Zixia Awakens

When Zixia opened her eyes, she saw an unfamiliar ceiling.

It wasn't the jade ceiling of the Heavenly Court, nor the wooden beams of the mortal world. It was a vast, naturally formed stone dome, covered in fine golden lines that flowed slowly in the faint light like the veins of leaves.

The air carried a faint scent of herbs, mingled with the crisp freshness unique to the mountains in the morning.

She moved her right hand. A dull ache came from her shoulder, but there was none of the tearing pain of a deep wound.

Some force had sealed the injury, leaving only an itchy sensation as it healed.

She looked down. She was wearing a clean white cloth robe, and her purple gauze dress had been neatly folded beside her pillow. A ring of golden runes covered the wound on her shoulder, as delicate as embroidery.

"You're awake?" a voice came from beside the bed, thick with sleep.

Zixia turned her head. Goten was slumped against the edge of her bed, his head resting on his arms. His eyes weren't fully open yet, and his hair was a mess. He had clearly been keeping watch over her the whole time, until he fell asleep.

"You—"

"What about me?" Goten rubbed his eyes and yawned. "You were unconscious for three days. I watched over you for three days."

Zixia froze. Three days? "You... didn't go train?"

"Patriarch Bodhi said we could talk about that after you woke up." Goten stretched. "He said there's no rush to train—you matter more."

Zixia said nothing. Looking at Goten's still-sleepy face, she remembered three days ago—the sight of the boy carrying her as he raced across the desert.

Her consciousness had been hazy then, but she remembered his body heat—scorching hot, burning like a ball of fire.

"Thank you," she said softly.

Goten was taken aback. Embarrassed, he scratched his head. "You got hurt saving me. I should be the one thanking you."

Zixia smiled. It was the first genuinely carefree smile she'd shown since coming to this world.

Sha Wujing had made breakfast: porridge, pickles, and steamed buns. It was as simple as it could be.

But Goten ate five bowls.

"Were you a hungry ghost in a past life?" Zhu Bajie asked, eyes wide as he watched him.

"That's just how Saiyans eat." Goten's mouth was full of steamed bun, and his words came out muffled. "My dad can eat enough for more than ten people in one sitting."

Zhu Bajie lounged in a rocking chair in the courtyard, eyes half-closed as he watched the clouds drift across the sky, a blade of grass in his mouth.

These had been the most comfortable three days of his life since coming down to the mortal world. Lazily, he said, "Old Sha... how far do you think Goten can go with his training?"

Sha Wujing was chopping firewood. He didn't look up. "Hard to say."

"I get the feeling there's something unusual about that kid. He has the same kind of presence as Sun Wukong."

Sha Wujing stopped swinging his axe. He was silent for three seconds, then uttered the longest six words he'd spoken since moving to Fangcun Mountain: "You felt it too?"

Zhu Bajie didn't answer. But he understood. Sha Wujing never talked nonsense. If he spoke up, it meant he'd been thinking about it for a long time.

Zixia sat at the table, sipping her porridge. Most of the color had returned to her face. Her movements were still a little slow, but she was much better than she'd been three days ago.

Zhu Bajie leaned over and asked quietly, "Fairy Zixia... what will you do about the Heavenly Court now?"

The table fell silent for a moment. Zixia set down her bowl. "The Heavenly Court won't accept me again."

"Isn't that perfect?" Goten swallowed his bun and grinned. "We're short on people here anyway."

Zixia looked at him and couldn't help laughing. "You mean here? When did you start an organization?"

"Well... I just thought of it." Goten counted on his fingers. "Me, you, Zhi Zun Bao—"

"Don't count me in." Zhi Zun Bao passed by with a bowl in his hands. "I'm a bandit chief, not a savior."

"You were possessed by Sun Wukong. You're still calling yourself a bandit chief?"

"Being possessed is one thing. I'm me."

"Fine, fine... then can you pass me that steamed bun?"

Zhi Zun Bao tossed the bun over. Goten caught it and stuffed it into his mouth.

Watching them bicker, Zixia felt a warmth rise in her heart that she couldn't quite describe.

For five hundred years, she'd been alone—searching for Sun Wukong, waiting for Sun Wukong, looking for someone who could draw the Violet-Azure Treasure Sword. But she'd never had a "group of people" before. Now she did.

Just as they were finishing breakfast, Zixia asked, "Goten... where are we now?"

"Lingtai Square Inch Mountain, Slanted Moon Three Star Cave."

Zixia's hand froze in midair. Her pupils contracted slightly. "Lingtai Square Inch Mountain..."

"What's wrong?"

Zixia set down her bowl and looked at the distant mountains beyond the gate. "Sun Wukong... learned his abilities here."

Zixia and Goten sat on the stone steps in front of the mountain gate.

The mountains stretched away in layered ridges. Nearby were vegetable plots and the busy figures of young disciples. The sunlight was pleasant, neither too cold nor too hot. A breeze carried the mingled scents of earth and greens from the fields.

In a corner of the courtyard, Zhi Zun Bao stood before a bamboo pole planted upright in the ground.

He picked up the pole and gave it a casual swing. It traced an arc through the air, then turned naturally with the motion of his wrist.

He stopped and looked at the pole in his hand. It had grown hot from his grip. He put it down and walked away, but after two steps, he stopped and glanced back at it.

The bamboo pole rested quietly against the wall, as if waiting for him.

"This place hasn't changed at all in five hundred years," Zixia said softly.

Goten turned to look at her. "Have you been here before?"

"No." Zixia shook her head. "But Sun Wukong described it to me. He said his master's place had radishes and green beans growing in the vegetable patch. He said his master didn't care for extravagance and liked things simple."

"Then what kind of person was Sun Wukong?"

Zixia didn't answer right away. She gazed at the distant mountains and was silent for a long time. "He was the proudest person I'd ever met—and the loneliest."