. It didn't take long for Xiaolian to collect Miss Qingqing's remains.

Her eyes red and hands shaking, she forced a smile at Xin You. "Miss, let's go."

Xin You nodded silently.

After leaving the cave, Xin You paused for a moment and used stones to block the entrance again, pulling the vines to cover it.

Xiaolian gently placed the bundle containing Miss Qingqing's remains on the ground and went to wash her hands by the pond.

"Who's there?" Xin You suddenly turned around.

The monkey was taken aback by Xin You's reaction, leaped backward, and let out a sharp squeak.

Recognizing the monkey, Xin You relaxed. "It's you."

Xiaolian also recognized the monkey and asked, "Didn't we release this monkey into a different mountain? How did it get back here?"

Seeing how the monkey seemed to show affection, Xin You smiled softly. "It probably misses home."

"It's so clever," Xiaolian marveled, even though she knew the monkey was like a child.

As they walked back, they noticed the monkey following them at a relaxed pace.

"Miss, do you think this monkey wants to go with us?"

Xin You looked back at the monkey and saw a hint of relaxation on its face. This led her to think, "Probably not, it might just want to see us off."

Since the monkey chose to return to Thousand Sakura Mountain, it clearly had deep feelings for the place. If it really wanted to leave, it wouldn’t act this way.

Hearing Xin You say the monkey was seeing them off, Xiaolian looked at the monkey several more times, which helped ease her sadness.

The spring sun was warm but not too intense, casting a soft light over the mountains and fields. At the base of the mountain, the coachman was napping beside a quiet carriage.

Xiaolian woke the coachman.

The coachman rubbed his eyes, straightened up, and said, "Are you all done, miss?"

Xin You nodded.

"Hey, what’s the monkey doing here?" The coachman's eyes widened in surprise.

The monkey leaped onto the carriage, nimbly climbing up to the roof and then back down, before diving under the carriage.

The coachman was shocked. "This monkey sure acts like it owns the place!"

Then, his eyes widened. "Miss, could this monkey be the *Monkey King*?"

Xin You twitched her lips. "Coachman, you're overthinking it."

It seemed more people had read *Journey to the West* than she had thought.

Just then, the monkey suddenly screeched loudly.

Xin You looked over and saw a shadowy figure crawl out from under the carriage.

It was a person.

The coachman was startled. "The monkey turned into a person!"

Seventy-two transformations, and you’re telling me it’s not the Monkey King?

Soon, the monkey emerged from under the carriage, stepping on the person and squeaking triumphantly at Xin You.

For a moment, even Xiaolian was confused, thinking the person had been transformed by the monkey. But then she realized the truth and asked, "Who are you?"

The person, looking disheveled, looked from Xiaolian to the coachman and then to Xin You, before kneeling down. "Please, miss, let me hide. Someone is after my life!"

At these words, both Xiaolian and the coachman gasped.

Xiaolian clutched the bundle tightly, her heart racing.

What if this person interferes with her young mistress's burial? How could they just show up like this!

Xin You quickly regained her composure and said calmly, "Sorry, but hiding in the carriage isn't an option."

In the scene she had just witnessed, the ones chasing the man were actually government soldiers.

He had been hiding under the moving carriage but lost his grip and fell just as the soldiers caught up.

One soldier slashed at the man's shoulder with a knife, while the others surrounded them.

"The soldiers chasing you will be here soon, and they'll definitely stop and search the only carriage on the road. You'd be better off hiding in the mountains for now—you might still have a chance to escape," Xin You said, pointing to the mountain forest.

Since they were strangers, Xin You couldn't tell if the man was trustworthy, so she decided to avoid getting involved and keep her group out of trouble.

Xin You glanced at the bundle Xiaolian was holding, her expression hardening. "If you insist on sticking around, we’ll wait here."

Realizing pleading was futile, the man bowed deeply to Xin You. "Please, miss, pretend you never saw me."

With that, he bolted into the mountains in the direction Xin You had indicated.

Xin You turned her gaze to the monkey sitting beside her, lost in thought.

If not for the monkey, those events would have played out unseen. But its presence led her to discover the hidden man, which means she shouldn’t have witnessed that scene.

Meeting the monkey’s intelligent gaze, Xin You reflected that creatures with a spark of awareness were always unpredictable.

"Thank you. You should head home now."

The monkey squeaked and bounded away.

Back in the carriage, Xiaolian couldn’t shake her unease. "Miss, who do you think that person was? Could he have been a bandit or something?"

"Unlikely," Xin You said little.

Although the man was disheveled, she had noticed that his hands were delicate, not quite like someone from a poor background who had gone astray.

"Who knows who was chasing him," Xiaolian shook her head.

The carriage hadn't been traveling long when the sound of hurried hoofbeats rapidly drew near.