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墨書 Inktalez
“Ying Ying, in ancient legends, there was a god named Hou Yi. Do you know about him?”
I nodded. Hou Yi is well-known in Chinese mythology, famous not only for his heroic deeds but also for the betrayal of his wife, Chang'e, who stole the elixir of immortality given by the Queen Mother of the West to fulfill her own plan of ascending to the moon. In my impression, Hou Yi is depicted as both fierce and tragic.
“There is a tale about Hou Yi shooting down ten suns. You’ve heard of it, right? But in reality, things were quite different from the legends.”
Oh? Could it be that the events in ancient myths actually existed?
According to the legend, there were ten Three-Legged Golden Crows residing in the sky. They were all sons of the Emperor, taking turns to illuminate the earth, which we refer to as “the sun.” One day, they suddenly decided that taking turns was boring and all flew out together to play.
However, their power was too overwhelming; houses, forests, and crops on the ground began to catch fire, and many people and animals perished from the heat. Rivers and seas dried up, leaving only monstrous creatures from the sea that crawled ashore to devour humans. People fled into caves, unable to go outside during the day and finding no food at night.
Oh my goodness, such apocalyptic accounts existed even in ancient times! Just imagining that scene makes me wonder how people's imagination could be so rich if such events had never occurred!
But since the sun belongs to those Three-Legged Golden Crows, modern scientific research has proven this notion to be nonsense. Still, let’s just assume that there really were ten suns scorching the earth.
In such dire circumstances, the hero Hou Yi emerged. It is said that Hou Yi was the leader of the Youqiong Clan from the East and an undeniable Divine Archer. Witnessing this catastrophic scene made him feel deeply pained. Thus, Hou Yi climbed over ninety-nine mountains, crossed ninety-nine Yellow Rivers, and traversed ninety-nine gorges until he reached the eastern sea. He ascended a great mountain overlooking the vast ocean. Drawing back his powerful bow with immense strength and nocking a heavy arrow, he shot down one sun with a swift release.
Not stopping there, Hou Yi continued to unleash his arrows without missing a single shot and swiftly brought down nine suns in total. The last sun was terrified and has since obediently followed its schedule without any issues.
In addition to the ten suns, various monsters like Yayu, Zaochi, Nine Infants, fierce winds, Feng Xi, and Xiu Snake roamed freely at that time. Hou Yi eliminated these monsters one by one, finally bringing peace and happiness to the people.
As a result, the Emperor mourned for his nine sons deeply. Although he knew it was his sons' fault and ordered the remaining sun to work diligently, Hou Yi still had to bear the consequences. Thus, this once divine being could no longer return to heaven.
Sigh... why do I feel that these expressions of praise and reverence for deities often serve as subtle critiques of the supreme god? Perhaps it’s because there is simply too much unfairness in this world.
“Ying Ying, this is not just a legend; it is a true disaster that occurred in ancient times. Hou Yi, to be precise, along with Chang'e, were the ones who ended that calamity. The Sikong Family of Snowfall Villa is the last remaining branch of the Pure Fox Clan to which Chang'e belongs. In other words, we are the descendants of Hou Yi and Chang'e.”
What? This is too incredible. The people I know from Snowfall Villa, especially Luo Dachun, suddenly transformed into figures from mythology. It was almost too much for my mind to process.
“Perhaps it’s hard for you to understand, but there exists an invisible door in this world, containing things that would bring disaster if they were ever released. This door does not belong to our world, yet sometimes it appears and attempts to open. I wonder if you can grasp what I mean.”
I nodded. Although this concept did not align with my understanding of natural science, it was not difficult to comprehend. Essentially, in another dimension of time and space, there exists a Pandora's Box filled with malevolent things. If this Pandora's Box were to appear unexpectedly and open here, it could bring about the end of the world. If I understood correctly, that was the gist of it.
So, the event where Hou Yi shot down the suns was actually a moment when that Pandora's Box opened?
“At that time, indeed, there was a calamity of such magnitude as ten suns appearing simultaneously. In reality, it was not ten suns but rather a fiery rain that threatened all life with extinction. It was Hou Yi leading the Youqiong Clan and Chang'e leading the Pure Fox Clan who sacrificed many lives to seal that door again. Since then, all descendants of the Youqiong Clan and Pure Fox Clan have become guardians of that door across generations, ensuring it never opens again in this world.”
A mix of astonishment and disbelief washed over me; I didn’t know how to react. Initially, I thought Snowfall Villa acted strangely and ruthlessly, hiding their greedy activities behind a facade of seclusion. From Luo Dachun’s words and actions, it seemed they had done something quite wrong in the past. My impression of them worsened further. Who would have thought they were actually silent heroes?
They risked their lives and blood for the welfare of all humanity?
Luo Dachun lowered his head and said quietly, “Actually, I only learned about these matters a few days ago.”
“In the great disaster of ancient times, to seal the Disaster Gate, Chang'e swallowed a divine object belonging to the Pure Fox Clan called the Ice Cold Divine Pill. Because Chang'e had an extraordinary constitution and spiritual power, the Ice Cold Divine Pill transformed within her into a thousand-year icy force that froze the Disaster Gate at the cost of her life. After Hou Yi eliminated all monsters from this world with his Youqiong Clan, he chose to accompany his beloved wife in death by swallowing the Youqiong Clan’s divine object known as the Blazing Fire Divine Pill, using its fiery power to send the Disaster Gate back to another realm.”
“Outsiders do not know this; perhaps the earliest concept of monogamy can be traced back to our ancestors Hou Yi and Chang'e who married without taking concubines. Thus, both Youqiong Clan and Pure Fox Clan descendants have adhered to monogamy up until now; everyone in Snowfall Villa follows this tradition.” A faint smile appeared on Luo Dachun's face as he spoke.
It turned out this was not just a legendary tale but also a story of legendary love amidst a city-wide romance. Chang'e did not secretly consume an elixir for immortality; she swallowed something that led her to sacrifice her life completely.
Luo Dachun continued telling the story.
"Strangely, when a human body merges with the Divine Elixir, it turns to ashes, yet the Divine Elixir can still take shape. Moreover, it absorbs the power of the host, growing stronger each time. Thus, the Youqiong Clan and the Pure Fox Clan have guarded these two divine artifacts for generations, constantly observing and protecting them in preparation for the potential return of the Disaster Gate."
"The Disaster Gate is highly sensitive to all 'dark' forces in the world; wars, famines, droughts, plagues, and grievances can summon it closer. Therefore, the descendants of the Youqiong Clan and the Pure Fox Clan dedicate their lives to eliminating these dangers at any cost and by any means necessary. In this process, branches of both clans have continuously sacrificed and faced extinction. After three generations, only one branch remains from each clan, with the Pure Fox Clan's branch being what is now known as Snowfall Villa."
"During the chaos of the Sui Dynasty End, we faced unprecedented crises, and our strength had dwindled to its lowest point. Just when we were at our most vulnerable, the guardians of the Youqiong Clan mysteriously vanished without a trace."
"The Sikong Clan found itself isolated and nearly in despair at that time. So, over a decade ago, my grandfather and father made a decision: they infused our family's divine artifact, the Ice Cold Divine Pill, directly into my body when I was just five years old."
"They chose me because I exhibited exceptional potential that had not been seen in generations. In such a dire moment, they decided to use my body to nurture the divine artifact while allowing the Ice Cold Divine Pill to integrate more harmoniously with my growth. It should be clear now that if a crisis arose with the opening of the Disaster Gate, my body would serve as a tool to seal it."
I was stunned—was Luo Dachun treated as a mere sacrifice by Snowfall Villa? What kind of feelings did everyone harbor while doing this?
"Of course, I was unaware of all this; I only knew that my closest relatives had placed me on an extremely painful path. Since I was five years old, I have not lived normally; the icy force within me tormented me day after day. I struggled to coexist with this torment. My power grew unusually fast, and those around me feared me without knowing the truth. If not for my aunt's constant care and protection, I truly do not know how I would have grown up."
This "aunt" must be the woman mentioned in Ye Liuhui's writings. From what Nie Qiuyuan told me, Luo Dachun's aunt is named Sikong Feixue; she remains unmarried to this day. From Ye Liuhui's records, it seems her background is related to Melan's family. This world is indeed complex.
"I gradually learned to coexist with the icy power within me. Without external forces prompting it, my internal power would not erupt recklessly at that time. I carried out tasks assigned by the master of Snowfall Villa like any normal person; looking back now, those were missions aimed at preventing potential threats from opening the Disaster Gate. That period was relatively calm until five years ago when the Disaster Gate nearly opened during a great calamity at Snowfall Villa."
"This appearance of the Disaster Gate was man-made," Luo Dachun said gravely. "For generations, our two clans have strictly guarded the secret of the Disaster Gate to prevent this very occurrence. Since the time of Hou Yi, only the clan leader and their chosen successor have known about its existence; others merely fulfill specific tasks assigned by the clan leader out of loyalty to family traditions. This approach is primarily due to the many ill-intentioned individuals in this world. Some people choose to hate everyone due to their grievances and aim to eliminate all others as their goal in life. For such individuals, the Disaster Gate serves as an optimal tool they can exploit."
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