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Chapter Text

Liu’er Xiyang genuinely hates the novel he’s reading. 

“Proud Immortal Monkie Way” was quite literally a sorry excuse of a retelling of a pre-Journey to the West turned stallion novel filled with nothing but shitty writing, one-dimensional characters who serve nothing to the plot, and countless– meaningless –sex scenes just to give fan service to the readers! 

And yet, Liu’er found himself paying for a platinum subscription just so he can read the next chapter a few days earlier than most readers…along with some exclusive merch of Sun Wukong and his even more badass staff (that Macaque definitely didn’t buy a replica of). 

And if he continued doing that up until the very last chapter, then that was his business. 

But god, did he hate the novel with every fiber of his being. The author, Bronze Cicada , completely ruined Sun Wukong as a character! Turning him into some dark, brooding protagonist who had no meaningful relationship (and no, he doesn’t count the harem of six hundred wives that Sun Wukong amassed in PIMW considering all he does with them is have sex and ignore them for every hundred or so chapter till they are deemed useful for the plot) instead of the mischievous trickster god that he’s known for!

Not to mention, this Macaque character…Liu’er can feel himself clench his fist at the thought of that scum villain of a character! 

From the moment Macaque was introduced, he filled the comment section with wanting to castrate and murder that six eared monkey for being such an asshole to Sun Wukong! Always belittling and bullying the other while keeping up a facade of being a “good friend” when in reality, he was the main reason as to why Sun Wukong was beaten an inch of his life almost everyday. He was even the reason Sun Wukong was under the mountain in the first place! Trading Sun Wukong to the heavenly realm and even went as far as to find Buddha’s Mountain and mock the pinned Sage.  

It gets even worse! Macaque then takes the role of king of Mount Huaguo after his journey back of “looking for the King,” declaring Wukong dead. Of course, upon Sun Wukong getting released from the mountain, he goes on with the Journey to the West, trains himself and fucks even more demonic and celestial maidens. Promptly, after five hundred chapters or so, Sun Wukong finally gets released from the circlet and is able to return back to his kingdom. 

Although, after returning, he finally kills Macaque for his betrayal but not before tearing all his limbs off, turning him into a living stick who’s stuck in a jar for the rest of eternity, all the while Sun Wukong continues to rule his kingdom, gaining more wives and magical abilities.

But even with that, Proud Immortal Monkie Way still suffers greatly from shitty pacing, shitty characters, and shitty sex scenes. 

However, it’s not like Liu’er hates the Journey to the West, it was the opposite. He has loved the novels ever since he was old enough to read. Always dressing up as Sun Wukong every convention he has ever gone to and even auditioning for every role that the character pops up in. Whether it's a new live action or even just being a voice actor for a cartoon, Liu’er would always be there in the waiting room. 

Getting the role, though? That’s something he’s been struggling with despite his love for the character. Which ultimately translates to more hate for PIMW as the greatest massacre of his favorite character! 

He sighs, walking forward in a busy street, trying to get to another acting gig that he already knows isn’t gonna work out. But hey, he’s bound to get some luck soon. But not before he leaves another scathing review under the most recent extras of PIMW. Which was just another chapter of Wukong getting hit with a stupid aphrodisiac in which he needs to perform a stupid sexual healing to remove it and have stupid sex with his stupid wife and-

HONK.

Lights blare at Liu’er. And before he can even register it, pain blossoms everywhere in his body as blood starts to leak out from every possible orifice. But the only thing he can think of in his head is-

Stupid novel, stupid author!  

[Activation code: “Stupid novel, stupid author.” System triggered.] 

[1%...5%…45%...70%...99%...100%!]

[Welcome to the System. We hope to make your stay here as enjoyable as possible. And in accordance with your wish and desire, we hope that you can transform this idiotic work into a first-rate, magnificent classic! So good luck, dear user.]

Liu’er jolts up. 

His head flashes in pain. He clutches his forehead trying to somewhat relieve the pain to no avail. Then yelps and flinches back when he feels the prinpicks of claws digging at his forehead. What the- 

“It’s so good to see that you are awake.” He felt a weight dip down on the bed he was on. Was he in a hospital? This doesn’t look like a hospital. If anything it looked like something out of a C-Drama fantasy with its paper windows, intricate wooden shelves and tables, tapestries of Ancient Chinese plants, vases, and books.

“Macaque?” The voice spoke up again and Liu’er’s eyes practically bulged at the sight that appeared before him. A- a- a talking monkey???

Wait a minute. 

…Macaque? 

[User role: Six-Eared Macaque. The main antagonist and scum villain of “Proud Immortal Monkie Way.” Total B-Points: 250]

Macaque?! 

A voice reminiscent of what Google sounded like echoes through his head that he almost passes out. But before he could so much as roll his eyes back, Liu’er felt something pass through him. It felt something akin to drinking an energy drink but he could actually feel it through his veins and core; energizing him. 

The talking monkey ( what the actual fuck? This guy is actually wearing fancy robes, a crown, and everything!) sighs and rolls his eyes. “Really, Macaque, I can't have my prized pupil suffer from a measly qi deviation.”

If Liu’er–no, Macaque, he’s Macaque now for fuck sake, he transmigrated into the fucking scum villain of all characters –actually got his soul stolen from whatever afterlife there is and shoved into this trashy web novel then he’s definitely, totally, brutally dead. It was quite literally written in his fate to have died such a tragic fate. 

Oh whatever fucking God is out there, why couldn’t I just be some side character that lived their boring fucking lives without the main characters interfering with anything! 

[┑(￣Д ￣)┍]

Don’t give me that fucking face!

Ok, he had to think logically here. He’s not sure how far the story is as of this moment. He could’ve already traded Sun Wukong to the heavenly army and became king in his stead. Or this could be before Wukong even became King of Mount Huaguo. God, this was all just too confusing and too much. If he wasn’t such a super anti-fan of this novel, he would’ve just ended it all there. 

Speaking of which…

“Where’s,” Macaque coughs out, “where’s Sun Wukong?”

[OOC Warning: Six-Eared Macaque wouldn’t willingly talk about his most detested “friend.” -5 B-Points.] 

System! You can’t just take points away from me when I need to know how far the story is along! It’s literally vital information, you stupid good for nothing Siri! 

[Regardless, be careful when losing points, dear user. Having zero amount of points will lead to account termination.] 

Well isn’t that great to know that he’ll also just die if he fails his mission. 

The monkey–a robotic voice pipes up showing a glowing blue screen of a character sheet that says [General Liu, one of the generals and main teacher of Tribe Huaguo] –simply sighs at his out of character question and looks at him straight on. “You should go easy on that cub. I know you, out of everyone, wanted his position as king but he got it fair and square.”

Macaque clutches at his chest, feeling something that he can’t quite detect. Then, his claws drift over a long cotton-like material wrapped around him. Macaque’s scarf! In the novel, it’s heavily described that Macaque is never seen without it and uses it to hide his mischievous–often nefarious–looks from his tribe members. Thus, creating a mysterious yet edgy aura around the character. Although, to Liu’er it felt more like a wannabe emo trying to act too cool from the rest of his peers. Man, does he truly hate the character. 

Without thinking, he pulls up the scarf around his neck up to his mouth, effectively hiding him chewing his lip out of nervous habit. 

General Liu sighs once more, pinching the bridge of his dark gray mask as his brown fur puffs in annoyance. “Whatever plan you have cooking up for Sun Wukong, it’s best to leave me out of it.” 

Ah, of course. He remembers General Liu so much better now, he’s not only the teacher of Mount Huaguo, but he’s also the one that turns a blind eye to all the abuse that Sun Wukong goes through. Even with his role as teacher, he still lets the abuse happen especially considering his favoritism. 

Liu’er remembers General Liu’s death. After getting sent the limbs of Macaque, Liu stormed the monkey palace and tried to save the precious life of the Six-Eared Macaque. In the end, he died by getting impaled by a shit ton of arrows as he watches Sun Wukong torture Macaque in the most gruesome way possible. 

Reading that part was satisfying and even one of the few rare chances of him complimenting the author on finally delivering justice to Sun Wukong . Now, though, he can’t help but feel dread for both of their untimely demise. 

No, he can’t just accept his death that easily! He has to at least try! He’s not exactly sure what he’s gonna try. Maybe he can try escaping-

[That will lead to account termination.]

Ok, then what about- 

[That will lead to account termination.]

Fine then, he’s gonna suck up to Sun Wukong so much that he won’t have a choice but to spare his life! 

[User, that is not-]

Fuck you! This is literally my life at stake! If I have to kiss the protagonist’s ass to save my own life, I'll do it!

[User…this will-]

Hey! I’ve read enough transmigration novels to know that as long as I follow the major plot points, I can stay right? So it doesn’t matter how I act towards the protagonist. 

[Well, yes but-]  

Then, you can shut up!

“-aque. MACAQUE!” 

That snaps him out of his mental fight with the system. Shit. He forgot that General Liu was still here in the room with him. 

“Uh, yes?” He manages to chirp out. 

General Liu sighs, something akin to disappointment paints his face. “Do you need me to fetch the doctor? You look as if Sun Wukong is here in the room right now.”

Ah yes. Macaque’s hatred for Sun Wukong. Started off as jealousy turned into something dark and twisted. Macaque’s ultimate downfall was Sun Wukong. He shudders at the thought of meeting the protagonist this early on. 

“No, I'm fine. Where…where is he?” 

General Liu hums, walking to the paper windows to watch the scenery. He tucks in both his hands in his sleeves. “He’s training. Somewhere in the mountains. I advise you to hold off on your mischief, cub. He’s just starting out as king” And with that air of indifference, he slides open the door to his room and steps out. Ultimately, leaving Macaque alone. 

So that means he’s not totally screwed just yet. It means Sun Wukong still sees him as a friend but the abuse and bullying has already started…which means he has to stop it! 

Don’t worry, Sun Wukong, Liu’er is on the job to fix this garbage fire of a novel!

Chapter Text

He smiles and the person in the mirror smiles back. 

He shifts the angle of his face in front of the bronze mirror. His face truly is now a monkey–moving aside the six ears situation–but an appealing one at that. With sharp cutting phoenix eyes, a red mask with a featherlike swirl to it, and long inky black hair tied in a braid. Liu’er is honestly lucky that the body he got dropped in is so…ethereal. Beautiful, even. Although, he’s a lot hairier than before but still beautiful nonetheless. He hates the character, sure, but he isn't blind. If only the character wasn’t such a shithead disgusting piece of burning trash, then maybe he can fully appreciate his new looks. He always imagined Macaque to be this big ugly bully but the reality is sorely mistaken. 

He tries a multitude of expressions. One of anger, sadness, and joy. And the mirror reflects back at him with those expressions. 

So this is really his life now, huh. 

He pinches himself for good measure and instantly feels a sharp pain, but it didn’t jolt him awake from this weird dream. If anything, it just further confirms that this is his new reality. A trashy novel where he gets brutally killed…unless he changes how he acts towards the protagonist. 

System, what are my objectives?

[Objective: Meet the titular protagonist, Sun Wukong.]

Already?! But he’s still not yet ready! What if Wukong just decides to kill him on the spot there and there? Wait, no that doesn’t make sense with the story or plot. Plus, it’d be too stupid to kill the scum villain this early on. It’d ruin any sort of satisfying build up to the climax. 

He sighs, getting up from his bed, putting the mirror down as he slides open the door to his living area. He sees a random monkey demon outside cleaning the fallen leaves which he can only assume to be a lackey of some sort as the demon instantly straightens up upon eye contact.

Well, he wasn’t an actor for nothing. Better put those skills to good use. He sharpens his eyes, gives a snarl filled with malice and annoyance, “Bring me Sun Wukong.”

The monkey demon doesn’t so much as let out a single peep as they give him a gleeful salute and march off, looking ready to drag the King of the mountain to the very hands that abuse him on a daily basis. But why is the King treated so harshly in the first place? Simple. He was weak. Demons revered the strong, mighty, and powerful, and Wukong–as of this moment–isn’t any of that.

He was but a simple celestial monkey born from a stone who just happened to stumble his way on getting the throne via jumping in a waterfall. But why didn’t he have his powers? Wasn’t Sun Wukong initially a crazy strong power-hungry demon that the Buddha himself had to intervene? Well, you may ask the author, Bronze Cicada, for that. It was honestly a stupid plot hole that Liu’er saw right through just so Cicada can have Wukong be some sad tragic MC with a terrible past and have proper reasonings for his vengeance. 

It was all stupid. Entertaining? Yes, infuriatingly so. But stupid? Absolutely. 

Whatever. 

It’s not like he didn’t absolutely obliterate Cicada for his poor writing choice, he remembers quite vividly opening the comment section and exceeding the word limit as he tries to input as much hate, malice, and constructive criticism one can offer as he’s famously known for in the PIMW forums. Did people agree with him? Well, some did; as with any famous work, it had its fans and anti-fans. People who were fans often mocked him for wanting what’s best for Sun Wukong and usually spouting some sort of variant of “calm down, bro, Sun Wukong isn’t gonna fuck you.” 

Which only, in turn, Liu’er spammed the comment section with more of his vitriol hate for the web novel. 

Well, that doesn’t matter. What clearly matters right now is surviving. And-

The door slid open and Liu’er immediately had to cover his eyes by the bright shining light coming from his doorway. He was met by a golden character sheet screen simply stating: [Sun Wukong, King of Mount Huaguo, protagonist of Proud Immortal Monkie Way.]

A beaten and bruised Sun Wukong gets thrown at Macaque’s feet, he tries to stand and limp his way towards Macaque in an effort to bow towards him, even though he’s the king and it should definitely be the other way around. 

But standing before him is nonetheless the Sun Wukong. Legend among legends. A (soon to be) powerful and mighty demon where not even heaven could stop him. His favorite character in the actual flesh!

In awe, he couldn’t help but mutter out, “Sun Wukong…”

Wukong flinches upon hearing his name as if he’s been slapped and bows even deeper as if to make himself seem smaller. “Shixiong, what do you need me for?”

He’s real. 

He’s actually real!

Oh my fucking god I’m so dead.

And he promptly passes out. 

“Shixiong!” He hears two voices scream out as he falls flat on the ground. 

“-ook at what you did to Mihou-shixiong!”

“I- I didn’t do anything!”

“It’s because of you, weakling , that he-”

“Oh gods, is he gonna be ok? Please tell me I didn't just kill my friend.”

His ears twitch. A scoff and a mutter. “As if he’s your friend.”

“But I- he’s-”

The sound of birds chirping, the ocean rumbling, the wind fluttering, the chitters of monkeys, and so much more enter his brain. 

Too loud. 

He lets out a groan and sits up. And the voices surrounding him stop for a moment. He opens his eyes and he’s slowly greeted with the sight of three monkeys, two in green and white robes, and the other, sitting beside his bed, in a light tranquil blue. 

The one in blue– [General Beng, doctor and general of Tribe Huaguo] –calmly looks at him and lays a gentle smile. “How are you, cub?”

General Beng…Liu’er remembers this character, as a doctor he stayed relatively neutral towards the torture of the Six-Eared Macaque; not offering his help towards the tortured ape, but not quite aiding Sun Wukong to further torture the scum villain. 

But that’s not the time to focus on a side character when the protagonist is literally right there! God, even when he’s all beaten up and bruised, the protagonist still somehow outshines everyone in the room with his sheer beauty. 

He lets out a cough. “Leave me with Wukong.”

[OOC Warning: Macaque would never call the protagonist anything but his full name or derogatory nicknames. -10 B-Points]

Shit. 

“But-”

“Now.”

The lackey seems reluctant but continues out the door anyway, looking ready to beat up Sun Wukong again. He did feel some pity towards the lackey when he recalls that the monkey demons under Macaque were also brutally killed. Ah, poor cannon fodder, if only you knew what awaits your fate in the future! Then you wouldn’t have even thought to lay a finger on the protagonist. 

General Beng gives him a look filled with “don’t do anything rash” but leaves nonetheless, finally leaving the two alone with a quiet shut of the sliding door. 

It’s quiet. Wukong stands there clutching at his arm and digging his claws deep into the meat of his elbow, looking conflicted. Macaque’s eyes snap towards all the bruises scattered across him, even with the seven layer robes–which first off doesn’t even fit Wukong correctly, maybe he can do something to change that…–and fur covering it, he can still see the look of pain deep in his eyes. Something punches the inside of Liu’er’s heart when seeing such an expression on the protagonist. 

“You…,” Sun Wukong finally mutters, “you called me Wukong. Just Wukong.” 

Shit. The system’s right in taking away his points; Macaque would never call Sun Wukong in such an intimate way especially with the state of their relationship now. Fuck. Quick think of something! 

“Well, it’s your name isn’t it? What should I call you then? Peaches?” Macaque sneers, leans back in his bed as a way of showing nonchalance. 

[...User.]

What?

[Now we know why you don’t get hired for your acting jobs.]

Fuck you. 

That was a popular nickname among the Sun Wukong fans! Often calling him peaches as a way to commemorate the protagonist’s love for peaches. He remembers the chapter where Rin Rin, the Queen and first wife of Sun Wukong, first gave Sun Wukong a peach and him instantly loving the fruit as it signifies the first step of furthering their relationship together. So honestly, fuck you, System!

Sun Wukong instantly blushes, ducking his head as if to hide his reddened cheeks. “No- I- …If that’s what you wish to call me, Shixiong, I don't mind. At least, it’s better than the ones you came up with before…”

Right, Macaque usually calls him weakling or some variation of lazy pathetic loser. And even if he did call Wukong by his rightful title–your majesty or my king–it’s usually out of sarcasm or by sneering at it. Wukong never spoke up about it but did feel defeated every time, Liu’er recalls the paragraph where Wukong actually prefers to be called a weakling ‘cause at least then it doesn’t feel like the weight of his title will burden him. 

“Ah, I'm sorry!” Wukong bows once more, and Liu’er has to fight himself not to reach out and comfort the other lest he lose more points. “Shixiong, what did you call me for again?”

Right. System, objectives?

[Completed objective: Meet the titular protagonist, Sun Wukong. Reward: +5 B-Points]

[New objective: Become Sun Wukong’s teacher and have a closer relationship with him so the betrayal hurts more!] 

Huh. So he does get rewards for completing objectives. At least, he won’t have to worry too much about losing points if he does his little side quests there and there. As for the new objective, that wasn’t necessarily new. That was the starting arc of PIMW as Macaque teaches and sabotages Sun Wukong’s training by purposely giving him wrong and potentially dangerous advice. But no, this time, Macaque will actually teach him properly!  

He moves from his bed and stands, reaching out to the bookshelf on the side and skimming through the titles until he finds what he’s looking for. Yes, Cultivation Manual 101! He tosses the manual at Wukong’s feet and Wukong stares at it dumbfoundedly. 

“Starting today, I'll be training you, Sun Wukong.”

[Don’t forget your role as the Six-Eared Macaque, user! He’s as harsh and cold as the wintertime in Mount Huaguo.]

Wukong reaches for the manual and clutches it at his chest, awe painting his face as if he’s given an irreplaceable treasure. 

“Train by the waterfall. And don't return till you have mastered half of the manual.”

Is that harsh enough, system? 

[(￣y▽￣)╭ You’re doing great, sweetie.]

Good enough. 

Wukong bows once more, deeper this time. And rushes out of the house with embarrassment painting his face. Man, honestly Liu’er gets it. If the scum villain had to be your teacher he too would run away!

Well that was that. All he had to do now was rest and wait for Sun Wukong to get back. He totally got this!

He did not got this

He tries to sleep once more but all he can do is toss and turn in bed, aggravated. Well, it’s not like he hasn't passed out 3 times consecutively already. So, in theory, he should have already been well rested. 

But that wasn’t the only thing keeping him up. Other than the sun still being out and about. It was also guilt that’s keeping him up. The idea of the non-darkened protagonist training all by himself was often a sad sight that plagued Liu’er whenever he thought of the early chapters of PIMW. 

But something else was plaguing him. 

System!

[Yes, dear user?]

Is it possible to get the OOC restrictions lifted? Now, properly thinking about it, it wouldn’t make sense for Liu’er to cling to the protagonist’s thighs and also try to act as Macaque who’s the villain–not to mention, his precious points as well–so there must be ways to remove the OOC restrictions. 

[Yes. it’s possible to get rid of the OOC feature-]

Yes-!

[-But that’ll only happen when you say a certain phrase to the protagonist.]

A phrase? To Wukong? 

Macaque hums. What could that phrase even be? Should he just try random ones and see if those stick? No, it won’t make sense for such a character like Macaque to be random and act like an actual buffoon. If he’s gonna play as the villain he will act with as much decorum as the main villain will have goddamnit!

He sighs. Well, might as well try to find the protagonist and see how he’s faring. 

Surprisingly enough, the mountain was brimming with life. In the novel, it never fully accomplished its goal of bringing the kingdom to life other than a few mentions of cannon fodders, side characters, and background characters. It only ever felt immersive whenever Sun Wukong’s love interests came into the picture. So it was a complete shock to Liu’er when he saw monkey demons of various colors and sizes, training in the arts of music and martial arts. The air was filled with the calm music of the guqin and gentle huffs. 

Various monkeys, all in green and white robes and some with other color coded robes, all stop for a moment and greet him before returning back to their activity. And all he can do is nod back as he continues to marvel at the surrounding tropical trees and beautiful buildings. 

It was like a C-Drama came to life! He laughs out of the sheer absurdity of it all and that garners a few alarmed looks from the others. 

[OOC Warning: Macaque would never laugh in such a way. -10 B-Points. -10 Coolness points]

Wait, what the fuck! Coolness points? System, where did that come from?!

[These are part of your B-Points.]

So he just lost 20 points?! System! All he did was laugh!

[Macaque would never let his emotions show much less laugh in a not so cruel way.]

…ok he really needs to get rid of this OOC shit before he loses all of his points. 

As he finally reaches the edge of the mountain with a tired huff after wandering aimlessly, where the rushing water falls off the cliff, he finds a quite large dark-furred monkey demon– [General Ba, general of Tribe Huaguo] –surveying the edge of the waterfall when he catches sight of Macaque coming out of the dense forest. 

“Ah Macaque! I have something to show you.” The demon smiles innocently as he beckons him to come closer. 

Honestly, Liu’er doesn’t feel that Ba’s intentions are innocent nor in good faith. But Macaque can’t necessarily reject the demon without offending the other so he hesitantly inches closer to the edge till he sees at the very bottom is Wukong, training earnestly.

He can hear the huffs and mutters that Wukong lets out as he mulls over the manual that Macaque gave. So his six ears are meant for something-

And suddenly his vision spins and dips as he feels Ba push him over the very edge of the cliff. With a shout, he tried to warn Wukong of his fall but it was already too late. Macaque landed squarely on Wukong and he can hear Ba laughing at the very top. 

That fucking asshole.  

He groans rubbing at his behind before realizing he’s on top of Sun Wukong. He quickly gets off and inspects the other who’s also groaning in pain. 

“Shit. Where does it hurt?” He grabs Wukong by the shoulders as they both stand, and that fully startles Wukong as blood rushes to his cheeks. Huh. The pain must be getting to him if he looks this flustered. 

“Shixiong doesn’t have to deal with this lowly one-”

“Nonsense,” he replies coolly. “This master will take care of you.”

[OOC restrictions lifted. The world is now your sandbox, dear user!]

Eh?

Chapter Text

This master will take care of you. This master will take care of you. This master will take care of you. This master will take care of you. Will take care of you. Will take care of you. Will take care of you. Will take care of y-

“C’mon let’s go.”

And a tug from his Shixiong pulls him out of his spiraling thoughts. But honestly, who could blame him? This feels too much like a dream. A dream where he wished upon the heavens above that his friend will actually treat him as a friend. It slowly hits him that maybe the gods did actually grant him his wish. Oh gods. 

He tries to pull back his hand which his Shixiong is holding , still baffled from the chain of events that just happened. “But Shixiong-” 

“Shixiong, Shixiong, Shixiong.” Shixiong stops right in front of him–still holding his hand –and tuts at him as if he’s a mere cub. “Y’know you can call me Macaque. We are friends after all.”

Wukong would have begun to hack blood there and there if it wasn’t for his years of experience of dealing with pain. 

“…Macaque,” he slowly tests out the word, foreign in his mouth as if trying a new fruit, “you really don’t have to.”

Shixi- Macaque , Macaque, Macaque- sighs. “What did this master tell you?”

“That you will take care of me?”

Satisfied with that answer, Macaque smiles– smiles! Of all beings –and tugs at their joint hands once more. “And I plan to keep that promise.”

“It’s a promise?” he stupidly blurts out and he flinches on instinct as he knows an incoming smack when it's about to arrive. But instead, he’s greeted with a delighted sincere chirp. 

“Of course it is! I would be a lousy teacher if I didn't take care of my most important student.”

He can feel heat rushing to his cheeks. He’s important. To Macaque? Oh gods, what had he done?! “…I'm your only student,” he mutters, trying to keep calm as he panics on the inside. 

“Well, it's still important nonetheless.” Macaque says as if that was the easiest thing in the world. 

Ok, keep calm, Wukong. It’s no big deal. Your friend is most likely possessed by some maliciously kind(?) spirit. Or maybe Macaque- no, Shixiong is playing a prank on him by luring him into some false sense of security and would just reveal that all of this personality change and sincerity coming off from him has been a big elaborate prank. Yeah, that definitely makes sense.  

Because for the first time, he didn’t feel quite alone anymore. And that terrifies Wukong more than anything. He didn’t belong here. He didn’t belong anywhere. He still remembers the words that the elder slapped at him when he was a mere cub. 

“You, outsider, are a curse on this mountain.”

His past hasn’t been very kind but nor is the present. But it wasn’t all that bad. His first memories of being a cub were being held by his foster mother, Ma. She was a sweet old thing. Kind yet strong as she was the marshal of the tribe. She was everything he could’ve asked for. She dealt with his mischievousness with patience instead of anger. She dealt with his recklessness with encouragement instead of nagging. She dealt with a lot of things when it came to him. She accepted every part of him. 

He clutches at his jade pendant. Then, one day, she simply passed away. From old age? From a sickness? He wasn’t quite sure. The spark inside him faded when she was gone. It was like she took what made him feel special along with her to the afterlife. It sounds cruel, but it feels accurate. 

She was the last good thing that ever happened to him before he found himself as the ruler of Mount Huaguo. But that title came with so much hatred and jealousy from other beings. He wishes he never stumbled into the waterfall in the first place. But the only other good thing that came out of it is that he got to be friends(?) with Macaque. Although, it’s a complicated thing. One he’d rather not think about. 

Although he does understand why he’s the center of all this bullying and harassment, it’s because he’s weak. A weak demon is a dead demon. And a dead demon is a worthless demon. A worthless demon who doesn’t deserve the title of Monkey King. He’s just a pathetic loser who deserves every beating, every bruise, every scar-

“This is your place right?”

He gets pulled from his thoughts once he notices a familiar decrepit shack.

He winces upon seeing it, he hasn’t cleaned up at all. Not that it would help the already terrible looking wooden shack. They must’ve walked a long while to get here considering he lives at the edge of Mount Huaguo; away from all the bullying and pain. 

Macaque enters the place and whistles in astonishment, and all Wukong could do was follow in shame at the sight of it. 

“...Sun Wukong’s home,” he hears Macaque mutter in…amazement? What is there to be in awe for when everything is practically decrepit with barely any light passing through. The only things in good condition were the thin blanket and clean leaves for his bedding and pillow…which also serves as plates for his food. Now that he’s thinking about it, it doesn’t sound clean at all. Fuck. 

But what absolutely gave Wukong a heart attack is the fact Macaque, who he knows absolutely hates anything dirty and disgusting, was about to sit on the dirty, disgusting floor. Without thinking, he reaches for Macaque and grabs him by the arms to stop him. 

Silence envelops the two as they stare at each other. He couldn’t for the life of him read Macaque’s expression, he only hopes that it doesn’t end in anger. 

“You can let go of me now.” 

Blood rushes to his cheeks. He immediately retracts his hands and hides it behind his back. Ah! He’s acting so familiar with Macaque! How embarrassing!

“This lowly one apologizes for being so forward with Shixiong,” he mutters, keeping his head low and staring at the mucked floor. 

Macaque pauses, something thoughtful must’ve passed through him as he stepped closer. Wukong suddenly flinches at the soft contact as a hand– Macaque’s hand–pats him so softly on the head. 

“Come live with me, in the palace. It is your rightful place afterall,” Macaque said practically in a whisper but Wukong heard it all the same. 

He can feel heat rushing to his cheeks once more at the proposition. Shixiong! How bold of you! 

“But-”

“No buts! As your mentor, you can’t disobey me,” Macaque huffs, crossing his arms and acting as stern as he normally would but his words don’t exactly match with his actions. 

Wukong wants to protest more. But knows he’s fighting a losing battle, especially when it comes to Macaque ordering him to do something. 

So in the end, all he could say was, “…ok.”

Everyone was staring at him. Or more specifically at them. 

He doesn’t blame the crowd at all considering they’re witnessing Sun Wukong, the king of Mount Huaguo and all powerful protagonist, taking a stroll through the kingdom with Macaque, the scum villain of all beings, at his side as he leads the quiet king. 

The troops of monkey demons don’t even bother to hide their distaste and obvious shock when they whisper, “Oh my gods, is this actually real-”

“This surely must be another one of Shixiong’s tricks-”

“This must be a dream-”

“No way in fucking Diyu would Shixiong hold his hand of all beings-”

Oh yeah, he’s holding Sun Wukong’s hand. He almost forgot about that little detail. It feels a bit ridiculous that they’re focusing on that of all things but it must be quite a shock to see the Six-Eared Macaque, notorious to not touch anything dirty and disgusting, holding hands with Sun Wukong, who’s he sure probably hasn’t properly bathed in a while considering his stench. Well, that will soon change anyway. If only the silence wasn’t so violently awkward but how else is he supposed to lead the protagonist! 

“Macaque…,” Wukong mutters in embarrassment. 

Macaque’s ears twitch as he hears a couple of gasps at Wukong muttering his name. Eh? What’s so special about that? It’s just his name. 

[User…]  

System! How nice of you to pop in! 

[-50 Coolness Points.] 

Hey! What the fuck! I thought OOC restrictions were off?!

[OOC restrictions may be lifted but this dear host will still need to act accordingly in front of the public. In front of the protagonist is a different story.] 

…That’s cheating, you good for nothing google translate! 

[(○｀ 3′○)]

As he’s about to let go of Wukong’s hand, he hears a soft but firm voice yell out, “Wukong! Shixiong!” And off in the distance, he sees a beautiful monkey demon, adorning a single but large red hibiscus, waving at them in green and white robes. 

[Rin Rin, the beautiful flower of Mount Huaguo. She’s the soon-to-be Queen of the kingdom and will be the first wife of Sun Wukong.] 

Rin Rin! She’s his favorite character among the wives! Her and Sun Wukong’s love story started with a simple sharing of a fruit, peach, and ever since then that became Wukong’s favorite fruit. They did all the cutesy romantic young love things that a couple would do behind closed doors. They would hold hands, cuddle, feed each other fruits, and, when they felt brave enough, kissed one another. Theirs was a tale of innocence and softness. A tale that was soon struck with tragedy and hopelessness ever since Macaque entered the story. The original goods were jealous of Sun Wukong for having held such a beauty’s attention and even took Rin Rin’s sweet innocence from Sun Wukong when Macaque became the king after Wukong’s imprisonment. It was truly satisfying reading Macaque’s death after he did all of those terrible things to Rin Rin and Wukong! 

But things are different now. With Liu’er Xiyang in the front seat, things are changing. Starting with pushing Rin Rin and Sun Wukong together rather than separating them! 

“Rin Rin, what can this lowly one assist you with?” Wukong chimes in behind him, bowing his head in respect. Probably to hide the fact he’s blushing because of meeting his crush. Aw. What an adorable cinnamon roll of a protagonist! Honestly, who can compare? Simply no one.  

She was about to open her mouth when suddenly her eyes were dragged towards their joint hands. And her eyes widened. Ah, right. He should probably let go. And he does so with an embarrassing cough behind a fist. 

“Is there anything you need, shimei?” Macaque asks. 

“Uh, actually-” 

“Hey Rin Rin! Wait for me!” A new but haggard voice yells out and out comes [Qi Xiaotian. Cannon fodder. One of Macaque’s lackeys and soon-to-be betrayer of Mount Huaguo]. 

Ah, Qi Xiaotian, a cannon fodder which Macaque remembers all too well. He was one of the many lackeys of the original goods but what made him stand out is the fact he betrayed his tribe for the Demon Bull Clan and Dragon Clan as he became a spy to them. But nonetheless, he died an off-screen death by the heirs of the clan even after pledging loyalty to them. Man, what a poor soul.

“Is there anything you need from this Shixiong?” Macaque asks in a cool tone. 

“We were just- just, uh, trying to see what’s all the commotion about. Everyone has been saying you were holding Sun Wukong’s hand of all beings!” Qi Xiaotian lets out a snicker and Rin Rin, not liking the tone of her companion, nudges him rudely with her elbow. 

Macaque huffs, crossing his arms and does his best impression of the cruel scum villain he ever did with a simple glare and that immediately shuts Qi Xiaotian up. “So? What if I am?”

“Well, I- I-” 

“Let’s go, Wukong. We have places to be.” He once more grabs Wukong’s hands out of sheer spite, making the other stumble in shock, making their way towards the palace. If Macaque was actually looking he would’ve seen the startled and shocked looks of everyone and even General Liu falling off a tree at that statement and action of his. 

They finally arrived at the Monkey Palace, the residence of the king and Generals of the tribe, but for some reason Sun Wukong was always shunned from ever entering the palace. Mainly due to the original goods' dastardly plans of stealing the crown from his “best friend.” 

Macaque slides open the door to the other room besides his and is greeted with a simple but empty room. It had a bed, an empty bookshelf, a couple of vases, but most importantly, it had a paper window where lights seeped through. Wukong immediately takes it all in as he enters the room with stars in his eyes. But then, as soon as that wonder entered, guilt suddenly clouded Wukong’s eyes as he bows his head and clenches his shaking fist. 

“Macaque…you didn’t have to do any of this. This lowly one-”

“This lowly one?” Sun Wukong always wanted to look small, that’s what Macaque remembers in the earlier chapters, always making himself tiny and weak so others would leave him alone but no, he won’t leave Wukong alone. Not now.  “Wukong, you are a king. A great and powerful king. My King.” He grabs the other’s shoulder in a firm yet soft grip and stares into his golden eyes with a determined look. “There is no one else that has my respect but you. So stop with this ‘lowly one’ nonsense and bask in your title and power!”

Wukong chokes. “You- my…my king…”

Macaque couldn’t help but snort at Wukong’s look. “That's my line. Wukong, I…I should’ve been better. I treated you so harshly out of jealousy and malice, and now I've hurt the one who’s most important to me.”

“Macaque-”

“I’m sorry. You never deserve any abuse or hurt especially by my hands. So starting from this point on, I solemnly swear my loyalty, my devotion to you. And if harm ever comes your way, I'll be your sword, your warrior.”

So, System, how was that?

[...]

Can’t help but admire my acting skills? 

[≡(▔﹏▔)≡. +30 Satisfaction Points.] 

That’s what I thought! 

What brought the smug Macaque back to reality was the tears falling off Sun Wukong’s eyes, trembling and shaking as he tried to keep any weakness in. 

He pats the crying King, not sure what to do, other than him being reminded back of his little sister from the real world who would always cry and look for comfort in him. He would pat her. But that seemed to be enough for the king to crumble into Macaque’s arms at the soft touch as he loudly sobbed. 

“Thank you,” Wukong whispers into his robes through all the crying. And all Macaque could do was hold him.

Chapter Text

It was a quiet night in Mount Huaguo. 

The daily activities of the kingdom left all of them tired, snuffing all the fire and lights out in their tiny homes, temples, and palaces that left a lull in the dark air. There were the owls hooting in the air and the gentle cricket sounds off into the distance as per usual. It would’ve been a normal night if not for Macaque sneaking around the dense forest of the mountain.

He would’ve loved to sleep in but, no, with Wukong finally asleep after crying for who knows how long, Macaque should test out his powers and see what he’s working with. 

Honestly, he doesn’t even know how to start. Should he just snap his fingers or something? Should he do the cliche thing and bring out his hand to see if magic would come out? Maybe… 

So with a loud huff, he brings his hand forward and…nothing happens. Ok now he just feels ridiculous. All alone in the dark with an awkward hand hovering in the air. He sighs. That isn’t really surprising considering he doesn’t even know what to do. Maybe- 

[User!] 

He yelps back, surprised by the pop of the system’s blue screen. Ah! What do you need now?! Can’t you see I'm trying to do something here? 

[Enable “Shadow magic” by using 50 B-Points? Y/N] 

50 B-Points?! System, you son of a bitch of a google translator! That’s way too expensive just to unlock his powers! But as he’s about to press the “No” button, he hesitates for a moment. If he’s gonna survive in this world, he should know his powers. It wouldn’t make sense for the Six-Eared Macaque to suddenly just forget how to even perform basic magic and cultivation. So with eyes closed, he quickly presses the “Yes” button and is greeted with a cha-ching sound effect. Uhg. 

Though, not a moment passes when he’s suddenly felt a rush of energy bursting under his skin. It’s kind of ticklish but a stream of purple light wafts through his being as he’s surrounded by what seems to be purple smoke. Woah. 

He releases the energy with a snap of his fingers and shadow entities slowly rise from the ground and kneel before its master. “Holy shit,” he mutters under his breath. He has cool powers! He snaps his fingers once again with an excitement he has never felt before and the shadows sink to the ground, into the shadows. And he tries once more. He pushes his hand forward with a loud huff and the shadows twist and writhe under his command and creates a staff made of shadows in his hand. He forces himself to not squeal with how cool every fucking thing is. 

With careful steps, he spins and twirls along with the staff in a graceful and elegant move. He kicks and twists himself in a delicate but powerful manner and ends the movement with a quiet pant with the staff shining before the moon as he bends his knee. 

That…was…fun! He inwardly screams with how fucking cool his character is and the fact he doesn’t even have to train is just an added bonus! That 50 B-Points was so worth it! 

But it is very telling. Macaque was always the favorite disciple for a reason, so he was powerful and graceful in terms of magic and cultivation-

Wind suddenly hits him in the face when a figure from above suddenly descends right before him and if it weren’t for the System’s blue screen of [Golden-Winged Peng. Best friends of Macaque. Helps Macaque with bullying Wukong and putting others under their thumb through fear.] he would’ve probably pissed his pants at the sudden intruder. 

“...Peng? What are you doing here?” 

The bird demon retracts his golden wings and settles on the ground. “Oh nothing, darling. Just here to see my favorite person in the world.”

Oh…yeah. Macaque forgot about that detail in Proud Immortal Monkie Way. The original goods always had this weird homoerotic relationship with Peng. Always with the banter and longing glances with this one. Though, their relationship never really became anything other than a friendship as far as Liu’er is aware. Peng’s role in Macaque’s death was one of cowardice as they did nothing but fled as soon as Wukong came into power. So honestly, Liu’er is not at all excited to meet this character. 

So with an awkward smile, Macaque says, “Oh…good to see you too, bud.” 

[User…] 

What?! 

[At least try…]

How the hell am I supposed to act like a cut-sleeve! I’ve never done something like this before! 

[Well, figure something out. (。・ω・。)]

Damn you! 

“-acaque. Macaque!” 

Snapping his focus back to reality, he sees Peng with a concerned look. “Uh, yes?”

He hopes the other doesn’t get close to him at all. He doesn’t know what he’ll exactly do. Of course, in his first life, he was bisexual with a preference towards women. He never really did get around to dating guys (or male-presenting people) other than having those male celebrity crushes here and there. Then again, he never really did get to date women as well considering how focused he was on his career to even think of a relationship. So his experience with people? Absolutely nothing. 

And as if the gods weren’t paying attention, Peng gets close. Macaque could practically feel Peng’s heartbeat with how close they were, his breathing right next to his sensitive six ears as they carefully whisper, “Are you alright? You’re acting wei-”

“I’m perfectly fine!” Macaque chuckles nervously, pushing the other as far away as possible. He can feel the sweat practically dripping from his face. “Very fine. In fact, you don’t have to be so close to me, y’know?”

Peng gives him an odd look. “…You never really complained before. I don’t see why you’re complaining now.” With a feathered claw reaching out towards him, Macaque panics but before he could summon his shadows to stop Peng, something–or someone –jumps from the shadows and gets in between him and Peng. 

My king! It’s Sun Wukong! 

“Sun Wukong…what a delight,” Peng sneers, dropping his claw down and crossing it with the other as he glares at an angry Wukong. 

“He doesn’t want you,” Wukong practically growls at the bird demon. 

Peng huffs. “I should say that for you, chimp.”

That only further pisses Wukong off as he bares his teeth and sharp claws cracking with anger, a warning to Peng to not fuck around before he finds out. Peng, you idiot, what are you doing pissing off the protagonist!? Do you have a death wish or something??

Macaque tugs at Wukong’s sleeve, trying to get his attention. “My king, it’s not worth it.”

And it works for a moment, Wukong stops growling and his eyes shift towards Macaque in something that can be described as soft. But that’s instantly gone as soon as Peng cackles at them. 

“My king?” Peng wipes a tear from his face. “Oh what a fun little show you’re trying to put on, darling.”

“It’s not-”

“Don’t call him that-”

“Truly riveting to see how you’ll end this.” Peng ignores both of them, his wings once more extending as he cracks a mocking wide smile. “It’s always fun whenever you play with that little thing. I'll see you tomorrow.” And with a flap of their wings, leaves the two alone in the darkness. 

God, that was fucking weird. And that bastard involved Wukong as well! The utter audacity of that fried chicken! 

“Are you alright, moonlight?” Wukong turns to him, concern lacing his voice. 

“I’m fi- moonlight?” Words finally catch up to Macaque, he blinks slowly. 

Macaque sees a red tinge on Wukong’s cheeks as he fumbles and twiddles his fingers. “It’s just, uh, since you call me ‘my king,’ I thought it’d be a nice nickname for you…” He trails off, looking unsure and, even, scared. Scared of what exactly? Rejection? 

A soft smile blossoms from Macaque’s face at the sight of the unsure protagonist. 

He couldn’t exactly stop the hand reaching out and patting the somehow soft orange mane on Wukong’s head. “It’s nice but you should reserve those nicknames for your future wives.” 

Wukong splutters. “Future wives-?! Macaque! I would never-” 

Macaque chuckles. “Oh, please, Wukong. I see the way you and Rin-shimei look at each other.” The longing stares. The heart eyes. The awkward fumbling around one another. Oh they’re such a cute couple! Macaque couldn’t wait to see them finally be together. 

“…it’s not like that. Not anymore,” Wukong mutters, staring his giant golden orbs right into Macaque’s. It was like staring right into the bright sun itself but something more tolerable. The intensity of it forces Macaque to pull at his scarf to hide himself. 

The protagonist halo in full effect! 

He coughs into his fist, ignoring the definitely awkward silence. “I don’t mind the nickname. Though, I do prefer ‘my warrior’ better.”

“‘My warrior’-?” The intense gaze somehow became even more intense.

“‘Cause y’know, I call you ‘my king’–or should it be my hero?” He snorts. “So I thought it’d be fitting.”

Something in Wukong’s expression softens, smiling so tenderly that Macaque couldn’t help but reflect that smile back. “…of course…my warrior.”

Then something metaphorically hits Macaque just now. In the OG novel, Wukong has only given nicknames to his lovers, concubines, and wives. Mostly because he can’t remember all of their names but it does make the wives become endeared to Wukong’s natural charm as a stallion protagonist. So now that he’s received a nickname from Wukong (especially one that’s been approved by Macaque himself!), he doesn’t quite understand how he got into this situation. Surely, it’s just a best friend thing? Right? 

He shakes his head and puts himself back into reality. He’ll deal with that later! For now…he flicks Wukong’s forehead who promptly yelps back. “What are you doing here? You should be asleep.”

Wukong rubs his forehead, a pout already at the ready. “I heard you sneak out. Good thing, too. Or else that stinky weirdo would’ve-”

Macaque flicks his forehead again; a betrayed expression on Wukong graces him. “Don’t be mean. He’s part of our brotherhood. And I doubt he would’ve done anything that bad. I can protect myself. I am your warrior, afterall.”

That silences Wukong. Something shines in his eyes as he continues to stare at Macaque, who only smugly smiles back at him till he mutters, “…yeah.”

“Let’s go back home.”

He reaches for Wukong’s hand, but not even halfway, Wukong is already there to reach back as Macaque once more guides him back to the palace.  

Silence enveloped the dining hall. 

The clatter of metal utensils and chalices were the only sound that echoed through the hall. It was the first time the brotherhood was like this. 

Silent. 

There were no stories being shared. There was no laughter being spilled. There was no smug Macaque to lead the group into boisterous shouts as they bullied Wukong and the other pathetic demons below them. It’s not as if he’s absent. Far from it. He’s simply sitting there. Silently eating his food, staring daggers into his plate as if it would run away at any moment. Peng internally snorts at that. 

They were visiting Mount Huaguo for no reason other than to bother their sworn brothers. In all honesty, Peng was only here because Azure kept insisting “the entire brotherhood must be together!” also, to see their most favorite sworn brother, Macaque. Although, Brother Ox did bring his little family along with him; both were absent from the table as they were busy with their own affairs in the mountain. Peng couldn’t bring themself to honestly care. All they care about is Macaque. And Macaque right now isn’t acting like himself at all.  

 “So…how’s everyone doing?” Somehow it was that cowardly pathetic little chimp, Sun Wukong, that’s trying to break the ice. Sun Wukong normally tried as much as to avoid attention from the brotherhood. Diyu, Peng doesn’t even understand how Sun Wukong is in the brotherhood in the first place. All he has is an empty title of a king which should’ve belonged to Macaque in the first place. 

Peng scoffs. “Oh silence, you chimp. Can’t you read the room or is your brain made of rocks too?”

A fist slams down on the table, the entire table shakes and quakes at the sheer strength, pulls everyone’s attention towards Macaque as he growls at Peng in warning. Macaque is growling at them? 

What the actual fuck. 

Normally, Macaque would be the only first being to jump in and push Sun Wukong down and beat him up at the same time to ensure his superiority over the other. Macaque showed the true strength of a demon lord while Sun Wukong is merely a sham of it. And it only furthers to piss Peng off at the thought of Macaque somehow, for some reason, being subservient to Sun Wukong, of all beings. 

A glorified bodyguard. 

A pet. 

So with a voice that they couldn’t quite keep calm, Peng puts their chalice down in a slow manner. “Now, what’s the matter with you, darling?”

“What’s the matter-?” Macaque splutters in place, a frustrated, enraged expression paints his beautiful face. Ah, now that’s a face he’s quite familiar with. “I should be asking you that!”

Peng scoffs, “Me?”

“Yes, you! You- you oversized piece of fried chi-”

Sun Wukong places a gentle touch on Macaque’s fist. A hold that was so soft that it managed to pause Macaque’s tirade and barrage of insults. This was such an alien sight for all of them. Seeing Macaque willingly letting Sun Wukong touch him without so much as a warning but a tender sigh as he sits back down in his chair and lets out an albeit small smile towards Sun Wukong, who only reciprocates it. 

This whole scene stuns Peng. it makes him ache in his soul to see Macaque be this soft and gentle with a person he hates so much. Honestly, Peng’s not even sure if they’ve seen Macaque be this gentle with anyone. They thought the closest that Macaque ever got was with them. But that clearly isn’t true. Not anymore. 

“What happened to you?” 

Peng wonders why the fuck Macaque is now such a weak hearted loser that he refuses to put others down like a true demon; to be soft and gentle to beings such as Sun Wukong. 

Macaque merely gives a dark chuckle, for a moment, the torches flicker–enveloping the hall in shadows–and a purple glint graces Macaque’s eyes. “Did you like my acting skill as a villain?” 

Before he can even utter a reply, a female monkey demon in green and white robes barge into the dining hall. Her eyes frantic, her breath in a panic, and with a shout, “WE’RE BEING INVADED!” 

[Unlocked an event! “Spiders? More spiders! The Spider Clan arrives!” Objective: Get the Spider Clan off the mountain.]