High above in the Lingxiao Palace, Jade Emperor was holding court. All the immortals sat in rows. The immortal Qiu Hongji stepped forward and announced, “Your Majesty, Ao Guang, Dragon King of East Sea, is waiting outside with a memorial.”

Jade Emperor gave a slight nod. “Let him in.”

Ao Guang entered, bowed, and handed over the scroll. Jade Emperor unrolled it and read:

“Your humble subject Ao Guang reports: Sun Wukong of Mount Huaguo barged into my underwater palace and demanded a weapon. When we didn’t give him what he wanted, he started casting spells and scaring the scales off my golden cudgel. Turtles and toads fled in chaos. Eventually, we had to bribe him off with enchanted iron, a gold crown, chainmail armor, and cloud-walking boots. But instead of leaving quietly, he strutted off shouting ‘Too noisy!’ like he owned the place. This monkey is a menace. Please, Your Majesty, send heavenly troops to subdue him and restore peace to the seas.”

Jade Emperor frowned. “Have the Dragon King return for now. I will send someone to deal with the monkey.”

No sooner had Ao Guang left, when another immortal stepped up. “Your Majesty,” said Celestial Master Ge Xianweng, “King Qin Guang of the Hell brings a report on behalf of Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva.”

A celestial attendant handed over another scroll. Jade Emperor opened it and read:

“We of the Hell uphold the laws of life and death. Recently, Sun Wukong caused havoc in our realm. He ignored summons, beat up soul-fetchers, terrified the Ten Kings of Hell, and even erased his own and his monkey tribe’s names from the Book of Life and Death. This has thrown reincarnation into chaos. We urgently request Your Majesty to send divine troops to bring this creature under control and restore order to the afterlife.”

Another sigh from Jade Emperor. “Let King Qin Guang return. I will handle it.”

Then he turned to the assembly and asked, “When was this monkey born? And how did he become so powerful?”

At once, the deities Clairvoyant Eye and Clairaudient Ear stepped forward. “Three hundred years ago, a stone monkey was born. No one paid much attention. But recently, he’s somehow mastered the Way and able to tame dragons and tigers, and now even rewriting fate.”

Jade Emperor looked around. “Who’s willing to go down and catch him?”

Before anyone could answer, the wise and ever-smiling Taibai Jinxing stepped forward, knelt, and said, “Your Majesty, any creature with the seven orifices of the human face can cultivate immortality. Though not human, this monkey was born of Heaven and Earth, nurtured by the sun and moon, and now stands upright, feeds on mist, and drinks dew. He’s practically one of us. I suggest we offer him a position in Heaven. If he behaves, promote him slowly. If not, we can arrest him later. No need for war. Win him over first.”

Jade Emperor’s eyes lit up. “Excellent idea!” He ordered the Star of Literature to draft the imperial decree and sent Taibai Jinxing to deliver it.

Down he flew to the Water Curtain Cave of Mount Huaguo. At the entrance, the little monkeys looked up, wide-eyed.

“I’m here by order of Jade Emperor!” Taibai Jinxing called. “I bring a heavenly decree for your king!”

The message echoed through the cave. “Great King! Some old guy’s here with an imperial scroll. He says you’re invited to Heaven!”

Sun Wukong was delighted. “Ha! I’ve always wanted to see what it’s like up there. Let him in!”

Dressed in his finest armor and beaming with pride, Wukong welcomed the old immortal. Taibai Jinxing got straight to the point: “By command of Jade Emperor, you are summoned to Heaven to be appointed a celestial official.”

Wukong laughed. “I appreciate your visit, old star! I was just thinking it’s about time I made my debut in the sky.”

He was about to throw a feast, but Taibai Jinxing stopped him. “No time for partying. Let’s get you appointed first. We have plenty of time to celebrate later.”

“Fair enough,” said Wukong. He turned to his top warriors. “Take care of the mountain while I go scout things out. Once I figure out the situation up there, I’ll bring you all with me.”

With that, he leapt onto a cloud with Taibai Jinxing… and then immediately left the old man in the dust. Wukong’s somersault cloud was so fast he arrived at the Southern Heavenly Gate long before Taibai Jinxing could catch up.

But just as he was about to step in, BAM! He was blocked by Virūḍhaka (Heavenly King of the South) and a squad of armed soldiers.

“Hey! What’s this about?!” Wukong fumed. “That old guy said I was invited! What kind of invitation comes with swords pointed at your chest?”

The guards didn’t budge. Wukong was about to throw a fit when Taibai Jinxing finally arrived, panting. Wukong pointed an accusing finger. “You call this a royal invitation?! I’m not even allowed through the door!”

Taibai Jinxing smiled calmly. “Relax, Great King. You’ve never been to Heaven before and don’t have an official title yet. Of course the guards won’t recognize you. But once Jade Emperor grants you your post, no one will dare stop you again.”

Wukong’s anger cooled a little. “Fine,” he huffed, “but I’m not going inside just yet.”

Taibai Jinxing quickly tugged his arm. “You’ve come all the way to Heaven! You have to meet Jade Emperor!” Then he shouted, “Heavenly soldiers, listen up! This is a divine guest summoned by Jade Emperor. Stand down!”

The guards lowered their weapons and stepped aside. Seeing that, Wukong finally believed him and swaggered through Heaven’s gates.

The moment he entered, it was like walking into a dream. Everything shimmered with golden light and clouds of divine mist. The Southern Gate was built from crystal and glazed jade, flanked by two towering generals radiating authority. Inside was even more jaw-dropping—golden dragons coiled around columns, phoenixes danced among rafters, palaces stacked like mountains, and the air smelled of celestial blossoms. Rare treasures sparkled at every turn. Compared to the mortal world, this place was a thousand times more dazzling.

Taibai Jinxing led him straight to the Lignxiao Palace. No announcement, no ceremony—just walked him right in. Wukong stood off to the side, arms crossed, not even pretending to bow. He tilted his head as Taibai Jinxing stepped forward and addressed the throne.

“Your Majesty, as ordered, I’ve brought the so-called ‘demon immortal.’”

Jade Emperor asked, “Which one is he?”

Wukong grinned. “That’d be me. Sun Wukong”

The court erupted.

“This monkey didn’t bow!”

“He called himself Sun Wukong! How rude!”

Jade Emperor just chuckled. “Sun Wukong is new here. He doesn’t know our ways yet. We’ll let it slide for now.”

Grumbling, the officials all bowed in thanks. Wukong gave a lazy salute in return—his version of being polite.

Jade Emperor turned to his ministers. “See where we have a vacancy.”

The Star of Martial Valor stepped forward. “Every post is filled, except… the Heavenly Stables could use a supervisor.”

Jade Emperor nodded. “Very well. Appoint Sun Wukong as the Supervisor of Heavenly Stables.”

The whole court echoed, “As you command!”

Wukong actually gave a proper bow this time.

Soon, he was off with the Star of Wood to report for duty.

Once he arrived at the Heavenly Stables, Wukong wasted no time. He summoned all the staff for a briefing. He wanted to know everything.

Turns out, the Heavenly Stables housed over a thousand divine horses, names like Blazehoof, Red Hare, Skybreaker, Thunderbolt. These weren’t your average ponies. They could gallop on clouds and cover a thousand miles a day. Strong, sleek, full of spirit.

Wukong got right to work. He checked the ledgers, counted the horses, assigned responsibilities. Some cared for the feed, others cleaned and watered, a few cooked special supplements. Deputy supervisors handled the logistics. As for Wukong? He watched over everything personally.

By day, he pushed the horses through drills. By night, he’d yank sleepy ones out of their stalls for late-night snacks or drag the wanderers back to the trough.

Before long, those divine steeds were stronger than ever—glossy coats, blazing eyes, hooves like thunder. Even Jade Emperor would’ve had to admit: Wukong ran a tighter ship than anyone before him.

End of this chapter. Thank you for reading!

This is just the serialized version of Journey to the West (modern retelling). If you want to read the full book faster, check out the complete, easy-to-read English and Chinese (Simplified & Traditional) version on Amazon.

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