Sun Family

The **Sun Family** are the descendants of the monkey king Sun Wukong. Despite sharing the same bloodline with the monkey king, most members are human. Every superhuman quality that Sun Wukong possesses would be passed down to every family member, even those who join the family through different means like marriage. The family has existed for over 6000 years and was formed 500 years after Wukong's enlightenment.

The most notable members of the Sun Family are its family heads. Excluding Sun Wukong, every single family head is a Bodhisattva, or a being who delays enlightenment to help others first. The current holder of this position is Wuyin, being the 28th Head of the Sun Family.

All human members of the Sun Family are cursed to have their lives cut in half, being only able to live up to 50 years old if one were to endure all 3 stages of the family curse.

## Information

### Family Heads

To be declared a family head, a family member must first be a Bodhisattva. A would-be family head would then seek the approval of Sun Wukong, before officially being declared as the head of the Sun Family

This rule was recommended by a monk, as he said that a person with an extremely good heart must be able to lead the family with no trouble. This was also because of an incident during the family's early days when the son of Sun Wukong, Sun Wutai, wrecked havoc in the heavens just like his father. Because Wukong apologised on behalf of Wutai, it was deemed impossible for Wutai himself to seek forgiveness and be seen as a good person. Additionally, since Wukong can see the good and evil in others, he is able to appoint suitable family heads.

As of now to the present, 28 family heads have led and guided the Sun Family, including Sun Wukong himself and the current family head Wuyin. However, the family does not worry if there is no current family head to guide them. This is because Sun Wukong, who is the First and Foremost Family Head above all, would reclaim his position and lead the family in secret.

Typically, the strongest living member of the family would be the family head, as they will be taught personally by Sun Wukong. Each family head is also powerful through their own means, and their strength is also the same rank as their position.

### Great Nine Family Heads

The **Great Nine Family Heads** is the collective term for the top 9 family heads, from Sun Zhangwei up to Sun Wutai. They are powerful both physically and mentally as they are the only family members with mind-born spirits who have emerged from an overlooked aspect of that particular family head, such as emptiness, rage and vengeance. The mind-born spirits, being born from those aspects, would have their own body and soul, being loyal only to their respective family head.

### Elder

An **Elder** is a term for someone who is older than the family head. They may act as an advisor to the family head based on what they are capable of.

## Origins

After helping the Longevity Monk Tripitaka attain the holy scriptures and reached enlightenment as a reward for completing the journey, Sun Wukong travelled back to his abode, Mt. Huaguo, and reunited with his tribes of monkeys, even teaching them how to seek enlightenment. But after a long time, Sun Wukong later isolated himself in a cave and meditated for 500 years, for reasons unknown.

After 500 years, one of the disciples of the Tathagatha, Subhuti, came before the meditating monkey. Subhuti was the former master of Sun Wukong, and thus congratulated the latter for attaining enlightenment. The main reason Subhuti arrived at that time was on behalf of the Tathagatha who has decided to give a lifelong task to Sun Wukong.