Fanfiction: Ink in Water - Chapter 24 (Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms 三生三世十里桃花)
Chapter 24. Lost and found
written by Bunnyedited by Kakashi
consulting by LalaLoop
Rain...
Thunder…
The Second Disciple of Kunlun Mountain was sitting down to enjoy his hot cup of tea as he observed the ongoing downpour outside when he suddenly felt a bit saddened.
This sadness, however, was a mystery to him since he was sure he had no reason to be sad. He was also not someone who was easily saddened. If he were, he would have never survived those long years on Kunlun Mountain by himself waiting for his Shifu to return from his long absence. Now, Moyuan was finally back, on top of that, Kunlun was busier than ever with all of the disciples currently reunited in one place. What could he possibly be sad about?
Changshan sighed. But that was precisely the issue. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that anything this fortuitous was sure not to last. Take his Seventeenth Junior’s case for example. Any day now, they would have to marry her off to the Celestials. That meant one less disciple on Kunlun Mountain to look after their Shifu.
Thinking of that pale and frail figure, Changshan’s heart ached.
And who didn’t know that Seventeenth was Moyuan’s favorite? He always doted on her the most. Always punished her the least. He even preferred to drink the questionable tea she brewed over the kind Changshan had perfected all these years just for him.
In many ways, Changshan thought this Shifu of his was rather unfortunate. He had endured so much. Dying and coming back to life. His recovery hadn’t exactly been a walk in the park either. Aside from his questionable physical health, Changshan was even more worried about what was going on inside that head of his. These days, he was often found wandering around the mountain, standing and staring off into space like somebody had just stolen money from him. What exactly was he lamenting about?
Although Changshan couldn’t imagine what a 70,000 year slumber could do to a person, he guessed that if he woke up from one he might feel very alone. Perhaps what Moyuan really needed was some companionship. Sure, he had them, his disciples, but maybe the kind of company that would actually do him some good was the kind that none of them could provide.
Why, of course! The Second Disciple of Kunlun Mountain instantly realized he had stumbled upon a brilliant idea, such that he almost choked on his tea.
Having been by his Shifu’s side all these years, it was Changshan’s belief that no one else knew as much about Moyuan’s love history as he did. A history that was nonexistent. His Shifu had lived for a very long time, but had chosen to forgo his personal intimacy to devote himself to his godly duties. Surely, he had never even once looked at a woman!
But nobody ever said the God of War couldn’t take a wife.
Perhaps if the last war had never occurred, they would already have a Mistress of Kunlun by now... No matter. Better late than never! Even if he was getting a little old and…
Ah pei! Their Shifu was definitely still in his prime!
Wasn’t it about time he partook in some earthly pleasures?
A wife… and then maybe some kids...
The thought of toting around a little miniature version of Moyuan in his arms was making Changshan blush with joy. Indeed, this was a good idea. However, Changshan thought about it long and hard but was still unable to think of how to bring this good idea up to his Shifu.
Mn, he would need to meditate on it some more. Perhaps he could pass the idea around with his Seventeenth Junior later. She would definitely be in support of this. And she was always good at talking her way out of trouble with Moyuan, so maybe, she would be good at talking him into things too. Why wouldn’t he listen to his favorite?
Yes… brilliant...
Changshan was so lost in this pleasurable train of thought, he had almost forgotten it was time to prepare Moyuan’s medicine. It was almost nightfall. He quickly got up and began to busy himself in the kitchen. When he was finished, he loaded the concoction onto a tray and went out to look for its recipient.
The God of War wasn’t in his chamber. Wasn’t in his study. Wasn’t in his meditation room. Wasn’t in the main hall either. Changshan was at a loss. Staring outside at the rain that continued to beat down, he thought, there’s no way he would be out there… Summoning an umbrella, he scurried into the back garden. When he clearly saw who it was sitting on the ground by the Lotus Pond in the rain, his legs almost gave out.
“Shifu!” Changshan ran so fast, he tripped a few times. “Shifu! What happened? Why are you sitting out here like this?!”
Moyuan did not respond. He was staring at the ground, looking like his soul had left his body. Something was undoubtedly not right. He needed to be brought back inside. Grabbing his Shifu by the shoulders to help him up, Changshan could feel his clothes were completely drenched. Biting down on his lip, Changshan cursed himself. Why hadn’t he kept a better watch? If High God Zheyan found out that his most precious patient had been soaking in rainwater like this… that’s it, Changshan had better start planning his own funeral.
“It’s alright, Second. I’m fine,” Moyuan quietly said, as he was escorted back to his chamber.
“Shifu… you ... are you sure you’re not hurt anywhere? Do you feel cold? Maybe I should heat up some coals. How about some hot water? Why were you out there in the garden by yourself? I thought Immortal Xiao Yu was with you?” Changshan quickly ran off his list questions as he helped his Shifu change into a new set of dry clothes, but he still had more. He was a ball of nerves.
Moyuan finished tying the ties to his robe himself and only sighed as he sat back in his bed and closed his eyes. After pondering whether or not he should continue his interrogation, Changshan silently took out a blanket and covered the person on the bed with it.
He looked at his Shifu again, who was far too pale. Feeling rather worried, and not sure if one blanket was enough, he took out another blanket and draped it over the first.
He glanced at the person on the bed again, and was still slightly anxious. Best to be safe than sorry. He once again took out a third blanket.
He peeked at his Shifu again, taking out a fourth blanket…
…….
“Changshan…” Moyuan, who was now under six layers of blankets, finally cracked open one eye. “This is… a bit much, don’t you think?”
Putting away the blanket in his hands, the Second disciple nodded, and resolved to go reheat some medicine in the kitchen instead.
As he waited by the stove, he reviewed the events of earlier today. From what Changshan could recall, when he had caught High God Zheyan on his way out earlier this afternoon, the High God had said he needed to go back to his Peach Woods to gather more herbs but that he would be back in a few hours. He also said that Immortal Xiao Yu was keeping their Shifu company in the back garden. But now, even that green-eyed god had disappeared off to who knows where.
And what about Seventeenth? He just saw her this morning. Why wasn’t she keeping watch over Moyuan? She had been glued to him ever since he woke up, refusing to leave his side because she had been the most anxious out of all of them.
Where on earth did she go?
***
Mortal Realm
“What has gotten into you, Xiao Wu?”
Bai Qian heard the words her Fourth Brother kept repeating, but as though she could no longer hear anything or anyone at all, she gave no response.
“Had I not heard from Zheyan that you were down here looking for Yehua, I would have never thought to check on you, and you probably would have ended up—are you even listening to me?”
Her eyes were glazed over at the sight straight ahead of them. What was once the mouth of a cave she had passed through with a boy whose hand had held hers so tightly she could not feel anything else, was now just a mountain of rubble. Beneath it... a body she would never see again.
How could he be gone just like that? Bai Qian didn’t know if she could believe it.
In front of her, filling her vision now were all of the Little Brat’s many faces.
That prideful look he had the first time she found him beaten and battered in that alleyway.
That shy and polite look he used when he skillfully stole from her.
The look of the boy that later kneeled on the ground and apologized to her. The boy who asked to be her disciple, only to turn around in the same evening and ask her to marry him.
The often cheeky, sometimes obedient look he would give her each time he would utter those two words, Big Sis.
And today, the look that he gave her without faltering when he said he would protect her.
On what basis could he just disappear like that?
On what basis?!
She wanted to cry. She waited for the tears to come, to be relieved of this storm raging at her core, but there was nothing.
“Xiao Wu, I don’t know what kind of mess you’ve gotten yourself into, but at least say something...” Bai Zhen had a firm hand on her shoulder, as though trying to shake the life back into her. “What happened in there?”
What happened?
Didn’t she know the answer to that? Why would an innocent child like Shu Long have to lose his life, if not because of her? Because of her stubborn, imprudent determination, she had chosen to come here and do things she had been warned not to.
“I think... we better take you home and have Zheyan take a look at you...”
“No.”
“Xiao Wu,” Bai Zhen started to say in an exasperated manner, but the person he was talking to had already turned around and started to walk in the opposite direction.
“Xiao Wu! Where are you going?”
***
Diyu (the Underworld)
It had started out as any other day in hell. Nothing was particularly out of place. The imps and goblins were busy doing their jobs—ripping out tongues, pulling teeth, flaying bodies and frying them in oil cauldrons, the usual ruckus. Violent screams of pain and agony were diffusing appropriately into the air. Crimson Fire continued to rise from the abyss of Eighteen Levels of Hell [1]. And all along the banks of the River of Oblivion [2], souls that had been granted safe passage were lining up to cross the Naihe Bridge [3] for their bowl of soup from Meng Po [4].
The incumbent Yanwang [5] looked outside his palace window and thought to himself, it was rather infuriating. Nobody had any idea just how much he had had to endure in the matter of 24 hours. There was one massive headache-inducing disaster that was still on the back burner, and now he was face-to-face with yet another. This feeling of injustice swelled like an overstretched balloon inside of him.
“High Goddess…” He addressed the person still standing on the other side of his desk. “As I’ve said, I’ve already given you all the information I have… What more do you need?”
“I’m asking you to look again.”
“I beg your pardon?”
The one who was currently staring him down was her highness, the Queen of Qing Qiu Kingdom, Bai Qian. Having only heard the name all these years, he was finally meeting the person today. And it seemed the rumors were mostly true. The reclusive Fox Queen was an incontestable beauty, no doubt, but her personality on the other hand… was a bit odd.
“High Goddess, I really wish to help you but… I truly don’t have any record of a boy named—”
“It hasn’t been that long,” she cut in, “he should have just passed through your gates. Don’t you people have some sort of system to track who’s coming and going?”
You people, she said. It was always you people this and you people that. That was all they ever were to these Kings and Queens of whatever realm. Yanwang was vexed. Was he not also a King in his own right? Did anyone ever treat him as such?
No.
Was he simply too polite?
Maybe that was the problem.
In any case, just because Diyu was located on a plane directly beneath the rest, it shouldn’t be assumed that its inhabitants wouldn’t mind being stepped on. They minded very much as a matter of fact.
“I’ve already shown you all my records and you’ve already looked over everything twice now, have you not?” Yanwang smiled a stiff smile and pointed to the few scrolls that laid sprawled out on his desk, the ends of them were hanging off the side of the table, draping down in folds that spread nearly to the door. “This is a comprehensive list of every newly deceased soul that’s been granted passage through my gates, with names continually appearing each time they’re checked in, not a single one unaccounted for. And I hope you won’t suggest that my guards have been inattentive by any means, because excuse my bluntness, High Goddess, but they’ve been doing their job for longer than you’ve been in existence!”
Immediately upon delivering his retort, Yanwang regretted it. The last person he wanted to disrespect was anyone from the Nine-tailed Fox clan, let alone someone who was about to be married into the Celestial clan.
“On… on second thought, those imps can be rather sloppy,” Yanwang feigned a laugh. “Here, let me just search again...”
“If... he didn’t come through here… where else would he go...”
The Fox Queen’s face dropped. Her fierce eyes were replaced with sorrow. Almost desperate. Yanwang was an observant man, he did not miss this. Why was she searching so adamantly for this mortal soul anyway? Could it be… this was her lover?
By now, Yanwang could no longer be surprised by such discoveries. If the Heavens only knew of the number of times their Gods had violated the rules and became entangled with their lesser creations. Being the ruler of the Underworld, he had seen enough of them come through here. It was always the same old story.
It wasn’t as though Yanwang was a man who didn’t know about love. He was the King of Hell, so he wasn’t the most romantic god, but he had heard enough crying and wailing from these blasted souls to be somewhat cognizant of what that cursed emotion could do to people. Some were fortunate in love. Others not so much. The ones who were stupid enough to seek out the kind that would doom them earned no pity from him. Didn’t they know better? There were circumstances for which two people could never hope to surpass. A god and mortal would never work. Just look at Zhinü and Niulang [6], those two crazy kids... Were they not tragic enough?
Even if he was not the one to lay down the laws presiding who could or couldn’t fall in love with whom, Yanwang had his duties. He was in charge of regulating the souls that cycled through the Lower Realm. And if that meant tearing lovers apart, then heck, he was happy to do it.
“...Has to be here… how can he not be here...” the fox queen kept mumbling to herself as she continued to search through the list of names. “Unless he…”
“High Goddess,” Yanwang firmly interjected, “you may not wish to hear it, but may I offer you some advice?”
Her head lifted up at him.
“Just try to forget.”
“What?” She looked at him bewildered.
“You should forget about the person you’re looking for,” Yanwang tried to say more gently. Clasping his hands behind his back, he began to pace the room as he picked his next words. “This situation… for the sake of your reputation, I will not speak of it to anyone. It’s not the first time it’s happened, I assure you. The point is, you must try not to dwell on...”
Yanwang had only turned his back on the Queen of Qing Qiu for one second, why was it that upon looking back, he was now talking to himself? Where did she go?
“...High Goddess...?”
His eyes nearly jumped out of his skull when he ran to his doorway and saw that Bai Qian was marching over to the gates separating his palace from the thing situated on the other side of it, the River of Oblivion. If Yanwang could grow hairs on that bald head of his, he’d be pulling them all out at that instant.
“Guards!” he screeched, furiously signalling for them to block the gates.
The Underworld had very few rules on any given day, but one of them was that no visitor was allowed to go beyond the perimeters of his palace, to avoid direct contact with those fragile mortal souls cycling in and out. That being said, at the moment, it was even more imperative that this rule be enforced.
“High Goddess! Please wait!” He ran after her. “Why don’t we go back inside and I’ll look over those records with you again! There’s no need to be so hasty!” Yanwang was willing to do anything at this point. As long as this person was not going anywhere near that River.
Why?
That other disaster he was still not finished dealing with was there!
Being a very prideful man, Yanwang had his principles. He didn’t believe in airing his household disasters to the world. If his house was on fire, he would be the one to put it out himself. This was currently the case. Except that instead of a fire... he had ice. A whole river of it. The most sacred body of water in all six realms - the very circulation of life and death - the River of Oblivion was currently collecting ice.
No, this was no small matter. Yangwang could not begin to figure out how or why such a thing could occur. How could any part of hell freeze over? It sounded like a bad joke. Except that it wasn’t.
As of the last time he checked, the ice was still localized to the edges of the water and the river was still flowing, but what would happen if the entire thing froze? Would it not completely halt the cycle of reincarnation? Then what would happen? Yanwang felt dizzy just thinking about the subject. He needed to investigate the matter promptly. Which he would have been able to do by now had he not been occupied with this very demanding house guest. The last thing he needed was for her, an outsider, to be poking around.
“STOP!” Yanwang threw himself with his arms outstretched directly in front of Bai Qian, who was refusing to halt. “High Goddess, please… I cannot let you pass through here. This is strictly against ordinances. If it’s something you wish to challenge, then you’ll have to forgive me for using force. Although I hope we won’t reach that point.”
The Queen of Qing Qiu stood still while her large, expressive eyes bored into him so deeply, for a fleeting moment, Yanwang felt himself caving to her will. He was a man after all. And what man had ever stood a chance with a nine-tailed fox?
Focus! He scolded himself.
“I understand you’re mourning the loss of someone very important to you, however, I must urge you to be rational, High Goddess… Why go through all this trouble for just a mortal? There’s no hope for the two of you in these circumstances.”
“Just a mortal…”
“That’s right,” Yanwang stressed, “You know as well as I do, that mortal’s life was meant to end. Pretty soon, he’ll start a new one all over again. That’s how this works. If he hasn’t made it through my gates yet, he’ll be here eventually. Even if you wait around for him, what’s the point?”
Yanwang was no expert at persuasion, but he thought he was doing a rather good job in this instance. The Fox Queen’s tenacious aura was diminishing. Had he gotten through to her somehow? There were deep creases forming on her forehead as she looked to her feet and whispered, “you’re right... there is no point.”
The sight of her in utter defeat gave him the strange impulse to cheer her up. Although Yanwang wanted to kick himself. When had he turned so soft?
“Why don’t I do this…” he said, “just this once... I’ll have my guards keep a watch out for this Shu Long person you speak of. And if he comes through, I’ll deliver a message for you. What would you like to say to him?”
Was it not a good enough offer? He was being so tolerant. How come she had no reaction?
“High Goddess?”
Bai Qian’s mouth only started to move after a while, and very softly, she said some words, which were too quiet for Yanwang to hear, but he could tell right away from the way her lips moved that the message she wanted him to pass along was very brief. Only two words it seemed.
I’m sorry.
***
Kunlun Mountain
“Here, Shifu.” Changshan carefully stirred the steaming bowl of medicine he had just reheated for the person sitting on the bed. Seeing that it was still very hot, he puckered his lips and lightly blew on it before bringing the spoon over to…
He paused. Looking at the expression of the person who was just about to receive this spoonful of medicine, he realized, it did not look too pleased. Eyebrows pinched together, with the corners of his mouth turned downward, Moyuan said, “No need… I will take it myself.”
He removed the bowl from Changshan’s hands, then stared at it for a good five seconds before finally downing the contents in one gulp.
Is he trying to show off? Changshan pursed his lips. Clearly, he was hanging on by a thread earlier. Now, he’s fine? There were few grievances the Second Disciple of Kunlun Mountain ever had with his Master, but this was one of them. Would it hurt to let other people take care of him for once?
“Second,” his Shifu calmly spoke up, shattering Changshan’s surly thoughts.
“Yes, Shifu?”
“I’m sorry, for worrying you,” he said, gently placing the empty bowl back on its tray. “It must be troubling for you to have to keep seeing me in this state.”
Changshan was startled for a moment. Had this person sensed the bitterness in his heart and was trying to comfort him? While pondering this, he replied, “Shifu, I already figured that it would take you some time to recover fully after everything that you’ve had to endure... to get back to us...”
Once he thought more deeply, and upon recalling his earlier conception, Changshan’s eyes sparkled momentarily as he continued to say, “Ah, Shifu, if there’s ever anything you think you might need… in order to feel better… you would tell me, right?”
Moyuan smiled and placed a hand on his disciple’s shoulder. “Having you and the rest here is enough.”
Enough? Of course, he was too good at denying it. Changshan sharpened his gaze, took a big gulp and ejected this daring question, “Shifu, are you sure that just the sixteen of us here… can take care of all your needs?”
Instantly, Moyuan’s furrowed eyebrows were filled with an unimaginable amount of perplexity. But before long, they straightened out and he kindly smiled at his disciple again. “Changshan, are you thinking that it’s about time Kunlun Mountain took in some new disciples? I don’t think it’s a bad idea. You are all sufficient enough now to have your own disciples train under you.”
Changshan trembled. He was stunned. Was his Shifu so reluctant to talk about his own personal deprivations such that he had to turn their conversation astray like this? Unwilling to give up his objective, Changshan tried a different approach. “Shifu, recently, many prominent immortal clan families in our realm have announced that their daughters are now… of age…”
To this, his Shifu’s smile widened even more! Changshan was astonished… he was so sure this Master of his would object the idea he was bringing up, but instead he was looking so eager.
“You have always been the most thoughtful one out of all,” Moyuan said lovingly.
“Eh?” Have I been mistaken this whole time? “Shifu... do you really want to take a…”
“Yes, we shall certainly think about taking in some female disciples this time. That way, your Seventeenth junior won’t feel any injustices.”
Changshan: “......”
What about your own injustices?! Shifu ah~~ why are you so difficult to talk to?
Changshan bit his lip and silently stared down at his hands. As he thought, he was dealing with an ancient god who just happened to have the innocence of a newborn lamb when it came to this subject matter. This conversation will have to come from his Seventeenth junior after all. Only she could possibly to get through to this person.
“Has she returned yet?” Moyuan asked, his eyes turning toward the window. The wind was shaking the shutters as rain continued to spatter in from the other side of them.
“Seventeenth?” Changshan confirmed, before shaking his head. “No, I haven’t seen her all day. Shifu, do you know where she went?”
“Mortal Realm,” his Shifu replied.
Ah... Changshan understood right away. At least there was somebody amongst them who was not shy about love. She had likely gone there to check on the Crown Prince. If only his Shifu could take this kind of initiative with his own affairs of the heart. Then, perhaps his Second disciple could finally have a good sleep at night.
“Shifu, I think our Seventeenth is very satisfied with her current arrangements with the Crown Prince, wouldn’t you agree? They seem like a good match. I’m sure he’s someone who will be able to meet all her needs in the future.” Changshan proceeded to emphasize, “don’t you think it’s very important that one’s needs are satisfied?”
It was all too strange. Changshan had not even finished speaking when he noticed his Shifu’s expression becoming rather chilly. Even the air around them had dropped about a few dozen degrees.
After a long pause, Moyuan then looked at him and said, “Second, I would like to rest now.”
Realizing he was being asked to leave, Changshan got up and straightened himself out. After gathering the medicine tray from the bedside table, he walked over to the window to close the loose shutter that was still flapping about. It was really storming out there. The sound of thunder in the distance clapped on. Raging and rumbling.
How strange...
Maybe it was just the weather being unpredictable. He could hardly recall the last time the rain poured like this on Kunlun Mountain. As though the skies were in mourning.
Did some god meet his end today?
Turning around, he took another glance over at his Shifu who was now settled back into bed, eyes rested.
All that matters is that this one is safe.
Changshan quietly lowered his head and headed toward the door.
The moment he turned the corner to step into the hallway, the thing that greeted him there almost made him drop the tray he was carrying in his hands.
“Seventeenth!”
Or at least he assumed it was her. It could very well have been a ghost. The person who had been gone all day had returned and was now standing there, dripping rainwater from head to toe, as if she had been standing outside in that torrential downpour for hours. Her clothes were wet and stuck to her body in an unsightly manner. Hair tangled. Eyes blank. Having never seen her in such a state, Changshan, for a moment, could not close his jaw, nor could he churn out any words to address her with.
He could only watch as she started to walk past him soundlessly, leaving behind a trail of water droplets that led into their Master’s chamber.
***
Upon leaving Diyu, Bai Qian had yearned to run somewhere far away and to be completely alone. But when she had tried to do that, her feet had taken her here instead.
“Changshan, did you forget something?” Moyuan’s voice came to receive her the second she stepped foot into his chamber. Maybe it was not so complicated after all, what this pain in her heart was seeking.
Arriving at the center of the room, she stopped and turned her head dazedly.
Seeing that figure in his white robe, sitting on the edge of his bed, eyes fixed on her, she didn’t know what it was she felt. Was it relief? Or was it sadness?
A hint of surprise came and went on his face.
“You’re back,” he said softly.
For a long time, all she did was stand still. Her stomach in knots. Hearing him address her a second time, her legs began their function of bringing her closer to him.
Unable to go any further, once she reached his bedside, Bai Qian dropped down to her knees and looked up. In the ensuing silence, she studied the face gazing down at her and felt the ache in her chest scaling to her throat. Why was it that she could not tell if she was looking at her Master now or the mortal child she had left behind? Their features blended together. Blurry one second and clear the next. The other was but a boy, yet, why were the eyes indistinguishable from one another?
These were the same eyes that had refused to stray from her in that cave. The same pair she had seen from the shore of the Ruoshui River.
Moyuan’s hands reached down very gently and began to rearrange the wet strands of hair that had fallen in disarray in front of her face.
“Seventeenth, did something happen?”
She couldn’t say anything. Droplets of rainwater slid down from her forehead and crept onto the bridge of her nose. Tiny streams from her hair were pooling into puddles on the floor. Her clothes were completely drenched, but for whatever reason, Bai Qian didn’t feel cold.
“Why did you not use a rain shield?” Moyuan asked. He had brought out a soft cloth to dry her face, one small section at a time.
“Shifu…” As though her strings had been reattached, drop by drop, tears began to fall.
A more concerned expression replaced the calm one he had on just a moment ago. “Are you hurt?” he asked, letting go of the cloth and taking his hand up to her face this time to clean away her tears that were dampening the spots he had dried before. She felt his fingers cold on her cheek as they swiped across. Then, they stopped.
His entire hand cupped the side of her face. “Seventeenth… you...”
Another hand was placed firmly on her forehead. “You’re running a fever.”
The words didn’t register in her brain. She kept looking at him. His face appeared like it was shrouded in a mist of fog. Bai Qian took a ragged breath and exhaled. The tears continued to drip out from the corners of her eyes as she rested her face deeper into his palm. Its coolness felt nice against her skin. But she was shivering now. She felt dizzy. All she wanted was to close her eyes. Drained of all the strength she previously had. Her heart was pounding fast and yet it sounded viscous in her ears. Moyuan began to channel his energy to dry her off. Watching him, it became harder to hold her balance. Her body began to sway. And soon, she allowed it to fall.
But it never hit the ground.
________________________
End Notes:
[1] Eighteen Levels of Hell (十八层地狱) - A concept in Chinese mythology where hell is seperated into 18 different levels or chambers, each consisting of different methods of punishment and torture for those who have sinned. The deeper you go, the worse it gets.
[2] River of Oblivion or WangChuan River (忘川河) - A river that flows through Diyu, similar to the Lethe in Hades from Greek Mythology. The waters from the river are used in Meng Po’s broth of forgetfulness.
[3] Naihe Bridge (奈何橋) - "Bridge of Helplessness", a bridge every soul has to cross before being reincarnated.
[4] Meng Po (孟婆) - the Lady of Forgetfulness in Chinese mythology who serves under Yanwang in Diyu. She serves a soup made from the water of the River of Oblivion to ensure that souls who are ready to be reincarnated do not remember their previous life or their time in hell.
[5] Yanwang (閻王) - The sovereign ruler of Diyu (the realm of the dead in Chinese mythology).
[6] Zhinü (織女) and Niulang (牛郎) aka. the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl - A Chinese folk tale about a love story between a celestial maiden and a mortal man (there are many variations of this myth, and some say Niulang wasn’t a mortal but actually a god. However, for the purpose of this story, we will stick to him being a mortal). Their love was not allowed by the Heavens, thus they were banished to opposite sides of the Milky Way. Once a year, on the 7th day of the 7th lunar month, a flock of magpies would form a bridge to reunite the lovers for one day.