Chapter 651 - 67: The Monkey Seeks a Master, Enters The Beginning of Ancient Times, and Comprehends the Emptiness of the Buddhist Sect

Chapter 651: Chapter 67: The Monkey Seeks a Master, Enters The Beginning of Ancient Times, and Comprehends the Emptiness of the Buddhist Sect

"Let me go! Let me go!"

The Little Monkey yelled:

"I don’t want you to be my master anymore! I’m going to find a more powerful Immortal, the most powerful one of all!"

Bodhi Ancestor Master dangled the monkey, his mouth twitching as a sense of stifled frustration welled up inside him.

He had just used his powers to scry the past and future, observing all threads of fate, only to confirm that no Fellow Daoist had secretly intervened. It was simply that this monkey had been utterly captivated by the Celestial Book!

Bodhi Ancestor Master didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. ’Fellow Daoist Purple Cloud hasn’t even touched the matter of the Journey to the West, yet he’s caused such a massive impact and deviation. The monkey won’t even accept a master now!’

He said, vexed:

"What do you take my Fangcun Mountain for, you monkey? A place you can just come and go as you please?"

The Little Monkey stuck its neck out stubbornly:

"I never wanted to come here in the first place! I’m looking for the Great Immortal, the one who passed down the Celestial Book and brought Cultivation to the infinite Human Race!"

Frustration knotted in Bodhi’s heart, but his face remained impassive as he said calmly:

"You speak of Profound Origin Fusheng of Purple Cloud Palace, I presume?"

"Oh? You know him?"

The Little Monkey’s eyes widened. He stopped making a fuss, his gaze shining brightly as he stared at Bodhi Ancestor Master.

The Ancestor Master’s mouth twitched, but he quickly composed himself and said:

"Fellow Daoist Purple Cloud and I are quite close. But you are just an unruly monkey from the wilds. How could you possibly catch his eye? And how am I to know if you are sincere in your desire to take a master?"

"Sincere! I’m as sincere as can be!" the Little Monkey yelled. Dangling in mid-air from Bodhi’s grasp, he made a surprisingly formal bow.

"Old Immortal, I could tell at a glance you’re kind-faced and good-hearted, a truly great person! Could you please give me an introduction?"

Bodhi Ancestor Master frowned slightly and fell into deep thought.

’That Fellow Daoist Purple Cloud seems to be no problem, for now. He is now one of the three masters of the Buddhist Sect and has already turned against The Three Pristine Ones. While he cannot be fully trusted, he cannot be completely dismissed either...’

’So be it. So be it.’

Bodhi Ancestor Master said calmly:

"You say you are sincere. Very well. You will sweep the grounds here for three years and carry water for three years. Then you will meditate for three years and chant scriptures for another three. If you can do all this meticulously, I will acknowledge your sincerity and take you to see Fellow Daoist Purple Cloud. How does that sound?"

"I can do that! Of course I can do that!"

The Little Monkey clapped its hands in delight:

"I spent thirty years crossing the sea and four years searching for the path—what are another twelve years? I’ll do it! I’ll do it!"

Seeing the monkey’s reaction, Bodhi Ancestor Master’s expression softened once more. ’Three years of sweeping, three years of carrying water, and three years of meditation... all to quiet his mind.’

’After quieting his heart for nine years, reading Buddhist Scriptures for another three should cultivate at least some Buddhist nature in him. It would set a foundation and keep the little rascal from straying too far off course...’

With that, Bodhi casually tossed the monkey to the ground and scolded with a laugh:

"Well, aren’t you going to start sweeping?"

"I’m on it, I’m on it!"

For three years, the monkey swept with tireless vigor. For the next three years, it carried water, as energetic as ever. Then came three years of meditation. Even this most impatient of monkeys managed to persevere, driven by his desperate longing for cultivation and his dream of taking Purple Cloud as his master.

And yet, over these nine years, his heart found a measure of peace. His desire to take Purple Cloud as his master only deepened, gradually solidifying into an obsession.

After chanting Buddhist Scriptures for three more years, a total of twelve years had passed. The monkey had shed some of his wild nature and learned a bit of etiquette. The way he walked and bowed was now passably respectable.

「At the end of the twelfth year.」

Bodhi Ancestor Master gazed at the Little Monkey:

"You have stayed here for twelve years. Though not master and disciple in name, we have been so in practice. I have observed your character and find it acceptable. Taking pity on you, I will ask you one last time: are you willing to take me as your master?"

He paused, then continued before the monkey could answer:

"Fellow Daoist Purple Cloud has no disciples; it’s unlikely he will accept you. I, too, have much to teach. I can teach you to divine the workings of heaven, to command immortals and dispatch deities, to move mountains and chase the moon, to part rivers and form new land, to achieve Longevity and eternal sight... If you wish to learn, there is nothing I cannot teach."

The monkey bowed respectfully.

"Ancestor Master, I am grateful for your care these past twelve years. You have given me a place to live, clothes to wear, food to fill my belly, and rules to guide my conduct. But my heart is still set on the Purple Cloud Immortal."

Bodhi Ancestor Master sighed softly:

"Are you certain? If Fellow Daoist Purple Cloud doesn’t accept you, I will not take you in again either. You will have no choice but to return to the wilds as a common monkey. In a few hundred or a thousand years, when your life ends, you will die and your path will vanish."

"I have made up my mind, Ancestor Master!"

The monkey nodded with great seriousness. ’For two years in the city, one year in the mountains, and one year in the wilderness, everyone I saw, everyone I watched, was practicing the techniques from the Celestial Book.’

’From snot-nosed children to doddering old men, they could all use incredible Immortal Techniques. The Purple Cloud Immortal, who passed down the Celestial Book and spread its teachings, must be the most incredible Immortal of all!’

’If I’m going to have a master, it has to be the best!’

’And if I can’t have the best, I won’t settle for anyone less!’

This monkey had always been proud and defiant.

At this, Bodhi Ancestor Master closed his eyes for a long moment. He offered no more persuasion—to say more would be beneath his station. He simply gave a faint nod.

"So be it. I will take you to see Fellow Daoist Purple Cloud. But he is a figure of immense stature; a nameless monkey like yourself cannot simply approach him. I shall first bestow a name upon you. How about it?"

’Bestowing a name creates a significant bond of Cause and Effect,’ he thought. ’It should provide some benefit in guiding this monkey toward the Buddhist Sect in the future.’

"Please bestow a name upon me, Ancestor Master!"

"Since you are a monkey, your surname will be Sun. You were born unruly, but three years of chanting scriptures has tempered that nature somewhat. Your temperament seems to align with the Buddhist path, so I will grant you the given name Wukong.

If one day you awaken to the truth and enter the path of enlightenment, you may achieve Great Power. It is not impossible that you could one day stand shoulder to shoulder with myself and Fellow Daoist Purple Cloud..."

With these few sentences, Bodhi Ancestor Master deliberately planted a seed in the monkey’s heart that would guide him toward the Buddhist path. He said no more.

He took hold of Sun Wukong and waved his hand. The world transformed around them. Clouds billowed and a path opened in the heavens. A Chaos Ladder descended from the Thirty-Six Celestial Realms, suffused with Dao Rhyme and shimmering with Buddhist light!