The older "hunter" knelt on the ground, trembling all over.
"Your Majesty..."
He secretly raised his head, stole a quick glance at Wukong, then hastily lowered it again, his voice faltering:
"Legend has it that several hundred years ago, there was a demon on Cinder Mountain... no, a divine monkey."
"They say that divine monkey had vast powers and never aged or died. He could ascend to heaven and descend into the earth. There was nothing he couldn't do."
"Later, heaven sent down the Heavenly Soldiers and Generals to capture him, then rained down heavenly fire and burned this mountain."
He paused and furtively swallowed:
"Oh, right. The legend also says this place wasn't called Cinder Mountain back then. What was it called again... Flower... Flower-Fruit Mountain?"
Wukong stood where he was, expressionless, without a word.
Seeing Wukong remain silent, the man grew even more uncertain and could only steel himself and continue:
"At first... it was just a tale passed from mouth to mouth. People told it for entertainment. Nobody really believed it."
"But later, someone happened to save a monkey. That monkey could speak like a human. The man kept him for over ten years, and while the man grew old, the monkey didn't change at all."
"Word spread, and someone reported it to the king."
"The king and the nobles at court all wanted to know why this monkey never aged or died."
"Later, after... questioning... the monkey only said he came from Flower-Fruit Mountain."
"Then someone remembered that legend."
The man's voice unconsciously dropped, tinged with fear:
"Some said the monkeys on this mountain had received the divine monkey's blessing, and that there must be a way to live forever here."
"Others said... even if there was no method for attaining immortality, catching these immortal monkeys