Chapter 26: Two Monkeys Set Sail, End of Volume One

  After the two great kings scolded, a group of monkeys quickly dismantled the bamboo raft and re-prepared. Soon, Sun Wukong, who was preparing to set off in the Water Curtain Cave, also learned about this news. After personally coming out to investigate, the Monkey King thought that what Sun Yuan said was reasonable, so he decided to postpone the departure for one day and ordered the monkey group to fully cooperate with Sun Yuan's construction actions.

  Although he had the full support of the monkey group, Sun Yuan did not dare to rely entirely on these monkeys! After assigning some non-critical tasks to the monkeys, Sun Yuan was still worried about the quality of the bamboo raft. He went out to find some key things himself, which slowed him down a lot, but for safety's sake, even if it took twice as long, Sun Yuan didn't mind. After all, the more prepared he was now, the easier the trials he would face in the future. Facing the legendary Eastern Ocean, even with his current cultivation level, Sun Yuan had to be careful.

  After personally selecting dozens of thick bamboo stalks as the main part of the raft, Sun Yuan went to the top of the mountain and used some leftover iron blocks from making lightning rods to forge nails in a makeshift fire pit. He then nailed the bamboo stalks together and chose several hundred-year-old vines from the mountainside, cutting them down to use as ropes.

  Before long, half a day passed, and after the collective efforts of the monkeys, a new raft appeared in front of them. This raft was not only twice as large as the previous one, but its entire body was extremely sturdy. Sun Yuan estimated that if nothing unexpected happened, this raft should be able to take him to the Southern Jambudvipa continent.

  After the raft was built, Sun Wukong personally inspected the strength of the bamboo raft and was very satisfied with its toughness. As the sky darkened, the busy monkey group gradually dispersed. In the evening, the beautiful Monkey King confirmed the departure date, which was tomorrow morning.

  That night, Sun Wukong did not drink with the group of monkeys, but instead went alone to the top of the Mountain of Flowers and Fruits, sat cross-legged on the base of the divine stone pedestal, and began to meditate with his eyes closed. Only he himself knew that after tomorrow, he would encounter what kind of danger, so a fully prepared body was necessary.

  The night passed in an instant, and at dawn, Sun Yuan woke up from his meditation. When he opened his eyes, the moon had already hidden below the horizon, and the sun burst out with vigor, starting a new day. And Sun Yuan was about to embark on a new journey.

  Look in the direction, Sun Yuan swept up a black wind and appeared on the coast, at this time, the beautiful monkey king was already waiting there, beside him were big and small bags of fruit, as well as a group of monkeys that couldn't be seen to the end.

  A group of monkeys stared at their king with wide eyes, the mischievous little monkeys in the troop were also silent, as if they felt a sense of sadness and loss. Each one gazed curiously with big, round eyes that blinked not once.

  After Sun Yuan arrived, he greeted the long-haired and tongbi monkeys, and then looked at the wooden raft. At this time, under the joint efforts of the monkeys, the bamboo raft had been pushed into the water and was slightly shaking with the waves in the sea. There were two long poles at each end of the bamboo raft, which were inserted high on the bamboo raft, made from the iron tree branches broken by Sun Yuan in the mountain.

  "Brother, you've finally arrived! I was getting impatient. If you didn't come soon, I might have left first!" Sun Wukong scratched his monkey face, his face filled with excitement. "Come on, hurry up and get on, it's not early anymore, we should set off too!"

  "Heh heh, I'll go up right away." Sun Yuan nodded to Sun Wukong, first throwing some luggage he had prepared onto the horse, then turning his head to look at Zhang Mao and the other old monkeys.

  "Take care, all of you! Work hard and cultivate your skills. The future of the Mountain of Flowers and Fruits depends on you!" Sun Wukong waved his hand, jumped up, and landed on a bamboo raft.

  "Don't worry, Your Majesty and Second Grand King. Have a good trip and don't worry about the Mountain of Flowers and Fruits. Everything here will be fine." The gibbon stopped the long-haired one from speaking with a gesture, but instead shook his arm fiercely and shouted.

  As soon as Sun Wukong appeared, the beautiful monkey king jumped onto the bamboo raft and bowed to the crowd of monkeys on the shore. After Sun Wukong jumped onto the bamboo raft, the two monkeys immediately pushed off with their long poles. Under the counterforce of the poles, the bamboo raft drifted away from the shore, gradually entering the vast ocean, far away from the territory of the Mountain of Flowers and Fruits!

  As they departed, neither of the two monkeys looked back at the shore, not even for a glance. Their determination was unwavering and unshakeable at this moment. The bamboo raft gradually drifted further and further away until the silhouettes of the two monkeys could no longer be seen. It wasn't until then that the group of monkeys on Mount Huaguo returned dejectedly, going back to their paradise.

  They just didn't know that without Sun Wukong, the fast signboard, Huaguo Mountain would soon no longer be a paradise on earth. All the hardships and dangers of the Western world would descend upon Huaguo Mountain. It can be said that in the next twenty years, the monkeys on Huaguo Mountain would experience one unforgettable disaster after another. This situation wouldn't improve until the return of the beautiful monkey king.

  Having lost the Great King and Second Great King, the current Flower Fruit Mountain is dominated by Long Mao and Tongbi Monkey. After more than 300 years of getting along, the relationship between the two monkeys can be said to have become much closer. At this moment, looking out at the vast ocean, the two monkeys involuntarily grasped each other's furry paws. The brothers who were once good friends are now far away, but they can't do anything about it. This feeling is quite unbearable. Now, all they can do is wait.

  "It's better this way, the Great King and Second Great King are after all different from us, their path is not on Mount Huaguo." The gibbon let out a long sigh, then pushed his long hair and said "Alright, we should head back too. Now that the Great King has left, we should take up the heavy responsibility of Mount Huaguo, and when the Great King returns, give him back an intact Mount Huaguo."

  "Huh, Tong Bei, are you okay? Didn't you sleep well?" Long Mao heard Tong Bei's words and pulled his monkey paws out of his palms, circling around Tong Bei in a flurry, staring at him strangely.

  "What's wrong? Is there something wrong with my face?" The monkey rubbed his face, looking puzzled, saying that he had washed it this morning, so shouldn't it be clean already?

  "How could you say something so philosophical, is this still the Tōn Bèi Yuán I know? Have you been possessed by something? No way, I have to check. With a flick of his long hair, he revealed a strange smile, and before Tōn Bèi Yuán could react, he kicked him into the water and took off running."

  "Cháng máo, I'm going to kill you, don't run." After a long time, the drenched Sun Wukong finally managed to get up from the water. He immediately realized he had been tricked by Cháng máo and instantly let out a loud roar as he chased after him. A day on Mount Huaguo began!