"You must have all heard about his story..."
"Some say he helped the Monk retrieve the true scriptures and was titled 'Buddha of Victor in Battle'."
"Since then, he stayed in Spirit Mountain..."
"Others say that the one who became Buddha wasn't him at all, the real him had died long ago on the journey west."
"Still others say that the journey to the west never even happened. It was merely a tale spun by a storyteller... about a monkey!"
"But the story I'm going to tell, you've certainly never heard."
"This story begins with a golden cicada..."
The cave was somewhat dim.
An old monkey sprawled on a stone platform while the monkeys below him scratched their heads and looked around, not listening to the old monkey's story at all.
Yet he was reminiscing, speaking to himself about the story of the golden cicada. By now, the monkeys below could no longer contain their restlessness, shifting around as if there were spikes on the ground, visibly uncomfortable.
Despite this, not a single monkey left the cave until the old Monk had finished his story, after which they couldn't wait to stand and scamper out of the cave.
In a corner of the cave.
A golden monkey slowly opened his eyes and looked toward the old monkey on the platform, who hung his head, filled with the air of twilight.
Old white ape?
Or... Great Saint?
Sun Wukong thought but did not speak, as the old monkey was snoring, obviously asleep.
This old monkey was no ordinary monkey, though he showed no trace of mystical aura, he made Sun Wukong feel as if he was directly confronting white ape.
He always felt that the old monkey wasn't sleeping, but silently watching him.
After a long stare.
At last, Sun Wukong turned away and walked out of the cave.
He wondered why the white ape had brought him here.
Was it to seek out those monkeys from the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit,
or to find the Monkey King who was titled 'Buddha of Victor in Battle'?
Before he knew it, Sun Wukong had already left the cave, and at that moment, the fierce sun was overhead, a wave of heat sweeping over him.
Looking up, the group of mischievous monkeys were frolicking in the woods. Seeing Sun Wukong emerge, they suddenly became quiet.
"Who are you?"
"Where did you come from?"
"How come we've never seen you?"
"Speak quickly!"
"Why do you have golden fur...?"
"So small, definitely an outsider monkey."
"We don't welcome you, go away!"
"..."
The group of monkeys crowded around, chattering away, with a few of the braver ones even attempting to start a fight. Sun Wukong glared, scaring them back into the crowd.
"He's fierce!"
"Scary monkey!"
"Let's chase him away!"
Being intimidated by a smaller golden monkey, the other monkeys were a bit angry and regathered, about to erupt into a brawl.
"Stop!"
Just then, a loud roar came from the distance. Looking in the direction of the sound, they saw a long-armed black ape leaping over, surrounded by a mystical aura, moving incredibly fast.
The crowd of monkeys quickly dispersed, clearing a path.
The long-armed black ape jumped in front of Sun Wukong, surveyed him, and then asked, "Where are you from, and why do you look so strange?"
Sun Wukong was slightly taken aback, having expected the black ape to comment on his resemblance, but not to ask this question.
He quickly responded, "I come from the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit, born with this appearance."
At these words, the surrounding monkeys burst into uproar.
"Nonsense, you say you're a monkey from the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit, yet we don't recognize you!"
"Liar, this place is the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit, yet we've never seen this golden monkey before."
"Kill him, how dare he pretend to be one of us from the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit!"
"..."
The clamor of monkeys filled the air, and even the long-armed black ape furrowed his brow, coldly saying, "Little monkey, tell us the truth, where exactly are you from!"
Speaking the truth yet not a single monkey believed it.
"I'm from Mount Huaguo!" Sun Wukong answered, and seeing the monkeys agitated, he also furrowed his brow and said, "Mount Huaguo, Water Curtain Cave, the birthplace of the Handsome Monkey King—you know of it, right? That's where I'm from!"
That should do it, right!
That was the holy land that all monkeys yearned for, with their idolized hero.
Then came a buzz of excitement?
With a mischievous thought in mind, Sun Wukong couldn't help but watch the monkeys' reactions.
However, their reactions seemed a bit strange, and their focus had shifted from the main topic.
"What?"
"Water Curtain Cave?"
"Handsome Monkey King?"
"Those names sound so familiar, I feel like I've heard them somewhere."
"Yes, yes, yes, I have that feeling too..."
"I remember now, our ancestor talked about it, and mentioned it had countless fruits!"
Quickly, the monkeys recalled the Mount Huaguo from the old monkey's stories, but as for the Handsome Monkey King, not a word was mentioned.
It seemed as though it had long been forgotten.
At that moment!
The ground suddenly trembled, causing panic among the monkeys while the long-armed black ape turned pale with fright, exclaiming, "Not good, the pack of werewolves is chasing us again, everyone prepare for battle."
"Awoo~"
"Awoo... Awoo..."
Howls of wolves rose one after another, resounding through the area of Mount Huaguo for a long time.
The troop of monkeys scattered rapidly and soon gathered swords, spears, and clubs. The long-armed black ape gripped a black wooden staff, his muscular arms bulging, instantly growing larger.
"Hoo hoo~"
"Hoo hoo hoo hoo..."
The long-armed black ape led a long howl, with the troop of monkeys responding behind him, ape calls rising and falling, attracting sharp wolf howls in return.
Swish, swish...
The pack of wolves darted through the forest, flashing by as they quickly spread out and surrounded the group of monkeys.
Then the wolf pack parted, revealing a werewolf with a human torso and holding a steel sword, who ferociously said, "You monkeys are quite bold to have come here on your own!"
The long-armed black ape stepped forward, angrily saying, "Our tribe bears no grudges against your wolf tribe, why bother us, forcing us into a dire situation!"
The werewolf scoffed, uninterested in further conversation, his steel sword pointing at the long-armed black ape, menacingly saying, "Men, attack! Annihilate this group of monkeys, and there will be great rewards afterward!"
"Awoo..."
"Awoo Awoo..."
A unison response.
Following the werewolf's command, the surrounding wolves immediately attacked, viciously biting and tearing—within moments, five monkeys lost their lives, quickly reduced to bits.
"Kill!!!"
Fueled by a common hatred, the monkeys immediately swung their weapons at the wolves in a fierce fight, with casualties on both sides.
The long-armed black ape wielded his iron staff like a windmill, creating afterimages around him. As he passed, flesh flew apart, and the weaker green wolves were no match for him, retreating helplessly like lambs awaiting slaughter.
Cling, clang...
The long-armed black ape fought vigorously; suddenly, a steel sword from the right abruptly crossed his path, clashing with sparks flying and enchantment crossing.
"Ha... ha..."
The long-armed black ape, slightly out of breath, felt fatigued with the exertion.
In contrast, the werewolf looked fierce, in his prime, and with a ring of his steel sword, he drove the long-armed black ape back, his arms trembling continuously.
The werewolf sneered, having grasped the long-armed black ape's strength, and felt even more confident about annihilating the monkey troop.
He then stood tall.
"Awoo~"
A wolf howl rose, filled with a deadly aura. The green wolves in the forest responded, their eyes turning red, attacking the monkeys as if mad.
In no time the monkey troop suffered heavy casualties, losing nearly half their number in a brief period, and the werewolf revealed a cruel smile, his steel sword directing a chilling slaughter.
"Ahhhh...I'm fighting you to the death!" Seeing his tribe being brutally massacred, the long-armed black ape frenziedly swung his iron staff, recklessly pushing his enchantment, sweeping through the green wolves on his way to the werewolf, creating a storm.
And in the midst of the chaos, unnoticed by all, the golden monkey after killing a green wolf transformed into its appearance, then moved nimbly, quickly reaching behind the werewolf.