The Moon

"Father, I did it!" Wang Shen saw that no more ripples appeared beneath his feet and immediately exclaimed to Wang Yang in delight.

As soon as Wang Shen finished speaking, his emotions stirred, and ripples appeared on the water beneath his feet again.

Watching what happened, Wang Shen's little face crumpled with disappointment, and he gazed at Wang Yang hopefully.

"Little Shen did great. Keep practicing from now on. The better your control, the faster the power within you will be unsealed." Wang Yang looked at his son with approval.

"Mm-hmm, I'll work hard." His father's praise immediately lifted Wang Shen's spirits.

"Good boy! That's enough for today. Your mother's been waiting, too!" Wang Yang laughed, scooped Little Shen into his arms, and flew toward the shore.

At night, candlelight shone from every home in the Imperial City. Stars hung high in the sky, their silvery light spilling across the land. The starlight blended with the candlelight below, creating a beautiful, harmonious scene of countless illuminated homes.

Wang Yang and his family of three lived far from the city center, in a peaceful residence in the suburbs. A gentle breeze carried fresh air and a faint floral fragrance. Their weariness melted away, leaving them refreshed.

The three of them sat in the courtyard, enjoying the cool breeze as they drank tea and chatted.

This was the planet where he had lived for more than a decade after being born. A few years ago, he had grown homesick and used Instant Transmission to return and visit old acquaintances.

When he saw Little Yue'er again, now grown into a stunningly beautiful woman, and learned that she still couldn't stop thinking about him, Wang Yang realized that he was just an ordinary man after all.

As the saying went, it was like crossing a mountain for a man to pursue a woman, but like crossing a sheet of paper for a woman to pursue a man. No man could refuse a beauty so breathtaking she could topple a kingdom.

He had spent more than a decade living here, laying the foundation for his martial arts. Now he had a wife and child here, too. This planet held an extremely important place in Wang Yang's heart.

"Why do you have to leave so often? Is there another woman out there?" Yue'er asked in a quiet voice.

"Don't be ridiculous. My training has hit a bottleneck, and ordinary training environments aren't much help anymore. I go out into the universe to train in all kinds of harsh conditions." Wang Yang set down his teacup and looked at Yue'er with righteous indignation.

"If you really do have another woman, bring her here, too. It's normal for a man to have several wives and concubines. I won't be jealous. I'll get along with them." Yue'er gazed at Wang Yang with deep affection.

Having grown up in this feudal society, with an emperor for a father who had three palaces, six courtyards, and seventy-two consorts, Yue'er had a completely different worldview from Bulma. Wang Yang believed she meant every word.

"There really isn't anyone else! I really am training." Wang Yang spread his hands and smiled helplessly.

You might be fine with it, but the other one would explode if she found out.

"All right, I was wrong to doubt you." Yue'er gazed at Wang Yang with her clear, pure eyes for a moment, then smiled radiantly, as lovely as a hundred flowers in bloom.

"Father told me that more than twenty years ago, there was a beautiful moon here. It was round and bright white." Yue'er gazed at the stars, her lovely face full of longing.

"There really was a big, round moon back then. But it also brought a terrible disaster."

Wang Yang thought of the cities that had been destroyed and the lives that had been lost, and couldn't help sighing.

There were no Dragon Balls here. Those who died stayed dead.

Yue'er nodded, too. Her father had told her quite a bit about what happened back then.

Wang Yang noticed the faint longing on Yue'er's jade-white face, and his heart stirred.

"Let's admire the moon together tonight!"

Wang Yang smiled. As he spoke, a white Artificial Moon formed in his hand. He tossed it lightly into the air, and it rapidly expanded as it rose, streaking into the sky before finally hovering motionless in the distant heavens.

"What is that?"

The young people on the ground gazed at the Artificial Moon slowly rising into the sky, their faces full of confusion.

"Could that be the legendary moon?"

"The moon! It's the moon!" Seeing this, the elderly man's eyes filled with tears of excitement. The moon held a very important place in history and culture. Countless ancient poems and stories had inspired people to long for it.

But ever since the moon had suddenly disappeared more than twenty years ago, the older generation had sighed whenever they thought of it, believing they would never see it again in their lifetime. They never expected to witness the return of the great, round moon.

A gravely ill old man lay motionless in bed, his life hanging by a thread. Through the haze, he seemed to glimpse a beautiful, familiar light. He suddenly opened his eyes wide and sat up.

As everyone around him stared in astonishment, the old man looked up at the bright moon and burst into laughter.

"The moon!"

"Ha! Ha! Ha!"

After three hearty laughs, the old man lowered his head with a smile. Before long, the room filled with the sound of people weeping.

"I can die without regrets!" An old man nearing seventy, with a long beard reaching his chest, gazed up at the sky, tears streaming down his face. He was the most renowned literary figure on the planet, having written countless poems and essays about the moon. He felt a deep attachment to it.

Suddenly, inspiration struck the old man. An Ode to the Moon took shape in his mind. He laid out paper, picked up his brush, and wrote an essay that would shake the past, present, and future.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

The beating of Wang Yang's heart boomed like a heavy drum, driving blood as dense as liquid lead and mercury through his veins.

Even Yue'er could hear it clearly. It felt as though the entire sky was filled with oppression.

Under Wang Yang's control, his body didn't change at all, but his strength surged more than tenfold.

As a Saiyan second only to Broly, Wang Yang had an exceptionally powerful bloodline. He had already mastered this power completely many years ago.

Just then, a figure began to grow larger and larger, its shadow spreading across the land. Before long, it blocked the moonlight in the sky.

It was Wang Shen, who had been playing by himself nearby. Puzzled by the strange change in the sky, he gazed blankly at the brilliant white light shining down from the Artificial Moon. His small body began to grow uncontrollably.

"Little Shen!" Yue'er exclaimed in alarm and sprang to her feet, her face filled with worry.

"Don't worry." Wang Yang stood up and gently patted Yue'er on the back.

"Ah! Father, Mother, what happened to me?" Wang Shen's childish voice rang out. Transformed into a Giant Ape, he stood frozen in fear, looking around helplessly.

As Wang Yang's child, Wang Shen had inherited his excellent bloodline. When he underwent the Great Ape Transformation, he found it easy to keep control of his mind.

"Don't be afraid! Learn to control it!" Wang Yang smiled. A white light flashed from his eyes and shot straight into the Giant Ape's head.