Fortunately, the monkeys stopped calling after a short while. A baboon with white fur on its head was led to the front by a group of other monkeys. The baboon looked quite old, with white fur and beard, and its facial expressions were vividly human-like, resembling an elderly human.
"Cough cough—cough cough."
The white-haired baboon coughed, as if something was stuck in its throat, and after a while it murmured:
"Where are you from? Where did you come from? And why have you come to Flower Fruit Mountain?"
This white-haired baboon seemed to be quite prestigious among the monkeys; when it spoke, even the smallest monkeys dared not utter a sound.
“To answer your question, sir, I am from Chang’an of the Great Tang Dynasty. I come from Jambudvipa. In fact, we are family. I am a disciple of the Water Curtain Cave of Flower and Fruit Mountain. Today, I have come to pay my respects to my master.”
Xu Milu smiled and clasped her hands in a fist salute.
The white-haired baboon seemed somewhat surprised, barely lifting its eyelids to look Xu Milu up and down, muttering a few words:
"The King's disciple? I've heard the King mention him before—"
A large red macaque crouched next to the white-haired baboon. It seemed a little wary and quietly whispered a few "squeaks" in the baboon's ear.
"His Majesty is still drunk and has not yet sobered up. If we let outsiders in and disturb His Majesty's rest, it would be a great mistake on our part. Why don't we ask her what her name is and see if we can match it? If we can't, we should tie her up and take her back to His Majesty to deal with her when he wakes up."
Xu Milu heard everything whispered, but she pretended not to understand and continued:
"I forgot to register just now. My name is Xu Milu. I am a lay disciple taken in by the Great Sage. I just bid farewell to Nezha, the Third Prince, a few days ago and came from the East Sea. I thought I would bring some fresh fruits for my master to enjoy. I am not a bad person!"
"It matches up, it matches up."
The white-haired baboon's face lit up with joy, and it scratched its head, saying:
"The king's disciple will be named this, there's no doubt about it! Men, quickly carry the young lady back to the Water Curtain Cave and treat her well, prepare mountain fruits, delicacies, wine and meat!"
"Squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak—"
"Gaga gaga gaga—gaga—"
"Wa ...
The monkeys cried out in surprise, pounding their chests and stamping their feet, but their eyes were unusually kind when they looked at Xu Milu.
Before Xu Milu could react, a group of monkeys surged over like a tide, lifted her up in unison, and with a push and a pull, countless hairy hands carried Xu Milu to a straw sedan chair made of vines that appeared out of nowhere, and they swayed and wobbled up the mountain.
Xu Milu's seniority suddenly rose several generations, from "that little devil" to "great-aunt".
It's understandable, since Sun Wukong is the ancestor of all monkeys, so her status as his disciple naturally rises accordingly.
The big monkey wandered through the forest picking fresh wild vegetables and mushrooms, while the little monkey picked large leaves, filled them with spring water, and presented them to her. Several clever golden monkeys picked large bunches of colorful wildflowers, wove them into wreaths, and placed them all on her head, chirping and squeaking as they tried to please her.
This was the first time Xu Milu had seen so many monkeys outside the zoo. Unlike artificially bred monkeys, these mountain monkeys were completely free and wild. Although it was clear that they were imitating human movements, their every action was purely monkey-like.
The white-haired baboon, unable to run any further, lay down on the red macaque. Seeing that Xu Milu remained silent, it took the initiative to start a conversation:
"Please forgive us for being blind to your greatness, Grandma. Although we are like ordinary people, divided into rulers, ministers, servants, soldiers, and servants, few of us can speak human language. We have misunderstood your identity, Grandma, and deserve to die."
Xu Milu couldn't help but ask out of curiosity:
"Why are there so few who can speak human language?"
The white-haired baboon sighed, its expression full of sorrow:
"It's not easy for beasts to transform into human form. Although my ape clan has the slight advantage of resembling humans, it's quite difficult for them to develop intelligence. There's a transverse bone in the throat of a beast that needs to be refined before it can speak human language. These monkeys are usually very lazy and don't cultivate properly. To this day, only a few who serve the king have become capable of anything—"
Xu Milu felt that something was wrong. Old Hu's fox offspring were coming in one litter after another, but he had never seen them cultivate so difficultly. With Sun Wukong protecting Huaguo Mountain, how come there were only a few monkeys who had become spirits?
But she didn't ask directly; she just kept her question to herself.
...
...
Led by the monkeys, they soon arrived at a secluded valley deep in the mountains. There, a towering cliff reached into the clouds, and a waterfall cascaded down like a silver river, its spray like countless strands of water falling from the sky. In the air, the water was still and undisturbed. An iron plank bridge spanned the center, and the water beneath it flowed over the stone bridge, cascading out like raindrops.
The monkeys escorted Xu Milu to the bridgehead, where a wide stone cave was located. A waterfall cascaded over the cave entrance, splashing water droplets like pearls that felt cool on the face. Breathing in the air filled the air with mist, and just one breath made one feel full of spiritual energy.
Xu Milu's doubts deepened.
At the entrance of the Water Curtain Cave stands a huge stone tablet with ten striking characters inscribed on it: "Blessed Land of Flower and Fruit Mountain, Heavenly Cave of Water Curtain Cave".
After crossing the iron bridge and passing the water curtain to enter the stone cave, you will see stone pots, stone stoves, stone bowls, stone basins, stone beds and stone benches. In the very center, on a natural boulder, Sun Wukong is lying on his side with bright eyes, not at all like a drunkard.
He was surrounded by a troop of monkeys. The Water Curtain Cave was covered with moss and bamboo. Monkeys swung on swings, played with vines, jumped on trees, picked flowers and fruits, creating a lively scene. There were also a few baby monkeys, about the size of children, crawling on Sun Wukong and picking lice off him. They were fluffy clumps, like plush ornaments on his body.
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