Chapter 312: Mass Intoxication of the Golden Monkeys

When the golden monkeys drank the Monkey Wine, it was both chaotic and orderly.

The monkeys closest to the center would cup the wine in their hands, take two sips, and then scamper to the back. Then, the next ones would step up to drink, and so on.

Golden monkeys were social creatures that lacked a monkey king. Multiple family units formed a structure resembling a small village—a sophisticated, highly-developed organizational model that only primates could evolve.

Everyone cooperated perfectly.

Having just taken two sips of the Monkey Wine himself, Ning Fei felt as though his entire body was floating.

The wine was simply too delicious.

His Spirit Treasure Gourd was already full, but unable to resist, he uncorked it and took two more sips.

Ning Fei had forgotten that he had a terrible tolerance for alcohol.

Or perhaps he just didn't care at the moment.

Then, a scene unfolded that none of the netizens could have anticipated.

In this early spring season, Ning Fei sat on the grass surrounded by a few nameless blooming flowers. Leaning against the trunk of the large tree, he looked visibly intoxicated, the alcohol clearly rushing to his head.

Looking at his surroundings, over a dozen golden monkeys had climbed down to the base of the tree. They swayed and stumbled aimlessly across the ground, evidently completely wasted.

The situation up in the tree wasn't much better.

In the drone's lens, the golden monkeys were doing as they pleased—some climbing, some dancing, some licking their fur. One had even shoved half its body into the tree hollow to keep drinking.

The entire troop of golden monkeys, along with Ning Fei, was completely drunk.

"This..."

The viewers were dumbfounded, momentarily at a loss for words.

"Is this a massive drunk scene at the Flower and Fruit Mountain?"

"When the Great Sage Equal to Heaven returned from the Flat Peach Banquet, Flower and Fruit Mountain probably looked just like this."

"Good heavens, he claims he's not an immortal, but who would believe that?"

"I never thought I'd live to see a troop of drunk golden monkeys."

"I am absolutely swooning over Temple Master Ning's drunk look."

"What kind of immortal scene is this?"

The scenery in the live-stream was simply too beautiful.

The netizens had never seen a sight like this before.

A Daoist priest and a troop of golden monkeys gathered around a giant tree, drunk and lost in a dream.

It was like a fairyland.

Ning Fei's alcohol tolerance wasn't great. As the intoxication set in, he felt a wave of drowsiness wash over his body.

His mind remained clear, fully aware of his surroundings. If any danger approached, he could snap completely awake at a moment's notice.

However, moments in life with such carefree, floating sensations were rare.

So Ning Fei didn't want to move.

He just wanted to lie among the flowers and grass, breathe in the faint aroma of wine, and drift off to sleep.

Unsurprisingly, this event hit the trending searches again.

Ning Fei was a regular on the trending lists now. Short-form video apps, Bilibili—his clips were everywhere.

He was absolutely exploding in popularity.

"Temple Master Ning gets roaring drunk with a troop of golden monkeys!"

"Go watch it! It's a literal immortal scene!"

"Temple Master Ning's immortal nature is exposed!"

Everyone was spontaneously promoting him across the internet.

Meanwhile, some new viewers tuning into the live-stream for the first time were stunned by the scene on their screens.

They saw Ning Fei leaning against a tree with his eyes closed, surrounded by several golden monkeys sprawled haphazardly on the ground.

"What's going on here? Were they poisoned?"

The newcomers asked frantically.

If no one was there to explain, the scene truly looked a bit eerie.

Later, when the new viewers learned that Ning Fei and the monkeys were simply drunk, they finally understood.

So that was it!

To think such a thing could happen.

Early spring had arrived, so the weather was still a bit chilly. However, Ning Fei's clothes possessed the Warmth function, making him feel exceptionally comfortable.

Seeing Ning Fei asleep and surrounded by a troop of drunk, excitedly chattering golden monkeys, Little Dog lay down quietly by his side to rest with him.

Little falcon also flew down to check on the situation. Seeing that Ning Fei was merely asleep, it immediately soared high back into the sky.

By the time Ning Fei woke up, it was already around four or five in the afternoon.

Ning Fei had live-streamed himself sleeping for over three hours.

People who got drunk easily tended to sober up just as fast, since they hadn't actually consumed much alcohol.

Ning Fei stood up and stretched his body, feeling thoroughly refreshed all over.

He glanced at his surroundings. A few golden monkeys were still deep in their drunken slumber, but most of the others had gradually departed.

Ning Fei then checked on the live-stream. He discovered that even though he had slept for three hours, the viewer count remained stubbornly high.

"Temple Master Ning is finally awake."

"Temple Master Ning, is the Monkey Wine good?"

Medicinal Herb Merchant: "Temple Master Ning, can I buy a cup of the Monkey Wine? I just want a taste."

Ning Fei shook the Spirit Treasure Gourd, only to find it already empty. It seemed that in his excitement earlier, he had failed to control himself.

He didn't remember doing it, but many netizens remembered clearly.

Ning Fei leaning against the giant tree, drinking the fine wine from his gourd, lost in a drunken dream yet radiating an ethereal, immortal aura—at the time, the chat had been flooded with people screaming "Hubby, hubby!" and similar phrases.

"It's already gone,"

Ning Fei said with a hint of regret, tying the Spirit Treasure Gourd back to his waist.

With the Monkey Wine all gone, Ning Fei was exceptionally satisfied with today's journey.

Right at that moment, the little golden monkey Ning Fei had saved scampered down. It came up to him and started crying out, "Ya ya!"

Hearing the little monkey's cries, Ning Fei looked slightly taken aback.

"You're saying you didn't just store fruit in one tree hollow, but there's another one?"

The little golden monkey nodded, its expression very serious.

Ning Fei: "This..."

Netizens: "This..."

"Is this for real? That's ridiculous!"

"A treasure as incredibly rare as Monkey Wine, and there's actually more?"

"I'm completely green with envy!"

Amid everyone's exclamations, Ning Fei and the little golden monkey had already started walking forward. Up ahead was another massive tree. Ning Fei saw that a few monkeys with better memories were already fiddling with something on it.

The monkeys had sealed the hole very tightly.

Taking advantage of his skills, Ning Fei leaped lightly, grabbed the trunk, and climbed up the tree.

After their shared drinking experience just now, the golden monkeys already trusted Ning Fei deeply. Seeing him approach, they immediately made way for the hole.

It was quite a magical scene. The monkeys merely wanted Ning Fei to remove the tightly wedged wooden sticks from the hole, but through the live-stream, it looked to the netizens as though the monkey king had arrived, and his little monkey subjects were voluntarily clearing the path.

'Could it be that this troop of golden monkeys has acknowledged Temple Master Ning as their monkey king?' everyone thought to themselves.

Ning Fei pulled out the wooden sticks and lifted the wooden plank, revealing yet another tree hollow brimming with fine wine underneath.

It was purely natural, without a single trace of human interference.

As for the taste, it varied depending on the different fruits stored in the tree hollow.

This meant the Monkey Wine Ning Fei had just opened would taste different from the one he had drunk earlier.

Ning Fei opened his Spirit Treasure Gourd and filled it to the brim with fine wine once again.

This time, he didn't drink any.

As the saying goes, "going beyond is as bad as falling short." Getting too much of a good thing all at once would actually diminish the sense of satisfaction and excitement.

Moreover, it was getting late. If he got drunk again, the sky would likely be completely dark by the time he woke up.

The pitch-blackness of the forest was the kind where you couldn't even see your hand in front of your face. Even with a bright moon and a sky full of stars, it wouldn't be enough to illuminate the paths in the woods.

After filling his gourd with fine wine, Ning Fei stepped aside.

The golden monkey troop wasn't nearly as restrained. Screeching excitedly, they plunged into the intoxicating bliss of the fine wine once more.

Ning Fei hurried back toward the Daoist temple. He was a bit pressed for time and needed to pick up the pace.

"Little falcon, help me take the gourd back."

Ning Fei called Little falcon down, having it grab the gourd's string in its beak and fly off.

Traveling with the gourd would be uncomfortable, as it would constantly bounce against his waist while he ran.

Anything swaying loosely on the body needed to be properly secured to move comfortably.

The viewers felt a wave of anxiety as they watched a bird fly off with a gourd of Monkey Wine worth thousands of gold.

Temple Master Ning truly didn't treat a treasure like a treasure.

After that, Ning Fei stretched lazily, loosened up his limbs, and said, "It's been a while since I've gotten any exercise."

"And the weather right now is just right."

"I think I'll go for a run to get moving."

"Little Dog, get ready to run."

Little Dog had been lying there feeling quite bored, so upon hearing Ning Fei's words, he immediately let out an excited bark.

Then, one man and one dog began running down the mountain path.

They dashed through the woods and bounded over the stream, running all the way to a hillside blooming with rhododendrons.

Bathed in the setting sun, their silhouettes amidst the mountains of fresh flowers looked exceptionally carefree and content.