"I have long heard of the great immortal's name, and I dared to visit today. I hope the great immortal will not take offense."
Sun Wukong sized up Zhenyuanzi, noting his crown of purple gold and his carefree crane-feather cloak; shoes on his feet, sashes wrapped around his waist; his body like a child's, his face like a handsome man's; three beards floating beneath his chin, crowbill patterns next to his temples.
"Fellow Daoist flatters me too much."
Zhenyuanzi smiled and led Sun Wukong inside the hall, commanding the two young Daoists, Qing Feng and Mingyue, to fetch four ginseng fruits from the backyard, while he himself stayed in the guest hall, chatting idly with Sun Wukong.
"May I know from whence fellow Daoist has attained Dao? Or perhaps which hermit from where?"
He secretly wondered, since when did such a character emerge from the western region of Niu Hezhou?
Yet he could only sigh inwardly, as hermits are numerous across the Three Realms.
Sun Wukong laughed, "I hail from the East Victory Divine Continent, Ao Lai, Huaguo Mountain, Shuilian Cave, born a natural stone monkey. I wandered in oblivious confusion in the mountains for two to three hundred years before my Dao heart awakened. I went out to seek immortals and visit Daoist practices, experienced the vicissitudes of life in Nanshan Continent, attained true realization in the western region of Niu Hezhou after seven years, forged a Bodhi heart, and gained a Primordial Fruit. I cannot claim to have truly attained Dao, much less call myself a hermit."
Zhenyuanzi's eyes twitched involuntarily.
Gaining a Primordial Fruit in seven years, what more do you want?
Even though he is a friend of the Three Pure Ones, he still needs to attend lectures on Primordial Dao fruits at Miluo Palace given by Yuanshi Tianzun to seek further enhancement.
However, he now understood Sun Wukong's situation.
It must have been 330 years ago, when twin beams of golden light startled the Jade Emperor's creatures, likely at the moment of this person's birth.
Looking at it now, truly a remarkable innate talent.
Yet he's not yet enlisted in the immortal ranks, nor named among the Buddha's followers; his name must still be in the Book of Life and Death, awaiting the end of his lifespan, perhaps destined to walk through the underworld.
Speaking of which, although he is the ancestor of Earth Immortals, his name is also inscribed in the Book of Life and Death, except he possesses a spirit root that existed since the initial division of chaos, when heaven and earth were unformed.
Eating one fruit extends his lifespan by forty-seven thousand years.
Thus, he enjoys prolonged longevity, sparing him from a journey through the realm of the underworld, a place of cycling souls filled with many resentments and tribulations, which he would prefer to avoid.
However, his fame is quite substantial, so his name has probably been removed from the underworld's list.
"Fellow Daoist, you truly have good fortune."
Zhenyuanzi smiled as he offered tea to Sun Wukong, meanwhile Qing Feng and Mingyue, the two young Daoists, carried in two wooden trays each cushioned with silk cloths, on top of which two ginseng fruits lay, looking like children not yet three years old, also known as Grass Returning Elixirs.
"Master, the ginseng fruits have been brought."
Qing Feng and Mingyue placed the ginseng fruits along with the trays on the tea table, their eyes shining bright, drooling.
Zhenyuanzi's expression darkened as he asked them to stand aside.
"I've made fellow Daoist feel uncomfortable."
"The hearts of the young, but it is no matter."
"This fruit falls when meeting metal, withers when meeting wood, dissolves when meeting water, chars when meeting fire, and assimilates when meeting earth. The five elements fear each other, to eat it one must use porcelain and dissolve it with clear water."
Sun Wukong took a ginseng fruit, imitating Zhenyuanzi, placing it in a teacup, where the fruit immediately dissolved, blending with the tea.
Truly mysterious!
Lifting the teacup, he drank together with Zhenyuanzi.
Instantly, a stream of pure energy flowed through his body, purifying his True Spirit, significantly increasing his lifespan.
This fruit only increases lifespan and purifies the True Spirit, making it more pure, without other effects.
Of course, even just this makes it a rare treasure.
Ordinary gods and immortals seeking longevity need to conserve their essence, refine their Qi, preserve their spirit, harmonize the dragon and tiger, capture Kan to fill Li, not knowing how much effort it takes, but for Zhenyuanzi, one fruit is enough to match all that.
Thus, he has more time to interact with many virtuous true immortals and listen to the great Dao.
"Indeed extraordinary,"
Sun Wukong exclaimed as he transformed the remaining fruit into two cups and handed them to Qing Feng and Mingyue. "This fruit was obtained by the both of you, so you rightly deserve a share."
"These two good-for-nothing lads," Zhen Yuanzi said with a chuckle and scolded, "haven't you thanked him yet? What is your honorable name?"
"My master gave me the surname Sun and the dharma name Wukong," replied Sun Wukong.
"Thank you, Master Sun Wukong," X2
Qing Feng and Mingyue, grinning ear to ear, clinked their teacups together and gulped down the ginseng fruit juice, growing fonder of Sun Wukong.
"You may leave,"
Zhen Yuanzi waved his hand to dismiss the two Daoist boys and said to Sun Wukong, "Friend Wukong, your dharma name truly captures the essence of Spirit Mountain. You mentioned earlier that you found your path in the Western Niu Hezhou. Could it be that your master is the Mysterious Ancestor of the West, the current Buddha, Siddhartha?"
"Not at all!"
Sun Wukong shook his head. "I have some unresolved issues with that Tathagata. I've vowed to knock on his head with my staff. How could I possibly acknowledge him as my master? My teacher surpasses the three teachings, residing at the Spiritual Platform. Inhabiting an inch of divine presence, he is a man of great virtue."
Upon hearing that Sun Wukong wanted to strike the Tathagata, Zhen Yuanzi felt a jolt inside.
Longevity Mountain was located in Western Niu Hezhou, and he often visited Spirit Mountain to listen to the Buddha's teachings, making them old acquaintances. Could it really be that this monkey held a grudge against the Buddha?
"My friend, may I ask what grievances you hold against the Buddha?" Zhen Yuanzi inquired. "I consider myself somewhat of a neighbor to the Buddha; perhaps I could mediate."
"It's a grudge based on unnecessary reasons; I just want to beat him up," Sun Wukong stated.
Zhen Yuanzi: "..."
This monkey friend is indeed willful.
However, Zhen Yuanzi didn't try to persuade him further, finding these thoughts of friend Wukong somewhat outlandish.
The Buddha, with a smile that can blossom wonders, and the mystical Dharma he imparts, even a primordial being pales compared to him. When the time comes, this friend will likely find himself at a loss.
If you wish to make a name for yourself, do not challenge the Buddha.
"As a resident of the Eastern Shengzhou, what brings you to Western Niu Hezhou?" Zhen Yuanzi queried about other matters.
"I have established a mountain fortress at Huaguo Mountain in Eastern Shengzhou, where I teach myriad demons. In the stillness invokes action, I travel to gather talents and together teach myriad demons," Sun Wukong explained. "I heard that the inhabitants of Western Niu Hezhou are not greedy or murderous, nurture their Qi and hide their spirits. Even though they aren't the highest truth, each person naturally lives a long life, so I came to see for myself."
Zhen Yuanzi laughed heartily and then, with a more solemn expression, said, "That is indeed true, the people of Western Niu Hezhou generally live like that, but there are also many demons who destroy kingdoms and families aplenty."
Sun Wukong agreed wholeheartedly.
In the first simulation, the Tathagata once assessed the four great continents—
The four great continents, where sentient beings are good or evil, vary in nature; the Eastern Shengzhou residents honor heaven and earth, their hearts are serene, and their breaths even; the residents of the Northern Jambu Continent, although they kill, do so out of sustenance, they are clumsy in sentiment and spare in nefarious deeds; those from Western Niu Hezhou, non-greedy and non-violent, nurture their Qi and conceal their spirits, though not the highest truth, each lives a sturdy life; while the residents of Southern Nanshan Continent are greedy, revel in calamity, often violent, truly a brewing ground of harsh words and a sea of conflict.
This assessment is, in fact, quite fair.
Sun Wukong, having personally visited three of the four continents, aside from Northern Jambu Continent, found this to indeed be the case.
Of course, such a narrative describes the characteristics of people from the four continents, excluding non-humans like mountain spirits, wild goblins, immortals, Buddhas, and monks.
However, it is clear that in the first simulation, the true scriptures obtained did not help the people of the Southern Nanshan Continent in Great Tang break the cycle of "greed, pleasure in catastrophe, and perpetual strife."
As long as empires continued to rise and fall, this cycle would never cease.
Southern Nanshan Continent is vast and rich, but faith is hard to sustain.
The general populace lacks the consciousness, worried merely about food and clothing amidst their toil.
Western Niu Hezhou, vast in land and sparse in population, hosts numerous small nations, naturally self-sufficient, which could be considered nurturing Qi and hiding spirits, yet it lacks the vigor compared to Southern Nanshan Continent.
And Sun Wukong's plan to "beat" the Buddha was his way of showing him that these so-called true scriptures, no matter how profound, are useless if ordinary people cannot understand them!