Rage, pure and incandescent, exploded from him. He tore off his cap, vaulted over the walls of Heaven, and returned to his mountain, where he raised a banner that read: .
The stone-born monkey grinned. He tucked his tail, coiled his legs, and leaped . monkey king : the one and only
The King paled. “That pillar of the ocean floor? It weighs 13,500 catties. No one has ever lifted it.” Rage, pure and incandescent, exploded from him
He returned to the troop, dripping but triumphant. “It is paradise,” he said. “And I am your king.” He tucked his tail, coiled his legs, and leaped
The Buddha smiled. “You cannot leave my palm. If you can, I will bow to you as King of Heaven.”
So they bowed. And for a time, he was content—king of a hidden realm, master of peaches and play.