Traveling Through Journey to the West: I Am the Dragon King

Perhaps out of a sense of familiarity, Yun Chonghua subconsciously called out "Brother Monkey".

Wukong readily agreed, saying, "That's wonderful. I've been all alone on this journey, sometimes going for a year or two without speaking to anyone. Having a companion on this road is very good, very good indeed."

Then the dragon and the monkey didn't linger any longer and swam straight westward.

On his journey to Xiniu Hezhou, Yun Chonghua learned many interesting things from Wukong. He also learned who the current king of the Southern Continent was.

Moreover, through Wukong's descriptions and his own observations along the way, his common sense about geography was completely overturned.

The world of Journey to the West is divided into three realms and four continents, which is completely different from the Earth he knew.

Moreover, the world is vast. Much larger than he imagined.

Here, a body of water eight hundred miles wide can only be called a "river." And the rivers and seas stretch as far as the eye can see.

No wonder those immortals can travel tens of thousands of miles in the blink of an eye and still not be able to touch the end of the sky.

No wonder it took him a year and a half to swim from the Xiang River to the Luo River.

Yun Chonghua spent a great deal of time traveling with Wukong along this route.

He felt as if he had swum across most of the globe.

And this is even with the land routes connecting the Southern Continent and the Western Continent. He only swam across a strait.

It would probably take decades to travel completely around the continents of Jambudvipa and Aparagodaniya.

Despite his exhaustion, he and Wukong got along exceptionally well. The two even swore brotherhood under the sun and moon, addressing each other as brothers. Wukong, being over three hundred years old, was much older than Chonghua, hence he became the elder brother.

Whenever they reached an island or reef, the two of them would go up and rest.

If there were wild fruits like bananas or coconuts growing on the island, Wukong would immediately climb the tree to pick them, and then the two of them would lie on the beach, sunbathing and sharing the fruit.

After several days, the two finally arrived at the territory of Xiniu Hezhou.

However, once he arrived at this place, Yun Chonghua was somewhat at a loss for words.

Perhaps Journey to the West is a Chinese mythological world, just like how the entire universe in American movies speaks English.

Although the two had arrived in a foreign land with a jumbled mess of country names, everyone there spoke Mandarin. There was absolutely no language barrier.

Even if some people have foreign appearances and dress in a foreign style, their surnames still fall under the categories of Zhao, Qian, Sun, Li, Zhou, Wu, Zheng, Wang, and so on. They even celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival.

Although it was somewhat laughable, Yun Chonghua thought about it carefully and realized it made perfect sense.

The magistrate of the outer prefecture of that India also had the surname Shangguan. Even the innkeeper of the Extinction Kingdom, who wanted to find a "mistress" for the four travelers to stay with, was called "Widow Zhao".

The Golden Saintess of the Zhu Zi Kingdom was captured by the Golden-haired Hou on the Dragon Boat Festival.

After arriving in Xiniu Hezhou, Wukong took good care of Chonghua.

Chonghua was born with the body of a dragon. Although he had gained some magical powers from Nezha's teachings, he could not transform. When the two of them arrived in the countryside or towns, they would only travel at night so as not to disturb the people.

When daylight came, Wukong settled Chonghua in and then went to search for her alone. During his journey, he also brought back some food to share with Chonghua.

It's just that sometimes the food they serve isn't exactly proper.

If Wukong can get it, that would be good. But if he can't, then he's not called "the most notorious bandit leader in the world" for nothing.

However, Wukong didn't steal from the poor and needy; he only targeted the wealthy households in the city. He would go to the homes of those rich families and take some of their surplus "rotten wine and meat" to fill his stomach. If he took too much, he would share some with the hungry and cold poor people on the roadside.

One day, the two brothers came to an unnamed mountain wilderness. Seeing the beautiful mountains and secluded forests, they couldn't help but climb to the top to take in the view.

The two of them together weren't afraid of any wolves, insects, tigers, or leopards in the mountains and forests. This was because the dragon aura emanating from Chonghua had frightened them away. Although divine beasts like dragons and phoenixes were merely food on a plate before immortals and Buddhas, the regal aura they displayed towards these lower-world creatures was extremely powerful.

As the two were watching, they heard a faint singing voice coming from afar: "Watching chess, the axe handle rots; chopping wood, the sound of hammering... We associate with immortals or Taoists; in our leisure time, we sit facing each other and discuss scriptures."

Hearing the mountain song drifting from afar, Chonghua said, "Brother, what great joy! Our friendship is surely destined for greatness. We can sit together and discuss scriptures in our leisure time. That mountain song sounds like the words of immortals. Our destiny is surely set today."

The two then happily ran towards the direction from which the mountain song was coming.

Upon reaching them, Wukong called out, "Old Immortal, please wait! Your disciple is about to make his move!"

The woodcutter stopped upon hearing this and turned to look. He saw a small monkey dressed in human clothes, speaking human language, talking to him. Behind the monkey, a pale golden dragon coiled around a tree trunk, watching them intently.

But the dragon monster wasn't surprised to see the woodcutter and the monkey spirit; it seemed to be something it had never seen before. It simply put down its load of firewood, turned around, and laughed, "Young friend, you flatter me. I make a living by chopping wood, and I barely have enough to eat and wear. How could I dare to call myself a god?"

Wukong asked, "Just now, my brothers and I were in the mountains when we heard you sing, 'Those who associate with immortals are either Taoists or immortals; in our leisure time, we sit facing each other and discuss scriptures.' Since you are not an immortal, why did you speak the words of an immortal?"

The woodcutter replied, "This was taught to me by the Bodhi Patriarch of the Lingtai Fangcun Mountain, Xieyue Sanxing Cave."

Wukong scratched his head, pondered for a moment, and muttered, "Bodhi Patriarch? He must be quite capable."

Upon hearing Wukong's words, Chonghua couldn't help but smile inwardly.

"Throughout heaven and earth, across the three realms and four continents, there are probably few people more capable than him. I didn't think so when I read Journey to the West before. But now, hearing these words in front of the Great Sage, it's truly laughable."

Wukong bowed to the woodcutter and asked, "May I ask, sir, where does that venerable master reside? My brothers and I have come here specifically to seek immortality and learn the Dao, and we humbly request your guidance."

Upon hearing this, the woodcutter pointed and said, "Just follow the mountain path south for about seven or eight miles, and you'll find the patriarch's cave."

Upon hearing this, Wukong thanked the woodcutter again, then waved to Chonghua and called out, "Brother, the immortal is just ahead; let's go together quickly."

Upon hearing Wukong's call, Yun Chonghua immediately flew towards Wukong's direction. In his spare time these days, he had also practiced the flying technique that Nezha had taught him.

But this flying technique is like running; the faster you run, the more stamina you consume. However, running consumes stamina, while his flying technique consumes mana. And the higher and faster he flies, the more mana he consumes.

However, it's only a foot off the ground, allowing one to walk in mid-air. It's much more agile than walking on hands and feet.

The two brothers emerged from the deep forest, found a path, and after crossing a small hill, they had traveled about seven or eight miles. Wukong then danced with joy and shouted, "Brother, we've arrived! We've arrived! There really is a cave there, what a wonderful place!" With that, the monkey leaped down from the hill.

"Brother, wait!" Yun Chonghua tried to grab Wukong, but there was nothing there. He watched as Wukong disappeared into the clouds before his eyes.

Upon seeing the scene before him, Chonghua was so frightened that his dragon beard stood on end.

Where is the Lingtai Fangcun Mountain or the Xieyue Sanxing Cave in front of me?

All that remained were wisps of thin mist. And beyond those mist lay a bottomless, steep slope.

"This! Could this be some kind of illusion created by that woodcutter?" Yun Chonghua wondered. "No! Whatever it is, I have to go down and see. Although the Great Sage hasn't achieved enlightenment yet, he has treated me well along the way. I can't abandon him! Even if I'm turned away, I must see if he has truly reached the Crescent Moon and Three Stars Cave!"

Thinking of this, Chonghua then stepped forward and flew down the steep slope.