Yunmeng Jinghuo

Three hundred years after Emperor Zhuanxu severed the connection between Heaven and Earth, humans and gods went their separate ways, and the Heavenly Dao fell out of balance. When the Vermilion Bird’s Zhang Mansion fell into the depths of the Xiang River, fragments of a red star, bearing an omen of a change in Heaven’s Mandate, descended into the mortal world. At that time, Wu Hui, great-grandson of Lao Tong, was born. Lava boiled in his right pupil, eternal night froze in his left, and the golden crow markings on his palm foretold the destined transfer of the Fire Virtue.

This mythic epic reconstructs the hidden clues in "Records of the Grand Historian: House of Chu". Taking as its key the Tsinghua bamboo-slip account of Chu, "The Abode of Chu", which speaks of “eyes containing yin and yang,” it unveils the most wondrous and uncanny legacy of the Fire Lords in Chu culture. We follow Wu Hui across a land scorched for a thousand miles, witness the divine punishment that comes when the executioner’s cauldrons suppress evil spirits, and ultimately grasp the truth of “fire’s three aspects” at the altar on Mount Heng: the flame that burns away sin, the light that saves the world, and the soul that never dies.

In ages past, Zhuanxu established the order of Heaven and Earth, and Lao Tong carried on the sacred bloodline. It was only with Wu Hui that the Heavenly Mandate and human nature were finally brought together. When ten suns rose at once and scorched all living things, the youth with mismatched eyes transformed his pupils into celestial lights: his right eye became a star, forever watching over sin, while his left sank into the abyss, silently proclaiming mercy. From then on, a saying was passed down in Chu: “The Fire Lord’s two eyes: one is named Punishment of Heaven, the other Pity for Humanity.”

Written in a classical style and infused with modern imagination, this epic forges a tale of starlight passed down through the ages. May readers, in the instant a campfire crackles, hear an echo of a choice made three thousand years ago: even in the darkest hour, someone will always burn themselves to light the long night.