True to his decision, Little Monkey returned to Zhongnan Mountain. On his journey, he avoided crowded areas and traveled through forests and ravines, so it took him about a month to reach Zhongnan Mountain.
His life was like a yellow leaf drifting wherever the wind took it. He ate when he was hungry. He lay down and slept wherever he found a spot when he was sleepy. The great Earth and his little horse were his only companions.
In that short span of one month, the entire jianghu had erupted into a frenzy, like an overturned beehive. But Little Monkey knew nothing of it. He was now cut off not only from the jianghu but from all human society.
After about a month, Little Monkey arrived at Zhongnan Mountain. The peak of the mountain, so high it seemed to touch the sky, looked as if it would pierce the pale blue firmament.
At the foot of the immensely high mountain, in the middle of the deep forest, stood a horse and a man. Little Monkey felt as if he was the only one left in this vast world.
On this great mountain, there must have once been a famous sect with grand and magnificent buildings. This forest must have once been lively and bustling with merchants, traders, and martial artists.
Now, however, it was desolate, like a graveyard haunted by crows and ghosts. The signs of former splendor and bustle had vanished like wisps of smoke. What is truly permanent in this world? The world is one where impermanence is the only constant.
Near the foot of the mountain, beside a pond, Little Monkey built a small house. Since wood and bamboo were abundant in the forest, it didn't take long to build the house. The house was not large, but it was spacious enough for one person. It had only two rooms: a bedroom and a kitchen.
Next, he built a small bamboo platform in front of the house for comfortable resting. Following that, he enclosed the house with a small fence made of bamboo poles.
After building the small house to his satisfaction, Little Monkey gazed at the charming structure and felt a deep sense of contentment. He thought about planting flowers and trees in the compound and clearing the vacant lot next to it to plant fruits and vegetables.
In his thoughts, hatred and anger had vanished, as had the martial world, Qingqing, and the cruelty of his mother and father. His mind and body, becoming one with nature, grew calmer and more peaceful day by day, month by month.
One day, while roaming the forest, Little Monkey saw a large snake coiling around an ape and preparing to swallow it. Little Monkey hit the snake's head with a stone and rescued the ape. The ape looked up at Little Monkey, holding his hand, showing its gratitude to its savior. A moment later, the ape returned with its arms full of fruits and berries.
This was the simple act of gratitude from an unintelligent animal to its lifesaver. This act, unlike the human tendency to repay kindness with cruelty, filled Little Monkey's heart with joy and warmth.
From that day on, the young ape became Little Monkey's second companion. The ape came to Little Monkey twice a day and brought him fruits and berries. It played with Little Monkey for a while. When the time came, it would return to its companions. This was the young ape's routine.
Little Monkey had been living on Zhongnan Mountain for about five months. One day, the young ape came to Little Monkey with an unusual gesture. It seemed to be urging Little Monkey to follow it.
And so...
Little Monkey slowly followed the path the young ape was leading him down. The young ape was smart. It ran ahead, then returned to tug on Little Monkey's hand, guiding him. The mountain gradually became steeper. They were now traversing areas beyond the boundary Little Monkey had explored.
Little Monkey had only been to about a third of the mountain. Now, without realizing it, they had reached the middle slopes. There must have been a climbing path here once. Now, however, it was overgrown with thickets, and the path was no longer visible. As the mountain grew higher, the wind speed gradually increased.
Looking down from the mountain, the entire Zhongnan area was visible, albeit faintly. A desire to soar through the air even arose in Little Monkey's heart. The young ape also seemed delighted. It tugged on Little Monkey's hand, hopping and crying out.
In reality, Zhongnan Mountain was not a single mountain but part of a long, continuous mountain range. The climbing path gradually wound around, leading toward the mountain range connected to the west side of Zhongnan Mountain. Suddenly, Little Monkey caught sight of a vast, wide-open plain.
Amidst the long, healthy grass grew the ruins of buildings, covered in moss and vines. Some structures were entirely collapsed, reduced to mere piles of bricks.
This was the Quanzhen Sect, founded by the great hermit Wang Chongyang, the Martial World Leader, about 300 years ago. It was also known as the Chongyang Palace, which had been immensely famous in those times.
It evoked a deep sense of sadness and reflection. Time makes people forget. The Chongyang Palace, which the martial artists of its day dared not look up to, was now reduced to a pile of rubble and had become forgotten by the martial world.
Little Monkey was astonished. What kind of place was this? It must have been extraordinary. It must have been an extremely famous place once. What caused it to be reduced to a heap of ruins?
He could only wonder. He had no way of knowing the true answer. No one knew anymore. The Quanzhen Sect had become a legend.
"Hey, big fellow, why did you bring me here?"
Little Monkey smiled and teased the young ape. The young ape tugged on Little Monkey's hand and pointed to a spot.
It was a small, high peak a few miles beyond the plain. The young ape quickly crossed the plain and scaled the peak. When it reached the upper half, it waved its hand, beckoning Little Monkey to follow.
Little Monkey, not to be outdone, used his long, strong fingers to follow the ape up the peak. The peak was high. Furthermore, it was covered in moss and slippery, making the climb quite challenging. It was only because Little Monkey had high internal energy and was half-man, half-ape that he could manage the climb. It was a place that even top martial artists would find difficult to ascend.
Upon reaching the peak, Little Monkey did not even have time to rest. The young ape pointed to a spot again. That spot was...
A small cave. A natural cave embedded in the mountain wall. It was dark inside.
The ape, seemingly familiar with entering and exiting the cave, walked in without fear of the darkness. Little Monkey had no choice but to follow it in.
Inside the cave, it was not as dark as it seemed from the outside. Faint light filtered in from small openings in the cave roof, providing decent visibility. The sight that greeted him inside the cave astonished Little Monkey again.
In the center of the cave was a majestic, grand tomb. Beside it was a stone tablet inscribed with words. Next to the stone tablet was a skeleton.
Just then, the young ape suddenly pointed at the cave wall behind the tomb. Little Monkey looked and saw a type of climbing vine growing and clinging to the wall.
The vine covered the entire cave wall. He noticed that each tendril had only one leaf. On the largest tendril, which appeared to be the main stem of the plant, three small, black, shiny, fist-sized fruits were ripe. Both the shape of the plant and the fruit were unusual. What kind of plant and what kind of fruit was this? Little Monkey had never seen, let alone heard of, such a plant in his life.
The young ape quickly plucked the three fruits and placed them in Little Monkey's hand. It clearly intended for him to eat them.
"What? I'm supposed to eat this fruit? Well, I'll eat it then. I'm going to die in four years anyway, so it doesn't matter. If it's poison, at least it's a quick end."
Little Monkey said this and immediately threw the three small fruits into his mouth without even smelling them. The taste of the fruit was tender and sweet. As soon as the fruits entered Little Monkey's mouth, they melted instantly.
As the fruits entered his stomach, Little Monkey suddenly felt dizzy, and his entire body became fiery hot, like a person thrown into a volcano. Then, he suddenly collapsed.
He did not know how long he was unconscious. When Little Monkey woke up, the young ape was gone. But beside him was a pile of fruits and berries. How clever the young ape was! It must have known Little Monkey would be hungry when he woke up.
Feeling intensely hungry, his stomach rumbling, Little Monkey greedily ate the fruits and berries the young ape had left for him. Only when his stomach was full did he notice something strange about his body.
His entire body felt extremely light and agile, like a small bird soaring in the wind. A strong heat wave, starting from below his navel, was rapidly circulating throughout his body. He noticed that the energy waves were spreading through all eight major meridians, not just the three major damaged ones, and were flowing smoothly and easily.
The entire cave, which had been faintly visible before, now appeared as clear as if it were daylight since he woke up. What a remarkable phenomenon!