The myth begins with the Lotus Lantern

Chapter 215 Mind and Nature

The next moment, the monkey face suddenly disappeared into the distance.

"Ha! That scared me!"

"Hahahaha!"

The stone monkey cheered and leaped up from the ground, clapping his hands and laughing heartily, looking extremely happy.

The Seven Fairy Maidens snapped out of her daze and scanned her surroundings warily. Sensing the disharmony between the spirit and flesh, the overwhelming spiritual energy, and the monkey before her, she began to have a vague suspicion. She calmed down, her gaze turning cold, no longer showing fear. She remained silent, simply watching the stone monkey dance and gesticulate wildly.

The stone monkey jumped a few times but didn't get the expected response. He noticed the Seven Fairies' cold gaze, and suddenly leaned forward, bringing his ugly monkey face close to theirs again. He blinked hard, then suddenly pulled down his face with both hands and made a funny face.

"Roar!"

The seven fairies simply stared at him coldly.

"Which palace maid are you from, that you're not afraid of me, Old Sun?"

The stone monkey became interested, and the seven fairies' indifference did not deter him; on the contrary, it made him even more fascinated.

"You... are the newly recruited stable boy?" The Seventh Fairy's eyes flickered, her voice calm. Although she already had a rough guess, she still wanted to confirm it.

"You've heard of me too?" The stone monkey's eyes lit up, and he grinned, revealing a set of sharp fangs between his ape lips. "That old man really didn't lie to me. The position of Bi Ma Wen is quite prestigious. Even a random palace maid has heard of it."

In the stone monkey's simple mind, the greater the fame, the higher the official rank.

Of course, besides this, the stone monkey caused trouble everywhere in the heavens without any consequences, which led him to mistakenly believe that the position of Bi Ma Wen (弼马温) was very important.
Little did they know that this outcome was due to the fact that the lower-ranking officials feared his recklessness and were afraid that he would retaliate with his power, while the higher-ups, out of consideration for his background, were unwilling to make a big fuss about it, even though they disliked him.

"So, it was you who trapped my primordial spirit in this celestial realm." The guess was confirmed, and the Seventh Fairy's voice was unfriendly.

"Just some minor tricks to capture souls and change spirits, not worth mentioning, not worth mentioning!"

The stone monkey was smug and his eyes darted around. Suddenly, he noticed that the seven fairies' expressions were becoming increasingly unreadable. He realized what was happening and felt a pang of guilt.

"Old Sun has captured your entire soul. You can switch bodies later, it won't matter. It's just that the original female immortal was cold and aloof, never talking to me, and it's so boring here..."

The stone monkey seemed to know he was in the wrong, and his voice grew softer and softer. Suddenly, he realized that continuing like this would be tantamount to admitting his mistake. Although he had lived for hundreds of years, he was still young and had not experienced enough. He still had the heart of a child. His eyes rolled around, and suddenly his gaze became fixed. He glared fiercely at the Seven Fairy Maidens.

The Seven Fairies felt a jolt in their hearts and their eyes flickered, but just then they felt that they had adapted slightly and were able to partially control their bodies.

So she quietly moved her hand up and grasped the jade pendant on her waist. It was a gift from the Queen Mother of the West. As long as it was crushed, it could be sensed even from a distance. All the sisters had one and wore it as a waist ornament.

The seven fairies held the jade pendant, their hearts finally at ease, and they met the stone monkey's gaze without fear.

"Hmm..." The stone monkey noticed the fleeting glint in the Seven Fairy Maidens' eyes and immediately hardened up. He blinked his monkey eyes and put on a fierce look, shouting, "How dare you!"

This is what the stone monkey learned on his way to learn his skills at Fangcun Mountain. The magistrate in the courtroom that day used this trick to take the initiative and then, by falsely accusing the peddler who had accused his nephew, sentenced him to caning.

The stone monkey did not yet have a clear sense of good and evil. Bodhi Patriarch only taught him skills, but did not teach him the principles of being a person. He remembered that the county magistrate used such methods to evade his mistakes, so he subconsciously learned and used them.

At this moment, the stone monkey shook his head and swayed his body. He was still wearing his official robes, as he had since ascended to heaven.
Since being granted his official position by Heaven, the stone monkey had always worn his official robes. He thought that being the Keeper of the Heavenly Horses was the highest official position, so he naturally flaunted it and walked through the halls and rooms every day, thinking himself to be all-powerful.

"Since you've heard of my name, Old Sun, you should know that I'm your superior, hmm..."

The stone monkey imitated the county magistrate, putting his hands behind his back and raising his head. His blue official robe was loose, and paired with his thin and small body, it looked like a child wearing adult clothes.

This wasn't because the Heavenly Court was deliberately being harsh. In fact, the Heavenly Court's official robes were all standardized ceremonial robes, and the size was up to him. It was just that when the stone monkey was on Fangcun Mountain, he was used to wearing Taoist robes, which were loose. So when he suddenly changed into these official robes, he naturally felt very uncomfortable. He was also reluctant to take them off, so he ended up looking like this incongruous figure.

"You're nothing but a lowly palace maid, yet you dare to look at me, Old Sun, like that? Hmm... I really have a lot of nerve. Aren't you afraid that I... I'll punish you for disrespect!"

The stone monkey puffed out its chest and belly, shaking its head. The black gauze hat on its head was askew and suddenly fell off, almost covering its eyes. The short gauze wings fluttered wildly, making it look ridiculous.

Afraid of him?

Seeing the stone monkey's pretentious manner, the Seventh Fairy was both annoyed and amused. Of course, she knew the origin of the stone monkey's name. At this moment, she thought that the stone monkey was relying on his background and was using his official position as a pretext. If we were to talk about background, she was the granddaughter of the Great Heavenly Venerable. Why would she be afraid of the stone monkey?

"What do you want?" the Seventh Fairy asked.

"You know how tough it is now," the stone monkey said, his eyes darting around, and he secretly breathed a sigh of relief. "Well then, you don't need to do anything. Hmm... just keep me company for a while, have some fun, and I won't hold it against you."

The stone monkey waved his hand magnanimously, giving an answer that surprised the seven fairies.

"That's it?" The Seventh Fairy was taken aback. She felt a sense of familiarity. She had raised two children in the mortal realm, and she understood the situation better now. Judging from his words and actions, this monkey was clearly a slightly older child.

"Of course not, you have to make me, Old Sun, happy!"

The stone monkey blinked, stammered, as if racking its brains, and made a request that wasn't really a request.

The seven fairies finally understood.

This monkey wasn't malicious; it was just ill-mannered. It possessed great skills but was ignorant and confused. It didn't even know that what it was doing was evil, nor did it understand the seriousness of the matter. Although it was several hundred years old, it was probably not as sensible as Niu Yin.

The Seven Fairy Maidens knew that if she simply said something to give the stone monkey a way out and save face, the matter could probably be resolved.

But she refused.

Does ignorance of the truth give one the right to act arbitrarily?
The danger of the soul-changing technique is such that a slight mistake can lead to the soul being scattered.

She's no one to this monkey, so why should she suffer this undeserved misfortune for no reason?
(End of this chapter)