They've all become top scholars in the imperial examinations, and you're telling me this i

Chapter 87 Still That Mischievous Monkey
The mountain path was exceptionally rugged and difficult to traverse. Jagged rocks jutted out, thorns grew in abundance, and the deep valleys and steep cliffs inspired fear. Chen Guangrui followed the old man, trudging through the dense forest with difficulty.

As Chen Guangrui struggled to climb, he asked, "Old man, that monkey has been imprisoned for so many years, and besides you, has no one else come to see him?"

The old man, panting heavily, shook his head and said...

“It’s difficult, very difficult. This mountain forest is very eerie! I’ve heard from the elders that many people have accidentally wandered into the mountains and seen the monkey once, but when they wanted to go back the next time, the path had changed and they could not find the original place no matter what they did. There are also many people who inexplicably wander around in circles and can’t get out. Everyone says that this monkey must be a powerful evil spirit that uses sorcery to bewitch people, and they advise everyone not to approach it lightly.”

He paused, then pointed to a faintly trodden path at his feet, saying with a hint of certainty, "But I've been walking this path for so many years. No matter how the forest outside changes, this path has never changed! Follow it, and you're sure to see the monkey!"

Chen Guangrui silently memorized the route, then tentatively asked, "Since you come here often, have you ever met any acquaintances here? I mean, is there anyone you see every now and then?"

In Chen Guangrui's view, the old man's many visits must have attracted the attention of the local land and mountain gods, who might just come out and take a look at him.

To everyone's surprise, the old man shook his head firmly without even thinking.

"No! Over the years, it's just me, an old man, coming and going. I've never seen anyone else."

Chen Guangrui nodded. It seemed that it would be difficult to find out about the mountain gods, the local earth gods, or even the guardian deities here.

He suddenly remembered something and laughed.

"I heard that monkey has a bad temper and loves to swear?"

The old man recalled the past and said, "Yes, those who went in by mistake in the early years said that the monkey used to curse and swear loudly when no one was around. But ever since I brought him peaches, he only started cursing when he saw people."

The two continued their arduous journey, pushing aside the last obstruction of vines and thorns. They could hear the sound from afar.

"Hey! Old man! It's you! Heh! Heh heh! I, Old Sun, recognize you! You haven't forgotten your ancestor, have you!"

A loud shout was mixed with a very subtle, almost imperceptible hint of joy.

Chen Guangrui immediately looked up.

Beneath the Five Elements Mountain, amidst the jagged rocks, lay a monkey! Only its head, with its slightly dull fur, and one arm were visible, its body firmly imprisoned by the heavy mountain.

Although he appeared embarrassed, his eyes shone with an astonishing brightness, fixed intently on the old man's face.

His eyes burned with an astonishing vitality, a wildness suppressed by the long years, and a straightforward excitement at seeing an "old acquaintance".

That monkey face! Those eyes! That voice that pierces the soul! Who else could it be but Sun Wukong, the Monkey King who wreaked havoc in the Heavenly Palace?
The monkey's head wiggled excitedly from side to side, looking at the old man, but its mouth was sharp and loud, uttering sharp words.

"Hahaha! It's you! The little one who fed me with Little Peach back then! You haven't grown much taller, but you've gotten a lot more wrinkles! You've aged beyond recognition, old man! But you actually remembered to come see me, Old Sun? You do have some conscience!"

He spoke extremely fast, rattling off a string of words, and his unruly, mischievous spirit seemed to emanate from him even from a distance.

Just as the monkey was talking to the old man in rapid succession, his golden, fiery eyes briefly swept over Chen Guangrui, who was standing behind the old man, and a slight golden light flashed in his eyes!
Immediately, he acted as if he hadn't seen the man at all, quickly shifting his gaze away and continuing to chatter and ask the old man all sorts of questions.

He clearly saw through Chen Guangrui's extraordinary aura, but he didn't care at all, or rather, he disdained to pay any attention to a minor deity.

Chen Guangrui's heart skipped a beat, knowing his identity had been seen through. He remained silent, standing quietly behind the old man. This monkey truly lived up to its reputation; those fiery eyes were formidable!
The monkey spoke to the old man in a high-pitched voice, filled with the joy of reuniting with an old friend, and directly revealed his identity, "Hey, old man, come here quickly, I, Old Sun, recognize you!"

He excitedly shook his monkey head, carefully examining the old man's weathered face, his words carrying a unique playfulness and familiarity, as if confirming a fact.
"You old man, you were just a little kid chopping wood and picking vegetables in front of me, Old Sun, haha! How come you're all wrinkled up now?"

The old man's wrinkles smoothed out, and his eyes shone with the warmth of seeing an old friend. He chuckled and scolded.
"You mischievous monkey! You mischievous monkey! It's been decades, but your mouth is still sharp. I may be old, and my legs aren't as nimble as they used to be. But... but I still remember your thunderous face! You still have a conscience, you can still recognize your old cowherd!"

The monkey's little eyes lit up instantly, like two lamps had been lit. He chuckled, his tone carrying a familiar warmth, like "fellow countrymen meeting again." "Old Sun is stuck here and can't move, but I remember your cowherd face very well. Where's Tao'er? Quick! Give me some to satisfy my craving!"

As he spoke, he twisted the monkey's head, his eyes searching eagerly, finally locking onto the basket in Chen Guangrui's hand.

Chen Guangrui quickly handed the red peaches from the basket to the monkey's mouth. The monkey didn't need to be fed at all. With its exposed arm, it eagerly reached out and accurately grabbed the largest peach, taking a big gulp. The peach juice flowed down the monkey's mouth, wetting the fur on its chest.

"Mmm, sweet, crisp, fragrant! Tsk tsk tsk... Delicious! Delicious!" The monkey swallowed most of the peach in a few bites, his cheeks bulging, and he could barely speak.

"This is what you call a real fruit! It's a million times better than those copper balls and molten iron! Back in my old days, I, Old Sun, tasted all the immortal peaches in the Peach Garden that were three thousand, six thousand, and nine thousand years old, but now that I think about it, none of them are as good as this mountain peach!"

Despite wolfing down his food, he didn't lose his inherent pride.

The old man felt both sad and amused looking at the monkey, which was starving but stubborn.

"Eat slowly, eat slowly! It's all for you, there's plenty."

The old man looked at the monkey, which had been trapped for who knows how many years, yet whose spirit remained so untamed and unruly, his eyes filled with complex emotions and感慨 (gǎnkǎi - mixed feelings of sorrow and reflection). He exchanged a few words with the monkey, then stepped aside to make way for Chen Guangrui behind him. Pointing to Chen Guangrui, he said to the monkey with a sense of farewell, "Actually... actually, it was this gentleman who insisted on coming to see you today. I'm getting old, and this... is probably the last time I'll ever cross mountains to see you..."

The monkey's gaze then truly and undisguisedly fell upon Chen Guangrui. Those molten gold eyes no longer held the faint warmth they had shown when looking at the old man; only pure scrutiny and a condescending indifference remained.

"Hey!" The monkey sneered through its nose, its expression filled with contempt and impatience.

"I don't care who you are! Why are you disturbing my peace and quiet?!"

His voice wasn't loud, but his tone was full of natural arrogance, as if Chen Guangrui was just a tiny insect in front of his mountain gate that wasn't worth a second glance.

Chen Guangrui, however, remained calm and composed as he spoke slowly and clearly.

"My name is Chen Guangrui. I have long admired the Great Sage's reputation. I only lament that the Great Sage has been imprisoned under this mountain for so many years," he paused slightly, his gaze fixed on the monkey's defiant eyes, "You have been imprisoned under this Five Elements Mountain since the year Wang Mang usurped the Han throne..."

He began calculating the years: "Wang Mang usurped the Han throne and ruled for fourteen years, then Emperor Guangwu restored it, which became the Eastern Han Dynasty, lasting for 195 years... The Yellow Turban Rebellion broke out, and warlords vied for power, leading to the Three Kingdoms period of nearly a century... Sima Yi usurped the Wei throne, unifying the country and establishing the Western Jin Dynasty, which lasted only 51 years before the Hu people invaded China, and the elites fled south... The north and south were divided, and wars raged continuously, with the Song, Qi, Liang, and Chen dynasties... The Sui Dynasty unified the country, but it only lasted for two generations..."

He recounted the rise and fall of dynasties in the mortal realm in one breath, and finally concluded with certainty, "...If we count in this way, Great Sage, you have been trapped here for more than six hundred years."

"More than six hundred years?" The expression on his face, which had just been full of impatience and arrogance and ready to curse at any moment, suddenly froze.

Those eyes, like molten gold, flickered violently. He had cursed heaven and earth and Buddha before, hating this damned suppression, but no one had ever told him so clearly how many years those unforgettable, long years had actually been!

When this huge, cold number of time came crashing down, the monkey did not immediately burst into cursing Buddha to vent his anger as Chen Guangrui had expected; instead, he fell silent.

A chilling, heavy, time-weary silence truly enveloped this unruly monkey's head for the first time.

Those ever-burning eyes gazed into the void, as if trying to pierce through layers of mountain walls and see clearly the silent six hundred years.

The once unruly Monkey King, who wreaked havoc in the Heavenly Palace without any restraint, seems to have truly been worn down by this endless suppression...

Chen Guangrui captured this subtle yet astonishing change.

But this heavy silence lasted only a very short moment. The monkey suddenly turned around, and its golden eyes were instantly filled with rage again.

"Hey! You little god!" The monkey completely lost his temper. All the gloom that had just flashed through his mind was replaced by a surge of rage. He unleashed his full power at Chen Guangrui, his spittle practically flying out of his mouth.

"Why are you being so nosy? Trying to show off your ability to count? Do you need to tell me how long I've been holding this up? Who do you think you are? You dare to come and chatter in front of me? Get lost! Get away from me! If you make your grandfather anxious, I'll come out and smash your head in with a stick!"

His outburst of curses was not only an outlet for the pain of having his long years exposed, but also a manifestation of his rage at having his wounds reopened by a "minor character," making Chen Guangrui the target of his anger.

Hearing the monkey's machine-gun-like, furious curses that seemed to want to skin him alive, Chen Guangrui showed no fear on his face. Instead, his eyes narrowed and he stepped forward.

Just when the monkey's cursing was at its fiercest
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Before the monkey could react, Chen Guangrui brought his right index and middle fingers together like a sword and, with lightning speed, tapped the monkey's head, which was pressed against rocks and covered in dust, three times, neither too lightly nor too heavily.

(End of this chapter)