Mei of Memory

六十一难 : 折梅见赠

With one's heart set against the current and one's homesickness chilling, who can easily forget the old love?

昔日的四川

i.)When he was born, pure white covers the red dust haven. Amidst the blowing winter breeze, his cries can be heard. His little, reddened body is cradled in the loving arms that treats him ever so gently, as if he's a fragile, delicate porcelain vase. His mother pecks his forehead, her affection seems to reach his soul as he begins to open his eyes and his wails dim. He stares at the three faces above him; one that of his mother, another of his father, and the smaller one is his elder brother."Ohhh! Muqin, fuqin, he's looking at us!" exclaim his elder brother, a big smile adorns his face."Yes," his mother strokes his left cheek and his little fingers instinctively entwines themselves on hers. "Welcome to the world, Jian'er."In response to her words, the plum trees surrounding their residence blooms brilliantly, their white petals brush some of the frost away. His father notices and cannot help but exclaim in delight, "Look, Yunhua! Our child is blessed by the gods!""He sure is," another peck to his cheek, and he squeals in delight."Jian'er, all muqin and fuqin want is for you to have a delightful life."The blossoming branches sways lightly as if writing his fated path.Yang Jian is his name, and he's one destined for a greatness far beyond his parents' wishes...as well as one fated to a life of tragedy and drama.A destiny has been penned for him even long before his birth. A crule one indeed...

ii.)Prince Jinhua is how the people of Guankou lovingly calls him by for his noble character and the pale-goose yellow that always drapes his body. Everyone looks up to him not only for his handsome and beautiful visage, his noble and charismatic character, but also for the fact that he's the descendant of the prestigious Yang family.While the people love him, he's not close with any of them. Yang Jian has always been aware of his divinity lineage he obtained from his mother's blood, which makes him feel enstanged from the ordinary mortals around him. He's also afraid that the powers granted by his divine blood might hurt these fragile beings.Still, whenever there's injustice occuring, or when someone needs help, little Prince Jinhua will always be more than happy to help out."Little thief!" Yang Jian shouts as he leaps down the roof straight onto the naugthy pickpocket that has just robbed an old woman. "Don't think you can run from your grandfather, hmph!"His childhood is happy and he's surrounded by people who love him. As the three siblings watch the stars with their parents, he wishes that this happiness will be eternal forever.A shooting star passes by, the harbinger of bad omens.And the destiny set for him is about to rob him of his happiness soon.

iii.)He is aware of his divinity lineage that he obtains from his mother's blood, but never he knew that his mother is the very sister of the head honcho of the Celestials, the Jade Emperor. When Yuhuang heard of this forbidden marriage and the three demigod offsprings of his sister, he ordered his heavenly army to kill the Yang family and capture Yunhua alive. The small city near the Guan river is thus raided, and innocents are even involuntarily pulled into the conflict.Yang Tianyou brings his three children out of the city, running through the dense forestation that provides them with some semblance of cover. His wife stays behind to hold back the heavenly army for as long as she could, and little Yang Jian can only look over his shoulders, hot tears streaming down his face as he shouts for his mother.As he runs, he senses powerful presence following them. Divine the aura is, and he instantly knows who's tailing behind."Fuqin—"Before he can warn his father, a golden arrow bolts past him, aiming for Yang Chan who's being carried by his father. In that critical moment, Yang Tianyou's body moves out of instinct, protecting his daughter from the arrow at the price of his own. Blood gushes out of his pierced chest as his body falls onto the ground, at the same time releasing Yang Chan from his embrace."FUQIN!!!"The three children hurriedly surrounds their dying father, his eldest brother covers the gaping wound with his hands. Because they have divine blood in their veins, they shouldve been able to do healing magic, but since none of them has cultivated enough, they can only watch in tears as the light behind their father's eyes begins to dim."Jian-di!"Yang Jian, still in trance from the shock, is pushed aside by his brother. In a moment where time feels like its slowing down, the image of another golden arrow pierced through his brother's stomach is reflected in his glassy eyes. His brother coughs out a huge amount of blood almost at the same time Yang Jian lands beside Yang Chan."Dage!""GO!!!" His brother screams. "TAKE YANG CHAN AWAY AND DON'T LOOK BACK!""But—""GO NOW! Please...didi..."Yang Jian grits his teeth and closes his eyes. He turns his body around and carries his screaming sister away. He doesn't look back per his brother's last wishes, not even when his heart begs to, not even when Yang Chan repeatedly hits his back begging for him to go back.Yang Jiao smiles in his final moments as his vision blurs, his legs finally give out and he falls by his father's side. He watches in silence as the figures of his two beloved siblings disappears behind the thick folliage, only then he can close his eyes in peace.Jian-di...I always envy you, you know? We all know you are...destined for great things, but your dage knows better than anyone else that you're going to carry the most burden.A final sigh, the last knot in his heart is untied.Dage is sorry...for not being able to help you carry that burden... Please, take care of Chan-mei and yourself... I love you two...Rain falls over Guanjiangkou, has not settled yet. The pursuers catches up to the surviving siblings and are about to strike them with their spears.The tip of the sharp weapon is reflected on his eyes alongside the wielder's sinister grin.Is this the true face of those who call themselves Almighty? There's...not even a trace of mercy and love the worshippers always chant about in their prayers. Heaven...is such a cruel place, filled with demons masked themselves as holy.
In that moment of despair, the little boy finally embraces his divinity.“Open!”A slit forms on his forehead and it opens, revealing a golden eye.Thunder roars and lightning flashes. Yang Jian stands amongst the fallen soldiers, a bloodied spear is tightly gripped in his hands. He throws the weapon aside and cleans the enemies' blood on his body with magic, turning around to Yang Chan. Thankfully, his sister lost consciousness during the run, otherwise...she would have witnessed the kind of murderous monster he is. Yang Jian carries her on his back and bring her to safety.His tears have dried, replaced by the raindrops rolling down his reddened cheeks. His expression hardens, so does his heart encased in jade.Yang Tianyou and Yang Jiao lay on the grassy floor of the forest, rivers of blood and rain mixture flows away from their cold body. Yunhua's strength is eventually exhausted and she's disgracefully brought back to Heavens in a cage. The two siblings' fate remains unknown to the gods as they cannot find their bodies.The next day, a cloaked figure returns to the massacre site, only to find a burnt clearing. Heavens didn't even allow him to bury their bodies and instead desecrated them to mock the survivors.Three eyes glare at the sunny sky above.He shall not let the murderers away. He shall never forgive them.And he shall rescue his mother from her unjust imprisonment.

iv.)A figure cloaked in rags strolls through the busy streets. It's been two weeks since the heavenly army's invasion; although order has been restored, peace has yet to come back. The cloaked figure can sense this as he can see the fear and anxiety hidden under the smiles and chatterings of the people of Guankou. Wanted posters are seen plastered to the walls and fences, depicting descriptions of the two fugitives sought by Heavenly Court. Thankfully, there are no visible drawings of their faces as he made sure to leave no survivors who have seen their faces alive.His walk comes into a pause when he arrives in front of a dilapidated house where he once called home. Just like the bodies of his father and older brother, even his home is not spared. All that remains are a broken gate, charred ruin and the lingering scent of death. He doesn't stay long as he turns around and returns to where he came from.The cave in the middle of the forest is where he calls home now. Yang Jian peels off the rag from his body, setting it aside without much care and hurries to his bedridden sister's side."Chan-mei, I brought you some fish today. Let's have some fish porridge, okay?"Yang Chan weakly nods, it seems like stretching a smile already took most of her remaining strength. Yang Jian strokes her hair, assuring her in silence that everything is going to be alright.The boy has never been into the kitchen before, but he has seen how the servant prepares their meal. Yang Jian compresses his qi into a knife-like shape, beginning to dissect and clean the fish. A simple, hearty fish porridge is ready not long after, he hopes that the taste is somewhat bearable. Yang Jian patiently feeds his sister before feeding her the fever medicine he just bought from the town, only after that he's able to eat his portion, which is smaller than hers. Fortunately, the porridge although not the best, is not awful.When his sister falls asleep, he begins to rummage through their belongings, finding that they do not have much left to legally buy things they need. Must he finally turn into a life of crime just to survive? Being raised by a scholar, Yang Tianyou taught him values of noble heart and mind; turning into a criminal means that he basically spits on his father's grave.The boy looks at his sleeping sister, his heart is in turmoil as his ideals clash with the reality of the situation. Yang Jian bends his knees and hugs them, burying his face between his limbs. He's holding back not only his tears, but also his last remaining sanity. Even a demigod still has the heart of a human, and a child no matter who they are...is still a child in the end. No child in this world should have suffered so much and carried such a heavy baggage on their little shoulders.His hatred for the Heavens grows like a fire that burns coal.This reminds him of his divinity. Yang Jian straightens his back and closes his eyes, feeling the flow of his divine blood and his qi throughout his body.That's right! There is a way to save his remaining family and avenge his fallen father and brother! His right hand balls into a fist, a new determination ignites in his soul."But..." Yang Jian murmurs, I need someone to guide me. I need to seek a master who is knowledgeable in this, but who should I seek?He gathers intelligence from the town and surrounding villages, visiting martial art schools scattered in the vicinity. None of their teachings manage to sate his desire for greater power and so he chooses not to attend them.As if Fate finally decided to compensate him, he meets two immortals in a tavern. He knows because they don't even bother to hide their divine qi as if they are flaunting over their strength."Venerable Masters, good evening," Yang Jian greets, trying to supress his disdain, "I happen to pass by and cannot help but notice your extraordinary aura. Forgive Erlang for being presumptuous, but are you both...immortals, by any chance?""Hah??" One of them sneers, leaning close to the young boy. From this distance, Yang Jian can smell the scent of alcohol that almost made his eyes roll. Good, just who I am looking for--blabbering drunkards! "What do you want, brat?""Erlang is looking for a master who can teach me the way of immortality."The two drunkards look at him and laughs as if they just heard a funny joke. "You? Little squirt, what can you even do?""Erlang isn't talented, but Erlang wishes to be devoted to the way of Dao and serve Good." To show his sincerity, Yang Jian bows deeply. "If Venerable Masters have recommendations for a teacher that can guide Erlang, Erlang will forever be grateful to you.""Hmm..." the other drunkard seems to be pleased with his good behavior and sincerity, he cannot help but blurt out a name.Yuding Zhenren, one of the twelve golden immortals. He's said to have mentor many great heroes in the past and ranks second among the twelve. An immortal of such a high position and power is indeed the most suitable for Yang Jian to unlock the true potential of his divine blood.But before the talkative drunkard is able to spill more beans regarding the golden immortal's location, his friend clasped his mouth and urges him to shut up. The drunkard glares at the boy, he cannot see Yang Jian's face under the shadow of his hood."Squirt, now that I think of it again... how do you know we are immortals?"Sensing the impending danger, Yang Jian rushes out of the tavern. The two immortals sobers up that instant and chases after him deep into the woods."Aha! You must be Yunhua's bastard child! Get him! His Majesty will sure reward us handsomely if we bring this brat to the court!"Hearing the hurtful words, Yang Jian's eyes darken. He turns around and bolts past the two immortals, his speed stuns the two pursuers to a stop."What-""Do not mock my mother, foul immortals."Before the immortals are able to comprehend what just happened, their heads roll on the dirt and their headless bodies follow a second later. Yang Jian walks over to one of the heads, stopping it with a stomp. The head yells in pain, teeth gritted in anger."Brat! How dare you disrespect us gods?!"Yang Jian snorts, looking down at the immortal under his foot. "Gods, you say? Do you know? A yaoguai can still talk even when their head is chopped off from their body. By that logic...what makes you and them different, oh god?""YOU--!""Now tell me, where can I find the Venerable One? Perhaps, I can spare you tonight." With that, he summons a ball of fire on his right palm. "The longer you try to delay, the more painful your suffering will be."He throws the fire ball to the headless bodies, the expression on the two immortals contort in horror as they helplessly watch their bodies burn."This is what you gods did to my fuqin and dage. Just like what you gods did to them, I shall make sure none of you remain for your family to mourn.""P-please have mercy on us, good master!" The other immortal begs with tears streaming down his face. "I will tell you, I will tell you everything I know!"Yang Jian records every information into his memory. Once in a while, he tortures the talking head by inching the flames close to the immortal's face to make sure the information is true. Once satisfied, Yang Jian dispels the fire, only then the two immortals are able to breathe in relief. The scent of burnt meat fills the air, reminding the two unfortunate gods of their predicament."Thank you, gods, for granting knowledge to the seeker."
Yang Jian turns around, walking away. But he senses that the immortals are too prideful to let him go, evident by one of the charred bodies begin to move and make a hand sign."Foul gods."Yang Jian flicks his fingers and a thunder strikes the bodies."I am a man of my words."He walks into the shadows, leaving behind nothing but a charred patch of earth where the two immortals once were.

v.)The journey from Guankou to Jinxia Cave can be completed in less than two days if he were to travel there alone, but he cannot leave his frail younger sister behind. Aside from the possibility of heavenly soldiers or immortals found her, the forest is also full of wild animals that will not to hesitate to prey on her.

当今时代

.)After he successfully hands over Sun Wukong's [mind root] to the Destined One, Yang Jian returns to the real Guankou. After five hundred years of nourishing the [mind root] all the while resisting it from invading his own sea of consciousness, Yang Jian's qi, meridians and soul are damaged to some degree. Because of this, he has to recuperate in his mountain, Meishan.How long will it take for him to be able to return the front lines? A year? Two? Decades? Centuries? No one but Yang Jian himself knows, however if there's a threat that threatens the safety of his people and those he holds dear, he will not hesitate to throw his life to protect them.Even if it costs his whole existence as Erlang Shen.

心高不认天家眷

Yang Chan is the only surviving member of his family and is his younger sister. Just like him, Yang Chan is also a demigod. She is married and has a son named Chenxiang.
Prior to their family's massacre, the two siblings are close. But after the death of his father and eldest brother, as well as his mother's imprisonment, they grew distant as Yang Jian is too focused on training in order to free their mother, therefore neglecting Yang Chan.
After their mother's death, Yang Jian realized his fault and begins to mend their relationship.....Princess Yunhua is his mother and the sister of the Jade Emperor. Yunhua is a very loving mother and in return, Yang Jian is very filial towards her. The whole reason for Yang Jian's training is to free her from her unjust imprisonment, however, she was burned to death by the Emperor's ten sons after she's freed by Yang Jian.
Her last words to Yang Jian is to live a happy life and take care of Yang Chan. In his rage, Yang Jian killed nine of the ten sons, sparing only one to live after the Celestial Court begged him to do so. Yang Jian misses her sometimes....Yuhuang or the Jade Emperor is his uncle from his mother's side. He's the absolute ruler of the Celestial Court. Because Yunhua broke the heavenly rule by marrying a mortal and had children with him, he sent out his armies to kill her family and to capture her.
Because of the incident, Yang Jian absolutely hates him, but pledges his service to the Court...only when it involves threats that the Court cannot handle.
Perhaps it was out of fear or guilt, Yuhuang lets Yang Jian do as he pleases and never messes with his family ever again, even when Yang Chan marries a mortal just like her mother did.

Sun Wukong is a monkey yaoguai born from a stone that has absorbed the powers of Heaven and Earth. He's the only being that is able to fight Yang Jian on the same level. Their most famous battle is when they fought for three hundred rounds which includes famous transformation battles as both are masters in said skill.
Throughout their confrontation and conflicts, both Sun Wukong and Yang Jian gain respect for each other. To Yang Jian, Sun Wukong is the only being that can bring him happiness that others cannot offer; to the Monkey King, he's a sworn brother.
Yang Jian is the one who killed him after Wukong decided to rebel against the Heaven once again eventhough he has became the Victorious Fighting Buddha. However, it brings him no joy to be the one who kill the Monkey King...as evident by the inner turmoil he suffers from.

Seven Sages of Mei are a group of seven yaoguais who sworn brotherhood with Yang Jian. They are Yuan Hong (White Ape), Dai Li (Dog), Jin Dasheng (Buffalo), Zhu Zizhen (Wild Boar), Wu Long (Centipede), Chang Hao (White Snake) and Yang Xian (Goat). Among them, Yuan Hong is said to be the strongest, while Dai Li is the leader. Before their sworn brotherhood, the Seven Sages and Yang Jian are on oppossing sides which led them to be defeated by the demigod. Impressed by his display of might and his compassion as he spared their lives, the Sages sworn loyalty to Yang Jian and have became his closest subordinates to date. They even willingly help their 'eldest brother' in his quest to train the Destined One so that the reincarnated monkey will be ready to face the final challenge, that is, their 'eldest brother'.

梅的回忆

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