[Journey to the West] Building Up the Realm with His Majesty Er Feng the Cat

[A Wonderful Adventure with His Majesty Li Shimin the Cat] Ever since Lin Mao accidentally ate a strange pill brought home by his tabby cat, his life had taken a bizarre turn. His sense of taste, smell, and every other sensation grew sharper. His calluses fell away, replaced by tender skin, while his stamina and energy surged. For a full hundred nights, he didn’t dream once. These changes were far too abnormal, yet medical tests showed nothing wrong. Lin Mao could only seek help anonymously on an online Q&A forum. Luckily, the users were very helpful, and soon a professional offered a fairly convincing suggestion. “...Judging by the symptoms you described, you’re probably about to become an immortal,” replied a user whose profile was labeled “Ordained Taoist.” Lin Mao silently closed the utterly absurd page and opened several other questions he had posted earlier: “My cat watches the shows ‘Songs of the Zhenguan Era’ and ‘Journey to the West’ every night at six sharp. What’s going on?” “My cat stares at the ‘Old Book of Tang’ every day. What’s that about?” “Why would a cat be interested in early Tang history? Is that normal?” · During the Zhenguan era, the realm had only just been pacified. Demons and ghosts ran rampant, illicit sacrifices were everywhere, and the mortal world was in chaos. Exhausted from working himself to the bone, His Majesty Li Er followed a Taoist priest’s advice and swallowed a pill said to offer a direct path to a wondrous immortal realm. The good news: after taking the pill, he really did transmigrate painlessly in his sleep. It was easy as could be. The bad news: he seemed to have transmigrated somewhere other than an immortal realm. The good news: though it wasn’t an immortal realm, this new world was so prosperous and powerful that it was hard to believe, and not so different from one. The bad news: he had transmigrated as a cat. The good news: even as a cat, His Majesty could watch the new world’s broadcast of ‘Songs of the Zhenguan Era’ at six every day, browse history books, and uncover the secrets of the future. The bad news: after watching a great many historical dramas, His Majesty Li Er the Cat was astonished to discover that the history of his own Great Tang Dynasty seemed to have taken a rather different course... Who can tell me why there’s a monkey called Sun Wukong trapped under Two Realms Mountain on the border of the Great Tang? · Although his travels between the two worlds were strange and absurd, the emperor gradually realized that the Taoist priest who had offered him the pill might not have been lying. In the other world, he truly found the wisdom to banish evil spirits, build a golden age, and sever the connection between Heaven and the mortal world for humanity. Many years later, His Majesty Li Er summoned Master Xuanzang and ordered him to travel west in search of scriptures that would benefit the people. Master Xuanzang bowed and asked, “Does Your Majesty seek the Tripitaka Scriptures of the Buddha, the Sutras, Vinaya, and Abhidharma, to encourage goodness, enlighten people, and speak of Heaven and Earth?” “No,” His Majesty Li Er replied. “What I want you to seek in that other world is ‘Rice Cultivation Techniques,’ ‘A Brief Guide to Hydraulic Engineering,’ and ‘Livestock Care.’ These will help the world and save the people, secure the realm, and govern the country. These are the true scriptures.” · This story is also known as The Things I Had to Do to Build Infrastructure on the Journey to the West with His Majesty Li Er, Who Turned into a Cat After I Accidentally Took Emperor Taizong’s Immortality Pill. A dual transmigration story. His Majesty Li Er comes from the world of Journey to the West, while the protagonist comes from a fictional parallel modern world. P.S. The Journey to the West world in this story blends different mythologies. Theme: Humanity must strive without ceasing