Immortal Druid

“Wild Shape: Monkey,” I uttered softly as qi flowed through my limbs and twisted my body into a smaller, furrier shape. My perspective lowered, my senses sharpened, and suddenly the world felt different. The trees no longer seemed tall. They felt natural and comfortable, like roads instead of obstacles.

Elder Monke had already left earlier that morning, disappearing deeper into the forest after announcing the “important monkey business.”

I immersed myself among the monkey clan.

The territory itself was enormous, stretching across countless interconnected trees and cliffs. Monkeys with golden fur lounged lazily on wide branches beneath the sun while darker-furred monkeys handled gathering duties. There were silver-furred elders who seemed respected for wisdom, reddish-brown monkeys that specialized in fighting, and tiny black-furred monkeys that stole fruit from everyone and somehow avoided punishment through sheer audacity.

Oddly enough, despite their different appearances, they truly were the same species.

Cultivation was weird.

A few monkeys stared at me suspiciously when I approached one of the communal fruit gatherings.

“Who’re you?” one monkey demanded while scratching his armpit aggressively. “Never seen your ugly mug before.”

Another pointed dramatically. “Spy monkey!”

I blinked at them.

“Buddy,” I spat back, “your brain’s not braining if you don’t recognize me.”

The monkeys stared.

Then one gasped. “WAIT! THIS THE WEIRD JORKIN’ MONKEY!”

Excuse me?

Recognition spread instantly.

“Ohhhhhh!”

“The dumb monkey!”

“The one Elder Monke liked!”

One monkey smacked another on the head. “Told you he smelled weirdly familiar.”

Monkey society, I discovered, was disturbingly functional.

They had territories, alliances, disputes, and even social obligations. Younger monkeys gathered fruits while older ones guarded routes through the forest canopy. Stronger monkeys patrolled against rival beast groups while weaker members maintained nests and cared for children. There were even monkeys whose sole purpose seemed to be spreading gossip among them.

By midday, I sat atop a massive branch beside three elderly monkeys while they explained neighboring territories.

“The black-feather birds to the east?” one monkey muttered while chewing bark. “Jerks.”

“Absolute jerks,” another agreed solemnly. “They aren’t even from around here, and get this, they serve a different master of the forest! And the other feathered birds? They’re welcoming these new birds like they’re the best! Idiots!”

“They never return borrowed fruits. Bunch of honorless mob of bums.”

Apparently, there existed long-standing tensions between the monkey clans and several avian beast communities over fruit ownership rights. There were also trade relationships with squirrel-type beasts who exchanged medicinal nuts for protection from snakes.

I listened with genuine fascination.

Primitive perhaps, but undeniably sapient.

The more time I spent observing them, the stranger the Verdant Emerald Forest became in my eyes. For months, I had wandered this place believing myself surrounded by dangerous beasts and isolated territories. Yet beneath the violence and cultivation instincts existed something as complex as this.

The monkey clans even possessed oral traditions.

One elderly monkey proudly recounted the legendary tale of Great Ancestor Monke, who allegedly defeated a waterfall in single combat.

I did not ask how one fought a waterfall.

By evening, I had shared fruits with them, learned several monkey insults, participated in communal grooming, which honestly felt way too intimate, and watched younger monkeys wrestle each other across tree branches while elders shouted gambling odds.

It was strangely peaceful.

When night finally approached, I released my Wild Shape with a breath and returned to my human form atop a high branch overlooking the forest.

Then I went looking for Roo.

Unfortunately, I found Roo exactly where I expected him to be.

Causing problems.

“YOU FLUFFY EARED PUSSY!” screamed an enraged voice somewhere ahead.

The next moment, several trees exploded apart.

I arrived just in time to witness absolute nonsense.

Roo launched himself through the air with terrifying force, his hind legs shattering the atmosphere beneath him as he literally stepped on air itself. His tail whipped around like a divine weapon, gouging massive trenches across the earth with casual swings.

Opposing him was a horned rabbit roughly the same cultivation realm, though far more agile. She twisted through the air by microscopic margins, narrowly evading every devastating strike while screaming obscenities.

“CAN’T EVEN HIT ME, YOU OVERGROWN VEGETARIAN!”

Roo landed heavily, creating a crater.

“What’s a pussy?” he asked mid-fight.

“IT MEANS YOU—”

The rabbit abruptly somersaulted backward as Roo’s tail obliterated the ground where she had stood.

The surrounding forest looked devastated. Trees had snapped apart like twigs while the terrain resembled the aftermath of divine punishment.

Good to know Roo had been practicing moderation lately.

The rabbit darted forward, horn glowing with qi as she attempted to ram Roo through the chest.

I sighed.

I stepped in with Nature’s Stride.

I appeared behind the rabbit instantly, grabbed her horn firmly, and used my staff to redirect Roo’s incoming kick. I twisted with the impact smoothly, before sweeping my staff low.

Roo lost balance immediately.

The mighty beast faceplanted directly into the dirt.

“BWARGH!”

The forest trembled.

The rabbit froze in absolute horror as I casually held onto her horn.

Roo rose seconds later, leaves stuck to his face.

“THAT WAS AWESOME, SAGE!” he shouted excitedly. “IT SEEMED YOU WERE NOT NEGLECTING YOUR MARTIAL ARTS!”

“Thank you,” I replied dryly.

The horned rabbit continued staring at me like her soul had left her body.

I released her horn.

She ran away instantly, bolting into the forest at maximum speed without looking back once.

I watched her disappear before turning toward Roo.

“You know,” I began carefully, “it might honestly be best for you to go home.”

Roo blinked. “Why?”

“Because every time I leave you alone for ten minutes, you initiate territorial warfare.”

“But it’s actually fun here,” he argued immediately. “I take back all the bad things I said about this place. This place? It’s awesome! There’s fighting, jumping, screaming creatures, and funny kangaroos like that one. I like this place.”

“That was not a kangaroo, but a rabbit, Roo…” I narrowed my eyes. “You just want to skip Zhen Ai’s lessons, don’t you?”

Roo looked offended.

“Sage,” he declared solemnly, “I would never avoid educational opportunities.”

“According to Zhen Ai, you literally ate your homework last week.”

“It contained fiber.”

“That won’t be necessary,” called out a familiar voice nearby.

I turned around immediately and brightened.

“Hey,” I greeted. “What got you here?”

Zhen Ai smiled calmly as she stepped from the trees, her elegant robes swaying softly with the breeze. Beside her, partially hiding behind her sleeve, stood a nervous Tao Wolong.

“I suppose even I can become bored eventually,” she replied. “Moreover, my son had something he wished to say.”

The boy peeked out awkwardly.

“Um… Hello, godfather.”

Zhen Ai glanced downward. “Tao Wolong. What is it you wished to say to your godfather?”

The child stiffened before bowing hurriedly.

“I-I’m sorry for what I did last time,” he blurted out. “I acted rude and unruly and disrespectful, and Mother said I embarrassed her and also myself and—”

“It’s fine,” I interrupted gently.

He looked up.

“All forgiven,” I assured him. “You’re a kid. Kids do stupid things. Sometimes adults too.”

Roo nodded wisely. “Especially Sage.”

“I heard that.”

Tao Wolong relaxed visibly while Zhen Ai sighed in faint exasperation.

I glanced around cautiously afterward. “So… was that all? This forest’s significantly more dangerous than the one back home.”

Zhen Ai merely smiled.

“I can protect myself and Wolong just fine.”

Right. She was a dragon and a Nascent Soul cultivator. Honestly, the forest was probably more endangered by her presence than the other way around.

“There is indeed more,” she continued. “Someone from the Willow Order requested that I guide her here.”

“H-Hello…”

A shy voice emerged nearby. I looked toward the trees and nearly did a double take.

A woman slowly stepped out from behind a trunk, clutching her sleeves nervously. Round glasses rested upon her face while her figure… er… Good heavens. Even cultivators should not be allowed proportions like that.

Roo tilted his head innocently.

“You brought watermelons for us or sumthin’?”

The woman instantly covered her chest with both arms, her face turning crimson.

“N-No!” she squeaked. “Why would you think that?!”

“Roo,” Zhen Ai said flatly, “one day I truly ought to teach you manners with your body, so you don’t say stupid things.”

Roo visibly shrank back in terror.

“S-Sorry…” he muttered weakly while hiding behind me.

The woman adjusted her glasses nervously while avoiding direct eye contact with everyone present. Roo’s earlier comment had clearly inflicted catastrophic emotional damage upon her soul.

“I-I am Jia Ping,” she introduced softly. “An apprentice chronicler of the Willow Order.”

“And I am Wo Li. Nice to meet you.”

Jia Ping continued carefully, “From now on, I shall be acting as your personal liaison regarding any knowledge you may require. Rather than personally searching through the records of the Willow Order, you may simply ask me directly, and I shall answer to the best of my abilities.”

That actually sounded incredibly convenient.

“If Sage Wo Li desires copies of records, scriptures, historical documents, or cultivation manuals,” she continued, “it would also be through me that such matters are processed.”

Jia Ping bowed deeper.

“So… please take care of me from now on. I-I shall work diligently.”

Beside me, Zhen Ai suddenly covered her mouth, her shoulders trembling faintly.

“Ah, sorry,” she managed between suppressed laughter.

Tao Wolong tilted his head curiously.

“Ping,” he repeated thoughtfully. “Ping… does it happen to be this character?”

The boy traced the character in the ground with qi. Unfortunately for Jia Ping, I recognized that particular character too.

I stared blankly.

“Your name means flat?”

Jia Ping looked like her soul was leaving her body. Her glasses fogged slightly while her expression became the most defeated thing I had seen all week.

“Oh,” I said quickly. “Uh. Sorry.”

I immediately turned toward Tao Wolong.

“Apologize.”

The child blinked. “Why should I?”

His mother looked at him and he quickly folded/

“I-I apologize,” Tao Wolong muttered hurriedly.

“It’s fine,” Jia Ping whispered weakly, though she looked spiritually wounded.

Honestly, though, this arrangement was perfect.

I currently possessed approximately twelve thousand questions regarding cultivation society, sects, historical context, the Shén, the forest, the Dark Order, and whatever the hell was happening around me lately.

Having a walking encyclopedia sounded fantastic.

I stepped closer toward Jia Ping, studying her carefully. I have no idea if it was just my imagination, but something felt off about her. Not dangerous exactly. Just strange.

“Is… there a problem?” she asked hesitantly.

I circled around her slowly while leaning into my Druidic Insight.

I sniffed her.

Jia Ping stiffened completely.

“D-Do I smell strange?” she asked nervously. “Or is there perhaps something on me?”

“There’s nothing wrong,” I replied honestly.

I continued observing her. There was a peculiar scent around her qi. It was deep, dense, and restrained.

Roo suddenly spoke.

“Are you two gonna mate or something?” he asked innocently. “Sage seems super interested in sniffin’ her.”

Jia Ping froze so hard I thought she might turn into stone.

“ROO,” I barked.

“What?” he protested. “That’s what others do when interested. If you ask me, you should invite her to a tea first. That’s what Li Ming did to me.”

“Wait, what? Never mind. You are not helping.”

My gaze returned toward Jia Ping. The more I inspected her, the more obvious it became. Her cultivation was suppressed and hidden beneath layers upon layers of controlled qi flow. It was so good that I almost missed it.

To others, she probably appeared to be around Qi Condensation.

To me?

My Druidic Insight practically screamed at me. This woman possessed an absurd amount of qi, enough to rival Nascent Soul cultivators.

I asked calmly, “Why are you hiding your cultivation in front of me?”

The atmosphere shifted immediately.

Jia Ping’s timid demeanor faded slightly as seriousness entered her eyes for the first time.

“…You noticed.”

“I did.”

I folded my arms. “Is there a reason behind it?”

“I did not wish to alarm anyone,” she admitted.

“What exactly would the Willow Order gain by assigning a Nascent Soul cultivator to become my liaison?” I asked, genuinely curious. “With the need for manpower, won’t you be more useful somewhere else?

There was absolutely no way someone at her level was merely an apprentice.

Besides me, even Zhen Ai looked genuinely surprised.

“She is Nascent Soul?” she asked sharply.

Jia Ping nodded awkwardly.

“I did not lie about being an apprentice chronicler,” she clarified softly. “In truth… I may very well be the only recognized chronicler left within the Willow Order.”

The joking atmosphere vanished completely.

“The Soul Transformation and Immortal cultivators of our Order disappeared not long ago,” Jia Ping explained quietly. “Had they still remained, the Dark Order would never have succeeded in attacking so many villages under our protection.”

Her expression darkened behind her glasses.

“I am the last apprentice personally accepted by the previous Grand Chronicler of the Willow Order. When he vanished, most of the records and responsibilities passed onto me.”

That sounded like an absolutely miserable promotion.

Jia Ping adjusted her glasses again.

“I conceal my cultivation as a means of protection,” she admitted. “The Willow Order currently lacks internal stability. If the Dark Order managed to infiltrate spies into our ranks once, there is no guarantee they cannot do so again, especially after the Heavenly Eye was sealed.”

“So you pretend to be weak,” I concluded. “A harmless Qi Condensation chronicler attracts less attention than a Nascent Soul cultivator carrying sensitive information.”

The cultivation world was insane, so I could see the logic of it.

“I was also assigned here,” she continued more quietly, “because the Order believes you could protect me if necessary.”

That earned a blink from me.

“Me?”

“Yes.”

Roo puffed his chest proudly beside me.

“Sage strong, but I’m stronger!”

“You were losing to a rabbit thirty minutes ago.”

“She got lucky you arrived.”

Jia Ping coughed softly before continuing.

“There is another reason as well. I possess knowledge of a special formation spell array capable of directly connecting to the Shén known as Li Ming. In the event that something happens to Lady Li Ming, the Willow Order hopes you would assist us.”

That made me pause.

“If Li Ming is truly that important,” I asked slowly, “why not simply place her under my protection directly?”

Jia Ping exchanged a glance with Zhen Ai before answering carefully.

“Lady Li Qing trusts you,” she admitted. “Perhaps even deeply.”

“But?”

“The other elders possess… differing opinions.”

My least favorite flavor of stupidity. When they should be united in a time of crisis, there was infighting instead. Political infighting, yes, but still ultimately an infighting.

Jia Ping continued. “It is considered dangerous for a Shén to remain exposed so freely to the outside world. Even if you promised her protection, many within the Order would still oppose such a decision.”

Or maybe they were scared of me.

By making me somewhat of a figurehead through a sect founded by me and putting me in the Ten Great Sects, they were giving me power over them. This was probably another reason they were apprehensive about me.

Of course, I could be wrong, and I’m just paranoid, but it made too much damn sense.

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