The Monkey King
Handsome King of the Apes
Here, the monkey king is born. Out of a stone egg he comes, such a strange sight that even the Lord of the Heavens is scared of him. The story shows how he lives his life on the island -- he plays around, eating and having fun each day. The reason he becomes king of the apes (as there are other apes on the island, probably normal and not made of stone) is that they spot a huge waterfall. Basically, they make a bet that whoever can go through the waterfall is the king. So naturally, the protagonist does, finds stonework in the cave the rests on the other side of the waterfall, and becomes king. And because he's king, they decide to call him 'Handsome King of the Apes'. His life is pretty awesome at that point as well -- he reigns over the monkeys while having fun for about three hundred years.
The Great Sea
This chapter starts out funny, as the apes are having a banquet and the protagonist randomly starts crying (am I mean, lol?). I was as confused at that point as the other apes were -- until finally someone asked him why he was crying. He basically points out that although they're having fun, death will take it all away. All the other apes began to cry except an old one, who gave his approval to the 'Handsome King of the Apes', saying that he was wise for realizing there was more to life than what they had been doing. As this old ape seems wise, Handsome King of the Apes asks what kinds of creatures are immortal. The old ape replies with three answers: Buddhas (did he mean priests?), gods, and the blessed spirits. And after asking where as well, he decides to leave for the mainland (of China). He finds, to his dismay, that no one seems to care about the deeper questions. And when he sees the Western Sea, he decides to search for someone who can help him conquer death.
Sun Wu Kung Gets His Name; The Master
It's pretty random as to how the Handsome King of the Apes finds his master. After sailing across the Western Sea, he meets a woodcutter, who's singing a beautiful song. The song is so beautiful, in fact, that the Handsome King of the Apes thinks it's divine. And someone who can sing like that, Sun Wu Kung reasons, knows the truth (about everything that matters, apparently). So he tries to be the disciple of the woodcutter, but the woodcutter says that he was taught the tune by a saint that lives south of this area. So naturally, he goes. He gets named Sun Wu Kung and is taught by the master, along with the master's other disciples. First he is taught basic etiquette and manners, and then to read. He is shown to be the wisest out of the bunch of disciples, which the master picks up on (though he still disapproves of Sun Wu Kung's excitability). He tests Sun Wu Kung by asking him what he wants to learn. But when Sun Wu Kung refuses, because none of the subjects he was offered could teach him how to become immortal, the master gives another test (a hidden message by hitting him with his cane) which he also passes. The master basically mutters that he's finally found a person worthy of the knowledge of immortality.
The Nether World
I thought that this story was interesting. Although it wasn't long, it showed how Sun Wu Kung defeats death, in both the literal sense of defeating someone and in the figurative sense of becoming immortal. He ends up intimidating death's envoys into erasing his name from the book of death. I think it's worth noting that he doesn't just do this for himself -- he ends up exempting all his followers (back on the island where he was king) from death as well. It's kind of admirable -- most people would only think of themselves in the situation, even if they were good people, because their immediate thoughts turn towards how they should deal with the situation. Sun Wu Kung, on the other hand, remembers them and forces the people in the nether world to erase all of the apes from the Book of Life.
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