Sun Wukong’s gaze snapped to the newcomer, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. She noticed, with a start, that the man was looking directly at her, meeting her eyes with unsettling familiarity—even though she was still holding her staff and remained in her spiritual form, normally invisible to mortal eyes. Her grip on her staff tightened, her body tensing as she scanned the man for any spiritual energy and found none.

 “Who the fuck are you?” Sun Wukong demanded, her staff still poised defensively.

Yi Zichen, however, seemed unfazed by the hostility in her tone. He took in her fierce stance, the gleaming staff, and the ethereal aura that surrounded her, with a casualness that seemed entirely out of place. His gaze then shifted to Ao Bing, his eyes holding a knowing look that spoke of a familiarity that, according to Sun Wukong, had no business being there. 

“Jianyu?” he asked, his tone light and teasing. “Who is this very scary lady?”

Sun Wukong’s eyes widened, her fierce demeanor giving way to confusion, and then quickly morphing into something akin to anger. 

“Jianyu?!?” she repeated, her voice rising with a mix of disbelief and frustration. 

She turned to Ao Bing, her expression demanding answers. “Why is he calling you Jianyu?” She took a forceful step towards Yi Zichen. “You can’t just call him Jianyu- do you even know who this is? This is Ao B-”

Sun Wukong very much intended to give this newcomer an education about Ao Bing’s lineage but before she could finish her sentence, Ao Bing held up his hands, trying to diffuse the tension. 

“ Let’s go somewhere we can all talk.”

***

After a round of formal introductions, they made their way to a dive bar on the other end of the shopping center. The three of them settled at an outside table, the tension still thick in the air as they sat down. The glow from the neon sign flickered intermittently, casting long, shifting shadows across all three of their faces. Sun Wukong shot a look at Ao Bing when Yi Zichen explained that the reason why he called Ao Bing ‘Jianyu’ earlier was because that’s how Ao Bing introduced himself a few nights ago when they first met.

As Yi Zichen was explaining this, Ao Bing avoided Sun Wukong’s piercing gaze and ordered a round of beers for the table.

“That thing was pretty gnarly” said Yi Zichen casually, drinking his beer. “Are you guys demon hunters like in anime?” The way he asked this was with pure sincerity. 

Sun Wukong hesitated, her eyes flicking over to Ao Bing, seeking his lead. Who was this person, and why did he seem so familiar with them? Her instincts were screaming at her to be cautious, but she could see something in Ao Bing’s face—a contemplative stillness, that told her he was considering this stranger more seriously than she had expected. After a long, tense moment, Ao Bing gave a reluctant nod.

Sun Wukong’s expression softened slightly. She trusted Ao Bing implicitly—they had been through too much together not to. If Ao Bing believed this man was worth trusting, she would go along with it. She sighed, her defensive posture relaxing just a bit. Sun Wukong’s eyes narrowed as she looked over at Yi Zichen.

Ao Bing, you certainly have a type, she thought.

“We’re both here to investigate demonic activity that seems to have centralized here in Midnight City,” she said finally, choosing her words carefully. “The demon you just saw isn’t normally this aggressive towards mortals. We’re trying to figure out why they’ve been acting out of character lately.”

Yi Zichen nodded, and adjusted his eyeglasses. “Do they usually have that red glow around them?” 

Sun Wukong and Ao Bing exchanged a quick, puzzled glance, their brows furrowing in unison. “Red glow?”

“Yeah,” Yi Zichen said, describing the red glow he saw from the demon earlier that night, as well as the two demons he saw that night on the rooftop bar. 

”There was a bright, red aura surrounding those two demons that night. The one tonight had that same type of red glow.”

Sun Wukong pulled out her phone and brought up a video from Erlang Shen’s surveillance footage of the demons from a few nights ago on the rooftop bar. She held it up for Yi Zichen to see. 

“No red glow from the surveillance footage,” she pointed out, replaying it.

Yi Zichen shook his head, his expression firm. “I’m telling you, they were glowing red. I saw it, clear as day.”

Sun Wukong leaned back in her chair, her mind working through the implication of Yi Zichen’s statement. She studied him carefully, weighing the possibility of his claim. 

“If you’re seeing something we’re not,” she said, “it could mean one of two things: either there’s an energy at work here that’s outside of our spectrum, or there’s something different about you.” As she said this, Sun Wukong scanned his energy to see if there was any signal as to why he could see something they couldn’t- but she didn’t get a read on any type of spiritual power.

“Okay, your turn,” she said firmly. “Tell us why you can see beings on the Celestial plane.”

Yi Zichen took a slow deliberate sip of his beer, gathering his thoughts. 

“I’ve always seen things, I guess,” he began. “Spirits, mostly. Harmless ones. When I was a kid, I’d see them attached to plants, animals, sometimes even objects. I thought everyone saw them until I mentioned it to my parents.”

He paused, the distant look in his eyes suggesting he was pulling from deep memories. ”My therapist at the time chalked it up to a coping mechanism,” he said with a wry smile. “Childhood trauma, you know, the fun stuff.“ 

He took a sip of his beer, clearly choosing not to delve deeper. “But I never stopped seeing the spirits,” he continued. “I just learned to keep it to myself. And honestly, some of them are so cute, like little wisps of light bouncing around or tiny animals peeking out from behind plants.” 

The first time Yi Zichen had seen a demon, he’d been startled—but only for a moment. It had only happened a handful of times in his 35 years, maybe ten at most. And just as quickly as the demons appeared, he explained that some Celestial deity would arrive and calmly whisk them away. Each time, it happened so fast and with such precision that he barely had time to react.

He continued to tell Ao Bing and Sun Wukong that over time, he stopped questioning it. These encounters never affected him directly, and Yi Zichen wasn’t eager to disrupt his life by getting involved in affairs that so clearly did not include him. He had enough to deal with already, and why bother starting now? Ten times in thirty-five years—hardly enough to concern himself with. 

Sun Wukong scanned his energy again, probing once again for any hint of spiritual power or deception. Yet once more, she found nothing out of the ordinary. She glanced at Ao Bing, her brow furrowed. “Can you scan his energy?” She asked, almost as if she didn’t trust her own senses. “See if I’m missing anything?”

Ao Bing shook his head, annoyed. “You already did, twice. Why would I need to?”

“Would you consider coming back to the Celestial Intelligence Agency with us?” she asked Yi Zichen. “There are techniques there that could give us a more detailed scan of your energy, find out why you’re possibly seeing things we aren’t.”

Yi Zichen shook his head respectfully. “No thank you. I’d rather not get involved.”

Ao Bing glanced at Yi Zichen, surprised. Ao Bing actually respected Yi Zichen’s statement, understanding the desire to maintain a semblance of normalcy amidst the chaos. 

Sun Wukong, however, let out a small scoff. 

“Well, aren’t you two just peas in a pod?” 

She rolled her eyes, stood up and pulled out a flashy business card from her pocket, handing it to Yi Zichen. “If anything else happens, call me. I’ll be in touch. Even if you don’t want to get involved, we may need you to answer a few more questions.”

She glanced back at Ao Bing with a slight nod, and with that, she turned and walked away, her figure quickly blending into the night. 

Ao Bing and Yi Zichen sat in silence for a moment, the weight of their conversation settling around them like a heavy fog. The hum of the city around them seemed distant, almost muted, as if the world had shrunk to just the two of them at the small table under the flickering neon light.

Yi Zichen’s gaze lingered on Ao Bing, taking in his striking features. Just a few nights ago, he had watched this mysterious Celestial deity call swords from thin air and cut down a gigantic demon with effortless precision. The real question should have been, Who is this man? 

Yet, despite everything, Yi Zichen found himself focused on something far more…instinctive.

Ao Bing's hair, a cascade of white-silver, caught the dim light, shimmering subtly as if woven from moonlight itself. Freckles scattered across his nose and cheeks, a stark contrast to his otherwise flawless, pale skin—a constellation hidden in plain sight. His eyes, sharp and golden, held a gaze that seemed too used to its own solitude. Ao Bing’s chiseled jawline and high cheekbones gave his face a regal, sculpted look, accentuated by a serious expression that seemed almost permanent.

Yi Zichen, captivated by that seriousness, was curious about what it would take to break through that composed exterior.

“When can I buy you a proper drink?,” he asked Ao Bing, flashing a smile. “Maybe take you out on a real date?”

Ao Bing blinked, momentarily taken aback by the sudden question. He studied Yi Zichen carefully, trying to read the intent behind those big, playful eyes. 

“I thought you didn’t want to get involved?” Ao Bing replied finally, his voice measured. 

“With the battle between good and evil, no.” Yi Zichen’s grin only widened, eyes dancing with amusement. “But with you? Maybe a little.”

Ao Bing felt a surge of irritation stirring within. This man’s over-eagerness and the casual flirtation was starting to get to him, though he couldn’t tell if that was a good or a bad thing. Either way, Ao bing felt a need to push back and assert some control over the situation. He raised an eyebrow, his expression cooling. 

“Getting involved with me isn’t a good idea,” Ao Bing said, his voice low and steady.  “Besides, I’m only here temporarily.”

Yi Zichen didn’t falter; in fact, he seemed to grow even bolder:

“That’s exactly what one-night stands are for.”

Something in Yi Zichen’s audacity spurred Ao Bing on. What could he say to make this guy back off? Someone like Yi Zichen-- tall, handsome, successful and athletic-- was probably used to getting whoever he wanted, whenever he wanted. Right now, that fact seemed to annoy the hell out of Ao Bing.

Leaning in close--very close--Ao Bing’s voice dropped to a near whisper. 

“Let me ask you something, then.” Ao Bing’s face was so close to Yi Zichen’s that he could feel the heat radiating off of his face. “Do you want a one-night stand with me badly enough that you’d let me fuck you?”

For a brief moment, Ao Bing thought he might have finally thrown Yi Zichen off balance. Surely this man exuding so much masculine energy would be turned off by such a proposition.

However, Yi Zichen didn’t even blink, and leaned in even closer.

”If that’s what it took to get you in my bed,” Yi Zichen murmured, his voice steady, “then I’d let you fuck me in a heartbeat.”