Flower-Fruit Mountain, above the clouds.
The Five Directions Jiedi sat cross-legged on a bank of cloud, looking down from on high at the mountain forest below.
Gold-Headed Jiedi had his arms folded, his chin propped up, staring at the lush, verdant woods beneath them.
In the forest, a lithe figure was leaping and wheeling among the treetops.
At times he climbed onto ancient vines and swung dozens of zhang away; at times he flipped over and landed on a great boulder, letting out a sharp, piercing cry.
That was the Spirit Monkey.
Following behind him was a great crowd of monkeys with fur of every shade, chattering away, chasing and playing, stirring up all of Flower-Fruit Mountain until chickens flew and dogs leapt.
Gold-Headed Jiedi watched for a long while before he finally could not help speaking.
"Again with this."
He stretched lazily and tipped his head back.
"It's been hundreds of years, and every day is exactly like this."
"That Spirit Monkey leads that bunch of monkeys either up the trees to pick fruit or down to the stream to bathe."
"Either they're burrowing into the waterfall, or they're bouncing around on the cliffs."
"Living so carefree."
Those last four words were practically squeezed out from between his teeth.
Silver-Headed Jiedi was crouching to one side, both hands resting on his knees. He tilted his head and glanced downward, then withdrew his gaze, his face likewise full of utter boredom.
"Who says it isn't?"
"The Bodhisattva told us to keep watch over one monkey here, and we've watched for hundreds of years."
"When exactly is there going to be an end to this?"
Bolo Jiedi sat at the outermost edge, holding a dead twig and listlessly drawing circles on the cloud's surface.
At those words, the dead twig in