Great Sage Above Brockton [Worm/Chinese Myth] Sakadagami 2.06

Whether tall or not, Its top reaches the blue sky; 

Whether deep or not, A stream with depth like Hell down there. 

Before the mountain Are often seen rings of white clouds rising 

And boiling waves of dark fog; Red plums and jade-like bamboos; 

Verdant cedars and green pines; 

Behind the mountain Are soul-rending cliffs ten thousand yards deep,

Behind which are strange, grotesque, demon-hiding caves, 

In which water drips down from rocks drop by drop, 

Leading to a winding, twisting brooklet down below. 

You see also fruit-bearing apes prancing and leaping, 

And deer with horns forked and zigzagged; 

Dull and dumbly staring antelopes; 

Tigers climbing the hills to seek their dens at night; 

Dragons churning the waves to leave their lairs at dawn. 

When steps at the cave's entrance snap and crackle, 

The fowls dart up with wings loudly beating. 

Look also at these beasts pawing noisily through the woods. 

When you see this horde of birds and beasts, 

You will be stricken with heart-pounding fear. 

The Due-to-Fall Cave faces the Due-to-Fall Cave; 

The cave facing the Due-to-Fall Cave faces a god. 

Green rocks are dyed like a thousand pieces of jade; 

Blue-green gauze enshrouds ten thousand piles of mist. 

• Journey to the West, Chapter 40

-x-

“Widen your stance, disciple! Weak pillars support no castles!”

Taylor drew in a sharp breath as she did as he asked. Her golden wings shimmered under the sunlight and followed her body’s motions, jutting from the two tears of her shirt. A thin layer of sweat coated her brow, and although her limbs slightly trembled, she showed no signs of stopping. 

“Not so easy after several laps, isn’t it?” Sun Wukong asked. “Breathing cools the body, but the body still suffers from the aches. If you do not breathe properly when exerting yourself, your breath becomes harsher and your body recovers more slowly. Like the flowing waters of the river, you must maintain a steady pace, lest you encounter the rapids.”

She offered no verbal acknowledgement of his words; instead, she maintained her breathing and continued the exercise. Her limbs flowed close and away from her chest, and her legs remained planted upon the rubble-strewn grounds of the Trainyard. A water bottle stood nearby, half-empty from previous drinking.

As for Wukong, he was perched upon his staff and idly nibbled from a large bag of what claimed to be ‘extra-spicy’ nachos. 

‘The bite has a modicum of harshness, yet this Old Sun feels no searing…bah, compared to the old Bull’s winter stew, these might as well be morsels of well-seasoned porridge!’ His nose wrinkled as he looked inside the bag. The bright red of the chips almost glowed in the darkness of the crinkly material, as though the chips’ maker needed to emphasize the spiciness with a visual stroke. ‘Foolishness; the best spice hits the taste buds hardest when you are unaware!’

A winter breeze blew past him, whistling between the four metal crates he chose as markers for their impromptu training field. Under the cloudy sky, the bloom of Taylor’s wings cast long shadows, dancing on the ground in tandem with her movements. The wings sliced through the air, the golden leaves that composed them breaking off and reforming with every step. 

Taylor began to enter a new stance, and suddenly her breath hitched and a grimace twisted her features. Wukong raised an eyebrow, but she took several calming inhales and her breath evened out again. With bent knees, she rolled her arms inwards and let them settle at her hips. She then punched the air with her right fist before rolling it up and pulling the air. Once the arm returned to her side, she repeated the motion with her left. 

Activating his Golden Eyes, Wukong beheld the influx of qi streaming through Taylor’s wings and into her body, the ethereal stream of energy pulsating with every move she took. Motes of light sprouted from the earth around her, unseen and unfelt by all except him. 

“Your wings are truly remarkable, dear girl,” he commented. “To draw qi with such ease at your stage…truly, my former master would kill for a student such as yourself. Do you feel it? The lightness in your muscles, the cleansing tingle in your lungs?”

She slowly nodded with a furrowed brow, seeking out the qi’s warmth in her body. “Yeah…it feels like water under my skin.” Another fist. “Every time, I throw a punch, something…rushes forward. When I pull it back…” she performs the stated motion sharply. “It’s calmer. Barely a tickle. I can’t seem to hold it.”

Wukong chuckled. “Patience, o disciple. Even with your…unique advantage, summoning qi is no easy feat. It is meant to cycle through the body, to enter and leave. To hold it in and bring it forth on your will? Ah, now that is far trickier.” He finished off the last of his nachos and crumpled the bag into a tiny ball. “For now, focus only on that sensation beneath your skin. Allow your wings to move freely and unrestrained.”

Taylor nodded and continued, though he didn’t miss her eyebrow twitch of impatience. Alas, such was the nature of youth; he could not change any more than he could his own curiosity. 

Over a minute had passed, and Taylor’s breath grew sharper with every punch she threw. Her wings, while losing their rigidity like he’d requested of her, began to flash with greater pulses. Wukong opened his mouth to gently reprimand her when a flash of black flickered in the corner of his eye. 

It was a cluster of motes, floating toward his disciple much like the rest. Yet while the other sparks of qi radiated with life and warmth, these ones were…hazy. Warped. Trailing like sludge and leaving a thick, purple miasma that tickled his nose -

Rotting flesh. Spoiled earth. Foul sky. DecayDEATHROTROT -

The Monkey King bared his fangs as he noticed more of them appearing around them. ‘By the Dao…how did I not consider this?’

“Disciple, cease at once!”

Alas, his cry came too late. Just as the first word left his mouth, the foul lights struck Taylor’s wings. At once, they flashed a deep, purple hue, and the sound of screeching metal filled the air. A choked gasp escaped Taylor’s lips, and her posture collapsed like sand. Her hand flew to her chest, and she clutched her shirt tightly, her glasses almost dropping off her nose. 

Wukong leapt off his staff and ran to his disciple’s side. He firmly but gently placed his palm on her cheek and sent a pulse of qi into her body. She gasped again and almost fell over, but Wukong’s grasp of her arm halted her descent. 

“Calm yourself, dear girl. Focus on the warmth I am giving you. Breathe and allow it to flow through your veins and cleanse you. You are safe, have no fear.”

Taylor sobbed, tears pooling from her eyes, but she managed to nod and power through the pain. Her breath came out ragged and scraping, yet she maintained a measure of evenness. With every heave of her chest, Wukong felt his qi flowing into her body. The glow from the wings began to alternate between the eerie purple and its normal gold, disintegrating and reforming at its tips. More than once, she nearly collapsed from the strain, but Wukong’s grip held strong, as did her willpower. Finally, after several torturous minutes, the wings returned to their normal golden shine, and the foulness that had invaded her body no longer remained.

Taylor leaned against Wukong’s grasp, still dry-heaving. She took a large gulp of air before Wukong used his tail to grab the water bottle and offer it to her. Swiping it from the appendage’s hold, she hastily screwed it open and took several large swigs. After a bout of coughing, she finally regained the constitution to speak.

“Wha-what the fuck was that?”

“An excellent question, my disciple, yet one I fear bears an unfortunate answer. Tell me, what came over you?”

Taylor bit her lip and Wukong felt a shiver run down her body through his hold. “It…I was breathing like you told me, trying to focus on the…qi under my skin. At some point, I started to…lose it. Couldn’t feel it anymore.” Her lips pressed into a flat line as frustration marred her words. “When you told me that…qi…was everywhere, I tried pulling in more. And it worked. It came rushing in and…” A bark of laughter escaped her, borne of elation and disbelief. “I kept pulling and pulling. But then-”

She shivered violently, and she looked down at the ground, her face growing pale. “It was horrible,” she whispered. “It was Sophia all over again. It felt like the garbage dump of garbage dumps. I was crawling through mud and I felt vomit crawling up my - oh, shit.”

Wukong rubbed her cheek and crouched low as she dry-heaved again. “Yes, it is a grotesque experience, one that a novice like you shouldn’t have gone through. I hope you accept this Old Sun’s apology, dear girl. I should have foreseen this - nay, I knew of it when I gazed upon this city with my Golden Eyes.” He shook his head, and a low hiss trailed through his fangs. “I was too enthralled at the possibilities that your power may grant you, I failed to consider the curses that would follow with the blessings.”

“C-curse?” she looked at him with bewilderment. “What are you talking about?”

With a heavy sigh, Wukong gently raised Taylor onto her feet and gazed at the lot. Even now, he could still see the purple motes darting around them, their trailing miasma twisting in macabre patterns. 

“The relationship between qi and the universe is not one-sided. Qi may form its underlying foundation, yet even the foundation is shaped and altered by the materials laid upon it. Take the structure I have placed around you, for instance.” He gestured to the four crates. “Do you know why these carts are arranged in such a manner?”

“So I can run laps around them?”

“Partially. But its primary use was to help you control your qi flow. The carts each face the four cardinal winds. An auspicious formation, aligned with the bagua, to bring harmony to the environment and allow for a better flow of qi. Consider a river: if it flows along a level path and its bends are smooth, then the waters shall be tranquil, to the point where one can gaze upon its surface like glass.”

The confusion within Taylor only grew, even as her eyes flickered to the carts.

“Harmony and balance with nature: when those conditions are achieved, when the land is healthy and hale, so is the qi. And when the river of qi is allowed to flow as intended, it soothes the land and helps it heal through the seasons. Conversely, however, if the land is…tainted, then qi cannot properly flow. Negativity, blood, violence…all of these can corrupt qi and turn it foul. Such dark energy can heal nothing, only corrupt. And to absorb such tainted qi…” 

He shook his head. “The mortal form cannot handle such corruption. And for all the wonders of this city, the qi here is absolutely rancid. Barely any harmony with nature; only chaos and filth. Now that I dwell upon it, I am surprised that we have practiced for this long without you succumbing to its effects sooner.”

Taylor tilted her head, still mired with skepticism. “So…you’re saying that because of…bad qi…I almost threw up my organs?” 

“Be thankful to the heavens it was merely a bout of sickness, disciple. I have seen what happens to those who have fallen to the haze of foul qi.” He narrowed his eyes. “Pray you never do.”

She gulped at his words. Good. Better she fear now than witness later.

His gaze switched to her wings, watching as they thrummed with light. ‘What I said before was true enough; she should have displayed such aversion much sooner than a mere three days.’ More specks of qi flew at them and phased into the wings. ‘Puzzling.’

“Taylor, did you intentionally draw in more qi?”

She ducked her head, though it did little to hide her flash of embarrassment. “I just…I didn’t feel anything change. It’s always lying there, like it’s waiting or something, but I can’t get it to work.” She rolled her shoulders and the wings moved. “And I can barely do anything with these. They can’t just be glorified solar panels, there’s gotta be something else, and I can’t put a finger on-”

Wukong couldn’t help himself. He threw back his head, and a joyous cackling burst from his lips. 

“So impatient, young one! A flower does not bloom overnight! Of course you haven’t reached your goal!” He wiped an imaginary tear from his eye and stared fondly into her wide eyes. “Do you not recall what I said when we first came here? It takes months, even years, to use qi beyond the body. And your power is a mystery to me as much as it is to you; I know many mysteries between heaven and earth, but this one is a secret we both must unearth together!”

Taylor winced at the words months and years. Wukong’s smile softened and he patted her shoulder. “Chin up, dear girl. Even the greatest heroes needed time to learn, if not master, their unique talents. I am no exception to this rule. Though I freely admit, I have a more…natural advantage than most. Even so, take pride in what you have accomplished. To draw and channel qi in a mere three days is a feat that would turn you into the envy of any disciple.”

For the first time since their session began, a tired smile graced Taylor’s lips. Her posture straightened ever-so-slightly, and some of the weariness seemed to fade from her visage. 

“Thanks. It…means a lot.”

Ever the skeptic? Well, only her results would dissuade her illusions. 

“It is a teacher’s duty to support his students, even if he must point out their failings.” His tone turned cheeky. “But in the future, do try and restrain yourself from pulling in too much qi; your body cannot yet handle it, and this Old Sun doesn’t believe you would like to repeat this experience again, no?”

She shook her head and took another swig from the bottle, while Wukong stared at the wings again. “As for why you didn’t feel the effects sooner…perhaps there is some form of filter in your wings, like a mosquito net. When you tried to draw in more qi, it could not handle the sudden influx.” His eyes narrowed. “I also fear sensitivity; such attunement goes both ways, and a violent reaction on first contact proves it.”

“But if this qi,” she paused and muttered. “I can’t believe I’m saying this,” before returning to her normal tone. “Is…corrupted by pollution, then it’s gotta be everywhere, right?”

“Beyond the city limits, and the conditions outside aren’t ideal either.” He rubbed his chin and paced around, his tail swishing back and forth behind him. “Alas, we lack other options. Considering the circumstances, this yard is the best option for you.” He tisked and sighed in resignation. “Amitabha, this is a conundrum. At the very least, it saved you from a breakdown on the battlefield. Perhaps this could serve as endurance testing.”

Surprisingly, Taylor only seemed mildly startled at the prospect of facing such an ordeal again. Hah, my disciple’s resolve is firmer than god-forged steel! I pray it lasts for as long.

“But for now, I think some rest is in order.” He snapped his fingers and his staff flew into his hand before shrinking to its travel size.

Taylor blinked. “But I can-”

“I must silence your protests, disciple mine,” Wukong cut her off. “I will not risk your health for further training. Unlike this Old Sun, your body requires rest. Or have you forgotten your first week?

“...fine,” she grumbled, though a hint of relief wormed through her mask. Her wings dissolved with her mental command and she picked up her hooded jacket. “So we go back?”

“Yes, and with no detours this time. The ruffians shall await their discipline tomorrow.” He offered her a hand, which she quickly took after donning the jacket. “Let us sally forth then!”

He picked her up from under her legs and leaped back to Peizhi’s home. Once they waited until no pedestrians were present to witness their return, Wukong dropped down from the roof and quickly kicked the door open. 

“A merry day to you, Peizhi-xiansheng! All has been well in your humble shop?”

Peizhi, sitting behind the counter, blinked and snapped his head toward them. “Oh, Wukong. You’re early.”

“Taylor needed a break,” he said, setting the girl down. “She has proven diligent in her studies, but even the most steadfast of students require unstressing.”

“Oh…okay. Good to know...” He sent a weak and unsure smile toward her, to which she responded with an awkward wave. “No trouble this time?”

“I believe such adventures wouldn’t help Taylor today. It was a smooth journey home, so do not fear for trouble brewing.” He then pointed to his host’s head. “By the way, what is that in your ear?” 

Peizhi blinked again and reached into his ear, pulling out a white nub that dangled from a long cord. “Um, that’s an earbud. I use it for music.”

Wukong tilted his head. “Music? Whatever do you mean?”

Peizhi scratched his head, his coat rustling with his movements. “Well, you can listen to music on a phone. But you don’t want to annoy people by playing it out loud, so you use earbuds.”

“Listen to music?” Wukong’s gaze drifted to the black device on the counter, where indeed, the white cord was connected to. “But who plays it?”

“It…depends on the song,” Peizhi replied. Taylor was staring all the while, looking at him like he had proclaimed Laozi a duck who danced with Yama. “Singers and bands record them so other people can hear them. They use discs, but nowadays many just make it available for streaming.”

Such funny terms! What does music have to do with rivers? 

“Were you listening to a song right now?”

“Y-yeah. It’s from the early 80s, before capes came into the picture-”

Wukong reached over and swiped the phone from the counter, dragging the ‘earbuds’ with it. He popped them into his ears - they were soft, but hardly cotton - and looked at the phone. A picture of a wild-haired woman with a pink scarf against a blue background was on the screen, and beneath her was a grey rectangle. At its center was a triangle enclosed within a circle, and flanking it were two opposite-faced arrows. 

A rather obvious cue. One which he pressed..and nearly shrieked as noise filled his ears. 

‘A yayue band, a button’s press away! Not even the sages could conjure such an idea! And this music!’ Drums beat harshly to thunderous clapping, accompanied by the vicious strumming of a zheng. If a zheng was imbued with lightning and the pull of a great bow, and set within the bowels of the deepest cave under the heavens. And the woman's voice! None of the softness of a court singer or the high-pitched croon of a xiqu actor. Nay, it was raw, savage, belting out every passion within her soul, her passion to this…rock and roll?

This was no story of heroes, no epic saga or weeping tragedy. Nay, this was…personal. The lamentations of a poet set to the tune of chaos and churned in a divine storm.

It was unlike any song or tune that had graced the Monkey King’s ears…and he didn’t stop his tail from bouncing to every clap. 

“Oh, joyous day! Why didn’t you tell this Old Sun of such wonderment before?” he asked as he danced. His body twisted through the dusty aisle, kicking the air and clapping along to the beat. Leaping between the aisles, he spun and lopped in the air, barely grazing the ceiling.  “When I visit my children again on the mountain, they shall dance to this tune for generations to come!”

Both Taylor and Peizhi’s eyes had grown so wide, he feared for the safety of their skulls. Ah, they were in awe of his acrobatic genius! Well, he couldn’t blame them; at every feast, he was the envy of his fellow kings for his prowess on the ballroom floor. The dances he led his fellow monkeys in; none could compare!

“Um…can I have my-”

Ooh, another rush!

Sun Wukong danced into the evening, cavorting around the house with wild abandon, laughing and hollering all the while. Peizhi constantly tried to get his attention, yet always backed away when he stopped. He really needed to work on his decisiveness, the poor fellow! Others with less-than-noble intentions could abuse it! Taylor just leaned on the counter, her expression caught between phases he couldn’t decipher, yet more than once, he caught her lips twitch upward. 

Yet as he danced, played song after song on the miraculous device, a stray thought lingered on his capricious mind. One that vanished the moment he recalled it, but came to him when night had fallen and he rested his eyes within the hallways of the house he’d come to call a new home.

When I visit my children again on the mountain. 

It has been many years. 

Not the first time I left. They are fine, they’ve weathered all threats. I always returned.

There is much to do here. But a visit is not impossible, not with my powers.

So why haven’t I?

The answer did not come to Wukong, and the tightening in his stone heart did not reassure him in the slightest.