FVN Chapter 13 The Mischievous Little Monkey Demon
Chapter 13 The Mischievous Little Monkey Demon
A short while later, a small gathering of land and water people took place on the shore of the West Sea.
In the open mudflats, incense altars stretched for miles, attracting all sorts of wandering monks, their smoke swirling amidst the chaotic scene.
The monkey clutched the walking stick given to him by Zhong Xuan and followed behind the woodcutter, constantly stroking the stick with its hands, clearly cherishing it dearly.
It silently repeated its brother's words, "See for yourself and think for yourself," but its monkey eyes were already shining brightly from the surrounding incense and ritual objects, and its mind was filled with all sorts of thoughts about wanting good things.
Seeing its restrained yet eager appearance, the woodcutter's lips curled into a mischievous smile, and he deliberately moved closer to the incense table where many people were gathered.
He teased, "Little monkey, do you see? These cultivators are all hiding treasures, and they have incense offerings everywhere. Your brother is still struggling to beg for a little bit of incense offerings from mortals in the north, while you, with a mountain of treasure right in front of you, are just standing here like a silent gourd."
The monkey scratched its head, glanced at several cultivators not far away who were discussing Taoism around an incense table, and mustered up its courage to go forward.
Just as it was about to call out, "Let's offer incense to the mountain god," a young cultivator with a pointed face and monkey-like features sneered and shoved it, saying, "Where did this monkey come from? Does it even deserve to attend the Water and Land Assembly? It's probably just some wild thing trying to steal incense offerings!"
The monkey staggered backward, gripping the monk's staff tightly, its eyes instantly turning red.
"Steal?! No! Offer incense! The mountain god protects the people... You should offer incense!"
Enraged, the monk swung his iron ruler at the monkey's sharp snout.
"Still dare to talk back! What kind of mountain god is there in Cuiyun territory!"
"I'll smash your monkey face until it's shattered, then we'll see if you dare spout nonsense again!"
The cultivator didn't use any magic, yet the iron ruler still struck with a whooshing sound.
The monkey instinctively raised the traveler's staff to block.
With a crisp crack, the walking stick that the elder brother had personally handed over was smashed into pieces by the iron ruler!
The monkey froze the moment the two broken sticks hit the ground.
It looked down at the two broken pieces of wood on the ground, remembering the warmth of the hand that its brother had given it before leaving, and remembering what the brother had said: "If anyone on the road really bullies you, take this traveler's staff and drive them away fiercely."
It touched it again and again, countless times, along this short journey.
The stick had been polished smooth and shiny by the monkey's hands, leaving no burrs.
But now, it's broken.
Like something in my heart, broken, shattered.
The monkey slowly raised its head, its eyes, which were originally clear, were gradually being devoured by ferocity.
Its golden fur stood on end like thorns, its bronze-headed, iron-boned body suddenly tensed, and a low growl came from its throat.
The iron-ruler monk felt a chill for no reason, which only provoked him to raise the iron ruler again, ready to strike.
"you--"
The monkey's voice was hoarse and choked with emotion, its eyes moist yet revealing a hint of madness.
"Beat that man's stick!" Before the words were even finished, the monkey had already pounced on him angrily.
There was no pattern or technique to be found, only innate divine power accompanied by overwhelming rage.
A punch was thrown out with tremendous force!
The young cultivator didn't even have time to scream before he was sent flying backward with a bang, crashing into several incense tables and into the crowd, where he immediately lost consciousness.
The surrounding cultivators erupted in uproar!
Two fellow cultivators grabbed their magical artifacts and stepped forward to stop him, but the monkey ignored them. Its copper head rammed into one of the men's chests, sending him flying backward; its claws slapped the other man's arm, and with a crack, a man cried out that his arm was broken.
Within three breaths, the three men collapsed to the ground.
The monkey stood amidst the mess, panting heavily, looking down at its hands.
Bloodstains?
It paused for a moment, then tried to wipe itself, only to find that it was also covered in blood.
"Well played!"
The woodcutter clapped and cheered, his eyes shining.
He shoved the monkey close, pointing with his axe at the scattered magical artifacts and armor on the ground: "These are all treasures, why don't you take them? After all, they attacked you first, breaking your brother's staff. You should take their weapons as compensation, right?"
The monkey looked at the iron ruler and short sword on the ground, reached out its hand and then pulled it back, muttering, "Brother said we should exchange them. Taking them...no, no!"
The monkey twisted its head hard, trying to shake off the desire that welled up in its heart.
"This is an apology!" The woodcutter shoved the iron ruler into the monkey's hand, a sly smile playing on his lips. "They bullied you first and even broke your stick. This weapon is rightfully yours! Besides, how can you protect the incense offerings or help your brother if you're empty-handed? With a weapon, people will fear you, and people will be willing to offer incense!"
The monkey was confused. He picked up the iron ruler and weighed it in his hand, only to find that his palm was burning hot.
The thrill of hitting someone was still surging in my heart, but after venting my anger, I felt a sense of exhilaration I had never experienced before.
So this is what it feels like to not have to think so hard that your head hurts?
The woodcutter then pointed to the breastplate on a fallen cultivator: "That thing can block damage. If you were really damaged, wouldn't you be worried, brother? Bring it here! Since it's an apology, you should take it all."
This time, the monkey's thoughts were even more confused, and it didn't hesitate much.
It leaped forward, ripped off the cultivator's breastplate, and put it on its own chest.
The monkey looked down at the breastplate on its chest, then at the iron ruler in its hand, and suddenly felt... that this was indeed the right way to do it?
It carefully picked up the two broken sticks and hid them in its bosom.
The woodcutter kept egging them on, specifically targeting the monks who seemed easy targets.
You can either say, "He doesn't like the look of you, and his eyes are disrespectful," or "He's talking badly about the mountain god, and he deserves to be beaten."
Now that the monkeys had weapons and breastplates, they were even more reckless.
Listening to the woodcutter's words, it would swing its iron ruler to strike when it encountered obstacles, and snatch any magical artifacts it encountered, having a great time!
Before long, it had amassed weapons such as a short sword and a copper hammer, and was covered in several pieces of armor, looking exactly like a mischievous little bandit.
When the sun was blazing in the late afternoon, the monkey was so tired that it collapsed on the altar.
It was panting heavily, its arms and legs aching. Even with its innate superhuman strength and iron body, it couldn't withstand the repeated battles.
Just then, a rich aroma of medicine wafted over.
The monkey looked in the direction of the sound and saw a fat cultivator pouring a vermilion pill out of a gourd, about to put it in his mouth.
It instinctively rushed over, snatched it, and swallowed it without thinking.
"You impudent monkey! How dare you steal my Mind-Concentrating Pill!" The fat cultivator lunged forward in a fit of rage.
With a casual punch, the fat cultivator was sent flying.
As soon as the pill entered his stomach, a surge of scalding energy instantly flowed from his dantian throughout his entire body.
The monkey felt a surge of strength throughout its body, and the soreness and numbness vanished.
He was even more energetic than before, and his eyes shone even brighter!
It was stunned, looking down at its own palm, then at the empty gourd.
The woodcutter's eyes lit up at the sight, and he patted the monkey on the shoulder and laughed loudly:
"Good stuff! This elixir is prepared for a spiritual being like you!"
"Look, if you eat this, you'll have the strength to fight, and if you have the strength to fight, people will be afraid of you!"
"The more you fight and the more you eat, the stronger you become, and the more people will offer incense to your brother!"
The monkey felt the surging power within its body and realized that the woodcutter's words made perfect sense.
The woodcutter's words echoed in its ears again: "Think about it, even those who watch roadside acrobatics get a few coins as a tip, right? And when they watch a fight, they offer incense? Doesn't that make sense?"
Its eyes lit up, and it jumped up again, grabbed a thick wooden stick, which felt even more convenient.
The monkey then shouted to the surrounding cultivators who were still observing:
"Offer incense! Offer incense to the mountain god of Cuiyun Mountain! Those who don't, just like them!"
This time, its tone was full of the arrogance of a monkey king, and it no longer had the initial restraint.
His speech became remarkably fluent and fluent, without any stuttering.
Two of the monks were slow and close by, and were knocked down with a single blow in the blink of an eye.
Before the monkey could even have incense offered, it had already attracted some trouble.
Xuanqing Daoist pushed through the crowd and walked out slowly.
He was dressed in a dark blue Taoist robe and had a powerful presence; he was the very same True Man who had listened to the teachings at the Mountain God Temple.
From an ordinary person to a true person who has achieved the stages of Qi cultivation, innate foundation building, and the gathering of the three flowers at the crown of the head.
Then, after the Five Elements converge, one enters the realm of immortals...
Xuanqing Daoist's Three Flowers Realm makes him a top figure at this Water and Land Gathering.
He glanced at the mess on the ground, his gaze settling on the monkey covered in tatters, and his brows furrowed.
"What a scoundrel! How dare he injure people and run wild in broad daylight?"
Seeing the dignified demeanor of Daoist Xuanqing, and inexplicably recalling the figure of a human brother, the monkey felt a slight sense of fear and subconsciously took a half step back.
The woodcutter shoved it, saying, "What are you afraid of! He's just an old cultivator. You have superhuman strength and the power of elixirs. Fight him!"
The junior brother beside Xuanqing Daoist stepped forward: "Senior brother, please calm down. Let me subdue this unruly monkey and teach it a lesson!"
The young Taoist priest held a long sword, his swordsmanship was agile, and when he thrust out the sword, it was accompanied by wind and thunder.
The monkey haphazardly parried with a thick wooden stick, but quickly found himself at a disadvantage, forced to retreat repeatedly by the longsword. Even the protective mirror on his chest was cracked by the sword's force.
"You stupid monkey! Take this!" Upon seeing this, the woodcutter raised his axe and stepped forward to block the Taoist priest.
At the same time, he casually picked up a black iron rod from the ground and threw it to the monkey.
"Hold the stick like this! Power from your waist, and you can sweep away a thousand troops!"
The woodcutter's stick technique was simple and brutal, yet it carried a wild, domineering spirit.
With a single sweep of the staff, the sound of wind and thunder was heard.
The demonic nature hidden beneath the woodcutter's skin is now quietly revealed.
The monkey stared intently at the woodcutter's movements, its eyes flashing with intense light.
It was formed from a spirit stone, naturally intelligent, and had an indescribable affinity for staff techniques.
And it was overjoyed by this temperament.
The woodcutter only swung his stick three times, and something seemed to explode in the monkey's mind.
It gripped the black iron bar tightly with both hands, mimicking the woodcutter, and used its waist and abdomen to sweep out with the bar!
Bang! The iron rod collided with the longsword. The young Taoist felt his tiger's mouth split open and the longsword almost slipped from his hand. He staggered back three steps, his face filled with horror.
Wild joy surged in the monkey's eyes as it realized its own power, and it swung its staff out again!
In an instant, the shadows of the sticks surged like a tide, each stick faster and heavier than the last.
The young Taoist priest was overwhelmed and forced to retreat step by step, eventually becoming so suppressed that he could hardly breathe!
Xuanqing Daoist's expression changed drastically. He raised his hand to stop his junior brother and glared angrily at the woodcutter: "Who are you? How dare you lead a naturally intelligent creature into the demonic path! Such a promising talent, yet you've turned him into a bullying madman!"
The woodcutter laughed heartily: "The demonic path? This is the righteous path of the demon race! Might makes right! This monkey was born to fight, why should it be bound by your rules? It's helping its brother accumulate incense offerings, what's wrong with that?"
Xuanqing Daoist roared, "Forced incense offerings, what kind of piety are they? They're nothing but a source of trouble!" He raised his hand, ready to settle the score.
The woodcutter Ke raised his axe, and the two instantly engaged in a fierce battle.
The magical power surged, causing the incense tables to collapse one after another, and the surrounding cultivators scattered to avoid it.
Seeing its opponent show fear, the monkey became even more aggressive and relentless.
With a flick of the iron rod, he knocked the Taoist's longsword away, and then pressed the rod against his chest.
The monkey bared its teeth and shouted, "Light incense! Quickly light incense! The mountain god needs incense! It will protect us!"
The young Taoist was both shocked and furious, but he was suppressed by the immense force of the iron rod and could not move.
The monkey freed one paw and pulled a wooden board from its pocket.
It was during a break on the road that it drew the picture with charcoal. The lines were crooked, but you could vaguely see that it was a gentle old Taoist priest, clearly the incarnation of a mountain god.
"Offer incense to the mountain god! May he receive your protection!" The monkey held up the wooden board and pressed it against the Taoist priest.
The Taoist priest looked at the iron rod blocking his way and had no choice but to light incense and bow to the portrait.
The monkey watched intently as the incense stick burned, then grinned.
My eyes shone brightly—I've finally gotten my brother his first child!
Overjoyed, it took the iron rod, used it to push itself up, and did another somersault on the spot.
After this battle, the monkey felt extremely happy.
It was completely satisfied with the principle of might makes right, and its boundless pride became unstoppable.
He also used the black iron rod as a handy weapon, and was covered in armor!
Holding a stick in one hand and a picture of the mountain god in the other, it began to rampage through the area.
Seeing that the monk wouldn't look at its image, it shouted, "You despise the mountain god! How wicked!"
Hearing the monks whispering, he shouted, "You're talking badly about the mountain god! That's bad!"
Seeing that some monks were offering a lot of incense to the Three Pure Ones, he shouted, "You offer so much incense, yet you don't even share a single stick with the Mountain God! How wicked!"
Regardless of what the other party says, swing the iron bar and beat them into submission first!
The monkey's mind became increasingly agile, and it even came up with its own set of convincing arguments.
"You glared at me with malice—that's the cause."
"You glare at me, I get angry—that's the consequence."
"If you offer incense, I won't be angry—that's also a consequence."
"You choose the right one!"
The monkey surpassed its master in skill, and the woodcutter watched with a broad smile.
The monks were also rendered speechless by this "theory of cause and effect".
Unfortunately, he couldn't win a fight, so he could only swallow his pride and admit defeat, and give in first.
Some cultivators wanted to join forces to resist, while others invited even more powerful helpers.
However, the woodcutter occasionally helped the monkey stop the monks who wanted to join forces to rebel.
Teach it how to take down its opponent with minimal effort and skill.
It was also taught how to use its copper head and iron bones to withstand magical artifacts.
He also taught me a wonderful fighting technique that involves breathing exercises to replenish energy while fighting!
The monkey learned very quickly and had an exceptionally high level of comprehension.
Their fighting spirit is astonishing; the more they fight, the braver and more ferocious they become!
He struck with a stick, completely disregarding the possibility of injury or death.
The opponent often panics and retreats, allowing it to gain the upper hand.
The monkey continued to hone its skills in battle, and its staff techniques became increasingly proficient.
From initially having a rudimentary understanding to later becoming quite proficient.
With a single sweep of the staff, a fierce aura, seemingly carrying the sound of wind and thunder, was revealed.
Gradually, even the Three Flowers Gathering at the Top could not withstand its full force of a single blow!
It will continue until the end of Shen Shi (3-5 PM).
As the sun began to set, it cast long shadows of everything on the messy ground.
Despite its unsteady gait, the monkey remained proud. Amidst cries of pain and the sounds of wind and waves, it used its stick to support its battered body, then leaped onto an incense table and looked around.
There's no one left standing!
Who still dares to stand up!
Looking around, it saw hundreds of cultivators lying on the ground, their stalls and tables smashed. The rogue cultivators, who had been beaten into submission, were now silent, huddled in twos and threes in corners, looking up at the figure standing on the incense table.
The monkey's breathing was heavy and rapid, and blood and sweat dripped down its golden fur, hitting the incense table with soft thuds.
It looked down at its hands.
Those hands were stained with the blood of others, and with their own. The knuckles were torn and bleeding, revealing pale golden bones beneath—this was the first time it had seen its own bones, and they really were golden.
The monkey hissed, then grinned.
More turbulent than the pain was something else entirely.
It remembered Qing Shi Town, where it was squatting among the vendors, its stomach growling with hunger, but it didn't know how to get that roast chicken, so it just took it.
It remembered that person standing in front of it, with eyes as gentle as a mirror, saying, "I am willing to make compensation on its behalf."
It recalled that gesture—a light stroke of the index finger across the lips, sealing it.
What did it understand at that moment? It still can't say for sure. But it knows that from then on, it was no longer that wild monkey that only knew hunger and robbery.
It also remembered that before it came, Brother Ren suddenly called it "Wukong".
Although it doesn't understand what those two words mean, when Brother Ren called it that before, it felt as if something had filled its heart, instead of making it feel empty.
Just like now—
It raised its head, its gaze passing over the mess on the ground, over the rogue cultivators huddled in the corner trembling, over the smashed incense table and the trampled incense burner, and looking towards the sunset over the western sea.
The clouds there were set ablaze with the red glow of the setting sun, as if the heavens and earth themselves were ablaze.
Brother Ren's words suddenly welled up in my mind, no longer just a sound, but transformed into a scalding current that rushed from my chest to my throat, forcing me to shout them out.
So it cupped its hands around its mouth, took a deep breath, puffed out its chest, and then exhaled slowly—
"The sky is high——!"
The first sound was loud and explosive, as if it were forced out of the chest cavity.
"The sky is high——!!"
The second sound was clear and resonant, like the first spring bursting forth from the rocks in a mountain stream.
"Higher than the sky—!!!"
The third sound was already almost a piercing whistle and roar, like a flute whistling and a furious cry that could split rocks and shatter metal!
The roar was like metal striking stone, like thunder exploding, echoing back and forth along the shores of the Western Sea, causing the seawater to surge backward, causing rocks to fall from the cliffs, and causing the rogue cultivators huddled in the corners to cover their ears, their faces turning deathly pale. Some of the lesser demons, in a daze, buckled at the knees and prostrated themselves in worship.
Just then, a huge wave crashed against the shore!
The waves were several meters high, crashing violently against the jagged rocks and shattering into a spray of water.
As the setting sun shone upon the mist, it transformed into a golden-red fog that spread out across the sky.
The monkey stood on the incense table, with the light and mist behind it and figures prostrating themselves in front of it.
It holds a stick in one hand and leans on the ground.
He held up the crooked portrait of the mountain god in one hand, pointing it towards the sky.
The golden retriever rustled in the wind, its bright monkey eyes shining like two wildfires.
It is:
Only after ten thousand years of stubborn rock was it opened, and a clever stone monkey was born.
With one sweep, the western seashore is leveled; with three roars, the heavens are pierced.