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墨書 Inktalez
Without much thought, Zhao Yang, still not fully recovered, felt his head grow heavy and drifted back into a deep sleep.
When Zhao Yang awoke again, it was already the next morning. Rubbing his sleepy eyes, he slowly got up and pushed open the window. Breathing in the fresh air of this new world under the rising sun, everything felt so novel.
In the distance, green mountains and clear waters intertwined with swirling clouds. The farmland was neatly arranged, and houses were scattered about. Each courtyard had colorful flowers and plants blooming vibrantly.
“Zhao Yang, you’re finally awake! How did you get out of bed? Hurry back to bed and rest. I’ll go make some chicken soup to help you recover,” He Qing said as she hung clothes at the door. Hearing Zhao Yang push open the window, she quickly set down her work and rushed inside to help him back to bed.
“Mother, I’m fine now. I don’t feel any discomfort at all. You can rest easy,” Zhao Yang replied with a smile, then walked into the yard to stretch his limbs.
“That’s good to hear. Your father planned to wake you last night for some chicken soup, but seeing you sleep so soundly, I stopped him. Today is market day; your father went early to the Rice Shop to help bring in supplies. Whenever it’s market day, he always brings back fish or meat, so you’ll have plenty to eat tonight,” He Qing said cheerfully as she wiped her hands on her apron and headed inside to fetch the chicken soup.
“Mother,” Zhao Yang called out as his eyes grew warm.
He Qing turned around and asked, “What is it, son?”
“Mother, father has worked hard, and so have you.”
Seeing Zhao Yang’s serious expression made He Qing feel that her son had grown up a lot. Her eyes warmed with tears as she quickly turned away to wipe them and said, “I’ll go get you some chicken soup.”
As he drank the soup that his mother had made with her own hands, Zhao Yang felt a warmth in his heart. He tucked a strand of her white hair behind her ear and looked around before asking, “Mother, where is my sister?”
“That girl Yuer has run off to the riverbank again to play in the mud with those rascals,” He Qing replied. Watching Zhao Yang eat the chicken and drink the soup heartily reassured her as she got up to continue hanging clothes.
Zhao Yang finished his chicken soup and said, "Mother, I'm going to the back mountain today. I might be back a bit late."
"What are you going there for? Your injury hasn't fully healed yet," He Qing said with some concern. However, she knew that Zhao Yang had always been resolute since he was young. Although he was more pliable than stubborn, once he made up his mind about something, it was hard to change it.
"I'm going to pick peaches and see if there are any wild rabbits around." To ease his mother's worries, Zhao Yang had to tell a little lie. "By the way, Mother, do you know what the mountain that looks like a palm is called?"
After hanging up the clothes, He Qing picked up some embroidery from the sieve by the door and murmured, "The mountain that looks like a palm must be Buddha's Palm Mountain."
Upon hearing the name "Buddha's Palm Mountain," Zhao Yang became excited. Wasn't Buddha's Palm Mountain the very place that suppressed Sun Wukong? He then asked, "Is there a talking monkey trapped beneath Buddha's Palm Mountain?"
He Qing chuckled at this. "Who told you that monkey could talk? That's just a legend. However, when I was very young, I did hear your great-grandfather mention that there was an old monkey under Buddha's Palm Mountain. Your great-grandfather's father used to go pick wild fruits to feed that monkey when he was young. Later, due to life's pressures, that matter was left unresolved. Your great-grandfather also lived in our village for a while when he was young and claimed to have seen that monkey under Buddha's Palm Mountain. But your great-grandfather was timid; he only threw a few fruits to the monkey and never dared to go back. The villagers say that monkey has lived longer than our village itself. Buddha's Palm Mountain suddenly appeared hundreds of years ago when a piece of Mount Tian fell down, blocking the river and allowing our village to gradually form. That monkey was discovered around that time. Later on, your grandfather—my father—went to gather herbs one day when it started pouring rain, trapping him in the back mountain. He heard cries of beasts and the laughter of monkeys from Buddha's Palm Mountain. When he returned the next day, he fell ill and told the villagers that the monkey was a mountain spirit and should be avoided. After that, very few people dared to go near Buddha's Palm Mountain. Decades have passed since then, and no one has seen that monkey again; even the mountain spirits have long since departed."
After He Qing finished speaking, she noticed her son had already run over ten paces away. Watching him so happy, she called out, "Come back early!"
"Got it, Mother! I'm going out to play; don't worry about me!" With that, Zhao Yang had already dashed far away.
Once Zhao Yang left home, he immediately followed the route from the original owner's memories toward Buddha's Palm Mountain. The reason he asked his mother about the legend of Buddha's Palm Mountain was partly because he wasn't sure if that monkey was indeed the legendary Sun Wukong who roamed heaven and earth. Although in this body’s original memories he had already become friends with the monkey, he feared there might be inaccuracies in those memories. On another note, he considered safety; if it turned out to be some mountain spirit or demon, not only would his plans fail but his hard-won second chance at life could also be lost. Moreover, even Sun Wukong shouldn't be trapped at this time and place; if this monkey truly was Sun Wukong, then there could only be one explanation: when Buddha suppressed Sun Wukong, he must have used immense divine power to break through the limits of time and space and sealed him in another realm. This also explained why in "Journey to the West," Sun Wukong remained suppressed for 500 years without any demons or monsters being able to rescue him—because apart from Buddha, no one knew where he was.
Understanding this reasoning made Zhao Yang quicken his pace. Currently, his cultivation had been wasted and he had just recovered from serious injuries; after running a few steps, he would be out of breath. Although he had watched many dramas or read novels about Sun Wukong in his previous life, when he finally saw Buddha's Palm Mountain before him, he couldn't help but exclaim in awe. The five peaks resembling fingers had already lost two of them but still looked magnificent. His heart raced with excitement because he was about to see the legendary Great Sage Equaling Heaven—the Divine Monkey—who would change his fate.
While the original owner of this body had guessed that this monkey must be extraordinary, he lacked experience and didn't know what abilities it possessed or how to gain its assistance. He also didn't realize that this monkey could stir up tremendous waves in another world as a mythical figure.
Lost in thought, Zhao Yang arrived at the location where Sun Wukong was suppressed according to memory. To avoid revealing his knowledge of Sun Wukong’s identity, he pretended to be harmless and called out cheerfully, "Little monkey! Little monkey! I'm here to see you! Where are you?"
Despite being twelve years old now, Zhao Yang still looked mischievous like a child full of whimsy.
"Hmph, you actually came to see me, Old Sun." At that moment, a dirty Monkey Head emerged from a pile of fallen leaves at the edge of the cliff, sounding somewhat disgruntled.
"It's true, it's really Sun Wukong! Even the way he speaks is the same. This is incredible! I have to find a way to become his disciple and learn all his skills. Then I can make a name for myself in this other world. Haha, just thinking about it makes me a bit excited." Zhao Yang was so overwhelmed with excitement that he completely ignored Sun Wukong standing beside him and began daydreaming.
"Hey, hey, are you stupid or deaf? Old Sun is talking to you!" Sun Wukong looked at Zhao Yang, who was so young yet had such a cunning expression, and felt an impulse to hit him with a stick.
"Oh, what’s wrong, little monkey?" Zhao Yang snapped back to reality, realizing his faux pas.
"Hurry up and pick some fresh fruit for Old Sun. Look at all these ripe melons and peaches on the mountain, yet you haven't come to see me in two months. What have you been doing?"
Hearing Sun Wukong's words, Zhao Yang's eyes turned red as he was about to cry. After all, he was over twenty years old in his previous life and had seen enough movies and TV shows to easily brew up this kind of sentimental atmosphere. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Sun Wukong glancing at him and quickly pretended to wipe away tears while smiling, "I've been busy with family matters these past two months. I'll go pick some fruit for you right now."
"Make sure they're big ones!" Sun Wukong called out.
"Of course! If they're not big and sweet, they’re free!" Zhao Yang said while secretly thinking, "Wow, is this monkey really Sun Wukong?"
After washing the fruit clean by the stream, Zhao Yang sat down next to Sun Wukong, panting heavily as they began to eat together. Sun Wukong looked at everything in amazement and asked, "Aren't you afraid being so close to me?"
"When have I ever been afraid of you? Hmph! I just didn't want to get too close since we weren't familiar before," Zhao Yang replied nonchalantly. In reality, he was quite scared; after all, even though Sun Wukong's Divine Power was suppressed, getting too close could still lead to being torn apart by this fierce monkey's wild temper.
"You're really not afraid?" Seizing the opportunity when Zhao Yang wasn't paying attention, Sun Wukong suddenly hugged Zhao Yang's waist and pulled him closer with a mischievous grin.
Zhao Yang's scalp tingled; it was the first time he had been so close to an animal like this. Goosebumps covered his body as he shouted loudly, "The monkey is attacking! This is harassment! I don’t want anything to do with a handsome man and a beast! Let go of me, you dead monkey! You pervert!"
Hearing Zhao Yang's cries, Sun Wukong felt utterly bewildered and gave him a slap on the backside.
"Why are you shouting? I thought you were under a spell, giving me quite a scare!"
"Damn, you finally revealed your true self. You even let slip about the spell! We've known each other for years, and you've always claimed to be crushed under a mountain monster," Zhao Yang squinted and pouted, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
"Show me your hand!" Sun Wukong insisted, turning Zhao Yang around to face him.
"I won't show you, you pervert!" Zhao Yang pouted, looking away.
"What pervert? I'm a monkey, not a chicken! Hand it over!"
"No way! Not gonna do it!" Zhao Yang continued to throw a tantrum.
"Come on now, you little brat." Sun Wukong yanked Zhao Yang's hand and began to examine it closely.
Zhao Yang was sweating profusely, thinking to himself, "Oh no, the legendary Monkey King can't really be a pervert, can he? Am I going to be taken advantage of in this other world? And he's a monkey too—how can I accept that he's a male monkey? I look so malnourished that I barely seem ten years old; I haven't even grown all my hair yet. Could he be...?" Watching Sun Wukong intently examining his hand made Zhao Yang's back break out in a cold sweat. "This is bad; does he have a hand fetish? If he starts touching other places, should I resist? He must have been pent up for hundreds of years. Oh no, this perverted monkey—I'm still a virgin!" If Sun Wukong knew what Zhao Yang was thinking at that moment, he would surely knock him out cold.
"Hey, although I didn't learn astrology from my master, I've picked up some knowledge over the years. This kid has been trying to please me for years but has always kept his distance. Today, however, he's playing around with me without any guard up. Back then, I thought his fate was just like any other villager's—a passing acquaintance—but now his destiny is anything but ordinary. It's either the first kind of fate that defies heaven or the second kind that breaks through the sky. Despite his young age, there's a purple aura rising from his head that rivals great scholars. It's impossible for someone who started reading in the womb to have such knowledge; it's strange indeed. Just when he was stripped of his powers—could it be heaven wants me to take him as my disciple? But my master made me vow never to mention his name or pass on his teachings. I've already been suppressed for four hundred ninety-seven years; in three years, my penance will be complete. If I don't guide him in some way within these three years, I'll miss out on an extraordinary talent. What should I do?"
As these thoughts raced through his mind, Sun Wukong glanced at Zhao Yang's face again and mused, "I have spells figured out; it's just that I'm unsure about this kid's character. When I take on disciples, they can't be like those monks from the Buddhist Sect who let others walk all over them without getting angry, nor can they be like the demons I've killed who harm innocent lives."
Meanwhile, Zhao Yang felt Sun Wukong's mischievous gaze upon him like a little sheep being eyed by a hungry wolf. Suddenly, he felt chills run down his spine. "Oh no! The monkey is going to assault me! The monkey is going wild! Help!" He broke free from Sun Wukong's grasp and stumbled down the mountain in a panic.
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