Chapter 3: The Stone Brothers

“Great Sage?”

The Stone Monkey echoed the word in confusion.

He had just sprung from the crevice of a rock into this world, no more than three days ago.

He still did not fully grasp the precise meaning of the term before him.

Though naturally gifted, he was by no means born with innate knowledge.

Curiously, he studied the visitor in front of him. The man exuded an extraordinary aura, and his speech carried a profound and mysterious depth.

“What is a Great Sage?” he could not help but ask, his eyes gleaming with curiosity.

Shi Yu gently rubbed the space between his brows, pondering how best to explain.

“Great Sage... is a supreme title,” he began.

“Not just anyone can earn it.”

He considered carefully, then said earnestly to the Stone Monkey, “I see your exceptional talent; in time, your powers will be vast and mighty. Among heaven and earth, you shall be known as the Great Sage.”

Hearing this, the Stone Monkey scratched the fine hairs covering his body in excitement, baring a radiant smile.

“For some reason, I feel quite close to you,” he said. His praise from Shi Yu opened the floodgates of his speech.

“Are you a special kind of monkey? You have fewer hairs than others and wear something strange on your body.”

Shi Yu couldn’t help but laugh. “In a way, yes. You and I are certainly kin—we both belong to the primate family.”

“Primate family?”

“What is primate family?” The Stone Monkey’s eyes widened, clearly intrigued by this new term.

“Well... that...” Shi Yu began to rummage through the knowledge he had absorbed, preparing to teach the Great Sage.

As he taught, he reflected inwardly.

The Great Sage seemed unusually affectionate toward him, no doubt influenced by the divine-demonic covenant system.

The system had infused a fragment of its divine soul into the stone embryo, aiding the Great Sage in breaking through the immortal stone to descend into the mortal world, then reciprocated by empowering its own divine soul.

Unseen by either, an unbreakable bond had been forged between them.

As the Great Sage’s power grew ever stronger, Shi Yu would naturally rise alongside him.

The Stone Monkey listened eagerly to Shi Yu’s many lessons, scratching his ears and cheeks in delight, his eyes dancing with joy.

“You teach me so much, yet I do not know how to address you,” he said. His lively eyes reflected Shi Yu’s tall, handsome figure across the mountain stream.

“My name is Shi Yu.”

Shi Yu paused, then explained, “Shi, as in stone; Yu, as in universe.”

The Stone Monkey was momentarily stunned, then burst into laughter, leaping three yards high.

“So you, too, sprang from a stone?”

“Otherwise, why would my surname be Shi?” Shi Yu smiled.

The Stone Monkey gleefully somersaulted several times before hopping across the mountain stream to stand beside Shi Yu.

“I came from a stone as well—we’re stone brothers!” he said, tilting his head to look at him.

Shi Yu stood a full one meter eighty-five, tall and upright, while the Stone Monkey was a head shorter, appearing agile and endearing.

Seeing the Stone Monkey so exuberant, Shi Yu couldn’t bear to dampen his spirits and nodded in agreement.

“Yes, we are stone brothers.”

Then, unable to resist, he reached out to stroke the furry head, feeling its softness and warmth—a pleasant sensation indeed.

The Stone Monkey was overwhelmed with joy. Born of nature, fatherless and motherless, though he played among the monkeys, a lingering loneliness always dwelled within his heart.

Now, with a brother of the same origin, his happiness overflowed beyond words.

He bounded up and down, no longer the quiet observer of the sunset.

Soon, the Stone Monkey gathered many immortal peaches and spiritual fruits, sharing them with Shi Yu.

Side by side, they sat by the clear, babbling stream, gnawing on the fruit, tossing some aside.

The gentle glow of the setting sun bathed them both, stretching their shadows long and slanting, cast upon the forest.

At the far end of their shadows, their figures gradually merged, as if becoming one, indistinguishable from each other.

From that moment on, they were stone brothers of the forest.

The Stone Monkey had only been born three days ago; naturally, he recognized Shi Yu as his elder brother.

“Brother, since your surname is Shi, mine should be too.”

“However, I have no name yet—could you give me one?”

He looked toward the fading sun dipping behind the mountains, eyes shining with hopeful anticipation as he spoke to Shi Yu.

Hearing this, Shi Yu’s mouth twitched involuntarily.

What was this? Brother Stone Monkey, your surname is Sun!

The world-famous Sun Wukong!

As if he bore the surname Shi.

Stone Wukong...

Where was the dignity in that?

At this thought, Shi Yu’s mind suddenly grew alert.

He had arrived in this world like a stone cast into a lake, rippling outward.

In merely these few days, inexplicable changes had already begun to surface.

If the world line shifted because of this, the consequences would be beyond what his modest strength could bear.

In those few breaths, his thoughts raced.

Clearing his throat, he feigned profundity: “In the future, you will surely create an earth-shattering legacy worthy of the name Great Sage.”

“Because of this, I, your elder brother, dare not casually bestow upon you a name.”

“When the time is right, your true name will emerge naturally, resounding across heaven and earth.”

Hearing his brother’s words, the Stone Monkey shook his head like a rattle.

Immediately, he threw a tantrum, rolling on the ground in desperation, demanding that Shi Yu give him a name.

Such brazen antics would challenge even the high-ranking gods and demons of the Journey to the West, let alone a mere mortal like Shi Yu.

“Stop, stop, stop!” Shi Yu called, headache mounting. He sighed helplessly, knowing if he did not provide an answer, this newly acknowledged brother would pester him endlessly.

Yet, he could not outright say the name “Sun Wukong”—that was a task reserved for Master Subhuti in the future.

If he overstepped, who knew what changes might unfold?

So be it.

Shi Yu sat up straight, his expression serious.

“If you insist I give you a name, it is not impossible.”

“But three conditions must be met.”

“Speak, brother. Be it three or thirty, I will agree,” the Stone Monkey said joyfully, mimicking his elder brother’s tone and sitting upright.

Facing each other, Shi Yu’s gaze deepened as he slowly spoke.

“First, the name I give you now will only be a childhood name. When you achieve your great deeds, you will need a more resounding, illustrious name.”

The Stone Monkey’s eyes rolled playfully. “A childhood name is still a name.”

“Second, this name is only to be used between us two; it must never be mentioned to outsiders.”

“Why is that?” The Stone Monkey scratched his head, puzzled.

“Some secrets must not be revealed.”

Shi Yu decided to attribute all inexplicable matters to the mystery of fate. To some extent, this was indeed true.

In the Journey to the West world, he was like one who knew the future, a keeper of heavenly secrets.

If he carelessly disclosed such mysteries, he might face divine punishment.

“Third, our brotherly bond is purely personal; it need not involve others. To outsiders, you must not mention me, to avoid unnecessary trouble.”

The Stone Monkey blinked, half understanding. “Brother, is this also a secret of fate?”

Shi Yu nodded slightly.

In that moment, he suddenly comprehended the words Master Subhuti had spoken when sending Wukong away.

When facing the world’s cause and effect, one must be cautious beyond measure, never acting rashly!