Chapter 165: Liu Er Joined the Human Tribe
Translator: Transn Editor: Transn
G.o.ddess Nvywa could do nothing but pray for her brother, so she parted with Laozi and headed directly for Wahuang Heaven, leaving Laozi, who was sitting alone, in rumination.
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In the Pingxin City, Houtu was overwhelmed by mixed feelings, for she never thought that Laozi would dare to open the Six Paths of Reincarnation by force. During the fight in the Six Paths of Reincarnation, they just exerted a little power and the path was stirred, so Houtu reserved her power to prevent any damage, as in the Six Paths of Reincarnation, Houtu was the strongest, with a power even comparable to the Way of Heaven.
However, because of her scruple, f.u.xi had gone through the reincarnation and become a Human Tribesman. Houtu was therefore drowned in a deep regret, for she could never stand it that f.u.xi, who killed her brother, had survived and reincarnated as a Human Tribesman.
After some careful calculation and thought, Houtu came to realize that f.u.xi had already been destined to be the Human Sovereign. This was simply unbearable to Houtu, who looked at the Blood Sea, sombrely.
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Back on the Sacred Island of Blood Sea, Minghe was looking at the Nether World. He could naturally sense the stir of the Six Paths of Reincarnation, yet it never occurred to him that G.o.ddess Nvywa would be willing to give up all the Karma in exchange for Laozi"s help. Since f.u.xi had already reincarnated, it was time for him to send his disciples downhill.
Minghe gathered Liu Er and Kongxuan and said to them, "The Human Tribe will thrive and prosper one day, yet they still lack Three Royals and Five Emperors to fulfill their Merit. I would deal with the first royal, Mentor of Human Sovereign, and you shall be a.s.signed to help the other two. Liu Er a.s.sists Heavenly Sovereign and Kongxuan a.s.sists Earthly Sovereign. Though the Human Sovereign hasn"t been born yet, you two can concern yourselves about the sufferings and hardships of the Human Tribe, so that when the time matures, you are already ready to help the Human Sovereign."
Liu Er grinned and said, "Master, you can rest a.s.sured. This was a piece of cake to me." That grinning face made Kongxuan speechless, for he knew that Liu Er was probably the one that made Minghe worry the most.
Minghe said seriously, "I worry about no one other than you, Liu Er, even though you are a Sage-to-be now. a.s.sisting the Human Sovereign takes not only power and strength, but most importantly, wisdom and alertness. You must behave yourself this time, for whatever trouble you make, you will be punished when you come back. Additionally, do remember to transform yourself into a human body, or you might scare the humans."
That he must transform really dampened Liu Er. Since the start of his cultivation, Liu Er had been monkey-faced, yet now he was suddenly required to transform into a human body, he felt overwhelmed with a sense of awkwardness and reluctance. However, he knew too well that the Human and Demon Tribes were destined to be different. If he walked there directly, he would probably be refused at the gate before he even got a chance to see the Human Sovereign, let alone make him a disciple.
Minghe continued, "You both are my favorite disciples. Considering your cultivation, no one except a few secluded powers can match you. However, do remember that wisdom comes first this time, for not all problems can be solved merely with power. I hope you will live up to my expectations and do inform me when trouble occurs."
After hearing such words, Liu Er and Kongxuan bowed in reverence and said, "Yes, master, we will keep it in mind." After bidding farewell to Minghe, both Liu Er and Kongxuan rode the cloud heading for the Human Tribe. Halfway there, they separated and took different paths, for they thought it was better for them to cultivate their minds alone, which was, apart from a.s.sisting the Human Sovereign, also a crucial part of their task.
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Back in the Human Tribe, a girl in Feng Yan Tribe was born at the foot of Mount Huaxu, and therefore got the name Huaxu. She was a kind-hearted girl with delicate features and won wide recognition among her fellow Tribesmen.
To the west of Feng Yan Tribe, there was a Thunder Blessing, governed by a G.o.d of Thunder, who had a human body and yet a dragon head. His stomach swelled like a beating drum with a loud sound deafening like thunderbolts. Thunder G.o.d occupied the Heaven, taking charge of all the bolts and thunders while inflicting punishments on humans. The Thunder Blessing, therefore, was deemed as a Forbidden Land. Anyone who entered it without authorization would be exiled.
Huaxu grew up listening to stories about Thunder G.o.d, which planted the seeds of curiosity in her, yet she was cautious enough not to violate the rule.
One day, a halo of light wreathed over the Thunder Marsh and was noticed by Huaxu.
That halo of light reminded her of the ancient legend in her tribe, which only intensified her desire to see the Thunder Marsh with her own eyes. Though she still had a desperate dread of the punishment, curiosity finally declared victory in her mental battle.
Huaxu then heading for the Thunder Marsh secretly.
Before long, she came near to the Thunder Marsh. Looking at it up close, she became hesitant, for she knew that there was no drawing back once she made the decision.
However, curiosity secured the victory again in her mind, "I have come here already, why not set foot in it, there won"t be much difference." Soon enough, she entered the Thunder Marsh.
Within the Thunder Marsh, Huaxu hadn"t met Thunder G.o.d yet, and all there was inside were tall reeds. She trod them down every step she took in case she should get lost.
About half an hour since she entered the Thunder Marsh, ahead of her she saw a wide stretch of uncovered land, which was even more alluring to her. She rushed near and found a huge footprint measuring about 40 meters in length and 10 meters in width. Overwhelmed by surprise, she began to wonder how tiny she was before that giant who left such a huge footprint.
Huaxu set up her mind to measure the giant and started to walk toward to the giant footprint.
However, at the time when she stepped into the mark, suddenly a colored light flashed directly towards her and disappeared near her stomach.
She could feel that something was different with her stomach, and that startled her so badly that she rushed back as fast as possible. After she came back to her tribe, her belly bulged larger with each pa.s.sing day, and suspicion also grew amongst the people.
Later, after inquiry, she came to realize that she was pregnant.
That unmarried pregnancy caught the attention of the Elder, who demanded the reason from her. By then, she could no longer keep the secret but had to tell the truth. How she noticed the light, the giant footprints in the Thunder Marsh and how she reached it, all was told explained in detail.
Hearing the whole thing out, people all thought that she carried a monster inside. Yet, considering her good deeds before, they didn"t exile or hang her, instead, they isolated her, building a small cottage near Yu River, where she had to live all on herself.
Her belly was growing larger, to the extent that it hindered her free movement. It was not long before the day finally came when she could no longer labor and had nothing to feed on. Suddenly, in her dire desperation for food, a Forefather of Kylin flew over with a big lotus leaf in its mouth and some nuts wrapped in it.
For quite a long time, the Forefather of Kylin constantly carried food over, not just fruit, but also some meat.
At the first sight of the Kylin, Huaxu was afraid to come out of the room, so she waited for the Forefather of Kylin to leave and then took the food inside. After a few times, she got used to it and was not afraid anymore.
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Liu Er left the Blood Sea and soon parted with Kongxuan to head to the Human Tribe alone. He obeyed Minghe"s suggestion and transformed into a human, with the shawl on him turned into a Taoist Robe. He now looked more like a young man in his twenties, lacking a kind of prudence that could only be found in middle-aged Taoists.
Though Liu Er was usually of naughty character, he did take things seriously for his trip into the Human Tribe. Before long, he found that the tribe was entirely different from before. Most of the Tribesmen were ordinary people who fed themselves through hunting and fruit-picking. However, people frequently died from hunger.
Liu Er felt deeply touched whenever he saw lovers or families being torn apart by death. Since Liu Er was accepted as Minghe"s disciple, his way of cultivation had long been smooth, not to mention that he had become a Sage-to-be now, so death and sad partings were never part of his life. Liu Er found that although the Human Tribe was still weak, their love and bonds were strong and indestructible, which made him realize why Minghe thought so highly of the Human Tribe.