Celestial Vows~ Yandere Nezha

Chapter 16: Glorified Monkey King

                                                                               ~______𖤓✧______~
Y/N stepped out into the warm sunlight, dressed in soft flowing robes, her hair tied up in a loose bun. The mountain breeze carried the scent of peaches and moss, but even that wasn't enough to keep her from yawning. She needed more rest—but she also needed noodles. Lots of noodles.

"Maybe if I eat enough, I'll just hibernate for another century," she muttered to herself as she made her way down the mountain trail.

The small buzz of the city met her ears as she arrived at Pigsy's Noodles. Familiar, cozy, loud with the chatter of happy customers and the smell of savory broth. She slipped inside and glanced around.

No Mk.
No Mei.

That was... strange. They were usually bouncing off the walls at this hour.

She slid into a seat at the counter and gave Pigsy a small nod. "One bowl of house special, please."

"You got it," Pigsy said, already ladling broth.
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Y/N looked around again, then leaned slightly toward the man sitting beside her—Tang. She recognized him from before. Bookish, soft-spoken... and obsessed with mythology.

Perfect.

"Hey... Tang, right?" she asked.

Tang turned, eyes blinking behind his glasses. "Yes?"

She smiled politely. "Do you know the history of Sun Wukong?"

His face lit up like fireworks on the Lunar New Year. "DO I!?"

Here we go... Y/N thought.

Tang adjusted his glasses and straightened his back. "Sun Wukong, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, the Handsome Monkey King, the Hero of the Journey to the West! Born from a stone on the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit, he mastered all the martial arts, defeated the armies of Heaven, and stole immortality not once, not twice, but five times!"

"Five?"

"Yes! Immortal peaches, Laozi's elixir, heaven's registry, the furnace... ahem, anyway—" Tang coughed, his face glowing with admiration. "He was trapped under a mountain for 500 years after rebelling against the Jade Emperor, until he was freed by the monk Tripitaka and joined him on the sacred pilgrimage. And then—oh then!—came the Demon Bull King! A titanic battle!"

Y/N blinked. "Wait. Wukong fought Demon Bull King?"

"Oh, absolutely!" Tang gushed. "He trapped him under a mountain! The flames, the fury! He was all—" Tang leapt to his feet and mimicked wild kung fu motions with chopsticks. "HIYAA! BOOM! BZZZZZT!"

Pigsy rolled his eyes from behind the counter. "Tang, sit down before you knock the soup off the stove again."

Y/N chuckled, but inside, her mind reeled. She remembered the old days, when Wukong, Demon Bull King, and Azure Lion were inseparable—drinking, laughing, waging wars together like brothers.

When did everything change?
____𖤓

What happened while she was sealed away that turned friends into enemies? That made Wukong trap someone he once called "brother"?

"Thanks," she muttered to Tang as Pigsy placed a steaming bowl of noodles in front of her.

"You're welcome!" Tang beamed. "Anytime you want to hear about Wukong's 72 transformations or his golden-banded staff, just let me know!"

She smiled, but her expression slowly faded as she stared into her bowl.

Wukong... what else are you hiding from me?

She took a bite.

Still delicious.

But her hunger now had another edge. One for truth.
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