"You little monkey, it's good that you're persistent, but have you ever thought that you've come to the wrong place?"
The woodcutter looked at the obedient Stone Monkey in front of him, his words filled with sighs.
"Wrong place? That can't be! Isn't Southern Jambudvipa Continent the ancestral land of the human race, a blessed land with many immortal abodes?"
The Stone Monkey looked puzzled; he didn't believe such a thing.
You have to understand, all that common sense in his mind was personally instilled in him by the gods in heaven on the day he was born—how could it be false?
"That statement is both right and wrong."
The woodcutter looked at the puzzled Stone Monkey, and a serious expression appeared on his face.
"This Southern Jambudvipa Continent is indeed the ancestral land of the human race. Almost every city where humans gather is protected by the righteous gods of the Heavenly Court, and many immortal temples are located in famous mountains and great rivers."
"But have you ever thought about this? What does all this have to do with you?"
"You've been in the Southern Jambudvipa Continent for so long, have you ever seen hordes of demons or other races as carefree and unrestrained as yourself?"
The Stone Monkey was stunned by the words, and upon reflection, it seemed to be true.
When he was in Flower-Fruit Mountain, he lived with a troop of monkeys. Although he was nominally a monkey, he could almost be considered a monkey spirit because of the Spiritual Energy of Flower-Fruit Mountain. He just didn't know magic and couldn't condense Magic Power.
Besides the monkey spirit, there were other spirits and monsters in the Yamanaka, such as birds and beasts, which the Stone Monkey had almost gotten used to.
Thinking about it carefully, he had been in this Southern Jambudvipa Continent for several months, and had traveled to almost half of the continent. Except for some remote and desolate places, he had only seen a few spirits with some cultivation.
There are none elsewhere; at most, there are some intelligent Beast.
This is enough to show that the Southern Jambudvipa Continent belongs to the human race, and no matter how prosperous it is, it has nothing to do with him, an outsider.
Seeing the Stone Monkey deep in thought, the woodcutter added:
"The Daoist temples and shrines of the Southern Jambudvipa Continent enjoy the offerings of incense from the mortals and emphasize educating the people, but they have never said they would educate an outcast like you."
Upon hearing this, the Stone Monkey recalled his own experiences.
He had entered the Daoist temple with a sincere heart, intending to offer incense and seek enlightenment from the gods, but he was chased for miles by the monks inside the temple, who were carrying magical swords.
He went to famous mountains and rivers to seek immortality and enlightenment, but he could not find the right words or the entrance, and kept wandering around in the Yamanaka.
All of this is not because he is insincere or hardworking, but simply because he is an anomaly, and no immortal wants to establish a connection with him!
Upon realizing this, the Stone Monkey stood frozen in place for a few seconds, the light in his eyes dimming slightly.
He came to the Southern Jambudvipa Continent in search of immortality and the Dao, but after hearing the woodcutter's words, he realized that he seemed to have gone in the wrong direction from the very beginning.
It's true that the Southern Jambudvipa Continent is a blessed land, but alas, it's not inhabited by humans!
He wasn't afraid of hardship, but when he found that the hardship was completely useless, Stone Monkey stirred up some turmoil in his heart.
"What? You can't stand it already? Do you still want to seek immortality and enlightenment?"
"Yes! Of course I want it! I absolutely must!"
"Please teach me, brother!"
The Stone Monkey immediately turned over and kowtowed, forcefully bowing to the woodcutter.
He felt bad that he had worked so hard for so long only to find that he was going in the wrong direction, but the woodcutter's words gave him hope again.
'As long as I can get some direction, I'm not afraid to start over!'
The Stone Monkey bowed sincerely, hoping for a glimmer of hope—a glimmer of hope to attain Immortal Ascension.
"That's enough, that's enough."
"You're quite persistent, you little monkey. Let me tell you something."
The woodcutter seemed moved by the Stone Monkey, but in reality, everything was under his control.
Seeing that the Stone Monkey was filled with hope again, he stroked his beard and chuckled as he spoke:
"Although the Southern Jambudvipa Continent is the ancestral land of humanity, it was mostly prepared for humans. You, being of different kinds, must seek guidance elsewhere to achieve enlightenment."
He pointed westward, "I've heard that in the Western Ox Continent there is a Mount Lingtai Fangcun, and in the Cave of the Slanting Moon and Three Stars on that Yamanaka lives a Patriarch Bodhi, who is most compassionate and teaches all without discrimination..."
The Stone Monkey's ears twitched, and it suddenly interrupted, "Brother, do you have any proof of where you're talking about?"
Although the Stone Monkey was in turmoil, he still maintained a degree of vigilance.
In the common knowledge he had acquired, Western Ox Continent, although there were also humans, was said to be a land overrun by demons, where Buddhas and demons coexisted, and it was considered an evil place.
He was naturally skeptical when he suddenly heard about such a place.
The woodcutter was taken aback, clearly not expecting the monkey to be so alert. Could Humanity Sect him?
That shouldn't be happening!
He secretly made a hand seal with his fingers hidden in his sleeve, and realizing that no one was interfering, he became even more casual on the surface.
"When I was young, I had a stroke of luck, but unfortunately, I couldn't let go of worldly attachments and didn't have the fortune to cultivate the Tao. If you don't believe me..." As she spoke, she took out a crystal-clear leaf from her bosom, "This is the proof."
The Stone Monkey took the leaf, which was the most common shape of Bodhi leaf. The leaf surface was wide and the tip was extremely thin and long. However, it was not green but jade-like. It was warm and soft to the touch and had a refreshing fragrance.
Clearly, this is no ordinary object, which is enough to suggest that the woodcutter's words have some credibility.
"Well, this is proof of that chance encounter back then. I wasn't lying to you, little monkey."
The woodcutter patiently persuaded the Stone Monkey, and the monkey reluctantly came to believe him.
Afterwards, the woodcutter explained to him in detail the address of the Cave of the Slanting Moon and Three Stars, how to get there from the Southern Jambudvipa Continent, and so on.
His words were full of praise for him, which made the Stone Monkey eager to try it.
Finally, as dusk fell, the woodcutter declined to go home, and as he took his leave, he solemnly placed the Bodhi leaf in the Stone Monkey's hand.
"Little monkey, we have had a very pleasant conversation. Since I have no chance to cultivate the Dao, I will give you this opportunity today. Remember, if you cannot find True Immortal here, you can go and look for one for me."
"This... this, big brother, is this really for me?"
Even though the Stone Monkey was ignorant of human relationships, he knew this was a great gift, and he was filled with deep gratitude.
The kindness of imparting knowledge is no less than being reborn, not to mention pointing out a path to enlightenment and giving him an opportunity. This is comparable to the kindness of the immortal who imparted common knowledge to him back then!
"Of course it's for you. Don't refuse, and don't think about being grateful. This is a gift I'm giving you willingly. Just consider it good luck."
After saying this, the woodcutter ignored the Stone Monkey's attempts to persuade him to stay, picked up the two loads of firewood, and went down the mountain path.
The Stone Monkey watched the woodcutter leave, and after a moment's hesitation, it carefully hid the Bodhi leaf close to its body.
'If I still can't find True Immortal after I've thoroughly explored the Southern Jambudvipa Continent, then I'll go check out the Western Ox Continent!'
The Stone Monkey still couldn't forget what the immortals had taught him: that the Southern Jambudvipa Continent was the foundation of the Daoist Sect, and he still harbored resentment.
And despite his innocent appearance, his journey through the world has exposed him to the treacherous nature of humanity. His gratitude towards the woodcutter is genuine, but so are his doubts.
Monkey spirit, monkey spirit!
He shook his head and headed towards the distant, majestic mountains and dense forests.