Especially the Invisibility Ability

Boom—!!

A condensed ki blast struck the base of the tail dead on!

Flames from the explosion shot into the sky!

Aooow—!!

The Great Ape let out a howl a hundred times more miserable than before.

The flames dissipated.

That thick tail had been blown off cleanly at the root!

"Pant... pant..."

Sun Wuxiu knelt on one knee, breathing heavily, his heart pounding rapidly.

He was not tired, though. The Dragon Talisman provided him with unlimited ki, while the Dog Talisman kept his body in peak condition.

The Great Ape's howls abruptly stopped.

Its enormous body began shrinking rapidly at a visible rate, like a deflated balloon.

Its black fur receded, and its massive form returned to that of an eight-year-old child.

"Thud."

Son Goku, naked as the day he was born, landed sprawled out on the ground, with smoke still rising from the stump where his tail had been.

He smacked his lips, rolled over, and fell asleep.

"..."

Sun Wuxiu and Son Gohan stood before the wrecked courtyard, which looked as though a typhoon had swept through it, staring speechlessly at the soundly sleeping Son Goku.

"Sigh..."

Son Gohan picked up his hat and sighed helplessly.

"Wuxiu, it looks like... the three of us will have to sleep in the trees tonight."

Sun Wuxiu wiped away his sweat, but he was smiling happily.

As long as everyone was safe, that was what mattered.

He turned to Son Gohan and said,

"Grandpa, after the house is repaired, I want to take a long trip and visit the senior you mentioned before, Master Roshi."

Son Gohan stared at him blankly upon hearing that.

The morning after the Great Ape rampage.

Sunlight streamed through the smashed window frame and shone on Son Goku's bare butt.

"Mmm..."

Son Goku rubbed his eyes and sat up, swaying his head as though he had a hangover.

"Huh? Where's the house?"

He looked at the blue sky overhead, utterly bewildered.

"My butt... hurts!"

He instinctively reached behind himself. Where his tail should have been, there was only a bare scar.

"Waaah! My tail!!"

Son Goku sprang up on the spot, but immediately lost his balance and fell flat on his face with a thud.

"Ow, ow, ow..."

"Stop howling, Goku."

Sun Wuxiu's calm voice came from outside the courtyard.

Clutching his butt, Son Goku limped outside, only to be instantly stunned by the sight before him.

Sun Wuxiu was floating in midair (Rooster Talisman: Levitation), acting as a human crane.

With his hands held out beneath it, he used powerful "telekinesis" (Rooster Talisman) to slowly lift an enormous log that would have taken several people to encircle, precisely setting it into the mortise-and-tenon structure of the foundation.

Meanwhile, Son Gohan was below, securing it and hammering it into place.

"Wuxiu... you..."

Son Gohan looked at his eldest grandson, so shocked that he had begun to feel numb.

The destruction from last night had been severe. He had thought it would take at least several months to rebuild their home.

Yet as soon as dawn broke, Sun Wuxiu had gotten to work.

First, he had used one hand (Ox Talisman: Strength) to hurl the multi-ton boulders from the rubble into the valley.

Then, he had turned into an afterimage (Rabbit Talisman: Divine Speed) and rushed into the forest that the Great Ape had crushed the night before. In less than an hour, he had brought back enough lumber to rebuild the entire house.

Now, he was displaying this exquisite ability to "control objects."

Even more absurdly, Sun Wuxiu did not need a saw when joining the wood together.

His eyes flashed red, and high-temperature beams swept over the lumber, leaving cuts as smooth as mirrors and perfectly precise.

How was this a nine-year-old child?

He was practically a monster!

"Grandpa, focus. The crossbeam's coming."

Sun Wuxiu reminded him.

"Oh... oh! Right!"

Son Gohan snapped back to his senses and hurried forward to help.

With Sun Wuxiu's "super construction crew," the rebuilding proceeded at an unbelievable speed.

As a little patient who had just lost his tail and was sore all over, Son Goku could only help out from the side by passing nails and the like, his eyes filled with admiration for his brother.

It took only one day.

By evening, a brand-new wooden house, sturdier and more impressive than the old one, stood atop Mount Paozu.

That evening, at the dinner table.

Son Gohan took a sip of soup and looked at his two grandsons, overwhelmed with emotion.

One was the "monster" who had nearly taken his life last night.

The other was the "immortal" who had saved the day and rebuilt their home.

Neither of these grandsons was easy to handle.

Sun Wuxiu swallowed the last piece of roasted meat, wiped his mouth, and set down his bowl and chopsticks.

"Grandpa, Goku, I'm full."

He stood up, his expression calm and resolute.

"Grandpa, I meant what I said last night. I've decided to leave tomorrow and head to the coast to find Master Mutaito, the senior known as Master Roshi."

Son Gohan was not surprised to hear this.

The determination Sun Wuxiu had displayed last night, along with the composure and strength beyond his years that he had shown while rebuilding the house today, proved that he was ready.

"What?! You're leaving, Brother?"

Son Goku shot to his feet, only to forget that he no longer had a tail and nearly stumble over.

"I'm going too! I'm going too! Take me with you, Brother!"

He pounced over and hugged Sun Wuxiu's leg.

Sun Wuxiu patted his head and shook his own.

"Goku, your body hasn't recovered yet."

He pointed at Son Goku's bare butt.

"Your tail just came off. You can barely walk steadily, so you'd only hold me back if you came with me."

"I... I wouldn't!"

Son Goku stubbornly argued, but his flushed face and unsteady stance gave him away.

"Be good."

Sun Wuxiu's tone allowed no argument.

"Stay home and train properly with Grandpa. That big thing you turned into last night was dangerous. You have to learn to control it."

(Sun Wuxiu felt there was nothing to hide, so he had told Goku that he transformed on full-moon nights. He had failed to notice it last night because he had been groggy with sleep and also needed to pee a little.)

"Once you can truly defeat Grandpa, you can leave the mountains and come find me."

"Or I'll come back for you after a while."

Son Goku pursed his lips, his eyes reddening, but he knew his brother was telling the truth.

He had forgotten everything that happened last night, but when he woke up this morning and saw the injuries on his grandpa and brother—though they had been healed by the Horse Talisman, the bloodstains on their clothes remained—as well as their house reduced to rubble, he knew he had caused a terrible disaster.

"...Okay."

Son Goku lowered his head and answered gloomily.

Son Gohan watched the brothers with satisfaction.

He stood and took a yellowed piece of parchment from the inner room, handing it to Sun Wuxiu.

"Wuxiu, this is a map."

"Head southeast from Mount Paozu. Once you pass through this great forest, you'll see the sea. Master Roshi's Kame House is on an island out at sea. You'll know it when you reach the coast."

Son Gohan's eyes were full of trust.

Ever since he had found this grandson, Sun Wuxiu had been a hundred times steadier than other children.

He was sensible, intelligent, independent, and powerful.

Son Gohan knew there was little left that he could teach him.

"Wuxiu," Son Gohan instructed solemnly.

"Master Roshi is a true martial arts grandmaster. But his personality... well... is a little strange. When you meet him, remember to remain respectful and never show off your abilities."

Son Gohan paused for a moment, then added,

"Especially the invisibility ability."

Of course, Sun Wuxiu knew why Son Gohan had added that line.

"I understand, Grandpa."

Sun Wuxiu nodded and put away the map.

"Go."