"Dang it, Mk! Where is that kid?!" Pigsy mutters, trying to reach Mk via his phone. Mk had gone to deliver noodles, and he hadn't come back yet. The pig demon wasn't worried yet, but the young man was falling behind on his deliveries. Chen ignores the chef, walking around the kitchen and getting the rest of the orders ready.

It had only been a day since the Great Wall Race. A day since Chen, Pigsy and Tang found out the young man's origins. And for some reason Chen had refused to take a break all morning. He had been up early that morning, making orders with his pops.
He still held that same scowl on his face from the previous night. He's been on autopilot all morning, trying (and failing) to distract himself from his thoughts by working.

He's eventually snapped out of his working trance when Pigsy's voice yells out to him. "Hey, Chen! I can't reach Mk, so I need you to deliver the noodles!" he orders, handing Chen the undelivered noodles. The young man stares down at them for a second, before walking toward the door. "Aight. Be back in a bit, then." he says blankly, disappearing outside.

He gets into the tuk-tuk, and he takes note that Mk's own vehicle isn't there. Maybe he got caught up with something, like a fight with a few demons. Maybe even the Demon Bull Family again.

If that's the case Chen would give anything to be in HIS place right now, just to get back at them for trying to brainwash him.

His grip tightens on the wheel, and with an angry huff he turns on the tuk-tuk, driving out onto the street. He doesn't bother putting on his earphones to listen to music anymore, trying to focus on the road.

All the while, a figure in a hood watches him leave from a nearby rooftop, scaly tail swinging back and forth impatiently. The sun glints off of a small silver object in their hand, before they quickly conceal it in their sleeve. They follow after the young man and the tuk-tuk, parkouring across the rooftops with ease to keep up.

After about an hour of delivering noodles Chen was finally finished. He'd just dropped a bag off at the doorstep of some sketchy alleyway door, to which no one had answered. Good thing they paid in advance, because Chen sure as heck wasn't gonna stick around this place.
He quickly turns to leave, oblivious to a dark figure clinging to the building wall above him.

The hooded figure leaps off of the building, landing silently behind the young man. Their red eyes glow brightly in the dim alleyway, as they silently approach Chen from behind. From their sleeve they brought out a small weapon, and with a flick of their wrist the weapon extends into a Guandao. From behind the figure a large, translucent serpent appears, mouth hanging wide open as if to devour the unknowing young man.

Spinning it once in their hand, they lift their weapon high above their head, ready to bring it down on the young man's head.

This was it. They had to do it now, while the kid was alone.

As they're about to bring down their weapon, they freeze, a realisation dawning on them.

This was only going to make things worse for them. When Wukong found out that the kid is missing, he's gonna hunt down the one responsible-

They slowly lower their weapon, watching the young man walk away with growing frustration.

This is why they can't be trusted making their own decisions. This is why they needed their Lady.

The translucent snake disappears as the figure shrinks their Guandao once more, putting it back in their sleeve. No, they couldn't kill the kid.
Their only hope was to talk to him.

Chen gets back into his tuk-tuk, about to drive off when he hears someone clear their throat. The young man turns his head back to the alleyway, spotting a familiar demon standing in the sunlight, a smile on his face and a bag of noodles in his hand. "Hey, kid! Thanks for the noodles!" Jade chuckles, waving the bag around. "So... how are you feeling after yesterday?" he asks politely, trying to make conversation.

The young man stares at him suspiciously. After a long moment of awkward silence, he finally speaks. "What's your deal?" he growls harshly. Jade seems taken aback, glancing off to the side momentarily. "P-pardon?" he stammers, and Chen just pinches the bridge of his nose. "Oh for the love of- Don't play dumb! What is with you?! You keep showing up in the most random places! Are you stalking me or something?" he interrogates, getting out of his tuk-tuk and marching over to the snake demon. Jade immediately takes a step back, holding his hands up in a surrender motion. "H-hey, kid, calm down! No need to get angry-" he tried to calm the young man, but Chen wasn't having it. He continues his angry rant.
"And yesterday you lied to my face about the calabash incident! You knew I was related to the Demon Bull Family! How long did you know?! And don't lie to me this time!" Chen shouts, standing right in the snake demon's face.

Jade falls silent, looking down at the young man. He could see that the young man was very upset about the new information. Of course, it'd make sense for someone like him. Everything he knew about himself had been flipped upside down, leaving him fumbling for answers and figuring out what had been truths and what had been lies.

"Well!? Answer me!" Chen shouts angrily, furious over Jade's silence. The snake demon sighs, taking another step back as he looks down at the young man calmly. "Kid, I knew because of the planning board those demons had. I think you know which one I'm talking about." he says smoothly. "Also, has anyone ever told you that you need to stop picking fights with demons? You're gonna get yourself into a fight you can't win." he says. At this, Chen scoffs, crossing his arms and looking away with a scowl.

For a while, a silence hangs over the two, and Jade glances around awkwardly, rubbing his neck. Finally, Chen speaks up once more, his voice a lot more quiet this time. "Sorry for getting angry. And...thanks. For getting me out of that calabash, I mean..." he mumbles, his gaze fixated on the ground.
At this, Jade gives the young man a small grin. "No problem, kid. Although, it's a wonder you didn't get out of there yourself. You have a lot of power in you, I can see it. You need to find a mentor to help you harness that power. If you do that, it'll make you a LOT stronger. You need someone who has experience in battle and demonic abilities." he states casually, hopping up onto a dumpster to sit. He already knew that Chen had Sun Wukong as his mentor, but the snake demon didn't exactly see him as a good teacher. He needed to find a better one.

At his words, Chen gets an idea. He turns to the snake demon, who was digging into his noodles excitedly. "Oh, these are good! Compliments to the chef!" Jade chuckles. He's about to help himself to more noodles when Chen gets into his face, surprising the demon.

"You can train me!"

Jade immediately spits out his noodles, coughing into his sleeve as he gawks at the young man. "Wait-what?"
Chen was looking up at him expectantly, a hint of excitement on his face. The snake demon hadn't anticipated this. He was just giving the kid a suggestion, not making an offer! "Kid, I really don't think that I'd be-"

"Think about it! You're a demon, right? Who better to train me to fight and harness my powers than another demon!" Chen exclaims, a big grin on his face. Jade stares at him with wide eyes, starting to sweat. Oh boy. "Look, kid, I'm not the best person for the job. Aren't you friends with the Monkie Kid? Why don't you ask his mentor for help?" he suggests, trying to subtly steer the young man away from the absurd idea.

At this, Chen crosses his arms once more, looking a little dejected. "I am taking lessons from him. He's been teaching me self defence, but he hasn't gotten into the power stuff yet. Keeps telling me to "control my temper", but I can't just wait around till he decides when I can learn more about my powers. Besides, he's always busy with Mk, so why not make it easier for him by bringing in another mentor?" he says excitedly.

Jade stays quiet, a blank expression on his face. Okay, maybe Wukong has matured a little. Onlyalittle.

"Sorry, kid, but I'm not teacher material." the snake demon finally responds, looking away. "I'm not the right person for the job. You're gonna have to find someone else." he states.
Chen's expression falls, a look of disappointment crossing his features. He quickly shakes his head, determined. "Please? You're the only demon who hasn't killed me yet! If you help me, I could help you with something!"

Jade cringes at his first statement, but quickly composes himself.
He looks over the young man, deep in thought. He wasn't gonna give up, that much was obvious. But the snake demon thought over it. Maybe this way, he could keep an eye on the young man, make sure he doesn't go telling people of his existence, and maybe even when his Lady is released...

The snake demon scratches his chin in thought, and he could see the young man staring at him hopefully out of the corner of his eye. Finally, he spoke.
"Alright. You've convinced me." He says, giving Chen a small smile. "All I ask is that you don't go telling people about me, just like last time. Understood?"

Chen grins. "You got it! So, when are we gonna start? Today? Right now?" he asks excitedly, ecstatic at this news. Jade shakes his head, holding up a hand. "Hold up, kid. Not today. I have things to do. And besides, you had a rough day yesterday, and i don't wanna rush it. Give it till next week, alright? Give yourself some rest." He says. At this, the young man rolls his eyes, crossing his arms as he calms down.

"Fine."

Jade nods. "Great! Now shouldn't you be going? I think your father is wondering where you are." He points out, gesturing to the phone that was vibrating on the tuk-tuk seat, the name "TANG" on the screen. Chen looks over, picking it up.
"Not my dad, but he sure does like to act like it." The young man states, texting Tang back. "But you're right. Got a bit carried away there. So...see you next week? Where did you wanna train?" He asks. Jade thinks for a minute.
"What about that empty dojo downtown? It's not too far away from your work, right?"

Chen nods, a wide grin growing on his face once more as he put his phone in his pocket. "Sounds good to me! You better keep your promise." He states in a joking manner, getting back into the tuk-tuk. Jade has a small, friendly smile on his face as well, as they hold their noodle delivery close. "As long as you keep yours."

At this, the young man chuckles. "Oh ho ho ho! Trust me, I never break a promise." The young man grins, starting up the tuk-tuk. "Till next time, Mr. Jade!" He shouts, driving away.

Jade watches him leave, caught off guard. The kid... remembered his name? That... certainly surprised him.

Shaking his head, he wanders back into the alley, still holding the bag of noodles as he disappears.

As Chen drove back to the Noodle shop, he thought over his decision. Sure, it was a stupid decision, but he needed this new training. He needed to become stronger, to become better. And obviously training with the one and only Monkey King wasn't enough if he couldn't get out of a stupid calabash on his own. Or fight back against whatever was inside it...

No, he needed to work harder, even if it meant taking lessons from a sketchy demon that he's only met a couple of times before. The same demon that saved his butt from being either brainwashed or killed.

Chen makes it back to Pigsy's safely, the pig demon waiting for him with a disappointed scowl. "Chen! What took ya so long?! We're falling behind on orders!" He points out, gesturing to the growing pile of orders sitting on the bench.

The young man looks over the pig's shoulder at the deliveries, confused. "Mk isn't back yet?" He asks, confused. Pigsy replies by shaking his head.

"Do ya know where that dang kid is? He hasn't been answering my calls all afternoon." He grumbles, pulling out his phone to show Chen the last message he'd sent. At his question, Chen shakes his head. "No, I haven't seen him."

The pig demons face contorts into a look of worry now. He looks back at his phone, then rubs the back of his neck. "I thought you would've seen him while you were delivering..." he mutters worriedly.

Chen glances between the large pile of deliveries then back to his father. Mk and Chen had no training with Monkey King today, so Mk being missing was a red flag.
He lets out a sigh. "I'll continue with the deliveries, and I'll keep an eye out for him. You stay here and call everyone, ask if they've seen him." He states, grabbing the deliveries. At this, Pigsy nods, quickly typing away on his phone as Chen heads towards the door.
"Text me when you find him." He calls over his shoulder, heading to his tuk-tuk.

"C'mon Mk, where are you?" Chen mutters to himself. He was halfway through his deliveries and he hadn't seen any sign of the young man. Pigsy hadn't texted him, meaning he hadn't found Mk yet either.

Chen turns a corner, and slams his foot on the brakes when he spots a familiar figure standing in an alley. He whips his head around just in time to catch the mechanical bull quickly disappear into the shadows.

What was that thing doing here?!

The young man immediately gets out of his tuk-tuk, chasing after the figure. If that thing was here, then the Demon Bull Family weren't too far off, right?

He soon catches sight of the bull clone, high up on a rooftop staring down at him. It stood stock still, wrapped in a cloak and wearing a hat that covered its horns and face, but the young man recognised it almost immediately.

Chen's hands clenched into fists as he scowled back at the clone, gritting his teeth. The two have an intense stare down, before the clone finally turns and leaves, disappearing from Chen's sight.

The young man scoffs, glaring after it. "Coward." He mutters angrily. The Demon Bull Family were nothing but cowards, hiding away and not facing him directly. Next time he saw Red Son, he was going to give that edge lord prince the biggest beat down of his life-

The young man stomps back to his tuk-tuk, muttering curses and threats under his breath as he drives off.

This was why he needed another mentor. So then he's stronger, he's more prepared, and he won't lose again.

After another hour, Chen was finished delivering the noodles. There was still no text from Pigsy, meaning Mk had not been found. Now Chen was getting worried. He contemplated calling the police, if Pigsy hadn't already. Maybe ask Sandy to take him to Flower Fruit Mountain to see if he's with Monkey King?

As he walks back to his tuk-tuk, he spots a familiar vehicle on the opposite side of the street. The young man's eyes widen, and he quickly approaches it. It was Mk's tuk-tuk.

He quickly looks around for any sign of his brother. That's when his gaze lands on the building Mk's vehicle was parked in front of, and his brows furrow in irritation and fury.

Oh, he did NOT-

The young man marches towards the entrance of the arcade, slamming the doors open.

Inside, there were several people playing on arcade machines, but Chen was only looking for one person in particular.
His gaze then lands on who he was searching for, and he lets out a frustrated sigh.

There stood Mk, perfectly unharmed and absorbed in one of the games. He was grinning from ear to ear, having the time of his life.

Chen walks over to him, arms crossed as he scowls down at his brother. "Mk."

Mk jumps in surprise, whipping around to face the voice. When he sees its only Chen, he lets out a sigh of relief. "Whew! It's just you! I thought you were Pigsy for a minute-"
He wasn't able to get another word out when Chen whacks him on the back of the head, earning a yelp from the boy. "Ow! Hey! What was that for?!"

"Mk! We've been looking everywhere for you! Do you even realise how long you've been in here?!" Chen shouts, as Mk rubs the back of his head. The boy thinks for a minute. "Uh...a few minutes?"

"Try a few hours!" Chen snaps, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You had Pigsy worried, ya dingus!" He scolds. Mk rubs the back of his neck sheepishly. "Geesh, sorry!" The young boy says, looking away for a minute. A sly grin crosses his features when he turns back to Chen. "Looks like he wasn't the only one worried, though." He chuckles, elbowing Chen. "Were you worried about me, Chen?~"

This earns the boy another whack to the back of the head, and he lets out another yelp.
"In your dreams, monkey brain. I knew you were either off fighting a demon or getting distracted." Chen scoffs, turning away from Mk as he crosses his arms. "Now let's get back to the Noodle shop. You have a lot of deliveries to catch up on." He states, dragging poor Mk behind him. The young man whines, but follows behind Chen.

Across the street, watching from the shadows, General Ironclad watches the two young men intently.

Princess Ironfan watches from the cameras, safely back at the base. She scowls at the screens at the sight of her long lost son being 'friends' with the Monkie Kid.
It frustrated her even more when she realised they acted more as brothers than anything else.

She looks away from the screen, her gaze instead turning to her husband watching over the bull clones mining away to reach the ancient power source.

It was cruel of fate to tear up her family in such a way. First, her husband had been trapped under a mountain for centuries, and then one of her precious children had been taken away from her. She was left alone with Red Son, searching for a way to free her husband and search for Niúzǎi. Neither had been successful.

But that all changed when her brilliant son figured out how to remove Monkey King's staff.
And then Niúzǎi appears, as if rising from the dead. The son she believed had perished centuries ago.

Yet here he was, healthy and unharmed, and friends with the Monkie Kid.

Princess Ironfan turns back to the screen, watching Chen and Mk get back into their respective vehicles and drive back to Pigsy's Noodles.

"We'll get you back, Niúzǎi. That's a promise."

A/N: Chen will keep true to his word. I think y'all know why he wouldn't go back on a promise ehejej

Yeah this WASNT how I was gonna get Chen to train with Jade, it was gonna be an offer but then I thought "hey what if this happened instead?" And I went with it nsndbd

also sorry for all the paragraph stuff it has come to my realisation that certain things ARENT showing up this things being a bitch lmao