Volume 1: Unsayable – Chapter 18: Observing the Stars

Wukong left the Three-Star Cave under the slanting moon. Without using his cloud-jumping technique, he simply rode the mist and clouds. As he moved farther away, looking back at Mount Lingtai Fangcun, which gradually faded from his sight, he felt a hint of sorrow.
No matter why Patriarch Subhuti had taught him those skills, he had after all shown Wukong the power of the great way, broadening his horizons and expanding his knowledge. If given a choice, Wukong would undoubtedly choose this path. In such a world of immortals, who would be content to live an ordinary life? Thus, he felt only gratitude toward Patriarch Subhuti.
After that, Wukong never saw Patriarch Subhuti again; the mysterious figure seemed to have disappeared without a trace. Wukong had known this all along. The first time he met Subhuti, he had a strange feeling, as if he had seen the patriarch somewhere before. But upon careful thought, he had met quite a few people since arriving in this world, so he assumed it must have been a dream.
Patriarch Subhuti’s words earlier were thought-provoking: “By the time we meet again, you may not even recognize me…” Could it be that Subhuti had reappeared under a different guise? Wukong thought hard but found no clue.
Sigh. Even if the patriarch appeared again, he would surely not use the name Subhuti. From now on, there would be no Subhuti in the world… With a sigh, Wukong looked at the landscape below and gradually slowed down. He saw a small mountain peak to his left and landed on it.
Hmm! The more Wukong looked, the stranger it seemed. He had practiced cloud-jumping in this area many times that day but had never seen this mountain peak. Could it be that the peak had appeared out of thin air?
Thinking of this, Wukong used his cloud-jumping technique again and retraced the path he had taken that day. This time, he was even more astonished—he seemed to have arrived in a strange world. Compared to Mount Lingtai Fangcun, this place had much weaker spiritual energy, no beautiful scenery, and no immortal birds or beasts.
Wukong recalled clearly that when practicing cloud-jumping that day, even after flying hundreds of thousands of miles, he hadn’t seen a single human settlement. Yet today, there were well-organized cities and villages on the ground, presenting a peaceful scene. When he flew back, he indeed saw that the strange cliffs and vast sea he had practiced flying over that day were now covered in wheat fields.
Wukong cast a spell, landed on the ground, and took on the appearance of a woodcutter. He approached an old farmer working in the fields and spoke to him. Thanks to his meticulous observational skills as an actor in his past life, Wukong was certain it was not disguise.

Why on earth is this? Wukong was utterly puzzled—had he remembered wrongly? He rode on the clouds, scanning the surroundings. For miles around, there was only vast plains; not to mention seas, not even a single lake. Then, suddenly, he realized that Mount Lingtai Fangcun was gone too! That fairyland-like cave, those ethereal young disciples, that ageless master with a youthful face and great powers—all of them were gone. All those wonderful scenes and landscapes were like mist—no, even mist leaves traces when it passes by. Wukong suddenly had a bold guess: Could it be that Mount Lingtai Fangcun, where Master Subhuti resided, was fake? No, it wasn’t fake; it was some other mysterious realm! That must be it. If it couldn’t be found here any longer, how could Wukong, with his determination, stop searching? With this thought, he stopped looking and found a high mountain to sit on, waiting for something. Once he got it, he could confirm one thing, which would be of great benefit to him in the future. Wukong calmed his mind and focused, using the divine skill of “transforming forms through gestation” on the mountain top. This skill involved changing one’s appearance at will. Earlier, when he disguised himself as a woodcutter, it had felt unnatural—clearly because he hadn’t practiced much and was still unskilled. In the Journey to the West, Wukong had used this skill many times to escape danger; if he hadn’t mastered it perfectly, he wouldn’t have dared to show it off. Of these thirty-six divine skills, apart from the six major heavenly powers, Wukong could use all of them. To be honest, mastering such skills was like reaching heaven for ordinary immortals. The great immortals regarded their powers as precious as their lives, but with enough fortune and after learning the mantras and application methods, these skills became quite easy to master. It was with the golden key given by Master Subhuti that Wukong opened the door to cultivation and enlightenment—a chance that others might not even get after countless trials. Wukong practiced there until night fell. Everything was silent, with only the occasional chirping of insects, making the wilderness even more desolate. Soon, stars began to appear in the sky. Lying on the mountain top, Wukong counted them one by one: five, ten, fifteen… 3,215… 9,845… His sharp eyes allowed him to count over thirty thousand stars in no time. Unknown how much time passed, dawn came in the east, and the stars disappeared. When the last star vanished, Wukong jumped up and exclaimed, “I know! I know! Master, I understand now!”

In fact, as soon as the first star appeared in the sky, Wukong already had a hunch. But to confirm his guess, he stayed up until dawn. In the Sloping Moon Three-Star Cave, Wukong had also lain on the ground observing the stars. Those stars were very different from those in his past life—bigger and brighter, unforgettable at just one glance. Last night, while observing the stars, Wukong found that they were exactly the same as those in his past life, with not the slightest difference. Earlier, in the Water Curtain Cave, the monkeys lived naturally, working at sunrise and resting at sunset; they had hardly ever seen stars. Unexpectedly, the two times Wukong had observed the stars were not in the same sky! Wukong was not the original Wukong; his experiences were far richer than those of the stone monkey born of nature. In his past life, he had read some online novels and seen certain masters create their own realms filled with countless living beings. When he couldn’t find the Sloping Moon Three-Star Cave, he began to suspect whether it might be a realm created by Patriarch Subhuti. Now, he was certain—there was no such place as Mount Lingtai Fangcun or the Sloping Moon Three-Star Cave in the world. Perhaps his entire cultivation experience had taken place within a single mustard seed, and from now on, he might never be able to find this place again. Wukong let out a long sigh. This matter held extraordinary significance for him. The greatest ordeal in his Journey to the West was being trapped under the Five Elements Mountain for over five hundred years. That wager was likely Wukong performing acrobatics within a realm created by Buddha. Thinking of this, Wukong couldn’t help but laugh heartily: “Buddha, Buddha! If I hadn’t been foresighted, it might have been okay. But now that I’m prepared, it’s impossible for them to trap me with this trick again.” In the Eastern Victory Continent, in the country of Aolai, lay Flower-Fruit Mountain. The mountain bordered the vast ocean to the west and adjoined the borders of Aolai to the east, separated by only about two hundred li of sea. Within the mountain were countless red cliffs, strange rocks, steep peaks. In the forests lived long-lived deer and magical foxes, while on the trees resided spiritual birds and cranes. Precious herbs and exotic flowers never withered, and green pines and cypresses remained evergreen. Immortal peaches bore fruit constantly, and bamboo always retained clouds around it. A ravine was covered thick with vines, and the grass on the surrounding embankments was fresh. It was truly a pillar holding up the sky where all rivers converged, with roots that would never shift through endless ages. At that moment, on the summit of Flower-Fruit Mountain, a crowd of monkeys gathered, chattering noisily. Among them sat four old monkeys—the two armless ape monkeys and the two red-tailed monkey monkeys. One of the armless ape monkeys said, “Stop the noise! The king has been gone for two years. As the saying goes, a country cannot go without a ruler for even a day. On this Flower-Fruit Mountain, there are over ten thousand of our kind, and there are also mountain demons and fierce beasts that occasionally attack us. If we don’t work together as one, in a scattered state like now, won’t that give others an advantage?”

Another armadillo ape joined in, saying a few words. Seeing the monkeys calm down a bit, he was secretly pleased.
Unbeknownst to him, the two red-rumped macaques strongly opposed this, with one saying, “Seeking immortals and the path of enlightenment is a fortune that will benefit us for life. Two years is insignificant. We have been entrusted by the Great King to do our utmost to revive our tribe—how can we talk about having no king?”
The other red-rumped macaque added, “Indeed. If we choose a new king today, what will happen when the Great King returns?”
The armadillo ape replied, “Without a king in the mountains, our authority will be weak. When the Great King left, nearly ten thousand people supported him. Now there are only five or six thousand. The situation is urgent—don’t you realize that?”
The red-rumped macaque asked, “What exactly do you mean? Do you think you can become the ruler of Flower-Fruit Mountain just because of that?”