Chapter 2: Return to where you came from

In the dense forest of the Azure Cloud Mountain Range, Su Chen slashed through the thorns blocking the path with his sword.

"Monkey Brother, there's a big river ahead."

The monkey squatted on a large rock, scratching its ears and cheeks.

"How do we get across?"

Su Chen pointed into the distance.

"Look over there, there's a wooden bridge."

"Little Brother has sharp eyes!"

The monkey leaped down and ran forward excitedly.

Su Chen followed behind, calculating in his heart.

It had been a month since they set off from the Jiang Kingdom.

Along the way, he had seen too many things he had never seen before.

Talking trees, wild boars three zhang tall, strange flowers and grasses that glowed at night...

These were all reminding him that this world was far more complex than he had imagined.

Fortunately, with the route provided by the Heavenly Secret Treasure Mirror, the two of them hadn't taken any unnecessary detours.

"Little Brother, come look!"

The monkey shouted from the riverbank.

Su Chen walked over and saw that the river water was an eerie grey-black.

"This river water is a bit evil." The monkey muttered, "But it's fine as long as there's a bridge."

The two stepped onto the wooden bridge.

The bridge was very narrow, only wide enough for one person to pass, and below it was the surging river water.

When they reached the middle of the bridge, the bridge body suddenly shook violently.

"What's going on?"

The monkey grabbed the bridge rope, eyes scanning everywhere.

Su Chen also became vigilant.

Just then, a black snake as thick as a water bucket leaped out of the river!

It opened its bloody mouth and headed straight for Su Chen!

"Little Brother, watch out!"

The monkey roared and smashed its wooden stick at the black snake.

Bang!

The black snake was deflected and fell back into the river.

But immediately after, more black snakes emerged from the water!

Three, five, ten!

Each one was as thick as a water bucket, its scales gleaming with a cold light in the sun.

"There's something strange about this river!"

Su Chen drew his long sword and slashed at the nearest black snake.

The sword light flashed, and the snake's body was cut into two.

But more snakes surged up.

"I'll deal with them! Little Brother, you run!"

The monkey waved the wooden stick, knocking several black snakes away.

"Run together!"

Su Chen shouted.

The two ran wildly on the bridge, with the black snakes in hot pursuit behind them.

Finally, they rushed across the wooden bridge.

The black snakes stopped at the riverbank, seemingly afraid to come ashore.

"Phew..." The monkey panted heavily, "The snakes in this river are a bit strange."

"Indeed."

Su Chen put away his long sword and looked at his hands.

He had used all his strength in that sword strike just now.

But he had only managed to cut one snake.

The scales of these snake demons were unusually hard.

"Little Brother, are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Su Chen shook his head, "Let's keep going."

Over the next two months, the two encountered all sorts of things.

Wolf demons ambushing in the forest, tiger demons claiming kingship in caves, and fox demons capable of transformation...

In every battle, Su Chen gave his all.

But the more he fought, the more powerless he felt.

Any one of these demons could instantly kill the opponents he had defeated back in the Jiang Kingdom.

And although the monkey hadn't learned immortal arts yet, its physical fitness far exceeded that of an ordinary person.

That wooden stick felt light as a feather in its hands, and every swing carried a whistling wind.

If it weren't for the monkey, Su Chen felt he would have died on the road long ago.

"Little Brother, what are you thinking about?"

By the campfire, the monkey asked while gnawing on a wild fruit.

Su Chen looked at the dancing flames.

"I'm thinking that the martial arts I practiced in the Jiang Kingdom are simply not enough in this world."

"That's natural." The monkey grinned.

"No matter how powerful martial arts are, they are just mortal tricks. Only immortal arts can lead to immortality!"

"Monkey Brother is right."

Su Chen sighed.

He was looking forward to meeting Patriarch Puti more and more.

Only by learning immortal arts could he truly gain a foothold in this world.

"By the way, Little Brother, how much further do you say that immortal mountain is?"

"Soon." Su Chen looked at the map in his mind, "At most ten more days, and we'll be there."

"Great!" The monkey jumped up excitedly, "I'm finally going to see an immortal!"

It danced around the campfire, clearly in a very good mood.

Su Chen looked at it, a smile appearing at the corner of his mouth too.

Along this journey, his relationship with the monkey had grown better and better.

Although the monkey was sometimes jumpy, its nature wasn't bad, and it was loyal.

When encountering danger, it never retreated.

When encountering good things, it always shared a portion with Su Chen first.

"Monkey Brother, let me ask you a question."

"Speak!"

"If one day, you learn immortal arts, will you forget me, your little brother?"

The monkey was stunned, then said earnestly.

"Little Brother, how can you say that! Although I am just a monkey, I know the meaning of gratitude!"

It patted its chest.

"You brought me to find the immortal mountain; I remember this kindness! If I really become an immortal in the future, I definitely won't forget you!"

Su Chen smiled.

"I'll remember those words, Monkey Brother."

Ten days later.

The two finally arrived at a large mountain shrouded in clouds and mist.

The mountain was steep, with ancient trees reaching the sky.

"Little Brother, is this the place?"

The monkey was trembling with excitement.

"It should be." Su Chen looked at the mountain path, "Let's go up and see."

Just as the two were speaking, a person slowly walked down the mountain path ahead.

The person was dressed in cloth clothes, with an axe tucked into their waist, singing as they walked.

"Watching the chess game until the axes rot, chopping wood with a ding-ding sound, walking slowly by the valley mouth at the edge of the clouds..."

The singing was ancient and melodious, carrying a profound Dao rhyme.

As soon as Sun Wukong heard this singing, his eyes lit up.

"An immortal! So the immortal was hiding here!"

Su Chen tidied his clothes and brought Sun Wukong to meet him.

When the woodcutter approached, Su Chen bowed respectfully to the ground.

"Greetings, elder brother."

The woodcutter stopped and looked with some surprise at the strange combination of a man and a monkey before him.

"Who are you two? What are you doing here?"

Su Chen straightened up, a humble smile on his face.

"We are seekers of the Dao from afar. We heard there is an immortal in this mountain, so we came to pay a visit."

"I just heard the song you were singing, elder brother; it is very profound. May I ask, are you the immortal of the mountain?"

Hearing this, the woodcutter burst into laughter.

"How could I be an immortal? I'm just a woodcutter."

"That song wasn't made by me either. It's called 'Man Ting Fang', and it was made by an old immortal in the mountain. He saw that my family was poor and that I had daily worries, so he taught us woodcutters to sing it to relieve our boredom."

It's here!

Su Chen was overjoyed; it was exactly the same as in the original work!

Sun Wukong was itching with impatience on the side and hurriedly asked: "Where is that immortal? Please, elder brother, show us the way!"

The woodcutter pointed deep into the mountain with the axe in his hand.

"Follow this path inside for about seven or eight miles, and you will see a cave dwelling; that is the old immortal's residence."

"Thank you for your guidance, elder brother!" Su Chen bowed and saluted.

Afterward, the man and the monkey asked the woodcutter why, since he knew an immortal, he didn't follow the immortal to learn immortal arts instead of making a living by chopping wood.

The woodcutter said his life was bitter, having lost his father at a young age, and now he still had an old mother at home to support, so he dared not abandon her to practice the Dao.

He could only chop some firewood every day and carry it to the market to exchange for money to support his old mother.

Hearing this, Su Chen bowed and saluted again, saying: "In that case, elder brother is a very filial son; you will surely be rewarded in the future!"

Sun Wukong followed suit and bowed to the woodcutter.

The woodcutter waved his hand, saying he didn't deserve it, and went on his way down the mountain carrying his firewood.

"Little Brother! Let's go quickly!"

Sun Wukong could no longer hold back and ran up the mountain, calling Su Chen.

Su Chen withdrew his gaze and followed.

The two walked quickly along the small path, climbed over a hillside, and saw a mansion with its cave door tightly shut beneath a stone cliff.

The cave door was tightly shut, and beside it stood a stone tablet, which was over three zhang high and eight feet wide.

On the top of the stone tablet were ten large characters: The Mountain of Spirit Terrace and Square Inch, the Cave of the Slanting Moon and Three Stars.

"We're here..."

Su Chen murmured.

His heart beat faster.

From this day on, his destiny would change completely.

The monkey walked up and shouted at the cave dwelling.

"Is there anyone in the cave? I have come to seek the Dao!"

The voice echoed in the valley.

The monkey shouted for a long time without seeing anyone come out.

Su Chen knew this was a test, so he let the monkey wait patiently.

Just when the monkey felt like scratching its ears and cheeks from waiting.

"Creak—"

The tightly shut stone door finally made a long sound and slowly opened inward.

A Daoist boy wearing a Daoist robe with his hair tied in knots walked out from the door.

Sun Wukong jumped up with a "swoosh"!

The Daoist boy's gaze first swept over the monkey, seemingly unsurprised.

Then, his gaze fell on Su Chen, and a ripple appeared in his calm eyes.

He cleared his throat and spoke to Sun Wukong.

"My master just finished preaching and said that there is someone outside the door waiting to seek the Dao today."

"He told me to come out and bring you in."

The Daoist boy's words made Sun Wukong ecstatic.

"Great! Great! The immortal wants to see me!"

However, the Daoist boy's next sentence made Su Chen feel as if he had been struck by lightning.

The Daoist boy stared sharply at Su Chen and said word by word.

"But you..."

"Master said, his affinity is only with this monkey."

"You have no affinity with Master."

"So, Master says you should return to where you came from." ===== CHAPTER 3 =====