72 Transforming Energy into Qi (1/2)
It stills the ocean with its might; it awes the jade sea into calm.
It stills the ocean with its might: tides wash its silver slopes and fish swim into its caves
It awes the jade sea into calm: amid the snowy breakers, the sea−serpent rises from the deep.
It rises high in the corner of the world where Fire and Wood meet; its summit towers above the Eastern Sea.
Red cliffs and strange rocks. Beetling crags and jagged peaks.
On the red cliffs, phoenixes sing in pairs; lone unicorns lie before the beetling crags.
The cries of pheasants are heard upon the peaks; in caves, the dragons come and go.
(excerpt from Journey to The West)
...
The waves beat against the shore of the lone island in the sea. The immortal grass here was lush and vibrant, painting a scene of a land untouched by time, resembling an immortal realm on earth.
Standing atop a lone peak, Feng Lin turned a blind eye to the beautiful vision before him.
He didn't know whether to cry or smile. When he lowered his head and stared at the stone shell beneath his feet, he repeatedly stroke the golden fur on his hand.
Although he had no way to see his entire appearance, Feng Lin could still have an impression. The mouth of the chinese Thunder God, high cheekbones and bow-legged…
There's no mistake, I'm a monkey now!
Pei!
I'm not a monkey, I've only just become one!
Wrong!
I'm not a monkey, I just appear to resemble one!
…..
Everything was so confusing.
Feng Lin shook his head. He felt that he had turned into a monkey, and his mind had become short-circuited.
He drew a deep breath to calm his emotions. Pointing to the stone shell on the ground, he finally recognized a fact. He had somehow become a monkey, a monkey that was just born from a stone.
As he continued thinking, his thoughts became muddled.
Something's wrong!
In the legends, during the birth of the stone monkey, didn't Sun Wukong gleam with golden light as all living things in the four directions bowed to him?
Why were things so low-profile when he became the legendary stone monkey? So low-profile that he wanted to cry!
Ugh, something is definitely wrong, why am I grumbling about this?
What I should be thinking about is why did I suddenly become a monkey.
...
Every time Feng Lin's thoughts returned to the main topic, it would unceasingly drift off to random directions as other thoughts filled his head.
Eventually, his head became extremely muddled and confused.
Gu, gu, gu…
A thunderous rumble woke him up from his pondering. It wasn't that he had figured out something but rather...
Feng Lin was clutching his stomach while frowning. He was hungry!
Without realizing it, he had already stayed an entire night on this lone peak. Now that dawn had approached, he naturally became hungry…
Feng Lin cast his vision and looked far away. He actually had nothing to say. He felt that he became more and more like a real monkey.
This sense of hunger was incomparably fierce, causing his entire body to be devoid of strength.
After all, Feng Lin now was just a stone monkey that had just recently born. He was tiny and had a weak body; he hadn't even had a bite of sustenance yet.
He felt helpless in his heart. He could only toss aside his anger, grief, and conflicts, as he started to look for food.
Luckily, this lone island in the sea was a paradise on earth. There were flowers, lush trees, and even countless immortal fruits everywhere.
As he descended from the peak, Feng Lin instantly saw a dense forest of peach trees. The bright red peaches sat there gleamingly.
Feng Lin couldn't control it any longer. He licked his lips and scampered up the tree.
Why did he 'scampered'?
For some reason, Feng Lin felt that after he became a monkey, his instincts became more and more like one as well.
He climbed agilely, seemingly effortless. It was as though he was a real monkey.