Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, the world was divided into four mystical continents: the East Victorious, the West Cow's Joy, the South Jambu, and the North Dark. In the East Victorious, there was a kingdom called Proud Land, and within it stood the Fruit-Flower Mountain. On this mountain, a magical stone resided. One day, the stone split open, and out rolled an egg. As soon as this egg met the breeze, it transformed into a Stone Monkey, whose eyes shot out golden rays, paying homage to all corners of the world.
This monkey could walk, he could run, and when he was thirsty, he'd sip from the mountain springs. When hungry, he'd feast on the mountain's fruits.
He spent his days frolicking with the other animals, living the life of pure bliss. One particularly sweltering day, to escape the heat, the monkeys ventured to the stream for a wash. Seeing the water rushing by, they decided to follow it upstream to find its source.
They climbed and climbed until they reached the end, where a waterfall cascaded down like a river from the sky. Amazed, they made a pact: "Whoever dares to jump through the waterfall and returns unscathed shall be crowned our king." They chanted this three times, and then the Stone Monkey leaped forward, shouting, "I'll do it, I'll do it!"
With his eyes closed, the Stone Monkey dove into the waterfall and found himself not in water, but on a bridge of iron. He opened his eyes and looked around, discovering he was on a bridge with water cascading through the rocks, hiding the bridge entrance from the outside world. Crossing the bridge, he found a place furnished with stone chairs, beds, basins, and bowls—everything you'd need.
It seemed as though someone had lived there recently, with a natural home, quiet and tidy, and pots and pans neatly arranged on the stove. In the center stood a stone tablet inscribed with: "Fruit-Flower Mountain, a Blessed Land; Water Curtain Cave, a Heavenly Grotto." The Stone Monkey was overjoyed, turned around, and leaped out of the cave.
The other monkeys, seeing him emerge unscathed, were both amazed and delighted. They crowded around him, eager to hear about what lay beyond. The Stone Monkey scratched his cheek, rubbed his back, and with a cheeky grin, said, "There's no water inside, it's a perfect place to settle down. We'll be safe from the wind and rain." The monkeys were ecstatic and danced with joy.
Following the Stone Monkey, they passed through the waterfall and into the Water Curtain Cave. Seeing all the treasures, they scrambled to claim their own spots, grabbing basins and bowls, staking claims to stoves and beds, until they were exhausted. True to their word, they bowed down to the Stone Monkey as their king. From that day on, he dropped the "Stone" from his title and called himself the "Handsome Monkey King."
Every day, the Handsome Monkey King led his troupe on adventures, and in the blink of an eye, hundreds of years passed. One day, amidst their revelry, the thought of mortality weighed heavy on his heart, and tears fell. At that moment, a wise old monkey leaped out and said, "Your Majesty, if you wish for immortality, you must seek the teachings of Buddha, immortals, and gods."
Determined, the Handsome Monkey King vowed to search every corner of the world to find a deity and learn the art of eternal life. The next day, the monkeys crafted a raft for him and gathered some wild fruits. With a farewell to his kin, the Handsome Monkey King set off alone into the vast ocean on his raft.
Fortune favored him, as the southeast winds carried him to the northwest shore. He disembarked and saw people working along the shore—fishing, hunting wild geese, digging for clams, and salt-panning. Startled, they fled at the sight of him.
That day, he arrived at the foot of a towering mountain and heard a beautiful song about ascension from the woods. The Monkey King thought, "This singer must be an immortal," and followed the melody.
The singer was a young man chopping wood in the forest, who told the Monkey King about the Spirit Mountain, where the immortal known as the Patriarch Bodhi resided in the Cresent Moon and Three Stars Cave.
After bidding farewell to the woodcutter, the Monkey King found the cave with its door tightly shut. Opposite the door stood a stone tablet, thirty feet tall and eight feet wide, inscribed with the words: "Spirit Mountain, Cresent Moon and Three Stars Cave." As he read, the door suddenly opened, and a celestial child emerged.
The Monkey King hurried forward, bowed deeply, and stated his purpose. The child replied, "My master was just about to preach when he sent me to open the door, saying a disciple seeking art had arrived—so it's you! Follow me!" The Monkey King tidied his clothes and followed respectfully into the cave, to the platform where the Patriarch Bodhi was preaching.
Seeing the Patriarch sitting upright on the platform, with over thirty celestial children standing on both sides, the Monkey King immediately knelt and kowtowed. The Patriarch, pleased with his intentions and noting he had no name, declared, "You shall be called Wukong!"
Wukong was introduced to his fellow disciples, and an empty room was found for him. From then on, he studied the essentials of life, scriptures, calligraphy, and incense burning, and in his spare time, he swept and carried water.
Seven years passed swiftly. One day, after a sermon, the Patriarch asked Wukong what skills he wished to learn. Wukong, only interested in immortality, refused to learn anything else, which greatly angered the Patriarch.
The Patriarch leaped from the platform, pointed at Wukong with his ruler, and asked, "You monkey, you won't learn this, you won't learn that, what will you learn?" After scolding him, he went inside, turned his back, and closed the door. The disciples, frightened by the master's anger, blamed Wukong.
Unfazed and unafraid, Wukong was actually delighted. That night, pretending to sleep, he quietly rose at midnight, slipped out the front, and at the third watch, went to the back door, finding it ajar. Overjoyed, he thought, "Ha-ha, I've guessed master's hint correctly."
Wukong entered and saw the Patriarch sleeping face down, so he knelt by the bed and said, "Master, I'm kneeling here, waiting for you!" The Patriarch woke up, crossed his legs, and sternly asked Wukong why he had come. Wukong replied, "Didn't you promise to teach me the art of immortality through the back door at the third watch?"
Hearing this, the Patriarch was pleased and thought, "This monkey is indeed a creature of heaven and earth; otherwise, how could he have deciphered my riddle?" So, he taught Wukong the secrets of immortality. Wukong listened attentively, memorized the incantations, and thanked the Patriarch with a bow.
Three more years passed, and the Patriarch taught Wukong the seventy-two transformations and the skill of cloud-somersaulting, which could cover eighty thousand miles in a single leap. Being a monkey, Wukong naturally loved to jump and found it easy to learn.
One summer, playing with his fellow disciples at the cave's entrance, they asked Wukong to transform something. Pleased and proud, he chanted a spell and transformed into a towering tree, earning applause from his peers.
The commotion caught the Patriarch's attention. Leaning on his staff, he asked, "Who is making such a ruckus? How can you be like monks in training with such noise?" Everyone stopped laughing; Wukong returned to his original form and apologized to his master.
Seeing Wukong show off his newly learned skills, the Patriarch was furious. He dismissed the others and severely reprimanded Wukong, deciding to expel him. Wukong pleaded not to be sent away, but the Patriarch insisted, demanding Wukong swear never to reveal that he was a disciple of the Patriarch.