In the first year of antiquity, the gods created humankind. The world fell into turmoil, and strange beasts wreaked havoc among mortals. The White Tiger, Azure Dragon, Black Tortoise, and Vermilion Bird joined forces to pacify the four corners of the world. For their divine service, they were charged with guarding heaven and earth and protecting all living things.
As the years passed, the ancient legends gradually faded from memory, but the strange creatures hidden in mountains, rivers, lakes, seas, market towns, and country villages never vanished. Some were embodiments of disaster, some were the embodiment of obsession, and others were auspicious beings misunderstood by humankind. Their traces lingered in the mortal world, never quite near and never quite gone.
The Record of Lost Legends from the Mountains and Seas is a remarkable book documenting these forgotten tales. It records not only the strange beasts left out of the Classic of Mountains and Seas, but also folk secrets and tales of the supernatural scattered throughout the river of time. From whispers in ancient mountain temples at midnight to mirages on the shores of the Eastern Sea, from the dreams of lost cities in the desert to strange encounters in the corners of bustling cities, every story is a search for the unknown, and every meeting bears witness to good and evil, cause and effect, and redemption.
This is not merely a collection of tales about gods and spirits, but a sweeping portrait of humans and the natural and supernatural worlds living side by side. Open its pages, and you will enter a world of wondrous sights, witness truths buried beneath the dust of history, and hear tales of joy and sorrow spanning a thousand years.
