Turning Point
With danger lurking around the corner, the Simian kingdom had been diligently preparing for another major battle. The problem was that even though they prepared meticulously, there was no sign of attack. The demon army almost seemed vigilant yet cautious at the same time.
The fact they couldn’t tell what the demons were after only created more tension for the simians, especially after weeks had passed. Just as they were about to write it off, it finally showed itself.
“Reporting in! A new deer demon has attacked our gathering teams! He’s too strong for us to handle and it seems as if he is targeting us intentionally!” A group of injured soldiers wobbled in while Shihou, Liu’er, and the Old Macaque King were training.
In an instant, the atmosphere changed. Abandoning their dulled sparing spears, Shihou and Liu’er grabbed their spears as they stepped forward, dripping with bloodlust. “Show us where they are.”
The one with the best mobility and the least injuries led the two out while the old king tended to the defenses. Once they arrived, they found the once lush fruit trees and lands become dead and desolate with a single being in the middle. The demon seemed to be enjoying the view, purposefully waiting for them to arrive.
“That’s him! He’s the one who attacked us!” The scout reported with a respectful bow.
Relying on instincts alone, the two simians could recognize how dangerous this deer demon was. Ignoring his cultivation and abilities, his strength alone was enough to cause their internal alarms to blare. It was similar to the feeling prey felt towards their predators. Then again, they were not prey. They were demons.
Even with the palpable difference in strength, the pair didn’t show an ounce of fear. However, as much as Shihou was overconfident of her strength, she ordered that no one was to come near this battle site. Even if she was sure that she would win, she did not want to risk hurting any of her people.
Liu'er on the other hand was a bit more hesitant and rightfully cautious about going to battle with this deer demon. He tried to think up a strategy but had to stop immediately to prevent the hot-headed stone simian from charging right into battle. Ultimately, he attempted to convince the queen to rethink her decision about fighting the deer right now.
“We don’t have enough information about this demon. Going in recklessly could be a huge mistake. Let’s return, gather information, and then decide on how to deal with him.” It was an extremely valid request, but the simian he was dealing with was not only confident but also impatient.
“We can’t. He’s attacked us without rhyme or reason. If we leave such a dangerous demon alone, we don’t know how many more of my people will get hurt! I’m going to fight him.” The golden simian declared with a firm resolution.
Made speechless by her words and expression, the macaque could only allow himself to be dragged along with his queen’s decision. With their minds made up, they leaped over to the deer demon.
Pointing her spear at the white deer demon, she decided to confront him first, “You! Was it you who attacked my simian citizens?!”
Unbothered by her words and bloodlust, the other turned around slowly, with his arms behind his back. It was obvious that he didn’t think much of the simian warriors. The originally disinterested face cracked with interest once his eyes landed on a certain golden simian. He wasn’t one to be swayed by someone’s external looks but her body, although quite young, was definitely pleasing to the eye.
‘Ho? Little Hunshi didn’t mention how nice this golden simian warrior looked. Given a couple of years, she would be even more delectable. Her strength is impressive for a mere mortal but still far too weak to be of trouble. It wouldn’t be bad to bring her back to have a little fun with the others…’ The demon deer thought as he couldn't help but ogle at the one who currently pointed her spear at him.
Thanks to his focused attention on the queen, he completely ignored the other presence that was right next to the stone simian. Although the Shihou was oblivious to the intention behind the demon’s gaze, the attentive macaque understood it completely. Seeing the clear lust in the demon’s eyes, Liu’er completely dropped his original hesitancy to kill this enemy.
Lowering the other’s spear and stepping forward with his spear pointed at the deer, Liu’er Mihou made his presence known while protecting his beloved. Having his lovely view disrupted, the deer demon remembered what he originally came here to do.
“I’m assuming you two are the simian warriors of Huāguǒ Shān that I’ve heard about. Just in time, I wanted to speak with the king of the simian kingdom for a favor.” He asked in a polite manner.
Sensing that there was clearly a deeper reasoning to his words, Shihou maintained her hostility. “I’m the current queen of the simians so spit it out.”
Learning about the golden simian’s title and feisty personality, the demon’s interest in the queen only grew exponentially. Unknowingly, a large smirk spread across his face as he imagined having this proud and feisty queen underneath him in all her glory. It was an exhilarating challenge to break such a queen and he was just itching to try.
Still, he had business to do first. “I am Huang Shijing and I’ve been looking for something important and I think you guys have it. From what I’ve heard from Little Hunshi, the simian kingdom is currently living in quite the mystical yet secretive place as their home. What we want is simple, I would like to take ownership of it. Getting the cooperation of the queen would be much appreciated.”
It was clear what the deer demon truly wanted. On top of his dirty intentions towards his queen, the dark macaque’s hostility and anger only grew. “Cooperation? It sounds more like you want to conquer our home and people!”
“That is the most barbaric way of saying things.” Huang Shijing’s calm expression twisted in distaste and disgust.
In Huang Shijing’s eyes, Liu’er Mihou had great potential just like the golden simian’s. With the proper grooming and training, he was set to become a wonderful soldier. The deer demon considered taking him in as his disciple but his constant interruptions and sharp tongue were beginning to be annoying.
“So you’re not denying it.” Taking the other’s silence as their answer, Shihou no longer kept up the pleasantries as she got into a fighting stance. “You must be daydreaming if you thought I was going to hand over my home or my people to someone like you!”
Sighing at the misunderstanding and foolishness, Huang Shijing decided to change tactics. “It is not a decision you can make, but it is nice to see your stubbornness! That part of you is what will make breaking you that much more fun!”
The battle was a difficult one for the pair. This deer demon was more experienced in terms of fighting, easily outclassing their underdeveloped maneuvers. This was on top of his cultivation. With beams that turn objects into stone and beams that turn the living into lifeless mush, the two had to pay incredible attention to themselves as well as their surroundings.
That is not to mention narrowingly dodging the lightning strikes from the deer demon. The combination of Huang’s abilities made it very difficult to approach the demon, and even once they got close, the deer demon’s strength wasn’t short of theirs either. With his bare hands, he could smash boulders twice their size into pieces.
His leap alone was enough to increase the distance, returning the simians to where they started in the beginning. It was a stalemate between them until reinforcements came, however, that was, unfortunately, the turning point of this battle. Liu’er Mihou and Huang Shijing were the first ones to notice five simians approaching their battlegrounds.
Feeling a deep sense of dread, Liu’er Mihou turned towards his family and yelled in fear, “NO! Get away!”
However, he was still a step too late. The moment he called out to them, Huang Shijing had already sent a petrifying beam at the incoming simians, giving them very little time to even react. Thankfully, one of them had an extremely quick reaction.
With his quick thinking, the Old Macaque King yanked the two marshals toward the ground, dodging the beam narrowly. Unfortunately, the king only had two hands so the generals were petrified the moment the king tried to help them. “General Ba! General Beng! No!”
Seeing this, the golden simian’s eyes burned with fury as she lunged at the deer, leaving the shocked macaque behind. Without the assistance of the dark-furred simian, she was quickly overpowered by the deer. With an arm secured behind her back, she was slammed into the ground by the demon.
The macaque tried getting closer to help his queen, but with the lightning attacking him, he was rendered helpless at the moment. He watched with seething rage as the deer demon took the opportunity to roughly grab the golden simian’s face. Observing the roughed-up and fiery face up close, Huang Shijing couldn’t help but lick his dried lips.
“Even like this, you still look quite ravishing.” Letting go of her face, he used his free hand to stroke down the queen’s back and finally to her marvelous hips.
Although Shihou was seething with rage and disgust, she couldn’t break free from the deer’s hold. Remembering her lessons, she had to take a moment to calm down and collect herself like she was taught. Gathering all her strength, she pushed the deer off of her in one motion. The moment she did, the macaque immediately seized the opportunity and pounced on him.
Once he did though, Huang Shijing finally decided to seriously fight back. He had been holding back since he didn’t want to kill them but it looked like he had underestimated his patience and their teamwork. Just before the golden simian could join her partner, the demon subdued the macaque with only a few exchanges.
Grabbing him by the throat, he slammed the macaque into the nearby boulder. The shock and pain caused the spear to fly out of Liu’er hands, leaving him with no weapons to help him break free. Even so, the admiral would not give up so easily. He was still struggling to the very end even if the other had a hand around his throat.
Pushed by the need to save him, the golden simian attempted to attack the demon as well. Unfortunately, he had the advantage. Tightening his grip on the macaque, choking him, and causing great visible pain. Shihou immediately stopped in her tracks at Huang Shijing’s clear warning.
“Not a smart move to attack when I have your precious little companion in my grasp, isn’t that right, my queen?” The demon had the gall to casually turn towards her, smiling as if he was just having a stroll. Shihou growled animalistically at the deer, but she could only helplessly back down.
Seeing her obediently stand down, Huang Shijing chuckled to himself as he commented, “If I’d known that you cared so much for your people, I would have taken some hostages sooner.” It was just then that the deer demon thought of something.
It was the perfect moment to toy with her. With a dirty smirk, he pointed to her and ordered, “How about you show me some sincerity and maybe I will be willing to spare this insolent little one?” His leering gaze easily told her his true intentions behind his words.
The golden simian’s eyes widened with shock, anger, and disgust at the demand. Never in a million years would she ever do something so degrading but for the first time in her life, she had to consider it. It was her dignity for Liu’er’s life. It was worth it… That was what she thought but her dignity was still trying its best to hold on.
Seeing the unexpected hesitation, the macaque flew into a crazy rage as he began growling and clawing at the hands holding him by the neck. He didn’t care that he was also clawing at his own neck, he only cared about breaking free from this crazy demon’s grasp. However, the fingers around his neck refused to budge. Unable to break himself free, the admiral could only use words to express his thoughts.
“You disgusting piece of shit! Get your revolting hands off of me!” The foul language did nothing to the distracted deer demon, causing Liu’er Mihou to redirect his attention to the one he cared the most about. “Damn it! Shihou! Just kill this bastard! Don’t worry about me!”
It was at this point where Huang Shijing finally acknowledged his hostage’s presence. Just with the macaque’s words, the queen’s hesitation changed. It seems like he was being too lenient. Not giving the other a moment to make up her mind, he smashed the ignorant macaque further into the boulder before hurling him through the distant trees.
To finish the job, he blasted a large beam of electricity in the same direction right after. Even though there was no way she would beat the speed of lightning, Shihou rushed towards the macaque through pure pure instinct.
The golden simian could only helplessly let out a heartbreaking cry as the beam connected with her warrior. “LIU’ER!!!”
The explosion created upon impact only solidified her despair, causing her to slump to the floor with numerous new yet horrible emotions. Involuntarily, tears pooled in her dulled eyes, just a moment away from spilling yet stubbornly refusing to trickle. Excited by the simian’s reaction, the deer demon triumphantly walked toward the queen, causing the remaining three simians to hurry to her side to protect her.
“Marshal Ma get Shihou out of here! Me and Marsal Liu will hold him off!” The Old Macaque King ordered but before any of them could truly act, they were petrified in an instant.
‘Just how many more people will you take?’ Having her closest people killed and petrified, the deep despair quickly turned into an indescribable urge, an unknown yet dark vicious desire that seemed to swallow her up completely.
Evoking a deep power within her, she felt her whole body course with a raging energy like never before. Bit by bit, she was consumed by it, causing her consciousness to fade. The moment Huang Shijing got close to her, a golden energy blasted him away. The stone simian was now emitting the same golden light she was once born with.
Fueled only by her desire and instincts, she seemingly teleported to the demon deer before slamming him into the ground with a punch. Grabbing the other by their clothes, she flung the deer into the air before jumping up herself. She landed consecutive punches and kicks on Huang Shijing in the air, going higher and higher as she did so.
After reaching a certain height, she swung the other down into the earth causing Huāguǒ Shān to vibrate from the impact. When she descended, she also made sure to plummet right on the demon deer causing the other to spit out blood. Huang Shijing attempted to petrify or shock the golden monkey, but the other dodged them effortlessly.
She then proceeded to pummel him with everything she’s got. After several minutes of beatings, the deer was still miraculously alive. However, due to all the damage dealt to him, the transformation on him was undone, returning him back into a dark purplish lion demon. Shihou couldn't care less about this change as she had another objective in mind.
Knowing the other could barely move, much less escape, she got off him to grab her spear. It was during this brief moment of mercy that Huang Shijing finally recollected himself. Taking this time to properly analyze his opponent, he found something simply too surprising.
This new discovery only caused the deer demon to burst out laughing even through the immense pain. “I see! I see! It was you! I can’t believe that it was you! Everything was not for naught!”
‘I cannot believe I was so blind! He was right in front of me! I was too impatient, how foolish of me. Death is a befitting outcome for my ignorance. But…’ Not even reacting to what deranged thought the other had, Shihou fixated her focus on what she was going to do with her spear. Channeling her power into the poor spear, she stabbed into the demon deer, enveloping him and her in a golden explosion.
At that moment, she did not notice the fluctuation in the air created by the deer demon right before his death. Using his last breath, he had managed to leave something behind. Something incredibly dangerous for what is to come.
As the dust was clearing, she could hear a familiar voice which caused her sanity to return to her. “SHIHOU!”
She turned to the origin of the voice and saw a battered but very much alive six-eared macaque. She tried to reach out to the dark-furred simian, but the motion itself created a large gust of wind, blowing the other off his feet. In fear, she quickly took back her hand, but it only created another fluctuation which cleared any stones or trees that were still standing around her.
Just a moment ago this power came to her as naturally as breathing but now that she was conscious, it became the hardest thing to do. The power she needed to defeat Huang Shijing was quickly running rampant. The queen knew she was beginning to lose control and that there wasn’t much time before disaster struck.
The winds and air around her were growing more and more turbulent from just the emitted energy from her body. She was helpless. She could not control her wild and rampant powers. Fear quickly filled her mind. What is to become of her? What will happen to her family and home because of her powers? Not knowing what to do, she wrapped her hands around herself as she huddled in on herself.
“Shihou.” The admiral gently called as he tried once more to get close and comfort her, but not even getting an inch close to her, he was once again blasted away by the surging energy around her.
“Liu’er!” She cried out as she paled in fear. ‘NO! Did I… just hurt him?! No, no, no! Liu’er can’t disappear because of me! NO! I-’
A moment later, she saw the dark-furred macaque being supported back by the two marshalls along with the three other simians. Looks like, after Huang Shijing’s death, the petrifying spell broke allowing everyone to return to normal. Although they were in a way better state than Liu’er, that wasn’t what mattered at the moment.
Fear overtook her as she pleaded with them. “NO! Stay back! I don’t want to hurt you! I don’t want you to be gone because of me!”
The stone simian was always a social being and hated to be alone most of the time. Even so, hurting the people that were important to her was even worse. If it meant saving them, loneliness is something she will endure. However, her sentiment was clearly not shared.
“I’m NOT leaving you here alone!”
There was no way in hell the macaque was going to leave his queen behind. He had promised her that he would always be by her side and he was not about to break his promise. Pulling away from his support, he continued to tread towards her with absolute determination.
“I-I can’t control this power! I’ll only end up hurting you!” She tried to reason but even after getting blown back, Liu’er Mihou only got back up again.
Every time he was set back, the other simians would catch him, absorbing the impact and damage done to the unusually stubborn macaque. They gave him the footing to continue as they were too weak to help in any other way. They too shared the same sentiment. They wanted to return with her to their home.
“STOP! Please! Liu’er! Can’t you see that it is futile? Just leave me here!” She pleaded once more to her warrior.
“Just shut up! Even if you’re the queen, I refuse to listen to your stupid orders! I will not stop! I’ll never stop! I will drag you back home with me!” The six-eared macaque stood firm on his decision even if he was sent flying repeatedly.
However, it was true that he wasn’t making any progress. In fact, it was the opposite. Sooner or later, he will run out of energy, and by then it may be too late. He quickly racked his brain for an actual plan but nothing came up. The only thing he could do was go through various different ideas that popped up at the moment.
One of the methods he saw others use to coax others was talking through her anxiety. “Listen to me, Shihou. You can overcome this. You’ve always had, even in the worst situations. Though… most of those were caused by you. Fuck, I’m so bad at this. Uh, anyway, try to calm down. Try to focus on my voice.”
Due to how out-of-character he was acting, the golden simian decided to at least try it. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath to calm herself down per the macaque’s advice. She did seem to calm down but the original problem was still not solved. As Liu’er Mihou was trying to think of another solution, he continued to comfort his beloved.
“That’s good. Remember, we are here for you. I am here for you. You are not alone, my queen.” At her title, Shihou could not help but blush, causing the energy around her to fluctuate which gave the admiral an even better idea.
Hiding his teasing tone and suppressing his smirk, he continued with his new plan. “I will always be by your side, Peaches. You are my queen, my sun, my everything. And I, your faithful warrior will be by your side no matter what you face. Just believe in me.”
Even though it was obvious that he was overboard with his teasing, Shihou still couldn’t help but fall for his tricks. The macaque could see the golden simian’s face turn into a cute flaming red as the winds gushed past the simians, blowing the weaker ones off their feet. The energy fluctuations around them were changing. His plan had worked.
Once he felt the fluctuation dip after peeking, he bolted towards her at full speed. With a momentarily weakened energy, Liu’er was able to break through to hug the golden body as he put a solar necklace around her neck. Once it was on, the surging energy calmed down as the dam on her powers seemingly closed.
Even so, Shihou still felt uncomfortable with the remaining energy and strength, so she could only hug the dark-furred macaque gently yet surprisingly tightly. With the golden queen clutching onto her dark-furred counterpart like her life depended on it, Liu’er had no choice but to carry her back to the Shuǐ lián dòng. They did their best to avoid wandering gazes with the advisors shooing them away.
After finally making it to her room and setting her on her bed, the five simians carefully talked things through to the frightened queen. From what was recounted, the moment Liu’er was flung away, the five other simians were de-petrified by some other energy. Seeing the young macaque in danger, they rushed over to the battered macaque and saved him just in time.
Once the queen started to act strangely with an alarming enormous amount of untapped energy, the Old Macaque King was already thinking of how to resolve the incoming issue. It was right before Shihou snapped back to normal that he remembered their ancestral heirloom, the solar and lunar necklaces.
Its original intended use was to disguise the wearer by sealing and suppressing their abilities. It had been collecting dust since it was only useful to cultivators but the energy emanating from the stone simian was close to a cultivator’s. It was a perfect solution if the necklace didn’t have one drawback.
The solar necklace has to use a reference. Copying the strength of the wearer of the lunar necklace, the solar necklace suppresses and therefore disguises the wearer through that method. The issue is that if the difference is too large, there may be remnants of their powers remaining.
With the amount of energy pouring out of the golden simian at that time, the only person who could suppress her was the six-eared macaque. That is why the old king put the lunar necklace on the dark-furred simian. With the solar necklace in hand, Liu’er was tasked to put the corresponding necklace on the out-of-control queen.
They were unsure if he was even going to make it to her. This was their only hope and thankfully, it worked out. The only problem was that the strength Liu’er had was obviously not enough as Shihou still visibly felt uncomfortable with her newfound strength.
Shihou spent the next few hours just latched onto the dark-furred simian for comfort. The macaque was surprisingly patient with her at this critical time. He let her do anything she wanted, even allowing her to play with his ears and tail. He wanted her to feel comfortable but he also needed to make some progress.
Trying various tactics, he finally lured her out of bed. The moment she progressed from there, she accidentally broke her room door when she pulled at the door. In her current state, she was proceeding with extreme caution, moving carefully and gently with every step. Even with this in mind and trying her best to suppress her strength, the door still detached.
“Ha ha, looks like my door has gotten rusty.” She tried to play it off but with a tremble in her voice, she was clearly in distress.
The dark-furred macaque who understood her tactics, smoothly made his way over to her. Instead of confronting her vulnerability, it was better to silently show his support. He intertwined his fingers with hers and allowed the golden tail to wrap around his.
His quiet comfort allowed her to calm down and to bravely continue on. The admiral was ultimately glued to the queen’s side for the rest of the day. Her destructive strength didn’t just break her door, it broke everything she touched. It was disheartening, to say the least.
Although the queen put on a brave front, the warrior could easily see through that. He wanted to help her but he was not knowledgeable enough to formulate a possible solution. Due to this, he reached out to the advisors and the old king. However, even with the four advisors, they had little idea of what to do either.
All of them except the wise Old Macaque King. “This world contains vast amounts of knowledge and mysteries that no one can comprehend. Although on Huāguǒ Shān we do not know how to control your powers, it does not mean that it is an impossibility outside of here.”
“You mean… I must venture out of Huāguǒ Shān?” Shihou asked for clarification as her grip on Liu’er’s hand tightened.
This place had been her home her whole life. The idea of leaving behind not only her home but also her people was one she had never thought about before. This was on top of the idea of just being alone for an unknown amount of time in an unknown place.
Understanding the golden simian’s anxiety, the old king rested a comforting hand on her shoulder and gently explained further in his words. “If you find a celestial to be your mentor, not only will you learn to control your strength, you will gain the strength to be able to truly protect our home. We’re not chasing you away. We will all be waiting for your return.”
Shihou understood the true meaning underneath his original words. It wasn’t that he was forcing her to go. He was only trying to help her. They were helpless in this situation too. Although she did not want to leave them, it was something she needed to do.
She wanted to get better. She wanted to grow stronger so such things would never happen again. She needed the strength and knowledge in order to do the things she truly wanted to do. She needed to venture out of her comfort zone.
Looking up to the most precious people in her life, she made up her mind with swift resolution and determination. “Alright! I’ll head out to the sea the next morning!”
With a newfound goal and confidence, she made the most of the last day she had with everyone. Since the queen was going to leave, they had to decide how they were going to make up for her missing presence. They were tempted to allow the admiral to take the position as he was the next highest rank and the closest to the queen, but he outright refused.
In the end, they decided to give most of the royal duties to the Old Macaque King with the heavier tasks landing on the rest of the advisors. Since everything was dealt with, the only thing left was preparing for the journey itself. After grabbing daily necessities, Shihou and Liu’er Mihou returned to their room. Letting go of the dark-furred hand for the first time today, she went to grab a few of her personal items. To fill the silence, the two naturally started to talk.
Leaning on the wall right next to the queen, the macaque kept close to the other. “So a sea adventure, huh?”
“Yeah! It’ll be fun! Just think of all the things out there-” It was at this moment that Shihou realized that she overlooked something incredibly important.
This island is known as a paradise isolated from the vicious outside world. Venturing outside these lands was considerably dangerous. She needed to leave so that she could protect the people she loved, not drag one of them into unnecessary danger. She can’t have her warrior follow her this time. She needed to do this alone. She had to make him stay.
Noticing the change in the air, the admiral reflexively asked, “What’s wrong?”
“I just thought that it would be better if I go alone.” She said with her voice firm and steady while keeping her head lowered to avoid exposing her true intentions.
The gentleness the other had was instantly turned into anger that was fueled with concern. “Did you hit your head? What kind of nonsense are you spewing? We don’t even know what is out there and you want to face it all alone? Are you fucking insane?!”
“Stop exaggerating, Liu’er. I am not a baby, I can handle myself just fine. There is no meaning to this journey if you are with me. I am going alone and that is final!” Although the golden simian wanted to stay calm, she couldn't help but get led on by her emotions in the end.
Pulling his stubborn queen up to face him, he locked eye contact with her as he continued to confront her about her reckless decision. “This is no time to be stubborn, Peaches! This is your life we’re talking about!”
“Since it is my life, I have the right to decide what to do with it, not you! As queen, I wish to go alone! So I am going alone!” She was sounding more and more unreasonable, but it was more than enough to piss off her childhood friend.
“Fine! Do whatever you want! See if I care!” In that next moment, the dark-furred macaque stormed out of her room.
“Fine! Leave! I don’t care!” Shihou yelled in a moment of anger but once the footsteps were out of range, it all suddenly vanished into nothing but sadness.
Flopping herself onto her bed, she grabbed her necklace while thinking about what she had done. Not wishing to show weakness, she lifted a balled-up fist over her eyes as she suppressed the numerous raging emotions within her. Although she did get heated up at the end of their fight, she achieved what she intended to do. She had succeeded in pushing him away. What she did was the correct thing but why did it feel so wrong?
What made it worse was that there was this deep gut feeling that this was just the beginning.