Great Sage, Equal to Heaven and Above Brockton [Worm/Chinese Myth] Chapter 2 Preview

Luo idly wondered if there was something wrong with his sauce. It was a much better thought that he was imagining this whole thing. Unfortunately, thanks to a discrete pinch to his thigh, he was very much awake, and thus stuck as he watched the…intruder…munch on the stir-fried beef. Luo had put down his own bowl, which was getting colder by the minute, kept his arms low, and didn’t take his eyes off the intruder for a second.

Only occasionally did his eyes flicker to the swishing tail, if only to confirm that yes, a talking monkey had barged into his home from seemingly nowhere and was eating his food. 

As the monkey kept serving himself from the wok, Luo took in his features more closely, if only to abate the panic threatening to burst his heart. He had seen monkeys of various species on the internet and in books of course, even a couple in the old Brockton Zoo before Squealer tore through it during a high-speed chase. This one resembled none of them, with a narrow, tapered chin framed and covered by the mane of dark fur. His nose was thin and pressed, with the front of the face slightly bulging out, seeming more like a short snout. It seemed as though it was trying to imitate a human face, only to fall short. The hands were larger than his own, judging by how he grasped the bowl, and the claws did not seem decorative in the slightest.

Finally, the monkey put down the bowl and licked his chops. “Ah, a warm meal and steaming white rice! How long has it been since I ate you?” He turned to Luo with a fanged smile and bowed. “Once again, I offer my thanks, honored merchant. Surely, your ancestors smile upon you for creating such a fine dish!”

“Um…thank you?” And the way he spoke, despite the raspy voice…it was perfect Mandarin, no doubt about it, but it sounded…old. Formal, even. He’d heard a few elderly Chinese in the neighborhood speak similarly. “I…didn’t hear you come in.”

“Hmm? Ah, forgive my rudeness; your cooking so enchanted me, I forgot to announce myself,” he flashed Luo a toothy smile. “But when I woke up, there was so much to see! Everything’s different! Tell me, which province are we in?”

Luo blinked, his confusion ever-growing. “Province?”

“Ah, so the mortals have a new emperor now? He must refer to this place as his kingdom then. Then you may tell me the name of this kingdom, honored merchant.”

There had to be a limit to how confused a man could get in a day - scratch that, an hour - because Luo kept blinking at the monkey. “This kingdom…? Uh…the United States of America?”

The monkey tilted his head. “Měiguó? Hmm…I cannot say I’ve heard of it. The emperor must be of a humbler sort, not to address his kingdom by his name. Which corner of the Middle Kingdom does it border?”

Luo couldn’t stop his jaw from dropping; he didn’t know what the USA was? That was…unheard of! Even the poorest of immigrants knew what America was! And why did he think it bordered China!?

“Uh…it doesn’t.” The monkey blinked and Luo continued, if only to prevent the awkwardness from returning. “We are not anywhere near China at all.”

The monkey stopped his eating and his eyes briefly widened. A scratchy hum emanated from his mouth as brushed his chin. “A foreign land…well, that explains the strange buildings and odd-looking people. The ones behind masks - they were of a familiar kind, but the souls they had accosted; such round eyes and long noses! I would have laughed and thought them unfortunate guai were it not for their scent!” He giggled and clutched his stomach, teetering like a ball.

“Ah, but I dither. If we are not in the Middle Kingdom, then where is this Měiguó?”

Luo bit his lip as he struggled to provide an answer. This situation was getting beyond his control, and he needed a way to manage it. “I…I have a map downstairs. If you’ll let me go and fetch it-”

“A map? Oh joy! Yes, that would be most helpful.”

The shopkeeper nodded, rose from his seat and slowly headed to the door. As he stepped out of the room, he saw the monkey from the corner of his eyes give him another toothed smile even as he kept looking around the modest room. 

When Luo finally climbed down the stairs, he slumped against the wall with a strained squeak.

‘What the fuck!?!?’

This was too much! Too much! A clothed, talking monkey was in his room!!!

Why? Is this karma for overpricing those Alexandria figurines? That unpaid drink at the bar? How was this happening, why was this happening, and why him!?

He took deep breaths, trying to calm his rapidly beating heart. No, he couldn’t afford to freak out here, there’s no telling what the monkey would do. Should he call the cops? That was the logical thing to do…but a thought stopped Luo before he decided to proceed. What was he going to tell them? That a talking monkey had broken into his house and was eating his food? Best case, they’d laugh him off the line. Worst case - they’d call in the PRT.

‘Yes…I’m thinking about this too much. That can’t be a real monkey. It has to be one of those…how were they called again…Case 53’s? Capes who turned into monsters and lost their memories? That’s gotta be it. But now I know for sure the cops are off the table.’

If the monkey really was a cape, the PRT would come rolling in and the monkey didn’t seem like one who would go quietly with the authorities. No, there would be a fight, and then more capes would show up, as would the ABB…maybe even Lung.

Out of the question. He didn’t have a death wish, whether by collateral damage or by a more personal visit from the upper ranks of the ABB. So for now, he would have to obey his intrusive guest.

A few minutes of digging around later, Luo returned to the room with a rolled-up map under his arm. The monkey smiled at him and eyed the map with excitement as Luo unrolled it and placed it on the table. 

“That is China,” Luo said as he pointed at the country. He then dragged his finger over to Brockton’s spot on the map. “And this is the United States.”

Now it was the monkey’s turn to pause. For the next minute or two, his eyes roamed the map and his grin faded into a more contemplative look. Luo saw the monkey’s lips move wordlessly, as though he was saying the names - printed in Chinese - on the map to himself.

The gray-furred intruder sighed and a scratchy sound emanated from between his teeth. “I see…I must have been in meditation for quite a while, for me to not recognize these lands.” He threw his head back and laughed. “Hah! If only Master could see me now! After all of our journeys, to be so lost!”