Volume One: The Childhood Sweethearts’ Rivalry

Chapter One: The Foster Prodigy

In the ninth month of the seventh year of the Qingli era, the late autumn air already carried a hint of chill.

This was a small village by Taihu Lake in Pingjiang Prefecture, under the jurisdiction of Wu County. The village was not large, with about a hundred households.

In the early morning, dew on the red leaves quickly evaporated, and clusters of maple trees appeared even more brilliantly fiery, painting the entire mountain village red.

An elderly man, about sixty years old, was slowly strolling by the riverbank. His face was etched with deep wrinkles, as if he had weathered many hardships.

The old man was simply dressed, wearing a loose, dark green robe. Sometimes he lowered his head in thought, sometimes he sighed softly, and there was always an indescribable loneliness in his eyes.

He had been in this small village for four days. Every day at this time, he would walk several miles along the river, breathing in the fresh country air.

At this moment, a child’s clear and elegant voice came from not far away, as if vividly telling a story.

‘That day, Marshal Tianpeng was filled with grief and indignation, and shouted at the execution officer:’

‘I am a dignified high-ranking marshal, commanding eighty thousand celestial river troops. That Ni Shang Chang’e is merely a palace maid in the Moon Palace, of low status. Though I was rude after drinking, I apologized to the Lord of the Moon. Why must I suffer such a heavy punishment and be banished to the mortal world?’

The execution officer sighed deeply: ‘At this point, do you still not understand? The matter with Chang’e is just an excuse. You arbitrarily changed the rules of the celestial navy, causing dissatisfaction among the immortals. That is the real reason.’

Marshal Tianpeng became even more indignant, “But it was the Jade Emperor who told me to reform the laws. What does it have to do with me?”

The execution officer shook his head, a trace of sympathy flashing in his eyes.

‘The failure of the reform—surely the Jade Emperor can’t be blamed! Of course, the Jade Emperor has to demote you, but he’ll also give you some special treatment.’

……

When the old man heard, ‘The failure of the reform—surely the Jade Emperor can’t be blamed!’ he couldn’t help but tremble all over, a look of surprise in his eyes.

He hurriedly looked around, as if the voice was coming from the direction of a large tree to his left.

The old man strode toward the tree, but his foot caught on a stone and he nearly fell, his ankle throbbing with pain.

But he didn’t have time to check it, forcing himself to endure the pain as he reached the tree.

Under an ancient maple tree, seven or eight mischievous children with hair in topknots sat on stones, resting their chins in their hands, listening with rapt attention.

The storyteller was a young boy, rather tall, looking about ten years old, but his features suggested he was only seven or eight.

He wore a patched brown short jacket. Years of wind and sun had not darkened his skin, and his features still held a touch of refinement rare among country children.

If you looked closely, you would notice a hint of maturity in his eyes that didn’t match his age.

This storyteller was named Nathan Foster, only eight years old this year.

Nathan Foster was named by his grandfather, who hoped he would be quieter because he cried so loudly at birth.

But as he grew, he became too quiet—he rarely spoke and was slower to react than other children, appearing dull and slow-witted.

Except for his parents, who remembered his formal name, everyone in the village was used to calling him Andy Clark.

From childhood, his reputation for being slow spread far and wide. Even the teacher at the village school called him Andy Foster in class.

Until a month ago, after a serious illness, he suddenly changed—he became articulate, quick-witted, and had an astonishing memory, completely transforming into another child.

His parents were overjoyed, thinking it was a blessing from the Buddha. His mother even made a special trip to Lingyan Temple to give thanks.

But only Nathan Foster himself knew that an unexpected accident had caused him to travel through time and space, arriving in the Song Dynasty a thousand years ago.

But as the saying goes, “the child is father to the man”—everyone was already used to his former dullness, and it would take time to completely change their impression of him.

Out of the corner of his eye, Nathan Foster saw the old man in green approaching from the riverside, and he was secretly delighted.

“The execution officer wasn’t entirely right. We should understand it this way: there were only four spots for the pilgrimage to the West, and all the elders in heaven wanted to secure one for their own people, so they tried every means to get their candidates in. That’s the real reason Marshal Tianpeng, even after reincarnation, retained his divine consciousness, martial skills, and weapons. As for who arranged for Marshal Tianpeng to descend to the mortal world, that’s today’s question. Go home and think about it, and answer me tomorrow.”

At this, Nathan Foster smiled and said, “As for the question I gave you all yesterday, let’s hear your answers. Why, knowing that the Monkey King loved peaches, did the immortals still recommend him to guard the Peach Orchard?”

The children all started chattering at once, but Nathan Foster shook his head—none of their answers were correct.