Raising a Rebel - 6. Chapter 6

When night fell on the Xie clan retinue on the road to Jiankang, there were many whispered conversations about their lord. Only the closest attendant to Lady Liu had known that the real Xie An was dead and their illustrious ancestor, the immortal god Xie Lian, had taken his place, so there were various rumors. Some spoke of misgivings, demon magic, and even the unnatural physical ability of Xie Yan, Sun Wukong’s current identity. Chief among the rumormongers were the Xie Clan chamberlain, who feared that his master has been bewitched by some spirit or possessed by a demon. Worse, the presence of the large white snake had reinforced many of the Chamberlain’s claims about foul magic afoot. Xie Lian, unlike Hua Cheng, did not possess spirit hearing, so he could not perceive these dangers, but Sun Wukong with his growing physical abilities did hear pieces of these conversations. While not as powerful as Hua Cheng or a god specializing in hearing, Wukong was still able to listen to mortals further with reasonable accuracy. The child was angry that these mortals could not see the true benign intent of his Sifu, nor the spurious nature of these rumormongers. He informed his Sifu of his discovery.

Xie Lian sighs upon hearing what Wukong tells him, “It can’t be helped, Wukong. Mortals fear the unknown and mysteries, so they must invent conspiracies and spread them as truth to make the world easier to perceive.”

Wukong is aghast at the blatant falseness inherent in mortal beliefs, “Sifu, these mortals must know that all of this was created by men like the Chamberlain, why not reveal the Chamberlain’s falsehoods?”

Xie Lian wishes things were that simple, “They would redouble their belief that I am possessed by a demon or some other nonsense because it is the mortal way to distrust the obvious truth. If they demand that we explain ourselves, we would not be able to reveal ourselves as that secret would be too dangerous for mortal minds. Thus, a cycle of doubt and fear would exist, worsening the situation.”

Wukong glowers in frustration, “Sifu, why must we help these ungrateful people?”

Xie Lian ruffles Wukong’s golden fur in amusement at his pupil, “Just like the dragon prince, we’re trying to do the right thing for others, even if others do not understand it is for their interest. They may despise, fear, or seek to attack us, but we’re not doing such things to be rewarded. We do it for the greater good of the people, the kingdom, and the world.”

With those words, both Wukong and Xie Lian’s eyes fell on the white snake. There were noticeable bruises and stab wounds on its body, some faded and others were recent. It has had a hard life, Xie Lian knew. The gods sometimes show mercy and offer relief to mortals, but they would not offer it to what they deem as demons. Many creatures would be classified as demons from the malevolent spirits and seductresses like Daji, the nine-tailed fox, to poor creatures such as this white snake, whose only true crime was to be a descendant of a heavenly opponent and a mortal human boy. Xie Lian can understand the lack of mercy for the former categories, but the latter was to him a miscarriage of justice. Yet, he had no power to change the heavens and earth, nor does he seek such authority. All he can do now as he did back, both when he met the dragon prince, then later his descendant Bai Suzhen and her lover, Xu Xian, was to offer limited aid and safe passage. Any more, then he would have to commit to conflict with the heavens once more. Any less, then the innocent would suffer for no true crime except their existence.

Xie Lian notices the white snake stir in the makeshift nest that he created for it, “You are awake dear child. I have lent you some of my spiritual energies, so why don’t you return to your human form?”

In a moment, the white snake morphed as if it were absorbing the air and earth around it. Wukong observes that the air in the tent was moving toward the white snake along with dirt. He had noticed a similar effect earlier when Xie Lian and Hua Cheng transformed into their current visages, but their transformation was seamless and instant with only the bare minimum of disturbance. The white snake makes a bigger disturbance with its transformation. He realized that the earth and air must be how his Sifu and Baba transform into various human beings.

When the air settled and the ground stilled, a white-skinned boy with white hair appeared in front of them. He appeared slightly older than Wukong, but still young enough to notice the signs of ongoing development. Xie Lian estimated the boy was perhaps fourteen or so. The boy was covered by a simple tunic and underwear, which Xie knew meant he had not recovered enough of his spiritual energy to manipulate the elements to form clothes.

Wukong grabs a cloak from a clothing chest, then covers the white-skinned boy, “Here, I don’t want you to be cold,” the boy turned a slight shade of pink, while Wukong asks, “Why can’t you transform with more clothes like Sifu and Baba?”

Realizing Wukong had inadvertently outed him as being not a mortal, Xie Lian tries to deflect, “Xie Yan, what I have told you about tall tales?”

Wukong grins in response knowing what he had done and forgetting the missing piece of information that his Sifu did not know, “Oh, he knows you and Baba are immortals. When we reached Mu Qing’s ancient temple, he saw us exit the portal and as we were leaving, he stole the dried peach you had offered from the altar.”

Xie Lian in shock asks Wukong, “Why didn’t you inform me or your Baba?”

Wukong shrugs without understanding the ramifications, “I only saw his hair color since he was covered in rags and ran off very quickly with the peach. I didn’t want to appear ignorant Sifu as you had just taught me about the negative connotation of golden hair color.”

Xie Lian frowns, knowing Wukong reached the incorrect conclusions from their discussion about human perceptions earlier along with inherent fears regarding his acceptance, “You should never feel afraid to ask me questions or inform me of discoveries Wukong. While golden hair would be perceived negatively by natives of Jin due to the Xiongnu and Xianbei being soldiers of the Qin, white hair without the presence of advanced age is far more frightening to humans in general,” he speaks softer to the boy, “Ignorance should not be discouraged; it should be embraced to advance knowledge by discovery. It is the fear of ignorance that has led mortals and gods to do the greatest harm. You have seen that now within this camp as a living example.”

Wukong stares down at his furry feet, “I am sorry Sifu. I understand now.”

Placing a comforting hand on Wukong’s shoulder, Xie Lian reassures, “No being is perfect, Wukong. I want you to be able to learn and grow. You have a great mind, capable of reasoning many things through observation. If you can hold off from jumping to conclusions or allowing fear to orient your judgments, you will go further than any being in existence.”

Xie Lian knows it will take more than a few words to reach Wukong, who had been treated like a prized beast by his cruel master in the Qin Empire. Trust is a difficult thing to build, he just hopes it is not too late for Wukong to trust him and Hua Cheng.

Shifting his focus to the snake boy, who is still visibly injured and exhausted. Xie Lian remembers the same injured look from Bai Suzhen at Mount Emei, where the Buddhist martial priestesses protected a major treasure that she needed. It was an elixir to revive the dead from Laozi¹ before he ascended into godhood. Bai Suzhen had made many efforts to reach the protected elixir, being beaten brutally by the Buddhist priestesses, who were warned of her approach by the earthly Buddhist immortal Fahai². Xie Lian and Hua Cheng were returning from one of their travels abroad when they came upon the beaten white snake. After nursing her back to health, she pleaded for their assistance to retrieve the elixir to revive Xu Xian, her dead husband. He died of shock after Fahai revealed her true white snake nature to Xu Xian. In Fahai’s rigid concept of order and nature, the idea that a snake demon and mortal boy could be married was an affront to him. Xie Lian was moved by her plight and his history with her ancestor, so he aided her and had Hua Cheng use his ghostly powers to divert the Buddhist priestesses’ attention. After reviving Xu Xian, Xie arranged for the couple and their soon-to-be-born son to move to a large island off the coast³. For a few years, they practiced herbal medicine on the island, healing many incurable ailments and saving many lives. Sadly, Fahai hunted them down and discovered their whereabouts. She sacrificed herself fighting Fahai to aid in her husband and son’s escape. Xie Lian regretted not doing more for her for centuries after those events.

With those memories fresh on his mind, Xie Lian goes to the boy and asks quickly while inspecting him, “Are you still injured, child? What happened to you? Why did you revert to a white snake in the middle of the road?”

The snake boy stares at Xie Lian, then bows, “Honored Immortal, I am grateful for your assistance and your kindness in the face of my true form. I pray you will allow me to leave in peace.”

Xie Lian gently asks a simple question, “What is your name? Please do not fear us, we are not bound by the Heavenly Court’s decrees against you. I knew both your ancestor, both the dragon-crowned prince and Bai Suzhen. I know your forebearer was Xu Mengjiao⁴, Bai’s son.”

The snake boy nods, “My name is Xu Xiwang⁵ and you must be the legendary immortal Xie Lian, my father told me what you had done for our family. Only you, being equal to the Jade Emperor, can help me now.”

At those words, Wukong glances at his Sifu with a surprised expression. Xie Lian shakes his head to defer that conversation for later. He knew he would have to discuss his past with Wukong at some point when he took on the responsibility of being his teacher and surrogate parental figure.

Xie Lian nods, “That is my true name. How can I help you?”

Xiwang goes down to his knees in supplication, “I need you to teach me martial magic, so I can avenge my family. Fahai has hunted us for centuries and killed countless members of my family. I am the last of my line. He nearly killed me a day ago. If you do not aid me in killing him, he will kill me.”

Xie Lian is uncomfortable with this request, “I do not believe in killing unless there’s no other choice. Your life is too precious to be consumed by vengeance, I can find a safe place to hide you.”

Xiwang glowers, “No…no more hiding, I have lived my life scavenging in the shadows, hunted by Fahai, and deemed undesirable by the heavenly gods so my family could not create a home among mortals. I cannot defeat the bigotry and hatred of all the gods, but one hate-filled immortal is possible.”

Wukong looks on at Xie Lian, “Sifu, why do the gods dislike Xu Xiwang? Why is Fahai trying to kill his entire line? I do not understand, the slaves of Qin had always said the gods and immortals were kind beings that bring mercy to people in suffering.”

Xie Lian retold the story of the crowned dragon prince, who disobeyed the military orders of the current reigning Taoist gods. How he was punished and became a snake. How his descendants were eternally banished from all realms of the gods. Xie told the story of Bai Suzhen, a descendant of the prince, who fell in love with a mortal boy, Xu Xian, but their love was forbidden by nature and how Fahai, a Buddhist immortal, sought to eliminate what he considered an “abomination”, including all their descendants.

After Xie’s explanation, he notices Wukong was attempting to snuggle up to Xiwang to offer comfort, reminiscent of him and Hua Cheng. However, Xiwang shoved him away indignantly. While Xie knew it was still too early to tell what Wukong’s predilections were, it was probably a good idea to discuss basic concepts about relations with him. Xie Lian used his knowledge of “living math” calculations between the two boys to determine their compatibility. While he rarely ever indulges in determining Yuanfen⁶, which he learned from one of Siddhartha’s disciples in India, it is a useful way to ascertain probabilities for certain outcomes, like romance. Despite being a monkey, Wukong expresses a deep human-like level of empathy toward others after learning more about them, which would make him an ideal supportive partner. Sadly, Xiwang being a snake with his self-driven nature and goals would never be a suitable match.

Xiwang yells at Wukong, “I don’t need your sympathy for my misery, nor to be hidden away. I need your assistance to kill a certain Buddhist immortal.”

Wukong, unexpecting such anger, reacts, “I was just trying to offer comfort, I don’t like seeing people suffering,” he walks back to Xie’s side and asks his Sifu, “Why are the gods so cruel to him? Can’t you persuade Fahai to stop hunting him and his family? Surely, your and Baba’s power is great enough.”

Xie realizes that Wukong had much to learn about the world and the limits of what power can achieve, “Wukong, the Taoist immortals only banish his family from ascension, lands under their protection on earth, and the ghost realms, but they consider this to be merciful for his ancestor’s betrayal. To them, they are not being cruel,” he pauses before addressing the part as he knows the question of Buddhism will be fraught, “Fahai is a Buddhist immortal, which is a different philosophy that attains ascension through self-awareness rather than the cultivation of natural energy. Unlike the other pantheons of the world, there is no true leader within their ascended ranks, only Siddhartha known as the Buddha as the first to achieve awareness can determine doctrines and limits.”

Wukong asks pointedly, “Does the Buddha not care about other beings suffering like the Taoist gods?”

Xie quickly answers in defense of his old friend, “No, he does care, but he sees the concept of order and rules as being part of the vicious cycle of Karmic suffering. He wants everyone to transcend this cycle of suffering through self-awareness, whatever their ideological beliefs. Thus, he tries not to put limits on those who seek to gain self-awareness through his eightfold path. Once someone has gained enough self-awareness to manipulate their internal spiritual energy and learn from Taoist teachings how to affect the energy of the world around them, they become immortal like Fahai. However, as Fahai has been consumed by hate and bigotry toward Bai Suzhen and her descendants, he can never reach Nirvana or the ultimate state of Buddhist ascension, nor due to his pure asceticism be able to reach Taoist ascension into a heavenly realm. It is the built-in protection within each philosophy against those that would cause suffering unto others from reaching a perfected state.”

Wukong thinks over these facts and concludes, “So, the Buddha is not cruel, he just enables cruelty by his creating a pathway to power and his inaction. By making a system to gain self-awareness without setting up rules, he has allowed wicked deeds to happen in the world.”

Xiwang appraises Wukong, realizing the depth of this boy’s innate intellect, “Yes, they do not think they’re acting cruel towards me, but both Taoists and Buddhists alike have made cruelty possible through their rules and lack of rules.”

Xie Lian knows Wukong was right. In his last meeting with him, Siddhartha had said that he needed to formalize some sutras to help organize his beliefs, set the moral precedent, and prevent such deviations as Fahai from compounding suffering across the realm. However, Siddhartha acknowledged it would take several hundred years to formalize these new sutras and distribute them, plus he lacked a capable messenger who can carry such a balance message.⁷

Before Xie Lian could respond, a loud voice from outside the tent clamored, “Master Xie An, we demand you hand over the white snake and submit yourself to an exorcism!”

Xie Lian knew that it was the Xie clan’s chamberlain, who has probably raised the entire retinue and clan that traveled with them in open revolt.