He was carefree and uninhibited, though his name was rather odd.
Qi Delong, Qi Dongqiang, Qi Delong Dongqiang?
Perhaps Qi Dongqiang even had an elder brother named Qi Delong, and together they would be like a raucous monkey show with drums and gongs.
Qi Dongqiang swung on a swing, landing lightly beside Yan Shouyi and extending his hand in greeting.
Yan Shouyi shook hands with Qi Dongqiang and introduced himself, "A descendant of Lu Ban, Yan Shouyi. I am also the president of the Folk Customs Research Association. Below is a member of our association, Ye Tianyuan, a inheritor of shadow puppetry."
"I guessed you were no ordinary people. A descendant of Lu Ban and an inheritor of shadow puppetry, I've long admired you!"
Qi Dongqiang offered a polite remark, and Yan Shouyi strongly suspected that this fellow had no idea who Lu Ban or shadow puppetry were, merely knowing vaguely that they were all folk sects.
Qi Dongqiang then asked, "What is the Folk Customs Research Association?"
"You don't know about the Folk Customs Research Association?" Ye Tianyuan asked, puzzled. "Didn't you watch the livestream two months ago?"
The Battle of Investiture of the Gods two months prior had already made Yan Shouyi famous. Ye Tianyuan couldn't believe anyone wouldn't know the names of Yan Shouyi and the Folk Customs Research Association.
To his surprise, Qi Dongqiang scratched his head and asked, "What is a livestream?"
Ye Tianyuan: "..."
He understood. Qi Dongqiang lived a secluded life, keeping company with monkeys in the mountains, likely without even a mobile phone, and therefore wouldn't know what a livestream was.
However, such a life seemed quite good, free from the disturbances of the secular world.
Yan Shouyi waved his hand. "None of that is important. I find Dongqiang to be a person of good character, a friend worth knowing."
Considering the previous conflict Yan Shouyi and his companions had with the brown monkey, any other handler with a bit of temper would likely not have been so easy to reconcile with.
But Qi Dongqiang took the initiative to extend an olive branch and even had his monkey king, Huanhuan, discipline the brown monkey. This showed that despite living in seclusion, this person was clear-headed and understood reason.
Some people, living amidst the hustle and bustle of the world, were less reasonable than Qi Dongqiang, the "wild man."
"Oh, right, we have three more companions who are being chased by your monkey friends up ahead," Yan Shouyi said.
Qi Dongqiang waved his hand. "That's simple. I'll have Huanhuan go fetch them!"
With Qi Dongqiang's command, the golden monkey king Huanhuan immediately rushed out, leading a large group of monkeys behind him.
Not long after, the monkeys returned chattering, with five or six of them carrying someone. It was Long Feicheng and his two companions.
Long Feicheng was struggling, Zhuge Ji had resigned himself to fate, and only Tian Jue'er was continuously hitting the monkey beside her.
Those monkeys now knew Tian Jue'er was a guest and dared not do anything to her. As communication was impossible due to the language barrier, they could only endure the blows, their heads covered in lumps, tearfully bringing Tian Jue'er back.
"Stop hitting them!" Yan Shouyi quickly stopped Tian Jue'er.
The trio, who had thought they were about to fall into the hands of the monkey horde, suddenly perked up upon hearing Yan Shouyi's voice.
Seeing Yan Shouyi mixed in with the monkeys, the three were astonished.
Long Feicheng shouted, "Brother Yan! We were about to fight to the death, why did you surrender first!"
Yan Shouyi unceremoniously brought the three down and explained, "We fought to know each other, and now we've turned enemies into friends."
He pointed to Qi Dongqiang and introduced his identity, then introduced Long Feicheng and the others to Qi Dongqiang one by one.
Hearing that there was a monkey handler in the mountains, and that the monkeys were all his subordinates, the three looked at Qi Dongqiang with surprise.
Wearing a small leather skirt, an afro, and holding a stick, he truly resembled a monkey king.
Qi Dongqiang smiled. "It was my fault for not managing my monkeys well. I apologize for the trouble caused."
As soon as he finished speaking, Monkey King Huanhuan called the brown monkey over again.
This time, the brown monkey had learned its lesson. Before Huanhuan could make a move, it ran forward to the trio.
Bowing!
Saluting!
The three's eyes widened.
"Mind blown, what kind of maneuver is this?!"
The brown monkey's actions were fluid and practiced, clearly indicating it had a history of causing trouble, getting beaten, and—apologizing frequently.
However, after saluting, it looked at the trio with eyes full of resentment.
It even secretly gave Zhuge Ji the middle finger!
But in the next second, the brown monkey was met with a flurry of punches from Huanhuan, crying out in pain.
Seeing this, Long Feicheng and Zhuge Ji let out laughter.
Qi Dongqiang said, "Huanhuan is the monkey king, and Lele is his younger brother."
Everyone finally understood why Huanhuan could keep the brown monkey so well-behaved.
Having been beaten, the brown monkey, Lele, dared not cause any more trouble. It ran to the side dejectedly and started bothering another bald monkey.
Yan Shouyi pondered. Now that the two sides had made peace, he might be able to inquire about the situation on Mount Emei from Qi Dongqiang.
So he asked, "Dongqiang, have you always lived on Mount Emei?"
Qi Dongqiang nodded. "I've been on the mountain since birth, never leaving."
No wonder he seemed like a wild man... But if he had never descended the mountain, Qi Dongqiang's personality should have been more unruly. How could he be so polite and understanding?
Yan Shouyi set his doubts aside for the moment and said, "To be honest, I have a friend who is part of the Emei Sect. I haven't been able to contact her recently, and before she lost contact, she sent me a message asking me to come to Mount Emei."
"Since you've been on Mount Emei all this time, Dongqiang, have you noticed anything different or any strange occurrences on Mount Emei recently?"
As soon as the question was posed, Qi Dongqiang also became serious.
He slowly said, "Actually, the reason I appeared is partly related to this..."
What did he mean by that?
Was Qi Dongqiang stopping them because of the situation on Mount Emei?
Yan Shouyi frowned, feeling that things were not that simple.
Qi Dongqiang then said, "I am an orphan. My parents abandoned me on Mount Emei when I was young. Fortunately, I was taken in by a Buddhist abbess from a nunnery. Since the nunnery was all nuns, I couldn't learn Buddhist teachings from my master. However, my master found a notebook from a monkey handler, and thus, learning by trial and error, she taught me the skills of a monkey handler."
"When I was eight years old, my master died of illness, and the nunnery was occupied by other monks. I was driven out and could only keep company with the monkeys in the mountains. I drank mountain spring water when I was thirsty and ate wild fruits when I was hungry, living no differently than a wild man."
"One day later, I met a disciple of the Emei Sect. She encountered a wild wolf while descending the mountain to collect herbs. I happened to pass by and rescued her. Later, I learned her name was Caiyun."
"Caiyun found me interesting and would often sneak down the mountain to visit me. I didn't like playing with fe... girls, but Caiyun was very beautiful..."
Hearing this, Long Feicheng rolled his eyes.
"You were just after her body. I'm too embarrassed to point it out. Shameless!"
Perhaps due to Qi Dongqiang's limited expression skills, his words were quite direct:
"Caiyun and I became good friends. From then on, we met often in secret. I taught her how to pick wild fruits and roast young rabbits, and she taught me to read and write."
"What did the little rabbits ever do to deserve this!
"How can you roast such cute bunnies!"
However, Yan Shouyi also understood why Qi Dongqiang, despite never having left the mountain, had such a well-developed personality. It seemed to be all thanks to the Emei Sect disciple named Caiyun.
"Many years have passed in the blink of an eye, and she and I are still good friends... truly many years. I can't remember how many years, but she grew older and older, and her scent became like that of a female monkey about to give birth..."
"A few days ago, Caiyun said she asked her elder sister, who had gone down the mountain, to buy me a gift, and that she would bring it to me when her sister returned. But many days have passed, and I've been waiting, yet Caiyun never came to see me."
"In all those years, Caiyun had never broken a promise. I worried she might be sick, so I wanted to go to Mount Emei to see her. But the Emei Sect has restrictions, and I am an outsider, unable to enter. Thus, I cannot see Caiyun."
Qi Dongqiang said with a dejected look, "Just a few days ago, I was roasting a rabbit when Huanhuan suddenly told me that a group of very capable humans had come to the mountain. I rushed over immediately, hoping you were from the Emei Sect, so you could take me into Mount Emei, or at least help me deliver a message to Caiyun."
This also explained why Qi Dongqiang had appeared here and been so tolerant and generous towards Yan Shouyi and his companions, even beating Lele without hesitation.
It turned out this guy had something to ask of them!
Yan Shouyi said with regret, "I'm sorry to disappoint you, we are not from the Emei Sect."
"That's not important anymore," Qi Dongqiang said anxiously. "You just said that a disciple of the Emei Sect passed you a message, saying something was wrong with the Emei Sect... I'm very worried about Caiyun's safety now. If you plan to enter the Emei Sect, can you take me with you?"
Yan Shouyi countered, "Aren't you worried we might be bad people?"
Qi Dongqiang shook his head. "Your scent is the same as Caiyun's."
Long Feicheng quickly sniffed himself, surprised. "Does our scent also smell like a female monkey about to give birth?"
"Of course not!" Qi Dongqiang frowned. "It's hard for me to describe, but it's like the scent of good people."
Given Qi Dongqiang's limited vocabulary, it was difficult for him to articulate his feelings, but Yan Shouyi had a general understanding.
Many sentient animals could discern good people from bad by their scent. If a person frequently killed, their scent would definitely be different from someone who didn't.
Qi Dongqiang was half-wild, and he could likely smell this difference and distinguish between good and bad people.
Since their goals aligned, Yan Shouyi would not refuse to cooperate with Qi Dongqiang. Moreover, Qi Dongqiang was very familiar with Mount Emei and could help them avoid detours.
Thus, Yan Shouyi extended his hand to Qi Dongqiang. "Alright, then we'll travel together and go to Mount Emei to see what has happened!"
Qi Dongqiang excitedly shook Yan Shouyi's hand, then tiptoed and tried to playfully tug at Yan Shouyi's hair.
Yan Shouyi looked at him with confusion, while Qi Dongqiang awkwardly withdrew his hand and explained, "I'm used to picking fleas for Huanhuan. I almost couldn't help myself."
Yan Shouyi: "..."
If Qi Dongqiang were a dog handler, wouldn't he have sniffed their bottoms to make friends?