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Sansheng, Death Exists Not at the River of Oblivion – 1
st
Lifetime
The 1
st
Lifetime: We Part Though We Love
01: I’m going to the human world to seduce him
From a time unknown, people passing by the River of Oblivion[1] began
to call me the Stone of Three Lifetimes[2]. Thereafter, some people
spurned me, some came hand-in-hand and carved on me their romances
from lifetimes past, and there were even those who stood bawling in
front of me.
And yet, I was just a stone by the Wangchuan riverside. I had neither joy
nor sorrow.
I sat faithfully that way by the Wangchuan for one thousand years until
I finally formed a soul one day.
All living things were to be subjected to trials of fate, but I continued to
sit there harmlessly for over another century until…
My love trial came.
Reading my fortune was a white-bearded priest passing by the
Wangchuan. He prophesied my coming trial to the knowing nodding of
his head.
I thought he was just making up hogwash.
I was a spirit born from the Sansheng Stone; my soul was that of a stone
and my heart was that of a stone. My heart had long been forged into
coldness by the perennial darkness along the Wangchuan River.
There was no pain where there was no love. If my heart hadn’t ever
stirred, then where would this love trial be coming from?
Or so I thought.
But everything always had its surprises.
On a gloomy afternoon in the underworld, I returned to the eternally
unchanging Wangchuan from my walk as usual. I looked up. In that
Sansheng, Death Exists Not at the River of Oblivion – 1
st
Lifetime
coincidental moment, as if sunlight from the land of the living had
broken through the thick layers of fog, the cluster amaryllises lining the
Yellow Springs suddenly glistened radiantly.
A man gracefully came forth.
I suddenly recalled the words a human woman passing by me had once
whispered many, many years ago: “What a scholarly gentleman, so
polished, so refined[3].”
After a thousand years, my stony heart made a rare subtle tremble.
He slowly approached, of course not to see me, but rather because
behind me was the Naihe Bridge one must cross in order to enter the
underworld. It wasn’t easy to run into such a beautiful person, so I
thought I should have a beautiful meeting with him.
I stepped forward and softly called out to him: “Sir.” I thought to curtsy
to him like the well-bred ladies did in human books. But the books only
said ‘curtsy’. They never described to me what specific postures and
movements were entailed.
I pondered for a moment, then mimicked the ghosts bemoaning to
Yanwang (ruler of the underworld) and dropped to my knees with a
thud, banged my head to the ground in three kowtows, and said to him,
“What is thy fair name, sir?”[4]
The imps nearby sucked in two deep breaths of cold air. He stood there
blankly with some surprise in his eyes. For the time being, he did not
answer me.
Any endeavor must be approached with sincerity, for the Black and
White Guards of Impermanence’s favorite saying was: “Sincerity equals
success.” This was how they had always been able to lure the mortal
souls to docilely follow them back.
Hearing no response from him, I briefly wondered that perhaps I hadn’t
knocked my head loudly enough and therefore hadn’t shown enough
Sansheng, Death Exists Not at the River of Oblivion – 1
st
Lifetime
sincerity. I crawled forward on my knees and, not sparing any effort this
time, fiercely knocked my head onto the ground three more times.
It seemed I kowtowed so hard that I sent three waves of shock through
the ground. The imps nearby wheezed in evident fright.
I raised my head and looked up at him with a bloody face. “What is thy
fair name, sir?”
Perhaps the wretchedness of my bloody face had scared him stiff. He
remained silent.
I hastily wiped my face, and in the process discovered both of my hands
were damp! I hadn’t known I was bleeding this much. I suddenly
realized why he was in such a stupor.
I panicked. While rushing to rub myself, I ended up smudging my entire
body with blood.
I looked up to him quite helplessly.
In his pretty eyes was the imprint of my reflection. Then, his eyes curved
into a dazzling smile.
Even though I didn’t know what he was delighted with, seeing him
happy, I, too, offered him a friendly smile complete with two rows of
sparkling white teeth, not realizing doing so was adding to the terrifying
look of a bloody person.
The imp beside me, Jia, leaned in nervously and pulled me up. I
wouldn’t rise. He caught his breath and whispered to me, “My dear
Madam Sansheng! Who are you trying to scare with that frightening
face?! Don’t you know who he is?”
Among the spiritual beings in the underworld, my magic wasn’t
particularly profound. But due to seniority, all of the imps were
respectful to me. They seldom spoke to me in such a tone. I frowned and
said quizzically, “Of course I don’t know who he is. I’m asking him,
aren’t I?”
Sansheng, Death Exists Not at the River of Oblivion – 1
st
Lifetime
Little Yi looked as though he was going to sputter up blood any moment
now. “My dear madam! This is Heaven’s…” He hadn’t finished when a
gentle voice interrupted him.
“My name is Moxi.”
He extended his hand where I readily placed mine inside. He flipped his
hand and clasped my wrist.
My wrist was my vital portal. At this moment, he only needed the
slightest exertion to send me to a very horrible death. Little Jia’s and
Little Yi’s unsightly faces were becoming even ghastlier than they
originally were. Jia quickly pleaded, “M’lord! M’lord! Miss Sansheng
has lived here by the Wangchuan River all her life. The underworld is
but a humble place; the young lady does not know her etiquettes. I beg
you to forgive her.”
“Sansheng? That’s a strange name, albeit somewhat interesting.”
I was still looking at him. I did not feel afraid since there was no
murderous intent in his eyes.
He carefully studied me for a while, let go of my wrist, and instead
pulled me up by my arm. “How remarkable for a stone from the
underworld to have developed a soul. You didn’t know who I was, yet
why did you give me such a great obeisance?” I suddenly understood. It
turned out it wasn’t that my sincerity was lacking, but that it was too
profuse. I honestly told him, “You’re so handsome that I wanted to…”
Untimely, my vocabulary failed me. In my panic, I randomly grasped
for a word that I didn’t know since when had dropped into my brain: “I
wanted to seduce you.”
Little Jia gave me a ‘you’re hopeless’ look.
He chuckled. “What a straightforward creature.”
I was thrilled, thinking it was a compliment. “Then, can I seduce you?” I
hastily asked him.
Sansheng, Death Exists Not at the River of Oblivion – 1
st
Lifetime
He said in some deliberation, “I’ve come for my trial, so I won’t be
staying in the underworld.”
What he meant was ‘no’. I lowered my gaze, a little disappointed.
“Have you always sat by the Wangchuan riverbank?” he suddenly
asked.
I nodded.
“Would you like to go outside for a look?”
My eyes lit up; I nodded vigorously.
He faintly smiled and patted my head. “Considering that I’ve received
several bloody kowtows from you, I can’t have you kowtow in vain.
Since you want to leave the underworld, I will promise you three
lifetimes of freedom. The three lifetimes I go through my trial will also
be the three lifetimes you get to have your freedom.
After I return from my trial, you will also obediently come back to the
Wangchuan bank, how does that sound?”
There was nothing disadvantageous about his proposal. I nodded yes.
He cast a golden seal on my wrist. “As a spiritual being, you need to
learn to be smarter. Hereafter, take care to protect your vital portal.” He
added, “Those who are stronger won’t always be as kind as I am.”
The two imps, Jia and Yi, contorted their faces as they escorted him
away. I touched the golden seal on my wrist.
“Moxi,” I called out to him.
Standing in front of the Naihe Bridge, he held the waters of oblivion in
his hand and turned to face me.
“Can I come to the human world to seduce you?”

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