The sun sank below the horizon.
That day, Little Wukong brought home more than just her prey.
A purple-haired girl followed cautiously behind Little Wukong as they returned home together.
"Zhang Wutian, I'm back! Look what I caught!" Little Wukong boasted to him, carrying the huge fish she had caught.
"A little human girl? So you've finally shown your true colors, you man-eating monkey!"
"I told you, I'm not going to eat her! I don't eat people!" Though Zhang Wutian had teased her like this many times before, Little Wukong still hurriedly protested as if it were the first time, then pouted and launched into a playful flurry of blows at him.
The purple-haired girl who had arrived with Little Wukong, on the other hand, was clearly horrified and backed away again and again.
"Okay, okay, I was just kidding. Welcome back." Taking Little Wukong's not-so-fierce flurry of blows, Zhang Wutian laughed and backed away.
"Hmph, honestly, don't joke around like that." Little Wukong looked at Zhang Wutian unhappily, then turned to the purple-haired girl behind her. "Bulma, this is Zhang Wutian. He's my husband."
"Y-your husband?!"
Bulma was clearly the undisputed leading heroine of the entire Dragon Ball series. The sixteen-year-old genius girl looked at the young Son Wukong, then at Zhang Wutian, who was unmistakably an adult. Then she pulled the submachine gun she'd been hiding behind her back and aimed it at Zhang Wutian.
"Pervert! Shameless! Disgusting! What have you done? You actually went after a little girl! Stay away from me, you creep!"
"Uh... Miss Bulma, is it? To be honest, I don't think much of you when you jump to conclusions about things you don't understand." Zhang Wutian scratched his cheek and spoke calmly.
Zhang Wutian felt deeply uncomfortable with someone pointing a gun at him. In theory, since he could now put up a bit of a fight against Little Wukong, he shouldn't be afraid of firearms anymore. But he had come from a world dominated by technology, after all, and until he'd actually faced a gun, it was only natural that he'd treat one with respect.
"Can you put that gun down now? Having it pointed at me is making me really uncomfortable."
"If I put it down, I'll be the one who's uncomfortable! What did Little Wukong mean when she said you were her husband? Answer me honestly!"
"Being husband and wife means you've kissed before, Bulma. Didn't you know?" Little Wukong, who still didn't seem to grasp the situation, poured fuel on the fire.
"Kissed... I've never even done that! Wait, you actually kissed a girl that young?! You're a perverted lolicon!" More convinced than ever that Zhang Wutian was a creep, Bulma instinctively tightened her grip on the gun.
"So, you monkey girl, would you stop making things worse?!"
"But everything I said was true."
"I know it was true, but you've got it all backward!"
"Oh, then I'll say it backward." As she spoke, Little Wukong used her tail to hook herself upside down over a tree in a flash, then grinned at Zhang Wutian and Bulma.
"I think you can understand now why this monkey girl is so clueless, Miss Bulma." Zhang Wutian spread his hands helplessly.
"I think I'm starting to get it." Bulma sighed and put away her gun.
After they cleared up the little misunderstanding, the Son household grew lively.
Inside the house, Bulma noticed the Four-Star Ball enshrined there, the keepsake of Son Wukong's grandfather.
Then came the usual persuasion from the original story. Zhang Wutian watched coldly and didn't interfere.
It would have been easy to interfere with the story here. Son Wukong trusted Zhang Wutian far more than she trusted Bulma now, but he didn't stop Bulma from persuading Little Wukong to leave the mountains. The reason was simple: this was the first step in Son Wukong's journey out of the mountains, and it was also the starting point of the Dragon Ball World. Without that first step, nothing would ever begin. If Son Wukong didn't take it, then who would defeat the various formidable foes who would appear on Earth, sooner or later, whether by choice or circumstance? Him, Zhang Wutian?
Anyway, Zhang Wutian felt that even if he could defeat King Piccolo, Raditz, and Vegeta, he probably couldn't beat the galactic emperor Frieza, let alone the androids, Cell, and Buu who would appear afterward. Zhang Wutian wasn't sure whether he'd spend his whole life in this world. Rather than disrupt the story for a moment's gratification, he might as well let events unfold as they were meant to and allow Little Wukong to grow along her destined path. Otherwise, when the formidable enemies of the future appeared and no one was there to stop them, Earth would be in for a complete tragedy.
When Little Wukong decided to go on a journey with Bulma, she turned to Zhang Wutian and said:
"Zhang Wutian, you should come with us."
"I'll leave eventually, but I won't be going with you."
"Huh?" Little Wukong looked at Zhang Wutian in surprise.
Zhang Wutian patted her pointy hair, then said, "I was already planning to leave for a while after some time. Now that Miss Bulma will be with you, I feel better about it."
"But where are you going?" Little Wukong asked anxiously. "Didn't you get lost? If you go alone, you'll never find your way out."
"Did you forget?" Zhang Wutian smiled. "I'm stronger now, so it doesn't matter how lost I get. I'll just keep going forward."
"B-but..."
"Enough of that. Let's make a promise!"
He walked over to Little Wukong and crouched down so he could meet her eyes, then said, "In a year, a martial arts tournament called the World Martial Arts Tournament will begin. I'll enter, and we'll settle things there."
"The World Martial Arts Tournament?" Little Wukong repeated the unfamiliar words, looking at Zhang Wutian in confusion.
"Miss Bulma should know about it. You can have her take you there."
As he spoke, Zhang Wutian turned to Bulma. "As payment for borrowing the Four-Star Ball, could I ask you to take her there, Miss Bulma?"
After a wish was granted, the Dragon Balls flew off in all directions. Bulma had taken advantage of Little Wukong's ignorance of this fact to trick her into lending out her Dragon Ball, but it seemed Zhang Wutian had seen through her sinister intentions. Realizing this, the quick-witted Bulma thumped her chest and assured him there would be no problem at all.
"I'll be even stronger in a year. Next time, I'll definitely beat you!"
Though she was still a little reluctant, Little Wukong was cheerful by nature and soon perked up. Grinning, she said, "No way! I'll get stronger too, and I'll definitely be the one who wins!"
"See you in a year at the World Martial Arts Tournament."
"Yeah!"
Zhang Wutian and Little Wukong bumped fists.
"Hey, can we eat now? I'm hungry." Feeling a little ignored, Bulma made an unhappy face and played the part of the third wheel.
Before you continue