[PREVIEW] Great Sage Above Brockton Ch 23

As surprising as it was for some to hear, Sun Wukong was no stranger to teaching. Shortly after he was crowned the Monkey King by the simian

As surprising as it was for some to hear, Sun Wukong was no stranger to teaching. Shortly after he was crowned the Monkey King by the simians of Flower-Fruit Mountain, many of them came to him in the hopes of learning some of his greatness. Naturally, he always obliged; he could never refuse his delightful subjects. When he trained under the venerable Master Subodhi in the Cave of the Slanted Moon and Three Stars, he gained a new appreciation for the role of the educator. His old master managed many disciples, not all of equal rank and skill  - especially when compared to him - but held them all to the same standards. Even through the menial labour, the endless repetition, and the absolute perfection Master Subodhi demanded of him, Wukong held nothing but respect for his teacher, even after he was told to leave. A healthy dose of fear, too, but may the heavens turn him into a brothel dancer before he admits it. He still had nightmares of the old sage coming to whack him ten thousand times on his red arse for telling others he was his student.

It wasn’t his fault that the 72 Transformations weren’t exactly common poems sung by street bards! Where else could he have learned them? Denying it further would only prove foolish.

Anyway, add to that his experiences under Master Tang and his fellow pilgrims, and he found a profound understanding of why the role of the teacher was so revered. The honor and duty of passing down knowledge taught since ancient days, the joy of watching your disciples slowly finding their path, and their wide eyes of delight at pulling a trick they never knew about were only a few treasured examples.

But above all those reasons and duties, one stood atop the mountain:

‘I now understand why guilty pleasure is a teacher’s privilege!’

“Recover and strike, disciple! An enemy will give you no pause to breathe, and neither should you! Press onward!”

The reply to his pearl of wisdom was a pointed glare and a deep inhale. Taylor inhaled and resumed punching the wooden dummy before her. His own creation, made from his hair. Her mortal fists pounded the sacks of rice he had…borrowed…from a local vendor, and her focused gaze returned, overshadowing her irritation.  

And right as her punches settled into a rhythm…

The dummy snapped forward and struck her in the face. She fell back with a pained yelp, clutching her forehead and rubbing the small bruise. A hiss crept from her lips as the irritation returned twicefold, as it did throughout the day.

Naturally, he ensured his giggle was loud and clear.

“Remind me why you rigged the dummy like this?” she grumbled, picking herself up.

“A real opponent is flesh and desperation, dear girl! Not an immobile hunk of wood that accepts your blows! Foes react and counter, and you must adjust the moment they do!”

“...I still don’t like this thing,” she replied and pointed at the wooden device.  In addition to the tied-up rice sacks, sets of stubs jutted from its back. If one were to look closer at its base, they’d spot that it was resting on a wooden sphere rather than a flat surface.

“Whether you like it or not is immaterial. I admit, it pales in comparison to the more complex mechanisms my Master Subodhi kept in his palace, but I know this one’s workings well enough to replicate it. I used to train my subjects with devices such as these for years, and they all turned out fine warriors, so you have no excuse. Now, repeat! And add some kicks!”

Holding back what he was sure was a curse, despite the brief mollification on her face, Taylor did as was told and resumed punishing the apparatus. In the meantime, Wukong nibbled another nacho from his bag and stared at the music player in his hand. Indeed, a gift beyond measure from his generous host, and he had enjoyed its musical fruits for days on end. Yet right now, it was not the harsh strumming of strings or thunderous beating of drums that garnered his attention, but rather the glowing blue screen.

“The ‘electricity’ is contained fully within the device, yes?”