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Sitting under the Old Sophora Tree with nothing to do, Xuan Qing gazed at the egg swinging on its makeshift swing, calculating the time with his fingers. A smile spread across his face as he realized that a hundred years had passed in the blink of an eye, and it was time to stretch his limbs again.
Xuan Qing stood up and went back inside to prepare. The egg hopped down from its bamboo cage and followed him into the house.
As he hung up his Wine Gourd and stepped out the door, the egg, which had been bouncing around behind him, jumped over the threshold with a few thuds, eager to accompany him.
Looking down at the egg that mirrored his every move, Xuan Qing thought it would be too inconvenient to take it along for exercise. He picked up the egg and placed it back in its cozy spot inside the bamboo cage, closing the door securely. He had already reinforced the cage with magic, ensuring that no matter how much the egg jumped, it wouldn’t fall apart.
Realizing that Xuan Qing was about to leave without it, the egg glowed briefly, causing the bamboo cage to tumble down from the Old Sophora Tree. It bounced along after Xuan Qing, who had only taken a few steps.
Xuan Qing had no choice but to stop, lift the cage back up, and hang it on the Old Sophora Tree again. With a sigh, he explained, "The place I'm going is very dangerous; you can't come."
The egg rolled around in its nest, determined to follow Xuan Qing outside. The Old Sophora Tree creaked and swayed as if pleading with Xuan Qing to take this "demon star" away and spare its poor old branches from further torment.
Leaving the egg alone at home made Xuan Qing uneasy. Although he had concealed his dwelling with illusions so that no one could see it and set up seven layers of protective barriers to prevent intrusions, he could still leave from within. If the egg managed to jump out of the barrier's range and got picked up by someone else, wouldn’t he be left feeling foolish after all these days?
Since he was worried, he decided to take it along after all.
Releasing the egg from its cage brought joy to it as it hopped onto Xuan Qing's shoulder and nuzzled against his face affectionately.
Together, they soared into the sky on a white cloud.
The Old Sophora Tree swayed its branches in farewell, finally free from the egg's grasp.
Two hundred miles away from Xuan Qing's unnamed mountain lay Monkey Mountain, aptly named for its abundance of monkeys. Various species of monkeys lived there in groups under the leadership of a centenarian Monkey King.
Legend has it that these monkeys brewed a delicious spirit wine made from various fruits known as Monkey Wine. In human realms, Monkey Wine was merely a myth—an elusive spirit drink that cultivators could never taste in their lifetime—because those rare monkeys capable of brewing it kept their creations hidden deep within mountain caves. Yet these monkeys on this particular mountain could indeed brew Monkey Wine. After getting drunk one time and accidentally falling into a cave on Monkey Mountain where they stored their wine, Xuan Qing could never forget its flavor and would sneak back every hundred years.
Another hundred years passed before Xuan Qing returned with the egg, landing in a secluded hollow far from the monkey troops. Silently, they made their way into Monkey Mountain, familiar with every path leading to the hidden cave where the monkeys stored their wine.
The dark cave was filled with the unique sweet fragrance of Monkey Wine. In its center lay a smooth pit illuminated like jade, filled with golden translucent liquid—the very essence of Monkey Wine brewed by the monkeys.
Just a whiff filled Xuan Qing's lungs with Celestial Spirit Energy, nourishing his entire body’s meridians.
Splash—
Wine splattered everywhere as the egg jumped into the Monkey Wine, sinking to the bottom before struggling back up again. It bobbed around happily, enjoying itself in this delightful liquid; Celestial Spirit Energy clung to its shell in a way that felt incredibly comfortable. It lazily floated on its back, savoring every moment.
Watching his white egg reveling in the golden Monkey Wine brought a smile to Xuan Qing's face as well. He unfastened his Wine Gourd and took a deep gulp from the Monkey Wine. In no time at all, he had drained every drop into his gourd.
Meanwhile, just as the egg was trying to change positions while lying in the damp pit, it felt too sluggish to swim any longer. When it attempted to paddle forward again but found itself slipping in place instead—spinning around in confusion—it quickly stood up only to realize that all of the wine had vanished; everything had been consumed by Xuan Qing’s gourd!
"Good wine." Xuan Qing sat to the side and took a hearty sip. The little creature, Egg, hopped onto his lap, rolling around in protest that he was keeping all the wine for himself without sharing any.
Xuan Qing shook the Wine Gourd playfully at it, "Do you want some too?"
Egg immediately jumped onto his shoulder, snuggling against his face and leaving Xuan Qing's cheek covered in Monkey Wine.
Without a proper vessel to pour the wine, Xuan Qing wiped his face and poured some Monkey Wine into his palm, offering it to Egg. The little creature dove into his hand, eagerly absorbing the Celestial Spirit Energy along with the aroma of the wine, then nuzzled against Xuan Qing's palm affectionately.
Xuan Qing placed it back on his shoulder and gave it a gentle pat, "I'll reward you again tomorrow."
Egg rubbed against his face in agreement.
After stretching out his limbs, Xuan Qing stood up to head home. As he emerged from the cave, he was met with a dark scene outside; a horde of monkeys were baring their teeth and making raucous noises. At the forefront was the Monkey King, a robust figure with golden fur, pounding his chest as if ready to challenge Xuan Qing to a fight.
"Cough..." Caught off guard by the monkeys' presence, Xuan Qing coughed awkwardly and glanced around for an escape route. Although he could see the sky above, countless towering trees blocked his way. The area was completely overrun by monkeys, waiting to capture the thief of their wine as soon as he stepped out of the cave for punishment from their ancestor.
Each monkey brandished stones and fruits, prepared to exact their revenge on the wine thief. Xuan Qing chuckled nervously, "Let’s talk this over; no need for stones or fruits."
The Monkey King howled an order, and stones and fruits began to rain down like a storm towards Xuan Qing. With no other choice, he patted Egg, "Hold on tight."
With a push from his toes, Xuan Qing leaped several yards away and landed steadily on the ground. Behind him, the Monkey King let out another howl as various monkeys jumped and shifted positions, continuing to hurl stones and fruits without pause.
Xuan Qing smacked his forehead in frustration, "If I had known today would be like this, I would have checked my luck before stepping out." He jumped again to evade another barrage.
"Ah..."
A pear struck Egg directly, causing it to tumble off Xuan Qing's shoulder. He quickly caught it as Egg bounced in anger from being hit by the pear. Xuan Qing comforted it with gentle pats.
Suddenly, Egg took flight, breaking through layers of obstacles with determination. It dove straight down onto one monkey's head with a thud before ricocheting off to hit another monkey... One by one, every monkey received a bump on their heads while Xuan Qing turned away as if he hadn’t seen anything at all.
Proudly returning to Xuan Qing's shoulder, Egg rubbed against his face affectionately.
With a gentle breeze blowing and clouds drifting by, Xuan Qing held onto his Wine Gourd as he made his way home.
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