“We have much to discuss,” Xiong said gravely. “The warrior societies must stand in strong unity against the demons, or else we will all perish.”
“I agree,” Mr. Zhao said with an air of equal seriousness. “Our warrior societies must reconcile any and all differences if we are to protect humanity.”
Xiong swept his gaze across us with a tiny smile. “But first, you warriors must rest.”
“Rest?” Jordan cried out. “How do you expect me to rest when—?”
Xiong gave Jordan such a cutting look that he stopped speaking at once. “Please, brave warriors, tell us all about your quest.”
I nodded toward the monkeys behind me. “Elder Xiong, we believe we’ve found the ‘old ally’ from the shī. This is Sun Wukong,” I said, feeling kind of dumb. I was pretty sure the Monkey King’s identity was obvious. How many monkey kings were there, after all?
Xiong glanced past us toward Sun Wukong, who just sniffed and crossed his arms over his chest.
“You’re the king?” Sun Wukong asked. “Jeez. No wonder these kids are in a mess.”
Xiong didn’t seem fazed by the rudeness. On the contrary, he bowed his head to show respect. “I wouldn’t go quite as far as to call myself king, but I am the leader of the New Order. And you must be the legendary Monkey King, Sun Wukong, dà shèng.”
Sun Wukong’s chest puffed out. “The one and only.”
“What brings you to the New Order, Monkey King?”
“My monkeys and I …” Sun Wukong hesitated and pinched up his expression, as though asking for help were causing him physical pain—which it probably was. “We don’t have a home right now. We’re hoping you could give us somewhere to stay.”
“The two dragons need a place to stay, too,” I added quickly. “Thanks.”
“Dragons?” yelped one of the Elders in alarm.
“And?” I prompted, ignoring the murmurs of confusion and giving Sun Wukong a we-had-a-deal look.
He rolled his eyes and gritted his teeth. “And in return, we’ll help the warriors win this war against most of Heaven.”
Xiong nodded and stroked his beard. “Very well. We’ll make sure that Sun Wukong, dà shèng, and his monkeys will be treated as honored guests during their stay at the New Order.”
This seemed to appease Sun Wukong, because he actually shut up.
I took advantage of the momentary silence to step forward. “I—I need to speak to my father. The warrior Zhuang. It’s urgent.”
Xiong turned his gaze toward me. But rather than the confusion or surprise I’d anticipated, I saw understanding. “You have something to give him, don’t you?”
I nodded. I reached toward my backpack, where I carried the elixir. Xiong’s eyes followed the movement, a small, knowing smile stretching across his face.
“Zhuang,” called the master of the New Order.
My father turned around and stood up slowly with his eyes closed. When they opened, they met everyone’s eyes one by one—everyone’s except mine. I tried not to let that get to me.
I stood there, unsure what to do next. Xiong placed his hand on my back and gave me a gentle push forward. Aware of the many pairs of eyes on me, I took one step forward, then another and another.
Ba’s eyes finally met mine when I stood right in front of him.
Raising the vial toward my father, I said, “Please drink this.”
“What is it?”
“Um …” Well, I couldn’t tell my father it was a memory-restoring elixir. That’d probably make him run for the hills. “It’s, uh, a tonic for your … muscles.” In a moment of inspiration, I added, “The gods gave this to me as a gift for completing their quest.”
Ba stepped away, eyes wide. “Then you should use it, Faryn.”
“I already had some,” I lied. “Trust me, you’ll feel better once you’ve taken this tonic.”
Ba gave me a small, appreciative smile. “Thank you, child.” He took the vial from my hands, raised it to his lips, and tilted it back. The purple liquid poured out of the vial, and with three big gulps, it all disappeared down Ba’s throat.
“Ah.” My father sighed once he’d swallowed the last gulp. He shook his head and gave us a thoughtful look. My heart hammered in my chest. The silence seemed to grow louder with each passing moment. “Powerful tonic. I do feel stronger, and—”
Ba gasped and lurched down to the ground.
“Ba!” I cried without thinking at the same time others shouted, “What’s happening?”
I bent down and placed a hand on my father’s back. His body was racked with shivers. But after a few moments, the shivers passed.
“Ba?” I said uncertainly.
My father straightened. My arm slid off his back and returned to my side. I found myself face-to-face with Ba, and for the first time in years and years, we were looking at each other—really looking.
“F-Falun?” Ba whispered.
My throat closed up. I nodded. Something wet splashed down my nose and cheeks. Tears.
Then Ba leaned forward and wrapped me in the biggest, tightest hug I’d ever received in my life. I could barely breathe, but I didn’t even mind.
“I’m … back,” my father said in a choked voice. “I’m—I’m late. So very late, nǚ ér.” Daughter.
“Ba,” I gasped.
We hugged, the warmth of the embrace saying all the words that we couldn’t speak. After a while, someone cleared their throat. I blinked back tears and looked up. Several warriors had pulled out tissues and were wiping away their own tears. Even Xiong’s eyes were redder and brighter than usual.
Reluctantly, I pulled away from Ba’s embrace. My father helped me to my feet, and we stood side by side as the master of the New Order gathered everyone’s attention on himself once more.
“Now that the warriors have returned successfully from their quest, I have good news and bad news,” Xiong announced in a firm voice. “The bad news is, as you may have noticed, Nezha, Guanyin, and Erlang Shen are no longer with us.”
Anger flared anew in my chest at the mention of Erlang Shen’s name.
“Erlang Shen joined the Jade Emperor’s army,” I
