The wind whispered through the high mountain trees, carrying with it the scent of pine and the crisp bite of the coming autumn. The skies were a canvas of pale blue, with streaks of white clouds lazily drifting across. At the summit of Mount Huaguo, where Sun Wukong’s legacy had been passed on to a new generation, the destined one stood still. His name had once been unimportant, lost among the tales of others, but now he was known as the successor to the Great Sage Equal to Heaven—the new bearer of the Monkey King's mantle.

He gazed out over the vast landscape, his heart both full and strangely empty. The years spent in training, in mastering the powers passed down to him, had been difficult yet rewarding. He had accepted his destiny with a quiet determination, growing stronger with each trial, each lesson. Sun Wukong had watched over him, his eyes keen and his words sharp, ensuring that the destined one lived up to the title. And now, he had.

A companion. A wife.

It was a strange longing, one he had not expected. After years of battles, of protecting the lands from demons and spirits, the desire for peace, for a shared life, had crept in slowly. And now it called to him like a siren, urging him to leave the mountain and seek out the woman who would stand beside him in the quiet moments between the chaos.

He descended from Mount Huaguo with little fanfare. The immortal apes and spirits of the mountain bid him farewell, their eyes glowing with respect and pride for their new leader. Sun Wukong himself had said nothing, only watched from the shadows of the bamboo groves, his golden eyes gleaming with a knowing smile. He had lived lifetimes of solitude, but perhaps he understood the desire for something more.

And so, the destined one set off on his journey.