Zhang Shisan furrowed his brows and said, “What exactly is going on inside you? Before, the energy within you was already quite unusual, though relatively calm. Now, it’s completely unfathomable; we can’t even tell what’s happening.”
Mei Qing held his head, looking somewhat weary, and replied, “I don’t feel anything wrong either. The cauldron is still the same as before, though it seems a bit lifeless, not as lively as it once was. Other than that, everything else seems unchanged.”
Beside him, Bi Zhen supported Mei Qing with concern, saying, “You were fine just now—why did you suddenly faint? Do you think you’re some sickly young master in the capital city, someone who coughs for two days after a light breeze? You’ve already attained the body of a true cultivator; there’s no reason for you to collapse so easily. What exactly happened inside? Quickly tell us; maybe we can help.”
Mei Qing rubbed his temples, quieted himself for a moment, and then slowly began recounting everything that had happened after he fled from the Shi residence.
When he mentioned falling into an illusion formation, Zhang Shisan murmured in response, clearly surprised by the sudden appearance of such a formation over the Mingsea.
As Mei Qing continued, describing how he broke free from the formation but was later captured at the Fishbone Temple, Bi Zhen grew visibly tense. Although she knew Mei Qing had not been harmed, she instinctively gripped his arm tighter.
When Mei Qing spoke of being led into the formation by Liu Liu, discovering the Jieshi, and the sudden appearance of Zhang Liusun, both Zhang Shisan and Bi Zhen were greatly shocked.
“Zhang Liusun?… Ah, yes. Back then, there were many rumors about his heavenly tribulation. I never imagined he would appear here,” Zhang Shisan sighed, speaking of this senior who had come from the Celestial Master sect. “However, what he said about you being his doppelgänger cannot be easily believed. There may indeed be some secret within your body, but it certainly isn’t what he described.”
“I understand that too. At first, Zhang Liusun did treat me with genuine kindness, so I don’t think he was pretending. I suspect it has something to do with the small cauldron inside me,” Mei Qing reflected, recalling how Zhang Liusun had indeed shown him guidance and support.
Mei Qing then continued recounting how Zhang Liusun had tested him with riddles, later revealing himself as a child, and how just then Xu Fu had arrived to challenge him.
“Xu Fu?” When Mei Qing mentioned Xu Fu, several people in the room looked puzzled. Shi Mengzhu sighed, “It’s long been said that Xu Fu sailed to the sea and became the ruler of Fusang. Who would have thought there was such a story behind it? Jieshi has been a legendary mountain for centuries. Local records say it sank into the sea during the Tang dynasty, but it seems it was actually during the late Qin. If that’s true, then the poems left behind by emperors like Cao Cao and Tang Taizong must have been inspired by the wrong locations, leaving only empty sentiments behind.”
When Mei Qing described how Xu Fu, under the guise of seeking immortals at sea, had secretly established his own cave dwelling at Jieshi and gathered gold to cast a cauldron, Zhang Shisan sighed, “In ancient times, cultivation and the fate of nations were always intertwined. Without the strength of an entire nation, how could one gather the gold and iron of all nine provinces? And without the aid of cultivators, how could the Qin dynasty unify the six kingdoms? In the end, both cultivation and imperial power require the gathering of the world’s strength into one to achieve greatness. It’s a pity that later cultivators narrowed their vision, confining themselves to their own circles, and became obsessed with karmic retribution, spending their days in isolation refining pills and studying scriptures. With such a mindset, how can they even speak of reaching the immortal realms?”
Mei Qing nodded and said, “Indeed. When I saw Zhang Liusun and Xu Fu battling, I felt that ancient cultivators, though skilled in schemes and intrigue, were far less sophisticated than people today. Nowadays, cultivators focus entirely on plotting and scheming, gaining the upper hand in conflicts through deceit. Yet they don’t realize that such methods only take them further from the true Dao.”
Mei Qing’s words came from the heart. During the battles between Zhang Liusun and Xu Fu, in which Mei Qing himself had participated, he noticed that while their cultivation levels declined, their cunning and trickery only grew sharper. Though Zhang Liusun often gained the advantage over Xu Fu in their confrontations, his actual cultivation was significantly inferior.
Could it be that Zhang Liusun, sensing the vast difference in power between ancient and modern immortals during his heavenly tribulation, chose not to ascend, preferring to remain as a small fish rather than a lesser part of a greater one? Mei Qing couldn’t help but suspect this might be the case.
As Mei Qing recounted the details of the battles between Zhang Liusun and Xu Fu, both Zhang Shisan and Bi Zhen listened with rapt attention. Even Shi Mengzhu and Hou Shen, who were not cultivators, were filled with admiration.
“Zhang Liusun’s cultivation may not be unparalleled, but his ingenuity, adaptability, and techniques are unmatched,” Zhang Shisan mused. “Yet compared to Xu Fu, it’s hard to say who is truly superior. Since ancient times, cultivation techniques have grown increasingly complex—talismans, alchemy, spirit summoning, sword techniques, and even poison cultivation have all become highly refined. Yet, strangely, the cultivation of one’s inner nature and heart has fallen behind.”
Mei Qing nodded in agreement and then mentioned how Xu Fu had summoned bronze figures. At this, Zhang Shisan and Bi Zhen exchanged glances, their expressions suddenly changing.
Thinking they might not understand the bronze figures’ origins, Mei Qing quickly recounted how Xu Fu had stolen them, been pursued, and eventually fled into Jieshi, where he was forced to disintegrate his body.
After Mei Qing finished, Bi Zhen still looked puzzled. Suddenly, she turned and called out, “Xiao Bai! Xiao Bai!”
Following her gaze, Mei Qing saw a small white ball of fur leap in through the window and bounce onto Bi Zhen’s shoulder, chattering excitedly and nuzzling her neck affectionately. Looking closer, it was a tiny monkey with extremely lively eyes. Seeing Mei Qing, a stranger, it bared its teeth at him threateningly and let out a couple of warning cries.
Bi Zhen immediately picked the monkey up, gave its bottom a gentle slap, and whispered something in its ear. Immediately, the monkey turned to Mei Qing, bowing and nodding with a look of flattery.
“What is this?” Mei Qing asked in surprise. “A monkey? Are you raising it for Master to eat monkey brains?”
As soon as he said this, Zhang Shisan nodded vigorously, clearly thinking, *Ah, my disciple truly understands me!* The monkey, terrified, immediately darted into Bi Zhen’s arms, its eyes brimming with tears as it whimpered pitifully.
Bi Zhen’s eyes flared as she snapped at Zhang Shisan and Mei Qing, “Eat, eat, eat! All you ever think about is eating! If either of you dares to talk about eating my Xiao Bai again, I’ll eat you first!”
Zhang Shisan chuckled, his drunken eyes glancing at the white monkey, which shrank further into Bi Zhen’s embrace in fear.
Seeing his wife getting angry, Mei Qing quickly tried to soothe her, “Honey, I didn’t say I wanted to eat it. I mean, look at it—there’s barely any meat on it… I mean, you call it Xiao Bai? That name is just too ordinary…”
“Not Xiao Bai?” Bi Zhen was successfully distracted. “But look at it—its fur is all white. Isn’t Xiao Bai a good name?”
“Pigs have white fur too, and so do cats and dogs. That name has no character at all,” Mei Qing said firmly.
“Then what should I name it?” Bi Zhen, now convinced by his reasoning, asked eagerly.
“How about… Sun Wukong?” Mei Qing suddenly blurted out after a moment’s thought.
“Sun Wukong?” Bi Zhen looked puzzled. “Why such a name? It sounds like a monk’s dharma name.”
At that time, during the middle of the Jiajing era, Wu Cheng’en’s *Journey to the West* had not yet been written. Not only Bi Zhen, but even Zhang Shisan looked confused, clearly not understanding the origin of the name.
Mei Qing frowned, “There’s a story about a monkey called *Journey to the West*. Haven’t you heard of it?”
Actually, Mei Qing himself wasn’t sure either; he had just recalled the title from somewhere in his memory and blurted it out.
“*Journey to the West*? Written by the Changchun immortal? Don’t try to fool me. There’s no monkey in that book,” Bi Zhen scoffed. “Still, the name isn’t bad. Wukong, Wukong… Heh heh, there’s a fat monk at Xiangguo Temple in the capital named Wuneng. Every time he sees someone, his eyes dart around like he’s up to no good. Not a trustworthy look at all. If Xiao Bai changes his name to Wukong, he’ll seem like Wuneng’s younger brother.”
Mei Qing was stunned, “Wuneng? He wouldn’t happen to be surnamed Zhu, would he?”
“How did you know?” Bi Zhen widened her eyes in surprise. “That Wuneng actually has some background—he was granted the surname Zhu by the previous emperor and later became a monk in the emperor’s place.”
Mei Qing stood there frozen for a long while before slowly regaining his composure.
“Wukong! I’m calling you, Xiao Bai! From now on, you’re Wukong! Now bring out the thing!” Bi Zhen, loving the name, kept calling the white monkey.
The monkey seemed reluctant, making a series of pitiful, teary-eyed expressions. But when Bi Zhen remained unmoved, it finally reached into its ear with its fuzzy right hand and pulled something out.
Shaking off a strange feeling, Mei Qing focused on the object and was startled.
It was a tiny bronze figure, several inches tall.
Though small in Bi Zhen’s delicate hand, the figure was still clearly visible. Yet how the monkey had managed to hide it inside its ear was truly astonishing.
Even more surprising was that this golden bronze figure was exactly the same as the one Mei Qing had seen Xu Fu possess.
“This bronze figure? Where did it come from?” Mei Qing asked in amazement.
Bi Zhen handed the figure to Mei Qing and recalled, “When we found you, this small bronze figure was on your chest. I took it, and later Xiao Bai—Wukong—snatched it to play with. We’ve been busy lately and didn’t pay much attention. Why? Is this figure…”
As Mei Qing reached out and grasped the bronze figure, a sudden tremor passed through the small cauldron inside him.
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