Chapter 18, Protocol 3

Once he got home.

"Hiss——"

After stripping off his clothes, Chen Xuan who is enduring the pain of Stone Monkey's medication application gnashed his teeth, "If I knew it would hurt this much, I wouldn't have saved money by using 'iodine' as a substitute. Those bastards really pecked deep."

Chen Xuan, who didn't notice Stone Monkey's distraction, continued talking to himself:

"But the guy today was really cool, he almost said 'I'm just a passing masked knight', so flashy."

"He didn't look that old, maybe a college student from a nearby school? But most of the schools around that square are middle schools. It's quite far from the nearby university town... He couldn't be a high school student like me, right? That would mean he's super strong."

"Oh right, Wukong, we've got to practice our 'Rock Fist' a lot. I saw others do it so impressively. We should also be able to do it with some diligence."

As he spoke, the evening dimmed and the room became somewhat darker.

Seeing this scene, Stone Monkey's eyes light up. Throwing his cotton swabs aside, he leapt with agility and climbed onto the ceiling lamp, excitedly shouting:

ヽ(￣▽￣)ﾉMaster, look at me, I can fix light bulbs! It will be so pretty once it lights up!

However...

After fumbling around for a while, the Stone Monkey was unable to make the bulb light up. Instead, he buried his head in the lampshade, murmuring dishearteningly:

I can fix light bulbs, I'm also quite impressive...

Seeing him looking increasingly disheartened, Chen Xuan abruptly realized that he might have made a pedagogical mistake by comparing his spirit to others'.

He hurriedly stood up, switched on the light, and exclaimed in simulated awe:

"Wow, good job, take a reward!"

Stone Monkey, squinting at the sudden light, let go and fell onto the bed. He scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly:

⁄(⁄⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄⁄)⁄Well... I'm not as impressive as you think...

"What do you mean not impressive? I'm grown up and I can't even fix light bulbs, okay? Come on, Master will reward you with a good treasure."

Chen Xuan smiled, taking Stone Monkey's hand and brought him out the door.

First, they went to the old man across the street who recycled scrap metal and bought a piece of copper wire.

Afterwards, they purchased a file and sandpaper from a hardware store. He also borrowed a fire from the boss's spirit to melt the copper wire, pull it into a strand, and mold it into shape.

Finally, after returning home, they started to polish and refine the prototype...

"Here, try it on and see if it fits."

Once all the steps were done, Chen Xuan handed a shiny copper Tight Hoop to Stone Monkey.

(๑°⌓°๑) Master, what is this you've made?

Stone Monkey, holding the Tight Hoop, examined it with his mouth agape.

"The Tight Hoop, back when we travelled to the West together, you wore the same thing."

Chen Xuan helped him put on the Tight Hoop. "I saw that the previous Stone Monkey had a necklace. If other monkeys have jewelry, you should have something too.

Although it's not the original Tight Hoop given by the Buddha, just bear with it for now. Once we're wealthy, I'll melt the 'Golden Scale Trouble-free Card', and make a better Tight Hoop for you."

(灬°ω°灬) It's not just making up, it's a great treasure.

Stone Monkey cherished the Tight Hoop on his head, revealing a wide grin and nodding in approval.

Running to the bathroom mirror, he examined and admired his reflection multiple times, repeatedly mumbling in glee:

(o°ω°o) Good treasure, good treasure, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven wears a good treasure...

When it was mealtime.

Even with both cheeks stuffed, he mumbled a few sentences, causing food scraps to scatter everywhere:

(◍°3°◍) Mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm, woohoo...

He continued mumbling until it was bedtime.

Even while lying in bed, he couldn't help but touch the Tight Hoop on his head and giggling:

(❁´ω`❁) What a good treasure~

"Stop messing around, go to sleep quickly."

Chen Xuan helplessly tapped on Stone Monkey's little head.

But seeing him lying in his arms chortling dreamily, showing no signs of sleep, Chen Xuan had to trick him again:

"Master has one more good thing for you, it's the Supreme Lord's Immortal Pills. After you eat it quickly sleep. The faster you sleep, the better the effect. This way you can recover the power of the Great Sage Equal to Heaven soon."

As he spoke, Chen Xuan reached out towards the starry sky outside the window and pretended to squeeze something. He then put it into Stone Monkey's mouth and asked:

"Is it tasty?"

Stone Monkey, confused, chewed in his mouth for a while before he wrinkled his brows and answered:

(˘•ω•˘) Master, I think I ate it too fast, didn't taste anything, but I feel quite nourished. It seems like I'm full of strength...

Seeing him take it seriously, Chen Xuan couldn't help but laugh inwardly, though he kept a straight face and replied solemnly:

"That means the medicinal properties are working. Hurry and sleep, or it will be wasted."

Upon hearing this, Stone Monkey dared not delay any longer. He hurriedly closed his eyes and laid rigidly.

Without his monkey business, Chen Xuan himself started to feel heavy-eyed, and soon fell into a deep sleep...

However, as time passed, Stone Monkey lying beside him showed no signs of sleepiness.

(ŎдŎ;)"Shoot, if I don't fall asleep soon, the medicine will wear off, and I won't be able to become the Great Sage Equal to Heaven again..."

It wanted to ask Chen Xuan for help, but when it noticed he was sound asleep after shaking him a couple of times, it scratched its ears and face in frustration.

Just as the Stone Monkey was considering whether or not to wake Chen Xuan, it noticed the 'Golden Scale Trouble-free Card' hanging from his neck.

So, it was immediately attracted, forgetting its worries in an instant, and began to gently touch and play with it, uttering a stupid happy expression:"

(灬°ω°灬) "Hehehe, master said, when we are prosperous in the future, this good treasure will be used to make my Tight Hoop..."

Hence, as the Stone Monkey's thoughts wandered, his desire to become the Great Sage Equal to Heaven dissipated slightly, and the events of the day flashed across his mind one by one:

It thought about the Sword Mantis, the ice cream, the white spirit magpies, and the polite and tall stone monkey...

Especially those white spirit magpies!

Upon thinking about them, both of its small fists clenched involuntarily, and his racial skill 'Stone Mane' was unconsciously activated, causing his fur to tense up.

It's as if it was thrown back into the scene...

After grounding one of the white spirit magpies with a punch, the rest of them flew haphazardly towards him, covering the sky.

As a small, skinny creature, it wasn't like the large Stone Monkey, which had the brute force to defeat them.

However, the scene of fighting with the Sword Mantis suddenly flashed through its mind at this moment—it could change the path of their attack!

With this thought, a burst of phantom energy spread within Stone Monkey...

'Buzz——'

The Golden Scale Trouble-free Card, influenced by the phantom energy, vibrated abruptly without warning.

Following that, Stone Monkey's vision changed from the room's ceiling to an unfamiliar hospital room:

The boy sitting on the hospital bed extended his bandaged left hand, clenched into a fist, and said with a smile, "That's settled, then. We can't lose anymore, okay?"

In front of him, a small copper snake lowered its head, and its eyes filled with teardrops...

At that moment, the Stone Monkey seemed to experience the vague memories of that copper snake in a first-person perspective:

The pale-faced boy gasped heavily, his forehead dripping with cold sweat, and his pupils contracted to the size of a needle tip...

A wolf paw, as sturdy as Five Finger Mountain, was pressing heavily on his back, rendering his desperate struggling futile...

Weak... too weak...

After the memory flashes quickly faded, a strong feeling of resentment surged and the scene returned to the hospital room:

The copper snake took a deep breath as if making a significant decision, closed its eyes, and pressed its forehead gently against the boy's fist...

Then, the spirit contract it had signed appeared in its heart:

First Agreement: Peaceful Coexistence

Second Agreement: Protect the Spirit Binder

A new agreement was added:

Third Agreement: Invincible!

At this point, the scene began to fade, and the Stone Monkey once again saw the deeply sleeping Chen Xuan beside it, as well as the Spirit Contract it had signed as a Spirit:

First Agreement: Peaceful Coexistence

Second Agreement: Protect the Spirit Binder

Third Agreement: ________

For some reason, a third agreement had been added to the contract, as if waiting for the Stone Monkey to fill it in.

The order of the agreements not only represents their importance but also indicates the severity of the punishment for violating them.

The punishment for violating the first agreement is severe injury or even death; for violating the second agreement, you'll no longer be able to increase your power.

By the third agreement, there's not much restraint, but rather a call to always remain alert. If the third agreement is not met, it just results in a nightmare every time you sleep.

'Buzz——'

The Golden Scale Trouble-free Card trembled, and the contract before its eyes began to fade away, urging the dazed Stone Monkey to make a decision quickly.

Confronted with this unprecedented situation, the Stone Monkey was somewhat at a loss and subconsciously trying to wake Chen Xuan.

However...

Just as its finger accidentally brushed against the healing wound on Chen Xuan's collarbone, seeing his cheeks twitch unconsciously in pain, the Stone Monkey withdrew its hand as if electrocuted.

At that moment, it remembered the scene, where it was lifted up and protected beneath itself during the attack from the white spirit magpies...

The resentment of the copper snake surged in its heart as well.

Yet, the most intense feeling was the overwhelming sense of inferiority it felt when it faced the tall Stone Monkey...

Its fist clenched gradually.

Just like that day when it was trapped in the Stone Mountain, resentment and indignation swirling in its eyes, the Stone Monkey lifted its hand abruptly and seized the contract that was about to vanish.

The contract, which had become clear again, was quickly filled in the blank space:

Third Agreement: Equal to Heaven!

Nothing is on par with the heavens!