The next day,
Mulan and Aladdin boarded the Carpet and rode off into the skies. After sending his entourage back to Ababwa with the help of the Golden Key, he informed Emperor Chen about his journey and wasted no time taking Mulan back to her village.
After that, he would return to Ababwa and search for a way to establish a portal linking Ababwa and China, and possibly Agrabah as well.
Emperor Chen waved them goodbye.
"Goodbye, Master Mushu... Master Cri-Kee." Li Shang bowed, greeting them goodbye.
General Li, the Imperial Soldiers, and the officials greeted them goodbye with a bow as well.
Chi Fu was with them. He waved his hand at them.
Emperor Chen glanced at the muscular, towering Chi Fu. No matter how he looked at Chi Fu, he couldn't pin his frail old advisor to the current person standing before him. They were worlds apart.
"If your Emperor wants a training regimen to get this body, then I can help you get it," Chi Fu said confidently, flexing his muscles.
"Forget it," Emperor Chen said sternly. Fortunately, he had learned the truth from Aladdin, or else he would have found it impossible to accept such a change.
He walked into the Forbidden City with the others following behind him, chuckling.
Chi Fu rubbed his nose and quietly followed behind him. He realised that he needed to be more tranquil now that he had returned to the Forbidden City. If he needed to unleash his manly aura, he would go to the barracks and wrestle some of the soldiers.
Meanwhile, above the clouds, Mushu soared in from the distance, carrying Abu in his hands, with Cri-Kee clinging to his shoulders.
Mirage followed behind them.
They landed on Carpet.
"The entire party has arrived. Let's head back to the village... I can't wait to see the faces of those ancestors when they witness my return," Mushu said with unconcealed glee.
Abu snorted and found a place on the Carpet to lie down and snack on his fruit.
Mulan gently rubbed Abu's head. After spending time with Abu, she learned he was an adorable little monkey, just as quirky as Mushu. However, his gigantic form still seemed scary to her. She would love it more if he remained in this form.
Abu purred within her grasp as he ate his banana.
Cri-Kee joined in, sitting on top of him and eating whichever piece Abu handed to him.
"What are these ancestors that you keep talking about?" Aladdin asked curiously. He knew the truth, but it was always best to pretend that he didn't to avoid drawing suspicion.
"They are, ehhh..." Mushu stuttered just as he was about to explain to Aladdin.
He glanced at Aladdin and then at Mulan's questioning gaze and sighed in defeat.
"Fine. I'll talk." He sat down and explained that they were Mulan's deceased family members who appeared as spirits to interact with him and take care of the family.
"I am their right-hand man whenever they need to execute something outside the estate. There is also one other guy, but I don't know what happened to him. He wasn't built to last like I was," Mushu said.
Mulan's face was filled with astonishment. She had always felt that she wasn't alone whenever she visited where the tablets of her ancestors were kept, but she had never taken it quite literally.
Now it seemed that it was the case.
She immediately blushed, remembering all of the embarrassing things she had said there. She realised that they must have seen and heard it all.
"So they are magical?" Aladdin asked.
"There is nothing magical about them. Even the hair on my butt is more magical," Mushu snorted without hesitation. "Of course, don't let them know that I told you that."
"I won't. But I'm not even certain if I will be able to see them," Aladdin said with a chuckle.
"True… Ordinary people can't see or hear them, but you… I don't doubt that you will be able to see them." Mushu said, glancing at Aladdin from head to toe.
"As for you, not so much. Still ordinary." He glanced at Mulan and said.
Neither of them tried to argue.
Aladdin was a magician who had dealt with the undead and the spectral, so if there were a group of spirits chilling in one place, he would surely see them. As for Mulan, since she had spent her whole life in the Fa estate and had never seen a ghost or anything supernatural, it was likely impossible that she would see anything.
Even at the end of the series, Mulan hadn't been able to see any spirits, so Aladdin figured that he was correct.
"And him, and him? Everyone except Abu and Cri-Kee over here." Mushu pointed at Abu, Carpet, and Mirage.
"How about you? Where did you come from that you are so magical?" Aladdin asked. This time, he was truly interested.
The movie hadn't expanded on that for various reasons. But since this was a living, breathing world, it meant Mushu must have an origin rather than coming out of nowhere.
"Me? Hmm… No one has ever asked such a question before. Usually, they are blown away by seeing a talking dragon for the first time." Mushu crossed his legs and rubbed his chin. He furrowed his brows in thought.
He turned to Aladdin. "In truth, I don't really know where I came from. The first thing I knew was that I was asleep, and then I woke up as though I was already there. It's strange. I can't describe it… It was kinda like… magic."
Aladdin nodded thoughtfully. He remembered that a stone carving of a bigger, more ferocious dragon once resided in the Fa family estate.
He didn't remember its name because it had no significance in the movie. But now that he thought about it, he realised that Mushu could have also been a stone carving.
It was plausible!
It was well known that the Chinese made stone carvings of dragons in some ancestral regions because they symbolised ascension and power. As for how they could transform into living entities, that was what he was trying to look into.
Did other Chinese have their ancestors moving about in their homes as well?
Could the Emperor also have some of his ancestors somewhere in the Forbidden Palace?
Aladdin could guess that they did, but because, like Mulan, they couldn't see them, they were oblivious to the supernatural world unfolding around them.
Nonetheless, it answered some of the questions that had weighed on his mind.
"Thank you," Aladdin said with a solemn nod.
"You are welcome, buddy," Mushu replied, smiling brightly, seeing that his explanation had managed to answer Aladdin's question despite being aware that he had said basically nothing.
"So, is Emperor Aladdin Ababwa planning to spend the day at our humble estate, or are you leaving soon after?" Mushu leaned in and asked.
"Since I'm visiting Mulan's village for the first time, I think it would be rude if I didn't hang out a little. I can return to my nation at any time," Aladdin replied.
"Is that so? Well, why don't I have the honour of showing you around the estate and the village?"
"Okay."
"That's amazing. I'm sure you will love it." Mushu hid his smirk. He wasn't planning on showing Aladdin around, but wanted to secure the opportunity, so Mulan would be the one to do it.
Mulan cast a side glance at Mushu. She could guess what he planned on doing.
Mushu ignored her stare.
Mulan sighed tiredly and focused ahead. In truth, she was hopeful that Mushu could succeed because she didn't want Aladdin to leave so soon either.
Hopefully, her grandma knew what to do.
***
Half an hour later,
After following Mushu's directions, they arrived at a certain village.
They halted outside the village and hid within a distant forest to get off Carpet.
"I wish Khan could have made it back as well," Mulan said, with a tinge of melancholy in her voice as she remembered her big black horse.
"I forgot to give you something." Aladdin slapped his head. He brought out a small medallion and handed it over to her. "I went back to retrieve something that Khan used to wear from your previous camp. I'm sure he would be happy wherever he is that you made it back alive and well."
Mulan received the medallion tearfully. She tucked it into her side pocket, beside the pendant that the Emperor had given her. Then, she threw herself into Aladdin's arms and wrapped her arms around him.
"Thank you," she muttered with a teary gaze.
She remembered that this was part of the bridle that she was meant to use to decorate Khan on the day of battle. As for how Aladdin had managed to locate such an item or know of it, Mulan didn't know, but she could guess.
"Don't look at me… I'm innocent." Mushu turned to the side with a smile stretching from the corner of his lips. "Another score."
He blew a light breath over his nails.
"What are you looking at, monkey?" He caught Abu staring at him and whispered.
"I have my eyes on you." Abu placed two fingers before his eyes and then pointed them at Mushu.
Mushu snorted quietly. "I think the title of the royal pet fits you. It makes it easier to identify who is really putting in work in the Empire."
Abu's countenance changed. He was really starting to get annoyed with this dragon. He wished he could face it in mortal combat and give it a beatdown.
But after a few seconds of staring each other down, they both looked away from each other.
They couldn't do anything because they knew Aladdin would punish them soon after.
A few moments later, Mulan withdrew from Aladdin and stepped backwards.
"I'm sorry about that."
"It's nothing. I'm fine with you being yourself." Aladdin shook his head.
Mulan turned her head aside to hide her blush.
Aladdin only found her appearance cute.
"Okay. That's enough. Let's head over to the camp," Mushu said, interrupting the atmosphere. Although things looked quite lovely, if he didn't do anything to advance this relationship, then that might be all it would amount to.
"See you at home." Mushu waved at them before flying into the sky.
Aladdin put on his cloak and turned to Mulan.
"Let's go."
Mulan swiftly grabbed his hand.
"I'm a little shy. I wonder what my parents will say when I return. I can feel my heart racing at the thought," she quickly said, seeing that Aladdin was about to pull his hand away. "Please, just this once."
She lowered her head, afraid that Aladdin might refuse. After speaking with Mushu, she realised that she might never see a man like Aladdin ever again.
She had spent half her life in this village and knew that it was plausible. She hadn't forgotten that Aladdin had a wife. There was no way she could compete with that. She was, after all, an Empress.
But even the Emperor had tried to marry off his daughters to Aladdin, but he had politely declined. This only made her love Aladdin even more because of his loyalty and showed her that there was a possibility of him having more than one wife in the future.
There were so many things that could go wrong, but this was an opportunity she felt she couldn't let slip away.
"Fine. But until we get to the estate, I don't want your family to get the wrong idea," Aladdin said sternly.
"I understand," Mulan said, nodding, smiling lightly.
'What's going on in her mind?' Aladdin sighed inwardly.
He could tell what was going through Mulan's head, but he pushed the matter aside and focused on returning her home.
He was also curious about where she lived, having only seen it through a TV screen. He finally had the chance to fulfil one of his childhood dreams.