I think we had a plan nailed down. The generals would wait for several weeks after we left to return to normal operations, just in case this was a trap. I’d come down from heaven every year, every day for me, and check in to ensure the island was running smoothly.

Luckily, the island wouldn’t require much oversight with the generals here. They knew what to do. I worked with them long enough to know they would be able to handle it.

It was late into the night by the time I got back to the throne room.

Evening Star sat in the middle of a bunch of monkeys partying like a bunch of monkeys would. Damn, it looked like fun.

Of course, he didn’t seem too amused. Wukong sat next to him and kept handing him food and cups filled with wine.

“And the the guy said, ‘I don’t want any monkey business in here’, so, so, I threw off my cloak and said, ‘Then you won’t be getting any business of mine!’ and walked out! You should have seen their faces! It was hilarious!” Wukong roared in laughter while several other monkeys rolled their eyes. I was guessing it wasn’t the first time Wukong told this story tonight.

I sat beside him and gave Evening Star a smile. “I apologize for my husband. As you can see, he just loves to live life to the fullest. It would be best if we let him sleep it off. Would you like to stay at the banquet? Or I could take you to a guest room if you’d like?”

Evening Star sighed. “I would like to retire for the night. But we really must leave at first light tomorrow. We shouldn’t keep the emperor waiting.”

I couldn’t care less about what the emperor wanted. “Of course, first thing tomorrow. I’ll have Wukong ready to go at first light. Please, follow me.”

I led Evening Star away from the party, and dropped him off at one of the rooms I have reserved for guests. Then Wukong and I retired to the Royal Wing for a bath and sleep.

Wukong floated sleepily while I washed the smell of alcohol off of him.

As I finished up, he grabbed onto me. “Yueeeeeee,” He looked up at me with his big brown eyes. “Did I do good today?”

“You did great Wukong. But you’re not going to like me when I get you up tomorrow. I won’t like it either, trust me. Now hold still. I need to get your head.”

I washed the top of his head, and after he grabbed me again.

“Yueeeeeeee,” He gave me the same look. “You’ll love heaven. Everything is so shiny there. And the weather’s always nice, and the ground is all bouncy in spots. It’s really great.”

“I guess I’ll see tomorrow. Now come on, let’s get out, get dried off and go to bed.”

I tugged him out of the water, but before I could dry us off he grabbed me and looked down at me from where he stood.

“I swear I’ll make it up to you Yue. I’ll do whatever it takes to protect you.”

“I know you will.” I dried us off by moving the water out of our fur. “Now, follow me. It’s time for bed, and I’m going to make you drink some water.” I tugged him along and managed to get him into bed where he practically hit the pillow snoring. I followed soon after.

The next day, as soon as I woke up, I checked the window. Not quite first light, but eh, good enough.

It was a slog getting Wukong up and ready to go. I packed up a little bag for him filled with some extra clothes and put it in my storage space. It was a tight squeeze with everything else in there, but I managed.

Next we went and collected a very grumpy Evening Star, and with a hop onto Nimbus, we were off.

I paid attention to our route. It seemed like heaven was northeast from Flower-Fruit Mountain. And quite a ways away. We had to constantly slow down for Evening Star to catch up.

Finally we arrived. I saw the gates of heaven, and the first thing I did was activate my chi sight.

Holy shit. I’ve never seen anything quite like it. Heaven was built on several hundred clouds that had some kind of core with formations inscribed on them. The entire area was enclosed in some kind of bubble. The chi inside the bubble seemed to move at a much faster pace than outside the bubble. Lunus, no wonder they needed gates. If anyone tried to cross the barrier, the difference would kill them. The gates were the only place where the gradient was gradual enough to safely cross.

I needed to look into this. Was it a natural phenomenon that they built in? Or were they somehow creating this field, because that was a terrifying thought.

My wandering thoughts snapped back to the present as the guards let us through the gates.

I shivered as I passed through. Somehow, the chi had been compressed into a thin line that separated the excited chi from the normal chi outside.

Inside, I could practically feel the chi surging around me. It actually made me feel a little sick. I turned off my chi sight and leaned onto Wukong.

“Are you okay Yue?”

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

I waved him off. “The journey was just a little stressful. I just need some time to rest.”

He looked over at Evening Star who sighed. “We can bring your wife to your mansion before you go to see the emperor. But we should hurry.”

Ugh, I really didn’t feel good. I didn’t want to miss meeting the emperor, but I also didn’t want to meet him while I was turning green.

Wukong nodded and picked me up. He carried me along behind Evening Star as he flew to one of the mansions that lined the tops of the clouds.

“This is your mansion. The attendants inside will tend to your wife.” Evening Star stood outside the doors. Wukong gave him a dirty look before setting me down.

“Are you going to be okay? Do you need me to stay with you?”

“It’s just… different here. I’m sure I’ll be used to it by the time you get back. Go ahead.”

“Okay…” He reluctantly let go of me, and followed Evening Star.

As I watched him fly off again, I shuddered. Lunus, how could any of these people stand this? It was like I was thrown into the rapids of a river and tossed about.

I staggered inside. Great more humans. They were just always going to be around weren’t they?

They whispered among themselves and one approached me. “I am the head servant here. May I ask who you are?”

“I’m Sun Yue, Wukong’s wife. I’m not feeling well. I need a place to rest.”

More whispering. The head servant bowed. “Right away my lady, please allow us to see you to your room.”

One came and helped me stand, and the head servant led us through the corridors to a large and well-appointed room. Once there, I collapsed into bed.

“Would you like anything else my lady?”

“I just need some time. I let you know if I need you.”

She bowed. “Very well my lady.” She and the other servant walked out.

I climbed under the covers and flashed away my dress. I just needed to breathe. And try not to think about all the chi swirling in the air around me.

Lunus there was so much. Why wasn’t I feeling better?

Was it…me?

I used my chi sight to check myself. Oh. Yeah, that was probably it. I had a much lower chi count than the air around me. That’s why I was feeling so much pressure. I needed to equalize it.

Okay, just remember what Dad said. Breathe in. Let the chi in. Breathe out. Keep the chi.

After a few more minutes, I began to feel better. I checked again.

It already looked much better. A few more minutes and I’d be fine.

How did the people who came and went from this place not lose it? Well, maybe they didn’t have the same control as me? I usually don’t let my chi equalize with my environment because I always had more chi than my surroundings, and it was more beneficial to hold onto the chi.

But then… did everyone in heaven just let their chi come and go? They didn’t hang onto it? I guess it wasn’t much of a problem here, where the ambient chi was enough to keep you from aging, but when they left their chi would leave them and they’d start aging again.

Wait. Was that why Evening Star was in such a hurry to get back?

This chi didn’t just cause the time dilation. It kept the people of heaven immortal. I felt like I stumbled upon some huge secret. I had to figure out how they were doing this, and more importantly, how to undo it. Then I’d hold a massive trump card over heaven.

I was starting to feel pretty good. Less than an hour in heaven and I already learned something incredibly important. I got out of bed, refreshed.

I’d ask for a tour of the mansion to start. Then I’d ask more about heaven and who was who.

Finally, I’d start studying the barrier in detail tomorrow.

Heaven had a lot of rules. Like… a lot of rules. Wukong and I have been here for two weeks now. And there were rules for everything.

Moreover, there seemed to be more rules for females than males, which I didn’t understand. I wasn’t allowed to meet a human male without my husband? Why? Not to mention all kinds of clothing rules, rules on how to leave and enter a room, rules on when and how to eat.

Wukong ignored most of these rules. Just… completely ignored them. He got quite a few dirty glares for that. I tried to follow the ones I thought made sense, but the ones that said I had to wait for Wukong to give me permission to go outside, I completely ignored. I told him where I was going, why the hell would I need his permission to go there?

Female humans in particular seemed to hate me. Well, those floppy-furs could say whatever they wanted. I wasn’t the one who piled all my fur up on my head.

By and large, I ignored everyone who weren’t my servants, or Wukong. In the morning, I traveled to the gate and went to check on Flower-Fruit Mountain. By the time I got back, only a few minutes would have passed. Then I went to Wukong and discussed our plans for the day.

Wukong was making connections among the constellations, a group of immortals who seemed to have no discernable purpose. But they loved to gossip and Wukong told me everything he heard. Heaven was not the paradise everyone made it out to be. There were marital problems, fights, betrayals, and bad people. When I heard Nezha’s story the first time, my jaw dropped open. I wanted to give him a hug now.

As for me, I usually spend my days observing chi patterns and the barrier. There was a definite pattern happening, but I’ve yet to discern the origin of the bubble. I think it originated from somewhere in the Jade Palace.

But after watching the gate a while, I confirmed my theory that the people of heaven were only immortal because of the environmental chi. As soon as they left, their chi signatures dropped sharply.

I was sharing all my findings with the research division back on the island. They were conducting their own tests on creating the “time bubbles” as I decided to call them. Still no definitive results though.

I was doing exactly this when I saw Wukong racing towards me on Nimbus. I was alarmed at first until I saw the big grin on his face.

He jumped up and picked me up and spun me around. “Yue! You won’t believe it! I got a job from the emperor!”

“A job?” My mind jumped to the worst possible scenario. They were sending Wukong on a dangerous mission. I tightened my grip on his arms. “Where?”

“Oh! Don’t worry.” He set me down. “It’s right here in heaven. I’m the new caretaker of the heavenly peach orchard!”

“Peaches?”

He nodded. “Peaches! They’re your favorite fruit! Mine too!”

“Why? Why would they put you in charge of peaches? You’ll just eat all of them.”

He looked offended. “What? I’ll be a great caretaker! I’ll protect those peaches from any thieves who try to take them!”

“Except yourself.”

He looked outraged. “I’m not going to steal the peaches! I’m supposed to protect them!”

“Wukong, any peach that has ever landed in front of you went straight into your mouth. I’ve seen you decimate the entire island’s supply of peaches. You’re going to steal the peaches.”

He stomped his foot. “I’ll prove it! I won’t steal any peaches.”

“Okay, but if you do, you have to bring some home for me. I want peaches too.”

He pointed accusingly. “And now you’re encouraging me! I’ll show you. I’ll resist and be the best orchard caretaker that has ever existed!”

He pumped his arms and hopped on Nimbus. He flew a distance before turning around and coming back.

“It’s almost dinnertime. Do you want to come home with me?” He seemed a little sheepish.

“Pfft. Hahaha. Yeah, let’s head back.”

I sat next to him on Nimbus, still chuckling at his not-so-dramatic exit.

I didn’t know what idiot thought it was a good idea to put a fruit-guzzling monkey in a peach orchard, but they had to know what Wukong would do right?