Gods 058: Sealed Fate
Jiang Ziya and company learn that in order to defeat their prodigal disciple’s MacGuffin, they must collect three other MacGuffins to add to the one already in their possession.
Transcript
Welcome to the Chinese Lore Podcast, where I retell classic Chinese stories in English. This is episode 58 of Investiture of the Gods.
Last time, Yin Jiao had it out with his master Grand Completion, but then was injured in the subsequent fighting and also lost both of his outlaw buddies. But then he got help from two more Jie sect Daoists, Luo (2) Xuan (1) and Liu (2) Huan (2). Luo Xuan went out to face Jiang Ziya and said, “You all from the Chan sect have been insulting those of us from the Jie sect. So I have come to see who’s got true skills, not who’s better at debate. Tell your disciples to stay back. I figure their powers are meager, so it’ll just be a battle between you and me.”
As he spoke, he galloped toward Jiang Ziya with twin swords drawn. Jiang Ziya quickly pulled out his sword to counter. Before long, lotus boy Nezha joined the fray, but he was met by Luo Xuan’s buddy Liu Huan. And now, the rest of Jiang Ziya’s Daoist followers charged in and surrounded the two Jie Daoists. Seeing this, Luo Xuan shook his body and sprouted three heads and six arms, with each hand wielding a weapon.
One of Luo Xuan’s newfound hands flung a Five Dragon Wheel, which struck Huang Tianhua and knocked him off his ride. Fortunately, the brothers Jinzha and Muzha rescued him. Yang Jian was just about to call on his Sky-Barking Hound to bite Luo Xuan, but Jiang Ziya had already unleashed his God-Beating Staff. It struck Luo Xuan so hard that he almost fell off his horse. Meanwhile, Nezha hurled his Universal Ring, and it hit Liu Huan so hard that he coughed up fire. So both Luo Xuan and Liu Huan fled back to the Shang camp in defeat.
Watching this setback from the camp gate, the Shang command Zhang Shan thought to himself, “Jiang Ziya and his group are going to be the ones to end the Shang.”
Upon limping back to camp, Luo Xuan swallowed a pill from his gourd and recovered from his injury. He then told his buddy Liu Huan, “Those bastards from Western Qi have left us no choice but to use ruthless tactics. Tonight, we will wipe Western Qi off the map so it won’t cause us any more trouble.”
“They’ve forced us to do this,” Liu Huan agreed.
Around 9 p.m. that night, Luo Xuan and Liu Huan rode on their flaming red horse and launched countless fire arrows into the city. In the blink of an eye, fires were raging throughout Western Qi. From his residence, Jiang Ziya could hear the civilians’ panicked cries, and Burning Lamp knew what had happened and rushed out with Grand Completion to survey the carnage.
Inside the royal palace, the Martial King Ji Fa heard what was happening in the city, and that even his own residence was on fire. He kneeled by his bed and prayed to heaven and earth, saying, “My unvirtuous conduct has offended heaven and brought this disaster. But why punish the civilians? Please, burn me and my entire house, but don’t let the people suffer.”
As he prayed, he remained prostrate on the ground and wailed aloud.
Meanwhile, Luo Xuan was just getting started. He now opened his Ten Thousand Crow Bottle and unleashed a huge flock of crows into the city. Each crow breathed flames from its beak and glided on wings of fire and smoke. Luo Xuan then let loose countless fire dragons, flung his Five Dragon Wheel into the city, and rode around on his red flame steed, which shot fire from its hooves, all the while brandishing his Flying Smoke Swords. Meanwhile, Liu Huan was also running all around, adding to the havoc. Every wall, every building, even those of stone and brick, was burning.
Just then, a visitor came upon this fiery hell. This was Princess Long (2) Ji (3). We had met her a few episodes back when Yang Jian accidentally ran into her while on a mission. She was the daughter of the Emperor of Heaven and the Golden Mother, but had been exiled to Phoenix Mountain for being too attached to the mortal realm. She was coming to lend Jiang Ziya a hand on his upcoming Eastern expedition. When she saw the fires raging inside Western Qi, she quickly told her attendant, “Spread the Mist Dew Universal Net over the city.”
Both the mist and the dew were made from pure water, so of course this magical macguffin was exactly what was needed to put out the fire. Within moments, all the fire crows vanished and the flames died down. Luo Xuan went forth to investigate and saw this female Daoist who was wearing a fishtail coronet and a red satin robe.
“Who are you?! How dare you put out my fire?!” Luo Xuan shouted.
“I am Princess Long Ji. What powers do you have that you’d dare to act so viciously and disobey heaven by coming to harm a sage lord? I have come to help him. You should retreat at once. Don’t bring doom upon yourself.”
Luo Xuan was enraged and hurled his Five Dragon Wheel at her. But the princess laughed, “I figured all you have are these little toys. Bring it!”
As she spoke, she took out her Four Seas Vase and pointed its opening at the Five Dragon Wheel, and the wheel was immediately sucked into the vase. Luo Xuan roared in anger and unleashed a torrent of fire arrows at her, but she once again sucked them all into her vase.
Liu Huan now charged at her on a red cloud with sword drawn. Princess Long Ji flung her Twin Dragon Swords into the air, and they immediately cut through Liu Huan with a streak of flames. Luo Xuan then pulled out his three heads and six arms and tried to hit her with his Sky Shining Stamp, which by the way is a completely separate macguffin from Yin Jiao’s Sky Churning Seal. The princess, however, pointed at the stamp with her swords, and the stamp fell harmlessly into a fire.
Seeing the tide turning against him, Luo Xuan turned and rode away. But the princess let loose her swords again, and they struck his horse’s hindquarters. The horse collapsed and sent Luo Xuan tumbling down toward a sea of fire. Fortunately for him, he was able to fast-travel away via the fire element.
Princess Long Ji now summoned a downpour to put out the remainder of the fires in the city, saving Western Qi. The entire city’s residents now shouted in unison, “The Martial King is truly blessed! It’s only thanks to his virtue that we are saved!”
As the city shook with the sound of celebration, Ji Fa offered thanks to heaven from inside the palace while his officials checked on him. Meanwhile, Jiang Ziya had been greatly shaken from the night’s event, but Burning Lamp told him, “To find good fortune in the midst of trouble, you must have an uncommon person appear. It’s not that I couldn’t put out the fire. But if I had, then that uncommon person won’t have come.”
Uhh, sure, whatever you say, Burning Lamp. Just then, Yang Jian came in and told them that Princess Long Ji had arrived. Jiang Ziya hurriedly welcomed her, and she came in and greeted him as “Daoist brother.”
Jiang Ziya asked Burning Lamp who this was, and Princess Long Ji was like, “You know, I’m standing right here. You can talk to me.”
“I am Princess Long Ji. I was exiled for offending heaven. Just now, Luo Xuan was using his fire magic to destroy Western Qi, so I came and used a little magic to put out the fire. I’m here to help Jiang Ziya on his Eastern expedition to join forces with the other nobles and render service to the state, so as to atone for my offense so that I can return to heaven.”
Jiang Ziya was delighted and ordered attendants to prepare a residence for her, while the city cleaned up after a tumultuous night.
Meanwhile, after fleeing from the city, Luo Xuan stopped somewhere to catch his breath. As he panted, he thought to himself, “I’ve lost all my magic weapons to Prince Long Ji. I must avenge this!”
Just then, he heard someone approaching from behind while singing. His song went:
A poor scholar, I eat vegetables,
I can’t shop, though impoverished.
I’ve no desire for a high rank,
I wish only for forests and springs.
I repair my fishing hooks by a stream,
And copy the scriptures in a lonely cave.
I sing a poem over my wine,
And help the kind king for a new era.
I know that Luo Xuan is doomed.
Luo Xuan’s ears perked up at that last line. He turned and saw a big man approaching with halberd in hand. He wore a helmet and a Daoist robe.
“Who are you? How dare you boast?!” Luo Xuan asked angrily.
“I am Li (3) Jing (4),” the man replied. “I’m on my way to see Jiang Ziya to help him invade the East. I don’t have anything to offer him as a gift, so I’m going to capture you to render some service.”
So just a quick refresher. Li Jing was Nezha’s none-too-fatherly father. After father and son were forced by Master Buring Lamp to set aside their bad blood, Li Jing had quit his job as a Shang general and went into seclusion, waiting for the day when his services would be required. And that day had come.
Li Jing and Luo Xuan now drew their weapons and went at each other like tigers and wolves. After a few exchanges, Li Jing unleashed the magic Golden Pagoda that Burning Lamp had given him to keep his son in line. The pagoda came crashing down squarely on Luo Xuan’s head, crushing his skull and killing him instantly.
Li Jing then continued fast-traveling to Western Qi. When he arrived, he was greeted by his middle son Muzha, who quickly informed Jiang Ziya. Burning Lamp said, “Li Jing is my disciple and used to be a Shang commander.”
Jiang Ziya was delighted and quickly welcomed Li Jing. In the meantime, though, Grand Completion said to Burning Lamp, “Master, how can we defeat Yin Jiao?”
Burning Lamp said, “The Sky Churning Seal is too powerful. We must get the other three magic flags in addition to Jiang Ziya’s yellow banner.”
Grand Completion immediately volunteered for the task, and Burning Lamp sent him on his way. His first stop was Xuandu (2,1) Cave, the abode of the Master Laozi, the senior member of the Three Purities that also included the founders of the Chan and Jie sects. Grand Completion did not dare to go in unannounced, so he waited until he saw Chief Priest Xuandu come out. He then bowed and said, “Daoist brother, may I trouble you to let the master know that I’m seeking an audience?”
Xuandu went in and told Laozi, and Laozi said, “There’s no need for him to come in. He must be here for the Soaring Flame Flag. Give it to him and send him on his way.”
Xuandu did as instructed, and Grand Completion thanked him profusely and left, hoisting the flag high. He returned to Western Qi, gave the flag to Jiang Ziya, and then set off again. This time, he went to the West and found a holy realm that was wholly different from the holy realm on Kunlun Mountain. He went to a sanctuary and asked the acolyte outside to announce him. The acolyte went in and returned moments later to invite him in.
Inside, Grand Completion was met by a tall man with yellow complexion who had his tied up in coils. This was the Buddha Amitabha. Once they sat down, Amitabha said, “Daoist brother, you are a member of the Chan sect, and I have long admired your school but haven’t had the chance to meet you. It’s truly a pleasure to have you here today.”
Grand Completion thanked him and said, “I have broken the prohibition on killing. Today, we are stymied by Yin Jiao and it’s delaying Jiang Ziya’s special day. So I have come to ask for your Green Lotus Flag to defeat Yin Jiao so that the Martial King can begin his eastern expedition.”
Amitabha, however, said, “Our emphasis on finding the Way is different from yours and focuses on remaining clean and peaceful. We see the image of ourselves and that of others in lotus flowers. I cannot risk having our Green Lotus flag soiled in the mortal realm.”
That polite bit of shade on his own school notwithstanding, Grand Completion said, “We may be two different schools, but our principles are the same. We both agree on conjoining the heart of man with the will of heaven. We are all one inseparable family. The Martial King is acting in accordance with heaven. We all live in the same world. How can you discriminate between our two religions? As the old proverb says, ‘The golden pills of life of the Daoist and the luminous stone relics of Buddha represent the same principle of virtue.’ We are really one.”
“There’s logic in your words, but nonetheless, I cannot allow the Green Lotus Flag to be tainted by the mortal realm,” Amitabha insisted.
Just as they were debating, another figure joined the party. This was the Buddha Candi (Jandi), whom we had previously met when he intervened to save a Jie sect disciple from the blade of a Chan sect foe. After they greeted each other, Amitabha told Candi about the disagreement, and Candi said, “I had once told you, ‘There is an immense red glow in the South and East. They share a destiny with us in the West. Even though our Western territory is a paradise, when will our religion reach the South and East? Why not allow a major religion of those regions to help spread our teachings? Since Grand Completion has come, we should oblige him.”
Thus convinced, Amitabha agreed to lend the Green Lotus Flag. Grand Completion thanked them both and hurried back to Western Qi. He told Burning Lamp about how much effort it took to convince those snooty Buddhists in the West to let him borrow their flag. Nonetheless, Burning Lamp said, “Now we can set up the Soaring Flames Flag in the South, the Green Lotus flag in the east, the yellow flag in the center, and the White Cloud Bound Flag in the West. We’ll just leave the north open for Yin Jiao and deal with him there.”
Grand Completion said that’s great! Now, where’s that White Cloud Bound Flag?
At that, everyone fell silent.
Umm, guys? Where’s that last flag? Anyone? Anyone?
Try as they might, no one could think of where that last flag could be, and they all broke up for the night, leaving Grand Completion quite unhappy.
Tuxing Sun, the short-statured earth-travel specialist, went back home and told his wife, Deng Chanyu, “Yin Jiao has been causing lots of trouble for us. We’re trying to deal with him, but we’re missing the White Cloud Bound Flag.”
As it so happened, Princess Long Ji was hanging out in the next room and heard this. She came over and said, “That flag is with my mother. That flag has a second name, the Immortal Convening Flag. Whenever she’s throwing a banquet for immortals, she would raise that flag, and all the immortals will gather at her place. The only one who can go fetch it is Immortal of the South Pole.”
Tuxing Sun hurried back to the main hall and told Burning Lamp what the princess said. You know, maybe we should let women attend our meetings. They JUST might have something useful to contribute. Burning Lamp immediately sent Grand Completion to Kunlun Mountain. Once there, Grand Completion waited outside the Jade Emptiness Palace for a long while until Immortal of the South Pole came out. He then told South Pole all about Yin Jiao.
“I understand; you may go on back,” South Pole told him.
Once Grand Completion left, South Pole packed up some stuff. He changed into his formal attire for appearing in the court of heaven, put on his jade pendants, and grabbed his ivory tablet that was used to submit petitions to the emperor of heaven. God, it’s like somehow heaven operates on a system of government just like the one on earth.
South Pole now flew on a crane to the sanctuary of the Golden Mother, which was an exquisite fairyland. When he descended, he saw that the gates were shut tight and all was quiet. He prostrated in front of the main hall and declared, “Your lowly official, Immortal of the South Pole, hereby petitions the Golden Mother: The sage lord Ji Fa, is favored by the will of heaven. Yet right now Yin Jiao, a disciple of a member of the Chan sect, has disobeyed his master and gone against heaven’s will. He is slaughtering innocents and preventing Jiang Ziya from proceeding with his mission. I worry that it will delay Jiang Ziya’s great undertaking. Yin Jiao had sworn that if he broke his oath to his master, he would be executed by a plow in Western Qi. I have come on my master’s command to ask the Golden Mother to kindly lend us her Immortal Gathering Flag so that we may hold Yin Jiao accountable to his oath.”
Momentarily, he heard the sound of music and the two doors swung open. Four fairies came out, hoisting the Immortal Gathering Flag. They gave the flag to South Pole and told him, “The Golden Mother said, ‘The Martial King shall inherit the earth. King Zhou (4) is wicked and shall be exterminated. This is in accordance with heaven. Bear this flag and go help the Martial King. Do not delay. Go at once!”
South Pole offered up his thanks and then took the flag and left. When he arrived in Western Qi, Grand Completion burned incense to receive the flag and offer his gratitude. Then, South Pole told Jiang Ziya, “Your special day is almost here. Deal with Yin Jiao quickly. I will take my leave of you for now.”
Once South Pole left, Burning Lamp said, “With this flag, we can capture Yin Jiao. But we still need a few people to help.”
Right on cue, word came that Pure Essence, the former master of Yin Jiao’s little brother, had arrived. Grand Completion greeted him and commiserated about how they both had such rotten luck with disciples. Then, Master Wenshu showed up, and as soon as he saw Jiang Ziya, he said, “Congratulations!”
“On what?” Jiang Ziya asked. “War has been raging nonstop for years. I can’t eat or sleep in peace. I can’t even sit in quiet meditation.”
Burning Lamp now told Wenshu to handle the Green Lotus Flag, and Pure Essence to handle the Soaring Flames Flag. Burning Lamp himself would man the Yellow Flag. As for the Immortal Gathering Flag, he saved that assignment for the Martial King Ji Fa.
So Jiang Ziya invited Ji Fa over but didn’t tell him that all this was for capturing Yin Jiao. Instead, he just said, “My lord, please lead the troops and fall back to Qi Mountain. I shall accompany you.”
“Minister Father, I will personally carry out your instructions,” Ji Fa said.
Jiang Ziya then assembled his officers. He ordered Flying Tiger to attack the main gate of the enemy camp, Deng Jiugong to attack the left gate, and Nangong Kuo to attack the right gate. Meanwhile, Nezha and Yang Jian would take up position on the left. Wei (4) Hu (4) and Thunderbolt would be stationed on the right; Huang Tianhua was in the rear; and the newly arrived Li Jing and two of his sons, Jinzha and Muzha, would serve as reinforcements.
On the other side, the Shang commander Zhang Shan saw the enemy’s camp readying for action, so he went to see Yin Jiao and said, “Your highness. We have been camped out here but unable to win. Why not fall back to the capital and draw up other plans?”
“But I didn’t come here on a royal decree,” Yin Jiao said. “Let me send a message to the capital and ask for reinforcements. How hard can it be to sack one city?”
“But Jiang Ziya is a cunning strategist, and he is aided by all the disciples of the Chan sect,” Zhang Shan said. “They’re no easy foe.”
“It’s fine,” Yin Jiao insisted. “Even my master is afraid of the Sky Churning Seal, much less the others.”
And so they debated until dusk. Around 7 p.m., Flying Tiger laid siege on the main gate to the camp and his army stormed straight in. Yin Jiao had not gone to bed yet, so when he heard the shouting outside, he rushed out, hopped on his horse, and went to meet the enemy. He rode out just in time to see Flying Tiger and his sons crash through the gate.
“Flying Tiger, how dare you raid my camp?!” Yin Jiao shouted. “You’re looking to die!”
“I am here on orders and dare not disobey!” Flying Tiger shot back as he raised his spear and attacked. Yin Jiao quickly countered with his halberd. Flying Tiger’s three younger sons swarmed in and helped to encircle Yin Jiao.
Meanwhile, Zhou armies were also crashing into the left and right gates. Zhang Shan raced over to face off against the forces led by Deng Jiugong, while his lieutenant went to take on the forces led by Nangong Kuo. And then, Nezha and Yang Jian came charging in through the front gate to help Flying Tiger. Nezha’s spear danced around Yin Jiao’s body, while Yang Jian’s saber came crashing down toward his head.
Seeing Nezha, Yin Jiao took out his Soul Dropping Bell and shook it. But of course, lotus boy was immune to its effects. Yin Jiao then unleashed the Sky Churning Seal to try to hit Yang Jian, but Yang Jian kept using his powers of transformation to avoid the attack, all the while helping to keep Yin Jiao occupied.
In the midst of the fighting, Nezha hurled a golden brick that struck Yin Jiao’s Soul Dropping Bell, causing a huge clang and a bright burst of light, putting Yin Jiao back on his heels. In the meantime, Zhang Shan was fighting Deng Jiugong when one of Deng Jiugong’s lieutenants opened his mouth and spit out a stream of fire. The flames scorched Zhang Shan’s face, and Deng Jiugong finished him off with one slash of his saber. At the same time, the general Nangong Kuo had killed Zhang Shan’s lieutenant. So those two flanks now converged on the center and helped to encircle Yin Jiao even more, while Thunderbolt swooped down from the sky and attacked as well.
No matter how many arms and heads Yin Jiao had, he couldn’t hold out against this onslaught. So he shook his Soul Dropping Bell in the direction of Huang Tianhua, who was NOT immune to its effects and immediately fell out of his saddle. That gave Yin Jiao the opening he needed to escape and flee toward Qi Mountain. The Zhou forces gave chase for about 10 miles before calling off the pursuit and returning to the city.
As dawn broke, Yin Jiao found himself accompanied by only a few soldiers. He lamented, “Who knew I would suffer such a defeat? I must head to the capital to see my father and borrow more troops so that I can avenge this day.”
But as he was riding, he suddenly saw Master Wenshu standing in front of him.
“Yin Jiao, you’re going to meet your death under a plow today,” Wenshu said.
Yin Jiao bowed and said, “Daoist uncle, I’m on my way back to the capital. Why are you blocking my path?”
“You have entered our trap,” Wenshu said. “Surrender now and you may be spared the plow.”
Yin Jiao grew irate and charged. Wenshu countered with his sword. After a few exchanges, Yin Jiao was wary of Wenshu, so he pulled out the Sky Churning Seal. But Wenshu immediately unfurled the Green Lotus Flag, and it kept the seal hovering in the air, where it could do no harm.
Seeing this, Yin Jiao quickly called back the seal and raced toward the South instead. But before long, he came upon Pure Essence, who shouted, “Yin Jiao, you broke your promise to your master. You will suffer the fate you have sworn for yourself!”
Yin Jiao knew he had to fight his way through, so he just charged without answering. Pure Essence cursed, “You beast! You’re just like your brother. It must be preordained and you cannot escape your fate.”
Yin Jiao once again unleashed his seal, but Pure Essence waved the Soaring Flames Flag, and the seal was again just spinning in the air. Yin Jiao retrieved it and fled toward the center, but there he was met by Burning Lamp, who said, “Your master has a hundred plows with your name on it!”
Yin Jiao panicked and said, “Master, I haven’t offended you or the other masters. Why must you push me at every turn?”
“You beast!” Burning Lamp scolded. “You swore an oath to heaven. How can you then break your word?”
Yin Jiao now charged at Burning Lamp, who fought him for a bit. Yin Jiao then used his seal, and of course Buring Lamp used the Yellow Flag in response. Once again, the seal was rendered powerless. Yin Jiao took it back and looked west. There, he saw Jiang Ziya standing under the royal canopy.
“There is my enemy!” Yin Jiao shouted. “You cannot escape!”
He now galloped toward Jiang Ziya with halberd raised. The Martial King Ji Fa was standing next to Jiang Ziya, and when he saw this creature with three heads and six arms bearing down on them, he was scared out of his mind. But Jiang Ziya said, “Don’t worry. That’s just the Shang prince Yin Jiao.”
“Oh, since it’s the crown prince, I should dismount and pay my respects,” Ji Fa said.
Jiang Ziya looked at him and was like, are you serious? “We’re at war against him, how can you greet him like that? I will deal with him.”
To see if Yin Jiao will meet the same fate as his brother, 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
- “Dark Toys” by SYBS (from YouTube audio library)
- “Ravines” by Elphnt (from YouTube audio library)