Chapter Three: The Lord of Fuxi

Jade awoke to the sound of a crackling fire and the smell of something cooking. As she opened her eyes, she was greeted by a dark blanket of sky filled with twinkling stars. She sat up, rubbed the remaining sleep from her eyes, and looked around. She saw someone busily tending to a small fire, just a few feet away from her. Could this person be her unnamed rescuer?

“You must be hungry.” It was a man.

Jade nodded.

 He held out a small parcel and a ceramic flask with a golden cap.

“Here,” the man said. His voice, muffled by the mask that was covering the lower half of his face. He was dressed like the men from earlier, although he didn’t have a turban wrapped around his head. “All I have at the moment is some bread and a little bit of leftover wine. If you wait a little, you can have some meat. How do you feel about desert rat?”

Jade almost puked. Who the hell eats rodents?

“I’ll have some of the bread and wine, please,” Jade said politely. The man handed her a small parcel and a ceramic flask with a golden cap. Jade opened the parcel and found an ample amount of bread within. She was suddenly aware of how hungry she was. Although the bread tasted a bit salty, Jade gobbled it all up in three bites. She never drank wine. But since she was parched, she finished the wine in a single gulp.

The man moved closer to the fire. Close enough for Jade to notice a long main of silver hair that was tied back in a half-ponytail. Jade was confused. The man didn’t look to be that old. At least, based on his voice alone, he sounded quite sprightly and young—perhaps just a few years older than she was.

“I believe you, by the way,” the man said. “My name is Jin. I’m a trader.”

“Jade… er… I’m a student.” Jade stuck out her hand to shake his, but quickly put it down when he showed no signs of wanting to acknowledge it.

“Like I said,” Jin continued. “I believe you.”

“You mean you think that I am not from here?”

Jin nodded. “Not only that, I believe that you’re not from this world.”

Jade was confused. “What do you mean by that?”

“I mean, you’re not from this time or place.”

“I—I don’t understand?”

Jin took off his mask and smiled. “At the moment, you’re in the kingdom of Fuxi.”

“The kingdom of… Fuxi?” Jade started to panic. She has never heard of a kingdom named Fuxi, no matter how much she racked her brain. Well, there was no kingdom of that name where she came from, at least. Could Jin be telling the truth? Maybe, she really was in an entirely different world.

“Confused? I’m not surprised.” Jin gave her a reassuring smile.

“If what you’re saying is true… then, how will I get back? How can I go home? Oh! What am I going to do?” Jade’s eyes started to well with tears. The thought of being in a strange land that—if Jin was to be believed—was in a different plane of existence was frightful. It meant finding her way back home wouldn’t be as simple as it should be.

“I know of a way,” Jin said. “That is, if you’re willing to participate.” Jade felt a small hint of doubt, triggered by the sly look on Jin’s face.

Why did this man seem so keen on helping her? First of all, he barely knew her. For all he knows, she was indeed some desert demon who wanted nothing else but to consume him. Yes, it’s true that one should never judge a book by its cover. Just because he possessed a devilish charm about him, doesn’t mean he has some evil agenda. But still, Jade thought, one could never be too careful when it comes to self-preservation.

“How old are you?” Jade blurted out before she could stop herself.

Jin seemed surprised for a moment, but then, burst out in laughter. He winked at Jade and whispered, “Old enough.”

Embarrassed, Jade tried to find something to distract herself. And to avoid looking at Jin.

“What do you think?” Jin said, breaking the silence.

Finally getting over her shame, Jade cleared her throat and tried to look serious. “How?”

“There is a legend around here… About the four Holy Beasts responsible for protecting the four kingdoms—”

“THE PAINTING!”

“What?” Jin said, bewildered.

Everything was clear now. Just as she thought, the painting had something to do with everything happening. Those moving images she saw weren’t just a hallucination. They were real!

“Back at the museum… there was a painting… the Yellow Emperor and the Four Holy Beasts!” Jade said, excitedly. “I knew it! I just knew it!”

“Knew what?” Jin was still confused.

Jade took a few deep breaths and sat in front of Jin. “I know about the Four Holy Beasts and the Yellow Emperor. I just don’t know how much they figure in all this.”

Jin smiled. Then he continued, “According to legend, each god can be summoned, as long as their seven stars are complete.”

“How on earth can you summon a star?!”

“Relax,” Jin laughed. “I am not done with my tale.”

“Sorry,” Jade said, sheepishly. “Please continue.”

“Four gods, twenty-eight stars. Each star is represented by an individual who possesses one of the god’s powers. Finding the seven stars will not be easy, but it is also your only chance of going home.”

The task was daunting and seemed full of uncertainties. Besides, according to Jin, it was according to legend. What if the legend wasn’t true? What is she going to do, then?

“I sense a lot of confusion in you,” Jin said. “Don’t worry, I will give you some time to think. For now, rest. Tomorrow, we continue our journey.”

The way to the capital was a half-day journey. According to Jin, they should start early in order to avoid the intense heat brought about by the afternoon sun.

“I forgot to ask you what happened to the others,” Jade said, trying to break the awkward silence. Although she knows his name, she still considered Jin as a stranger. And she wasn’t comfortable with riding with someone she barely knew, let alone, a man. Suddenly, she became very aware of the last time she took a bath. After walking under the sun, she was certain that she didn’t smell anything near roses anymore. Her hair didn’t feel as smooth as it normally did, and her nails were filled with dirt.

“Hmm?”

“The other traders, I mean… weren’t you with a group of men?”

“Oh, them? I left them once I decided to help you. They thought you were a demon, you know?” Jin chuckled.

“I am aware.” Jade recalled the unpleasant meeting.

“They would have sent me away anyway. Traveling with demons is considered bad luck.”

Jade couldn’t believe that anyone could be so selfless. “But why would you do that?”

Jin shrugged. “I had to. It was the right thing to do.”

They reached the capital city of Yong a little just past noon. Jin told Jade that if she wanted to blend in, she had to get rid of her weird attire. He took her to a dress shop and told her to choose something to wear.

“But I don’t have any money?”

“I’ll take care of it.”

Jade picked an orange coat and a pair of trousers. She figured that if she was going to do a lot of traveling, a long robe was a poor choice of attire, even if she looked less of a woman. Once she made her selection, Jin grabbed the coat and pants and dragged Jade out of the shop.

“What the hell are you doing??” Jade said, shocked. Jin didn’t answer. They started running, and with Jin’s long legs, Jade found it a bit hard to keep up. They turned to a corner and ran straight until they reached a building. Jin opened the door and led Jade inside, slamming the door shut behind them.

Panting heavily, Jade pulled her arm away from Jin, ready to give him a piece of her mind. But she was immediately silenced by what she saw.

It appeared that they had entered a sort of temple. On the altar just in front, there was a statue of a large, majestic tiger. Its body was made out of polished, white marble, while it had sapphires for its eyes. Jade was certain that it was the same tiger in the painting, or at least, a representation of it.

“Is that…” Jade’s voice trailed off.

Jin walked towards the statue and placed a hand on its hind leg. “Bai Hu. The Lord of Fuxi, protector of the West.”

“The white tiger.”

Jin nodded. “If we are to summon one of the holy beasts, Bai Hu is our best bet. Have you made up your mind?”

Jade had almost forgotten about the decision she had to make. Now that she has seen Bai Hu, the legend didn’t sound as far-fetched as she thought. Besides, she needed to get home. No matter what it takes.

With her jaws set and eyes fiery with determination, she nodded. “Yes. Let’s go find Bai Hu’s stars.”

“Seven stars mean seven people, right?” Jade asked as she continued to admire the marble statue.

“Yes,” Jin answered. He still had his hand on the statue’s hind leg.

“And how do we know that they are Ba Yoo’s stars?”

Jin cleared his throat. “Bai Hu,” he corrected. “A star has a way of manifesting itself, we will know once we are near one.”

Jade didn’t fully understand what Jin meant but pretended that she did. For some reason, a feeling of excitement was starting to build up inside her. At that moment, all she wanted to do was to get out of the temple and start looking. After all, the sooner that they find the seven stars of Bai Hu, the faster she could get home.

“Should we start our search here?” Jade said.

“Yes. I think tha—”

The doors of Bai Hu’s temple opened with a loud bang. Soon, a troupe of guards entered, followed by the owner of the dress shop.

“Fuck!”

Before Jade could flee, two of the armed guards had locked her in a tight hold.

“Lemme go!” she cried, trying to twist herself free. The guards held her with a tight grip, it made her arms ache.

“That’s her! That’s the thief!” the shop owner screamed.

“You’re under arrest for theft!” another guard said.

“That’s insane! I didn’t steal anything!”

“Not according to the shopkeeper. Now, where’s your accomplice?”

Jade turned her head towards Jin, but he was nowhere in sight.