The myth begins with the Lotus Lantern

Chapter 216 Teaching Monkeys
"In that case, I should thank Lord Bi Ma Wen first," said the Seventh Fairy.

"No need, no need!" The stone monkey waved his hand, beaming with joy. He didn't notice the sarcasm in the Seven Fairies' voices and thought that the matter would be easily resolved.

"Lord Bi Ma Wen..." The Seventh Fairy said in a deep voice, her face ashen, "What an imposing official's arrogance!"

"You..." The smile on the stone monkey's face froze instantly, and confusion flashed in his eyes. He couldn't understand why the seven fairies weren't as fearful and apprehensive as the common people in the mortal world.

Then a fierce glint flashed in his eyes. The stone monkey remembered that in the mortal world, even when commoners were trembling with fear and kowtowing repeatedly in court, the magistrate would still make a judgment without explanation and order the yamen runners to use severe torture on them.

Perhaps I should continue learning?

The seven fairies kept their eyes fixed on the stone monkey, their hands tightly gripping the jade pendant at their waists. If the stone monkey made the slightest move, they would call for help, and if they saw a fierce glint in the stone monkey's eyes, they would crush the jade pendant.

The menacing glint flashed and disappeared in an instant.

The stone monkey's eyes turned hesitant. His past experiences had taught him that turning black into white and crushing everything with absolute force was enough to change the outcome.

But in the end, he was just uneducated and naive; no one is born evil.

Just as the stone monkey was about to continue imitating the county magistrate, a sense of unease welled up in his heart again. His eyes darted back and forth, and suddenly he felt a surge of unease!
"I'm sick!"

"It's completely boring!"

Suddenly, the stone monkey erupted, shouting and glaring angrily at the seven fairies. Then he turned around and leaped more than ten feet away, turning his back to the seven fairies and sulking alone.

A hint of surprise flashed in the eyes of the Seven Fairy Maidens. She had thought the stone monkey was going to act violently, but she didn't expect him to just shout randomly and then sulk by himself.

"You kidnapped me, and you're not even going to explain yourself?"

A sound came from behind, which made the stone monkey even more irritable. He squatted down, ripped off his official hat, covered his head, and scratched his head with his monkey paws, turning his straight golden fur into a mess. Suddenly, he stood up, turned around, and glared fiercely at the Seven Fairies.

“I don’t know where your physical body is right now. Once this secret realm opens and we’re out, I’ll find your physical body and bring it back to you, okay?” the stone monkey shouted.

"Soul-swapping is extremely dangerous; a slight mistake could lead to the annihilation of one's soul. Yet you can simply switch back with a casual remark?" the Seventh Fairy said.

"I've already promised to get it back for you, and I won't let you keep me entertained anymore. What more do you want? Don't push your luck!" The stone monkey's eyes widened.

"Did I ask you to bring my soul here?" The Seventh Fairy glanced at the stone monkey, leaving him speechless with just one sentence.

"You...you..." The stone monkey stammered for a long time, unable to utter a word. He was at a loss for words, and a surge of ferocity rose in his mind. He bared his canine teeth, looking menacing. "Don't be so unreasonable! Believe me, I'll...I'll..."

“You know I’m in the right,” the Seventh Fairy said coldly, looking at the Stone Monkey. “Then… what do you intend to do to me?”

"What...do you want!" The stone monkey gritted his teeth, gradually becoming impatient. A surge of ferocity rose within him, his bestial nature suppressing the uneasy feeling. He stared at the Seven Fairies, his eyes flashing with a fierce light. "I, Sun Wukong, was born of heaven and earth, and I have never suffered such humiliation from you!"

"It seems you truly don't understand," the Seventh Fairy said, her voice softening slightly. "When you do something wrong, you should apologize first, then make amends, instead of resorting to threats like you did." She shook her head. "Force can only subdue people, not make them forgive. You think the matter is over, but you're just drinking poison to quench your thirst, burying the seeds of future trouble. You're simply compounding your mistakes!" "Are you teaching me, Old Sun?" The Seventh Fairy's softened voice eased the stone monkey's hostility. Although he was still full of hostility, the fierce light in his eyes subsided. He suddenly became somewhat smug, shaking his head and boasting, "You say I, Old Sun, am wrong, but do you know how many friends I have in heaven, from high-ranking officials to the stable boys who feed the horses? I have connections with everyone. They say I, Old Sun, am genuine and that they are kindred spirits with me."

“They say… tsk!” The Seventh Fairy laughed, “Whether they’re afraid of you or just like you, you know the answer in your heart.”

"You..." The stone monkey was furious and embarrassed. He was a clever stone monkey, born with a clear mind and good at reading people's expressions. He naturally knew that the Seven Fairy Maidens were right, but it would be too embarrassing for him to admit it directly.

"Whether it is or not, what does it have to do with me?" the Seventh Fairy said.

"You're right." The stone monkey suddenly breathed a sigh of relief, lowered its head, and looked like a wilted eggplant.

"I see you're not young, so you must have seen a lot. Why do you think that to get along with someone, you have to make them fear you first?" the Seventh Fairy said.

why?
Stone Monkey's eyes flickered. When he went to learn his skills from a master, he set off from Flower Fruit Mountain, crossed oceans and traversed continents. He passed through countless villages and towns, and of course, he did not only encounter the county magistrate who turned black into white.

He had also witnessed the beauty of humanity: friendly neighbors, and brotherly love and respect...

Initially, the stone monkey also considered doing things in this way. Then, one day at the market, he bumped into a child. He bowed and apologized, and offered him a fresh peach that he had picked in the wild, which he himself was reluctant to eat. At first, the child's father did indeed smile and indicate that it was nothing.

But when he saw the man's tail that he had inadvertently revealed, his expression changed. He ripped off the gray cloth covering the man's face and started hitting him with a carrying pole. If he hadn't been agile and hadn't had sharp claws and teeth, scratching the man's face and making him escape, there probably wouldn't be the Sun Wukong we know today.

For a long time, the stone monkey couldn't understand why, until he learned to read and read a word:

Not of my kind.

The stone monkey understood, because he was not human.

Later, the stone monkey returned to the monsters after mastering his skills, only to find that this approach still didn't work among them. They only worshipped strength. Even his sworn brothers, if they hadn't fought him first and understood his abilities, would never have formed a relationship with him.

The stone monkey then thought of another word:

The weak eat the strong.

“Isn’t that so? If they weren’t afraid of me first, why would they be willing to befriend me? Right now, they don’t understand me yet, but they will naturally become friends in the future,” said the stone monkey.

"So you made some friends in heaven?" the Seventh Fairy asked.

“We feast and drink every day, exchange gifts, and are very happy every day…” said the stone monkey.

"So, are they your friends now?" the Seventh Fairy asked.

"At first, there will naturally be some awkwardness, but as time goes by, we will naturally become more compatible..."

(End of this chapter)