“No, I have to stay,” I told the Jade Rabbit.
She stared at me, as if taking me in from top to toe and gave me an incredulous look.
“I think it’s very sweet but you don’t know what you’re getting yourself into now, do you? Do you know what happened to Hou Yi?”
I shook my head.
“Thought so. Go fight the rogue monkey. The Heavenly Kingdom needs you to fight him. Leave her to me.”
“I—”
“Go.”
I flew back to the palace. Back there, everything was in disarray. Immortals were lying in a heap and most of them were bleeding. No one died here because everyone was enlightened, but they could not move. On top of the throne sat the monkey, still eating one of his peaches. At his feet, the Jade Emperor himself lay.
“What have you done?” I almost shrieked but my voice came out sounding like I was being strangled.
“This man is weak. Pathetic. He doesn’t recognise greatness when he sees it.”
“Why, you—” I brandished my lance and attacked him. He leapt up from his seat and dodged. With the blink of an eye, he had retrieved his cudgel and tried to strike me too, but I jumped away.
“Marshal Tianpeng, was it?” he grinned, trying to jab at me once more. I dodged his blow again. “I know all of the deities here.”
“What? How?” I asked. He took advantage to attack me again, but I ducked.
“I know. Everyone is in a story. Humans worship them on Earth. Why worship them when they are all so weak and fallible?” he almost howled. He spun his cudgel around once more and struck it at me. I’d let my guard down and it hit my cheek. The shock reverberated through my bones and I felt myself fall. One strike hurt so much. Since I was unable to move, the monkey used this to his advantage and used his cudgel to hit my stomach.
“Hah. Weaklings. None of you are as strong as me! None of you will be able to defeat me, The Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Sun Wu Kong!” he crowed as I fell. In the distance I saw another somersault cloud. A tall, strapping figure was accompanied by another small, four-legged one. It was Er Lang Shen. I watched as the warrior landed and confronted the stupid monkey, and I prayed that he would be able to defeat the miscreant. I hadn’t avenged Chang E and I looked so pathetic.
“Agreed. It’s the oldest game in the world.” Er Lang nodded. He and Wu Kong began, both their souls trailing to the world. I hoped that Er Lang would beat him, but in case he didn’t, I had another plan.
I had to find the All-Seeing, All-Knowing Buddha and tell him how to defeat this wretched ape. After that conversation with him, I had an idea. Although I could not really walk, I had the use of my hands. I summoned a somersault cloud and crawled onto it, seeking the audience with the Buddha.
Everyone knew where the Buddha resided but no one bothered him. No one knew what he really did, but I guessed that he was probably meditating for all eternity until the universe came to an end again. I entered his glowing palace but I realised that that was an illusion as I was crawling towards this dark-skinned man who was meditating.
“Marshal Tianpeng,” he said without opening his eyes, “it’s you.”
“Y—yes, your excellency.”
“Good. I take it that a rogue monkey is wreaking havoc?”
“How do you know?”
“I listen. It is far more important than talking. You have a message.”
“No one can defeat the monkey, but maybe you can,” I said. “He’s arrogant and maybe that will be his downfall.”
“But also deeply insecure,” remarked Buddha. “Come with me and I will show you what I mean.”
“I’m afraid I cannot. I need healing.”
He finally opened his eyes and looked at me. He really looked at me and for the second time in a short while, I felt like my entire being was being examined. The Buddha’s gaze was really something and it frightened me. It was like he saw what I tried to hide and all my dishonourable deeds.
“You have someone waiting. Someone you love.”
“I wouldn’t call it that.”
“Your path is similar to that of the ape’s, and you will meet him again. Waste not your time on the goddess. ”
“Funny, that’s what the Jade Rabbit said to me, too.”
“But I also know that I cannot stop you,” he said, waving his hand over me. I could walk again, even though my body still hurt.
“You may go to her, if you so wish,” Buddha said. “The wheels of fate are in motion, after all.”
I didn’t have any time to think if fate was pre-destined or not. All I knew was that I had to return to Chang E.
Image by the talented Shelley Low