Bamboo, Bamboo, I'm Not Taking You as My Master Anymore!

When will the struggle for fame and fortune ever end? Rising early and sleeping late, never free.

Riding donkeys and mules while longing for fine steeds, holding the office of chancellor while yearning to become a prince.

Only worried that clothing and food will keep me trapped in toil; why fear that King Yama will come to claim me?

Adopting sons and shading descendants, scheming for wealth and honor—yet not one is willing to turn back.

As for Lu Qingfeng, after the "calamity" at Gold-Silver Mountain, he had been stripped down to the head and tail by a monkey and made into a bamboo staff, entering the mortal world.

He watched as the monkey learned to dress like a human, swaying as he walked through prefectures and counties.

In the marketplaces, he learned human etiquette and human speech.

He ate breakfast at dawn and slept at night.

With all his heart, he inquired into the Dao of Buddhas, immortals, gods, and sages, seeking a method to attain immortality and eternal youth.

Though he was only a monkey, his heart was truly sincere and his will unwavering.

Compared to those in the mortal world who strove for fame and profit, he made a stark contrast.

Because the bamboo staff was durable, it neither rotted nor broke. At night, when he held it to his chest, he felt no cold; in the blazing summer, even when he carried it beneath the sun, he felt no heat. No matter how muddle-headed the monkey was, he knew he had picked up a treasure.

Wherever he went, he carried it with him.

Sometimes, when he passed through streets and alleys, ignorant commoners chased him until he was in a sorry state and beat him until he was sore all over, yet he still refused