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axl-ul · 3 months

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The Flight of the Western Crane: Chapter Fifteen

(A reupload/repost of my fic/dark retellingof Journey to the West which can be also found on AO3 under the same name)

(General info about this fic/wip/retelling is here)

****

Thunk! The dull sound flew around a simple hall, which used to host the city’s soldiers for training sessions. Old weapon racks and wooden dummies, all that was left to watch over the dust, stood by all four walls and shook as vibrations passed by. The yellow light leapt in through both tiny cracks and wide open windows placed on the southern wall, the only one which contained softwood timber, to heat up the stuffy hall; its rich golden hue caressed the dark pillars as thick as a giant’s leg. The space itself, although abandoned, was vast, wider than the courtyard with golden heads of chrysanthemums where the Pilgrims were brought upon their first arrival. Just like the courtyard, the hall was also decorated by a pair of still lions by its large entrance. Their empty stares had followed Pilgrims ceaselessly since they walked in.

“You’re rustier than ever, Daizi!“ the Monkey King shouted and lowered the wooden pole he’d taken from one of the racks.

Bajie, not any calmer than the imp, moaned while he was massaging the burning lump forming on the top of his head,“Easy for you to say. We’ve been stuck in this hole for a few days! There’s not much I can do about it.“

“Except for stuffing with the finest grapes and wine and peeping at the handmaidens.“

“You better take that back!“

“Which part exactly, you lazy idiot?“

“Not everyone is a madman like you and gets up sooner than the sun just to go for a jog.“

Because of his distaste for a heated conversation, Ol’ Sha rather quickly jumped down from one of the three benches which woodworms hadn’t infested so far. His blueish forehead wrinkled above the puppy eyes while he flailed his arms,“Brothers! Your recurring arguments won’t solve anything. I beg you on my knees, stop this all at once. Reconcile, be compassionate, live and let live, as Shifu likes to say.“

“Never!“ both Wukong and Bajie shot him a furious look more terrible than the one of the Thunder God and spat in the direction of their rival.

Red hair encircling the bald spot on his skull stood up, his long brows furrowed until they nearly merged above the root of his flat nose and his voice of an otherwise gentle giant turned into a roar of a dragon roaming above the sea in the middle of a storm,“All the shouting and foaming and riling each other up… No wonder that Shifu has to use the Headband Tightening Spell, Wukong. Or to give you additional tasks so you shall work with your hands more than with your mouth, Bajie. I feel no different to our poor Shifu right now.“ Sandy grew even more beyond his usual physique. His head now nearly touched the timber wood running across the ceiling, his palms were nearly the size of the door. Miraculously, the light blue garments didn’t tear nor loosen a bit, they only stretched out to match the demon’s new size, unlike Bajie’s whose shirt started ripping whenever the pig bent over. Hence why the middle brother no longer bothered to smarten up his collar and wore it freely, showing a good half of his slightly hairy chest to the world.

Wukong and Pigsy stared at their junior. They sure were far more skilled in combat and magic. Yet to see how drastically their little brother changed his stance perhaps for the first time during their travels was an experience of a lifetime.

The former Celestial and the imp shrugged. They offered a neat smile and soothingly told the river demon,“Ol’ Sha, c’mon! No need for this, truly. All you had to say was to tell us to shake hands.“ The troublemakers slyly did so and hugged each other, knowing well this would surely calm him down.

The plan, unsurprisingly, worked out as Wujing was rather easy to trick despite how knowledgeable he became thanks to the young Master.

Sha Wujing shrank back down, though the frown on his face persisted as his folded arms,“You swear not to yell again?“

“Totally.“ The carefreeness reflected in their snort woke up the doubt in Wujing. His cocked eyebrow disappeared once they brought him into a big shared hug, purposefully crushing him in a joking manner.

“Listen, me and Bajie shall do one more round and we’ll be off for today. Okay?“

“Be our referee for the last time and we’re gonna let you be. We swear.“

Sandy gave it a thought, then nodded and returned to his seat.

“Bajie?“ Wukong asked, meanwhile he got into a fighting stance with his left leg being put to the front and his torso lowering significantly. He watched as Bajie copied him with the wooden combat rake.

“All ears, Big Bro.“

“Try to aim at my right leg. It’s been a while since I trained that damned thing. I fear my defence isn’t as good there as it should.“

“Which means?“ Sandy tilted his head, trying to follow the two.

Wukong’s grip on the staff solidified. The Sage grinned from ear to ear and narrowed his eyes. “All the tricks up the sleeve are allowed in this round. How else am I going to sharpen my reflexes?“

Bajie winked in response. “Don’t need to say more, Big Bro.“

Wujing, all tensed up as he truly tried to keep a watchful eye over the fairness of the fight, watched from the bench as the two senior brothers fought.

Bajie’s strikes were unexpectedly fast and precise. Not often, but there were indeed a few times Wukong shed a droplet of sweat while dodging some of his brother’s sweeps.

A forward thrust with a sweep from left to right aiming for the knee joints, an attack so sudden that Wukong barely jumped up to dodge it. A slyness sparked under Bajie’s eyelids at that moment. He spun the wooden rake, bringing another attack upon Wukong. Although the monkey shot up his arms to block the rake grip with the length of the bo staff, it was merely a trap, which he soon found out.

The tip bounced against the pole. The energy transferred to the head fast, its dull teeth swang against Sun Wukong’s right shin which he happened to bring forward as he had landed and ducked down. Fortunately, the Sage reacted swiftly. He bounced himself back and successfully knocked the rake out of Pigsy’s arm with a high kick.

Just as the weapon slammed the floor, its loud bang drowned out the sound of the squeaking sliding door, the Monkey King masterfully changed his feet and spun around to kick Bajie in the jaw. All three, the onlookers and Pigsy, expected a painful collision.

A guttural scream filled everybody’s ears. The yell didn’t belong to Bajie, though.

It was Wukong’s.

The monkey was twisting on the floor. His teeth gritted, he held onto his right knee. The long tail, accompanied by the sound of desperate hissing and furious growl, was lashing around.

Wujing and Bajie rushed to their senior, the worst of fears painted over their faces covered by the cold sweat which mixed with the dust as soon as they knelt beside.

Unlike them, like two lice hiding under thick hair, Jun and Yawen watched from afar in the cooling shade of the construction. A small spark of hope that he may be able to win the tournament after all rekindled in the soldier. On the other hand, her boredom vanished and the handmaiden began to grin, barely able to hide the malicious joy engraved into her nature since birth. However, her needle-like teeth soon hid behind her lips and a thin smirk emerged instead. A sign of an idea popped in her cunning mind, once again. Changing her attitude for the third time, the queen’s handmaiden pretended to be shocked and covered her open mouth with a long sleeve of her apricot jacket.

A sound of heavy boots from deer skin interrupted the hectic questions filled with worry. “I would applaud you for the circus number, Huang, if it weren’t for the fall. It seems like you’re purposefully preparing for your defeat, not the win.“

“What, argh, do you want here?“

“To do what you obviously failed at. To train.“

“Dear Wei,“ Yawen cried out and ran to Wukong, large loops of her hair which reminded of bunny ears hopped in the rhythm of her quick steps. She wiped away sweat from his hairy forehead before Wujing drove her off, a clear disapproval written on the river demon’s face.

“Is he going to be alright? Please, tell me he is. Such a formidable man cannot-“

“Shut up, you whiny two-faced bit- woman,“ Pigsy corrected himself before motioning to sharply breathing Wukong and continuing,“Don’t you see we got a real emergency here?!“

“Do you know who you’re speaking to, pig?!“ Yawen’s weepy demeanour immediately turned into a pure fury,“Who are you calling two-faced?!“

“You! Who else? And I said, ‘Shut. Your. Damn. Mouth. Up.’“ Each word was highlighted by a clap of hands.

Yawen hissed at Bajie but before their quarrel got any more heated, Wujing and Jun, surprisingly, found common ground. Agreeing that the monkey wasn’t fit for any further training for the rest of the day, Ol’ Sha helped Wukong to stand up.

While he was supporting the limping monkey, Friar Sand motioned to Pigsy to do the same. The pig obeyed. However he didn’t refrain from turning back to Yawen for the last time. His fingers formed a shape of a snake’s head and he mockingly hissed back at the viper demoness while jerking with his head to the side.

Slowly and carefully, the trio approached the door with a symbol of a hawk. Wukong cursed under his breath whenever he had to step on his injured foot. “Hold on, Big Bro.“ Ol’ Sha soothed him until a man’s voice called out for them from behind.

“Huang.“ The soldier couldn’t deny he liked the chance to mock his rival. At the same time, he’d rather fancy a fair fight. The guilt creeped under his skin. He chewed on his inner cheek as Wukong’s darkened gaze pierced the crane with thousands of spears and arrows. “I wish for you to get better soon. May we see each other face to face as equal opponents at the tournament.“

At first, the Monkey King didn’t respond nor did he give away his thoughts with a grimace. He simply waited, thinking.

Taking a long, deep breath and stretching out his back, he nodded,“Thank you. I hope so, too, captain.“

“Oh, and send my regards to Miss Yaling when you see her. To her little sister, as well, naturally.“

Wukong was too occupied with the pain and the stairs to notice Bajie nervously nibbling on his lower lip. It didn’t escape Wujing, though, who was smart enough this time to put two and two together.

****

“Now tell me, you two smartasses, how are you going to get me all the way up there,“ Wukong, with a visibly sour mood, pointed at the palace above them hidden behind tens of colourful paper cranes and dragons,“when you barely got me down here!“ His fist slammed the table when Wujing and Bajie paid their attention to the bowl of noodles instead of him.

“Hey! If you wanna some just say. No need to be this rude.“ After a small pause, Pigsy added with a frown, “I wanna enjoy my lunch in peace.“

“Is that so?“ Wukong dangerously lowered his voice as his spine bent over, thus creating an image resembling a sneaking cat. Yet he didn’t let his anger take over. The little nose wrinkled when he let out a sharp exhale.

Sandy rolled his eyes and wiped the salty broth from his mouth and cheeks before he stretch out for the red-and-white bowl with chopsticks and sent it sliding over to his senior brother. “Big Bro, I brought you down here due to a few reasons. First, we haven’t done much sightseeing around the city. Secondly, you liked the Merry Bunny’s food the last time we were here. So you better start eating or it’s gonna get cold.“

Not batting an eye, Wukong caught it while he was focusing on watching a pair of guards marching through the market. Paranoid as ever, his hair stood up, his eyes lit with tiny flames as he quickly scanned the soldiers. Fortunately, the crowd soon devoured them and the monkey relaxed once again. He muttered,“Thanks. But I’m not hungry.“

He was prepared to send the vegetable soup back, but an invisible force didn’t allow his hand to push. He gazed over and saw how Wujing formed a seal with his left hand. Feeding himself with the other hand, Friar Sand replied in between the sips,“Eat while it’s still warm. Food is meant to be enjoyed. Not digested.“

Finally, the monkey accepted. Smirking, Wukong made himself comfortable in his seat by adjusting his leg covered in bandages. “You sound just like Shifu,“ he whispered. Images of what the Pilgrims had experienced since setting out for the West flashed past his eyes. Only then did he take a bite.

The vendor didn’t lie just like the first time when they visited the place with the venerable monk and the two women. A spicy, yet slightly sweet taste warmed up Wukong’s heart and caressed his taste buds as the noodles tickled them with their light texture and nutty flavour. Truly, the bunny demon had one of the best soups in the city, that went without a doubt. The Monkey King scolded himself for doubting the younger disciples. After all, Sandy was the main cook of their travel group while Pigsy was the main taster.

The market din, the laughter of the locals paying attention to shadow puppeteers and erhu players somewhere in the corner of the enormous square, the wonderful smell of food not only from their stall but also from every other vendor, the colours of kites and decorations which locals put on their homes in preparations for the great celebration, the beautiful sunny weather accompanied by fresh but humid air from the mountain range and playful gurgling of the river became a scenery worth to remember. What was more, the memory would take on an even greater value as Wukong wasn’t alone to experience it. And although he began to miss the monkeys of Mount Huaguo, he was looking forward to telling them where he’d been and what he’d seen. Whom all he met and travelled with, as well. He smiled. Not much, yet sincerely.

Wukong looked over the table only to find that, in the meantime, Bajie and Wujing began to merilly chat with the man with protruding incisor teeth and slick hair tied up in a perfect topknot. Both disciples tried their best to barter the recipe. The owner of the stall only waved and laughed saying he’d never give out the family secret.

“If only Shifu saw you, you rascals,“ Wukong couldn’t help but chuckle. “Boys, leave him be or they won’t let us dine here next time.“

“Oh no, young master. Your family’s been one of our best customers. I wouldn’t refuse to sit you around my table,“ the bunny bowed. It seemed he wanted to chat more, however his aunt, at least that’s how he presented the older woman with awfully similar face and poor eyesight, called out for him. Excusing himself he brought a portion of vegetable dumplings for them and vanished among numerous customers ordering the family’s specialty.

“Don’t you dare.“ Wukong pulled the dish away from sneaking Bajie. The pig’s entire torso landed flat on the rough surface. The table bent under the sudden weight. The Great Sage wasn’t willing to listen to his fellow’s sobs, so he quickly explained,“I bet Shifu hasn’t eaten this whole day. This is gonna be his meal.“

“But Shifu is up in the palace. He can have a meal at any time!“

“From the Queen’s cook, not from this market stall.“ Wukong gently knocked with his knuckles on Bajie’s forehead as if he were knocking on somebody’s door.

The Sage pulled onto his hair and blew into it. A straw appeared in between his nimble fingers and the Great Sage soon enjoyed chewing onto it while folding his arms behind his head. Now, he finally took a nap in the newly found comfort, although his injured foot had been stretched out on the bench since their arrival.

“Big Bro’s right. We ought to take some for the girls, too. Mei liked it here.“

“‘Girls’ and ‘Mei’, huh?“ Bajie giggled like a little scamp,“You got really familiar with our ladies.“

“No!“ blush creeped into Wujing’s cheeks when he yelled out, his brown almost black eyes wide eyed beyond belief,“Not more than Shifu. To me she’s just an adorable little sister. Shifu seems to like.…“

The monkey immediately woke up. He and Pigsy looked at each other as the statement took them equally by surprise.

Sandy realised that what he meant to say definitely sounded much different than to what he truly meant to share. Quickly, he went to correct himself,“Well, you saw how chatty he becomes around them. I noticed some mentions in his diary, too!“

Bajie started kicking Wujing under the table, yet up to no avail and alas too late.

Wukong sat up and asked through gritted teeth as the pain struck him again,“He’s got a diary? Is that where you got the idea of leading a journal? And you read it? Little Brother, I had you for a nice guy, not a snooper.“

Sweating like never before, Wujing blurted before he gave it a second thought,“I never claimed I was alone!“

Bajie’s heavy hoof landed on the river demon’s foot with all might. Poor Sandy whimpered and tried to hold back the tears, although a single droplet slid down his cheek and vanished in the thick beard.

The Monkey King, who still suspected nothing, cocked his eyebrow and let his amused look to jump over to Bajie. “Let me guess. You gave a hand, didn’t ya?“

Knowing well that his senior was cornering him, Pigsy gave up,“Maybe slightly. But we peeped only a bit! We saw nothing else. Is that so, Little Bro?“

Sandy nodded like a child because he remembered he might have had them revealed. What’s worse, their Master’s initial fear and what he described their eldest brother as was at stake. He took the chance when Wukong once again chuckled and ordered himself some tea. The distraction was more than enough. “I’m sorry, Bajie. I didn’t-“

“Don’t worry. Just don’t let him know-“

“What are you two up to again? Whispering by the table is pretty rude.“

“Sorry but…“ They started, yet didn’t finish. They noticed how Wukong warily watched the kites in the clear sky above them. Their easy grace, colours and glitter captivated them, too. All three submerged in their worlds, in their memories and in the treasured present moment.

Bajie, who was the most prone to talking, murmured,“I’m glad I met you, guys.“

“Yeah, me too,“ dreamy Ol’ Sha joined.

The eldest disciple remained silent. Thinking back to what they’ve been through and that a great journey still awaits them, he must agree. “I’m saying this only once and never again. You’re no monkey grandchildren or my other fellows from Huaguo. And Shifu could be more rational at times. Yet…I feel that home is wherever we move to as long as we’re together in this. Thanks for that.“

Neither the pig nor the fishman couldn’t keep their jaws from hanging down. Sun Wukong knew that. Hence why he changed the topic,“What are you gonna do once we reach our destination?“

“Well, I reckon you already know,“ the pig demon reacted with joy.

“Chang’e?“ the Great Sage massaged the root of his nose with squeezed eyes..

“You’re wide off the mark this time. I’m telling the Celestials to get me the best bath and bed ever. After this slog, I deserve some reward, of course. I’m telling them to prepare some for you guys, too.“ The three demons chuckled.

“Sure thing,“ Wukong poured the cups with peach tea and offered them to his brothers,“Little Brother?“

“Well, I’ve been thinking about collecting some books and scrolls. I’ve seen some interesting titles during our journey. I’ve taken some notes about them in my diary, too, as Shifu advised.“

“And then?“

“I’m gonna establish a library, Big Brother. What else? Books for everyone at any time!“ Sandy, with open arms, gave the people around him a meaningful look and let the contagious spark of excitement shine inside out. “You, Brother Monkey?“ the two juniors asked simultaneously,“What are your plans?“

The Great Sage relaxed against the prop. “I’ll return to my family. Haven’t seen them in a long while. The little ones must have grown up a great amount.“

“And the first thing you’ll do when you see them?“

“No idea. I have many ideas… but it’ll surely be much different than what I plan now.“

Wukong could swear that a small hand brushed against his. At least three little bodies tried to climb on top of his shoulders so he could carry the children around and show them everything in sight. Aunties and uncles, grandmas and grandpas as well as his four generals, one of his closest friends, ran to him, welcomed him. They pat him on the back, shoulders and head and cheeks in the humid shadows of the grove playing in shades of deep green, crimson red, golden yellow and azure blue under the roar of the waterfall as the sun sets down and the time of the celebration approaches them. His brothers and Master are also there. None of the Pilgrims are the men they used to be.

“I wonder what Shifu shall do…“

“I bet he’ll visit his old monastery and lecture them like he lectures us. We might change here and there but old habits die hard,“ Bajie’s round cheeks bloated with air and laughed out. His brothers joined in rather quickly as they couldn’t deny his words.

“Why not ask him when we get back?“ Wukong brought forward a reasonable question and brought the little green cup to his chapped lips.

The three demons paid and thanked the owner once again as they set out for a walk through the market. The Monkey King was still nervous from limping. Despite the fact that Mei, Sanzang and Márgerdra were without his protection up in the palace, something in the back of his mind told him not to worry much. And so he did. He let his brothers help him discover the marvels of the city, its main square and the fair it hosted. Once they even stopped by the shadow puppeteers. The play was rather short yet still rather entertaining and amusing. It was about a wondrous life of the Dragon King’s cousin and how he stranded himself deep within the jungle. As the play neared its end, the children moaned with annoyance. The puppeteers promised the story would continue in a few days at evening hours. Being well familiar with the children’s behaviour, Wukong didn’t hesitate to calm the young audience. Bajie and Wujing helped him to squat down as the monkey spoke in a suddenly tender voice. An undeniable mischief glistened behind his deep eyes.

“Uncle, how do you know they’re going to return to tell us the ending?“ A little girl no more than four with pigtails and enormous owl-like eyes gently pulled onto his shirt to get his attention.

The old monkey playfully pinched her puffy cheek. “Little one, there are other people who want to know about the story. Why not give them the chance? I bet they’re just as thrilled as you are. I am as well! But don’t worry, these gentlemen here are my very good friends,“ he winked at the four puppeteers who responded with a nod,“And because I’m a man of my word, I promise you I will drag them here, exactly on this spot to play the rest just for you. Deal?“

The girl, just like the rest of the children, waited for a while. Bajie and Ol’ Sha assured them too that their senior was serious.

Despite her miniature size, the girl with pigtails had to have the main word among the children of her neighbourhood as it seemed the rest of the younglings awaited her verdict. What she said in her thin and slightly spluttering voice annoyed the monkey, however he quickly calmed down and wholeheartedly chuckled. “Uncle, you’re really ugly. Uglier than the crabs our neighbour sells at his stall. But I trust you, uncle. ‘Cause you still seem like a good guy.“

“Why do you think, little one?“

“I don’t know. I just guess I can trust you. But if you lie, uncle, can we throw pine cones at you?“

Wukong raised his hand to his heart,“You can, sweetie. All of you can. But in that case, you can do the same to my two brothers over here.“ He sneered at Wujing and Bajie as those two suddenly became rather nervous, though it was barely a bunch of innocent children trying to pull a prank.

The little girl exclaimed with a wide mischievous smile before she hopped over to her embarrassed parents,“We have a deal then, uncle.“

Walking, or rather limping, a little further, Pigsy asked,“What has that stupid play to do with us?“

“Nothing. Just trying to make the kids feel better.“ A frown emerged on Wukong’s face. He remembered the human family at the inn from a couple of weeks ago. Despite how much the children annoyed him there, they were just that. Children. Yet, they and their parents were butchered like pigs. The poor child who survived with his grandmother would live with the terrible memories of that day till the end of their lives. At least the dragon horse brought them to safety of the woodcutter’s hut…

Wukong grabbed his head as if the Headband Tightening Spell was being used on him.

“Big Bro, what’s going on?“

With bulging eyes, Wukong exclaimed,“Lie!“

At first, neither of the juniors understood. However, they quickly followed their fellow’s example. “Little Brother Lie!“

How could have they forgotten about him? The Dragon Prince who travelled with them day and night and who was missing from the group now and they hadn’t noticed at all.

“No! He must be safe. He went to the woodcutter.“

“Daizi, we might have sent him there. But you damn well he would seek for us sooner or later. The viper bandits could easily search for him in the mountains in the meanwhile!“

The three disciples lamented as the locals carelessly passed by. Yet by the end of the day, they had no other chance than to wait until the tournament as it was their only way out of the demonic settlement.

Grabbing a few more items for their awaiting companions at the palace, the three dejected demons started to ascend the never ending staircase.

****

The Western Gate opened only so much that the group of musicians and performers could enter the city, although it took them several days of waiting outside the city and sleeping the wet dirt and sharp rocks. The Captain of the Royal Guard himself came to inspect them as the policies had been tightened up since the last time they paid a visit to the place. Fortunately, the stern man was willing to make an exception as he recognized nearly all of the musicians. Except for one man with a long face and bruises all over his tall body. The captain had a hard time believing the story of a lost, yet brilliant player. The man had to completely undress himself in front of the whole ensemble and soldiers. However no weapons, no scales, no tattoos were found.

Now they finally found themselves welcomed by the locals who cherished their music the musicians annually prepared for Queen Shufen.

The man with an elongated face looked around in sheer disbelief, captivated by the magic of the Jade Peak of Shufen. He almost fell flat on his nose when one of the other musicians pushed into him from behind. He was prepared to tell him off. However, when he saw a cursing pig and a man with blue skin supporting a limping monkey while walking up the stairs a great distance away, he went silent. He wanted to call out for them.

But Lie understands very well he must not blow his cover. Either way, the marketplace is too loud anyway. To hear his desperate scream would be impossible in the middle of the chaos.

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Taglist (let me know if you'd like to be added): @vanessaroades-author @rubywrite @aohendo @rbbess110 @jgmartin @outpost51 @athenswrites @kainablue

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List of chapters:

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-one

Chapter Twenty-two

Chapter Twenty-three

Chapter Twenty-four

Chapter Twenty-five

Chapter Twenty-six

Chapter Twenty-seven

Epilogue

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