Chapter 279: A Person of Reality Cannot Board the Dream Ship

Immortal? Me?

Upon hearing the monkey call you an Immortal, your bewilderment at this even surpassed your surprise that the monkey could speak human words.

After all, given that you had already guessed it was a monster, its ability to speak human words wasn't too surprising, but a monster calling you an 'Immortal' clearly left you utterly baffled...

Thus you kept waving your hands: 'I'm not an Immortal...'

After much persuasion, the silly big monkey finally scratched its head, reluctantly believing you weren't an Immortal, yet its face still showed a human-like puzzlement...

After some tentative communication, you two gradually came to understand each other a little: the monkey had no name and didn't know where it came from; it only knew it was born on an island where fruit was abundant, so many monkeys were raised there.

It was the Monkey King of the island's monkeys, usually playing freely, living a carefree and happy life...

Hearing this, you couldn't help but ask curiously: 'Why don't you stay on the island as your Monkey King? With food, drink, and fun, how could you end up nearly starving to death?'

The monkey shook its head: 'What good is just having food and drink? When your lifespan is up, you still have to die, don't you?'

"Do you monsters also die?"

You became even more curious, since you had never before encountered immortals or monsters; having finally met a monster, you naturally wanted to learn as much as possible about this mysterious world.

Not only were you curious, but your father was curious too; your ancestors had all been fishermen, living the same monotonous life, so he was naturally very interested in these matters!

But what confused you and your father was that the monkey looked at you blankly and asked, 'What is a monster?'

"A monster, yet it doesn't know what a monster is?"

You stared at each other...

Although you didn't get the fantastical information you hoped for, regardless, after the brief interaction you were certain this strange big monkey meant no harm.

And after the monkey learned you weren't an Immortal, it quickly lost interest in talking: it still had to go seek an Immortal to obtain the Immortality Technique!

Thus, after regaining some strength, it thanked you profusely and then bade farewell to you and your father...

You stared blankly as the strange monkey walked farther and farther along the shore until it disappeared down the distant road.

"Dad..."

You hesitantly asked your father: 'Do we really have Immortals here?'

"None."

Your father snorted: 'Where would Immortals come from? Around here we only have endless suffering and taxes to pay; everyone is stuck in the mundane world, so how could there be transcendent Immortals?'

Then your father spoke a sentence you would remember for life.

"If our Southern Continent truly had a sword‑flying Immortal, he would surely be the one who collects taxes most harshly, making the whole world his private property and everyone his slaves..."

Those words, steeped in hardship, seemed to contain some special power, delivering an inexplicable shock to your blank‑slate mind...

"Without Immortals, we suffer endless hardships; with Immortals, wouldn't that be even worse?"

"Then... that monkey surely can't find an Immortal, right?"

Worry welled up in your eyes.

"Not only will it fail to find an Immortal, but it itself is in danger!"

Your father shook his head: 'In our rural countryside it's still okay to say, but if it went to the city, a strange treasure like that would surely attract countless greed; officials and nobles would want to keep it as a plaything, while the poor would want to trade it for wealth...'

"It says it's not a monster, but I'd rather say it had better be a monster! Otherwise it won't just fail in its quest for immortality—it'll drag itself down as well..."

Having said that, your father said no more, only taking you, still lost in thought, aboard your family's fishing boat; the oars moved, and you gradually rowed out to sea...

Your first attempt to explore the fantastical world ended in such a simple failure.

The monkey you helped couldn't give you the reward you wanted, and you couldn't help but sigh: 'Seeking immortality and asking about the Dao really isn't that easy...'

Thus your days continued to pass peacefully as before.

Marriage arrived as scheduled; you wed the fisherwoman from your village whom you'd known since childhood, officially starting a family; both sets of parents were pleased, you and your wife were happy, and your married life became even more prosperous!

Afterward, unable to endure the ancestral fishing life, you took your parents' savings and moved with your wife into the city, thereafter living the life of a city dweller...

But moving to the city didn't mean instant success; if you wanted to surpass your ancestors, you needed a career.

So you teamed up with a few fellow villagers, starting by selling fresh catches, gradually saving some money, then changing trades to seek development...

During this process you suffered many setbacks and experienced pressures you'd never felt before, but fortunately your mind was flexible, you could always learn from experience and do better afterward.

Savings grew little by little, and the family became ever happier.

At age twenty your wife bore you a daughter; you were overjoyed and redoubled your efforts abroad!

Year after year passed; in the blink of an eye you were nearly thirty, a middle‑aged person. Thanks to your efforts, your family wasn't fabulously wealthy, but in the city it was solidly middle‑upper— not lacking compared to those above, more than enough compared to those below— so you could proudly say you had surpassed your ancestors!

But in these peaceful days, the cause you had planted years earlier finally bore its fruit...

It was year‑end when you brought your wife and daughter back to your hometown fishing village, laden with many gifts, to celebrate the New Year together with both sets of elders.

It was still a bright, sunny morning; you held your six‑year‑old daughter's hand as you played by the sea, picking up pretty seashells while laughing and telling your city‑raised daughter about the joys of seaside life— catching fish, digging for clams, casting nets… and so on and so forth.

Just as you were speaking, you suddenly noticed a person...

This person was very strange: although wearing clothes, they were askew, as if the size didn't fit, and their whole body was covered in dry twigs and leaves; their gait differed from ordinary people, making them look like a lunatic.

It also spotted you, and with a sudden burst of speed it ran toward you, frightening you into quickly shielding your daughter behind you— just as you were gritting your teeth preparing to fight it, the person actually laughed and greeted you: 'Benefactor! Long time no see, how have you been?'

"Benefactor?"

Hearing that, you froze, a sudden inexplicable sense of familiarity welling up; looking closely, the strange encounter from your youth instantly flashed before your eyes: that odd monkey from back then gradually merged in your mind with this strange person...

"It's you!"

You looked at it in astonished delight, a feeling of joyous reunion with an old friend filling your chest.

Sitting by the sea, you held your daughter, whose face showed a strange expression, and sat opposite it.

Thousands of thoughts surged in your mind; the grown‑up you very much wanted to share your years of experiences with this special old friend, but didn't know where to begin.

After struggling to calm yourself, you curiously asked: 'Have you found an Immortal?'

"No..."

The monkey gave an embarrassed smile, pointing at his shabby clothes: "If I found an immortal, would I still be like this?"

"I've wandered here for eight or nine years, gone to the mountains and fields, also to cities; I've seen plenty of charlatans, but I haven't seen a single true immortal."

Upon meeting an old friend, the monkey bitterly complained, sharing all the misfortunes he'd faced in this mortal world.

Upon hearing that, you couldn't help but sigh: it really is just what your father used to say...

"If I can't find an immortal, then I can't; as long as I can live, that's enough..."

You comforted it like this: "Although you didn't find an immortal this time, you've gained experience; returning to your fertile sea island, continuing as monkey king wouldn't be bad—you'll have as much fruit as you want, as much power as you want, as many female monkeys as you want..."

"No! These aren't what I want!"

Unexpectedly, the monkey shook his head: "I only seek the Immortality Technique; no matter how good the island is, it means nothing to me."

You felt surprised: "Why do you want longevity so badly? You're already a monster; you can live long without seeking it, so why bother..."

The monkey shook his head again: "I'm not a monster... Moreover, I'm not seeking this just for myself; the monkeys and monkey descendants on the island are still waiting for my longevity technique."

This strange monkey still refuses to admit it's a monster, and moreover, it's not satisfied with just its own longevity—it wants all the monkeys to achieve longevity as well!

"The Southern Continent is full of greed and killing, deceit and fraud... I don't think there are any divine immortals here; I might as well go elsewhere and have a look."

The monkey sighed, and you were astonished: "You still want to go elsewhere?"

"Of course!"

The monkey smiled, confident and resolute: "I will surely find a divine immortal!"

You marveled at its determination to seek immortality, although you didn't think highly of it, but you sincerely expressed admiration: "May your journey be smooth, and may you soon find a true immortal!"

Afterward, the monkey was about to build another raft and set out to sea; seeing its shabby equipment, you couldn't help but feel soft-hearted, and so you simply acted as an angel investor!

You gave your fishing boat to it for free, and then prepared plenty of fresh water and easily preserved dried fruits and rations... If it weren't for the fact that it doesn't eat meat, you'd also want to prepare some dried fish and meat for its provisions.

In short, you helped it as much as you could, but these things were still a drop in the ocean before the endless sea... You didn't really think it could succeed, nor were you looking to invest for a return; you simply wanted to show your respect...

Your kindness moved the monkey deeply; it patted its chest, indicating that once it became an immortal, it would surely repay you with a spring of water—immortality would not be complete without you!

In response, you couldn't very well pour cold water on it, so you could only smile and offer your blessings.

"Right!"

The monkey suddenly spoke enthusiastically: "Do you want to go with me to seek immortals? I'll protect you!"

"Me?"

You stared, not expecting the monkey to invite you.

"To seek immortals with dreams?"

You refused without hesitation, not even consulting your other self.

Because you're no longer that naive youth with only dreams in your heart; you've now matured, and adults cannot risk everything for a mere dream.

Parents, wife and children, family property... you have too many ties; you can't lightly sever them, nor could you possibly do so—that would be irresponsible toward yourself and toward everyone who depends on you...

Seeing your refusal, the monkey didn't say anything; clever as it was, it knew your thought: humans and monkeys are ultimately different.

It clasped its fists toward you, then began to paddle the oars, slowly pulling away into the distant sea.

It set off full of dreams and expectations, heading toward that unknown direction; no matter what setbacks, it could endure and dare to endure... Born a warrior who fights heaven and earth, once it sets a goal, if it fails to achieve it, it will never turn back.

This is a free spirit, and also a seeker of the Dao.

And you... are merely a mortal, a real person living in this world, destined never to board the monkey's ship born of dreams.

One person, one monkey.

One reality, one dream.

Between them lies the boundless sea...

(End of chapter)