Chapter Text
Chenxiang never hated a field trip before when he was still a young child.
He remembered when he was still new to the province. Wukong would take him to explore the coastal province once he’d mastered the 72 transformations. The monkey brought him to the markets and bought him new clothes and toys and delicious food—using money from wherever he got, Chenxiang never wished to know—before sitting in the front row seats for the most mesmerising musical and dance performances in the city center.
When they were all done with Jiangsu province, they visited the provinces surrounding Yangtze on the somersault cloud, much to the Brotherhood’s dismay, excluding Niu Mowang, perhaps the only member Chenxiang considered a family along with Wukong.
Chenxiang liked it when it was just him and Wukong, his father. The same way he enjoyed it when it was just him and his mother. He missed it when he was told to run upon rescuing his mother. Now, he got to experience it all over again, although this time it wasn’t just the two of them.
For such a precious moment to be joined by other beings was a foreign feeling to him, much less when one of them was a person he resented for his whole life.
And there he saw it—Huǒyànshān. The barren sandstone hills located at the very northwestern part of the land, bordering many foreign lands Chenxiang wishes to discover one day, perhaps reaching India like his father did and go beyond it. Surrounding the mountain were eight valleys, where Buddhist missionaries could be seen assisting the traders to reach Gaochang, avoiding the mountain as much as they could. Not a peculiar thing when this mountain is the residency of two of the most feared beings within the mortal plane. He never felt more relief to finally arrive at their destination.
“Bófù!” As soon as the horses landed, Chenxiang ran towards the bull, arms stretched then wrapped around his waist. “I miss you.” He said, drowning his face into Niu Mowang’s furry coat.
“I miss you too, nephew. More than I miss that simian over there.” He said, smirking at Wukong who only glared. Chenxiang laughed, but that laughter faded when he heard Nezha’s voice.
“Gūgu!” Nezha happily said as Tieshan Gongzhu scooped him up and tucked him on her waist, kissing Nezha’s chubby cheeks. Xiaotian Quan didn’t miss the opportunity to jump on Tieshan and Nezha, causing them to fall to the ground as the three of them indulged into a hug.
Right.
He has an aunt now, who happened to be Erlang Shen’s sworn sister—also a childhood friend of his father, but Chenxiang could care less of that detail.
Chenxiang gripped the fur coat tight, before Niu Mowang pulled back from the hug. “Greet your shěnshen, okay?”
Shěnshen.
Chenxiang reluctantly lifted his feet, stood in front of the Princess Iron Fan, and bowed. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, shěnshen.” His words sounded as if being forcefully spat out of his throat, the tone of indifference.
Tieshan could hear the spite in Chenxiang’s words, but chose to put it aside. “It’s a pleasure to meet you too, nephew.” Tieshan Gongzhu said, with a soft expression on her face. “Your uncle and I look forward to having a pleasant time with you.”
She was relieved when Chenxiang simply nodded, walked away to carry his items inside the manor with her husband and Wukong. Tieshan then looked at Erlang, who she noticed hadn’t been smiling since arriving. She shifted to Nezha and Xiaotian Quan, who both gave her a knowing look.
“Come, brother. I believe we have something that is worthy of discussion.” She said, before walking into the cave with Nezha still in her arms. Erlang let out a heavy sigh, joining those two.
Hopefully Wukong was right about their plan to come here.
His bedroom was beyond perfect. It was decorated in floral and sea creatures motifs, with a king-sized bed in the middle of the room that had blinds and on the ceiling was a chandelier reminiscent of a lotus similar to his lantern. Chenxiang didn’t think twice before jumping on the bed, till his father lightly scolded him in fear of the bed collapsing, which the Demon Bull King assured the bed was made of a strong metal, hard enough to withstand immense pressure.
“You and Jiejie shouldn’t have trouble yourselves with furnishing our rooms, Dage.” Wukong said, exasperated yet impressed to learn the couple had furnished each of their guests’ bedrooms according to their personal preferences. “I don’t even need a bedroom! I don’t even have to sleep.”
Niu Mowang laughed as he ruffled Wukong’s crown. “Silly monkey. You’re family. We’ve no reason to not treat you with luxury.” He said.
Wukong fondly rolled his eyes. ‘And I wish for it to stay as it is.’ He silently muttered to himself. “Where is Hai'er?”
‘Hai'er?’ Chenxiang tilted his head upon hearing that name.
“Should return home in three days' time. I shall let Muzha know his younger brother is here too.” Niu Mowang noticed Chenxiang’s face full of questions. “Nephew, have you heard of Shancai?”
Chenxiang nodded. The villagers surrounding Huashān never stopped raving of Guanyin’s acolyte who blessed them with wealth and health, with rumours going around the child used to be a demon-
“No explanation is required, Bófù. I understand.” Chenxiang slumped on the mattress. He has a cousin now, and he wasn’t sure how to feel about it. ‘What other things haven’t they told me? The rumor that Shancai is a mad scientist is accurate, too? Not something his Zhu Shūshu dramatised?’
“Well, then you might find his shenanigans amusing.” Wukong sat next to Chenxiang, able to figure out what his son was thinking, although Chenxiang wasn’t as convinced as Wukong. “That new oven in the kitchen was beautiful! Must work so well too. I might ask Hai'er to make one for me and my monkeys.”
‘It is accurate.’
“Oh, it sure does! All our friends from school heard of Hong Hai’er and Longnü’s inventions, and they personally asked them to make something for them too.” Chenxiang could tell how proud Niu Mowang was of his son. “That is, in exchange for grand offerings. Shameful if they abide to Gods’ requests for free of charge, when those mortals out there were willing to give away their entire grove of finest fruit for Guanyin and her acolyte’s blessings and mercy.”
“Experienced in capitalism, I see.” Wukong joked, though he knew that wasn’t the case, for all he knew Shancai and Longnü enjoyed messing around with how pitiful and miserable those boisterous celestials could be. “I think I want to take a stroll near the oasis. Been a while since I stepped foot there. Want to join Chenxiang?”
Chenxiang shook his head. “I want to stay here with Bófù.” Wukong gave him a small smile, before leaping out of the window. Chenxiang sighed, planning to sleep till dinner was ready, but his uncle’s large hands patted his shoulders, that knowing expression on him made him irked. He truly didn’t want to have a conversation over this matter.
“Well, what’s the point of staying here with your uncle if all you do is sleep?” The Bull Demon King asked. “You’re not one to refuse troublemaking with your father, and through your letters your mother thoroughly enjoys your shenanigans and encourages it. Surely nothing has changed over the years, hasn’t it?”
Goodness. Buddha blesses his ever so observant uncle.
“I’m simply exhausted, Bófù. From my journey yesterday and the trip this morning… I haven’t got a proper rest.” Lies. Niu Mowang sensed it.
“Well, I’ll be in the kitchen preparing dinner if you ever need anything.” The bull almost exited the room when Chenxiang slowly asked;
“Bófù, what did you feel when Bà got together with my uncle?”
Niu Mowang turned around and went to sit on the edge of the bed. This time, his expression became unreadable. “Well, I certainly have mixed feelings.”
“Was it similar to when he was with… Well, them?”
Chenxiang noticed his uncle shrugging uncomfortably and the implied mention of a certain steed of a Bodhisattva and a certain spiritual primate. Chenxiang himself shivered at the thought of it, perhaps one of the few things he least missed about living on Huagoshān—though to be fair, he never liked the rest of the Brotherhood.
“Sort of? With Liu’er Mihou, I only gave in because he was Wukong’s best friend at the moment, till their messy break up. You know the tale.” Niu Mowang said.
“Truthfully, he wasn’t all that bad.” Chenxiang thought. “Although sometimes, I wished he was more supportive or optimistic of Bà’s dreams. He’s an all-hearing monkey, definitely he would be more tactful.”
“And he doesn’t really like you.”
“And he doesn’t really like me. Go on.”
“With Qingmao Shizi, I suppose I trusted him not only because he was our leader but he was Manjushri’s steed. I thought he was more trustworthy, and I don’t think someone who is very dear to THE Manjushri could do harm to my younger brother.” Niu Mowang continued. “Of course, I was wrong once again and I won’t go into details.”
“He also doesn’t like me.”
“He also doesn’t like you, the misfortunes of being related to the Jade Emperor.” The bull attempted to be lighthearted, but Chenxiang cringed at the fact he is directly related to that man.
“Then there is my uncle. Your indifference, has it got anything to do with the rebellion and what happened to Huagoshān?” Chenxiang asked.
“Not exactly? Well, to say it was related to the rebellion would be wrong for I fell in love, once again, to a Celestial general, who was my childhood friend.”
“Make sense.”
“I was angry at him for Huagoshān being burnt down, though it was subdued when I learnt the large majority of the monkeys were spared, and the dead ones were due to poachers. And as much as I hated to admit it, it was a deserving capital punishment for the shits we pulled.” The bull scoffed. “But Huagoshān was my home too, so you could say it hurt a lot. Took years even after your father completed his pilgrimage to India and attained his Bodhisattva status for the mountain to return to its former glory.”
“... Oh.” He should’ve never touched that issue.
“Eh, but it’s not a one-person-job, and Erlang Shen got too many to lose, so it's not like he got a choice.” Niu Mowang smiled sadly. “So, no. It has nothing to do with that.”
“Then, what was it?”
“Well, definitely because as his older brother, I believed Wukong had very poor taste in men and was ready to protest their relationship. But that wasn’t all. Remember what Wukong told us when he decided to adopt you?”
Chenxiang smiled at the notion. “Definitely. ‘I always wished to be a parent.’ Best day of my life, perhaps.”
Niu Mowang chuckled at that memory too. “I held those words close to me. Even if Wukong isn’t yearning for a relationship, he’s always yearning for a family he could call his own, for a child that’ll call him their father.” His eyes glimmered, recalling Wukong expressing his desire to adopt Chenxiang. “When they both came forward with their relationship, my first question to Erlang was, ‘Do you wish to be a parent too?’, though he never answered. I was ready to flip the table by then.”
“So what changed your mind? Was it Tieshan Gongzhu?” Chenxiang asked.
“Not at all! My Shanshan isn’t one to condemn atrocious behavior, even one done by her loved ones. Don’t believe me? When Hai’er was first taken in by Guanyin, she was pissed but calmed down when she learnt our boy was planning to feast on Tripitaka and almost killed Wukong.” Niu Mowang explained. “While I do understand your envy and resentment towards her and Nezha, believe me, never once did Tieshan ever approve of what Erlang did to you and your mother. Even till this day, she regretted not stopping him. Of course, you're not obligated to immediately adore her.”
Chenxiang slowly nodded his head, trying to comprehend the information his uncle bombarded him with. “Mentioning Nezha, was it how my uncle loved Nezha that changed your mind?”
Niu Mowang shrugged. “I didn’t believe it at first, but to see the Lotus Prince so happy in comparison to when he was with the Devaraja, I safely assumed Erlang is a much better parent than I thought. However, the reason I supported Wukong’s choice to be with Erlang was a bit more personal. Care to listen?”
Chenxiang, without thinking twice, excitedly nodded.
“Remember when I was working for the Huli Jing family?”
The boy laughed at the notion. “You mean; when you were bridenapped by a bunch of fox spirits? Yeah that was an epic tale- Except for the part my father had to disguise himself as you and… Go on.”
The bull groaned. “At the same time, Tieshan had to deal with someone from the Celestial Realm who’d an obsessive crush on her. To put it simply, Wukong went hell-bent to save our marriage, and he had other problems to deal with.” He smiled fondly. “No surprise. Amongst us six brothers, Wukong was the only one supportive of my romantic feelings towards Tieshan. Sure, perhaps because the three of us are childhood friends, but remember. When he left the court due to their mistreatment, it tainted a sour note on his relationship with her and the others. Nevertheless, Wukong said if I ever chose to marry Tieshan regardless of the rebellion’s outcome, he’ll be happy for me.”
“What you’re saying is it’ll be hypocritical of you if you’re against their relationship when Wukong himself defended your feelings for Tieshan Gongzhu against the rest of the Brotherhood?” Chenxiang asked.
“Correct. After all, after the much pain he went through from us brothers’ foolishness and what my son did to him, it was only right I let him be with his happiness.” The bull said. "And his pilgrim brothers were content. Who am I to object?"
The bull seemingly was able to read what was in Chenxiang’s thoughts, and immediately said; “Yes. As the Bodhisattva of Victorious Strife, he guides those who wish to repent and redeem themselves, and one of those people who came forward was Yang Jian, he’s half-human after all. That could be how it all started.” He sensed another question coming and continued. “No. He’s a wrathful deity, he won’t give anyone an easy time, but he did it with love and compassion, however that works.”
Chenxiang clearly wanted to ask more, but Niu Mowang patted his head lightly. “Rest first, nephew. We’ll talk later after dinner.”