I do not know how long I have existed, nor when consciousness first stirred within the chaos.
I am a peach tree. This is what Qingluan and Huofeng told me. Ever since I gained consciousness, I have kept watch with them outside the Nuwa Palace. They perched on opposite ends of the temple roof, while I was rooted right outside the main gates.
They often played and soared about outside the hall, and frequently spoke to me; they spoke, and I listened. When I watched them, they made me happy and sometimes exasperated. They would often start fierce brawls, leaving the courtyard in a complete mess and causing me to shed countless petals.
They told me they were brothers, and that unlike me, they were divine beasts born of heaven and earth, while I had been transformed from a single eyelash of the Great God Pangu. They told me that their constant quarreling and fighting were meant to hone their magical powers, and that they would never turn against each other because they shared a single heart and a single life. They told me that a genuine bond of kinship existed between them, and that they also regarded me as a friend, sharing a bond of friendship with me. They told me that Goddess Nuwa was the Mother of the Earth, and that she had created humankind. Humans were living beings who bore a strong resemblance to Goddess Nuwa, except that their lives were fleeting. They told me that spirits in the Mortal Realm could cultivate human form in just a few hundred years, yet though I had cultivated for over ten thousand years, nourished by immortal dew and drawing upon the vital essence of heaven and earth, I still had not assumed a human shape. How strange indeed!
They told me many, many things, and I remembered every single one earnestly. Each time I watched them frolic and listened to them talk to me, a warm feeling would well up inside me. I did not know why I could not cultivate a human shape, nor why I could not frolic and speak as they did.
Kinship? Friendship? I did not understand. I was formed from Pangu's eyelash, gathering the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Devoid of a heart or soul, I had no family to speak of and no opportunity to experience kinship. As for friendship, listening to them talk to me and romancing around me filled me with joy. Was this friendship? I did not understand, but I liked it very much.
Having heard them speak of her many times and having laid eyes on Goddess Nuwa countless times—her silk robes fluttering, her divine expression solemn—every sight of her stirred an impulse within me to look up in adoration and pay my respects. A human shape looked just like her. Gradually, a faint longing began to take root in me: to be like the Goddess, and to be able to frolic and speak with Qingluan and Huofeng.
Qingluan and Huofeng were acting very strangely today. They neither fought, nor played, nor spoke; they merely leaned against my trunk, sitting despondently. Not knowing what was wrong, I shook my branches, sending a shower of petals down to blanket their heads and bodies. Sensing my urgency and care, they gently stroked my trunk. They told me that Gonggong had struck Buzhou Mountain with his head, shattering the pillar of heaven and causing the Heavenly River to pour forth. Floods had raged, nearly destroying heaven and earth, and wiping out almost all living creatures in the Mortal Realm. The Goddess, filled with boundless compassion for all beings, wept bitter tears over this, yet they were utterly helpless. Because they were bound in symbiosis with the Nuwa Palace, they could not leave Beyond the Heavens, and naturally could not share the Goddess's burdens.
I did not understand what they were talking about, nor did I understand what sadness felt like. I only knew that the Goddess was weeping because the mortals she created had suffered harm. To weep was to have moisture fall from one's eyes; Qingluan had once told me that only when the heart suffered a profound wound would tears fall. Though I did not understand, I had existed here for tens of thousands of years and had never once seen the Goddess weep. Her heart must have suffered a terrible wound.
If Qingluan and Huofeng could not leave this place, could I? If I could, I would surely guard the humans created by the Goddess and protect the living beings of the Mortal Realm. But I was only a peach tree, without a heart or soul. How could I leave? How could I protect mortals for the Goddess?
For over ten thousand years, I had yearned for friendship and yearned for kinship, yet I had never yearned to take on a human shape, for that seemed to have nothing to do with me. Now, however, I yearned for it intensely, desperately. Only by taking a human shape could I move, could I leave this place, and could I go to the world where the Goddess had created life.
Once I had this longing and these worldly distractions, I could no longer concentrate on my cultivation. A growing restlessness consumed me day by day, making it impossible to focus. Finally, one day, the spiritual power surging through my body spun out of control, overflowing into my branches. It felt like heavenly fire consuming my body, growing hotter and hotter until, little by little, I lost consciousness.
"Foolish child, wake up."
Accompanied by heavenly music, my consciousness gradually returned. Who was speaking? A gentle breeze swept past, and I opened my eyes. What met my gaze was not the familiar steps, temple gates, and halls, but a realm of magnificent gold and brilliant rosy clouds. Where was this?
"You are awake?" The heavenly voice echoed in my ears once more. Amidst flashing golden light, a human figure appeared before me. It was the Goddess—there was no mistake. The Goddess was speaking to me?
My body moved faster than my mind. Having looked upon her countless times, I naturally bowed and looked up in reverence.
Bowing—was I capable of that? Realizing this, I lowered my gaze. Pink robes, a bending posture—was this, was this me? Instinctively, I raised a hand to touch my cheek and my hair. I could move! This truly was me; I had genuinely assumed a human shape. A feeling, perhaps of joy, welled up inside me, making me want to laugh and jump for joy.
"Foolish child, you have already taken on a human shape."
The voice reminded me that the Goddess was right beside me, speaking to me. I raised my head. The Goddess still retained her solemn divine majesty, yet she looked at me with a warm smile. With a wave of her sweeping sleeves, a gentle force lifted me to my feet, and I stood quietly, gazing at her.
"Foolish child, you have existed in the Nuwa Palace for tens of thousands of years, without heart or soul, knowing neither joy nor sorrow. I once thought you would forever remain a peach tree guarding outside the hall, despite your innate spiritual roots and ten thousand years of magical power. I never expected that today you would harbor such an intense yearning and intent. Your magical power spun out of control, and since Qingluan and Huofeng could not assist you, they reported it to me. At that time, I could only use my magic to protect your foundational true essence; whether you became an immortal or a demon rested entirely upon a single thought of yours. Fortunately, your heart harbored goodness, and you became an immortal rather than a demon. I am deeply gratified."
The Goddess was talking about me. Not knowing how to respond, I smiled awkwardly.
The Goddess smiled again. "Foolish child, you were born without a heart or soul, which is why you could neither become an immortal nor take on a human shape. Only when you experienced emotions and desires could a heart and soul be forged. The emotions and desires you accumulated over tens of thousands of years finally condensed into a heart and soul today. That is why you were able to assume a human shape today, ascend to immortality, and emerge as if newly born."
Seeing me standing there in my bewilderment, the Goddess summoned Qingluan and Huofeng. "You have spent tens of thousands of years together. Qingluan is perceptive, and Huofeng is steadfast. Right now, you understand nothing at all. Therefore, Qingluan, you shall guide her in her cultivation and teach her everything there is to know about being an immortal and a human. Go!"
"As you command, disciple takes her leave." Qingluan looked at me with a smile and led me out of the main hall.
"Weining—that is your name."
At the sound of the Goddess's voice, I paused, turned back in puzzlement, and looked at her. "Amidst the vast seas lies Mount Dushu, upon which stands a great peach tree whose gnarled branches stretch out for three thousand miles. The northeastern gap between its branches is called the Gate of Ghosts, through which all ghosts enter and exit. You two share the same origin; may you, like that great tree, guard the peace of the Three Realms."
Looking at the Goddess, the corners of my lips curved upward of their own accord. I dipped into a slight bow, turned, and followed Qingluan step by step out through the brilliantly radiant gates.