Chapter 827 - The Mountain of Mind and Heart!
In the world where Fang Qi had come from, not only the people in the east but also those from the west would gasp as soon as they saw the trailer.
But for the people in this world, they had only watched a few strange scenes before, so they certainly wouldn’t have the same reaction as the people from Fang Qi’s homeworld since they knew nothing about this story.
Subconsciously, they thought that it was just a story about a monkey.
Besides, the TV Series sold for an outrageous price for each episode!
But now, their thoughts gradually changed…
“How come… these monkeys are so smart?!” The elves felt amazed.
Su Tianji, Nalan Hongwu, and other people, who were the first group of viewers of the Journey to the West, watched the monkeys prostrate themselves before the monkey king and appoint officials and ministers, forming order and a dynasty. The viewers were greatly entertained when they watched the monkeys wander on Flower-Fruit Mountain during the day and live in the Water Curtain Cave during the night.
It was indeed an insouciant life on this happy and beautiful land.
Many years passed. Humans couldn’t escape the process of life and death, neither could the monkeys.
When one old monkey died of old age, the other monkeys all covered their faces and wept.
Therefore, they began to worry and said, “Although we aren’t subject to the laws of man and aren’t afraid of beasts, old age, and physical decay in the future can’t be avoided, and we are managed by the Yama, a god of death.”
In the whole world, only three species were not subject to Yama’s management, and they were the buddhas, the immortals, and the gods.
Therefore, the monkeys gathered immortal peaches and rare fruits, made a bamboo raft, and packed a bag for the Monkey King, seeing him off to the distant place to learn the way of immortality.
When this grand legend began to unfold before the people of this world, they had indescribable and complex feelings inside.
Perhaps this story wasn’t only a legend.
By now, these naive and simple-minded monkeys and the strange, imaginative, and naughty Monkey King, who had sprung out from a stone, began to take root in their minds.
“He just went off to find the way to immortality like this?!” The cultivators looked incredulous. He heard that there are immortals in the South Jambudvipa Continent and then embarked on a sea journey on a raft with a pile of fruits?!
It sounded like a tall tale.
“Can these monkeys really learn the way of immortality?!” The viewers wondered about the naivety of the monkeys. However, since they were monkeys, no one felt strange about the story.
There were great dangers in the sea. A small raft was a tiny vulnerable thing on the ocean.
If it were someone who was afraid of danger and challenge, the Monkey King would have died in the ocean long ago. However, the Monkey King who was determined to cross the ocean and learn the way of immortality finally managed to get onto the shore.
Going through big cities and visiting small towns, the Monkey King managed to survive but was still scorned and mocked as a strange species. After traveling for eight to nine years, he crossed the Great Western Ocean and came to the West Aparogodaniya Continent, and he heard that an old immortal lived in the Cave of Slanting Moon and Three Stars on the nearby Mountain of Mind and Heart.
Nothing was impossible to a willing heart. Yes, it was a legend, but the deep meaning contained in the story began to reach people in its own way.
While the viewers were happy that the Monkey King finally found an immortal residence, they were impressed by the Monkey King who was both naive yet determined, unworldly yet smart.
The viewers had felt novel while watching the previous events, and now they were impressed after watching the smart monkey travel from the East Purvavideha Continent to the West Aparagodaniya Continent and finally find the immortal residence after experiencing years of hardships even though success was elusive.
“Do you think the Monkey King will learn the way of immortality?” Su Tianji watched the monkey walk along the mountain path toward the Cave of Slanting Moon and Three Stars and chatted.
Obviously, they were watching the Journey to the West together.
“Who is the immortal living in the Cave of Slanting Moon and Three Stars on the Mountain of Mind and Heart…?” Fenghua was more concerned with this issue. “He’s not famous… maybe he’s not powerful at all…?”
It must be noted that the immortals and gods in the current era were well known with stunning titles such as the God of Radiant Light Judgement, let alone the immortals living in the Innumerable Immortal Sea in the Immortal Realm.
In the world where Fang Qi came from, almost everyone would understand the words such as ‘Mountain of Mind and Heart’ and ‘Cave of Slanting Moon and Three Stars’. They would understand what a holy place this was without it being explained.
Of course, the people in this world knew nothing about such things. They were still talking, “Will the Monkey King only find a little immortal who doesn’t know the way of immortality?”
“Oh… then, wouldn’t all his efforts be in vain?” Fenghua said worriedly.
In the Canglan City Shop, the knights of the Golden Griffin Knight Legion were also talking about it. “Who do you guys think is more powerful, the immortal in the Cave of Slanting Moon and Three Stars or the Ancestral Master of the Shu Mountain Faction?”
“I think this immortal should be slightly more powerful but not as powerful as the Ninth Heaven Mystic Fairy,” others on the side commented.
After all, when they played the Legend of Sword and Fairy, the Ninth Heaven Mystic Fairy showed an unrivaled presence.
However, this Cave of Slanting Moon and Three Stars and the Mountain of Mind and Heart… the Monkey King only learned about the name of this immortal after asking a passing woodcutter. It seemed like these woodcutters would visit this immortal when they had time. While watching the TV Series together, the elves looked at the engraved words ‘Mountain of Mind and Heart, Cave of Slanting Moon and Three Stars’ when this stone monkey finally found the cave abode. They said to each other, “I feel like this must be an amiable old immortal but not a very powerful one.”
“Oh, even if he’s not a powerful immortal, he must be much more powerful than us,” one elf said, “Let’s follow the Monkey King into the cave. The scenery here is great!”
They saw mist and smoke in diffusive brilliance and the flashing lights from the sun and moon, and rare flowers and green-jade-like slim bamboos decorated the cave. The cranes spread out their wings, and a phoenix occasionally soared overhead, stirring five-colored clouds. It was well worth their money to watch such rare scenery for the fans of natural beauty!
Then, they saw Patriarch Subodhi solemnly sitting on the platform with about 30 little immortals standing below dressed in Daoist robes.
Before the real immortal, no one dared to make trouble, regardless if he was the ‘amiable old immortal’ that they had guessed or Patriarch Subodhi.
At this moment, like the monkey, the viewers all stood below the platform, feeling uneasy.
Even Patriarch Subudhi didn’t expect that anyone would come here by crossing two great oceans from the East Purvavideha Continent.
Seeing the patriarch almost kicking out the monkey since he thought that this monkey was lying, the viewers all worried for him.
The patriarch asked, “What’s your surname (xing)?”
The Monkey King answered, “I have no temper (xing). If a man rebukes me, I’m not offended; if he hits me, I’m not angered. In fact, I simply repay him with a ceremonial greeting and that’s all. My whole life’s without ill temper.”
[TL Note: Temper, Xing in Chinese, has the same pronunciation as surname, Xing.]
The viewers felt sad when they heard these words.
When they heard the patriarch giving him the name ‘Sun Wukong’ and his joyful shout, “I’ve got a name; I’ve got a master”, they were all touched.
The simple and innocent image of Sun Wukong began to take root in their minds.
For them, Sun Wukong had turned from a simple monkey to the vibrant and nimble Monkey King with flesh and blood.
So it was that, “At nebula’s parting he had no name. Smashing stubborn void needs Wake-to-the-Void (Wukong).”