As soon as Sun Wukong released his hand, he knew the arrow was a hit.
Watching the arrow hit a rock on the cliffside, it penetrated three inches deep without leaving a single crack on the surface, he was overjoyed, "I did it, Old Sun has mastered it!"
[Congratulations on completing the advice——Stay humble and diligent in your practice, and receive a Third-Rank Treasure Box]
[Congratulations on completing the advice——Practice archery hard for three days, and receive a Fourth-Rank Treasure Box]
The voice echoed in his mind.
"Open it, open it!" Sun Wukong straightaway opened the boxes.
[You have opened the Third-Rank Treasure Box, congratulations on acquiring the Woodcutter's insight into the Heart Arrow Technique]
[You have opened the Fourth-Rank Treasure Box, congratulations on acquiring the introductory insight to the Archery Dao]
First came a flood of memories brimming with insights, quickly infusing into his mind, becoming his own insights as if he was born with the mastery of this skill called the Heart Arrow Technique.
Then came another set of memories with insights on the introduction to the Archery Dao, a direct enlightenment that brought him into this domain!
"Good, very good!" Sun Wukong, scratching his ears and cheeks, was ecstatic, truly an unexpected gain.
With this, he had comprehended two great Dao principles.
"From now on, who could dodge an arrow shot by Old Sun?" he stood up straight, first drawing the bow with his hand, looking at the sun hanging in the sky, then, after gathering strength, he slowly directed the arrow down, pointing towards a great mountain a hundred miles away.
The Heart Arrow Technique, where the heart aims, the arrow follows, a strike that never misses!
Whoosh!
The arrow tore through the void, aiming to cross countless barriers, heading straight for that great mountain.
Unfortunately, the arrow quickly turned into dust in mid-air.
"You need a better bow and arrows," said the Woodcutter, with an axe tied to his waist, carrying a bundle of firewood, as he walked over from the distance.
"Indeed, this bow is too weak, and the arrows too light, they can't withstand Old Sun's power," Sun Wukong had already lost interest in the bow and arrows he had used for three days, and then, jesting with the Woodcutter, said, "Heh heh, my friend, Old Sun has mastered it."
"Yes, you have mastered it, no need for my lessons anymore," the Woodcutter remarked, but then couldn't help asking, "Earlier I saw from afar that you had just entered the threshold, how did you completely master the Heart Arrow Technique in just a short while?"
"Once Old Sun has learned one thing, he masters all, a mere Heart Arrow Technique naturally comes to me effortlessly," Sun Wukong stood tall, with an air of extraordinary confidence.
"Once one thing is learned, all are mastered..." the Woodcutter fell silent for a long time.
He had pondered for who knows many years, slain countless demons and fierce beasts, to create this archery divine ability, and with it became the premier Divine Archer of the wilderness.
Yet this monkey had completely mastered it in merely three days!
Such comprehension, truly terrifying!
Sun Wukong saw the Woodcutter's expression and naturally felt extremely pleased inside.
This man still pretended to be a mere mortal in front of him.
However, he did not expose him, because there were still things he had yet to find out.
With that in mind, Sun Wukong asked, "How is your family doing recently, my friend?"
"Nothing has changed, my old mother still suffers from her illness, with no knowing when she will be rid of it," the Woodcutter sighed.
Sun Wukong, of course, did not believe it, knowing that you are the first Divine Archer of the wilderness, and still to believe your mother is ill?
"Hmm..." Sun Wukong scratched his face and with a twirl of his eyes, he added, "Old Sun has perused all sorts of books in the cave, including some medical texts, so he's halfway to being a physician,
recently finding himself idle, planning to walk among the mortals, why not visit your home and take your mother's pulse?"
The woodcutter was surprised and also on guard as he asked, "So, you've taken an interest, but you don't cultivate anymore? The human realm is nothing like this Immortal Mountain Blissful Land."
"Old Sun can cultivate anywhere," Sun Wukong said with a smile.
Just as the woodcutter was about to refuse, he heard the voice of Bodhi Ancestor in his ear, "Let him go; it's good to meet first."
So, Sun Wukong happily descended the mountain.
After descending, he looked back to see Magic Square Mountain surrounded by peaks, towering into the clouds. Between the mists, it was hard to see clearly.
Above and below the mountain seemed like two different worlds.
Filled with curiosity, Sun Wukong followed the woodcutter along the path.
This time, he descended the mountain with one goal in mind; he was very eager to see who the woodcutter's old mother was.
The woodcutter, Wu Gang, transformed by Da Yi, should only recognize Pan Gu as his divine father, and it had never been heard that he had an old mother.
At the foot of the mountain, there was a village by the stream, filled with pine trees and hence named Pine Creek Village. That was where the woodcutter's home lay.
From afar, one could see swathes of farmland in the village, with paths crisscrossing. Amidst the sounds of chickens and dogs, the occasional laughter of children could be heard, creating a very peaceful atmosphere.
"That's my home." The woodcutter, with a bundle of firewood on his back, smiled as he pointed toward two wooden cottages at the head of the village.
"Oh?" Sun Wukong, wearing a loose Taoist robe, raised his hand to his brow and looked in the distance. He saw an old granny leaning on a crutch, sitting in front of the house basking in the sun.
"My mother, of the Meng family. You can just call her Granny Meng," the woodcutter said with a smile. "But since you look different from other people, don't scare her later."
"Granny Meng?" Sun Wukong blinked, "Don't worry, don't worry, Old Sun has a very kind heart. She will definitely like me once she sees me."
Entering the village, the peasants working in the fields scattered in panic when they saw them, dropping their tools and shouting, "Demons are coming, demons are coming."
"Go away, Old Sun is no demon!" Sun Wukong waved his sleeves, repeatedly shouting.
"Folks, this is a disciple of the old immortal from the mountain, not a demon," the woodcutter patiently explained, and only then did the villagers somewhat calm down.
"But he clearly doesn't look human," a braver villager said.
"He's a spirit born naturally, smarter than any of us," the woodcutter said with a laugh.
The villagers were all amazed; they all knew the woodcutter was acquainted with the old immortal from the mountain. They believed him, and their wariness towards Sun Wukong dissipated.
Sun Wukong, treated as a demon, was of course not pleased, but he did not get angry. He had encountered many such incidents when he traveled through prefectures and small counties in the Southern Continent.
It wasn't long before they arrived at the woodcutter's home.
"Mother, I'm back," the woodcutter called out loudly before he set aside the bundle of firewood by the corner of the wall.
But the Granny Meng, basking in the sun outside the house, seemed not to hear clearly and did not realize the woodcutter had returned, still leaning down and emitting soft snoring sounds.
Sun Wukong quickly hopped to the door and gently nudged the white-haired Granny Meng, "Hey, old granny, wake up, wake up."
Granny Meng slowly lifted her head, her face full of wrinkles and a bit confused. She squinted her eyes and leaned in to look at Wukong, "What is this thing?"
"Mother, don't call him a 'thing;' it might annoy him," the woodcutter laughed from afar.
"Granny says what Granny wishes. Old Sun has a broad heart and surely won't get angry," Sun Wukong said, scratching his hand and circling around Granny Meng a few times. Even with his Daluo Golden Immortal's cultivation, he detected no problems, only noting that Granny Meng seemed to have poor eyesight.
"It's good to have a broad heart, but don't you ever do bad things," Granny Meng said, narrowing her eyes.
"Where would Old Sun get such an idea to do bad things?" Sun Wukong laughed merrily.
"Mother, this is Sun Wukong, a disciple of the old immortal from the mountain. Why would he do anything bad?" the woodcutter hurriedly said. "He came this time to feel your pulse and heal your illness."
"Cough, cough..." Granny Meng started coughing, as though all her internal organs wanted to come out.
Sun Wukong quickly stepped forward to pat her back, feeling that Granny Meng's health was truly poor. Could she really be the mother of Da Yi, the premier Divine Archer of the primordial times?