Ancient Shadows

Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Anyang, China 1150 B.C.—during the Shang dynasty

“I have not traveled all this way to simply turn around and return to the palace.” Zhou Xin felt good about the raucous reception the people of Shen-dao had given him in his first visit as their new king. He was young and arrogant, filled with his own self-importance. The old king had recently died, and although Zhou Xin was the third son, the former king’s counselors had chosen him over his brothers because of his strength and daring. Now, he needed to convince his people that he was worthy of their love. The day’s festivities were an excellent start.

He wore heavy silk clothes in bright colors and was surrounded by a group of aging ministers. They expected the king to climb into his carriage to return home, but instead, he continued to walk along the town’s main street.

“I understand the Snail Goddess loves and protects this area above all others,” King Zhou Xin said when he reached a stone wall surrounding a holy place. “I wish to see the temple of this so-called goddess.”

His ministers dared not deny him anything, and so King Zhou Xin and his retinue entered the temple of the goddess Nüwa.

It was large and beautiful with meticulously tended gardens. The statue of the goddess was kept behind a drape, it being said that mere mortals should not look upon one such as she. Zhou Xin walked deep into the grounds, and as he neared the statue, a breeze caught the drape and blew it to one side, revealing Goddess Nüwa to the king.

“Ah! Look at her!” He gasped with awe. “She is no snail; she’s beautiful! I have never seen such perfection in a woman. In fact, she is”—he chuckled—”fit for a king.”

“Please, King Zhou Xin,” the chief counselor said as he bobbed his head several times. “You must not speak such thoughts.”

“Oh?” Zhou sneered at the old man. “I am above all other men, and no one can tell me what I can and cannot do.” He smiled as an idea came to him. “Bring me ink and a writing brush.”

His servants scrambled to do as he commanded. When he received the supplies, he proceeded to write a poem on the wall of the temple for all to see. In his poem, he not only spoke of Nüwa’s beauty, but that she should come alive and join him in his palace, in his bed, and that she would greatly enjoy becoming the lucky recipient of his kingly favors.

His advisors were horrified. They said it was blasphemy to write such a thing, and when the people saw it, they would believe that their king was without virtue.

Zhou Xin refused to listen. He announced that his poem not only praised the goddess’ beauty and female charms, but that he would be admired for writing it. He insisted it be left on the temple wall.

Later, when the Goddess Nüwa walked through her temple grounds and came upon the poem, she was shocked and insulted. Never had any human shown such vile disrespect towards her.

Outrage, complete and boundless, surged through her. Her first thought was to strike down the lecherous king, but then, a better idea came to her.

“Death is too easy for him. I will make his lust a thing of complete derision, something that will cause the name Zhou Xin to be reviled until the end of time. Only then, will I feel vindicated!”

She immediately called for three demons to attend her. The first, the leader, was known as the Thousand-Year Vixen. It was a black, female, green-eyed fox. Next was the Nine-Headed Pheasant, and the weakest of the demons was called the Jade Pipa—a pipa being an ancient lute-shaped instrument much beloved by Nüwa. “You three will go to earth. There, you will form yourselves into women to tempt and seduce the too lustful king. Once he is in your power, you will pervert and defile him, make him depraved, and after that, you will cause his complete and total destruction.”

And then she added. “Beware that, in doing this, you do not harm anyone else.”

The three demons bowed and nodded, promising to do as she wished.

“If you follow my orders, I will give you the one thing you, and all specters, most long for—to be reincarnated as humans.”

The Thousand-Year Vixen fell to her knees. “We will obey you, Goddess Nüwa. The Shang dynasty will come to an ugly end, and will be destroyed so completely that it will vanish into the mists of time.”