Chapter Six: Yang Yue, Daughter of the Jade Emperor

That morning, I slowly woke from a dream, momentarily unable to discern whether I was still in the Kunlun Mountains or back in the mortal world. Whenever I glanced again at that photograph, an indescribable feeling would well up deep within me.

I recorded the dream in meticulous detail and included it in the novel *Record of Punishing Demons*.

Indeed, the story is titled *Record of Punishing Demons*. Originally, I intended to name the book *Professional Charlatan*, but the title had already been set, leaving no room for me to alter it.

In the first chapter, I wrote that Yang Yue’s master in the mortal world, Feng Huyuan, was Marshal Tianpeng—better known as Zhu Bajie, the second disciple who protected Tang Sanzang on the journey to retrieve the Buddhist scriptures from the West.

Marshal Tianpeng is just a title, much like a provincial governor or city mayor—positions held for a term and subject to rotation.

Zhu Bajie was originally a pig demon from the lower realm who cultivated and ascended to heaven. He briefly served as Marshal Tianpeng but, after committing a grave mistake, the Jade Emperor stripped him of his spiritual root and cast him down to the mortal world.

Later, he accompanied Tang Sanzang on the pilgrimage to the West as the purifier of the altar, then reincarnated from the Buddhist realm to the mortal world to continue his cultivation, never returning thereafter.

Divine beings reincarnate in the mortal world either to cultivate, to fulfill a mission, or as punishment for serious transgressions.

Choosing to cultivate in the mortal realm is due to the fact that one day of cultivation there is equivalent to thousands or even tens of thousands of years in the divine realm. Thus, many descend to the human world for cultivation. However, this path is fraught with peril; a slight misstep could trap them on earth forever, unable to return to the divine realm.

At that time, Yang Yue was gravely ill, desperately searching for a cure. After meeting the feng shui master Feng Huyuan, she learned that her ailment was due to a lingering external evil compounded by internal weakness. Because she had never sought help from specialists in this field before, what began as a minor weakness had worsened into a serious illness, now difficult to cure.

Since childhood, Yang Yue knew she was different from other girls—she could see things invisible to others.

Unlike me, who often blurts out whatever’s on my mind, Yang Yue, aware of her difference, rarely spoke of it to avoid strange looks. Only those close to her were privy to her unique traits.

She told me that once, during meditation, her spirit left her body and traveled to the Doushuai Palace of the Supreme Lord Laozi. Every attendant she passed bowed and paid respects, but she ignored them and entered the palace.

Inside, the Supreme Lord Laozi sat cross-legged on a high throne. Upon entering, she cupped her hands and respectfully greeted, “I pay homage to the Supreme Pure and Virtuous Heavenly Lord.”

The Supreme Lord Laozi spoke slowly, “Wu Yuan, what brings you here?”

Yang Yue stood at the foot of the steps, her eyes clear as mountain streams, and asked, “Grandfather Laozi, I have a question. Why has my body in the mortal world become so frail, always plagued by external evils?”

The Supreme Lord Laozi was silent for a moment, then replied slowly, “Because this is the Age of the End of Dharma.”

“...The Age of the End of Dharma?” Yang Yue recalled that Teacher Xing had mentioned this before, and she had researched it online. It is an era when spiritual energy in heaven and earth is depleted. In the past, demons stayed in the demon realm, and monsters in theirs, but now they have invaded the mortal world, wreaking havoc among humans. The divine realm has had to send many deities down to reincarnate as mortals to save humanity and the earth.

The Supreme Lord Laozi continued, “In this Age of the End of Dharma, every descended celestial being is bait. Like Tang Xuanzang of old—the demons on his journey to the West all wished to devour him. Tang Xuanzang was bait, luring demons along the way to send them to their rightful place. To the demons, every reincarnated celestial is Tang Xuanzang's flesh. Absorbing the spiritual energy from one such celestial can increase their cultivation by thousands or even tens of thousands of years. Nowadays, with the severe pollution of the world, spiritual energy is scarce, so absorbing that from a reincarnated celestial is far easier than arduous cultivation in remote mountains. But shortcuts are never easy. The saying ‘easy to climb up, hard to come down’ applies here. Once these spirits linger in a human too long, they find it hard to leave by their own power. Over time, the host’s health and fortune deteriorate severely. When their path nears its end, fate will send someone capable of resolving these troubles to guide them onto the path of cultivation, awaken them, and complete their mission—while also sending the lingering demons back to where they belong.”

Having said this, the Supreme Lord Laozi waved her hand, sending Yang Yue back. Yang Yue felt a jolt as her spirit instantly returned to the mortal realm.

She opened her eyes in confusion. A bright yellow imperial edict descended before her, along with ritual instruments, banners, seals of office, and an official’s robe. The ghost soldiers of Fengdu City stood in orderly formation, bowing respectfully.

“The Queen of the Earth has dispatched Fengdu’s ghost soldiers, and the Third Princess has sent you forth—”

Indeed, Yang Yue’s biological father was the Jade Emperor, and her mother was the Queen of the Earth.

Many have been misled by television dramas to believe that the Jade Emperor’s consort was the Queen Mother of the West, but this is incorrect. The Jade Emperor’s true wife is the Queen of the Earth.

The phrase “Heaven above and Earth below witness” refers to the Jade Emperor and the Queen of the Earth. The Queen of the Earth governs the underworld and is the ruler of the realm of the dead.

In the divine realm, children follow the professions of their parents: the offspring of generals become warriors, the children of officials become administrators.

Since Yang Yue’s mother presides over the underworld, Yang Yue naturally serves there as well. Her official seal is for the underworld office. Even in the mortal world, she can command the underworld’s ghost soldiers and can return to the underworld in spirit at will to handle affairs.

When I asked Yang Yue how she remembered that she and Teacher Xing were married in the divine realm, she said that at first, she didn’t know of their relationship. It was only when Teacher Xing took her to offer incense at the Old Mother of Lishan’s temple. When they both reached for the same long incense stick, their eyes met—and suddenly, memories flashed through Yang Yue’s mind.

She saw herself standing among a group of goddesses, gazing toward the Kunlun Mountain generals returning victorious from battle. The leader of the troops was a man clad in armor, handsome and imposing, like a sharp divine sword that captivated her completely.

He cast a casual glance toward the goddesses. Yang Yue’s heart raced, her hands and feet restless. He seemed not to notice her and walked away, leaving her feeling disappointed.

Later, the Jade Emperor planned a political marriage between his unmarried daughters and the eldest son of the Queen Mother of the West, the Lord of Kunlun Mountain’s sect. Besides Yang Yue, only one sister showed enthusiasm, but the Jade Emperor had always favored Yang Yue. When she was sent to the matchmaker, she was delighted to discover that the Lord of Kunlun Mountain was the very same commanding general she had seen before.

The Kunlun Mountain Lord seemed to recognize her and said in surprise, “Is that you?”

“You remember me?” Yang Yue asked, astonished.

He said nothing but smiled softly, lowering his eyes. Having just returned from a brutal battlefield, exhausted yet maintaining his commanding presence before the other generals, he noticed the woman among the goddesses dressed in white palace robes with a sheer skirt, gazing at him. She was exquisitely beautiful, noble and elegant—like a snow lotus blooming under moonlight—momentarily blooming in his world of blood and storms.

The two were naturally well-matched, and with both the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother of the West desiring a strong alliance through marriage, they were united as husband and wife.

It was only when the Jade Emperor resolved to restart the Investiture of the Gods and decreed that every sixty thousand years the gods must be re-established—totaling 3,650 major deities—that the Kunlun Mountain Lord was chosen as the chief executor of this divine registry. Yang Yue served as the commanding general assisting him, the couple jointly overseeing the Investiture of the Gods.

Thus, their fates and duties were intertwined.