The monkey corpses were all laid out in one place, lined up in a row.
The gang's high-ranking members gathered around, each looking at the numerous monkey corpses on the ground with grim expressions.
One elder lowered his head, examined them for a while, then formed a hand seal to draw out the toxins from the monkey corpses.
The toxins were pitch-black, floating in the air like a plume of black smoke. The air turned faintly hot.
"This is going to be hard to investigate."
Fire Persimmon Mountain was filled with endless geothermal heat, scarlet flames, and fire poison.
It could be said that fire poison was extremely abundant. In the days when Fire Persimmon Mountain wasn't sealed off, any cultivator entering the Flame Demon Melting Cave could gather fire poison.
With such abundant raw materials, cultivators could easily make fire poison, making it difficult for the high-ranking members of Monkey Head Gang to track down this lead.
Yuan Er's face was very somber.
He had just mobilized all the elders, explaining the gang's current significant crisis. At a time when they urgently needed monkeys to prove their worth, one-third of their monkey pets had died!
The elders all looked at Yuan Er.
Their eyes were filled with worry, as well as expectation and scrutiny.
Compared to his father, Yuan Yi, Yuan Er hadn't been in power for long. He hadn't accomplished much and couldn't command respect.
Now, as the entire gang faced a crisis, could this young cultivator steer the ship?
"Leader, what should we do now?" an elder asked, testing him.
Yuan Er thought for a moment: "We can't be without monkey pets!"
"Without showing our worth, the business of picking Fire Persimmons won't be ours anymore."
"Quickly go and capture or buy other monkeys to supplement our strength!"
"Even if we do that, in a short period, we won't be able to train these monkeys to maturity."
"We can only say that it's better than nothing."
"No, I think haste makes waste. If the training isn't sufficient and these monkeys fail during the Fire Persimmon Festival, causing an explosion in the Fire Persimmon Forest, the result would be even worse for us!"
"You might not know, but there are very few monkeys in the market. Many around the Immortal City have already been captured or killed," an elder said.
"Is that so?" The others were surprised, and Yuan Er also looked inquiringly.
The elder nodded: "Recently, the Demon Hunting Association received a large number of orders for capturing wild monkeys alive."
"Even the black market is buying monkey pets at high prices."
Yuan Er squinted his eyes: "Who's doing the buying?"
"Could it be the same faction that's poisoning our monkey pets?"
The elders frowned in deep thought.
They all felt a chill.
"Leader, someone is targeting us."
"This is a trap, someone is plotting against us!"
An elder stared at Yuan Er: "Leader, the enemy has pushed us this far, why hesitate?"
"Find them and eliminate them!"
"If the old leader were still alive, he wouldn't hesitate."
Yuan Er's face turned ashen, almost cursing: "Bullshit!"
How could they fight?
Given the current situation, the force likely poisoning their monkey pets was probably the Flying Disc Workshop.
The workshop's owner, Chen Cha, was a Mechanism Cultivator who designed and manufactured the mechanism Explosive Flame Monkeys.
If Monkey Head Gang underperformed in the Fire Persimmon Festival, his mechanism Explosive Flame Monkeys would naturally take over the market, capturing the business of picking Fire Persimmons and making a huge profit.
Chen Cha wasn't the key; the key was the person behind him, Fei Si.
This Golden Core Cultivator, Fei Si, was ruthless. Anyone living in Fire Persimmon Immortal City for a long time knew this.
Yuan Er was extremely worried that his investigation would lead to Chen Cha.
That would put him in an awkward position.
It was impossible to pursue the matter.
But not pursuing it would make him seem weak and disappointing. His position as leader would be severely shaken.
Immediately, Yuan Er glared at the elder suggesting a fight, filled with the urge to strangle him.
He knew that this elder had always coveted the leader's position.
That's how the gang was.
It wasn't a family or a sect. There was no bloodline, no master-disciple bond, it was all about interest. Whoever was strong, whoever led, whoever could make everyone rich, that person became the leader!
The elder was skilled in political maneuvering, and with just one push, he had put Yuan Er in a dilemma.
Yuan Er quickly thought it through, assuming a thoughtful pose: "The priority now isn't this."
He looked at the many monkey corpses on the ground: "Many of these monkeys are descendants of Uncle Monkey. For such a big issue, we surely need to ask for his opinion first."
In an instant, the tension of the situation disappeared.
Although the old leader Yuan Yi had passed away, he left behind his spiritual pet—Yuan Dasheng!
This Magma Demon Ape had fought alongside Yuan Yi, establishing the foundation of Monkey Head Gang step by step. Now, it was the gang's pillar!
At the mention of Yuan Dasheng, all the elders were stunned.
Most couldn't help but feel a deep sense of respect.
Yuan Er secretly breathed a sigh of relief and turned to leave: "Uncle Monkey is sleeping, I'll wake him up."
Everyone quickly said: "Let Lord Monkey sleep until noon, don't disturb his nap."
Yuan Er insisted: "That might be the case for you, but waking him up won't be a problem for me. Don't follow me, or you might get beaten up by Uncle Monkey."
Yuan Er leisurely left, and none of the elders dared to follow.
Yuan Er walked away alone, his back radiating with satisfaction.
Many elders couldn't help but mutter to themselves: "He's really relying on that monkey for power!"
Yuan Er slipped into a tent.
He saw an old ape sleeping on its side.
It was massive, with thick, dark red fur and a burly physique.
Its body was covered in scars of various sizes, adding to its rugged, battle-hardened appearance.
Yuan Er instinctively lightened his footsteps, approached, and softly called: "Uncle Dasheng, Uncle Dasheng."
Yuan Dasheng's breathing was long and steady. Amid the calls, he vaguely dreamed of his old master Yuan Yi.
Yuan Yi, in tattered clothes and disheveled hair, came back holding a wooden bucket, his face full of joy: "Look what I brought back?"
"It's leftovers from Yanhong Tower. I came at just the right time, before they threw it away, and I grabbed a whole bucket!"
"We struck it rich, we struck it rich."
Yuan Yi ran over to the ape and placed the bucket on the ground.
"I gave you the perfect name! Dasheng, Dasheng, every meal we get so many leftovers, how fortunate."
The ape was still growing and had a huge appetite.
It had already smelled the food and couldn't wait to dive into the bucket, eating voraciously.
Soon, it devoured all the food.
It had just sat down when it heard Yuan Yi's stomach growling.
It froze in confusion.
Yuan Yi grinned: "Hehe. I already ate, I already ate!"
The ape's cheeks were puffed up with the last mouthful of food.
It slowed its chewing.