It would be great if we could communicate; although I agreed, I had no idea what kind of illness it was. I would have to inquire about it upon my return. In any case, the Dongfang family of the Sanyin Hall was certainly helpless against this disease, otherwise, given the relationship between Dongfang Jibai and the gorillas, they wouldn't have refused to treat them. Perhaps it was quite troublesome.
"Then, I'll entrust the matter of the rebels to all of you," I said again.
The leading Platinum Gorilla let out a furious roar, and more earth-shattering sounds came from behind. I sidestepped, looking through the gaps between the gorillas. More and more Platinum Gorillas appeared behind them. It turned out that the leader was not the largest; two tall and imposing gorillas were nearly ten meters tall, about the same height as a Tyrannosaurus Rex!
With a command from the leading Platinum Gorilla, the gorillas charged towards the snow mountain ridge. Upon reaching their destination, they all lay down. Their fur blended seamlessly with the snow-covered mountains, making them indistinguishable even upon careful inspection.
I could have left, but pure curiosity drove me to witness the combat prowess of these great apes. I found a tree, climbed to its summit, and sat in a snowdrift, watching the battle while smoking.
After about five minutes, the first batch of agile rebels began to climb up. The great apes remained still. The rebels, unsuspecting of these "snowdrifts," followed the footprints left by the Xuanjia soldiers and headed towards the forest on my side.
Once about a thousand rebels had climbed up, the leader of the great apes suddenly burst from the snow, letting out a sky-shattering roar. All the gorillas rose and began swinging their arms, attacking the rebels. I couldn't tell if I had underestimated or overestimated them, as their attack technique was extremely simple: a left hook, a right hook, they didn't even know a third move. Yet, the effect was surprisingly effective. Wherever their arms and fists passed, rebels were flung more than ten meters high, crashing heavily to the ground.
Although it was a snowy terrain, the temperature was quite low, making it a mixture of ice and snow, quite hard. The footprints we left were only a thin layer, with ice beneath. When the rebels fell from high up, it was no different from dropping onto concrete. In just half a minute, the approximately one thousand rebels who had climbed up were "annihilated" by the great apes.
The subsequent rebels who climbed up were stunned. Facing these monsters at the edge of the forest, they were trapped. The great apes did not attack proactively, merely guarding the snowy forest. Later, the female general arrived and ordered the use of ranged weapons against the gorillas. However, crossbow bolts and projectiles were like mosquito bites on the thick fur of the Platinum Gorillas, having no lethal effect.
As more and more rebels climbed up, the gorillas began to grow agitated. However, the leading Platinum Gorilla, possibly fearing losses on their side, kept a tight rein on his subordinates and did not initiate an offensive. Finally, the female general realized that this was an insurmountable obstacle and chose to withdraw her troops.
The battle ended inconclusively.
I jumped down from the tree and thanked the Platinum Gorillas again for their help, emphasizing the matter of the illness.
After bidding farewell to the gorilla tribe, I did not immediately chase after my group. Instead, taking advantage of the rebel retreat, I changed into a rebel uniform and used the Gale Force technique to return to the Sanyin Hall city. I went to Dongfang Jibai's residence, scaled the wall, and entered. Just as I was heading towards her room to inquire about the gorillas' skin disease, I encountered a rebel leader emerging from Dongfang Jibai's room, his face filled with anger. He had likely just questioned her about the drainage hole.
I bowed to him. The rebel leader, not noticing anything unusual about me, left without returning the bow.
After he left, I entered Dongfang Jibai's room and asked what that fellow had been saying.
Dongfang Jibai replied, "Nothing much, Longju wants us to change shifts."
"Change shifts to where?" I asked. We were currently in the southwestern corner of the city.
"Change shifts to Daxing Stockade."
"...What's the point of going there? The imperial army won't attack there, and would he feel at ease letting you guard such an important granary?" I asked, puzzled.
"Who knows," Dongfang Jibai chuckled. "Since they ordered us to go, we go. Fortunately, they didn't punish us for letting you escape."
"Don't give the order yet," I said. "I have a feeling their order is a trap. I'll go to Longju's camp to investigate. Wait for my news."