Twisted Dreams-Chapter 98 - 70: The First Demon in the Mortal World
Bai Mountain City, Changbai Mountain, Meal Basin.
"Squeak, squeak... squeak, squeak..."
Zhao Yong, with a broken leg, was awakened by the noisy squeaking sound.
He forced his tired eyes open, trying hard to see what was in front of him.
It was a fluffy little golden monkey, just a bit bigger than a fist.
Zhao Yong was a mountain wanderer who came to Meal Basin to gather ginseng.
He got lost in the mountains, separated from his companions.
Exhaustion and hunger caused his low blood pressure to act up, and he fainted deep in the mountains.
It was late autumn, the temperature as cold as deep winter, only lacking a snowfall.
If this continued, he would die of hunger, thirst, or cold.
If only he could twist off that monkey’s neck, he could drink its blood to quench his thirst and have a bite of monkey meat.
Zhao Yong tried hard to stretch out his hand to catch the monkey.
Every move consumed his energy, and his head spun with dizziness.
"Thirsty, thirsty, thirsty..." Zhao Yong moaned weakly.
"Squeak, squeak!" The little golden monkey, seeing Zhao Yong’s anxious state, squeaked loudly and ran away in panic.
Zhao Yong muttered unconsciously:
"Don’t go, don’t go, let me eat..."
Unsure how long had passed, Zhao Yong felt a cool sensation on his lips.
Sweet.
Is this... fruit juice?
Zhao Yong gulped it down, finally gaining enough strength to open his eyes.
He saw the little golden monkey standing on his chest, holding some unknown fruit in its hands, squeezing the juice into his mouth.
Did this little golden monkey save me?
Zhao Yong could not believe his eyes.
Could it be because this stupid monkey mistook me for one of its kind?
Scientific studies show that some monkeys can’t distinguish between humans and their species.
Zhao Yong felt a bit better, but he still wanted to raise his arm to grab the little golden monkey and eat it, but he was too weak; his arm felt as heavy as a thousand pounds.
At this moment, the little monkey picked up a large ginseng.
Zhao Yong’s eyes lit up; this ginseng was old and could sell for a good price!
"No! What is this stupid monkey going to do?!"
Zhao Yong watched helplessly as the little golden monkey chewed on the old ginseng.
The little golden monkey spat the chewed ginseng into its palm and fed it into Zhao Yong’s mouth.
With the nourishment of the old ginseng, Zhao Yong quickly regained his energy and vitality.
He felt a bit stronger, incredulously looking at the little golden monkey:
"Are you a demon?"
The little golden monkey clapped its hands joyfully.
Zhao Yong murmured softly:
"It can’t be a demon; a demon would’ve eaten me by now. This monkey truly has intelligence."
Zhao Yong asked:
"Can you take me down the mountain?"
The little golden monkey looked at Zhao Yong blankly.
"Don’t understand?"
Zhao Yong gestured wildly to express his idea.
The little golden monkey seemed to understand, ran a few steps forward, and looked back at Zhao Yong.
Zhao Yong hurried to keep up.
He didn’t find a way down the mountain, but Zhao Yong discovered his companions.
His companions had set up a camp, roasting sweet potatoes by the fire.
Zhao Yong called out to them, and they looked at him in surprise.
A man stood up, pulling up his pants:
"We thought you were done for; how did you find your way back?"
Zhao Yong laughed and said:
"It’s a long story. I followed the stupid monkey all the way here."
The little golden monkey proudly held its head high.
Every man in the camp looked on greedily.
In the Meal Basin, meat that can supplement protein is important.
The men licked their lips:
"In the old forest, if you get lost, some animals are the best guides.
Many hunters follow silly deer looking for food to get out of the old forest.
You’re really lucky, Ah Yong.
Now it’s time for the stupid monkey to reach its greatest value."
The little golden monkey sensed something was wrong and hid behind Zhao Yong’s pant leg, chattering anxiously.
The man eyed Zhao Yong warily:
"You won’t stop us from eating the monkey just because it saved your life, will you?"
Zhao Yong smirked:
"Sure, you can eat it—for three hundred yuan each."
The man frowned:
"You’re really exploiting the situation... fine, I’ll transfer the money to you once we’re down the mountain."
Zhao Yong was satisfied and bent down to pick up the little golden monkey:
"Here."
The little golden monkey yelped in pain, wailing and slapping Zhao Yong’s hand with its little paws.
The mountain wanderers swallowed their saliva, imagining the taste of monkey meat.
Just then, a strange gust of wind whipped up.
The mountain wanderers couldn’t open their eyes against the wind, covering their faces.
The little golden monkey seized the opportunity and bit Zhao Yong’s hand.
Zhao Yong yelped in pain and let go, and the little golden monkey fled in panic.
...
By evening, the slanting sunlight was gradually blocked by the mountains, leaving a dim yellow from the setting sun.
Snowflakes began to fall from the sky, the first snow of early winter finally arriving.
Soon, the entire forest was covered with a thick layer of white snow.
The little golden monkey huddled in the snow, its tiny hands clasped together in a small bundle.
Its stomach growled with hunger, and it looked around in aggrieved confusion.
It didn’t know where to find fruit to eat.
At this moment, a large peach tree suddenly appeared before it.
The little golden monkey was startled, ready to flee.
But it stopped in its tracks.
The little golden monkey saw a plethora of luscious, large peaches on the tree!
The little golden monkey gazed up hungrily, swallowing its saliva.
A sigh came from nowhere, and a large peach fell from the tree branch.
The little golden monkey embraced it greedily.
Slowly, hundreds of human faces emerged on the Tree of Human Essence, which began to speak:
"You are indeed intelligent, just a bit foolish."
The little golden monkey raised its eyes, cautiously watching the large peach tree.
Cautiously, it hid the large peach, nearly its size, behind it.
The Tree of Human Essence rebuked:
"I’m not going to take it from you!!"
The little golden monkey relaxed, boldly eating half of it, and gave the other half to one of the many faces on the peach tree.
The tree expressed its gratification:
"At least you have some heart, eat it yourself."
The little golden monkey beamed, consuming the other half in big bites.
With a longing look, it gazed at the peaches hanging from the tree branches.
With hundreds of eyes watching, the Tree of Human Essence looked at the little golden monkey for a while:
"Compared to humans, you are quite pure.
Hmm... strictly speaking, you’re the purest creature I’ve ever seen.
Perhaps it’s time to bestow you with a gift."
From within the tree’s crown, a bright red peach fell down.
The little golden monkey scratched its head bashfully and began to devour the red peach.
An immense spiritual power broke open the little golden monkey’s Sea of Spirit.
Profound knowledge surged into its mind.
[Knight of Vengeance]
[A powerful warrior under the command of the Death God.]
[When justice is not served, the fire of vengeance from hell is noble.]
[Awakened Talent: Fire of Revenge]
[Fire of Revenge: Each time an evildoer’s soul is burned, the fire’s intensity increases.]
[The stronger the fire of revenge, the stronger the Knight of Vengeance.]
The little golden monkey’s eyes gradually gleamed with a different light, rolling them around.
It resembled a little sprite who had awakened to its spirit.
The little golden monkey scratched its head again, kneeling in front of the peach tree:
"Thank you, Grandpa, for the peach-eating opportunity."
Many had eaten the peaches from the Tree of Human Essence.
They all knelt in reverence, thanking it for the miraculous gift.
At that time, the Tree of Human Essence recalled its master’s words.
"They’re not worshiping me; they’re bowing to their own desires."
The Tree of Human Essence sensed this deeply.
Only this little monkey truly thanked it.
This stirred a different kind of feeling within the Tree of Human Essence.
The Tree said:
"You can call me Master."
The little golden monkey bowed once more:
"Thank you, Master, I still want to eat more."
......
ps: I wonder if this is how Bodhi Ancestor felt when he met Sun Wukong:
