Chapter Sixty: Two Monkeys Reunite, End of Volume Two

  "What! Is that the monkey?" Little Wang didn't know, but everyone else present let out a sigh of relief just like him. Sun Yuan's murderous intent wasn't just directed at him alone, it was aimed at every single person in the room, at all members of the Righteous Alliance's Liaozhou branch. In the instant he saw the monkey, Sun Yuan's murderous intent vanished without a trace, and only then did everyone feel a sense of fear after the fact.

  "You all leave, Chen Li you also go back, no one is allowed to approach here, Zheng Qi Alliance must seal all messages related to this matter, from now on none of you are allowed to mention this matter again, do you understand?" Sun Yuan took a deep breath and said in a low voice, looking at the monkey carrying the bamboo raft walking towards the beach.

  "Yes, I'll go back and immediately restrain my subordinates and treat this matter as top secret." Chen Li let out a sigh of relief in his heart. He was now deeply regretful of coming here to stir up trouble. Just a moment ago, if the monkey hadn't appeared, Chen Li was certain that Sun Yuan would have definitely taken action against him. And towards the mysterious and mighty Mountain God's messenger, Chen Li didn't have even a hint of resistance in his heart. So, his feelings just now were exactly the same as everyone else's - they had all walked along the edge of hell.

  "Go! Hurry up and leave!" Sun Yuan waved his hand, staring at the beautiful Monkey King. He was in no mood to chat with these people now. After eight years of separation, he had finally caught up with Sun Wukong's footsteps here. Others could hardly imagine how many hardships and difficulties were hidden beneath this reunion, only Sun Yuan understood how difficult it was for them to meet again after eight years.

  The crowd dispersed one after another, until their silhouettes disappeared into the dense forest. Sun Yuan let out a long sigh of relief and quickly walked several steps around the rugged rocks to enter the beach.

  At this time, the monkey was holding a crude wooden raft and retreated to a tall bush with difficulty, as if exhausted, sitting in the shade of the bush with his eyes closed, he knew nothing about what happened behind the high rocky mountain opposite the beach.

  Sun Yuan took a few quick steps, treading softly on the sand, and quietly arrived in front of the Monkey King. At this moment, Sun Wukong suddenly opened his eyes wide. As one of the four great spiritual monkeys, the Lingming Stone Monkey, although he was not as good as the other three in other talents, but in spirituality, he was far superior to the other three monkey breeds. Although Sun Yuan had been extremely careful at this time, he was still discovered by Sun Wukong.

  "Who are you? Why are you sneaking around, haven't you seen that this place already has an owner?" After many years of training in the mortal world, the monkey had a martial artist's attire on his body, looking very lean and mean. Facing the sudden appearance of the black-cloaked figure, the monkey was not flustered at all, with a very calm demeanor.

  Sun Yuan nodded secretly, it seems that Sun Wukong's eight years in the human world were not in vain. According to Journey to the West, during these eight years, Sun Wukong could be said to have seen all aspects of human life, tasted various flavors of sourness, sweetness, bitterness and spiciness, and had a clear understanding of life, human nature, and seeking the Tao, laying a foundation for his future rapid progress in power. Looking at the calm expression on the Monkey King's face, Sun Yuan secretly admired him.

  "Great King, it's been a long time! You've changed so much that I can hardly recognize you!" Sun Yuan smiled slightly and pulled off the cloak on his body, revealing his true monkey form.

  "Who are you? Huang Hou! How did you end up here? After that sea crossing, I woke up and didn't see your shadow again. All these years, where have you been? Brother, I often think of you!" Sun Wukong was slightly stunned, then recognized the figure in front of him wearing a tight-fitting warrior suit, but with a light yellow monkey body - wasn't this the second great king of Huaguo Mountain?!

  "It's hard to describe what happened back then, Your Majesty was indeed lucky and slept all the way to the shore. As for me, I wasn't that fortunate. The vast Eastern Sea is full of hidden dangers, if my cultivation wasn't up to par, I'm afraid you wouldn't be seeing me now." Sun Yuan said lightly, summarizing their journey across the Eastern Sea in a few simple words.

  "Hmph, I knew you were a loyal monkey, how could you leave me behind? It seems you've encountered something unexpected, and I shouldn't blame you for that. To be honest, I'm ashamed to say I was fast asleep and didn't know what was happening; otherwise, I wouldn't have let you fight alone. Speaking of which, during my travels in the human world these past few years, my kung fu skills have improved significantly. Why don't we have a friendly competition?" Sun Wukong pulled the wooden raft out of the shadows and made room for Sun Yuan to sit down, immediately revealing an eager expression, his competitive spirit ignited.

  "Let's not fight, we brothers have finally reunited after all these years. Wouldn't fighting be a shame? What if one of us gets hurt, wouldn't that make our reunion incomplete?" Sun Yuan waved his hand, although Sun Wukong had learned some tricks during his wandering days, how could he be a match for Sun Yuan now? At this time, Sun Yuan had fully merged the True Water of All Things into his demon elixir, and his magical powers were at least twice as strong as when he first left the Mountain of Flowers and Fruits!

  At that time, Sun Wukong was no longer his opponent. After seven or eight years of integration, he also obtained the innate treasure of Lu Baojin, and Sun Yuan's skills had made great progress. At this moment, Sun Wukong was far behind Sun Yuan, so how could Sun Yuan be interested in fighting him?

  The Monkey King thought for a moment, then said, "Brother, what you say is right, but I think there's a better way. Why don't we find a place to get drunk together? We can also compete in drinking capacity. Remember when we were on the Mountain of Flowers and Fruits, your drinking capacity was no match for mine!"

  "Alright, as you said, after all these years of training, I'm confident that my drinking capacity is not inferior to yours. In the eight years we've been apart, every time I drank, I had the thought of finding you for a drink-off. Now that it's finally come true, how could I let it go? Sun Yuan nodded in agreement, emerging from the shade of the bushes and said "Your Majesty, do you have a suitable place? If not, then let me arrange it."

  "Don't worry about this, let's just say that I've been busy building a raft these past few days and haven't had a drink in ages. This time, let me take you to a great place where the wine is absolutely top-notch in this area, nothing else compares." The Monkey King licked his lips, revealing a hint of longing, quickly got up from the ground, pulled in the simple raft he had built, and covered it with dry grass.

  "What's the meaning of this, Your Majesty? Are you preparing to cross the great sea?" Sun Yuan asked curiously, pointing at the wooden raft that Sun Wukong had covered up.

  "It's not bad, these years I've traveled all over this continent, and found that the people on it are all just fighting for power and profit, indulging in worldly desires. It really doesn't seem like a place where immortals exist. A few days ago, I suddenly saw the turbulent waves of the ocean, and a tower rising from the sea, so I guessed that there must be an immortal mountain overseas. I wanted to make a bamboo raft and drift across this Western Ocean to find the immortals and learn the secrets of longevity. But unfortunately, the waves in the ocean were too big, and I tried several times but couldn't succeed. Today, it's fortunate that I met you, brother, and it's also our fate." The Monkey King slowly told his story.

  "The great king has a good intention, but his brother is not talented. As for building a wooden raft, he still has some insights. If the great king does not abandon me, I am willing to assist him in building a bamboo raft. You and I will cross the Western Ocean together to seek the elixir of immortality. How about it?" Sun Yuan blinked his eyes, but had already thought of a plan.

  The Monkey King was overjoyed when he heard this, and all he could say was: "This is the best thing that could have happened! Do you remember how we used to sail on a raft made of bamboo on the Mountain of Flowers and Fruits? With your help, nothing can stop us from crossing the vast ocean now. In the future, we will learn the secrets of life together, and every day we'll drink and make merry on the Mountain of Flowers and Fruits - what joy!"

  "The king said, after you and I have finished drinking, I will immediately start building the wooden raft. I believe that six or seven days' time is enough." Sun Yuan was overjoyed in his heart and replied immediately.

  "Come, come, brother, follow me. All these years in the mortal world, I've seen many wine shops, but except for this one, I haven't found a more delicious place. Today you're in luck." Sun Wukong hid the wooden raft and pulled on Sun Yuan's sleeve, leading him to a place far away from the seaside.

  "Great King, won't you cause any trouble appearing in human society with this appearance?" Sun Yuan hastily grabbed the black cloak from the ground and put it back on. He didn't dare to appear in his true form in broad daylight in human society. If some passing deity were to see him, he would be caught and taken away in an instant, which would be utterly not worth it!

  "What trouble? What kind of trouble could there be? When those people hit me, I didn't even fight back, I just took the things and left. When they scolded me, I didn't even retort, I just hugged the wine jar and ran away. Coming and going like this, apart from some people giving me strange looks, there's really no trouble. I said, brother, do you need to wrap yourself up so tightly?" Sun Wukong looked at Sun Yuan, who had wrapped himself up, with a puzzled expression.

  "It's just a habit, nothing more." Sun Yuan said repeatedly, but in his heart, he was secretly worried. He believed that if he entered human society in this manner, it wouldn't take long for someone to come and put an end to him, unless he was extremely careful.

  "What a strange habit!" The Monkey King muttered to himself, leading Sun Yuan out into the outside world. To be honest, in Sun Wukong's heart, among all the monkeys on Mount Huaguo, the one that was most similar to him was this weird and quirky yellow monkey, Sun Yuan. However, even for Sun Wukong, it was often very difficult to understand Sun Yuan's thoughts, as if every moment he had some unique idea that set him apart from others. Having lived together on Mount Huaguo for so many years, Sun Wukong had gradually grown accustomed to this.

  After several hours, the moon rose and the sun fell, the sky gradually darkened, and the two monkeys also arrived at the place. Sun Wukong pointed to the house in front of him with some speechlessness, saying "You said it was here? Didn't make a mistake?"

  "It's just here! They only let me in at night to take it, not during the day." Sun Wukong nodded nonchalantly, with a "that's just how it is" expression.

  "Do you have money?" Sun Yuan looked at the magnificent wine house in front of him, couldn't help but swallow his saliva, and asked tentatively.

  "Money?" Sun Wukong seemed to have never come into contact with these things before, and a look of puzzlement appeared on his face.

  "It's that kind of silver, gold, copper coins and the like. With them, people can openly go eat." Sun Yuan couldn't help but break a sweat, could it be that this guy had never used money before? Then how did he survive all these years? Sun Yuan didn't think Monkey King was capable of begging!

  "Ah!" Sun Wukong's eyes widened in realization, "You're talking about those yellow and white things! Those things are heavy and rare, these people carry them around like treasures, but I couldn't find any anywhere, so I don't have any of those things."

  "So how have you been living these past few years?" Sun Yuan struggled to find the right words for half a day, and with some difficulty managed to express his meaning.

  "When I'm hungry, I look for food. If they don't give me any, I'll secretly take some. When I'm thirsty, I look for wine. If they're stingy, I'll just get it myself!" The Monkey King said with a "this is so simple, how could you not think of it" expression as he looked at Sun Wukong.

  "Ah!" Sun Yuan was completely speechless. "Alright, you took someone else's thing, won't anyone come to catch you?" Sun Yuan couldn't help but ask again.

  "At most, I'll just hit them a couple of times and scold them. Besides, if I really run away, they won't be able to catch me. And I won't stay in one place for too long, just visiting the immortals here and there. If there aren't any immortals, I'll leave quickly, so nothing will happen." The Monkey King thought for a moment, revealing an expression that said "that's all".

  "Alright, brother," said the Monkey King, tugging at Sun Yuan's black robe. "Let's go inside and talk more about this. These things aren't very glorious to mention, but they're all well-fed and clothed. Taking a few things from them doesn't mean much to them. It's a long story, let's go inside and talk."

  "Alright, since you're here, let's go in!" Sun Wukong's mouth twitched slightly. In his past and present lives, he had never experienced this before. Now he finally understood how Monkey King's mischievous nature was formed. If the long-haired ones on the Mountain of Flowers and Fruits were his mentors, then these few years in the Southern Jambudvipa continent were the period when he perfected this skill. It seemed that Monkey King stealing peaches and robbing elixirs wasn't entirely without his own reasons.

  Sun Yuan looked numbly at the monkey skillfully taking out wine and food from the kitchen, looking like he was the chef of this place, but it was very obvious that the chef of this place was snoring in the next room.

  "Come on, don't be polite, this Osmanthus wine is much stronger than the Monkey Wine from the Flower Fruit Mountain. Give it a try." Sun Wukong fetched a wine jar, broke open the mud seal on top, and poured the clear liquor into a large bowl in front of Sun Yuan.

  A whiff of fragrance suddenly wafted over, "Not bad, it's good wine, I reckon it's got some age on it. Come on, come on, Great King, drink up this cup! You and I brothers haven't seen each other in many years, just right to get drunk together." Sun Yuan picked up the fragrant wine, not caring about its origin, and began to get into the mood.

  "Come on, let's go!" The beautiful monkey king also raised his glass, and the two monkeys officially started competing in drinking.

  The next morning, the chef, who had a good night's sleep, rubbed his sleepy eyes and walked out of his small hut. In front of him was a mess, with several empty wine jars scattered around. The chef was stunned on the spot. These osmanthus wines were his treasured collection for many years, and he had never been willing to take them out to drink. Now, they had been drunk clean by something unknown.

  The master chef's facial muscles twitched, but his gaze immediately froze on a corner of the table where a gold ingot lay quietly. Estimated to be around ten taels in weight, the master chef rubbed his eyes fiercely, and the anger on his face instantly dissipated.

  "It seems that the wild monkey isn't completely ignorant of etiquette. With these ten taels of gold, I won't have to work so hard from now on!" The master took a few quick steps forward, grasped the gold in his hand, and repeatedly confirmed that it was indeed gold. A smile involuntarily broke out on the master's face.

  He knew that the hidden Chen Nian Gui Hua wine was, in his mind, only a few months ago, occasionally smelling the fragrance of a wild monkey, and the wolf-like footprints on the ground seemed to be the habit of the wild monkey eating. So, Master Fu solved this theft case with one glance, but this time, because someone paid for it, this theft case seemed to have become a legitimate purchase!

  The one who paid the money was not Sun Wukong, but Sun Yuan, who had a lot of money with him. He had been in Zhengyi Mountain Villa for seven years and every year at the end of the year, Chen Li would send thousands of taels of gold as an offering to the mountain god, praying for his blessing. This money naturally fell into Sun Yuan's hands, and this time he brought out a lot of gold with him.

  Last night's drinking game ended with Mei Houwang's defeat, and as Sun Yuan was leaving, he glanced at the full house of wolves and involuntarily pulled out a gold ingot from his pocket and threw it on the table, which can be considered as compensation for Sun Wukong's disturbance over the past few days. It is clear that the master of this wine shop is not easy to deal with, so the wealthy and arrogant Sun Yuan paid for this theft.

  After several days, a more solid and modern raft made of bamboo was born in Sun Yuan's hands! As it happens, due to the events on the East Sea, Sun Yuan added many modern ship concepts to this raft, with the sole purpose of making it safer to travel at sea. He was indeed frightened by his experience on the East Sea, and although the West Sea might not pose a great danger to him, being separated from Monkey King again would be a huge trouble, leaving Sun Yuan truly tearless.

  "I say, brother, is it necessary to be so exaggerated?" The Monkey King circled around the enormous object in front of him, turning again and again, as he spoke to Sun Yuan who was still adding things on top.

  "This is almost done, just add this harpoon and the raft can be launched!" Sun Yuan, sweating profusely, carried a two-person-thick harpoon rack to the top of the raft. If circumstances had allowed it, and if he had been smarter, he would have even wanted to install a steam engine on this raft!

  "Alright! Something this big, how are we going to push it into the sea?" The Monkey King spread his hands, acquiescing to Sun Yuan's method, and scratched his head in distress as he pushed against the massive raft. However, the huge water fortress built with 20,000 bamboo sticks didn't budge an inch.

  "Leave this to me!" Sun Yuan wiped the sweat and threw all the food he had bought onto a three-meter-high bamboo raft, saying "Your Majesty, come on up, we're about to set off."

  "Alright!" Sun Wukong circled the raft two more times, then with a burst of energy, he sprang onto the raft, his eyes fixed intently on Sun Yuan, wanting to see how he would get this raft into the sea.

  Sun Yuan put the polished logs into the tunnel, which led directly to the sea. The sand under the tunnel was completely dug out by Sun Yuan and replaced with solid bluestone. The logs were evenly distributed at various positions in the tunnel, with a distance of no more than two meters between each pair of logs.

  "Hold steady!" Sun Yuan shouted, warning the curious Monkey King to be careful on the bamboo raft. He then summoned a gust of black wind and with a flick of his sleeve, struck the massive fulcrum at the back of the raft with incredible force, but it seemed that even this was not enough, as the raft only swayed slightly before the wind began to dissipate. Sun Yuan let out another loud shout, took a step forward, and plunged his feet deep into the sandy beach, delivering a powerful punch to the fulcrum.

  A terrifying force burst forth from his fist as the demonic energy inside him spun wildly, transforming static friction into kinetic friction. The bamboo raft, poised at the threshold of sliding, suddenly leapt forward, harnessing the downward momentum of gravity to begin its movement. It pressed against the slippery logs and shot down the path that Sun Yuan had previously dug out, charging towards the sea.

  "It's moving, it's moving!" Sun Wukong witnessed the whole process on the bamboo raft. At this moment, he was so excited that he danced with joy. For a monkey who loved new and interesting things, being able to see such a grand scene was too much for him to handle emotionally. "Brother, hurry up and get on, the bamboo raft is speeding up!" Sun Wukong exclaimed to Sun Yuan.

  "Alright!" Sun Yuan wiped the sweat beads on his forehead, exerted force underfoot, and suddenly sprang up, landing on the bamboo raft. At the same time, he wiped the sweat beads on his forehead again, but in his heart, he felt extremely lucky!

  This bamboo raft weighs tens of thousands of catties, fortunately he considered the weight problem at that time, and did not choose other wood, but chose bamboo, otherwise this primitive aircraft carrier might only lie in its birthplace, and it would be impossible to enter the ocean.

  "What a terrifying power!" Sun Yuan's hands were still numb at this moment! This was the reaction force received from striking the bamboo raft, and just thinking about how difficult it was to move such a massive object, let alone Monkey King being able to wield the Golden Cudgel immediately after leaving the mountain, Sun Yuan couldn't help but secretly admire him, and his desire to become Bodhi's apprentice grew even stronger.

  "This is the real voyage!" The Monkey King looked around, sometimes to this side and sometimes to that side, from time to time bursting into applause. This trip was his first clear-headed journey on such a magnificent ocean, and he seemed very excited. At this time, the raft had already sailed deep into the sea, and under Sun Yuan's control, it was moving steadily west towards Gaozhou Prefecture. Before long, the land of Nanjing Island disappeared from their sight, and at this moment, Sun Yuan's expression became solemn.

  It turns out that the reason for creating such an exaggerated thing is due to Sun Yuan's terrifying cognition of the sea. Although this time the Monkey King did not fall asleep as soon as he came up, but in Sun Yuan's heart, he dared not to be careless at all. The lesson last time was enough for him, and this time Sun Yuan absolutely would not allow such a situation to happen again.

  "Brother, aren't you sleeping? It's already daytime, I think you should relax a bit. The wind is calm and peaceful, what danger could there be?" At nightfall, the bored Monkey King yawned, looked up at Sun Wukong's serious face, and rubbed his eyes.