The Monkey King

A long time ago when magic ruled the land, and the Hosts of Heaven were still concerned with the matters of man and the Earth, there was a mountain closer to Heaven than most. This mountain was known as the Mountain of Fruit and Flowers. At the top of this mountain there lay a rock in the shape of an egg that had been there since time immemorial. Due to its close proximity to Heaven, the rock was affected by the aura of Heaven and its Hosts. As time went on, the rock’s energy grew and grew until it produced enough energy to create Chi. The energy that flows through all living things. When this day finally came, the rock cracked open to reveal a stone monkey. The stone monkey lived in harmony with the other monkeys on the mountain and life was good for him and his friends for a hundred years.

One day as the stone monkey and his friends were playing by a stream on the mountain, they found a waterfall. The monkeys were frightened about what lay behind the curtain of the waterfall and they came upon an idea. Whoever among them that could brave the rushing waters to discover the secrets it hid would become their king as he would prove himself the most courageous among them. The monkeys delighted at the idea of this waterfall choosing their king, so they hooted and called until one of them stepped forward. It was the stone monkey. He leapt forward and disappeared into the waterfall. After a few minutes of silence where the monkeys waited with baited breath, the stone monkey reappeared. He described to them what he had come across inside the waterfall. Inside he had found a bridge which went over a huge ravine. On the other side of the bridge he had found stone buildings filled with stone furniture, stone kitchenware, and stone beds. As the stone monkey was describing all that he had encountered under the waterfall, he noticed that the other monkeys were kowtowing to him. It was then that he realized that he had won their admiration and respect. He had become the Monkey King.

One of the first decrees of the Monkey King, was to move all of the monkeys inside the waterfall, where they could make it their stronghold. When the monkeys were outside, they were wide open to attack from the wild animals and demon spirits that roamed their mountain. However, when they were inside their stronghold they were much safer from attack and could defend it quite readily. As the Monkey King was overseeing their move into their new home, he realized that this was simply a temporary measure. If he was to truly protect his people, he would need to learn how to become immortal so that he could use his powers and immortality to keep his people safe. So on that very night the Monkey King made a raft and provisioned it with supplies. He said goodbye to his people as he floated down the river towards the setting sun. And thus the Monkey King began his Journey to the West.

Author’s Note: For the most part I stayed quite close to the original origin story of the Monkey King. There were a few things I tweaked such as the rock absorbing energy until it became Qi which then cracked open and revealed the stone monkey. I also added the part where the stone monkey stumbled upon a storehouse meant for the terracotta army. In the original story there is no explanation for why there are stone buildings and stone furniture in the waterfall so I wanted to give a reason for their existence. I may also bring that in as a key plot point later. I also changed the fact that the Monkey King left at night because I wanted him to head in the direction of the setting sun so that I could say that he began his Journey to the West which is the name of the stories that contain the Monkey King Legend. I chose this story because it was a good jumping off point for the rest of my stories and it also helps me set up a few plot points that I will visit later. This beginning story is also good because it introduces the Monkey King to any readers that have not heard of him before.