Desperados Attack - Chapter 72 - Nu Ba

“That day? Which day was that?”

Duanmu Xun asked, truly unaware of what had happened that day. However, from Mohuoluoja’s tone, she could sense it was no ordinary day.

“That day…”

…

After Chi You left with Zhao Ling, he had already fallen for this woman of unprecedented beauty.

Chi You led his ten tribes of The Divine Land to the peak of Mount Tai to hold his wedding with Zhao Ling. However, he was unaware that Zhao Ling was actually the daughter of Xuanyuan, whose lineage possessed the most formidable skill, known as “spirit control.”

What a profound skill “spirit control” is.

It is said that even the Xuanyuan Emperor once cursed himself to control the will of his descendants. The price for those being controlled was that they would turn into hideous and wicked monsters.

“Oh? What kind of monsters?”

Duanmu Xun asked.

“This creature is called Han Ba¹!”

“What? The Xuanyuan Emperor actually placed such a vicious curse on his own bloodline?”

“That’s right. Han Ba, the one you know today as Han Ba.”

“I’ve long heard that Han Ba is a weapon of war, leaving no life behind wherever it goes.”

“Indeed. Back then, Chi You possessed beastly savagery, but Yan Ju had only the nobility of a prince. Zhao Ling, accustomed to nobility, fell in love with the savage Chi You. They married at the peak of Mount Tai, and on that very day, Yan Ju led a force of one hundred thousand to besiege Mount Tai. However, Chi You’s men were unparalleled warriors, ten times stronger than average. Despite Yan Ju’s prolonged assault, they couldn’t advance. Hence, Yan Ju turned his attention to the Xuanyuan Emperor. Yan Ju was well aware of the drawbacks of ‘spirit control,’ yet he no longer cared, as he sought revenge for the theft of his bride, without a true regard for Zhao Ling.

Since Zhao Ling was the Xuanyuan Emperor’s dearest daughter, he naturally wouldn’t sacrifice her for the sake of war. Yet, having no choice but to negotiate, the Xuanyuan Emperor set up an altar on a high mountain. In that instant, Zhao Ling transformed into Nu Ba.

As Nu Ba, Zhao Ling lost her consciousness, and her long black hair vanished, turning her into a bald woman.

Already resolute in spending his life with Zhao Ling, Chi You was attacked by Nu Ba, suffering a knife wound to the abdomen. This knife later became the Seven-Star Dagger in the hands of Jing Ke.”

Duanmu Xun nodded repeatedly and said, “No wonder Chi You was destined to face the blade!”

Mohuoluoja sighed and continued, “Afterward, Nu Ba was taken away by Yan Ju. By this point, Nu Ba had transformed into a hideous monster, giving Yan Ju no reason to marry her. However, out of respect for the Xuanyuan Emperor, they married, but afterward, Yan Ju took another wife.”

Following these events, Chi You encountered Shao Hao. Together, they unified Jiangbei, and Chi You became the leader of the Jiuli Tribe. Then they met Zha Tian, with whom they first waged war against the Shennong Emperor and then the Xuanyuan Emperor. Ultimately, the formidable force led by Chi You lost only because of himself, since the Battle of Zhuolu was lost due to Nu Ba.”

Duanmu Xun sighed, “They loved each other so much but were still separated in the end!”

Mohuoluoja waved his hand and said, “That’s not the whole story. Han Lan is not Chi You’s only reincarnation. In previous lives, there was another incarnation, named Yinglong!”

And it all begins with the Divine Tree from when heaven and earth were first formed.

Five hundred years after the Battle of Zhuolu, Xuanyuan Emperor and Shennong Emperor began their mission to unify the lands after defeating Chi You. They placed all the spirits captured by Chi You in the east of the heavens.

And then, five hundred years later.

A divine spirit was born from the universe, this being was Yinglong. By then, Nu Ba had become a great deity.

One day, Nu Ba came to the banks of the Miao Shui River.

She saw a leaf floating on the river’s surface, and although she, a being of fire, found it amusing, she couldn’t enter the water to retrieve it.

At that moment, someone helped her-this was Yinglong.

The two engaged in conversation and found themselves increasingly fond of one another.

However, Xuanyuan Emperor, using the Sky-Perceiving Instrument, discovered that Yinglong’s former life was Chi You.

Thus, he imprisoned Yinglong by the Miao Shui River.

Nu Ba, the fire deity who had fallen in love with the water deity Yinglong, could not meet with him and could only visit the river bank daily, using the most beautiful songs from the Heavenly Realm to comfort him. Her melodious voice gave Yinlong, who was initially desolate and hopeless, a renewed sense of hope.

As legend says, fire and water do not mix. Though her beauty was restored, Nu Ba’s appearance again turned grotesque from being too close to Yinglong.

Yet she continued to sing every day, even as she grew more sorrowful.

“Yinglong, can you hear what I am singing?”

However, after falling in love with Nu Ba, Yinglong could only remember her once-beautiful visage, unable to see her in person again.

“So what if I could see her?” Yinglong chuckled softly.

Then, Yinglong encountered a new opportunity-the Holy Battle of the Eight Deities Transforming into Demons. During this battle, Yinglong was released by the Yellow Emperor and cooperated with Nu Ba and other deities.

Together, they banished the Eight Deities of Heaven, who had turned to the Devil Path, with no hope of return.

They helped the Yellow Emperor secure the final victory.

But, as fate would have it, their love was not destined to be.

After the war, Yinglong and Nu Ba, tainted by the impurities of the mortal world, were unable to return to the heavens. In her deep love for Yinglong, Nu Ba used her own spells to absorb all the impurities from Yinglong.

As a result, Nu Ba’s magical powers dissipated. Due to the disappearance of her magic, she became synonymous with “disaster,” spreading drought wherever she went.

Nu Ba transformed from a royal lady to a war goddess, experiencing all life offered, yet never truly tasting the sweetness of love. Upon her departure from this world, she left only the Langya Book.

After Nu Ba disappeared, Yinglong waited wistfully by the shores of the Yellow Spring Sea, weeping tears of blood in deep regret. He fearfully carved image after image of Nu Ba, terrified of forgetting her face.

Nu Ba was no longer as beautiful, but Yinglong would never forget the woman named Nu Ba who saved him in his time of greatest pain.

As five hundred years passed, Yinglong’s wings began to age, and his body turned to ash. In his final moments, he seemed to hear Nu Ba’s songs, and in his joy, he dragged his dying body into the sea, never to look back.

The lone golden bird in the sky became the last memory of that coast.

The sea gradually washed away the dust from the giant rocks, revealing lines of writing-a testament of pain, a symbol of hope, and a mark of despair.

The inscription read twelve characters: “Love the one I love, seek the soul I seek.”

Yet Yinglong was unaware that Nu Ba had long since reincarnated into the bluebird singing by his side each day, watching over him.

In the end, he could only watch as Yinglong endlessly chased his visions of her across the Yellow Spring Sea.

Footnote:

1. Han Ba(旱魃):In Chinese mythology, the Hàn Bá (旱魃) is a legendary creature that symbolizes drought and desolation, leaving the land barren wherever it goes.