Six hundred years earlier.

Sun Wukong sat on a worn wooden bench in the small village square, watching the elderly men play chess. She had been banished to the mortal realm for twelve months, stripped of her spiritual powers. This was the second week of her banishment.

Her crime was speaking out against the Heavenly Emperor, Li Jing, after a heated battle. Sun Wukong, brash and outspoken, always found herself in trouble for not respecting the hierarchy of the Celestial Realm, since she herself did not come from a noble family. Despite her martial prowess and rapid rise to the rank of a Central Plains Army Lieutenant, her defiance had landed her in this predicament.

 Sun Wukong had witnessed an injustice on the battlefield that could have been avoided if Emperor Li Jing had taken a different strategy. During one of their battles, the army had been ordered to launch a frontal assault on a heavily fortified position, a move Sun Wukong knew was doomed to fail. She saw a better alternative--a flanking maneuver that could catch the enemy off guard and minimize their losses. However, her advice went unheard. The Celestial soldiers obeyed their marching orders, into a brutal confrontation leaving many wounded.

After the battle, the Central Plains officers regrouped in the Joint War Room at the Heavenly Capitol, where Sun Wukong’s frustration boiled over. She stood up and directly challenged Emperor Li Jing, her voice echoing throughout the hall.

“Your Majesty's strategy was flawed, and it cost us” she exclaimed, her eyes blazing with anger. “If His Majesty had listened to me, this wouldn’t have happened and we could have avoided those soldiers getting hurt!”

Her outburst, while grounded in truth and concern for her fellow soldiers, was perceived as insubordination. Her tone was defiant and disrespectful, and in the rigid hierarchy of the Celestial Court, such behavior was intolerable. Emperor Li Jing declared that her actions were a direct affront to his authority.

Twelve months was actually not very long for an immortal, and it wasn’t the first time she had been reprimanded for her attitude. However, it was the first time she publicly defied Emperor Li Jing, and as much as it pained him to do it, he needed to do so to maintain order and authority within the Celestial Court.

Bored, stripped of her powers and without money, Sun Wukong spent the last few days playing chess with the elderly villagers and eating day-old dumplings from a street vendor, which she actually found quite delicious. That day, sitting idly watching a chess match, someone suddenly grabbed her hand and pulled her away from the village square.

Before she could fight off the person who dragged her away, to her surprise, she recognized the energy of the person holding her arm. In this disguise, Ao Bing appeared as an ordinary mortal, with loose, dark clothing that allowed him to blend in easily with the villagers. His silver-white hair was hidden under a simple straw hat, and his gold-yellow eyes held their usual, unmistakable gleam of mischief. Sun Wukong was surprised and touched at seeing her friend here, clearly sneaking off from his duties in the Eastern Sea.

“Jianyu, what are you doing here?”

As he led her away towards the outskirts of the village square, he handed her a simple unassuming burlap sack. “I thought you might need these.”

Sun Wukong untied the drawstring and peeked inside, her eyes lighting up seeing that the sack was filled with an assortment of freshly baked buns, dried fruits, and a few savory snacks which were nestled alongside well-worn scrolls and a couple of strategy board games.

“You’ll get in so much trouble if your father finds out,” she said, though she couldn’t hide her delight.

Ao Bing shrugged. “He won’t find out,” he replied confidently. 

Just then a voice rang out, “Yanling, don’t let this bastard take all the credit for this, it was my idea too, you know.” 

Erlang Shen appeared, his face showing an annoyed expression. He was in a similar, drab outfit as Ao Bing’s, with dark brown hair that framed his sculpted features. His eyes, usually sharp and discerning, were narrowed in a grumpy pout.

Ao Bing rolled his eyes. “Don’t make a scene.”

Erlang Shen crossed his arms, clearly displeased. “You know I don’t like it when you do things without me. Why do you always insist on leaving me out?”

“Will you grow up? You’re being such a baby,” Ao Bing retorted.

Sun Wukong laughed, the sight of her friends bickering immediately lifting her spirits. She opened one of the containers of food and pulled out some crackers, beginning to munch on them. “Where’s the Third Prince?” she asked in between mouthfuls.

Ao Bing sighed, adjusting his straw hat to run a hand through his hair. “He said he’ll catch up with us later. He’s busy studying for the imperial exam.”

Erlang Shen snatched the snacks from Sun Wukong’s hands with a swift motion. “That brat is always studying,” he grumbled through a mouthful of food.

Sun Wukong grabbed the snacks back. “Hey, those are for me!””

Ao Bing, watching the two of them, felt his patience wearing thin. “I told you not to make a scene!” he hissed, his voice rising. “Someone’s going to notice we’re all here!”

Erlang Shen and Sun Wukong paused, their hands frozen in mid-grab, and exchanged sheepish glances. The two looked like children who had just been scolded by their mother. These were the same individuals who had aced down armies and outwitted powerful demonic enemies. Yet now, the three of them were arguing about snacks.

Ao Bing couldn’t help but let out a small, exasperated chuckle. “Seriously, you two. Are you done now?”

***

Present day.

Erlang Shen’s office was a reflection of his overall character: disciplined and forward thinking. It was a space where strategy and wisdom converged, guiding the operations of the Celestial Intelligence Agency under his meticulous watch. 

The walls were a combination of sleek, matte surfaces and smart glass panels that could switch between transparent and opaque at the touch of a button. In one corner of the office, a digital display wall provided real-time data feeds, surveillance footage, and strategic maps, all easily manipulated with a wave of a hand. Ao Bing tinkered with the digital maps as Erlang Shen and Sun Wukong were arguing on the other end of the office.

“We literally bumped into each other, Yang Jian, I promise you!” Sun Wukong plopped down on one of the chairs in the seating area by the windows. She had no hesitation in calling him by his given name, despite two of his aides still standing at attention by the office entrance.

“Yanling,” he said, referring to her given name in kind, “you expect me to believe that surfer boy resurfaces after an entire century, and you two just happen to bump into each other? In Midnight City, of all places?”

Ao Bing bristled at the nickname. “Surfer boy?” he echoed to himself, his eyes narrowing, continuing to play with the digital map. Ao Bing waved his hand in front of the display, causing the map to zoom in and out erratically. 

“Do you want to check my phone history?” Sun Wukong said sharply, teleporting her phone across the room so it stopped right in front of Erlang Shen’s face, scrolling through her recent call list. 

Erlang Shen swatted away her phone and slammed it down on his desk. “It’s so fucking annoying when you guys do things without telling me.”

Sun Wukong smirked, unfazed. “Even if we did plan this, who says we need your permission, anyway?”

The aides standing at the door exchanged glances, getting the sense that this wasn’t just a squabble over dinner plans. The three people in front of them had been inseparable as young warriors, but the passage of time had seen them drift into vastly different roles and responsibilities. 

Ao Bing, now frustrated with the digital map which he managed to turn into a chaotic mess of overlapping data points and spinning 3D models, walked over to the two of them. 

“Are you two done now?”

Sun Wukong chuckled. “It’s too much fun winding him up.”

Erlang Shen’s sculpted features tightened into a pout- an expression Sun Wukong and Ao Bing were both all too-familiar with. “Fuck both of you. I’ve been waiting for a reservation to open up at that restaurant for weeks.” 

Ao Bing walked over to where the aides were standing and politely gestured for one of them to hand over the file she was holding. He glanced at it, and made his way back to Erlang Shen’s desk, sliding the file across the sleek marble surface.

“You two should be less concerned about dinner reservations and more concerned about what happened tonight.”

Erlang Shen’s expression shifted to a more serious one as he picked up the file, but not before he threw Sun Wukong a disgruntled look to remind her their discussion was far from over. “What exactly happened tonight?”

Sun Wukong relaxed back into the chair, stretching out her legs as she recounted the evening’s events. “Jianyu and I were having a glass of wine together,” she said, continuing to poke at Erlang Shen, “when we sensed a disturbance on the spiritual plane. When we ran outside, we saw those two demons scaling the building across the street, like they were looking for something.”

“Something felt off about them,” she continued. “I recognize that type of demon and don’t recall them being that aggressive.”

Erlang Shen frowned, flipping through the pages of the file. “Did you notice anything unusual about their appearance?”

Ao Bing shook his head. “They were more frantic than usual, but there wasn’t anything that stood out about how they looked. Sun Wukong mentioned they might be possessed.”

Erlang Shen stood up, walking over to the digital display wall. With a wave of his hand, he undid the mess Ao Bing made of the map, and brought up a map of the city, highlighting areas with recent demonic activity. 

“We’ve had reports of similar disturbances in other parts of the city,” he said, pointing to several scattered points on the map. “So far, the activity has been sporadic and relatively minor--nothing serious, just a few sightings and minor altercations. But with what happened tonight, we might need to start paying closer attention.”

He zoomed in on one of the highlighted areas. “These incidents might seem insignificant on their own, but if the demons are becoming more aggressive, then it might suggest that something is stirring them up.”

Sun Wukong leaned in to examine the map. “Could there be a pattern between all of these disturbances?” 

Erlang Shen nodded in agreement. “I’ve already deployed a team to those areas to take a look. Maybe two can start investigating on your own and look for any unusual signs or additional patterns that might give us a clue about what’s driving these demons.”

Ao Bing stepped away from the map and raised an eyebrow. “We can start investigating?”

Erlang Shen assumed their compliance and pressed on, “Yes, exactly. Wouldn’t it be fun to team up again?”

Sun Wukong hesitated, and at this, Erlang Shen looked at her with surprise, not expecting her reluctance. 

“I’ve been enjoying my retirement,” she said, whining. “I finally have time to relax and enjoy life without constantly being on call for Celestial crises.” She tossed her hair dramatically. 

Erlang Shen raised an eyebrow at Sun Wukong’s theatrics. “Yanling, you and I both know that retirement isn’t really your style. Admit it, you’re bored.”

Sun Wukong uncrossed her arms, her posture relaxing slightly. "Bored? Please. I’m enjoying every second of this peaceful life.”

Erlang Shen smirke. “Really? The legendary Sun Wukong, lounging around with nothing to fight, no mischief to cause? Hard to believe.”

Sun Wukong’s eyes narrowed as she shot back, “I’ve earned this. A lifetime of chaos and responsibility—it’s about time I got some peace.”

“You expect me to believe that?” Erlang Shen took a step closer, voice dripping with playful challenge. “You’ve spent centuries making trouble, shaking up the heavens, fighting dragons and demons. And now you’re satisfied with…what? Gardening and tea?”

“I like gardening,” Sun Wukong huffed, her tone defensive. “And tea is calming.”

“Very calming,” Erlang Shen said, his grin widening. 

Sun Wukong crossed her arms again, this time more tightly. “I’m enjoying retirement,” she said through gritted teeth. “It’s peaceful. Relaxing.”

He shrugged, backing off just a bit, but his smirk never left. He gave her a moment to realize how much she was clenching her jaw.

Sun Wukong, upon realizing this, relaxed her posture and pouted directly towards Erlang Shen. 

“Fine. But this is temporary,” she finally conceded, trying to sound reluctant. “I’m not giving up my retirement for good.”

Erlang Shen raised his hands in mock surrender, grinning. “Of course, of course. Temporary.”

Sun Wukong shot him a glare. “I mean it, Director.”

“I believe you,” he said, barely able to contain his amusement. He then turned his attention towards Ao Bing.

“How about you?”

Ao Bing’s voice was firm. “I can’t.” 

Ao Bing knew he didn’t have to explain much more- the all-seeing Erlang Shen probably knew days ago that he was back because of Ao Qin. 

“I know,” said Erlang Shen solemnly. “I had to try.”

Author’s Note: