The more you believe me, the more real it becomes.

Chapter 279 The Monkey Seeks Immortality (3k)

Supporting the rusty old sword, Du Yuan left Hexi County and headed towards the capital.

With the help of her friend Shan Yin and the kitten Shui Yin, Du Yuan's journey, though marked by stops and starts, was not slow.

In just three days, we arrived at the capital of the imperial court!

The area surrounding Kyoto is all plains, and Kyoto can be seen from afar.

This is not the old capital of the previous dynasty, but a newly built city after the founding emperor of the current dynasty moved south to establish the country.

After years of development, it can indeed be called a magnificent city.

Du Yuan gazed at the city so close at hand, her eyes suddenly falling on a teahouse by the roadside with a sign that read "Welcome Tea." Recalling her trip to Qingzhou in the past, Du Yuan smiled inwardly and then sat down inside the teahouse.

He shouted:
"Shopkeeper, a bowl of hot tea and a few side dishes, please."

"Alright! Please wait a moment, sir. I'll brew you the finest pre-rain Maojian tea right away!"

The teahouse here is much larger than the one in Qingzhou, and the owners here naturally employ a few waiters and helpers.

Before long, the waiter came over with a pot of hot tea.
"Please wait a moment, sir, the kitchen is busy right now. But if you just want some snacks like peanuts, we can bring them to you right away."

The waiter refilled Du Yuan's cup of hot tea while apologizing.

"That's good, it's alright." Du Yuan wasn't one to fuss over these things, but upon hearing this, her eyes lit up, and she lightly tapped the edge of the table with her fingertips: "Speaking of which, I haven't had peanuts for a while, would you mind bringing me a plate, young man?"

"Hey, wait a moment!"

After the waiter acknowledged the order, he went back to prepare things for Du Yuan.

Sure enough, almost as soon as I got back, they brought me a plate of shelled peanuts.

Du Yuan picked up a few peanuts and chewed them slowly, the salty and fragrant taste spreading between her teeth, while her gaze casually swept over the surrounding scenery.

Kyoto was a place where all the world converged and all nations gathered, and the people coming and going were of all kinds—blue-eyed, blond-haired Westerners wearing woolen cloaks, people from the southern tribes wearing colorful embroidered short tunics and feathered headdresses, bodyguards with swords at their waists, and merchants dressed in brocade.

These kinds of places are almost everywhere on the official road outside the teahouse, which must have been quite a sight.

As Du Yuan was slowly observing the various characters in the world, he suddenly heard a woman's or child's rebuking voice beside him.

Looking in the direction of the sound, one could see a middle-aged woman wearing a headscarf and a blue apron, incessantly criticizing the teahouse owner:

"Tell me! It's been four or five days since I told you to go to the City God Temple to ask for a talisman, have you gone or not?"

People love to join in the fun, and as soon as the voice fell, the diners holding teacups all turned to look, their eyes immediately drawn to the sound.

Seeing this, the shopkeeper hurriedly tried to appear more assertive, but the moment his eyes caught sight of his wife, that bit of bravado vanished like a punctured paper lantern, leaving him only with a timid and hesitant rebuttal:
"What kind of talisman are you asking for! The officials hate it when we do these superstitious things, how can we touch it?"

Although rumors circulated that the southwest had been pacified, the officials had always been wary of such unorthodox methods. He was merely a small-time tea merchant by the roadside; how could he dare to stir up trouble in front of the officials?

Unexpectedly, these words only made the woman angrier, and her voice rose even higher:

"You've been guarding this shop every day, haven't you heard what the customers are saying? These days it's been quite unsettling outside, everyone's saying that demons, monsters, gods, and Buddhas are all showing up!"

"At a time like this, you still care whether the officials are willing or not? What, if you really encounter some kind of mess, do you think the officials will come to save you? If you don't pray to gods or immortals, who will care about you?"

"And then again, I think those officials themselves might have hidden quite a bit!"

As a roadside teahouse, especially in Kyoto, it probably didn't make much money, since various favors and patronage required expenses.

But the information from all corners of the country is absolutely unparalleled.

People from all over the world, from places like Qingzhou, the Southwest, Zhuzhou, Heding, and the Northwest, are saying they've encountered or heard some incredible things.

For example, there are countless rumors about foxes that can speak human language and leopards as big as oxen. Even in Qingzhou, it's said that celestial beings descended to earth and beheaded the King of Anqing!

Oh, and some people say it was a miracle from the Bodhisattva. Anyway, they're saying that in this day and age, no prince, government official, or even emperor can do anything about it.

Only a deity can make it work!

So, upon hearing this, she hurriedly urged her husband to go to the City God Temple to ask for a talisman to protect the family's well-being.

Who would have thought that this old geezer would actually go against his word!

The shopkeeper turned pale upon hearing this and quickly reached out to cover her mouth.
"You crazy woman! How can you just say something like that?"

He then hurriedly turned to the surrounding diners, forcing a smile and apologizing:
"I'm sorry, everyone. I'm just a woman with long hair and short brains, and I'm just talking nonsense. Please don't take it to heart."

The woman shoved his hand away, her neck stiffening:
"What are you afraid of! You're just a tea vendor, and I'm just a cook in the kitchen. The higher-ups don't have time to listen to our gossip. As for you, when are you going to go and get the talisman?"

The shop owner was helpless; his neck turned red.
"I already said we can't go! Besides, seeking a talisman costs silver—silver! Not copper! Don't just listen to outsiders' rumors; you have to see it with your own eyes! We've lived this long, our children are all grown up, when have we ever seen any of this nonsense? We haven't!" The woman was speechless for a moment, then after a long pause, she glared at him fiercely and scolded:

"In short, you either go and ask for the talisman, or you can forget about coming into the house tonight!"

After saying that, she grabbed her apron, wiped her hands haphazardly, and turned and went into the kitchen without looking back, leaving the restaurant owner no room for rebuttal.

In just a few words, only the shop owner remained standing there with a bitter face, while the diners who had been watching the commotion had not yet left, all listening intently for what would happen next.

Just then, a customer dressed in shorts suddenly leaned forward and said to the shopkeeper:
"Old Zhang, we're not exactly close friends, but we've known each other for a long time. I have to tell you the truth. Your wife used to love listening to gossip, but this time it's not just idle chatter. Things have really changed outside!"

The shopkeeper rubbed his temples, looking impatient: "Why are you joining in the commotion? Fine, tell me, I want to hear what new tricks you have up your sleeve!"

Upon hearing this, the guest's eyes lit up, and he leaned forward again, his tone urgent and earnest: "I dare not speak carelessly about other things, but what I am about to say is something I personally experienced—just a few days ago!"

He said this with great certainty, but the shopkeeper just curled his lip in disdain: "How many times have I heard you say that? Can't you come up with something new?"

"It's true!" The guest waved his hands anxiously. "Just a few days ago, I went to He Junshan's place. It was neither too early nor too late, the time when the official road was busiest. But for some reason, the road, which was usually full of people, was completely deserted that day!"

The shopkeeper paused, then raised an eyebrow and said, "You went through all that trouble just to say this?"

The diners next to them nodded in agreement, their eyes clearly saying, "This is something worth mentioning."

The man, however, was in no hurry. He slowly took a sip of tea before continuing:
"How could it be just this? I didn't think much of it at first, and after walking a few steps, I heard someone call out to me from behind, 'Stop!' I thought it was just a passerby, so I stopped and turned around, but guess what I saw? It was a monkey!"

"A monkey?"

As soon as he said that, the diners who hadn't paid much attention before suddenly gathered around, and even the shop owner who had just looked disgusted shut up and listened intently.

Whether it's true or false, who wouldn't want to join in the fun if there's a fresh story to hear?

“At first, I didn’t think of monkeys,” the guest continued, his tone tinged with lingering fear. “I just assumed someone was hiding nearby and teasing me, so I looked around to find them. After all, it was a desolate place, and if you hear voices out of nowhere, how can you feel at ease without figuring it out?”

Everyone nodded in agreement with these words.

That's true. If you don't figure things out in the wilderness, you really won't have the courage to go any further.

Otherwise, even if you don't encounter any monsters or powerful figures, or even if you encounter nothing at all, it'll still be a thorn in your side, won't it?

"But I searched for a long time and couldn't see anyone else, so I had to muster up my courage and call out a few times."

As he spoke, the man also made a few soft shouts, mimicking how he had done it before:

"Who is it? Who's hiding there?"

"I called out a few times, but no one answered. Then, that monkey actually spoke up right in front of me."

"And you even said that it was the one who just spoke!"

Upon hearing this, everyone around gasped in surprise and pressed for an answer:

"And then?"

Du Yuan was listening nearby, which reminded him of when he used to tell stories, and the audience had the same expressions back then.

"Then the monkey asked me if I knew where I could meet an immortal and become his apprentice!"

This piqued Du Yuan's interest. The monkey stopped people on the road to ask where he could meet an immortal so he could become an apprentice and learn skills.
This scene is probably familiar to everyone!
"Why would a monkey like it want to find an immortal to become its master and learn skills?"

Just then, Du Yuan also asked with a smile:
"But you're asking for immortality?"

The man turned back to look at Du Yuan and smiled:

"Everyone wants to live forever, but unfortunately that's not what that monkey was looking for. At the time, I also suppressed my fear and asked that monkey why he wanted to find an immortal to become his apprentice."

"The monkey said that it had somehow gained intelligence, and everything from the past had become meaningless. It had begun to despise everything it once loved, considering it worthless. So, it heard a passerby say that there were immortals in the world."

"It just wants to find an immortal, learn magic, and turn itself back into the carefree little monkey it used to be!"

At this point, the man turned to the crowd with immense pride and said:

"And you might not know this, but even though I only answered 'I don't know,' the monkey gave me a piece of gold as a reward!"

Just as everyone was about to accuse him of bragging, they all widened their eyes in surprise.

Because that man actually pulled out a small gold nugget from his pocket! Judging by its size, it was about the size of a wine cup!
For a moment, even the shopkeeper was filled with doubt and suspicion, wondering if this person had truly encountered something strange.

(End of this chapter)