Fairy Fate in the City

The flickering neon signs of the city blurred as Ma Teng, a lawyer fresh from a late day at the office, walked down the street. He was tired, the weight of recent cases pressing on him, but a snippet of conversation from a passing couple snagged his attention: the upcoming release of a movie based on “Journey to the West.” His favorite. Impulsively, he checked his phone, booked a ticket, and an hour later found himself not just watching a film, but staring into the eyes of the legendary Monkey King himself. The mythical figure, solid and real before him, declared he’d received a “fairy fate” and was now enlisted in the Space-Time Management Bureau, tasked with cleaning up cosmic “garbage.” With a tap to his forehead, Ma Teng gained the Seventy-two Changes and a magical jade card. Returning home, the surreal encounter was almost unbelievable, were it not for the card in his hand. Insomnia claimed him that night, his mind reeling with possibilities. The next morning, a call from his father shattered the fantasy-induced haze, pulling him back into the tangled reality of his estranged family and the long-simmering desire for revenge.