Our Ball of Tangled Yarn

Chapter 9: The Great Wall Race

The race starts! Also the Demon Bull family will be introduced in here finally so yeah-
enjoy! there's no tears to spill in this chapter.

Macaque was inside Mk's room, unsure of what to do in there as Bai he watched the tv with Mei. He was initially hiding in there as the girls watched the tv downstairs in the shop.

"Once a year, this city becomes more than a city..." Macaque's ears flicked as he heard the television, and glanced at the boy as Mk put on his usual red headband. Macaque raised an eyebrow as he watched Mk then stick his hand in the closet and pull out a dirty, but familiar white collared shirt. "Once a year, these streets become more than streets..."

"Mk, why do you always wear that shirt?" Macaque asked as the boy then grabbed the staff and put it in his ear. "Do you ever wash it?"

"This year... the winner will become immortal!" The tv said, and Macaque watched as Mk ran down the stairs and gasped at the tv with the two girls, ignoring his question. Macaque sighed, and reapplied his human disguise as he walked down and stood behind the children.

It had been like this for a few days now, after spending weeks of 'therapy' with Sandy - he wasn't sure what therapy was, but talking to Sandy seemed nice after a while - Macaque had grown a bit braver and learned to meet and somewhat get along with most of Mk's friends. Bai he wouldn't stop asking Macaque to visit the big guy whenever they were in the city, so Macaque had no choice but to accept the little girl's wishes. Eventually, he learned that in fact no one from the journey in the past ever lived to see the present day, save for him. Even the old master was nothing more than a freeloader in a noodle shop now.

That didn't mean he was ready to face the reincarnated monk, just that he didn't need to worry about him anymore.

"A peach of immortality!" Mk said in awe as he stared at the screen.

Bai he looked up at Macaque and hugged him immediately, giggling. Macaque smiled and hugged her back. "I doubt that's an actual peach Mk-" He began.

"A peach of what now-?" Pigsy appeared behind Macaque and looked at Mei and Mk confused.

Mk and Mei looked at Pigsy as if the chef was born yesterday. They both crowded in front of Pigsy and started yelling, making Macaque flinch at the sudden noise.

"How dare you say that-?!"

"How could you say that-?!"

"Have you never heard of-?!"

"I thought you at least knew-!"

"That's just ridiculous-!!"

Macaque groaned and covered their mouths. "Enough already! It's fine if he doesn't know, at least one of us isn't so enamored in this peach nonsense." He sighed as neither one stopped moving their mouths behind his hands. "How either of you have the spirit to have an argument over a myth is incredible."

Luckily, like everyday when Mk wasn't working, the scholar was out giving orders to customers as "payment." Which meant Macaque had to take his part and explain the tale of a powerful stone fruit to the pig demon.

Yeah, no that was too long. He looked at Pigsy.

"To summarize, Sun Wukong once went to the celestial realm because he was assigned as a protector of the peach gardens, which grew peaches with the ability to provide immortality if one were to take so much as a bite. Wukong, after not being invited to a banquet with the gods and goddesses, decided to get drunk on their royal wine, and then go and eat Laozi's pills of immortality and the very same peaches of immortality he was meant to protect. Because of this he became 7-8 times immortal, and was almost unstoppable against Heaven's army." Macaque then let go of the mortal's mouths and shook his head.