Gods 053: Mirror Mirror
A long-lost member of the Shang royal house checks back into the story, shortly before his good sense checks out.
Transcript
Welcome to the Chinese Lore Podcast, where I retell classic Chinese stories in English. This is episode 53 of Investiture of the Gods.
Last time, with some help from high-level creation gods, Jiang Ziya and company fended off the pestilence-spreading black magic of Lü (3) Yue (4) and sent him fleeing, killing three of the four disciples he had brought with him. Lü Yue and the fourth disciple soon ran into another Chan Daoist warrior named Wei (4) Hu (4), who was coming for their heads. Wei Hu soon used his magical Demon-Taming Club to kill the disciple and was now squaring off against Lü Yue. Once again Wei Hu unleashed his club. Figuring he was no match for that weapon, Lü Yue quickly fled by fast travel.
Wei Hu then continued on his way to Western Qi. Once there, he went to see Jiang Ziya and said, “Daoist uncle, I am Wei Hu, a disciple under Master Divine Virtue. On his command, I have come to help you and serve Western Qi. On the way here, I ran into Lü Yue. When we fought, I killed the Daoist who was with him, but Lü Yue got away.”
Nonetheless this was great news for Jiang Ziya. His foes outside the city had lost their biggest weapons. Of course, the commander of said foes, the marquis Su Hu, was trying like hell to defect, but couldn’t bring himself to do it as long as his officer and close comrade Zheng Lun refused to come along. Su Hu was also worried about how, despite his prior communication to Jiang Ziya about his intention to defect, his forces had come to blows against Western Qi repeatedly. So for now, he remained stuck outside the city.
Let’s leave Western Qi for now and hop on over to a mountain far far away, where Pure Essence, a member of the class of 12 from the Chan sect, resided. Like his fellow class members, Pure Essence had lost a lot of his Daoist powers when they ran into a snag in the Yellow River formation while helping Jiang Ziya defeat Grand Tutor Wen. Since then, he had been meditating in his cave, building back up his Dao. One day, he got a visit from White Crane Acolyte, the attendant to Heavenly Primogenitor, the founder of the Chan sect. White Crane Acolyte read a letter from their master, which instructed Pure Essence to go to Western Qi for the expected upcoming occasion of Jiang Ziya being assigned to lead a punitive expedition against the Shang.
Once White Crane Acolyte left, Pure Essence noticed one of his disciples standing nearby. This was Yin (1) Hong (2), a former prince of the Shang. Remember that early on in the novel, Yin Hong’s mother, who was queen, had been framed for a staged assassination attempt on King Zhou, and she ended up being tortured to death by the king. In the aftermath, Yin Hong and his elder brother fled the capital but were captured and about to be executed by King Zhou. But two members of the Chan sect, Pure Essence and Grand Completion, happened upon the scene and whisked the princes away to safety, and they each kept one of the boys as a disciple.
Fast forward to the present. Pure Essence now said to Yin Hong, “You are not destined to attain immortality. But right now, the Martial King is a sage lord and is punishing the wicked. Your Daoist uncle Jiang Ziya will soon be named a commander and lead an army through the five passes into Shang territory, where he will meet up with other nobles to destroy the tyrant. You should go help him. But there’s just one thing that makes me uneasy about sending you.”
“What is that, master?” Yin Hong asked.
“You ARE the son of King Zhou, so how can you consent to help the enemy?” Pure Essence explained.
When Yin Hong heard that, he gritted his teeth and his eyes grew wide. “Master, I maybe King Zhou’s son, but there’s enough bad blood between me and Daji to burn for a hundred lifetimes,” he said. “And if a father is uncompassionate, the son cannot be expected to be filial. He listened to Daji and blinded my mother and burned her hands until she died. I have never forgotten my hatred or pain. If I can use this opportunity to capture Daji and avenge my mother, I would die without regret!”
Those words convinced Pure Essence, but he still cautioned, “That may be your intent, but you must not change your mind.”
“I would never dare to disobey your command, master,” Yin Hong reassured him.
Pure Essence now gave Yin Hong all his magical items, which included his Purple Fairy Longevity Robe, his Yin Yang Mirror, and his Water Fire Sword.
“When you head east on the expedition and pass through Sweet Dreams Pass, you’ll meet Mother Fire Spirit,” Pure Essence told Yin Hong. “She wears a golden-haze coronet and emits a golden haze that shoots 40 feet high and covers her body. She will see you clearly, but you won’t be able to see her at all. But if you are wearing this Purple Fairy Longevity Robe, no blade can harm you.”
Next, Pure Essence took the Yin Yang Mirror in hand and explained, “Half of this mirror is red and the other half is white. When you shine the white half on someone, it will kill them, but when you shine the red half, it will bring them back to life. Also, keep this Water Fire Sword on you for protection. Now, you must not delay; pack up and go at once. I will also be in Western Qi before long.”
So Yin Hong packed up and took his leave. But as Pure Essence watched him go, a thought suddenly crossed his mind. “For Jiang Ziya’s sake, I’ve given Yin Hong all my magical items. But he is still King Zhou’s son after all. What if he changes his mind midway? Then there will be trouble.”
So he quickly called his disciple back, and Yin Hong asked what’s up.
“I’ve given you all these magical items, you must not forget my words; you must not turn against Western Qi instead,” Pure Essence again reminded him.
“Master, if you hadn’t rescued me, I would be long dead by now,” Yin Hong said. “How could I have dreamed of seeing this day? I would never dare to forget or disobey your instructions.”
“Nevertheless, who knows what truly lies in one’s heart,” Pure Essence said. “You must swear an oath to me.”
Yin Hong immediately said, “If I harbor any stray thoughts, may my limbs be reduced to ashes!”
Seeing the lack of hesitation in his oath, Pure Essence finally felt comfortable enough to let Yin Hong go. So Yin Hong left the cave and fast traveled toward Western Qi. Along the way, he stopped on top of a strange, treacherous-looking mountain. Just as he was taking in the view, a gong suddenly rang out from the nearby woods. Yin Hong looked over and saw a man with a long red beard, yellow eyebrows, and golden eyes. He sat atop a black horse and wore a black robe, over which he donned a suit of golden armor.
Wielding two ridged silver staves, this man dashed toward Yin Hong and shouted in a voice that boomed like thunder, “Hey Daoist boy, who the hell are you?! How dare you intrude on my lair?!”
As he spoke, he raised his staves and attacked, and Yin Hong quickly pulled out his Water Fire Sword to defend himself. Just then, another man shouted, “Brother, I’m coming!” This guy wore a tiger-skin cap and had a face like a red date and a long beard. He used a spear and galloped into the fray atop a yellow horse.
Being outnumbered and no match for the two, Yin Hong thought to himself, “My master gave me the Yin Yang Mirror. Let me try it out.”
So he took out the mirror and shined the white half toward his two foes. Both of them immediately fell off their horses and crashed to the ground. Just then, two more vicious looking men charged up the mountain. One had a golden face with short hair and a coiled beard. He wore a red robe and silver armor, rode a white horse, and wielded a big saber.
Taken aback by this man’s fierce looks, Yin Hong quickly shined the mirror at him, and this man too fell out of his saddle. The last remaining assailant saw how powerful Yin Hong’s magic was, and he quickly dismounted, kneeled, and pleaded, “Immortal, please exercise your compassion and spare the three of them!”
“I’m not an immortal,” Yin Hong said. “I am Yin Hong, a prince of the Shang court.”
When the man heard that, he kowtowed and said, “I didn’t know it was your highness, nor did my brothers. Please pardon us!”
“I have no bad blood with you all, so I will not harm them further,” Yin Hong said. He then shined the red half of the mirror on the three fallen foes, and they all came to. They immediately sprang to their feet and shouted, “You sorcerer! How dare you bully us?!”
But the fourth guy checked them and told them that they were in the presence of a Shang prince. The three of them immediately kneeled and paid their respects. Yin Hong asked for their names, and one of them said, “We are outlaws gathered here on this Double Dragon Mountain. My name is Pang (2) Hong (2), and these others are Liu (2) Fu (3), Gou (1) Zhang (1), and Bi (4) Huan (2).”
“The four of you don’t look like ordinary men, but heroes of our time,” Yin Hong said. “Why don’t you follow me to Western Qi to help the Martial King?”
“But you are a descendant of the Shang,” Liu Fu (3) said. “Why are you helping its enemy instead?”
“King Zhou may be my father, but he has discarded all customs and rules of propriety,” Yin Hong said. “All the realm has abandoned him. I am acting in accordance with heaven. How many troops do you have here?”
Pang Hong (2) said that they had 3,000 men, and Yin Hong told them, “In that case, come with me to Western Qi. You will be rewarded with a position.”
“If you are willing to give us that opportunity, then we must be blessed by the god of fortune,” the four outlaws said. “We dare not disobey.”
So they rounded up their soldiers, burned their lair to the ground, and marched off while flying the banners of Western Qi.
After some days on the road, one day they suddenly saw a Daoist approaching on a tiger. The soldiers started shouting in alarm when they saw the beast, but the Daoist said, “Don’t worry. This is a domesticated tiger; it won’t hurt you. Please let your prince know that a Daoist would like a word.”
When Yin Hong got this message, he halted his march and invited the Daoist to come talk. When the Daoist approached, Yin Hong bowed with respect and asked for his name.
“You master and I both belong to the Chan sect,” the Daoist said.
So Yin Hong called him Daoist uncle, and once they sat down, he again asked for the Daoist’s name and his reason for coming.
“I am Shen Gongbao,” the man said. “Where are you headed?”
“On my master’s instructions, I am heading to Western Qi to help the Martial King.”
“What nonsense!” Shen Gongbao said sternly. “Who is King Zhou to you?”
“He’s my father,” Yin Hong said.
Shen Gongbao shouted, “How can there be a son who helps someone else to wage war against his father?!”
“But King Zhou is a tyrant and the realm has revolted against him,” Yin Hong said. “I am acting in accordance with heaven. Even filial sons cannot go against this.”
Shen Gongbao laughed. “You are misguided. Your vision is narrow, and you don’t understand honor. You are a descendant of the Shang. Even if King Zhou is a tyrant, there is no justification for a son to wage war against his father. Besides, after he dies, who would succeed him? Instead of prioritizing your family’s enterprise, you are listening to someone else and acting improperly. There will never be another like you! By helping the Martial King, you are jeopardizing your ancestral temples and your family’s enterprise. How will you face your ancestors in the underworld?”
That spiel gave Yin Hong pause. He looked down in silence for a while and then said, “Your words are reasonable, but I had already sworn an oath to my master that I would help the Martial King.”
“What was the oath?” Shen Gongbao asked.
“I swore that if I don’t help the Martial King wage war against the Shang, may my limbs be reduced to ashes.”
Shen Gongbao laughed, “That’s a worthless oath! How can flesh and blood turn to ashes? Listen to me: Change your mind and go wage war against the Zhou instead. You will succeed in the long run and do justice to your ancestors. This is sincere advice.”
So, if Yin Hong would just take a second to think this through, he would realize that in a novel filled with powerful Daoists wielding convenient macguffins, there were literally hundreds of ways for one’s flesh and blood to be reduced to ashes. Hell, even his very mortal father became an expert at this just by strapping guys to giant red-hot pillars. But Yin Hong obviously wasn’t thinking straight, as he quickly forgot his master’s instructions and agreed with Shen Gongbao.
Shen Gongbao then said, “Right now Su Hu (4), the marquis of Jizhou (4,1), is leading a campaign against Western Qi. You should join your forces with his, and I will recruit another skilled person to help you succeed.”
“But Su Hu’s daughter Daji killed my mother,” Yin Hong said. “How can I share a space with her father?”
Shen Gongbao laughed, “As the saying goes, ‘Keep your hatred inside; there’s no harm in meeting.’ Once you have conquered the realm, you can avenge your mother however you want. Don’t rob yourself of the opportunity in this moment.”
Yin Hong bowed and thanked Shen Gongbao for the advice. Shen Gongbao then took his leave, and Yin Hong told his troops to change their banners from the colors of the Zhou to the colors of the Shang. I’m sure his soldiers were rather confused by this sudden switch, but they all obeyed, and within a day, they arrived outside Su Hu’s camp.
Yin Hong ordered one of his newly recruited officers, Pang Hong (2), to go summon Su Hu for a meeting. Pang Hong, being a former outlaw, didn’t know the proper way to handle these kinds of things, so he just rode to the front of Su Hu’s camp and shouted, “The prince is here and has ordered the Marquis of Jizhou (4,1) to go see him!”
When word of this reached Su Hu, he thought to himself, “King Zhou’s princes vanished long ago, so who is THIS prince? Besides, I’m here on campaign with a royal decree, who dares to order me around?”
So he told his guard, “Go tell that messenger to come see me.”
When Pang Hong followed the guard into the tent, Su Hu took note of his vicious appearance and asked, “Where are you from? Which prince sent you here?”
“It’s the second prince who sent me here to summon you, general,” Pang Hong replied.
Su Hu thought to himself, “The princes Yin Jiao (1) and Yin Hong were about to be executed when a wind blew them away. So how can there be another Prince Yin Hong?”
Standing next to him, the officer Zheng Lun now chimed in and said, “My lord, it was a bizarre situation when the princes were swept away by the wind. I think they must have been rescued by some immortal. And now, seeing the realm in chaos, he may have come to help his country. We don’t know the truth. Wait and see how he acts when he gets here, and then determine whether he’s a fraud or the real thing.”
Su Hu agreed, so he went to Yin Hong’s camp. And Yin Hong summoned him in. Su Hu and Zheng Lun both entered and bowed, saying, “Pardon us for not being able to kneel as we are clad in armor. May we ask which branch of the Shang family tree do you descend from?”
“I am Yin Hong, the second son of the current king. My father lost his way and wanted to execute my brother and me. But thanks to heaven, a powerful Daoist rescued me. I have come to help you succeed, so why are you questioning me?”
When Zheng Lun heard this, he quickly offered a prayer to heaven and said, “It’s truly a blessing to the state to have you here!”
Yin Hong now combined his forces with Su Hu and took up his seat in the main tent. He asked how the war was going, and Su Hu recounted the prior engagements, leaving out the part about his own intent to defect, of course. Yin Hong then changed into royal regalia, and the next day, he led the army out to demand battle.
Inside Western Qi, Jiang Ziya got word that the prince of the Shang was outside demanding combat, and he had the same question that Su Hu had about where this prince came from. Flying Tiger said, “Yin Jiao and Yin Hong were about to be executed when they were swept away by wind. This must be them. I recognize them. Let me go out and determine the truth.”
So Flying Tiger went out with his four sons. And across the way, Yin Hong was flanked by his four officers, with Zheng Lun serving as backup. Yin Hong wore a golden coronet on his head, and a suit of chainmail over a red battle robe.
Flying Tiger rode out and asked for his name. Now, it had been more than decade since the two of them last saw each other, and Yin Hong didn’t know that Flying Tiger had defected to Western Qi, so he didn’t recognize Flying Tiger at that moment. He replied, “I am Prince Yin Hong. Who are you? How dare you rebel? I am waging a campaign against Western Qi on royal decree. Surrender now so I don’t have to waste time and effort. Even if you are a disciple from the Chan sect, if you anger me, I will raze your city to the ground and leave none alive!”
Flying Tiger said, “Prince, I’m none other than Flying Tiger.”
That left Yin Hong greatly puzzled. “Could there be a Flying Tiger here as well?” he thought to himself. But no matter, he wanted to fight, so he was going to do just that. Yin Hong now galloped out with halberd in hand, and Flying Tiger quickly raised his spear to answer. They tangled for 20-some bouts, and Flying Tiger’s dancing spear proved to be too much for Yin Hong to handle. Seeing this, Yin Hong’s four officers rushed out to join the fight, and they were met by Flying Tiger’s four sons.
In the midst of the fighting, Yin Hong turned and fled. When Flying Tiger gave chase, Yin Hong took out the Yin Yang Mirror and shined the white half at him. Flying Tiger promptly fell off his cow, and Zheng Lun dashed out and captured him. Seeing this, Flying Tiger’s eldest son, Huang Tianhua, rushed over to try to save him. But Yin Hong saw Huang Tianhua’s Daoist garb and figured he might have some magic. So Yin Hong staged a preemptive strike and shined his mirror at Huang Tianhua, making him fall off his horse as well. And so, Huang Tianhua was also captured.
Yin Hong now returned to camp. Even though one of his officers took a stab to the leg from one of Flying Tiger’s other sons, the day was still a victory since he had captured two enemy generals. When Flying Tiger’s other three sons returned to the city and reported to Jiang Ziya in tears, Jiang Ziya was stunned and asked what happened. They described how Yin Hong had a mirror that made people fall off their horses, and that made Jiang Ziya very concerned.
Meanwhile in the Shang camp, Yin Hong ordered the two prisoners be brought forth. The soldiers carried the two unconscious prisoners in and laid them on the ground. Yin Hong, trying to show off his powers, now shined the red half of the mirror at them, and both Flying Tiger and Huang Tianhua woke up and found themselves bound, which made Huang Tianhua irate.
The two were now pushed forward to see Yin Hong. Flying Tiger said, “How can you be Prince Yin Hong?”
“How can you say I’m not?!” Yin Hong barked.
“If you are him, then how can you not recognize that I am Flying Tiger? How can you not remember how I let you go while you were fleeing and how I tried to save you when you were about to be executed?”
Yin Hong was startled and exclaimed, “So you really are General Huang, my great savior!”
He quickly walked over and personally untied Flying Tiger and his son. He then asked Flying Tiger why he had defected to the Zhou. Flying Tiger bowed and said, “My lord, I am ashamed. King Zhou has lost his way. He abused my wife, so I abandoned the darkness for the light by joining the Zhou. Besides, two-thirds of the realm already belongs to the Zhou and all the 800 nobles of the land have pledged their allegiance as well. King Zhou has committed 10 great crimes. He has offended the realm, cruelly executed his vassals, strapped loyal officials to the burning pillars, cut out a talented minister’s heart, killed his wife and tried to kill his sons, acted in a most debauched manner, drowned himself in women and wine, undertook lavish construction projects, squandered precious resources, and drawn the wrath of heaven and the people. No one under heaven can coexist with him. You know this. Thank you for releasing my son and me. This is a most generous kindness.”
Standing to the side, Zheng Lun panicked and cut in, “My prince, you must not release them. If you let them go, they’ll cause trouble again. Think about it.”
But Yin Hong smiled and said, “General Huang once saved my brother and me. It’s only right to return the favor. So I will let him go this time. If we capture him again, then we will punish him according to the law.”
He then ordered the men to return Flying Tiger and Huang Tianhua’s armor, and he told Flying Tiger, “General Huang, I have repaid your kindness. From now on, there are no other debts between us. If we meet again, be careful and don’t do anything you will regret.”
Flying Tiger thanked him, and father and son then returned to the city and went to see Jiang Ziya. Jiang Ziya was like, how the heck did you get back here again? This is the second time you’ve been captured and came back alive. Flying Tiger told him what happened, and Jiang Ziya rejoiced, “Truly, heaven blesses the blessed.”
Meanwhile, in the Shang camp, Zheng Lun was pouting. I mean, how many times can I capture these same two guys only to have someone let them go? He told Yin Hong, “If we capture them again, we must not let them off easy. I had captured them before, but then they escaped, and now they got off easy again.”
But Yin Hong said, “Flying Tiger saved me, so it’s only right for me to return the favor. In any case, he can’t escape my clutches.”
The next day, Yin Hong led his army out again and demanded to speak to Jiang Ziya. So Jiang Ziya and his troops rode out. Pointing with his halberd, Yin Hong shouted, “Jiang Ziya, why did you rebel? You were once an official of the Shang. How despicable you are to betray your lord’s kindness to you!”
Jiang Ziya bowed and said, “My prince, you are wrong. When a lord is just, his vassals will follow him without orders. But when the lord is unjust, his vassals cannot follow his orders. King Zhou (4) is a tyrant, drawing the wrath of the people and of heaven. All in the realm have grievances against him, and all under heaven have rebelled against him. This is not a case of the Zhou disobeying his command. And now, the land has submitted to the Zhou and placed their trust in our kingdom. So why must you go against heaven’s will? I fear you will regret it.”
But Yin Hong was not in a listening mood and shouted for someone to go capture Jiang Ziya. Three of his four officers galloped out and were met by Nezha, Huang Tianhua, and Yang Jian. Yin Hong himself then rode out to fight Jiang Ziya while Su Hu and his son kept watch over the lines. Gongs and drums blared, and the shouts of battle echoed across the field as the two sides went at it.
After a few exchanges against Yin Hong, Jiang Ziya unleashed his God-Beating Staff. But Yin Hong had on his Purple Fairy Longevity Robe underneath his armor, so even though the staff struck him, he felt nothing at all. But that immunity did not extend to his officers. At the same time, Nezha unleashed his Universal Ring, and it knocked his opponent Pang Hong off his horse. Nezha then added a thrust to the gut with his spear and finished off Pang Hong.
Seeing this, Yin Hong left Jiang Ziya and went to fight Nezha instead. Meanwhile, Yang Jian was tangling with the Shang officer Bi (4) Huan (2). In the midst of their fight, Yang Jian let loose his Sky-Barking Hound, and the hound did what it did best and bit Bi Huan. The pain distracted Bi Huan long enough for Yang Jian’s saber to find its mark and kill him.
Meanwhile, after fighting Nezha for a bit, Yin Hong pulled out his mirror and shined the white half at Nezha. But of course, being made of lotus, Nezha was once again immune to this magic, no matter how many times Yin Hong shined the mirror at him.
Uh oh, what’s Yin Hong going to do now? To find out, tune in to the next episode of the Chinese Lore Podcast. Thanks for listening!
Music in This Episode
- “Sao Meo” by Doug Maxwell / Zac Zinger
- “Desert City” by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100536; Artist: http://incompetech.com/)
- “Ravines” by Elphnt (from YouTube audio library)