19

Trouble Stirs

Jiàn Shēng’s trading was no longer secret to his closest four brothers. They had already learnt of it and this was also why Xióng Zhǎn was now growing wary of him. They realized that instead of finding a way to turn his mark into a crown of honor, he was falling deeper into a pit that had all the means and help to exit. His own stubbornness kept him in this state of freefall, nothing else.

On his part, Jiàn Shēng also did not try to trade with the four of them. He knew very well where their allegiances lay and it would be a vain pursuit to attempt to sway their loyalty.

It was Bèi Yǎn who had learnt of Jiàn Shēng’s betrayal first. She was resting among the stones in Huǒrè de bǎolěi, waiting for Bái Fēng to find a particular green one.

Among all the living soul creatures in the realms, he was the most skilled in obtaining and using these stones. He was building a bridge over two hills in the eastern realms. It was transparent but as a creature stepped on it, a stone would appear in its true color. The creature had to answer the questions each stone posed in order to make their way to the other side. A wrong answer meant going down to various little play traps and pools through slides that suddenly appeared beneath their feet. They would have to solve riddles in those areas to exit and return to the bridge. It was all a game and the living creatures loved frolicking in their realms, playing and challenging one another.

Bèi Yǎn saw Jiàn Shēng and Wěi Hóng acting suspiciously that day. She immediately made herself transparent for she had this power to empty all her feathers of color and shine, and be camouflaged well. They proceeded to take more than one green stone, in fact far too many to make it legitimate. At some point, Wěi Hóng started to keep watch while his master made his way through the green stones looking for precious ones among the many scattered about.

Then another Tiānshǐ appeared. He was of a high rank due to his skills and was in charge of a legion of others who served under him in the care of the southern realms. He directly reported to the third general of the south from among the twenty-four Tŏngzhì zhě. Of the latter, six ruled the northern realms, six ruled the southern realms, six ruled the eastern realms, and six ruled the western realms. All of them worked in pairs. The first and second generals worked together, similarly the third and fourth were paired as were the fifth and sixth.

It was what happened next that confirmed to Bèi Yǎn that mischief was afoot. Jiàn Shēng told Bái Láng, for that was the ruler’s name, ‘Hurry, hide it. Make sure Xióng Zhǎn and the rest do not catch you. Pass it to our followers.’ Bái Láng used a powerful spell to hide the stash and take it away from the mountain.

Just then the sound of Bái Fēng’s hooves on the stones down the path caught their attention. Jiàn Shēng quickly hid more stones while Wěi Hóng went to distract the horse and buy his master some time. He was all done by the time the two living beings reached him.

‘Did you see Bèi Yǎn?’ Wěi Hóng asked his master for he learnt that she was waiting in the area for Bái Fēng. Both were startled and looked around, even using their powers of sight and smell to scan the area but they did not spot her. She was far too powerful for them and her skill in staying hidden was legendary.

Giving up, the two of them decided to leave the mountain rather than raise Bái Fēng’s suspicions. Once she was certain they had truly exited the entire region, Bèi Yǎn showed herself to the now frantic Bái Fēng who thought that she had returned to Méiguī shān.

‘There you are! I need your help and thought you left me alone here!’ he said relieved when he saw her.

‘There is no time to waste. Hurry, let us head back to Méiguī shān first. The bridge can wait. Something terrible has happened!’ she said as she urged her friend to return with her to the heights.

‘What is it?’ the horse asked her.

‘I will tell you on the way – hurry!’ she said as they took to the skies with her hidden well under his flowing mane.

Méiguī shān was an oasis of peace compared to the chaos that was about to break out in the heavens. The King and his beloved were no way ignorant of all these things. They knew they had to allow this shaking to happen so that the chaff can be cleared from the wheat by the winds of testing. It was sad but necessary to prevent any future rebellions.

They watched with amusement as their soul beasts almost tumbled down in their rush to reach them.

‘Tsk, tsk, Bái Fēng! Is this what I taught you. You look like a nervous wreck!’ the King gently admonished his horse. Bái Fēng looked anything but strong and graceful as he rolled on the grass causing the little hummingbird in his mane to be dislodged unceremoniously into the air.

‘Quick, tell them everything!’ he told Bèi Yǎn. In their excitement they temporarily forgot that their masters were also the Makers of all the realms and it was not possible for anything to stay hidden from their eyes if they desired to pry into it.

The hummingbird told them all that she had witnessed.

‘Thank you Bèi Yǎn,’ the Bride responded after listening carefully to all that was shared. ‘We will entrust the safety of the living souls in all the realms to the two of you. You should plan with the rest and see how to save the ones whose masters have already fallen and also prevent any more from joining forces. Would you help us do that?’ she continued, addressing the hummingbird and the horse.

Bèi Yǎn and Bái Fēng readily agreed. They knew they had to move quickly but subtly to avoid alerting the rebels. It was for a reason she was little but fierce, tiny but dangerous to underestimate. When it came to speed and timing to take action, Bái Fēng’s instincts were the best. That day, they gathered Zǐ Xīn, Jiā Háo, Wáng Léi and Ān Jìng to tell them about all that had changed in the realms and strategize for what was coming.

The first stirring of trouble began during the assembly at Dàshān. It was supposed to be a time of mutual celebrations. Everyone rejoiced with those who were rewarded. There was no comparing or jostling for fame and power. Until that fateful day.

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The King called Pèi Zhōng to step forward. ‘Many have shared with me how much you have helped them without a second thought. You have a very loving and generous heart and this seems appropriate to entrust to you,’ he said. He then took out a splendid cup and bowl made of pale, yellow jade with light blue swirls of color mixed in it. These were special because the cup filled with wine and when emptied it filled to the brim once again and the wine never grew stale. The same thing was true of the bowl. It filled with bread and fruit and once the last portions were taken, it filled up to the brim again.

Everyone looked at these choice gifts in awe. Some commented, ‘It perfectly complements his own generosity!’ Others said, ‘Give and it will be given back to you, pressed down, shaken together and running over. Surely, he has received a great measure for it is equal to what he has used in his giving to others.’

Not all were pleased. There was an undercurrent of discontent that started to surface with murmurings which grew louder and bolder.

‘How can Pèi Zhōng be the true giver? He stands no chance before Jiàn Shēng!’ some of them said. These were the ones who had fallen under the latter’s influence and had accepted his gifts of fiery stones.

‘I am sorry my brother that it turned out to be you that I must go up against this day,’ Jiàn Shēng thought to himself. ‘I would rather it was Zhì Shēn. You are too good. However, in this struggle sacrifices must be made and the lot has fallen on you. Blame the King for this,’ he continued to ponder as he silently watched the dissenters.

Many of the Tiānshǐ emboldened by one another, stepped forward and openly began to oppose the King’s choice. It was a rabble of noise and confusion that took a lot of those gathered by surprise.

‘Yes, Jiàn Shēng is more deserving. This is outright bias and partiality towards Pèi Zhōng!’ they went on.

Finally, someone dared to start, ‘The King is unfair. His eyes do not see the rest of us!’ The chant grew louder and louder, the voices of dissent more atrocious in the claims being made, many being blatant lies. Afterall, it was the King who was the true target of this rebellion. Pèi Zhōng was nothing more than a pawn towards that end.

There was not a sign of anger or shock that escaped the King or his beloved. The remaining four brothers though were not calm and tried to call for quiet and order.

‘How can you blaspheme the King? Where is the accuser? Step forward with your claims, your witnesses and evidence. This is not the place for lies!’ Xióng Zhǎn bellowed above all others causing a hush to fall upon the assembly.

At this point, Jiàn Shēng still did not step forward. He allowed his loyalists to do the fighting on his behalf. It was bound to fail.

When they came up and presented their fabrications, the truth was exposed. To add insult to injury, not all those who Jiàn Shēng had worked on and hoped for, stepped up. In fact, only one-third of the Tiānshǐ could be numbered as truly loyal to him. The rest of them stepped down and returned wholeheartedly to the King’s side.

This had to do with the work that Bèi Yǎn and her friends had secretly done along with their masters. Jiàn Shēng was still not aware of this but he betrayed no shock. He too tried to stay as calm as the King but within him a sea of rage was seething.

When pressed by the King and the Tŏngzhì zhě, the truth about the trading of fiery stones was exposed to the light of all gathered. It was quite a scandal. Many of the Tiānshǐ who had received these stones without knowing they were illegitimately obtained from the mountain, brought their stones and placed them at the feet of the Tŏngzhì zhě under whose authority they served.

‘Please forgive us. We were not aware of this and acted foolishly. We are willing to bear the consequences,’ they pleaded. The twenty-four generals looked at the King to see how he would respond to this horrible fiasco.

The King arose and addressed everyone, ‘I extend grace and forgiveness to those on my right hand. These erred without knowing, and some had such knowledge of the plot. Yet all of them have made restitution by speaking the truth and returning all the stolen goods in their possession. However, for three seasons they will be under Pèi Zhōng’s personal guardianship. They will follow him and do whatever he assigns to them in service of all the beings in the realms for they were in possession of things illegitimately received. Their generals must allow them for a further three seasons to be under Zhì Shēn’s guardianship. They will learn from him wisdom so that they will not fall into such a trap again.’

Then the King faced those on the left. They were the one-third who followed Jiàn Shēng willfully for their own profit. They were convinced he would win and they would gain positions of great power in the realms of heaven. They lusted after all kinds of gains and were blinded by their own desires.

‘For all that I gave you, is this the way you repay me? Have you forgotten those times when I sat with you as a father with his children? Now you say that I am a harsh taskmaster and an unfair judge. Yet, the greater guilt lies with the one who tempted you to stray,’ the King told them directly.

Then he faced the rest, ‘The twenty-four generals and I will discuss this matter at greater length. We will meet in a fortnight and at that time the one-third here shall return before us. Present all your evidence and claims and put me also on trial. See if there is fault in your own King. Examine my heart and mind. I will stand in the courts and make my case. Then we will decide what must be done,’ the King declared.

Never before had such a thing happened that the King of the heavens would stand judged and under trial in his own courts though he was innocent of wrong. Yet he was fair and if they could prove him unjust, he agreed to put aside his crown and give up his throne.

The time of Great Assembly was meant for rest and peace, but that day, both were lost in the heavens. That is why to this day we are warned not to allow anything to steal that precious rest from us. We are encouraged to do what we can to enter into the liminal places of perfect peace where nothing can shake us anymore.

This is how division was birthed in the heavens and the habitation of the immortals. There was one united family but now it was broken into two groups out of rebellion and disobedience. The Tiānshǐ who were poisoned by Jiàn Shēng were on one side, and the rest were on the other. The news spread through all the realms. Some were angry, some sad but all wondered what would happen next. Every eye was on the King and His Bride.

As the somber crowd began to disperse, Jiàn Shēng also slowly turned to leave when he heard a familiar voice.

‘Jiàn Shēng, wait,’ the Bride called after him. He turned and eagerly looked at her like a little puppy. His eyes were brimming with obsessive love and the desire to hold her and keep her by his side even if by force.

‘You desire me,’ she stated rather than asked as it was very obvious.

‘Even more than the King ever could,’ he replied unabashedly.

‘You can never love me the way he does,’ she countered.

‘How would you know when you have not dared to allow me or to allow yourself to be open to receiving my love? You have only known his love all your life. It is a rather hasty conclusion you have made,’ he replied with quiet confidence.

‘Perhaps. I know one thing for certain though,’ she continued, ‘You desire the life of my beloved.’

‘Of course, I do. As long as he remains alive there will be an issue making you mine,’ he replied truthfully. He was no longer trying to hide any agenda or motive.

‘Then you must also understand that I am his life,’ she said softly as she turned away and left Jiàn Shēng alone at the foot of Dàshān.

He did not fully understand what she meant but a terrible sense of foreboding overshadowed him and he felt a chill going down his spine. The sound of loud thunder on the peaks of the mountain got him back to the present moment. He shook off the dread and made haste to meet with the one-third of dissenters in whom his hope now rested.