"I-I'm sorry but..." she stuttered in her confusion. "There must be a misunderstanding, this is my first time here in this city."
"Oh, of course." the lord shook his head. "You were just a few days old when you were kidnapped-"
"Kidnapped?!"
"Well, not exactly. Why don't you and your..." he trailed off when he finally noticed Monkey. "friend, join us for lunch? I have a lot to tell you."

(Y/n) and Monkey sat beside the lord as the other people at the table quickly made space for them. The servants placed their plates in front of them and offered them a dish made of chicken.
"No thank you." she raised a hand and shook her head. "We're vegetarian."
"Do you have some peach soup?" Monkey asked.
"Why of course, we'd never run out of our family recipe."
"Then bring me your entire stock at once!" he hit the table with a large smile.
As soon as the dozen of pots were within his reach, he grabbed one and started sipping as if his stomach was bottomless. (Y/n) however was not in the mood for eating.

"Dear (Y/n), what happened to your beautiful cyan eyes?" the lord asked. "What did they do to you out there?"
She didn't respond and just looked at him.
"Well it doesn't matter. What matters is that you are here and you are okay."
"...Are you my biological father?"
He laughed.
"I am your uncle."
She blinked twice, just as surprise with this turn of event than she would be with any other. She opened her mouth but no words came out. The lord continued as he and everyone else ate.
"For you see (Y/n), long before you were born, your father, my dear older brother, was best friend with a commoner. But this commoner was special," he paused. "he was the previous reincarnation of Golden Cicada."
Monkey raised his eyebrows, but didn't react further and kept enjoying his third pot of soup with delight.
"And because he was the chosen one, we let him get access to a life of luxury and protection from the demons that would try and capture him. But despite everything my family's done for him, he wished to avoid his responsibilities and left the city, to look for a way to pass on his powers to someone else. He left for a few days, during which your mother gave birth to you." he smiled at her. "I was only able to see you once, but you were *adorable*!" his smile became fainter. "But, that scum, he passed his powers onto you. And-" he covered his mouth with his sleeve as he closed his eyes and turned away.
Some family members looked at him with the same pained expression. (Y/n) patiently waited while Monkey was unfazed by what was happening and reached for his seventh pot of soup. Finally, the lord looked back at her.
"As it turned out, we had some under-covered traitors within our servants. Only a day following your birth, demons attacked your parents' house. Thankfully you were saved just in time but..." he sighed. "Once you were escorted outside, we had no choice but to burn down the house to kill the demons, with your parents' bodies inside."

She let out a sigh, feeling empathy for the lord and his family. Some of them stopped eating and quietly comforted each-other.
"I'm so sorry." she looked down.
"They were very beloved by the people." he nodded. "And having you alive was truly a blessing. Sadly, it didn't last very long." his eyebrows twitched into a frown. "As soon as this coward came back, he left again and just because he was your god-father he took you with him. I of course did everything I could to try to find you, to find this vermin and punish him. I sent my men to the four cardinal points, but I couldn't find neither of you. Although I did caught wind of the fact that he became a monk in a little village in the middle of nowhere."
(Y/n) felt her heart sink like a stone in the water, her expression fell and she became unaware of the world around her.
"He was...? He knew...?" she inaudibly whispered. "All along...?"

"Tell me (Y/n), where were you all those years? How did you managed to escape him? I must know what happened to him."
"He's dead."
The room became silent, everyone except Monkey fixed her as she stared at nothing in particular. Then, a collective sigh of relief snapped her back to reality and she saw that now everyone was smiling and eating at their heart's content. The now more cheery mood contradicting her feelings made her feel uneasy.
"Well thank the gods above!" the lord raised his hands with a large smile. "The world is now rid of that wretch!"
"What." her fists clenched.
"It's been twenty years has it not? How I feel sorry for you to have to deal with such a horrible man for such a long time." he reached and lightly tapped her shoulder. "It is curious how he decided to become a monk, since he's always been so keen on avoiding and rejecting any responsibility. He probably became one of those corrupted ones, I was afraid he'd turn you into one of his kind. Running away like this after killing his best friend, he really is a coward-."
"My father was not a coward!!!" she yelled and smashed her fists on the table, making everyone jump in surprise, even Monkey.
For a long moment, nobody talked nor moved, all eyes were on her.
"(Y/n)..." the lord broke the silence. "He wasn't your father."

The rage on her face only became more apparent. She stood up and walked out, slamming the door behind her. Monkey turned to the lord and said a single word full of sarcasm.
"Smooth."

In such a grand place, (Y/n) knew she couldn't find the exit until she asked someone, and she didn't feel like talking right now so instead she wandered angrily for a while until she reached the courtyard. She sat on a bench, now alone, her eyebrows furrowed. She took out her old monkey doll and just looked down at it, gently caressing its head with her thumb. She felt a lot of things at the moment but conflicted would be a good word for it.
A while later, Monkey found her and saw what she was doing. He cleared his throat and she flinched, turning her head towards him while trying to hide the doll.
"It's not because it's you-!"
"I know." he calmly said as he walked up to her. "You don't have to explain yourself."

She went quiet again and relaxed. Monkey sat beside her and handed her a bowl of soup while he pretended to look around the garden.
"I saved some for you, I realized I almost finished all of it without sharing."
She smiled.
"Thanks." she placed the doll on her lap and took the bowl, smelled the soup's aroma before taking a sip. "Mmh!" her eyes widen. "That's crazy good!"
Monkey smiled, but it soon faded.
"You okay?"
She stopped drinking and put the bowl aside, her expression grim again.

"I don't know, I don't know what to make of all of this." she ran a hand through her hair. "I thought...I thought I knew him, but it's true that I knew nothing of his past. The lord, it's like he was talking about a completely different person. My father was always so protecting -although now I understand why- and always a stickler for rules and order. I-" she shrugged and sighed, slowly shaking her head.
"...you know, that last resort thing, passing on your powers? People seem to have a misconception about it." he rested his forearms on his lap. "It's completely random, you don't get to choose which baby gets your powers. So just so you know: you weren't a target in this."
"But still, the fact that he'd do it..."

Monkey thought for a moment and turned towards her.
"Hey," he said. "look at me."
She did and yelped when his face was suddenly very close from her face, their nose almost touching. She leaned back as he leaned closer, looking intensely into her eyes as if he was looking for something.
"Wha-why-you-Monkey!" she blushed at the proximity.
"Mmh, that's what I thought." he finally sat back, she let out a big sigh of relief. "You got a curse put on your eyes."
"Huh?"
"It must've been there for a big part of your life so it almost became natural, that's why I couldn't see it until I got up close. That's what's making your eyes (e/c)." he pointed at them. "That's one mystery solved."
'Feels very bittersweet of an accomplishment.' she thought.
"A curse...?"
"It's not necessarily a bad thing." he shrugged. "Without it, demons would've attacked you on sight and our journey would've been *way* more of a pain."
A moment of silence passed.

"Now," he faced forward. "I don't know the first thing about this guy you call your dad. But it's safe to assume he was the one who put that curse on you." she looked up at him. "Why? You tell me, you knew him better than anyone here."
(Y/n)'s mind became a bit clearer at those last words. It's true that she didn't know the person her father was in the past. But Monkey was right. She's known him for the last twenty years of his life, during which he was stern but kind and caring. That's what mattered. She smiled.
"Thanks Monkey."
"Yeah, you're welcome. Now eat your soup before I eat it for you."
Their conversation became livelier as she finished her bowl, truly the best thing she's ever eaten.

"By the way, what are you gonna do?" Monkey asked. "Because now that you're 'back home', the lord's place is technically yours, along with the city."
"Huh." she tilted her head. "I haven't thought about that."
"Excuse me?"
They turned over to see an elderly woman walking up to them and bowing. (Y/n) recognized her as one of the servants in the dinning room.
"My lady's uncle asks for my lady to speak with him privately."
"Oh, sure." she put the bowl aside, put the doll back inside her bag and went up to her.
The woman seemed to hesitate a moment, her eyes darting around, then she groaned.
"I can't stay silent!" she looked up at her. "The lord and his family are always antagonizing your god-father but I know-" she stopped herself, realizing the volume of her voice.
"What do you mean?"
She quickly looked around and leaned closer.
"Twenty years ago, I used to be your nanny you see. I was cleaning the ashes from the fire when he came back..."

His bag and walking stick slipped through his hands and dropped on the floor. Where the house once stood, there was now nothing but ashes and a few planks of burned wood. He was completely stunned for a moment before he noticed the nanny and ran up to her, his pale face startling her.
"What happened?! Where's the lord and his wife?!"
It took her a moment to reply, she frowned and backed away.
"Because you passed on your powers unto their innocent child, demons attacked them! Because all the soldiers used to guard you, they couldn't come to their rescue in time and didn't even had time to get the bodies out, they had to burn down the house to kill the demons with them still inside! You cruel cruel monster!" she yelled, her eyes growing teary.
"What? I didn't- I'm not- I didn't know! I-!"

It was then she noticed the look in his now dark brown eyes. Shock, regret, grief, sadness, she could see it all, and she could tell it was genuine.
"What about the baby?" he quietly asked. "Are they also...?" he couldn't finish his sentence.
"...Her name is (Y/n)." she said. "She looks like her mother and she's a very healthy baby."
He sighed of relief.

She took him to see the three-day-old child. He looked down at her as she was taking a nap, peacefully unaware of the tragedy that occurred. He extended a hand but quickly retracted it.
"I have to wash my hands!" he said as he rushed out of the room while also trying not to make noises.
The nanny couldn't help but chuckled. When he came back, he gently caressed her head.
"Can I...?"
She picked her up and slowly handed her to him. With the upmost cautioned, he held her in his arms. He smiled, but the nanny could tell there was a painful sadness behind it.
"She's beautiful."
"Yes, she is."

They both admired her for a short while. The baby squirmed a little bit and opened her eyes, their bright cyan color made him froze. He bit his bottom lip as tears quietly flowed down his face, he hunched over a bit.
"I'm sorry." he whispered with a shaky voice. "I'm so sorry."
"...When she was born, her father said that he wished you could see her. He also said that he wanted you to be her god-father."
He looked at her, then back at the baby. A few seconds passed. Then, a more determined look formed on his face.
"I don't want her to be like me." he said. "No way she'll end up like me. Everyday having to deal with attacks from demons, and eventually hating your gift. No way." he looked at the nanny and nodded. "Thank you." then he ran out with the baby and her blanket.

"People said it was an act of pure evil, but they weren't there, they didn't see the look on his face." she continued. "To be honest, I was always conflicted about whether or not I should've stopped him. Running away like that with no experience on how to care for a child." she shook her head. "But, seeing you now has lifted a huge weight on my heart."
(Y/n) smiled.
"I'm glad. Thank you so much for telling me." she bowed before walking inside.
Both the nanny and Monkey followed her with their eyes.
"Look at her, she's grown to be such a polite and pretty woman." she sighed. "I'm sure her god-father did his very best to raise her well."
"...I'm sure he did yeah." he nodded, smiling. "And he succeeded."

"You asked to see me?" (Y/n) asked as she walked into the lord's office, closing the doors behind her.
"Ah, my dear sweet niece!" he smiled and stood up from his chair.
"Before you say anything, I want to apologize." she bowed. "I left dinner without explaining myself and didn't even eat anything. I eventually tasted your soup, it was delicious."
"Thank you very much." he nodded, walking around his desk and faced her. "(Y/n), now that we know you're alive and well, my position is yours, given that you're my older brother's heir."
"Right...about that," she pointed at him at the word 'right'. "I understand that I was born here and that we are of the same blood. But I have my own life, I've had it for twenty years. I'm no nobility, even this hanfu gets a bit uncomfortable at some point." she looked down at her outfit. "I may have been kidnapped, and the man who gave me my powers may have been reckless. But he raised me well, he educated me, and he saved my life. That man was my father. I am not apologizing for shouting at you after you insulted him." her expression became more decisive as she talked. "Whatever blood we share, it means nothing to me."

The lord was surprised, like he couldn't believe what she was saying.
"S-so..." he hesitated. "Are you saying you're not going to-"
"Let me finish please." she raised her hand. "However, I want to right the wrongs my father did in the past. I am taking the place of lord, but I have a mission to go back to. So when I'm done with that, I'll come back here and we can discuss this further. Until then, I want you to keep leading the city. Thank you for your time." she bowed and turned back.

She opened the door but the lord suddenly shut them close again and quickly locked them.
"You had to keep going."
"Huh?"
"You had to accept my place. If only you've taken after that scrum and ran away like he did." he took a knife out of his sleeve. "Now I have to go back to my initial plan and kill you!"

(Y/n) gasped and ran the other direction. She stood behind the desk as they were now running around the table. She tried to throw anything within her reach at him but he'd deflect them everytime.
"You still get to be lord! What is wrong with you?!"
"Second place?! Please! You being kidnapped was a blessing in disguise!" he jumped on the table with a twisted smirk. "And now that you're back, I refuse to be shoved in the background while my brother's heir gets all the glory! Did you know that the day I became lord was the day of your parents' funeral?! They stole my moment! It was supposed to be my moment!"
He jumped on her, but she held her necklace and conjured a barrier to block his attack. While he fell back, she grabbed a chair and swung it towards the door, hoping they'd open. They didn't, she wasn't strong enough. Cursing to herself, she quickly made it to the window and looked down. Her heart sunk when she saw what being on the third floor looked like.

"Hehehe!" she turned around as the lord stood up and charged towards her, brandishing his knife.
He was too fast for her to get away. Her panic grew, tightening her chest, she didn't know what else to do. She closed her eyes and shouted:
"Monkey!!!"

The lord was only a step away from her when he was suddenly kicked from outside, sending him flying to the other side of the room. She felt a hand on her shoulder, she opened her eyes and looked up. Monkey was entering the room with a foot still on the window sill, one hand bringing her close to his chest and the other pointing his staff towards the lord.
"Sorry to bring it to you," he smirked. "but this lady here isn't interested in your political drama."

The lord clumsily stood up.
"Why you-!"
"Hold that thought."
Still pointing his staff at him, he escorted (Y/n) towards the doors. He opened them like it was nothing, breaking the lock in the process. And gently pushed her out of the office.
"Give me just a second." he smiled before closing the doors.
She blinked twice before she smiled and sighed with a hand on her chest, relieved.
Meanwhile, with Monkey's back turned, the lord jumped towards him. He turned around.

"And that's what happened." (Y/n) finished explaining to the former lord's family as he was sitting on the floor in front of her, beat up and tied up.
He glanced back at Monkey who was playing with the knife he took from him, balancing the end of the blade on his fingertip. Monkey noticed and suddenly pointed the knife at him. He flinched and curled up in fear, making him cackle with a smug look on his face.

"I cannot believe it!" "His big brother would never do something so cruel!" "To do that to your own niece when she just came back after being missing for twenty years!" "Scum!" the family kept shaming him.
"I think he got it." (Y/n) calmly said, shutting them up. "I'm not injured, but that doesn't mean he shouldn't be punished."
"What will his punishment be my lady?" a soldier asked.
"I'm not gonna be the one who punishes him. I told you, I'm not taking his place, I have my own business to take care of."
"But someone needs to lead the city." the oldest family member said. "You must choose someone, preferably someone with experience. This sounds like a job for an older fatter man."
She just sent him a weird look. She thought for a second and looked around.

"Nanny." she called out and gestured her to get closer.
The woman gasped, looking very happy to be called that, and walked up to her.
"Who do you think would do the job?" she quietly asked.
"Um...Probably your youngest uncle, he would sneak out to help the poor in a more efficient way than his brother's program."
"Oh, so I have two uncles." she looked back at her biological family. "Alright, my youngest uncle will replace me while I'm gone."
The man in question softly gasped and pointed at himself, with stars in his eyes.

"My younger brother?! Come on!" the former lord whined. "Am I cursed to either stay in someone else's shadow or having my place stolen from me?!"
"Shut up!" Monkey kicked him.
"Everyone okay with that?" (Y/n) asked, ignoring him.
Everybody nodded, the new lord seemed to be very touched by this.
"Good, we'll be going now. Farewell~." she turned around and waved as she walked towards the exit. "Don't destroy the city while I'm gone."
"Tchao." Monkey flicked his wrist and followed her, his staff on both his shoulders and the back of his neck.

Dishi, Jia and the others have been waiting in front of the house ever since they left. As soon as (Y/n) and Monkey walked out, they rushed over and asked them what in the world happened and if they were okay. (Y/n) explained and received a big hug from Jia and the twins. They still had their own pot of soup and because she didn't ate much and Monkey's always down to eat, after she changed back to her normal clothes, they all sat together in a corner of the market square and shared the soup.

"Oh my lord! (Y/n)!" Monkey smacked his forehead, realizing something. "You could've asked for the recipe!"
"Oh! Dammit!" she smacked her own forehead. "Well we can go back."
"You can't come back after making a cool exit, are you insane?!"
"Do you want the soup or not?!"
"Not at the expense of credibility! Without class, skill means nothing remember? That applies to this too!"
"So here, the skill here is the soup?" she laughed, not understanding one bit.
He groaned and rolled his eyes.
"Well if anything, this is another good motivation to get to Guan Yin's island as soon as possible. Once we're done, we go back, get the recipe and it's unlimited peach soup for us!"
"We better hurry up then!"
The two of them started drinking faster, the others laughed.

"By the way, I haven't thanked you for saving me earlier." she smiled. "Thanks Wukong."
He suddenly turned towards her with big eyes. After a short moment of speechlessness, he cringed and lightly pushed her.
"Ew, don't do that!"
She couldn't help but laugh.
"What? It's your name."
"Yeah, but I'm used to 'Monkey' by now. Hearing you calling me by my actual name feels weird."
"Alright, I'll stick with 'Monkey' then." she smiled, happy to keep calling him by her nickname as well.
Dishi and Jia glanced at each-other.

"You guys are going back?" (Y/n) asked when they all left the city.
Jia nodded.
"Now that we got paid for our gig, we're going back home."
"I wish you could come with us, but it's way too dangerous and-"
"Nope! No way!" Monkey shook his head. "I already have enough on my plate playing bodyguard with her! I'm not taking care of five more just because they have horses!"
"...You know what I mean." she smiled.

"That's okay. You be careful out there!"
"You should come visit us when you come back!" Wei exclaimed.
"Or maybe we'll run into each-other again when we have another gig!" his brother added.
"Stop agitating the carriage will you?!" Dishi said from the driver seat. "You'll knock it over!" he looked at her. "Be safe, and trust each-other. Communication is key."
They both tilted their head in confusion when he started the carriage. They all waved and yelled goodbye, except Monkey and Dishi of course. And with that, they parted ways.

Lim sighed, leaning back.
"I'll miss them."
"That was an encounter for sure!" Jia smiled. "They were pretty cute together."
"Huh?!" her three companions looked at her like she was crazy.
"You guys wouldn't get it." she shrugged. "You're singles."
"Don't they remind you of another couple?" Dishi smiled.
"Who?"
He paused and glanced back at her. She tilted her head.
"...Really?"
"What couple?"
"Nevermind." he looked back at the road.
"Dishi! Tell me!"
It was then this grumpy old man realized: he and his dear wife were their own couple of their own idiocy.