The moon that night was especially round, especially clear and bright, its radiance dazzling.
After resting and recuperating, Chen Jin felt well, so he seized the time to attempt his second visualization and draw in the essence Qi of the moonlight.
After all, the present peace could not last indefinitely. As time passed, unforeseen upheavals might erupt at any moment.
He always felt the peril of not knowing whether he would survive from morning to night, and yearned for the strength to secure a place for himself in the world.
He raised his head to gaze at the moon, hazy and indistinct, an image of boundless vastness:
"I lift my head to gaze at the bright moon; I lower it and think of home."
A fine poem indeed.
But where was home?
Where were his family and friends?
Suddenly, Chen Jin felt lonely.
Loneliness was like wine. He raised his cup to invite the moon and drained it to the brim.
At that instant, the moonlight in the sky seemed drawn by some mysterious force and gathered toward him.
At first, it came in scattered drops, sparse as raindrops, drifting uncertainly.
This was moonlight essence.
Chen Jin suppressed the delight leaping in his heart, remaining focused and calm as he worked to gather the moonlight essence and draw it into his body bit by bit.
As he circulated the cultivation method and settled into the practice, the moonlight essence gradually formed threads, showering down upon him strand by strand.
As the shriveled channels within this shell of a body were moistened, the sensation of sweet rain after a long drought was wondrous beyond words.
But it was still far from enough.
More, a little more...
Beyond Banyan Tree Slope lay an unbroken chain of mountain peaks.
On one of those peaks, a troop of black-furred mountain monkeys had gathered.
A powerfully built ape stood upright like a man atop a bluestone boulder, looking down from above.
This was the monkey king, with two distinctive tufts of white fur on its cheeks, as though it sported a white beard; its arms were long, and its extremely long tail lashed like a whip.
It was actually wearing a gray cloth garment, ill-fitting, too small, and torn; in its right paw it carried a wrought-copper staff about four feet long, cutting an imposing figure.
The monkey king's bloodline had awakened, and it had gained intelligence. Some time ago, a sudden fancy had taken it: it would venture out to seek immortals and the Dao, take a human as its master, and learn human speech and conduct.
So it had crossed mountains and ridges and arrived at a large stockaded settlement bustling with people.
But those people had been far from friendly, ferociously trying to capture it and shouting that they would kill the monkey.
The monkey king had been forced to flee, stealing a garment and a wrought-copper staff on its way out.
After returning and finding its troop, it learned that an outsider corpse monster had seized its territory.
Furious, it immediately rallied every mountain monkey, intending to take advantage of tonight's splendid moonlight to kill the corpse monster and reclaim Banyan Tree Slope.
"Hoh-ow!"
The monkey king threw up its arm and roared, taking the lead as it brought dozens of mountain monkeys charging toward Banyan Tree Slope in a mighty procession.
Though the mountain monkeys were not as clever as their king, they knew how to follow its example. Some grabbed rocks, others snapped off branches to use as clubs. In any case, they were "fully armed," with not a single one empty-handed.
Whooping and screeching all the way, they soon reached the foot of the slope.
The monkey king waved an arm, signaling a halt.
It looked up and saw an utterly miraculous sight:
For some reason, the once-lush crown of the banyan tree had become completely bare, and a person now sat upright atop it.
On closer inspection, that was no person, but a corpse monster with a withered face, clad in old, antiquated clothes, its hair fluttering like dead grass.
At first glance, it was truly frightening.
At a second glance, moonlight essence drifted down from the full moon like threads of rain, falling around the corpse monster and lingering there, immortal-like and dreamlike.
What was this?
The monkey king was profoundly shaken, suddenly recalling scenes from certain legends.
Imperial flowing sap!
With a clang, the copper staff fell from its paw to the ground.
Its mountain monkey followers exchanged bewildered looks.
Bathed in moonlight essence, Chen Jin's mouth opened and closed slightly, like a baby suckling.
Drop by drop, the moonlight essence not only entered his body and moistened his meridians, but also shone into his eyes, as though washing them with clear water.
Cool and comfortable.
After an unknown length of time, he felt a subtle change in his eyes. His vision had become a little clearer.
His eyes were regaining vitality.
They had certainly not recovered completely, but compared with the dim blur of before, he could at least make out outlines now.
He was overjoyed, thinking that as long as he persevered and drew in moonlight essence every night, sooner or later he would clear away all the cloudy obstructions and filth veiling his eyes.
Then he would see the light again.
Being able to see things was truly an immense blessing!
The moon had slanted westward, making it difficult to draw in any more moonlight essence.
Chen Jin stopped cultivating and rose in satisfaction, standing high atop the tree crown with his hands clasped behind his back, looking as though he might float away into immortality.
Then it occurred to him that, after the relentless wind and rain of the past two days, the space beneath the banyan tree must be a mess again and would need cleaning.
He immediately climbed down, picked up his broom, and began tidying up before sunrise.
As he swept, he suddenly sensed something. Straining to open his eyes and look, he saw indistinct shapes ahead. It was very strange.
What were those things?
He cautiously approached and finally made them out.
The one in front appeared to be a large monkey!
This was bad. They had come to take their territory back...
To be honest, Chen Jin was quite satisfied with his current living conditions.
The sturdy stone dwelling sheltered him from wind and rain, and even protected him against lightning strikes. It was quite good.
Besides, he was only a weak little corpse monster. Where else could he go if he left?
Perhaps he could discuss it with the monkeys, and they could all live together peacefully?
With that thought, Chen Jin slowly raised his hand, preparing to greet them.
Meanwhile, having led its troop here, the monkey king faced Chen Jin with surging excitement, as though something it had dreamed of obtaining had suddenly appeared before its eyes.
It dared not make a racket or act rashly, lest it disturb and offend this immortal whose every movement brimmed with supreme majesty.
Just then, the monkey king saw the immortal beckon to it. In a flash of inspiration, it immediately dropped to both knees.
Seeing it kneel, the monkeys behind it followed suit, forming a dense, dark mass.
Its heart brimming with excitement, the monkey king shuffled forward on its knees, step by step, until it reached the immortal.
Then the immortal's hand stroked the top of its furry head.
The immortal touched my head. Does this mean he's accepting me?
The monkey king was so ecstatic that it nearly rolled around on the ground, but managed to restrain itself, lest such impudence displease the immortal.
Then it saw the immortal wave his hand.
This meant he wanted them to leave.
Understanding his wishes, the monkey king bowed and withdrew, leading the entire troop beyond the banyan tree's bounds. But it did not go far, having the monkeys settle at the foot of the slope, finding patches of grass, tree hollows, and other places to make their new nests.
"Hm? They're leaving just like that?"
Chen Jin found it strange, wondering what breed of monkey they were to be so accommodating.
Most monkeys, after all, were fierce and domineering, difficult to get along with.
Or were these mountain monkeys unruly and suspicious, and only retreating for the moment?
Unable to work it out, he put down his broom and returned to sit inside the shrine.
Whatever happened, protecting his home mattered most.
But with both hands empty and no weapon to hold, he felt a measure of security was missing. In his present circumstances, though, where could he find a weapon to use?
Chen Jin let out a long, quiet sigh.
The morning sun leaped above the eastern horizon, its light like fire. A new day had come.