Volume One, Chapter Eighteen: Turbulent Undercurrents

Chapter Eighteen: Turbulent Undercurrents

The Thirty-Three Heavenly King Palaces atop Mount Sumeru stretched across eighty thousand leagues in breadth and width—a vastness that Lamo could scarcely comprehend. The city of Good Vision, where the Lord Indra resided, alone occupied sixty thousand leagues, a testament to its dominance and opulence. Surrounding Good Vision City were thirty-two lesser king palaces, known as the Thirty-Two Gardens of the Lesser Heavenly Kings, divided into four sectors—east, west, south, and north.

The eastern garden was called Polosha, spanning a thousand leagues (over eleven thousand kilometers); the southern, called Miscellaneous Chariots, likewise stretched a thousand leagues; the western, called Chaos; and the northern, called Joy—all equally expansive. Each was constructed from the seven treasures: gold, silver, crystal, lapis lazuli, coral, agate, and pearls. Within each garden bloomed exotic flowers, trees, ponds, birds, and stones, designed to satisfy every desire of the heavenly kings and princes.

Even the palace of the Jinmu brothers, though smaller and of lesser quality, was made from the seven treasures. After all, it was still the seven treasures. In a previous era, there existed a legendary celestial realm, said to be immense—but compared to here, what could it be? It was laughable, a mere trifle. Here, a single heavenly crystal could buy the entire United States and still not suffice. What was a so-called celestial realm on earth? Bragging without seeing the real thing—how shallow is the idea of wealth and beauty?

The Jinmu brothers returned to the residence of Jinmu in the Perilous Shore Heaven. Shudra arranged for the night demons to guard every nook and cranny, for he had no confidence—who knew when Huluzhi might lose his mind and attack directly?

The dog was already unconscious. Everyone was anxious about the fate of Tuzhe, but they were equally grateful to the dog, who had essentially saved everyone’s lives. Without the dog, who could have survived under the crushing force of the Great Dragon Elephant King’s vital energy hand?

But the Jin brothers were not wealthy. For instance, they knew that the Bull’s Head Sandalwood Elixir could cure the dog’s internal injuries, but the problem was—they didn’t have any.

Jinsi gritted his teeth and said to Jinmu, “Big brother, I’ll go next door to borrow one from King Poliedo. If I can save the dog, I don’t care if I lose face.”

Jinmu sighed, “I think it’s pointless. King Poliedo is close to the Great Dragon Elephant King. Even if he wanted to lend you one, he’d have to see what the Elephant King thinks.”

Jinsi flared up, “Big brother, I can’t stand your cowardice—always afraid of this or that, currying favor today, currying favor tomorrow. You’ve given everything, but who’s ever given you a crab? You get slapped when you shouldn’t, kicked when you shouldn’t. If it were up to my temper, I’d be like my nephew, and who cares if his father is Li Gang or Shuangjiang—who are they anyway? Are they famous?”

Jinmu smiled wryly, thinking, your temper only amounts to silent anger. Compared to my son, your courage is eighty thousand leagues short.

Qin Lei watched the two old kings bickering endlessly, and sighed, “Pitiful people always have something to be blamed for. Fine, I’ll find my own way.”

Qin Lei quietly called Shudra aside, whispered a few words, and the two left the palace.

Outside the king’s palace, they looked around in confusion. Where could they find elixirs?

Qin Lei’s eyes flashed, “Brother Shu, tell me who has Sandalwood Elixir. I’ll go get it.”

Shudra, now promoted to brother of two princes, felt a surge of blood. He gritted his teeth, “We can’t go next door—if something’s missing from King Poliedo’s house, he’ll suspect us at once. Let’s go to the Polosha King’s Garden. Everyone there has it, and they’re friends with Indra. If we’re going to steal, let’s steal from them. You keep watch, I’ll slip in. Let’s do it!”

Shudra had held back for years and now finally could vent. “Let’s do it—damn, that feels good!” He clenched his fists in excitement.

Meanwhile, in the golden lotus space of Lady Delight, she was teaching Tuzhe how to open the Bunduli Flower space. Tuzhe practiced several times, entering and exiting with ease, then asked, “Sister, is there anything else you’d like me to do?”

Lady Delight smiled, her beauty outshining all flowers. “Yes, this Bunduli Flower space was crafted by me personally. It is engraved with my vital energy imprint and connected to my soul. If you need anything, just call to the flower—I’ll know.”

Tuzhe rolled his eyes, “That’s impressive, but I probably can’t go to your place. I feel like I’ve already clashed with Indra’s son, and on Mount Sumeru, I won’t have peace. Going to your house would only cause you trouble. Our sibling bond should be kept secret for now, otherwise if Indra finds out, he’ll be furious. Right now, I have no supernatural abilities—he could crush me in an instant. Small impatience ruins great plans. When the day comes, well, you’ll understand…”

Lady Delight smiled, “Alright, you should return. I was going to give you Heavenly Sudra Fruit and Heavenly Sudra Wine to help your body grow strong—this is a blessing every prince should receive. But soon you’ll bathe in the Water of Merit, be perfumed with heavenly fragrance, dress beneath the Clothing Tree, adorn yourself under the Garland Tree, receive the Heavenly Treasure under the Instrument Tree, obtain various musical instruments under the Music Tree, meet countless heavenly maidens, and finally forget your past lives and blur your future—the only thing in your eyes will be beauty…”

She teased Tuzhe, “Will you forget your sister when you see so many beautiful maidens?”

Tuzhe was stunned, “What do you mean? See beauties and forget my past lives? Do I forget on my own, or is someone forcing me?”

Lady Delight replied, “No one forces you. It’s a law, or rather, a rule. Every prince experiences this upon birth.”

Tuzhe sneered, “So something is still in control, huh? I don’t know what the future holds, but my past—no one can make me forget. My past… it’s pain from countless lifetimes…”

A deep sorrow and anger filled Tuzhe’s eyes, wounding Lady Delight. She felt an urge to embrace him. Her brother’s past must have held immense pain, to make him so sad and mournful.

Tuzhe seemed lost in deep memories.

Earth. China. Homeland. Father. Mother. Shield. Mother’s blood.

Unconsciously, Tuzhe wiped away tears and severed the memories, knowing the dog was still waiting for him to heal.

“Sister, let me tell you—I won’t let anyone take my memories, not even a god. So I’ll never forget you. Are the heavenly maidens so beautiful that I’ll forget everything? You’re the most beautiful, and I haven’t forgotten my past, have I? As for the others, they don’t compare…”

Lady Delight laughed, “You mischievous boy, hurry back—the dog needs you.”

In the palace of Indra in Good Vision City, Lord Indra sat high upon the Seven Treasure Throne, clothed in radiant robes, surrounded by shimmering lights, with phantom dragons, golden-winged birds, and divine beasts circling in the glow.

Huluzhi, the eighth prince, knelt before him, his nine brothers standing behind, not daring to breathe.

Indra said, “Rise. I have no intention of punishing you. In fact, what you did is exactly what I intended.”

The eighth prince was overjoyed, though he could not fully grasp his father’s words. Not only was he not blamed, but he seemed to have done well?

The second prince, Qubo Jia, was dissatisfied. “What kind of favoritism is this?” He looked to the heavens, clearly unhappy.

Indra looked at him, “Qubo Jia, do you have anything to say?”

Qubo Jia lowered his head, “I dare not speak.”

Indra snorted, “You dare not, but you have something. Indra Ketu, you are the eldest. Tell me why I said the eighth did nothing wrong.”

Indra Ketu put on a simple face, “Father, your mind is vast as mountains and rivers—I could never fathom it. But I suppose, since you said so, you must be using this matter as a metaphor, to draw parallels.”

Qubo Jia glanced sidelong at Indra Ketu, thinking, “Look at you, always playing with metaphors. I know the old man’s tricks—he’s just stirring up discontent to see who else isn’t happy. But if the fire gets too big, it might burn you first.”

Indra nodded, pleased with Indra Ketu’s answer. He admonished his sons, “Think before you speak and act. You think I enjoy being Lord of Heaven? To be honest, except for the eldest, none of you are so fortunate. Do you know what I think? You really don’t. Enough, stop blocking my view. Go visit the Thirty Lesser Kings and pass on my message: In three days, attend the trial at the Hall of Good Law. No personal agendas allowed. Don’t think I don’t know about the secret recordings. We must know who our friends and enemies are—it’s a serious matter. If you don’t understand, you’re not worthy of my throne. Is this throne so great? It’s actually a bit small. You lot with your petty schemes, do you think I don’t notice? Off you go!”

The ten princes scurried out, having been thoroughly scolded.

Among the heavens of the Three Realms, the Six Heavens of Desire: the Four King Heavens and the Realm of Nirvana dwell on the land; the other four reside in the void.

Above Nirvana Heaven by eighty-four thousand leagues lies the third Heaven of Desire, Yama Heaven, also called Night Heaven, the Heaven of Time. Demonic beings reside there, and its master is Yama.

In the temple of Yama, the god smiled as he closed a hidden wormhole in the void—Indra’s voice faded.

Yama muttered, “Retrieving evidence of destruction? Interesting. In three days, I’ll pay a visit to this restless Indra.”

He turned and smiled into the void, “King Mara, eavesdropping is a bad habit.”

A voice laughed from the void, “Old man, you caught me—three days from now, I’ll join the fun too!”

Yama sighed, “You are Lord of Desire. We five all serve under you—if you want to go, who can stop you?”

The sixth Heaven of Desire is the Heaven of Transformation and Freedom, ruled by King Mara, one of the four great demon kings, famed as the chief among the six heavenly lords of the Desire Realm.

Meanwhile, Jinmu and Jinsi realized that Qin Lei and Shudra were missing. They guessed trouble was brewing. Jinmu shook his head, “To hell with it, let things be…”

Suddenly, the palace was flooded with golden light, and Tuzhe stepped out from the radiance, holding the Three-Pointed Double-Edged Blade.

Jinsi slapped his forehead, “So he’s really alive…”