13.1 The Peach Festival

Preface: Enter Sun Duza

1. Sun Ritsu

2. Anari

3. Bodhi

4. Ham Song

5. As Luck Would Have It

6.1 A Handsome Monkey King

6.2 A Handsome Monkey King

7. A Baneful Monkey

8.1 A Shy Spider

8.2 A Shy Spider

9.1 Pork Buns

9.2 Pork Buns

10. A Predator's Vacation

11.1 The Peach Festival

11.2 The Peach Festival

12.1 The Peach Festival

12.2 The Peach Festival

13.2 The Peach Festival

14.1 The Peach Festival

14.2 The Peach Festival

14.3 The Peach Festival

15.1 The Jade Pool

15.2 The Jade Pool

16.1 The Jade Pool

16.2 The Jade Pool

17.1 The Garden of Immortal Peaches

17.2 The Garden of Immortal Peaches

18.1 Walking Crane, Barbecued Duck

18.2 Walking Crane, Barbecued Duck

19.1 Ripe Peach Mountain

19.2 Ripe Peach Mountain

19.3 Ripe Peach Mountain

20.1 Ripe Peach Mountain

20.2 Ripe Peach Mountain

21.1 The Heavenly River

21.2 The Heavenly River

22.1 The Heavenly River

22.2 The Heavenly River

23.1 The Heavenly River

23.2 The Heavenly River

24. Of Peach Soda Pop and Pilfering

25.1 Of Peach Soda Pop and Pilfering

25.2 Of Peach Soda Pop and Pilfering

26.1 Of Peach Soda Pop and Pilfering

26.2 Of Peach Soda Pop and Pilfering

27.1 Of Peach Soda Pop and Pilfering

27.2 Of Peach Soda Pop and Pilfering

28. The Hall of Perfect Light

29.1 The Hall of Perfect Light

29.2 The Hall of Perfect Light

30.1 The Golden-Hooped Rod of Compliance

30.2 The Golden-Hooped Rod of Compliance

31.1 The Golden-Hooped Rod of Compliance

31.2 The Golden-Hooped Rod of Compliance

32.1 Beef Pan-fried, Side of Lemon Lime

32.2 Beef-Pan Fried, Side of Lemon Lime

33.1 Like Scooping the Moon from the Water

33.2 Like Scooping the Moon from the Water

34.1 Like Scooping the Moon from the Water

34.2 Like Scooping the Moon from the Water

35.1 Like Scooping the Moon from the Water

35.2 Like Scooping the Moon from the Water

36.1 Like Scooping the Moon from the Water

36.2 Like Scooping the Moon from the Water

37.1 The Divine Cave of Three Stars

37.2 The Divine Cave of Three Stars

38.1 The Divine Cave of Three Stars

38.2 The Divine Cave of Three Stars

39.1 The Divine Cave of Three Stars

39.2 The Divine Cave of Three Stars

40.1 The Divine Cave of Three Stars

40.2 The Divine Cave of Three Stars

41.1 The Drums of Heaven

41.2 The Drums of Heaven

41.3 The Drums of Heaven

42. A Diamond Body

43. A Diamond Body

44.1 A Diamond Body

44.2 A Diamond Body

44.3 A Diamond Body

45.1 A Diamond Body

45.2 A Diamond Body

46.1 A Diamond Body

46.2 A Diamond Body

47.1 Wondrous and True

47.2 Wondrous and True

48.1 Wondrous and True

48.2 Wondrous and True

49.1 Wondrous and True

49.2 Wondrous and True

50. Wondrous and True

51.1 Wondrous and True

&#x3C;p&#x3E;Miraculously, our heroes survived the night in the cheaply made paper space. And now they were on their way to the annual Peach Festival.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;It was hard for Ritsu to ignore the fact that he and his companions were not at all dressed appropriately for the festival. Bodhi sported a set of clean, but incredibly plain monastic robes. Ritsu wore faded denims with holes in the knees and an old hooded jacket over a plain pullover. Hardly festival garb. And Ham Song? Well, he was still naked, Dear Traveler.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Oh? Did you say something?&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;What was the &#x3C;em&#x3E;spider&#x3C;/em&#x3E; wearing, you ask? Dear Traveler, Anari has not been present in this story for some time now. Stop making predictions and let me do my job. Next time you have one of those, keep it to yourself.&#x26;nbsp;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;As I was saying, when Ritsu looked around at the traditional costumes and polished glamour of the spirits attending, he suddenly became very aware of his own lack of wealth.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Apparently spending the night on the floor of a virtual trolley hadn&#x2019;t been enough to get that through his head.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x3C;br&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x3C;strong&#x3E;&#x3C;em&#x3E;~ Sun Ritsu ~&#x3C;/em&#x3E;&#x3C;/strong&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Ritsu noticed that Ham Song was breathing the loudest once the three of them reached the top of Ripe Peach Mountain. The passing spirits gave them a wide berth, whispering behind their decorative fans as they drifted by.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x201C;I always forget that this festival is free admission. They&#x2019;ll let just any old riff raff up here.&#x201D;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Ritsu looked around to see who made the comment, but honestly, with all the glares they were getting, it could have been anyone.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Bodhi must have picked up on it too, because they said, &#x201C;I used to have finer fabrics and prayer beads and shit. But I pawned it all off for booze ages ago.&#x201D;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Once Ham Song caught his breath, he looked around with bright eyes. Seemingly unaffected by the unwelcoming stares, he said, &#x201C;Don&#x2019;t you just love festivals? It&#x2019;s the only time you can count on the authorities to take down those ridiculous steel towers and bring back the fresh air and mountainside views!&#x201D;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Indeed, the natural streets that stretched before them were heavily shaded under willows that had been transformed into wishing trees. Every vendor and gaming booth was wooden and hand-painted in garish hues.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Ritsu gave Ham Song an odd look. &#x201C;Steel towers?&#x201D;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Admiring a paper wish that dangled overhead, Bodhi gently clarified, &#x201C;He means the apartment buildings.&#x201D;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Ritsu didn&#x2019;t fail to notice that Bodhi&#x2019;s features seemed softer now than they did the day before, making them appear undeniably feminine even with a shaved head.&#x26;nbsp;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x201C;So what&#x2019;s the plan?&#x201D; Ham Song prompted. Bodhi pulled their attention away from the wishes and looked to Ritsu.&#x26;nbsp;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Ritsu let his eyes wander to the top of Ripe Peach Mountain. &#x201C;That&#x2019;s where they have the Garden of Immortal Peaches. The high ranking spirits meet there and drink tea on the terrace. Then at dusk, they feast. The only way you can get into the tea party is if you&#x2019;re invited or you buy your way in.&#x201D;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Bodhi grunted, &#x201C;Last time I checked, that pork bun wrapper was not a VIP ticket.&#x201D;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x201C;Right,&#x201D; said Ritsu, &#x201C;I was getting to that. We&#x2019;ll have to pay our way in. And &#x3C;em&#x3E;that&#x2019;s&#x3C;/em&#x3E; how we&#x2019;re going to do it.&#x201D; He pointed to some distant wooden structure. Ham Song and Bodhi followed his finger until they realized what he meant.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x201C;A game, lawful monkey?&#x201D; Ham Song scoffed. &#x201C;We&#x2019;re going to make enough money to buy our way into the Garden of Immortal Peaches by playing a &#x3C;em&#x3E;game&#x3C;/em&#x3E;?&#x201D;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Sweeping his arms wide, Ritsu explained, &#x201C;Not just one game. &#x3C;em&#x3E;All&#x3C;/em&#x3E; the games. With your Luck, Ham Song, we can get the high scores and later on, sell the prizes. Then we can use that money to buy our way into the garden.&#x201D;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Bodhi folded their arms and raised an eyebrow. Ritsu wasn&#x2019;t sure if they were impressed or skeptical. Or both.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Ham Song considered. &#x201C;While that is a clever way to utilize my Luck, it could backfire on us. These festival games are not meant to be won. People might think we&#x2019;re cheating. And then we&#x2019;ll get thrown off the mountainside for sure.&#x201D;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Ritsu held up a finger. &#x201C;Not if we split up.&#x201D;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Ham Song and Bodhi exchanged glances. Finally, Bodhi dropped their arms. &#x201C;Comrades, this might actually work.&#x201D;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Ham Song fought to hold back a squeal. &#x201C;I think I have just enough Luck saved up to get us through this. Let&#x2019;s continue this conversation over there.&#x201D;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;The three of them momentarily ditched the crowded streets and retreated to the privacy among the wishing trees. After Ham Song had handed over some of his Luck to each of them, Sun Ritsu &#x2013;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x3C;em&#x3E;Seriously,&#x3C;/em&#x3E; Dear Traveler? You can&#x2019;t just interrupt me while I&#x2019;m in the middle of a tale. Can&#x2019;t your silly little question wait until later. It can&#x2019;t?&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Fine. I guess I&#x2019;ll pause the story. The things I do for you ungrateful tourists.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;What do you want to know?&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;How does Luck work?&#x26;nbsp;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Right! I forgot about your total ignorance on the topic. Fair warning, it would take too long for me to explain everything about Luck to you. So I&#x2019;ll just cover the basics, okay? Luck is . . . Luck is . . . Hold on. I&#x2019;ve never really had to explain it before. Let me get my thoughts together.&#x26;nbsp;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;. . . Luck is everywhere. Kind of like pollen, I suppose. And like pollen it accumulates on just about anything and everything. This, might I add, is the slowest and most inefficient way to acquire it. There are a lot of factors involved that determine how quickly one can naturally absorb Luck. Ham Song, for example, is bewitched in such a way that allows him to naturally collect large quantities of Luck over very short amounts of time compared to the rest of us.&#x26;nbsp;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Also, due to Ham Song&#x2019;s true essence, he has more surface area, shall we say, on which the Luck can collect. The more essence a spirit has, the higher their potential for Luck is on average.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Are there other ways to obtain Luck, you ask? Well, of course there are. You can pass it on as a gift, like what Ham Song did just now for Bodhi and Sun Ritsu. Lucky gifts are rare outside of close knit families and clans. Most spirits are pretty stingy, you know.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;You can gamble for Luck. You can cheat someone out of their Luck. And you can . . . well, you can &#x3C;em&#x3E;take&#x3C;/em&#x3E; another spirit&#x2019;s Luck by, um . . . &#x3C;em&#x3E;hurting&#x3C;/em&#x3E; them badly enough to send them to the Lake of Ninefold Darkness.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Of course, that last way to get Luck is strictly illegal in all twelve provinces of the Ninth Heaven. Some provinces are better at enforcing the law than others . . . .&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Sorry. I didn&#x2019;t mean to digress so much. So, do you get the idea?&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Still confused? Hrmph. What else is new, Dear Traveler?&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Regardless, I&#x2019;m going to go back to this story. Our mostly-dumb-but-not-a-complete-moron of a hero split from his group, feeling Luckier than ever. Not long after, he spotted a gaming booth with an ultimate prize.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;It was a contest of strength. The high score winner would be rewarded with &#x2013; you won&#x2019;t believe this &#x2013; an enchanted quarterstaff.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Is it the real deal, you wonder?&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Hmph. You&#x2019;ll just have to wait and see.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x3C;br&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x3C;br&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;

&#x3C;p&#x3E;The spirit world is broken and in desperate need of a restoration. True heroes and ancient beasts that once walked are now a thing of the past. Between the empty spaces of forgotten treasure halls there are whispers of one who has returned. One legend that can rise above the rest&#x2026;&#x26;nbsp;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Rooted in Chinese mythology and flavored by shonen anime, The Rising Sun Saga follows the perspectives of four unlikely heroes as they navigate friendships, love, and overcoming the impossible in an endless, dysfunctional spirit world.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;

The Rising Sun Saga