Journey to the West (Black Myth)

Shi Yue didn't stay long in Water Curtain Cave as he felt that it was merely a place for a bunch of playful monkeys, lacking any logical thought—even Sun Wukong was no different.

After leaving Water Curtain Cave, he continued his attempt to find a way out, but no matter which direction he traveled, he always ended up back at the cave. After countless attempts, he reluctantly gave up.

What surprised him was that Sun Wukong's feast showed no sign of ending; it was a non-stop celebration filled with eating and drinking. When tired, they slept, and upon waking, resumed their revelry. Monkeys continually brought fruits into the cave. Life was carefree and joyous. For the monkeys, Shi Yue—a Great King—only appeared every few days before disappearing again, leaving them unaware of his activities and uninterested.

Two months later, Shi Yue, feeling utterly helpless, returned to his birthplace. He knew that this location connected to the earth's energy, making it the place with the most abundant spiritual energy on Flower-Fruit Mountain. Since he couldn't leave, he decided to cultivate on his own.

At the moment of his birth, he had an epiphany. Like Sun Wukong, he emerged already in the transformation stage of a demon. However, this was just the first step; essentially, he was a newborn demon, insignificant compared to the likes of the Bull Demon King and other demon kings who had cultivated for countless ages. Yet his "birth" was unparalleled, being nurtured from the Chaos Stone!

This was something even great beings formed from innate spiritual matter couldn't compare to. Otherwise, the revered Earth Immortal Ancestor, Grandmaster Zhenyuan, who had powers equal to Tathagata, wouldn't have sworn brotherhood with the small Sun Wukong. His potential was what they valued; his strength would truly surge when he began to cultivate the Golden Core Path. In a mere decade or so, his power would rival that of the Bull Demon King, a being from the ancient past.

As for the Four Great Protectors of Flower-Fruit Mountain, it was unclear what fortuitous encounters they had in the mountain, but they had mysteriously reached the transformation stage. Unlike ordinary monkeys, their mouths weren't as pronounced, appearing closer to a half-wild human and could generally walk upright and speak. However, their monkey nature persisted, and they remained far from Sun Wukong, while Shi Yue's transformation was even more complete than Sun Wukong's.

In three days, Shi Yue constructed a stone hut at his birthplace, offering shelter from wind and rain. Once inside, he disregarded all external matters.

Self-cultivation was slow, but time passed swiftly. In the blink of an eye, a month went by. Had Sun Wukong not suddenly arrived, Shi Yue might have continued to cultivate indefinitely until the invisible barrier of Flower-Fruit Mountain disappeared.

Upon reaching Shi Yue's stone hut, Sun Wukong circled it several times and then scratched his head before sitting at the entrance. It seemed he had something to say but kept hesitating, scratching his head without speaking. Finally, Shi Yue couldn't stand it any longer, smiled, and opened his eyes.

"If you have something to say, just say it."

Monkey-boy chuckled, and instead of addressing his reason directly, deflected, "Brother, why live so humbly in a stone hut? In our cave palace, there's endless fruit and wine, with many to serve you. I really don't understand your way of thinking."

Shi Yue smiled, "You're here for a reason. Just say it."

Monkey-boy scratched his head again, hesitating for a long time, and finally, somewhat embarrassed, said, "Um, you named Black Fur 'King Kong.' The other three have been envious, hoping I'd give them names too. I thought of a few, but they didn't seem right. Can you help me think of some?"

He cautiously glanced at Shi Yue.

Hearing this, Shi Yue was intrigued and smiled, "What names did you come up with? Let me hear." He thought to himself, this fellow was greatly influenced by me, already naming others when he wasn't supposed to have his own name for another 300 years, and then only given by Patriarch Bodhi.

Sun Wukong scratched his head again, then said, "Gray Fur is the most mixed, so I wanted to name him 'Mottled Fur.' The monkey with reddish-brown fur, I thought of calling 'Dirt Lump.' The one with long white fur—after much thought, I settled on calling him 'Cotton.' What do you think?"

Shi Yue nearly burst out laughing. With difficulty, he restrained himself and asked, "Do you know what cotton is?"

Sun Wukong blinked, "What is it?"

Shi Yue replied nonchalantly, "I have no idea either."

Sun Wukong scratched his head. Shi Yue pondered and suggested, "How about changing the names a bit? For 'Mottled Fur,' let's call him 'Chaos.' 'Dirt Lump' can become 'Titan,' and 'Cotton' could be 'Taibai.'"

Shi Yue didn't need to ask to see that with each name he proposed, Sun Wukong's eyes lit up with excitement. As soon as Shi Yue finished speaking, Sun Wukong couldn't help but express his enthusiasm, scratching his head and saying, "Great! Changing the names does make them sound more impressive. No wonder they call us brothers kings. Well then, you continue, and I'll be off."

With those words, Sun Wukong's figure disappeared in an instant. Shi Yue couldn't help but chuckle and shook his head before immersing himself back into his cultivation state. It was not as monotonous as one might think—similar to the feeling before his birth, entering a meditative state felt like being half-awake, only faintly aware of the passage of time. When he reopened his eyes, a hundred years had passed.

At first, Sun Wukong would occasionally come to check on him from a distance, unable to understand Shi Yue's odd behavior and too laid-back to think about it. Eventually, he assigned Titan, Chaos, Taibai, and King Kong, his four great monkey elders, to guard him in turns to prevent younger monkeys from disturbing him.

Years of coexistence had firmly planted Shi Yue as the only kin in Sun Wukong's heart, irreplaceable by anyone. Monkeys were straightforward—Sun Wukong was the king, so of course, his sole brother was also a king, with the rest as subordinates. After that, it was just eating, drinking, and merrymaking.

And so, in the blink of an eye, three hundred years passed. As the monkey troop on Flower-Fruit Mountain thrived, their carefree lives eventually led to feelings of boredom. Shi Yue became somewhat of a legend on the mountain—a king many newborns and even some elder monkeys had heard of but never seen.

As for the four monkey elders, their long-time proximity to Shi Yue not only kept them in a spiritually nourishing area but, over the centuries, allowed them to achieve their full transformations, vastly different from before. Their coats became stunningly beautiful, their forms much larger, resembling Sun Wukong's humanoid appearance, and their behaviors became increasingly human-like.

"I wonder what's been bothering the Great King lately. He's always sighing. And our King Shi Yue too—hasn't he been sleeping for several hundred years now? None of our monkey descendants have even seen him."

This comment came as Black Fur, now called King Kong, was on duty, when Ma Hou, now known as Taibai, came to relieve him and couldn't help but chattering.

Over the centuries, Taibai's fur had grown longer and whiter, and despite his monkey face, he now exuded an ethereal, celestial aura. King Kong, on the other hand, retained his black fur but had grown even more robust. He resembled a gorilla, feared by younger monkeys as the most intimidating elder.

The two, despite being polar opposites in coloration, got along very well, while Gray Fur Chaos and Tawny Fur Titan had their own camaraderie. Each had distinct traits—Taibai was otherworldly like a celestial being; King Kong was perpetually irritable, like a wrathful deity; Chaos was disheveled and sneaky-looking; Titan seemed naive and honest but was actually mischievous, doing inexplicable things.

When Taibai started yet another familiar conversation, King Kong wasn't bothered, perhaps because Flower-Fruit Mountain was short on news. He just clicked his tongue the hundredth time and repeated in his raspy voice:

"I've always thought King Shi Yue is extraordinary. I heard from a young monkey that he might actually be the one who named you three, just using the Great King's mouth."

"Hey, that's dangerous talk. It doesn't matter; both of them are kings and brothers. It doesn't make a difference who named us. If you dare speak ill of King Shi Yue, you'll be in trouble with both kings."

"Yeah, I know. But despite looking like the king, why can't we surpass him?"

"King Shi Yue is naturally sacred; we can't possibly win. Haven't you seen him emerge from the stone? Have you ever seen a stone-born monkey?"

"I have, actually!"

"Who?"

"Hehe, our King Shi Yue!"

"Uh... seems like you've said that before."

In recent decades, Shi Yue often overheard similar dialogues every few days. The monkeys' nature was restless, which is why the guards rotated every day. But interestingly, each conversation was almost identical!

Even so, their reverence and loyalty were undeniable. To them, both Great Kings were equivalent. Three hundred years of unwavering guardianship had already left a deep impression on Shi Yue, embedding their loyalty in his heart. He made a silent promise to himself that if and when calamity struck, he would protect them as best as he could if he had the power to do so.

Born into a monkey's body and residing in this legendary era on Flower-Fruit Mountain, Shi Yue had gradually found a sense of belonging, considering this place his home—his only home in this mythological era.

On this day, while Black Fur King Kong and Ma Hou Taibai were engaged in their usual banter, Shi Yue, sensing that three hundred years had elapsed, awoke from his meditation and slowly opened his eyes.