Chapter 17 017 Scales and Medicine
The idea of asking Tang Monk to perform a ritual to liberate Jinniang and the others was not a sudden idea. I had this idea long before I learned that the other side of the river was Baihu Ridge.
However, I didn't mention it at the time because I wasn't sure. It wasn't until Ah He told me that it was true that I told Jinniang about it. The reason why I didn't bring it up after Tang Sanzang appeared was mainly because I wanted to hear Jinniang's opinion.
I myself am thinking about not being a human in my next life, so I also have to consider whether Jinniang and the others want to be human in their next life.
There's nothing good about being a human being.
Especially women in ancient times.
Is it good to be a man? I don’t know, I’ve never been a man, but it’s better than being a woman.
Jinniang called Yanniang and Wuniang to discuss this matter.
Wu Niang held the child and smiled, "There's nothing wrong with being a lonely ghost."
Me: "Be careful of the ghost messenger coming to catch ghosts."
Wu Niang asked curiously, "What will happen if we get caught?"
Me: "I don't know, maybe I was forced to reincarnate."
I've never been to Hades, so I'm not entirely sure about the reincarnation process. I've heard that drinking Meng Po soup can help you forget your past, but I'm not sure if it tastes good. Going through another difficult life without knowing anything about it doesn't seem like a good idea.
"I heard that Tang Sanzang's eldest disciple once caused trouble in Yama's Palace. Perhaps he knows something about this. I'll ask him when he comes." Thanks to the movies and TV series, Sun Wukong is very easy to talk to... Ah, speaking of this, is it the Sun Wukong in the movies and TV series or the Sun Wukong in the original novel? I haven't read the original novel either...
I was suddenly a little confused. It's true that some things can't be thought about too deeply; once you think about them too much, they become unfamiliar. I'm not entirely sure what the difference is between the original Monkey King and the film version. Perhaps this world's Monkey King is neither the one in the novel nor the one in the film?
Just like Nezha, the Nezha I know is not the same as any version of Nezha I have seen...
A little annoying, but not much.
So, it turns out that we can’t use any image to represent someone.
"Wu Niang, so you don't want to reincarnate?" I asked.
…
That day's conversation wasn't over yet. Wu Niang hadn't given me a definitive answer, nor had Jin Niang and Yan Niang. I wasn't in a rush. Tang Sanzang and his disciples seemed to have just departed from Chang'an, and it would take them a month or two to get here. Plus, they'd have to fight monsters along the way, so I doubt I'd see them even after I finished building the Hexian Temple.
That day, the Taoist priest brought news of a young man, claiming he was one of the county's finest carpenters. I could tell the cabin he gave me was exquisite and comfortable, a skill unmatched by ordinary people. He was also among the construction workers at the Hexian Temple. But his name always struck me as unsettling.
His name is Wu Gang.
I know a myth called "Wu Gang Cuts Down the Cassia Tree." It tells of a story about Wu Gang, who, having committed a crime, was banished to the Moon Palace to chop down a cassia tree. It's said that the tree was lush and over five hundred feet tall, and every time Wu Gang chopped down the tree, the cut would immediately close up again. So Wu Gang had no choice but to chop down the cassia tree in perpetuity.
There are different accounts of Wu Gang's misdeeds. Some say he made a mistake while cultivating immortality, but they don't specify what. Others claim Wu Gang killed Yan Emperor's grandson, Bo Ling. Why? Because Bo Ling took advantage of Wu Gang's absence to cultivate immortality and had an affair with Wu Gang's wife, fathering three sons.
I:……
I doubt these two theories are the same. As for the third one, it is a very traditional one related to Chang'e, and he neglected his duties because of his obsession with Chang'e.
Maybe it's just the same name. There are many people with the same name in this world, and the name Wu Gang doesn't sound that uncommon.
"Wu Gang's mother is terminally ill and no medicine can cure her." The old Taoist shook his head slightly.
"Wu Gang lost his father at a young age and has been dependent on his mother since childhood. His mother also suffered from a chronic illness due to years of hard work..."
The old Taoist slowly recounted Wu Gang's experiences. He wasn't a particularly happy person himself, but that was precisely why he felt empathy for all the misfortunes he encountered. That was exhausting and painful.
I looked at the old Taoist priest. He seemed to notice my gaze and gave me a faint smile.
"This matter is beyond redemption. Madam Yunshui has no need to blame herself."
I knew he was comforting me. If it were financially impossible to get treatment, it wouldn't be such a big deal. But once there was no cure, death was truly certain.
Life and death are predestined, wealth and honor are bestowed by God.
But……
"I want to go and see it."
By the time I came to my senses, I had already said this. It was a strange thought, but there was always a voice in my heart telling me to go.
The old Taoist didn't show any surprise. He just thought about it briefly before agreeing. Actually, even if he didn't agree, I would still go.
Besides, it’s better to go today than to wait for another day, so I decided to go tonight.
At nightfall, when the curfew drum sounded, I went ashore, put on my previous dress, and put on a veil to cover my not-so-bright fish face.
When the old Taoist saw me coming ashore in the form of a fish head and a human body, he frowned, and his expression was hard to describe, but it showed his great endurance.
"Fortunately, there is a curfew, so I don't think it will scare others..." This was the only way he could comfort himself.
I glanced at him, but I didn't say that he couldn't see me. If I wanted people to see me, then they could see me. If I didn't want people to see me, then unless they had the ability to see ghosts, they couldn't see me.
The old Taoist priest led the way through the woods and arrived at Chengyun County. Perhaps because of the curfew, Chengyun County was very quiet at the moment. If it weren't for the burning lamps, I think we could have gone to film Silent Hill.
The old Taoist led me through a row of houses and finally arrived at Wu Gang's home.
Before I even got close to the door, I heard sobbing coming from inside.
I seem to have heard this sound somewhere before.
Time suddenly slowed to a crawl, and those distant memories seemed to flood back at once. The flood of memories was chaotic, scattered across my mind, shattered into fragments without any context. From each fragment came the sound of crying, and other, inexplicable sounds...
I looked over and saw Wu Gang kneeling on the ground, his withered arm in front of him. His mother lay in bed. If it weren't for the faint movement of her chest, that withered arm would have made her look like a corpse.
“Mother…Mother…”
He called out for his mother over and over again.
Mother... Mother...
I feel a headache and can't stay here any longer.
I eagerly returned to the Yunshui River and sat alone on its banks, my form transformed back into a human body with a fish tail. The white veil of the veil brushed across the white scales of my lower body, which shimmered in the moonlight, a lustrous sheen. What would the skin beneath the scales look like? Would it be human?
Once this question came up, I couldn't ignore it.
Finally, I lifted my hand slightly and dug my fingernail into the crack at the edge of a scale on the fish's tail. It felt uncomfortable, a strange feeling. The tip of my fingernail carefully inserted itself between the scale and the skin, and then, with a sudden force, my finger pierced the skin beneath. A sharp pain suddenly exploded, shooting straight into my brain, and my entire body trembled.
I clenched my teeth, holding my breath, almost hearing the creaking, grinding sound deep within my bones. The sound of scales being torn and flesh being torn was amplified in my ears. Blood immediately gushed out, flowing down my arms and finally dripping into the cold water, melting into the leaking moonlight.
The wound exposed fresh, tender red flesh, its edges slightly curled, like an unhealed crescent moon, oozing with blood. Yet, after the intense pain, my senses grew strangely numb, and the pain vanished. Looking at the blood-stained white scale in my palm, a strange feeling suddenly washed over me. A sense of joy, of satisfaction, of holding something inexplicable, spreading...
I handed the scale to the old Taoist behind me.
"Give it to Wu Gang."
The old Taoist was so shocked that he couldn't speak. He took the scales tremblingly while I smiled.
"You, you... why are you doing this?"
The old Taoist shed tears. Tears flowed like a stream into the moonlight.
"Maybe... it's my mother."
I don't know if my scales are actually useful. But I've made this decision, so I figured they might be useful. I don't want immortality, but at least they'd be useful as medicine.
After Jinniang and the others found out, they kept crying over my bright red skin, where the scales were missing. Actually, aside from being a little ugly, there aren't any lasting effects. By the way, can scales regrow? Otherwise, this patch always looks a bit ugly. It does look a bit broken, though.
Fortunately, the old Taoist brought good news. Wu Gang's mother did recover after drinking the medicine with scales as the medicine. That day, Wu Gang came again with a box wrapped tightly in cloth. When he opened it, he found a sculpture of a human body with a fish tail. He seemed to have got the inspiration from the scales.
Very smart.
The statue doesn't look like me at all.
But it’s not his fault, after all, he has never seen me.
Because I pulled out a scale, I didn't go looking for He for the next few days, fearing he'd find out. He didn't come looking for me either. I didn't know what he was planning, but it was bound to fail at hindering Tang Sanzang and his disciples' journey west. Actually, I didn't think of stopping him. A demon with a strong backing wouldn't be killed with a single blow. Besides, I'm pretty good at saying, "Great Sage, spare my life!"
I don't know why the crane fits into the plot so smoothly, but if I classify this as some kind of rule-based weird story, it makes sense.
For example: If you are a demon and you see a monk riding a white horse, you must eat him or have sex with him, and you must not let him go!
Just think about it, the game has been set up, so the reason doesn't really matter.
I sat on the bank, my hands behind my back, basking in the sun with my tail twitching. Jinniang, Wuniang, and Yanniang gathered around me, muttering about how to grow scales faster.
Until a cry for help was heard.
A pregnant woman with a big belly staggered forward as if she was running for her life, and finally fainted on the bank of the Yunshui River due to exhaustion.
“…”
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