Chapter 35: Kua Fu Chases the Sun

At the Temple of Origin, Mu Changge had been gifted the body of a silver dragon by the Primordial Goddess Nuwa, a reward for helping her name a divine weapon. Athena, also coveting the dragon's remains, proposed to trade three favors for a portion of the dragon’s blood, scales, and its complete tendons. After negotiations, Athena secured twenty percent of the blood and scales, along with the tendons, in exchange for owing Mu Changge three favors. Mu Changge retained the remaining eighty percent of the blood and scales, as well as the dragon’s pearl and bones. As for the meat, he used it as an ingredient for his own culinary creations.

One day, while Mu Changge was enjoying dragon steak with the Primordial Goddess Nuwa—Athena being absent as she utilized her share of the spoils to enhance her own powers—news arrived via divine sound from the intestines of Nuwa outside the secret realm: the children of the Heavenly Emperor Dijun had been demoted to divine beasts for plotting a coup, and the Heavenly Empress had willingly accepted punishment.

The Primordial Goddess Nuwa paused her elegant meal and looked at Mu Changge. "You seem completely unsurprised. Are you a prophet from the future?"

"The Primordial Goddess’s powers of observation are truly formidable."

"It is nothing. But rest assured, I will not ask you about matters concerning the future."

"Is the Primordial Goddess so confident?"

"I have no interest in the Supreme God of the Huaxia Realm. Having Fuxi as the Supreme God is quite satisfactory."

"Primordial Goddess, do many people know the true divine name of the Heavenly Emperor?"

"Only those who appeared in the same era as he, or those even more ancient, would know."

Mu Changge nodded, thinking that only such beings were qualified to utter the Heavenly Emperor's true name.

"However," Nuwa added suddenly, "the time for Fuxi to step down as the Supreme God of the Huaxia Realm is likely approaching."

Mu Changge did not let this slip by. "What makes you say that, Primordial Goddess?"

Nuwa did not answer immediately, closing her eyes as if observing the future. After a few moments, she opened them. "I was only judging by the news. Both Heavenly Empresses and the Imperial Princes and Princesses are no longer in the Kunlun Imperial Capital. I believe this is a sign of an era coming to an end. As for the present, I can only say that Fuxi has been a competent Heavenly Emperor Dijun."

Mu Changge remained silent, thinking that the tale of Kuafu chasing the sun was likely next.

***

Kuafu, the mountain god of Chengdu Zaitian, learned the news that the Heavenly Empress Xihe, the Mother of the Sun, had transformed into the Solar Sacred Beast, Zhuzhao. Kuafu felt immediate grief; even after all this time, he could not forget her. At the same time, he received word that the Heavenly Emperor Dijun had ordered the ancient gods Yuan and Yeming to move the Sun and Moon stars to designated orbits, with the Sun star being pushed further away from the Primordial Ancestral Star.

Kuafu decided he had to act. He began to chase the Sun star as it was being pulled by the ancient gods, hoping to rescue Xihe before it entered its new orbit. Kuafu knew that Xihe was now the Solar Sacred Beast Zhuzhao and could never return to the childhood sweetheart he remembered, but he refused to give up. He believed that the secret love he held for her would be enough to change destiny.

The ancient gods Yuan and Yeming discovered the pursuing Kuafu and scolded him, "Kuafu! Fall back! What do you think you are doing?"

"Hand Xihe over to me!"

"Audacious! Do you intend to defy the Heavenly Emperor? How dare you covet the Heavenly Empress Xihe!"

"When I first knew Xihe, Dijun was still rolling in the mud somewhere!"

Seeing that Kuafu was determined to intercept the Empress, Yuan and Yeming exchanged glances. Yeming stayed to block Kuafu, while Yuan sent a divine message to the Heavenly Emperor Dijun reporting the situation.

***

In the central temple of the Kunlun Imperial Capital, the Heavenly Emperor Dijun, who seemed to have aged significantly, felt a flash of anger at the news before calming down. "Kuafu, you could not win Xihe’s heart in the past, and you never will. Since you are so keen on cuckolding me, I shall kindly send you to your final resting place."

Dijun sent a telepathic message to the God of the Hunt, Yi, who was currently in a human tribe, and asked Yao to assist in handling the matter. In the heart of the human tribe, Yao heard the request and, after brief contemplation, asked Yi to escort him to the Fire Cloud Palace. There, he explained the situation to the Human Emperor Xuanyuan and begged him to request the intervention of the Heavenly Yinglong. Xuanyuan agreed and used a dragon scale to summon the beast.

***

As Kuafu battled the ancient god Yeming, drawing ever closer to the Sun star, the Heavenly Yinglong arrived. Without a word, it slew Kuafu. Upon his death, Kuafu transformed into a mountain, known ever after as Mount Kuafu. The Yinglong did not immediately return to the center of the world but circled above the human tribe, as if waiting for something.

With Kuafu’s interference gone, Yuan and Yeming moved the Sun star to its designated orbit before proceeding to move the Moon star. Within the human tribe, Yao spread the tale of Kuafu dying of thirst while chasing the sun, urging the youth to learn from Kuafu’s indomitable spirit.

Thereafter, Yao reigned as the leader of the human tribal alliance, enjoying a long period of peace before ultimately ascending to the position of Heavenly Emperor. During Yao’s reign, the God of the Hunt, Yi, received a marriage decree from Emperor Dijun and wed the Goddess of the Luo River, officially becoming a couple. Yi later moved to the Netherworld to serve as its lord, with the Luo Goddess as its mistress.

The Luo Goddess, originally the river deity Luobin, had been immortalized in the poetry of Cao Zhi, son of the human Emperor Wei Wu, who praised her beauty: her form was as graceful as a startled swan, as fluid as a swimming dragon, with clouds of hair piled high and teeth of brilliant white.

Heng’e, the toad-tending goddess still on the Moon star, learned of this and was filled with regret; her momentary folly had made her the ex-wife of the God of the Hunt. Long after, Heng’e achieved immortality and took the name Fairy Chang’e, sealing away her past. The fact that the most beautiful fairy in the Heavenly Court—the dream of all immortals—had once lost to the Luo Goddess became a taboo that no one dared discuss. Even the Jade Emperor, the Lord of Heaven, kindly issued a gag order to prevent the immortals from speaking of Chang’e’s past.

After Yao ascended to the position of Heavenly Emperor, he abdicated his role as the leader of the human tribal alliance to Shun. Shun, the last of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors!