Journey to the West: I am the fiercest bird under Bodhi's seat

Ye Feng opened his eyes.

Before me lay a mess of withered grass and fallen leaves.

His ears were filled with a dense, fragmented chirping sound. He barely managed to turn his head to look around, and his heart sank.

Several newly hatched chicks huddled in a nest woven from weeds, their tender yellow beaks open, chirping incessantly.

Broken eggshells were scattered all around, like remnants of last night's storm.

After a moment, he finally realized an absurd but undeniable fact—he had traveled through time.

Moreover, he wasn't reborn as a prince or nobleman, nor as a prodigy, but rather as a fledgling bird that had just hatched from its egg.

He couldn't see his own face, but he knew that his unkempt, trembling appearance must have been utterly ridiculous.

I've fantasized about countless time-travel scenarios: wielding immense power, possessing extraordinary talent, and accompanied by beautiful women... but none of them ever started with "a bird at the beginning"!

What cheat codes? What system notification sounds? There are none of them.

My mind was as silent as a deep valley, not even a "ding" could be heard.

Just as I was feeling indignant, I heard the sound of wings flapping in the sky.

A dark shadow swept across the treetops and landed steadily on the edge of the bird's nest—it was a completely black crow, with several wriggling caterpillars in its beak.

A female crow.

Ye Feng instantly understood.

Immediately afterwards, the huge mouth moved closer to him, and the wriggling worm almost brushed against his face.

No! Absolutely not!

He screamed inwardly, but kept his mouth tightly shut.

But in the next instant, his brothers and sisters rushed forward and devoured the three insects in the blink of an eye.

The mother crow did not stop, nor did she even notice his resistance. She flapped her wings and flew into the forest to continue searching for her next meal.

Raising baby birds is a long and arduous task.

She spends almost all of her day searching for food, just to keep these fragile lives alive for one more day.

Even so, many chicks still don't survive the first few weeks after hatching.

Crows have always been considered extremely intelligent birds.

Ancient books contain the saying "crows feed their parents"—it is said that when their offspring grow up, if the mother bird is old and incapacitated, she will find food and return to the nest to feed them mouth to mouth until she dies.

This bird is known for its filial piety and righteousness, and its fame has been passed down for thousands of years.

But Ye Feng knew that it was nothing more than a beautiful story woven by humans.

There has never been any conclusive evidence in reality to prove that crows actually behave in this way.

At this moment, he was merely using random thoughts to numb the churning hunger in his stomach.

Why is he so hungry? He's only been "born" for a short time...

But no matter how much he resisted, reality had already been decided.

On the first day, he was still clinging to his pride as a "human" and refused to swallow any insects;

The next day, tormented by hunger, he finally bowed his head.

"It smells so good."

He smiled bitterly to himself.

Just as people need to live, so do birds.

Since we cannot reverse fate, we might as well accept it.

He began to console himself: Since I'm here, I might as well make the best of it.

Gradually, he discovered that being a crow wasn't entirely without its joys.

Sixty days later, he grew strong enough to fly and was ruthlessly driven out of the nest.

From then on, he walked the world alone.

Three years have passed in the blink of an eye.

He finally realized his true identity—a raven.

Known as the "wisest of all birds," it is adept at using tools, understanding intentions, and even planning for the future.

And once he lets go of his obsessions, this raven carrying memories of his past life becomes even more adept at surviving.

He marked out his territory, spending his days sunbathing, preening his feathers, and patrolling the boundaries, living a peaceful and comfortable life.

He had thought that his life would end in such an ordinary way.

Until that day comes.

It was just an ordinary day.

The maple leaves lingered on the branches, lazily basking in the morning light.

He had long since discovered that this world was somewhat different—whether it was sunlight or moonlight, when it shone on him, it always seemed as if a warm and gentle force seeped into his body, quietly strengthening his muscles and senses.

Just as he was engrossed in his thoughts, a strange movement suddenly arose in the distant mountains and forests.

He instinctively lowered his head to be alert, and saw a monkey with golden fur walking cautiously towards him.

Monkeys are not unusual; groups of monkeys often roam the mountains.

But this one was different—it walked upright, its eyes were bright and clear, and there was a glint in its eyes that did not belong to a wild beast.

"It has intelligence."

Ye Feng's heart skipped a beat, followed by overwhelming joy.

What does it mean to develop intelligence?

This means that this world is more than just ordinary.

This means that demons truly exist.

In that instant, he seemed to see the gates of destiny suddenly open, and ahead lay no longer the monotonous shadows of trees and sunlight, but an unknown and vast world.

At this moment, bathed in sunlight and moonlight, he felt completely refreshed and couldn't help but think to himself: Could this feeling really be what the ancient books refer to as "absorbing the essence of the sun and moon"?

As he pondered, his gaze never left the monkey.

After staring for a long time, he suddenly felt that the other person's appearance was familiar—round eyes, flat nose and upturned ears, a face full of hair, a sharp and pointed face, a thin body, a pointed mouth and sunken cheeks. Although it had a human form, it was less plump than an ordinary person. It looked exactly like a wild ape that loved to eat pine cones.

Ye Feng subconsciously wanted to raise his wing to scratch his head, only to realize that as a raven, this action was really difficult to complete, so he could only bury his head in the dark feathers, looking slightly helpless.

Just then, a woodcutter emerged from the other side of the mountain path. He walked leisurely, singing a mountain song as he went, his voice melodious.

The monkey immediately stepped forward, cupped its hands in a respectful gesture, and asked if there were indeed immortals living in seclusion ahead.

Ye Feng stared in disbelief, as if a long-sealed door deep within his mind had been suddenly flung open—

Journey to the West!

This scene is clearly the plot of Sun Wukong's first search for Lingtai Fangcun Mountain!

What alarmed him even more was that he had lived in this mountain forest for three years and had never seen this woodcutter before. The man's arrival was suspicious and certainly not ordinary.

Sure enough, the woodcutter said, "This place is called Lingtai Fangcun Mountain. If you go another seventeen or eighteen miles, there is a cave called Xieyue Sanxing Cave. A patriarch lives in the cave. He is a highly accomplished Taoist master."

The monkey was overjoyed upon hearing this and repeatedly kowtowed in gratitude.

Ye Feng watched quietly, a trace of pity flashing in his eyes.

The monkey was unaware that it was stepping into a predetermined fate, meticulously arranged by others, and still thought it was just a coincidence.

Just as I was feeling sentimental, a cold voice suddenly rang in my mind:

"Ding!"

"Mythology Selection System Activated".

"Please make a decision, host."

Option 1: Guide the monkey, reward: one Ten-Thousand-Year Vermilion Fruit.

Option Two: Accompany the monkey on its journey to become an apprentice, reward: a low-grade innate spiritual treasure.

"Option 3: Beat up the monkey, then take it to seek the Dao. Reward: Golden Crow bloodline of the Sun, a thousand years of cultivation."

Ye Feng was shocked, then overjoyed, almost bursting into tears.

Three years! Three whole years of feeding on insects, all alone and helpless, and finally, I've found my own "golden touch"!

He quickly weighed the three options.

The first is the easiest to achieve, but also the most superficial, with very little interaction with monkeys;

Secondly, although he had the opportunity to come into contact with Bodhi, he was not a chosen monkey and might not be able to catch the eye of the patriarch.

As for the third... it is the opportunity to reverse one's fate!

If this world truly is the world of Journey to the West, then one's birth determines everything. He is merely an ordinary raven, and even with intelligence, his path of cultivation is fraught with obstacles.

The bloodline of the Golden Crow of the Sun signifies the true foundation for ascension!

Even if Bodhi Patriarch doesn't accept him as a disciple, as long as he has such talent, there is still a possibility of defying fate in the future.

Once he made up his mind, he silently said to himself, "I choose the third option."

"Ding! Host's selection successful. Temporarily granted a thousand years of cultivation, which can be freely used."

"Such a benefit?" Ye Feng's heart warmed, and he almost grinned from ear to ear.

Just then, he saw that the monkey had already set off, so he immediately flapped his wings and chased after it.

……

The monkey was overjoyed.

Since leaving Flower Fruit Mountain, I have traveled across the ocean and visited countless blessed lands, but have found nothing.

Today, we have finally encountered this opportunity; how can we not cherish it all the more?

He pondered all the way: When meeting the patriarch, one must be respectful and sincere in seeking the Dao, only then can one receive the transmission of the Great Dao.

With light steps and a heart full of hope, they yearn for the future.

Unexpectedly, without warning, the vines under his feet suddenly flipped up, tripping him up and causing him to fall to the ground in a disheveled state.

His anger flared instantly; he flipped over and leaped up, shouting sharply:

"Who! Who plotted against me, Old Sun!"

"Quack quack quack—"

A piercing, eerie cry came from overhead. The monkey looked up and saw a jet-black crow perched among the branches, tilting its head and looking down, its cry full of mockery and ridicule.

The monkey was even more enraged and was about to leap into the air to teach this ignorant, hairy beast a lesson—

But suddenly he was startled and became alert.

wrong!

He tripped over the vines behind him, clearly a pre-set trap. How could a crow know how to set up an ambush?

The thought flashed through his mind, and he immediately looked around suspiciously, his eyes becoming wary.

Could it be that some mastermind is hiding in the shadows, deliberately playing tricks on me?

The path to enlightenment is fraught with peril! He crossed oceans and mingled among the people, already witnessing the treachery of human nature. Several times he was nearly captured and forced to perform as a monkey, but each time he escaped thanks to his quick wit.

Could it be that another hunter is eyeing my divine beauty today, attempting to capture me and force me to perform as a circus performer?

We must be on guard!

Seeing this, Ye Feng stopped mocking, tilted his head slightly, and looked confused.

The script... fell apart?

Logically speaking, this monkey, having been tripped up and mocked to its face, should have been furious and rushed forward to offer itself up for death.

Why did he suddenly calm down and even look wary?

What plot was he envisioning in his mind?

Those vines were actually set up by Ye Feng when he was bored, to hunt small animals. He spent half a year carefully setting them up, just to pass the long days.

Although the body is that of a crow, the soul remains that of a human.

For the past three years, he has survived by eating wild fruits and swallowing insects, and he has long been extremely uncomfortable.

In order to taste meat, he racked his brains to devise various hunting methods.

This vine trap was one of them, and it actually helped him catch a few small animals.

His beak is as sharp as a knife, enough to tear flesh.

After a moment's thought, seeing that the monkey was not behaving as expected, Ye Feng naturally decided against making a move rashly.

But then a thought struck him, and an idea came to mind.

He straightened his feathers and suddenly shouted at the monkey, "You hairy-faced beast, how dare you trespass on my territory without paying your respects? How dare you! This vine net is a warning to you. Quickly offer your tribute, or don't even think about leaving this mountain alive!"

The monkey was suddenly startled. "You can talk?!"

No wonder he was shocked—he was a born stone monkey, exceptionally intelligent, and along his journey, he had encountered very few birds and beasts that could speak human language.