Journey to Somewhere New (Sun Wukong x reader)

Chap. 3 - A sad old man

"Hey, we're going too!" (Y/n) and the rest of the group followed. "Something big must be going on if the Army of Heaven is there."
"They only answer to the Jade Emperor I think." Nian Zhen added. "Wonder what that old man's deal is."
"The emperor probably didn't like his shoes or something petty like that!" Monkey cackled.
"I'd recognize that obnoxious cackle anywhere!" a fourth voice said.
They all looked over to see a soldier running over to them. With his fancy shiny armor, he was clearly one of the soldiers they were talking about.
"Sun Wukong!" he looked at (Y/n). "Golden Cicada!" he looked at Nian Zhen and the Horse. "Uh..." he looked back at the couple. "You have to help us!"
Nian Zhen and the Horse made a similar face, frowning slightly with their nose turned-up.
"We've tried everything. At this point, you're our last hope." he continued.
"Why? What happened?" (Y/n) asked, concerned upon seeing his panic.
"The Jade Emperor! He-" he quickly looked around before leaning closer. "A while ago, he ran away." he said more quietly. "We've been looking for him everywhere...and we've found him...And it's even worse than we imagined."
There was a moment of confused silence, until, the group gasped.
"No way!!!" Monkey exclaimed, the only one here with a wide excited smiled.

The Jade Emperor, wearing raggedy clothes, was kneeling on the ground in front of a vegetable patch with no vegetables, only dry dirt. He has concealed his bright celestial aura and looked like a normal depressed human. He was crying, and surrounded by soldiers, who weren't trained to deal with such a situation.
"I can't do anything right!" he sobbed loudly. "I don't even know how potatoes work!"
"Y-your Imperial Majesty!" one of the soldiers said. "Please come back! You'll have all the potatoes you wan-"
"I don't want them! I want to grow my own!"
He sniffed the snot back in his nose, took a small rake and mindlessly turned the dirt over.
"Oh my Lord." (Y/n) said, stunned as her and the others watched from a distance.
"I think he's going through a crisis." Nian Zhen whispered to her.
Monkey was leaning on the Horse, his back turned to them and covering his mouth so as to not laugh too loudly. But he couldn't stop giggling.

"Monkey please." (Y/n) hit him on the shoulder. "This isn't funny."
He looked at her with his eyebrows raised. The corner of her mouth slowly went upwards.
"It's not-" she contained a laugh. "It's not funny!" she said with a big smile.
"Come *on* you two!" Nian Zhen tilted her head.
"You're right, you're right." she walked over to the Emperor, she leaned over and placed her hands on her knees. "Um...Your Highness?"
"Ah!" he looked at her, then back down, turning over the dirt sadly with a whine. "What horrible ways fate cares for me, bringing you here to remind me of my ill deeds."
"What's wrong? Why are you, crying over a, bunch of potatoes?" she suppressed a laugh.
"After you and Wukong defeated the Three-Horned Demon Lord - fantastic job by the way- I was reminded of what you said, and I came to the conclusion that I'm a horrible emperor, a horrible man, and now also a horrible gardener!!!" he cried some more. "How do the servants in Heaven do it?!"

"They use their powers your Highness!" one of the soldiers said. "I-If you use yours, you'd have a stunning garden in no tim-"
"You fools!" he pointed at them. "If I can't even do what a human peasant can, than I don't deserve *anything*!"
"Oww..." she furrowed her eyebrows, now feeling a bit bad for him. "You're trying to redeem yourself. Why do this though, instead of simply apologizing to all the people you've wronged?"
He sniffed and looked down. A moment passed and he didn't give an answer. She sighed and stood straight.
"And you've been at it for days?" she looked over the patch. "It looks dry, when was the last time you watered the dirt?"
He slowly looked up at her with big eyes.
"Water?"
'Oh...' she pursued her lips. 'This really is bad.'

"I must have water immediately!" he exclaimed. "Fetch me some water- No, wait! I must do it on my own! Get back here you lot!" he quickly stood up and ran after the soldiers who have already left upon hearing his command. "I'll do it first!"
(Y/n) let out another big sigh before returning to her group.
"He *is* going through a crisis!" Nian Zhen pointed at him, a bit in disbelief. "The Jade Emperor himself...."
"Honestly, I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner." Monkey wiped a tear away with a small huff.
"W-well this is bad! Really bad! It must be chaos in Heaven right now!"
"You know what kid, you're right." he stroked his chin, his grin turning into more of a smirk. "Who's gonna rule over Heaven, now that the position is available...?"
His three companions looked at him with big eyes. Despite two of them not knowing Sun Wukong for very long, it was plenty enough to figure out exactly what he was thinking. It was written all over his face anyway.
"Monkey no!" (Y/n) furrowed her eyebrows.