Five thousand four hundred years later, during the Chou period, the heavy and turbid elements condensed downwards, giving rise to water, fire, mountains, rocks, and earth. Water, fire, mountains, rocks, and earth are called the five elements. Hence it is said that the earth was created during the Chou period. After another five thousand four hundred years, the Chou period ended and the Yin period began, at which time all things came into being. The calendar says: "The heavenly qi descends, the earthly qi ascends; heaven and earth unite, and all things are born." At this point, the heavens are clear and the earth is refreshed, and yin and yang are in harmony.
Five thousand four hundred years later, at the Yin hour, humans, beasts, and birds were born, marking the establishment of Heaven, Earth, and Man, the three realms. Hence it is said that humans were born at Yin. The principal initiation was Pangu's creation, the Three Sovereigns' rule, and the Five Emperors' establishment of order. The world was then divided into four continents: East Sheng Shenzhou, West Niu Hezhou, South Zhanbuzhou, and North Juluzhou. This book focuses on East Sheng Shenzhou. Overseas, there is a country called Aolai. Near the sea, in the sea stands a famous mountain called Huaguo Mountain. This mountain is the ancestral vein of the ten continents and the source of the three islands, established since the separation of the clear and turbid, formed after the primordial chaos. Truly a magnificent mountain! A poem testifies to this: Its power subdues the vast ocean, its majesty pacifies the Jade Sea. Its power subdues the vast ocean, where tides surge like silver mountains and fish enter their burrows; its majesty pacifies the Jade Sea, where waves churn like snow and mirages leave their abysses. High mounds of earth accumulate in the corners of water and fire, towering peaks rise in the East Sea. Red cliffs and strange rocks, sheer walls and wondrous peaks. On the crimson cliffs, phoenixes sing in pairs; before the sheer walls, a lone unicorn lies. From the peaks, the cry of a golden pheasant can often be heard; in the grottoes, dragons are frequently seen entering and exiting. In the forest dwell long-lived deer and immortal foxes; on the trees perch spirit birds and black cranes. Jade herbs and rare flowers never fade; green pines and cypresses remain evergreen. Immortal peaches always bear fruit; tall bamboos always retain the clouds. A ravine is densely covered with vines and creepers; the surrounding banks are covered with evergreen grass. This is truly a pillar supporting the sky where all rivers converge; the unshakable root of the earth through countless eons.
At the very top of that mountain stood a celestial stone. It was thirty-six feet and five inches tall, and twenty-four feet in circumference. The thirty-six feet and five inches height corresponded to the 365 degrees of the celestial sphere; the twenty-four feet in circumference corresponded to the twenty-four solar terms of the lunar calendar. It had nine orifices and eight holes, corresponding to the Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams. There were no trees to provide shade on any side, but orchids and magnolias grew on either side. Since the beginning of time, it had absorbed the essence of heaven and earth, the sun and moon, and over time, it developed spiritual awareness. Within it, a celestial embryo was formed. One day, it burst open, producing a stone egg, about the size of a round ball. Upon seeing the wind, it transformed into a stone monkey. It possessed all five senses and four limbs. It then learned to crawl and walk, and bowed to the four directions. Two beams of golden light shot from its eyes, piercing the heavens. The awe-inspiring light alarmed the Jade Emperor, the Supreme Heavenly Venerable, the High God of the Mysterious Vault, who, seated in his Golden Palace and Cloud Palace, gathered his celestial officials. Seeing the blazing golden light, he immediately ordered the Thousand-Mile Eye and the Wind-Following Ear to open the Southern Heavenly Gate to investigate. The two generals, as ordered, went outside and saw and heard clearly.
The Jade Emperor returned shortly after and reported: "Your Majesty, I have been ordered to observe the source of the golden light. It is located in the border region of the small country of Aolai in the eastern part of the Eastern Continent of Victory. There is a Flower and Fruit Mountain on the mountain, and on the mountain is a celestial stone. The stone produced an egg, which, upon exposure to the wind, transformed into a stone monkey. There, it bows to the four directions, and its eyes emit golden light that shoots towards the Dipper. Now that it has been fed and watered, the golden light will soon subside." The Jade Emperor bestowed his grace and said: "The creature below is born of the essence of heaven and earth, and is nothing unusual."
The monkeys in the mountains could walk and leap, eat grass and drink from streams, pick wildflowers and seek out tree fruits; they kept company with wolves and insects, were in packs of tigers and leopards, befriended deer and monkeys; they slept under rocky cliffs at night and roamed among the caves in the peaks during the day. Truly, "time flies in the mountains, and one does not know the passing of years." One day, when the weather became hot, they sought refuge from the heat with the monkeys, playing under the shade of pine trees.
Look at them—jumping from tree to tree, picking flowers and searching for fruit; throwing marbles, playing games, running in the sand, building pagodas; chasing dragonflies, catching jays; praying to the heavens, worshipping Buddha; pulling kudzu vines, weaving straw mats; catching lice, biting fleas; grooming sweaters, picking nails; some touching each other, some rubbing; some pushing, some pressing; some pulling, some tugging, playing freely under the pine trees, washing themselves by the green stream.
A group of monkeys played for a while, then went to bathe in the mountain stream. They saw the rushing water, truly like a cascading gourd splashing. As the old saying goes, birds have their language, and beasts have theirs. The monkeys all said, "We don't know where this water comes from. Since we have nothing to do today, let's go up the stream to find its source and have some fun!" With a shout, they all dragged the men and women along, calling to each other, and ran together, climbing the stream until they reached its source, a waterfall. There they saw—a white rainbow rising, a thousand-foot snow wave flying. The sea breeze could not break its flow, and the river moon still shone upon it.
A cool breeze partes the green peaks, and the remaining flow moistens the verdant hills. The murmuring waterfall is truly like a hanging curtain.
The monkeys clapped and exclaimed, "Excellent water! Excellent water! It turns out this place leads directly to the sea at the foot of the mountain!" They added, "Whoever has the ability to go in, find the source, and come out unharmed, we will make him our king!" They shouted this three times, and suddenly a stone monkey leaped out from the bushes, shouting, "I'll go in! I'll go in!" What a fine monkey! It is he—his name is known today, his fortune has arrived. He is destined to live in this place, sent by heaven to the celestial palace.
You see him close his eyes, crouch down, and leap into the waterfall. Suddenly, he opens his eyes and looks up, only to find a clear, still bridge, devoid of water. He stops, calms himself, and looks again. It's an iron plank bridge, the water flowing beneath, rushing through the stone crevices, cascading down and obscuring the bridge's entrance. He leans back onto the bridge, walks and looks again, and it seems like a dwelling place—truly a wonderful spot. There—emerald moss piles up like blue clouds, white clouds float like jade, and shimmering light dances like wisps of mist. Empty windows and quiet rooms, smooth benches with blooming flowers. Stalactites hang like dragon pearls, and strange flowers bloom all around. A stove by the cliff still bears traces of fire, and wine vessels by the table hold remnants of food. Stone seats and stone beds are truly lovely, and stone basins and bowls are even more praiseworthy. There are also one or two slender bamboos, a few plum blossoms, and several green pines that are always wet with rain—it all resembles a human dwelling.
After looking around for a while, we jumped across the middle of the bridge and looked left and right. In the center, we saw a stone tablet. On the tablet was a line of large characters in regular script that read, “Blessed Land of Flower and Fruit Mountain, Grotto Heaven of Water Curtain Cave.” Overjoyed, the stone monkey quickly turned and ran out, then closed his eyes, crouched down, and leaped out of the water, laughing twice and exclaiming, "What a stroke of luck! What a stroke of luck!" The monkeys surrounded him and asked, "What's it like inside? How deep is the water?" The stone monkey replied, "No water, no water! It's just an iron bridge. On the other side of the bridge is a naturally formed home." The monkeys asked, "How do you know it's a home?" The stone monkey laughed, "This water flowed down from under the bridge, cutting through a crevice in the stone, and then hanging down to block the entrance. Beside the bridge are flowers and trees, and there's a stone house. Inside, there's a stone pot, a stone stove, stone bowls, stone basins, a stone bed, and stone stools. In the middle, on a stone tablet, are engraved the words 'Blessed Land of Flower and Fruit Mountain, Heavenly Cave of Water Curtain.' It truly is a place for us to live. It's spacious enough to accommodate hundreds or even thousands of people, young and old. If we all go in and live there, we'll be spared the wrath of the heavens. Here—we have shelter from the wind, and a safe haven from the rain. We're not afraid of frost or snow, and we never hear thunder."
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