Shancai: The Golden Headband

Red Boy was the king of Mount Hao, the son of the Bull Demon King, and no one could match the Samadhi True Fire in his palm. That is, until a woman in white pointed out, “Your fire is nothing like the Bull Demon King's.” Guanyin brought the truth: his biological father might be Supreme Lord Laozi, and the Heavenly Court was about to investigate. Everyone he protected, the Princess Iron Fan, the Bull Demon King, the Green Snake, the mountain demon, and the old fox, would be caught. There was only one way out: put on the Golden Headband and become the Good Fortune Boy, trading freedom for safety. He put it on. But the safety was a lie. His brothers were sent to the Heavenly Court's mines, where they hauled ore under the lash until they were little more than skeletons. Only one piece of ore, with the words “Great King” carved into it, was secretly placed before him. The mountain demon had painstakingly scratched the characters into it with his fingernails. The Golden Headband could bind his hands and feet, but it could not change who he was. In their hearts, he would always be the king of Mount Hao. He would wait for a chance, for the day the headband loosened.