21
The star god found Houyi and his doting wife, Chang’e, in a scenic town by the sea. The sight of their children, happy and healthy, embittered him to his very core. How dare these mortals live in peace while he and his siblings were banished to Hell? The Heavens had even awarded Houyi an elixir of immortality for his righteous deed. The fool had accepted the gift, but had yet to drink it, for he could not stand the thought of trading his family for godly status.
“Such audacity!” the star god said to himself, thinking how best to punish the Legendary Archer.
He schemed for three days and four nights, concocting the perfect plan. He wanted the elixir for himself, but not for the purpose of immortality. He was an immortal god, after all, fallen as he may be. But if he presented such a divine treasure to Death himself, he could bargain for the return of his siblings and, with their help, take back what the Heavens had once refused.
Houyi and his children left for the day to collect firewood, leaving adoring Chang’e at home to prepare dinner. It was then that the star god broke in, surprising the poor woman.
“Who are you?” she cried. “What do you want?”
“I have no quarrel with you, mortal. Only your connivinghusband.” He pulled off his mask and revealed his true face—as well as the puckered skin of his chest where Houyi’s arrow had shot him clean through.
“You.” Chang’e gasped. “How can this be?”
“Hand over the elixir,” he demanded, looking upon her as though she were nothing more than a gnat. “Or I will burn everything you hold dear.”
Although she was afraid, Chang’e bravely shook her head; proud and defiant. “I will give you nothing.”
“Thendie.”
With a snap of his fingers, he set the bamboo hut aflame, trapping Chang’e within. No matter how loudly she screamed, no matter how she tried to claw her way to freedom, she understood that there was no escape.
Or was there?
It was a gambit, but it was one she had to take. As the smoke stung her eyes and ash filled her lungs, Chang’e pulled up the floorboards to reveal a hidden cache. This was where Houyi stored the elixir of immortality, far away from prying eyes and ne’er-do-wells. Chang’e could not allow it to fall into the star god’s possession. It would only spell disaster. So, with little time and even fewer options, Chang’e uncorked the vial, brought the rim to her lips, and drank every last drop.
Houyi had seen the smoke upon the horizon and raced home to her aid, but all too late. The magic’s effects were immediate—and irreversible. It spared her life, but it also spirited her away, carrying Chang’e from the wreckage of her burning home to the lonely surface of the moon.
“Bring her back!” Houyi demanded, gripping the star god by the throat. His eyes were red with rage, knuckles white with malice.
“No,” the star god said with a laugh. “Suffer as I have suffered, archer. I want you to know the pain of watching your most loved waste away just as I have.”
“I curse you, then,” Houyi replied. “By my blood, I wish death upon you.”
“Proud words for someone charred to a crisp,” the star god said. He snapped his fingers, hoping to set the archer alight.
But nothing happened. For some strange reason, the star god’s magic would not work. Upon closer inspection, he understood why. The archer had been blessed by none other than the Sun—yet another cruel betrayal by his eldest brother.
The star god threw Houyi to the ground and escaped into the night. Houyi gave chase, preparing his bow and arrow for one more hunt. Way up above, Chang’e watched in heartbroken dismay, for theirs was a story destined for tragedy.
The only aid the new goddess could offer her husband was the light of the moon to show him the way.
22Yue
Hunting Log #385:
Demons are selfish beasts. They do nothing out of kindness.
There is only one pathforward from the garden to the next court, the walls on either side of us making for a tight squeeze. We have no choice but to proceed in single file, Wen at the rear while I lead the charge up front. The passage between the second and third circle is so narrow that both my shoulders graze along the jade dividers.
“Can you see the exit?” Sonam asks directly behind me. I can feel the warmth of his breath tickle the nape of my neck. I’d normally be averse to having anyone this close, but there’s little to be done given our cramped surroundings.
I look straight ahead and allow my eyes to focus in the dark. There’s a slight curve to the path, rendering it impossible to discern anything past the bend. “Nothing yet.”
The walls only grow tighter, more constricting. Panic doesn’t come all at once. It’s a slow build, a creeping sense of doom dripping down my back in a cold sweat. With the third trial nowhere in sight, the trek is starting to feel impossible. How much fartherdo we have to go? How much more of this must we endure? I’m being crushed from both sides, my shoulders now fully scraping against the walls, the friction caused by each step now shredding at my skin.
“W-we should turn back,” Wen whimpers. “Are you sure there ain’t another way?”
