Translator: Lordbluefire Editor: Lordbluefire
This dao song was graceful and came from afar, with a free and unrestrained intent like a beautiful sound that rang through the valley. It had a mind-cleansing power.
The stone monkey unknowingly got sucked into the song. It felt as if there were 10,000 monkeys jumping around in its heart, causing it to feel incredibly itchy.
“Chi chi chi! There must be an immortal here!” It was overjoyed and scratched its ears and face, revealing the true nature of a monkey. It couldn’t help but run in the direction of the voice, its pair of golden eyes staring at the front.
The mountain paths were indistinct and the grass was very green. A woodcutter was raising his ax and chopping firewood. He seemed to have the appearance of a farmer, but his dressing was actually extraordinary.
The bamboo hat he was wearing was made from new shoots, and the clothes he was wearing were made from silk cotton. His waistband was made from the silk of an old silkworm, and his sandals were made from dried plants. His steel ax was bound with hemp and he struggled as he chopped the trees.
Feng Lin’s heart undulated at the sight of this familiar scene.
Had he finally come to the Fangcun Mountain?
He was filled with curiosity.
In the story Journey to the West, although there hadn’t been many records about the Fangcun Mountain’s Three Stars Cave, it was a place that had imparted Sun Wukong with world-astonishing capabilities. How could he possibly underestimate it?
(What kind of profoundness lies here?)
(The great Patriarch Subhuti was at least on the same level as the Buddha Lord Tathagata. Where had these powerful celestials gone?)
…
All sorts of mysteries shrouded in his heart, like a small lump of chaos.
This was also the meaning behind the Mythology Deduction Method. It caused one to be situated within it, dream about the ancient times, and explore the mysteries of the myths and legends from the very source.
Feng Lin continued to watch on, waiting for the continuation.
This person looked like a woodcutter, yet his appearance and dressing seemed extraordinary.
Golden light kept on flashing in the stone monkey’s eyes. It felt extremely excited and dashed up anxiously, bowing humanly. “Old immortal! Disciple pays respect to you.”
The woodcutter quickly threw the ax to the side and turned to bow back. “I can’t accept that, I can’t accept that! I’m merely a countryside woodcutter, so how can I possibly accept being called an immortal?”
The stone monkey said, “If you aren’t an immortal, how can you speak the words of one? How could one, if not an immortal, possibly sing with such a celestial intent?”
The woodcutter instantly laughed out loud. “I’m just an ordinary woodcutter who stays in the vicinity! This was taught to me by a celestial!”
When the stone monkey heard that, it asked, “Is there really an immortal here? Where is he?”
It darted over, unable to hold back its urge. It was as if it wouldn’t leave if the woodcutter refused to answer him!
The woodcutter smiled, not hiding anything. “It isn’t far off, not far at all. This mountain is called the Spirit Platform Fangcun Mountain and there’s a Slanted Moon Three Stars Cave here. In that cave, there’s an immortal called the Patriarch Subhuti. The Patriarch has countless disciples and currently, there are 30-40 people cultivating under him. You will arrive at his place by following that small path and head seven to eight lis toward the south.”
Hearing that, the stone monkey kept jumping about, feeling uncontrollably excited.
After staying in the mortal world for several decades, it finally heard of an immortal in the mountains!
It couldn’t wait to go up the mountain immediately and said to the woodcutter, “Brother, please bring me there. If I were to gain benefits, I’ll definitely not forget the favor you’ve given me for guiding me there.”
The woodcutter said helplessly, “Why are you so stubborn? I’ve already told you so clearly! Go there yourself! Go there yourself!”
After saying that, he forcibly broke away from the monkey’s grasp and headed elsewhere to chop wood.
The stone monkey could only leave things be and left by himself.
It didn’t notice that the woodcutter’s smile gradually became restrained as he watched its departing figure. His eyes were filled with a mysterious glow.
However, Feng Lin caught all of these and he went into deep thought.
In the Journey to the West, there were celestials everywhere, even more so than there were dogs.
Thus, everything appeared as if they were coincidences, but things weren’t really so simple.
The woodcutter wasn’t an actual woodcutter, but the monkey was an actual monkey.
The monkey’s entrance into the Fangcun Mountain might appear to be a coincidence, but it was actually something that had to take place. There must be some reason behind this and it caused one to enter deep into thought.
What kind of character was that Patriarch Subhuti?
…
The stone monkey hadn’t noticed these. It was as if it had seen its bright future of having taken a Master and becoming an immortal. Its expression was that of great joy.
It was as what the woodcutter said. It walked out of the forest, headed up the mountain, and a cave that was shrouded in fog and a celestial air soon came within sight.
That cave that was closed tightly was quiet and without any trace of people. There was only a stone tablet here that was approximately three zhangs tall and eight feet wide with the words. “Spirit Platform Fangcun Mountain, Slanted Moon Three Stars Cave”.
“That woodcutter really didn’t lie to me!” The stone monkey was elated and jumped over. Before it stood before the cave, a loud creak rang out as the cave’s entrance opened.
A smart-looking child walked out. He wasn’t surprised when he saw the stone monkey and spoke out in a loud voice, “You’re the one here in pursuit of the Dao?”
Hearing that, the monkey was overjoyed. “That’s me, that’s me.”
The child said, “Come with me.”
The stone monkey sorted out its clothes to appear more presentable and followed the child into the depths of the cave, passing through layers of buildings. It was like a completely different world.
An elderly man with a long beard sat on the platform with 30 younger celestials lining up in two rows. The atmosphere was neither that of Buddhism nor Daoism, with a silent and natural aura, having the same lifespan as that of the heavens, never aging.
They appeared as if they were close up, yet also like the clouds that were in the far distance, could be seen but not to be surmised.
Was this the Patriarch Subhuti?
Feng Lin was taken by surprise, as if he had seen the faces of all living beings from this elderly man. However, with a single thought, they all turned into one entity.
What was Fangcun? What were Three Stars? What was Subhuti?…
Everything was in the heart!
Feng Lin seemed to have unconsciously understood something, feeling that his Daoheart Gene had been completely stimulated and was raring to move.
The mythology illusion-scape was still being demonstrated. The moment the stone monkey saw the patriarch, it immediately knelt down and kowtowed endlessly, saying with great sincerity, “Master! Master! Disciple pays respect sincerely! Pays respect sincerely!”
The Patriarch asked, “Where are you from?”
The stone monkey replied, “Disciple comes from The Flowerfruit Mountain in Purvavideha’s Aolai Country.”
The Patriarch ordered, “Chase him out! This is a swindler that isn’t worthy to pursue the Dao!”
The stone monkey kept on kowtowing and said, “Disciple is honest and doesn’t lie.”
The Patriarch asked, “Since you’re honest, why did you mention the Purvavideha? That place is two seas and a Jambudvipa away. How could you come to this place?”
The stone monkey kowtowed. “Disciple has crossed the seas and traveled for several decades before arriving in this place.”
…
“Excellent, excellent, excellent!” Hearing the stone monkey explaining his background, Patriarch Subhuti laughed. His eyes were extremely deep and he stared at the stone monkey with flickering gaze, as if a myriad of changes were taking place within it, traversing the long river of time.
With just one glance, Feng Lin’s mind was immediately emptied. He suddenly had the delusion that the gaze had seen through the stone monkey’s body and was looking straight at him.
A faint laughter rang out next to his ears. “Since you’re a macaque, this is a good fit! Amongst my disciples, you’re amongst the generation with the ‘Wu’ name. I’ll give you the name ‘Sun Wukong’!”
What was Wukong?
There was no form nor characteristics at the beginning of time. Wukong [1] is required to break through ignorance!
It was as if a divine thunder had split open the chaos. Feng Lin’s heart instantly cleared up and all his troubles dissipated. His intents became extremely strong and he broke out from the illusion-scape, heading straight for the clouds.
…
Boom!
Feng Lin’s eyes opened abruptly, ripping through the darkness like a lightning flashed across the sky.
The mythological genes in his body kept on twitching, being completely stimulated.
Monkey King Gene +1, +1, +1…
Daoheart Gene +1, +1, +1…
…
[1] The ‘Wukong’ here represents both Sun Wukong’s name as well as the comprehension of ’emptiness’.
