This is a novel based on folk mythology.
It tells the story of people everyone knows by heart,
but records many things most people don’t know...
Pangu split the heavens and shattered chaos; the Three Pure Ones established the laws of Heaven.
The Jade Emperor took the throne and ruled the Three Realms; the world was settled, and gods and mortals were brought together.
In ancient times, when all things had only just been put in order, many positions in the Celestial Court still lay vacant. So, every year on the third day of the third month, the Jade Emperor summoned extraordinary people from every corner of the world. Those selected could have their names entered into the Investiture of the Gods, join the ranks of the immortals, and escape the cycle of birth, aging, sickness, and death.
In that age, when everyone eagerly pursued cultivation, people exhausted every effort and spent everything they had. In the end, some may have achieved what they wished for, while others found it was nothing but a mirage, like trying to scoop the moon from the water. Yet simply being alive is a form of cultivation: each step brings a different view, and every perspective offers its own thoughts and experiences. What we imagined beforehand may feel completely different once we are in the midst of it. That contrast can broaden our understanding of the matter itself, leading us to see it anew, reassess it, and form fresh ideas, until slowly we awaken and transform.
Most people don’t believe in cultivating to become an immortal and ascend to Heaven. They just listen for fun. Even those who take it seriously probably have little more than burning enthusiasm: they can’t fight, and they have no literary talent worth showing off. Even a prodigy may not be able to find the entrance to the Celestial Court. So, everything depends on fate. A leopard on the grasslands might not catch a pig riding the wind. Whoever happens to be riding that wind is probably the one chosen by Heaven.
Zhu Hua is one of those chosen by Heaven whom everyone knows by heart. Let us tell you more of his story...
