The Legend of Journey to the West

In those distant and ancient years, the earth was in chaos and everything was in a state of confusion. In the vast universe, Dongsheng Shenzhou is like a bright pearl, shining brightly. On its eastern edge, near the boundless sea, there is a mysterious and beautiful country-Aolai. In the territory of Aolai, there is a towering famous mountain called Huaguo Mountain. This mountain is majestic, with peaks and ridges, and clouds and mists, as if it is a fairyland that has fallen from the nine heavens to the mortal world. It is not only the pride of this land, but also a wonder of the entire earth. Huaguo Mountain is the ancestor of the ten continents and the origin of the three islands. Since the opening of the earth, it has experienced countless years of vicissitudes and changes, and witnessed the rise and fall of all things. At the peak of this Huaguo Mountain, there is a strange fairy stone. This fairy stone is three feet six feet five inches high, and its circumference is also two feet four feet wide. Its surface is not as smooth as a mirror, but is covered with nine orifices and eight holes. The arrangement of these orifices is ingenious and mysterious, and coincides with the layout of the Nine Palaces and Eight Diagrams. Since the moment of the beginning of the universe, this fairy stone has been lying quietly on the top of the mountain, bearing the purest true beauty of the earth day after day, and absorbing the essence of the moonlight from the sun, moon and stars day and night. During these long years, the fairy stone seemed to have its own soul and consciousness. It was silently waiting for an opportunity, an opportunity that would shock the earth. Finally, on a sunny morning with colorful clouds, the sun fell on the fairy stone like golden silk threads. At this moment, the fairy stone suddenly burst open, making a loud noise that shocked the earth. This sound was like thunder, penetrating the clouds, spreading throughout the Flower and Fruit Mountain, and even clearly heard in the distant Aolai country. As the fairy stone broke, a crystal clear stone egg rolled out of it. This stone egg is like a bright pearl, emitting a mysterious and soft light. The moment the stone egg touched the mountain breeze, a strange change occurred again. The stone egg quickly turned into a stone monkey, which looked lifelike, as if it was the most perfect masterpiece on earth. As soon as the stone monkey landed, it showed its innate agility and liveliness. He blinked his clear and bright eyes and looked around curiously. Then, he instinctively began to learn to crawl and walk, and his appearance was naive, but full of vitality and energy. Then, the stone monkey respectfully bowed several times in all directions. At the moment he finished bowing, two extremely dazzling golden lights suddenly shot out of his eyes. This golden light was like two sharp lightning bolts, instantly piercing the sky and rushing straight to the Dou Palace above the nine heavens. The light was so strong that it seemed to illuminate the entire earth; the momentum was so magnificent that it seemed to compete with the sun and the moon. The sudden appearance of two golden lights instantly broke the tranquility of the palace. The Jade Emperor, the Great and Merciful Emperor, was discussing important matters with the immortals in the Lingxiao Palace when he was suddenly startled by the strange light. The Jade Emperor frowned slightly, and a trace of doubt and uneasiness surged in his heart. He immediately ordered the two gods, Qianliyan and Shunfenger, to open the south gate and go to check what was going on. After receiving the order, Qianliyan and Shunfenger did not dare to neglect it at all. They quickly walked out of the south gate and displayed their respective magical powers. Qianliyan widened his divine eyes that could see thousands of miles away and looked in the direction of the golden light; Shunfenger pricked up his ears and listened carefully to all the sounds from afar. After a while, they understood the situation of Huaguo Mountain clearly. Then, the two hurried back to the palace and reported to the Jade Emperor: "Your Majesty, we were ordered to watch the golden light in a flower-fruit mountain located in the border of Aolai Country in the east of Dongsheng Shenzhou. There is a fairy stone on the mountain, and an egg was laid in the stone. After seeing the wind, it turned into a stone monkey. The stone monkey worshiped the four directions there, and the golden light shot out of his eyes and rushed straight into the Dou Palace. Now he has started to eat water and food, and the golden light will soon disappear." After hearing this, the Jade Emperor's expression was slightly relieved. He stroked his chin and said thoughtfully: "The things below are born from the essence of the earth, which is not surprising. Let's wait and see how it develops later." So, the palace returned to its former tranquility and peace, and the immortals performed their duties, as if this episode had never happened. And in the flower-fruit mountain, after the stone monkey was born, he began his life full of curiosity and exploration. He shuttled freely between the mountains and forests, enjoying the life that nature gave him. He ate fresh grass and trees in the mountains, and the sweet juice and crisp taste made him feel extremely satisfied; he drank the clear spring water in the mountain stream, and the cool spring water slid through his throat, bringing endless freshness and vitality; he picked the mountain flowers blooming all over the mountains, and the fragrant aroma lingered in his nose, making him intoxicated; he looked for ripe fruits on the trees, tasting the sweet taste, and his heart was full of joy. The stone monkey made friends with all kinds of creatures in the mountains. He ran and played with ferocious tigers and leopards in the mountains and forests, feeling the charm of speed and strength; he amused himself with cunning wolves and insects, showing his wit and flexibility; he walked side by side with the docile roe deer, enjoying tranquility and harmony; he was close to the lively macaques, sharing Peters' happiness and sorrow. At night, when the moon is high and the stars are twinkling, the stone monkey will find a sheltered corner under the steep cliffs, curl up, and fall asleep peacefully with the caress of the breeze and the chirping of night insects; in the early morning, when the first ray of sunlight shines between the mountains and forests, the stone monkey will shuttle and jump in the caves among the peaks to welcome the arrival of a new year. The years in the mountains flow slowly, without clear time marks and obvious changes of seasons. The stone monkey lives carefree in this isolated fairyland, and has no perception of the passage of time. As the saying goes, "There is no Jiazi in the mountains, and the year is unknown when the cold ends." One day, the sun was like a huge fireball, hanging high in the sky, emitting an extremely hot light, and the entire Huaguo Mountain seemed to be placed in a huge furnace. In order to avoid the hot summer, Zheng Shihou and the monkeys came to a pine shade deep in the mountains. The pine trees here are tall and straight, with lush branches and leaves, forming a natural parasol, which brings a rare coolness to the monkeys. The monkeys played to their heart's content under the pine shade, some chasing and playing with each other, some swinging on branches, and some lying on the grass lazily basking in the sun. After a while, they were sweating all over and unbearably hot. At this time, a monkey suggested: "Why don't we go to the mountain stream to take a bath and cool down!" The monkeys agreed. So, a group of monkeys came to the mountain stream. The water in the mountain stream was turbulent, splashing, like a rolling melon, making bursts of roaring sounds. The monkeys jumped into the water excitedly, feeling the comfort brought by the cool stream. While they were playing in the water, an older monkey looked at the rushing stream and said thoughtfully: "I don't know where this water comes from. We are free today, so why not follow the stream upstream to find its source? Maybe we will find something new!" His proposal immediately aroused the interest of the monkeys, and everyone responded: "Okay! Okay! Let's go together!" At this moment, among the noisy monkeys, a stone monkey with a sturdy figure and bright eyes stepped forward and shouted: "I'll go in! I'll go in!" He closed his eyes, squatted down, took a deep breath, and then jumped suddenly, like a flash of lightning, and jumped straight into the waterfall. After the stone monkey entered the water, he quickly opened his eyes and was amazed by the scene in front of him. He saw that there was no water or waves in the waterfall, but there was a solid iron bridge across it. He stabilized his body, calmed down, stepped onto the iron bridge carefully, and walked forward step by step. The two sides of the bridge were shrouded in mist, as if he was in a fairyland. He walked and looked, full of curiosity and expectation. After walking across the iron bridge, the stone monkey found a cave at the other end of the bridge. Here, there are green trees and lush flowers and plants, as if it is a paradise isolated from the world. In this beautiful scenery, a stone house is looming. The stone monkey quickened his pace and walked towards the stone house. Approaching the stone house, the stone monkey found that the room was well arranged. There are stone pots, stone stoves, stone bowls, stone basins, stone beds, stone benches, everything. The stone monkey was overjoyed and continued to look around. In the center of the room, he found a huge stone tablet with a line of regular script characters engraved on it, which read "Huaguoshan Fudi, Shuiliandongdong". The stone monkey was so excited that he danced with joy. He decided to tell the other monkeys the good news immediately. He quickly pulled himself out, closed his eyes again, squatted down, and jumped out of the waterfall with his agility. After coming out, he couldn't suppress his inner joy, laughed twice in a row, and shouted loudly: "What a great fortune! What a great fortune!" The monkeys immediately surrounded him and asked in unison: "What's going on inside? How deep is the water?" The stone monkey said excitedly: "No water! No water! It turns out that there is an iron bridge inside. There is a house on the other side of the bridge." The monkeys heard this and asked curiously: "How do you know it's a house?" The stone monkey smiled happily and said: "This water comes from the stone under the bridge. The orifice rushed out and hung upside down to cover the door. There were flowers and trees beside the bridge, and there was a stone house inside. There were stone pots, stone stoves, stone bowls, stone basins, stone beds, and stone benches in the house. There was also a stone tablet in the middle, engraved with "Flower-Fruit Mountain Blessed Land, Water Curtain Cave". This is really a good place for us to settle down. The space inside is wide enough to accommodate thousands of people. We can all live in it and be protected from the invasion of wind and rain from the outside world, and enjoy the blessing of starting a family. " The monkeys were all excited and excited when they heard it, and their eyes flashed with excitement. They said one after another: "You take us in first. If it is really as you say, we will worship you as king." The stone monkey nodded without hesitation, closed his eyes again, squatted down, and jumped into the waterfall spring like an arrow from a string, shouting: "Follow me in! Come in!" The brave monkeys saw that the stone monkey was so brave, and they also jumped in one after another. The timid monkeys hesitated on the shore, stretching their heads and shrinking their necks, scratching their ears and cheeks, wanting to go in to find out, but also afraid of danger. Encouraged and urged by other monkeys, they finally plucked up their courage, closed their eyes, jumped, and jumped into the waterfall. The monkeys jumped over the bridge and entered the cave. The scene in front of them made them excited. They cheered and started to snatch pots and bowls, stoves and beds, moving them here and there, making it very lively. The monkeys were naughty and did not stop for a moment until they were all exhausted and panting. The stone monkey sat upright on a large rock high up, and said solemnly: "Everyone, 'If a man does not have faith, he is not worthy.' You just passed by, whoever has the ability to come in and out without getting hurt, will worship him as the king. Now I go in and out, go out and come in, and find this blessed cave for everyone, so that everyone can have a stable and comfortable home. Shouldn't you keep your promise and worship me as the king?" The monkeys were convinced and none of them broke their promise. They lined up in order of age, bowed to the stone monkey, and shouted "Thousand-year-old king" in unison. Since then, the stone monkey has ascended the throne. In order to show his majesty and status, he concealed the word "stone" and was called the Monkey King. The Monkey King led the monkeys to live a carefree and worry-free life in this water curtain cave. They picked wild fruits and played on the Flower and Fruit Mountain, and they were so happy. However, the Monkey King often had an inexplicable desire and pursuit in his heart. He often looked up at the stars at night, thinking about his life experience and future destiny. Although the Flower and Fruit Mountain was beautiful, it seemed unable to satisfy his strong curiosity and desire to explore the unknown world deep in his heart. On a quiet night, the Monkey King lay on the stone bed, unable to fall asleep for a long time. He recalled his experiences since he was born, and his heart was filled with emotion. Suddenly, an idea flashed through his mind: "I can't just waste my life in this Flower and Fruit Mountain. I want to find a wider land and explore more mysteries." Once this idea came into being, it grew wildly in his heart like weeds. Since then, the Monkey King began to practice his skills more diligently. He looked forward to one day being able to walk out of the Flower and Fruit Mountain and embark on his own legendary journey. And this is just the beginning of his magnificent life journey...