Chapter Five: The Monkey Fist of Sun and Yuan

  "Haha, Yellow Monkey's skills are quite impressive. With this skill, you're the only one who can be the second-in-command. It's been a long time since we've had a match, why don't we have a friendly competition?" Sun Wukong showed an excited expression, and the Yellow Monkey indeed lived up to his expectations, with incredible strength. He asked himself if he could also throw out the Tongbiyuan, but whether he could do it as effortlessly as the Yellow Monkey, Sun Wukong wasn't so sure in his heart.

  "Alright, I know I can't beat you, and you don't have to fight me as soon as we meet! However, the strength of these monkeys is still too weak. It seems they lack training!" Sun Yuan waved his paw in refusal, but in reality, with over a hundred years of cultivation, defeating Sun Wukong would be easy for him. Nevertheless, to minimize the impact of his crossing over, Sun Yuan wouldn't do something so unprofitable.

  "Alright, alright, it's been a long time since we brothers met. Let the younger ones pour wine and today we'll welcome Second Master Wang! Sun Wukong waved his hand casually and said with a big smile, but in reality he was also uncertain. He hoped to fight with Sun Yuan, yet feared that in front of so many people, he would lose and have no way out. At this moment, when Sun Yuan refused, Sun Wukong couldn't tell whether he felt happy or disappointed."

  A group of little monkeys rushed up, and the Tongbei apes who were hit by Sun Yuan also came forward. Before long, the entire Shui Lian Dong was bustling with activity. The nature of the monkeys is simple, which is very different from humans. Although sometimes they are a bit straightforward, they will soon forget. In no time, Sun Yuan had become one with the group of monkeys, while Lang Mao and Tongbei Apes, those two sworn enemies, were arm-in-arm, competing in drinking wine.

  Thus, Sun Yuan played with the monkeys in the Water Curtain Cave for several days. On a bright and sunny morning, Sun Yuan pulled Zhang Mao aside, pulling him back from his playful state with a puzzled expression on his face.

  "What's so mysterious, Yellow Monkey? If it's not important, let's talk about it later. I have an appointment with Tongbei Hou to go sightseeing on East Mountain today and time is almost up." Longmao walked on all fours, although he was surprised that Sun Wukong and Sun Yuan both walked on two feet, but after trying it out, he felt it was very inconvenient and changed back to his habit of walking on four legs.

  "Chang Mao, I've been down the mountain for seven days now. Seeing that you're all doing well makes me happy. There's nothing much going on at the foot of the mountain either, so I should head back up soon. Speaking of which, these past few days have made my cultivation seem to regress a bit." Sun Yuan came to a bamboo forest and lay down in a spot, gesturing for Chang Mao to sit beside him.

  "What? Huang Hou, you want to leave? What's going on? Has some young whippersnapper offended you?" The long-haired one, who had just sat down, jumped up as soon as he heard the news. He immediately thought of the younger generation of his clan that he had introduced to Sun Yuan a few days ago, many of whom were his direct descendants.

  "There's nothing going on, those young monkeys are all energetic, and they're also very respectful to me, the second-in-command. This matter has nothing to do with them, you know that too. My mind is not here, it's impossible for me to always play with you guys." Sun Yuan sighed, actually just staying in the Mountain of Flowers and Fruits, living out this life would be okay, but after knowing that this was the world of Journey to the West, in the quiet night, Sun Yuan always wanted to touch the legendary world.

  Cháng máo was silent for a long time, and after a while, he said reluctantly, "Huang Hou, are you leaving so soon? Is your cultivation that urgent?" As a clever and wise monkey, Cháng máo knew that Sūn Yuè would not be able to stay at the foot of the mountain for long. However, he had never wanted to think about this matter, after all, Sūn Yuè was his best friend, and their friendship of over a hundred years could not be easily explained.

  "Yes, I must leave now. The path of cultivation is like sailing against the current, if you don't move forward, you'll fall behind! You haven't embarked on this path, so you won't understand its scenery and the price that needs to be paid." Sun Yuan scratched his head, saying with some emotion "There's no need for these childish postures, I'm just going to the highest peak. Every seven days, you can come up here to see me once, it's not like we'll never meet again!"

  "Huang Hou, can't you just stop cultivating? Although I don't know what cultivation is, we spend our days happily gathering in this blessed land of immortal mountains and divine caves. We are not subject to the rule of the Qilin or the Phoenix, nor are we bound by human kings. We are free and at ease, which is a boundless blessing. Why must you go and do that dull cultivation?"

  "Haha, well said. Although we seem to be free, are we truly free? Especially after you know what's above your head, this heart that yearns for freedom can't stop beating. You don't understand these things. There's a human saying I've always admired: 'Life is precious, love is priceless. If it's for the sake of freedom, both can be abandoned.' Freedom is my fundamental driving force." Sun Yuan fell into deep thought for a moment, then pointed to the sky and said this, even though he knew Lang Mao wouldn't understand.

  "Ah, although I don't know what you mean, it sounds like it makes sense. Forget it, forget it, I won't go out to play today, I'll go find something for you, and you take it up the mountain." Long Mao stood up, wanting to walk outside, but then seemed to remember something and said "Have you told the king about this?"

  "No, as an old friend, I'd naturally tell you first."

  "Haha, you're a true friend, worthy of being my long-time buddy. Don't worry, I'll definitely find some good stuff for you."

  "Stop looking for things, I'm here to teach you something today. Don't leave yet, there's plenty of time to look for things later. I didn't come just to tell you this news." Sun Yuan called out to Zhang Mao, "Do you know what move the Tongbi Ape uses?"

  "It seems that it was a great king's reward for his unique skill, as a prize for leading the monkey troop to surrender." Long Mao turned around in doubt.

  "This ultimate skill was actually created by me, I don't know if you believe it or not?"

  "Isn't that the Great King's ultimate technique?"

  "The great king's qualifications are indeed exceptional, do you still remember that battle a hundred years ago? This ultimate skill was the one I used in the battle, and after the great king saw it once, he learned it immediately. However, although the great king has high qualifications, there is still something lacking in what he has learned. After all, many things can only be revealed in battle, and can only demonstrate a small part of one's original skills. Do you want to learn this set of skills?" Sun Yuan asked.

  "Why learn this kung fu? Why bother? With this much time, I'd rather go fishing in the valley! Ah, it seems like the red peaches on the hill behind are ripe again, and I haven't even had a chance to check them out. See how busy my schedule is? I probably won't have time for these things." Long Mao shook his head disapprovingly, seemingly perplexed by Sun Yuan's words.