Chapter 2 : The Stone Monkey of Huaguo Mountain - (2)

In Journey to the West, the world consists of four great continents.

There is Dongsheng Shenzhou, where the Kingdom of Ao Lai and Huaguo Mountain are located.

There is Xiniu Hezhou, where cattle are used as currency.

There is Beiju Luzhou, said to be the most prosperous of the four continents.

And there is Nanfang Buzhou, where humans reside.

In the original tale, Sun Wukong was born in Dongsheng Shenzhou and later learned Taoist magic from Patriarch Subhuti, a disciple of Buddha and an immortal from Xiniu Hezhou.

Having become the king of the monkeys and leading them into Shuilian Cave, a village carved from stone, I, too, wanted to follow in Sun Wukong’s footsteps—learning the 72 Transformations and the art of riding clouds from Patriarch Subhuti.

But…

“Ukkik! Kikkiik!”

—“Monkey King The ox demons are attacking again!”

—“Great King! A monster calling himself Duwang Dawang has appeared at the foot of Huaguo Mountain and is kidnapping the young monkeys!”

—“Great King! This time…!”

For some reason, Dongsheng Shenzhou was crawling with demons.

It seemed like every other day, some monster would storm into Huaguo Mountain, either trying to kill the monkeys or demanding we leave.

Of course, I crushed their skulls or beat them senseless and drove them away. Lately, things had calmed down a bit, but for a while, I had to fight every single day.

I fought so many monsters that I even learned how to wield an unusual energy called demonic power.

At this point, I felt like I could uproot mountains and shroud the sky with my aura.

The stronger this energy became within me, the more human my body appeared. My back straightened, and my face took on more human-like features.

Of course, if someone asked whether I looked more like a human or a monkey, I was still closer to a monkey—but at least it was an improvement.

Were these constant battles between demons just territorial disputes?

In my memories, Sun Wukong never had to fight countless monsters before becoming Patriarch Subhuti’s disciple.

Regardless, after all these battles, even the Huaguo Mountain monkeys had transformed into formidable muscle-bound warriors.

Now, they could fend off lesser demons without my help.

But then…

“So, you are The Monkey King.”

A whirlwind of a man stood before me, his presence overwhelming.

He had entered Shuilian Cave after knocking out every single battle-hardened monkey.

I had heard that an intruder had entered, but I assumed the others would handle it.

But his aura was unusual, his presence extraordinary.

A sage? A Taoist master?

I could have just driven him away with brute force, but under my rule, Huaguo Mountain demons never preyed on humans.

It was best to talk first.

“Hmm. You look exactly as I foresaw.”

“Who are you, old man? You seem like a sage, and we do not harm humans—”

“I am Patriarch Subhuti. Would you like to become my disciple?”

Patriarch Subhuti.

One of the ten greatest disciples of Buddha, the founder of Buddhism.

Despite being Buddha’s disciple, he embraced both Buddhist and Taoist principles and did not discriminate against demons.

In the original story, Sun Wukong had to travel all the way to Nanfang Buzhou Nanfang to find him and be accepted as a student.

But now, he had come to me?

“Follow me, and I shall teach you the mystic arts. You will learn the secrets of immortality, the ability to ride clouds.”

He wanted to take me away?

“Why do you hesitate? If you follow me, you will gain the power to protect your kin and achieve immortality.”

His words were tempting.

But I couldn’t accept so easily.

Patriarch Subhuti was a direct disciple of Buddha.

He was the greatest master of emptiness, a sage unrivaled in magic.

He was a just and impartial immortal who never discriminated against Sun Wukong for being a demon.

And yet, here he was, offering me a deal with immortality as bait?

It didn’t make sense.

“...Please, don’t look down on me just because I am a demon. If you can truly teach the art of riding clouds, why would you need to lure me with such words?”

“I have never looked down on you for being a demon.”

“Then why try to entice me with such promises? You said you foresaw this—did you come all this way just for me?”

Patriarch Subhuti paused, stroking his long, white beard as he studied me.

Silence stretched between us before he finally spoke.

“Omen of catastrophe!”

“...?”

“My insight is limited, but with the magic I have mastered, I can glimpse the fate of the world.”

I focused on his words.

In divination, a “fortunate sign” meant prosperity.

A “calamity sign” meant disaster.

“The world is drenched in calamity. A great catastrophe is upon us. I seek one of the few possible paths to salvation—and you are one of them.”

“The entire world is doomed? Can you be more specific?”

“Fate changes with causality and destiny. That is all I can say.”

With that, Patriarch Subhuti closed his eyes.

He was waiting for my answer.

If the world was truly facing a calamity, did that mean demons were going to descend into madness and chaos?

But if that were the case, wouldn’t the immortals and Buddhas of the Heavens intervene?

I couldn’t dismiss it as a lie.

If Patriarch Subhuti had gone out of his way to come all the way here just for me, then…

Did that mean I was destined to help prevent this catastrophe?

If I learned the 72 Transformations and mastered Taoist magic, I would become even stronger…

Is this really the world of Journey to the West?

If the world is filled with calamity, then what will happen to the monkey demons of Huaguo Mountain?

Even if they’re just monkeys, I suppose I’ve grown attached to them after spending so much time here.

“If I follow you, Master Subhuti, the monkeys living in Huaguo Mountain may be slaughtered by the nearby demons.”

“Do not worry about that. Unless they possess greater divine power than I, no one will be able to see through the spell I will cast upon this place.”

“...Then, I will accept you as my master.”

As I pledged myself as his disciple, I heard Master Subhuti speak.

“You likely have no name. Your surname shall be ‘Sun,’ and for your given name, I bestow you ‘Wukong.’ I pray that one day, you will attain enlightenment and bring light to the world.”

Silently, I rose from my stone throne, knelt down, and bowed deeply.

I had truly become Sun Wukong.

“Ukkikiki! Kikik!”

—“That crazy old man! He dared to attack us?!”

—“Great King! Please show him his place!”

“Enough. From today onward, this man is my master.”

The Huaguo Mountain monkeys, who had regained consciousness after being knocked out, nearly had a fit when they saw me standing beside Master Subhuti.

It took some effort to calm them down, but eventually, we stepped outside Shuilian Cave.

It was time.

I would leave with Master Subhuti and journey to Nanfang Buzhou.

Would I finally get to ride the clouds and soar through the sky?

Whooooosh—

Master’s voice murmured in a soft chant, and soon, a cloud that had been floating idly in the sky drifted toward us and stopped.

“This is the Somersault Cloud. It is a technique that lightens the body, allowing one to ride the clouds and travel great distances.”

“Did you arrive here using this, Master?”

“Other than the great roc (대붕, 大鵬), which can travel ninety thousand miles with a single flap of its wings, no one can match the speed of the Somersault Cloud.

I cautiously followed Master Subhuti onto the cloud.

Clouds were supposed to be made of mist, but this one felt soft, like stepping on cotton.

“Sit down once you’re aboard. If you fall off the Somersault Cloud, it could be dangerous.”

“Ah, yes. Understood.”

Honestly, even if I did fall, considering how tough my body was, I doubted I’d be seriously injured.

Still, I followed Master’s instructions and carefully took a seat.

Master glanced at me briefly before moving the cloud forward.

Whoooosh—

The scenery blurred past us at incredible speed.

The wind carried us higher and higher.

We ascended so far that I could see all of Dongsheng Shenzhou laid out before me.

Below, the Huaguo Mountain monkeys were watching us, waving as they bid me farewell.

On the nearby mountains, the demons who had once challenged me and lost also stared up at the sky.

There were massive demons gliding through the air and serpentine monsters slithering across the land.

“That creature we just passed is a Jinzhao, a bird demon. Its entire body is covered in deadly poison…”

As we soared through the skies, Master Subhuti explained the various demons and immortals we encountered along the way.

It seemed my training had already begun.

“...And so, the Guhuo Niao is known for snatching away human children… Ah, we’ve arrived.”

The cloud came to a stop before the entrance of a cave.

We had crossed the sea and traveled an unimaginably vast distance, yet it felt like only a short while had passed.

“This is Lingtai Fangcun Mountain in Nanfang Buzhou. I have carved out a dwelling here, where I live with my disciples.”

The enormous cave entrance bore an inscription:

“Xie Yue San Xing Dong.”

It seemed this cave, much like Shuilian Cave, had a name of its own.

“Come inside. It is time to introduce you to your fellow disciples.”