ENG
In the Kingdom of Flowing Sands,
His lineage held the throne,
Chu-Bai Spear in hand,
A prince of might well-known.
The Third Prince, renowned in the City of Pin, originally hailed from a distant land before becoming a disciple of Bodhisattva Guoshiwang.
Bodhisattva Guoshiwang was famed for his ability to subdue yaoguais. This was precisely the skill that the Third Prince sought to learn, as his homeland was plagued by rampant yaoguais.
After the journeyers had bested the Yellow Wind Sage, the Third Prince was relieved to learn that the sage had been sent back to Mount Lingshan. This news allowed him to focus on his mountain practice undisturbed. Later, whispers of another grand ceremony in the New West caught his attention. With his master's permission, he set out with his four captains to investigate, suspecting Yellowbrow of foul play. However, they were met with a crushing defeat, as Yellowbrow had once again stolen his master's Vessel.
"Master, we have suffered a resounding defeat. This is not the first encounter we've had with him, and yet, here we stand, vanquished once more."
"Master, a beguiling spell had taken me. I had to wound myself to stay awake."
"Master, be warned: that old guai now possesses an immense gilded form, which turns aside blades and spears with ease. Exercise utmost caution."
"Master, the four captains must have been bewildered by some evil spells. Now, they have bowed before Yellowbrow and become his devotees."
"Master, my first captain debated with Yellowbrow and was deluded. Now he sings beguiling chants in the dungeon to incite our surrender."
"Master, Yellowbrow twisted off my second captain's head. Into pus and blood it turned. Yellowbrow's evil craft then transformed the blood and pus into a lotus flower blooming at the temple gate."
"Master, the third captain threw his weapon at Yellowbrow, and Yellowbrow broke the captain's limbs and reattached them with those of others."
"Master, the fourth captain was struck by Yellowbrow's Spikeshaft Cudgel. His body was pierced, and roots grew out of every hole."
"Master, it was my command that led the four captains to attack Yellowbrow. I was wrong; it's all my fault, all my fault."
The Third Prince, driven mad, having blinded himself and deafened his ears, muttered incessantly in the dungeon. Could his master truly hear his words spoken to the walls? Did he even have a master? Why had his master never come to save him?
This story takes place in the Kingdom of Flowing Sands and centers on the Third Prince, a well-known warrior who carries the Chu-Bai Spear. He originally came from a distant land and later became a disciple of Bodhisattva Guoshiwang. Guoshiwang is famous for being able to subdue yaoguais, and the Third Prince sought him out because his homeland was overrun by those monsters.
At one point, other travelers had defeated the Yellow Wind Sage and sent him back to Mount Lingshan. The Third Prince was relieved by that news because it meant he could continue his mountain training without interference. Later he heard rumors about another grand ceremony in the New West and, with his master’s permission, went there with his four captains to investigate. He suspected that someone named Yellowbrow was up to no good.
When they confronted the situation they suffered a crushing defeat. Yellowbrow had stolen the Bodhisattva’s Vessel, and his power was overwhelming. The Third Prince reported that Yellowbrow had assumed a massive gilded form that repelled weapons and that his captains were confused by powerful spells and ended up bowing to Yellowbrow and becoming his devotees.
The reports of what happened to the four captains are brutal and grotesque. The first captain was argued into delusion and now sings compelling chants in a dungeon to force surrender. The second captain’s head was torn off and turned to pus and blood, which Yellowbrow then reshaped into a lotus blooming at the temple gate. The third had his limbs broken and reattached with those of other beings. The fourth was pierced by Yellowbrow’s Spikeshaft Cudgel and had roots grow out of every wound.
The Third Prince says he ordered the attack and blames himself entirely for the disaster. Driven mad by guilt and horror, he blinded and deafened himself and now mutters in a dungeon. He wonders if his master ever heard him, questions whether he truly has a master, and asks why his master never came to save him. The ending leaves the prince broken and the Bodhisattva’s Vessel in Yellowbrow’s hands, implying Yellowbrow’s dangerous power and the prince’s ruined state.