Chapter Sixty-Six: Encounter with Houtu, The Embarrassed Fat Man

At last, urged on by the rotund fellow, Chenxing prepared to take him, along with Nuwa and Fuxi, to the Palace of Zixiao. Since Chenxing's parents were unwilling to go, and the little demon was disinclined to crowds, they remained on the island to attend to his parents. Nuwa herself had not wished to leave either, but as the matter at hand was closely related to her, she had no choice but to accompany them.

As for Pangu, he had long since left the island to roam, and whether he would appear at Zixiao Palace, Chenxing did not concern himself; as long as his identity remained hidden, all would be well.

Once everyone was ready, Chenxing swept his great hand through the air, and in an instant, they vanished from the surface of Fangzhang Island.

The group was in no hurry to seek out Zixiao Palace, so they flew leisurely through the chaos, their journey enlivened by the fat man’s antics, ensuring there was never a dull moment.

One day, as the four entered the chaos, Nuwa flipped her palm and a bead radiating golden light enveloped the fat man in protection; it was the Star Bead Chenxing had casually gifted her years before, which, after Nuwa attained sainthood and refined it anew, had become a treasure rivaling the finest innate artifacts—a trivial matter to safeguard one man.

Gazing upon the Star Bead he had once crafted with little effort, Chenxing was filled with emotion; who could have foreseen that the Nuwa he had met by chance while traveling with the little demon would become his wife?

As they drifted toward Zixiao Palace, they suddenly saw, amidst the chaos, a woman clad in white striding forward. She bore no protective treasure, yet the violent currents of chaos battered against her as if she were entirely unaffected.

The fat man’s eyes lit up at once. He hurried to whisper something to Chenxing, his voice so low that even Fuxi by his side could not catch it, though Nuwa glanced at him with a faint smile and shook her head almost imperceptibly.

Chenxing looked at him helplessly and, with a wave, sent the protective light of the Star Bead carrying the fat man toward the woman in white. She paused, startled by the sight of a portly man shielded by a bead-like treasure suddenly blocking her path, and then asked gently, “Fellow Daoist, who are you, and why do you block my way?” Her voice was clear and melodious.

Hearing such a gentle voice, the fat man was utterly transported, his heart shouting, "Her voice is heavenly—this must be love! Hahaha!"

He straightened his face and intoned, “I am Zhu Feng of Fangzhang Island. Greetings, fellow Daoist.”

The woman returned his greeting with a bow, but she did not introduce herself, only regarding him with a puzzled look.

Seeing she would not give her name, the fat man was somewhat deflated and stammered, “Are you also heading to Zixiao Palace?”

The woman nodded, still silent.

This left the fat man feeling defeated—Chenxing had won over two beautiful women, one of whom was Nuwa herself, so why couldn’t he?

Dropping his gaze to his own plump frame, the fat man resolved: I must lose weight.

Yet her question needed an answer, so he replied disheartened, “My friends and I are also going there. Why don’t we go together?” though he no longer held out hope.

The woman looked toward Chenxing and the others in the distance, her gaze lingering on Nuwa. Suddenly, a breathtaking smile bloomed on her face as she replied, “Very well!”

The fat man muttered under his breath, “Not good, that counts as—” Then he jerked his head up and stuttered, “You—you mean you agreed?”

She smiled sweetly. “Yes, I agreed.”

His spirits suddenly revived, the fat man said, “Great! Let me introduce you to my friends.” With that, he hurried toward Chenxing, the woman following close behind.

Arriving before Chenxing, the fat man, full of self-satisfaction, announced, “Here, Star, let me introduce a new friend. This beautiful lady is… uh…” Embarrassed, he scratched his head and whispered, “Excuse me, may I ask your name?”

The woman ignored him, stepped forward, and bowed to the others. “Houtu of the Wu Tribe greets you, fellow Daoists!”

Chenxing and his companions returned the greeting. “Fangzhang Island—Chenxing (Nuwa) (Fuxi)—greets you, fellow Daoist!”

Upon hearing her name, the fat man was struck dumb. Houtu? The legendary Mother Earth of later generations, one of the Twelve Ancestors of the Wu Tribe, revered by posterity as the Empress of Earth and Lady of the Soil—just what had he been doing? Had he just tried to court Lady Houtu?

A shiver ran through him as cold sweat broke out—this woman had ten brothers and a sister, each of them a formidable figure. Best to forget it! He was no Chenxing and could not hope for such luck; a goddess of her stature was not for a humble fellow like himself. Best keep his distance!

But then he thought again: wait! The Wu Tribe revered Pangu as their father, and Pangu was his own grandnephew. Why should he be afraid? It was only because his seniority was too high that it was awkward to pursue her. Yes, that was it! How could the dashing Fat Lord be ignored? Impossible!

Thus comforted, he puffed out his belly and declared loudly, “Well, it’s getting late—let’s be off!” Then he turned to leave, secretly pleased with his own leadership style.

Houtu looked at Chenxing in puzzlement. Chenxing pointed at his own head, indicating that the man was a bit touched in the head and she ought not to mind. Houtu nodded in sudden understanding and, glancing at the fat man again, her eyes showed a hint of sympathy.

Seeing the fat man still marching forward, Chenxing called out helplessly, “Fatty, are you heading home?” The fat man froze, suddenly realizing he was heading back the way they had come. His face flushed scarlet and he groaned inwardly, “I’ve really disgraced myself this time…”

The Palace of Zixiao floated amidst the chaos, and before its gates many mighty beings had already gathered. After years of searching, the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing) were the first to arrive, and seeing the doors still closed and no one else present, they breathed a sigh of relief and sat cross-legged to await the coming of the lecture.

Not long after, Zhenyuanzi arrived with his old friend Hongyun. Having met the others during the great calamity of the beasts, and seeing them arrive first, he hurried forward to greet them. “Greetings, fellow Daoists! It has been many years—how have you fared?”

Recognizing an acquaintance, the Three Pure Ones quickly rose to return the courtesy. “Greetings, Daoist Zhenyuanzi! We have just arrived, and as the doors are yet to open, why don’t we wait together?” Laozi, as the eldest, spoke first.

Zhenyuanzi gestured politely. “Of course! After you, Daoists.” The group then sat off to the side, closing their eyes in meditation.

One after another, scattered immortals such as Ancestor Minghe, Kunpeng, the Queen Mother of the West, and the King of the East arrived. Soon, the space before the doors was filled with cultivators, old friends calling out to one another in great merriment. As they waited for the doors to open, Emperor Jun and Taiyi arrived with their demon lieutenants. The two looked over the assembled crowd with pride, snorted coldly, and went to sit cross-legged to one side, ignoring the others.

What they did not notice was that many of the mighty ones, angered by their arrogance, harbored silent resentment—thus sowing the seeds for future enmity and the later schemes against the two clans.

With several years still remaining before Hongjun’s lecture at Zixiao Palace, Chenxing and his companions finally arrived, unhurried. Seeing thousands of cultivators already at the gates, the fat man’s spirits soared—he rushed forward, eager to befriend as many as possible. In his heart, these were the three thousand guests of Zixiao Palace; any of them could become a great power in the future, and to know them would elevate his own standing.

To his disappointment, however, no one paid the slightest attention to his overtures—a mere Taiyi Golden Immortal who had arrived by someone else’s power was beneath notice.

Meanwhile, Houtu, seeing the demon clan among the early arrivals, turned pale and, with a trace of anger, strode off to one side, distancing herself from the crowd to await the opening of the palace.

Chenxing watched her leave, glanced once more at the assembled demons, and with a note of pity, realized that enmity between their two races was inevitable, so he gave them no further thought.

At this moment, the Three Pure Ones, Zhenyuanzi, and Kunpeng, on seeing Chenxing, wore complex expressions. Years ago, he alone had suppressed the entire beast clan, leaving them with a deep impression. Now, however, they too had reached the quasi-sage realm and considered themselves not much inferior, especially as the Three Pure Ones were the true heirs of Pangu and would surely surpass Chenxing in the future. Thus, they did not approach or acknowledge him, pretending not to have noticed.

Only Zhenyuanzi came forward, bowed, and said, “Greetings, senior.” He then greeted Fuxi and Nuwa, “It has been many years—how have you two fared?”

After Nuwa and Fuxi returned the courtesy, Chenxing smiled gently, “It has indeed been long, and your Dao has advanced considerably—congratulations.”

Just as Zhenyuanzi was about to reply, a voice rang out over the crowd, and with a creak, the great doors swung open.