As night fell once again, Simon Stone finally opened his eyes. The first thing he did was devour the pile of fruit the monkey tribe had offered him, then bandaged his wounds with vines and palm leaves.
During the break, he even relieved himself.
When it came to relieving himself, it was a constant source of anxiety. With no toilet paper, leaves were the only choice. Most were far too smooth to do the job, so, in the end, he had to settle for a fuzzy, prickly kind.
The outcome? His poor behind was left in tatters.
Thinking about having to use such things for a long time to come made Simon Stone even more distressed, longing for his old life.
This immortal path—truly, it cannot be neglected...
For the next few days, unless absolutely necessary, he refused to leave the tree hollow. While quietly recuperating inside, he began to remotely command the monkey tribe to pursue the Tiger King.
The pursuit was remarkably effective. It was nearly impossible to kill the Tiger King by pelting him with fruit, but they could starve him out!
The monkeys, divided into ten groups, harassed the Tiger King day and night, broadcasting his movements everywhere. As a result, by the time the Tiger King arrived, all the prey had already fled.
Unable to endure the constant harassment, the Tiger King was forced to flee to the outskirts of Blossom Mountain, to areas not covered by the forest.
As the saying goes, when a tiger falls to the plains, it is bullied by dogs. The Tiger King was made for life in the forest, but out in the barren lands, his vibrant fur became a glaring target. Prey from afar could spot him with ease.
Though not completely unable to find food, hunger had become an inevitable companion.
How could the former king of the forest endure such humiliation? He knew perfectly well who was orchestrating all this from the shadows. So, on several moonless, windy nights, the Tiger King tried to sneak back and reclaim his throne.
But Simon Stone was not one to let his guard down. In the face of life and death, he remained vigilant every moment. He had stationed sentinels throughout the forest, and more often than not, he would hide in his tree hollow before the Tiger King even arrived.
Even while recovering, Simon Stone was never idle. If there weren’t enough tree hollows, he’d dig his own! He directed the monkeys to carve out secret hideouts at the base of the great trees using stone knives, tailored just for himself.
With this, the entire forest became his fortress.
Of course, even the tightest defenses have their flaws—especially when your sentinels are a band of unreliable monkeys.
They might fall asleep while on watch, sneak off to play during patrols, or forget their orders as soon as they’d finished goofing around... In short, with these monkeys, anything could happen.
Because of this, Simon Stone found himself in danger more than once, his nerves stretched to the breaking point, plagued by nightmares every night.
Far removed from civilization, living on wild fruits and sleeping under the open sky had already worn Simon Stone’s body and spirit thin. The relentless pursuit of the Tiger King pushed him ever closer to the edge of collapse.
From this perspective, the Tiger King’s counterattacks were not without merit.
This had already evolved into a war of attrition, dragging on day after day—whoever gave in first would lose.
This stalemate lasted for a month. Afterward, Simon Stone’s wounds finally healed, though his spirit was weighed down by depression. Meanwhile, the Tiger King had grown so thin he looked more like a sickly cat than a fearsome beast.
As his strength waned, the Tiger King had no choice but to devote more energy to the difficult hunt on the plains, venturing into the forest less and less, as if he intended to end this endless war.
But Simon Stone thought otherwise.
“Do you still want to kill him? He hasn’t tried to ambush us for five or six days now. Is it really necessary?”
“He must die! I want to roast him and eat him!” Simon Stone’s eyes blazed like a bear’s, his voice nearly crazed. “As long as that beast lives, I’ll never sleep soundly!”
Gold Silk Finch couldn’t help but widen her eyes. Suddenly, she realized that this monkey’s thirst for vengeance was anything but ordinary.
Years later, when asked about the most unforgettable opponent he faced, Simon Stone’s answer was neither the Buddha, nor the Jade Emperor, nor Yang Jian. It was this nameless Tiger King.
This was the longest life-and-death struggle of his life, leaving an indelible psychological shadow and shaping his ruthless style.
Another month passed. The starving Tiger King grew even weaker, while Simon Stone, now half-mad, had mastered every survival skill of the monkeys, becoming a true Monkey King.
The final battle began.
Simon Stone wrapped himself in banana leaves for modesty, strapped on a sturdy wooden shield he'd painstakingly made, tucked a stone dagger at his side, and led a mighty troop of monkeys—each armed with sharpened sticks—straight toward the Tiger King's lair.
In a narrow mountain valley, these two mortal enemies, locked in a life-and-death struggle for two months, finally met again.
At the sight of the Tiger King, the monkeys bared their teeth in savage grins.
But when the Tiger King saw Simon Stone, all hope left him.
"Must it end this way?" he asked.
Simon Stone gave no answer—he simply waved his hand, signaling the phalanx of monkeys with long sticks to advance.
How could one allow an enemy to sleep soundly beside their own bed?
That was his answer.
The Tiger King bared his fangs, every hair standing on end, and roared madly at the monkeys. The dying beast’s struggle sent chills down their spines, but none of the monkeys retreated.
Their trust in this extraordinary Monkey King had long surpassed their fear of the Tiger King. After two months of war, the monkeys finally claimed victory.
Gold Silk Finch would never forget the scene that day.
Simon Stone fought on the front lines himself, his mouth twisted in a wild roar, eyes bloodshot and veins bulging on his face.
Months of pent-up fury burst forth as he became a true beast, smashing the dying Tiger King's head to pulp with a stone. Still unsatisfied, he skewered the Tiger King’s corpse and roasted it over a fire.
It was the only time in his life Simon Stone ate meat, and it gave him diarrhea for seven or eight days, leaving him nothing but skin and bones before he recovered.
[Irrelevant meta line skipped.]
Rising slowly from a bed of banana leaves, Simon Stone thought that days of carefree happiness lay ahead. He could finally take his time planning where to find Master Sage Subhuti.
Unfortunately, things were not yet over.
As everyone knows, in the animal world, territory is everything. With the Tiger King dead, a new predator would soon rise to claim the throne at the top of the food chain.
A month later, the new 'lord' arrived—a leopard.
This drove Simon Stone, who had hoped for a period of peace and recovery, back to the brink of collapse. Though he had experience dealing with the Tiger King, the smaller, tree-climbing leopard was far more difficult to handle.
The most despairing part was that even if he managed, through endless struggle, to defeat this new lord, another carnivore would simply take its place. The war would never end—defeating one enemy only brought forth another.
Fortunately, this leopard had little interest in provoking the numerous and relatively united monkey tribe, giving Simon Stone a brief respite.
But even this peace was fleeting.
Half a month later, one night, a young monkey disappeared from the tribe. Simon Stone found half a skull, still flecked with meat, in the leopard's den...
At that moment, Simon Stone felt as if his entire world had collapsed.
"This is nothing but an endless nightmare! A nightmare!" he roared hysterically.
The monkeys’ nerves stretched to their limits, the watch network expanded. Unable to fully trust his unreliable kin, Simon Stone was forced to check the sentries himself several times each night, sometimes even taking their place when he couldn’t find them.
Yet no matter how hard he tried, monkeys continued to disappear, their remains found in the leopard's den...
He began to fight back.
Sadly, the leopard was far too agile, and harassing him did nothing—unlike with the Tiger King, to the leopard, monkeys who came to provoke him were simply prey.
One sweltering afternoon, the leopard lay atop a tree, flashing a strange smile at the Monkey King from afar. That smile, like a seed of fear, took root deep inside Simon Stone’s heart.
Countless times, Simon Stone dreamed of having his throat torn out in his sleep, blood pouring out. This constant threat of death pushed him once again to the brink of collapse...
"No, this can’t go on! That beast treats us like a flock of sheep!" Simon Stone tore at his fur, roaring from the treetop.
But what could he do?
Could those foolish little monkeys really help?
At last, after four months—barely settled in—Simon Stone was forced to turn his gaze toward the sea.
"You want to cross the sea?" Gold Silk Finch shrieked when she heard the news.
"I’m going to the Western Isle, to Spirit Mountain, Slanting Moon Cave, to seek Master Sage Subhuti and learn the way of immortality."
"I’ve been to the Western Isle, but Spirit Mountain... I’ve never even heard of such a place!"
"I remember you said you met people called 'Immortals' during your travels. If we find them, surely they’ll know!"
"But how will you cross the sea? Even humans from the Southern Continent can’t make it here."
"That’s because they don’t have a guide. The greatest danger on the sea is losing your way—but I have you!" Simon Stone said firmly.
"When did I agree to go with you?" Gold Silk Finch protested, puffing up in anger.
Gold Silk Finch scoffed at the idea, but in the end, she was roped into Simon Stone’s adventure—perhaps because he always found ways to make her smile.
She liked the wildflowers Simon Stone tucked behind her ear, liked it when he called her the most beautiful bird in the world.
Soon, Simon Stone mobilized all the monkeys to help prepare for the voyage—a massive undertaking.
For these monkeys, far from civilization and lacking any tools, chopping trees, hauling them to the shore, and weaving a raft was nearly impossible. And Simon Stone wanted more than just a tiny raft. Worse still, throughout the preparations, they had to remain constantly on guard against the leopard.
After three months of nonstop work, day and night, they finally finished a huge raft—six zhang square. It looked rickety and unreliable, and the monkeys worried a single wave would overturn it.
But they were monkeys—could anyone expect them to do better?
During this time, four more monkeys were killed by the leopard. The tribe couldn’t bear to even look at their mangled bodies.
What could he do? Kill the leopard?
The animals here weren’t as clever as humans, but each was far shrewder than ordinary beasts.
Besides, even if he dealt with this leopard, another would come. It was an endless cycle.
For Simon Stone, the only way out was to set sail as soon as possible, to return only after mastering the Seventy-Two Transformations. Then, no matter how many leopards came, he would have nothing to fear.
Gritting his teeth, he finally summoned the courage to set his plan in motion.
At his departure, the entire monkey tribe was in tears.
"King, will you come back? We’re a little scared."
"I will. When I’ve mastered the Seventy-Two Transformations, I’ll come back and slay that leopard!" Simon Stone vowed.
Watching Simon Stone board the raft, its rough bark creaking, the monkeys huddled together, weeping bitterly.
Though foolish, these monkeys had saved Simon Stone from becoming the Tiger King’s dinner. More importantly, even when they learned the raft was for his departure, they honored his command. Once Simon Stone left, defending against the leopard would be even harder.
They were simple, pure, and foolish—so foolish that Simon Stone felt a pang of tenderness for them.
The ebbing tide swept the raft out to sea. Simon Stone climbed the lookout pole at its center and shouted, "You must survive! Don’t let the leopard eat you! Wait for my return!"
"King, you must come back!"
"I swear, I will return!"
By now, Simon Stone’s eyes were brimming with tears.
"If you’re so reluctant, why leave?" Gold Silk Finch asked.
Simon Stone didn’t answer; he simply stood there, dazed, on the raft.
Would staying really change anything? Staying would only mean parting in another way.
The path to enlightenment left him no choice.