Chapter 65: The Woodcutter Points the Way, Climbing the Mountain Path is Perilous
After a slight hesitation, although he was overjoyed in his heart, Sun Yuan did not come forward to ask questions. He had some of his own considerations on this matter.
At this critical juncture, Sun Yuan's principle was to follow the trajectory of history and absolutely not influence the development of events. If he had jumped out at that moment, perhaps the answer would have been vastly different. So he nodded to Monkey, pointing in a direction, saying, "Listening to that person reciting poetry seems to have some Daoist aura, could it be that he is an immortal?"
"It can't be wrong, you see this person has a full and spirited appearance, ordinary people don't understand this way of nourishing life." At this time, the Monkey King also heard clearly what the woodcutter said, suddenly overjoyed, directly jumped out, took a few quick steps, came to the front of the woodcutter, and bowed saying "Old immortal, your disciple pays his respects!"
Sun Yuan saw this scene, smiled silently, standing on the side of the road, quietly listening to their conversation, but did not prepare to join in, things were indeed just like in Journey to the West!
"Alas, it can't be done, it can't be done. You're a monkey with no eyes open, I'm not someone who has attained the Tao." Upon hearing the Monkey King's words, the woodcutter naturally didn't dare to agree, and hastily put down the dry firewood, stuck his sharp axe into the wood, and helped the stooping Monkey King up.
"Why should the old immortal refuse people from a thousand miles away?" The monkey king stood up with momentum, but spoke in a serious tone, "Ordinary people see our appearance, even if they appear calm on the surface, but their hearts must be somewhat frightened. But I observe the old immortal, his expression is very calm, if it's not someone who has become an immortal through cultivation, seeing our appearance, how can he remain calm? So I reckon you are definitely a cultivator who has become an immortal."
"Furthermore, isn't this song only something that can be done by immortals? The Monkey King stepped forward again, cupped his hands and said "I often hear that those who practice quiet sitting and lecture on the Yellow Court must certainly be of the immortal kind. I'd like to ask a mortal, how did you come up with these words of an immortal family?"
"You're really stubborn, forget it. Since I've got nothing better to do and the sun is still high in the sky, I'll tell you a thing or two!" The woodcutter, exasperated by Sun Wukong's pestering, smoothed out his collar and sat down on the woodpile for a temporary rest.
"To be honest with you, this poem is called 'Man Ting Fang', it was given to me by a fairy who lives next door. He saw that I was troubled and worried about household chores every day, so he taught me to recite this poem when I'm feeling anxious, first to distract myself, second to relieve my boredom. I had some thoughts that I couldn't quite put into words, so I recited it to myself, not expecting you to hear it, but that's what happened." The woodcutter smiled slightly and said.
"I'm afraid it's still for the sake of catching this big fish, Sun Wukong!" Sun Yuan secretly smiled to himself on the side, but his expression remained unchanged, revealing an enthusiastic appearance as he listened intently to their conversation.
Soon Monkey King and the woodcutter started chatting, after learning that there were immortals here. Monkey King's interest in talking was very strong, and before long, they had finished their conversation. Everything was just like what was recorded in Journey to the West. In a twinkling, the woodcutter told Monkey King the whole story clearly, and naturally he didn't forget to point out the location of Crescent Moon and Three Stars Cave.
However, unlike before, with Sun Yuan's presence, the Beautiful Monkey King did not entangle Zhu Zi. After learning the news, he sent off Zhu Zi down the mountain and jumped to Sun Yuan's side, saying "It turns out that there really is an old immortal in this place, called Bodhi Old Ancestor! It sounds like a capable person, his home is just seven or eight miles away on the mountain slope above. You and I should hurry up and go, lest we miss the opportunity, and the other party closes the cave, which would be unfortunate!"
Sun Yuan nodded, a hint of a smile on his face. Having watched a good show, Sun Yuan suppressed the excitement in his heart and said, "What you said is reasonable, it's better for us to hurry up and go."
As soon as they finished speaking, the two of them set off immediately. The monkey led the way in front, with Sun Yuan following closely behind. After traveling for seven or eight miles, sure enough, a ancient and extraordinary cave appeared on the mountain slope above. Only its large gate was tightly closed, quiet and still without any signs of human activity. Suddenly turning his head back, he saw a stone tablet standing at the top of the cliff, about three zhang high and eight chi wide, with a line of ten big characters that read: "Lingtai Fangcun Mountain, Xieyue Sanxing Cave".
"It seems we were worried for nothing, the owner of this house doesn't seem to be up yet!" The Monkey King scratched his ears and cheeks, jumped onto a nearby mountain path, and carefully observed.
"Let's hurry up and go!" Sun Yuan pointed to the stone platform on the mountain slope and said, "We'll rest for a while at that stone platform, get ready, and then go to visit our master. It's also good to give the other party a good impression."
"Ah, you're right!" The Monkey King took the lead and stepped onto the mountain slope. His body suddenly swayed, and he was momentarily stunned. Then, with a playful smile, he said, "This stone platform on the mountain slope is quite strange. It seems to be difficult to walk up. You come try it!"
"What's wrong?" Sun Yuan's heart skipped a beat, his brow furrowed, and he looked carefully. Only then did he notice that although the mountain slope was not steep, there were 108 stone steps on it. Each step was made of bluestone, and in the sunlight, they emitted a faint, mysterious glow.
"I knew it wouldn't be that easy!" Sun Yuan's heart sank, he had expected this situation, and according to his own understanding, how could anyone just enter the Crescent Moon Three Star Cave to pay homage?
If that's the case, wouldn't the immortals in the Journey to the West become ordinary cabbage? However, according to Sun Wukong's knowledge, the quantity of immortals in the Journey to the West is quite heavy. The people here are not as described in the classics, without desires or demands. If it were that easy to enter the immortal's cave, then the entire world would be filled with immortals!
But having come this far, Sun Yuan would not retreat in the slightest. He immediately stepped forward, without hesitation, onto the first step of the platform. Suddenly, a massive force pressed down on his heart, directly affecting his soul. Sun Yuan felt as if there was a deafening roar in his mind, and he stumbled slightly, almost unable to stand still. His face changed color instantly.
"Huang Hou, what's wrong with you? Didn't you sleep well last night and feel a bit tired?" Sun Wukong saw that Sun Yuan had stepped onto the first step of the stairs, his body swaying violently, almost falling down. He immediately went forward to support him, asking anxiously.
"I'm fine, just a bit dizzy earlier. Taking a deep breath will do!" Sun Yuan stood up straight with the help of Mei Hou Wang's power, let out a mouthful of air to indicate he was alright, "You go ahead first, I can handle it myself. These 108 levels of stairs are indeed not easy to climb."
"Well, you go slowly, I'll go up and take a look to see if the cave is open!" Seeing that Sun Yuan was fine, Sun Wukong felt relieved at once. After confirming that Sun Yuan's condition was good, he thought for a moment, but Monkey King couldn't bear the temptation brought by the immortal, so he exerted himself and flew up quickly.
