Chapter 64: The trials of tribulation are now but an inch away, the tall mountain is hidden and revealed, the woodcutter appears.

  If this blow was dodged by the Deer King, or if the Deer King issued a warning beforehand, Sun Yuan's blow would have resulted in a very frightening outcome. He had no choice but to abandon the Monkey King and run away alone. After all, as the main character of Journey to the West, someone would definitely come to his rescue, and he could just go find the beautiful Monkey King again later.

  But in that case, he would have missed the opportunity to visit Lingtai Fangcun Mountain to pay his respects to his master, so unless absolutely necessary, Sun Yuan would never do such a thing!

  Fortunately, Sun Yuan's desperate blow did not fail, but instead achieved great success. At this time, the deer spirit was completely under his control. The captive deer had no power to resist except for constant kicking.

  "Yellow Monkey, you've finally returned! This guy has been wandering around this area, if I hadn't discovered this dragon tongue grass, I'm afraid he would have found my location!" Sun Yuan held the deer's embryo and slowly walked to the edge of the vines. Just as he was about to speak, a commotion erupted from the bushes, and Sun Wukong suddenly jumped out, his body covered in green grass juice.

  "Dragon's tongue grass? It's not easy to come by, but as long as you're fine, that's all that matters." Seeing Mei Houwang was unharmed, Sun Yuan let out a sigh of relief. He held the deer-like creature with one hand and stepped onto the small path, saying in a low voice "Let's hurry up and leave, this place doesn't have any immortals, only a few powerful demon kings. If they discover us, we won't have any hope of escaping."

  "Oh! What bad luck, I've entered the monster's den again!" Sun Wukong shook his head, his face changing color, and replied with a sound, closely following Sun Yuan into the thorny forest. After walking for a while, he saw the white-eyed deer spirit, and suddenly scratched his head to remind him, "Brother, the thing in your hand is almost out of energy."

  "We've arrived at this place, it's time to deal with this guy." Sun Yuan brushed aside the giant vines in front of him, and with a swift motion of his left hand, the deer's head let out a cracking sound as he directly twisted it off. Sun Yuan immediately threw the deer's corpse into the dense forest on both sides, saying "This is indeed a good place to kill someone and cover it up, you and I should hurry and leave, this time we've provoked a guy whose strength is too overwhelming, and it's really not something we can handle right now."

  "Let's go!" Having had several experiences, Sun Wukong also recognized the severity of the situation and immediately took a step forward, standing shoulder to shoulder with Sun. Together, they opened up the road ahead, and under their joint efforts, it didn't take long for them to pass through this small path and arrive at the foot of the mountain. The two monkeys, knowing they had caused trouble, didn't say another word and took off running, heading towards other mountains to seek immortals and learn from them.

  After this lesson, Sun Yuan never dared to rush up the mountain recklessly again. Every time they arrived at a new place, he would first ask around to see if there were any monsters or strange legends in the nearby mountains. And it's not hard to imagine that their journey became much safer from then on.

  In the midst of obscurity, there is a will of heaven. Thus, the two monkeys, unsteadily and erratically, gradually approached the direction of Lingtai Fangcun Mountain.

  One day, at the foot of the mountain, "Great King, are you sure your feeling is not wrong?" Sun Yuan couldn't help but confirm again, pointing to the vast and majestic mountains in the distance. "You've said it several times along the way, but there hasn't been a single immortal or spirit, yet there have been quite a few monsters. Such a deep mountain, if there are monsters, I reckon we'll be drinking another pot of wine."

  "This time should be no exception, we're not just making it up, there's nothing strange around here." The Monkey King scratched his head in embarrassment, having made incorrect judgments countless times before. Sun Wukong also found it hard to put into words, "As soon as I get close to this mountain, I feel a surge of excitement in my heart, as if the person I'm looking for is on this mountain, and nowhere else gives me this feeling."

  "Could it be that we have really arrived at the Lingtai Fangcun Mountain?" Sun Yuan looked around again at the towering peaks in front of him, secretly pondering in his heart.

  "Alright, then let's make a trip up the mountain!" After a moment of contemplation, Sun Yuan made up his mind. He thought about the records in Journey to the West and figured that Monkey King should be finding the Mountain of Spiritual Awakening around this time. It was just unknown whether this was the right one or not. As the saying goes, "wealth and honor are found in danger", they had been through so much already, so it wouldn't hurt to take another risk.

  "Don't worry! There must be immortals in this mountain, and my feeling is very strong this time!" Monkey King was overjoyed after hearing that, jumping up and down to lead the way forward. "Look at the environment of this mountain, it's so quiet and peaceful, how could it be a place for hiding evil? So we don't need to worry at all." Beautiful Monkey King said confidently, then Sun Yuan followed him, and the two monkeys rushed straight up the mountain road.

  As he delved deeper into the mountain, Sun Yuan's heart gradually calmed down. The scenery in this mountain was indeed different from elsewhere, filled with a natural and refreshing atmosphere that was not artificially created by any mysterious aura. Every plant here seemed to be full of vitality, or as one would say, "spirit energy abounds".

  "Isn't it? Look at this scenery, these mountains, they are really majestic and magnificent! There must be a great man hiding his name!" Monkey King had been excited since entering the mountain, the scenery was endless along the way, he had seen enough to be satisfied. At this moment, the two monkeys gradually reached the middle of the mountain, Beautiful Monkey King pointed at the distant rolling mountains and said to Sun Yuan.

  "But it's like a place where the Tao is cultivated, a mountain of eternal youth and longevity. This time you may have really judged correctly!" Sun Yuan took a deep breath, and a refreshing natural aura rushed towards him, instantly relaxing his tired heart that had been worn out from worldly labors, as if he had shed countless burdens, and his entire monkey body felt light and airy.

  "That's it, I think there must be a true immortal hiding in those mountains. Let's go find him!" The Monkey King was getting impatient and suddenly pulled Sun Wukong's sleeve, ready to head towards the Dragon Vein land.

  Suddenly, Sun Wukong's ears perked up, and he heard some sounds. He immediately grabbed Sun Wukong and said, "Wait a minute, it seems like there are some sounds coming over. Listen! It seems like someone is singing!"

  At this time, a sound gradually rose in the mountains, initially very small, but as time passed, the sound grew louder and louder. Before long, the voice had reached a recognizable level, seemingly from someone singing who was heading in their direction.

  At this moment, Sun Wukong could only hear the general idea, but he couldn't quite make out what the person was singing. However, Sun Yuan was different. After taking the demon pill, his hearing was much stronger than that of the Monkey King before his training. At this moment, he clearly heard the song and understood its specific content, and a look of wild joy suddenly appeared on his face.

  Only one person was heard singing: "Watching the chessboard, chopping wood ding-ding, walking slowly at the edge of the clouds and valleys. Selling firewood and wine, laughing wildly and indulging in emotions. On a high autumn mountain path, lying on the roots of pines under the moonlight, waking up to a bright morning. Recognizing old forests, crossing ridges and peaks, holding an axe to cut withered vines. Gathering them into a load, singing while walking to market, exchanging for three pecks of rice. No more disputes or competition, prices are fair and flat. Not knowing how to scheme or calculate profits, no glory or shame, living a simple and long life. When meeting, either an immortal or a Taoist, sitting quietly and lecturing on the 'Yellow Court'.

  "Isn't this the song sung by the woodcutter in Journey to the West?" Sun Yuan's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately took action. He pulled Sun Wukong through the thicket and sprinted several steps onto the mountain road opposite, looked up and saw that a woodcutter was indeed emerging from the mountain path, carrying a bundle of firewood on his back and holding a large axe in his hand.