ENG
In mountains high, a deity grand,
Envy not his bliss that flows like sand.
Within his grasp, a skeleton light,
A romance lost to distant lands.
One day, a tattered-clothed girl stumbled into the valley of Yellow Wind Ridge. Covered in wounds, she sought refuge in a cave belonging to a rock guai after noticing some living goods inside.
When the Father of Stones discovered her presence, his initial intention was to expel her. However, upon witnessing her pitiable condition, he relented and granted her permission to rest for a while. To his surprise, the girl ingeniously utilized the wild fruits and game found in the cave to prepare a delectable meal. The tantalizing aroma tempted the Father of Stones, leading him to reconsider his decision and allow her to stay and continue cooking. From that point forward, the stone deity would regularly procure ingredients, while the girl skillfully transformed them into delicious dishes. Thus, the guai and the girl coexisted harmoniously for a span of two years.
During a routine day of washing clothes by the river, the girl unexpectedly encountered a woodcutter from her village. Overwhelmed with emotions upon seeing a familiar face, she couldn't contain her tears upon returning to the cave. Through her sobs, she revealed the harrowing truth that she had fled from her abusive parents, who planned to force her into a marriage with a foolish suitor in exchange for a dowry. The girl now lived in constant fear of being captured and forcibly taken back to her oppressive home.
As expected, the following day at noon, a group of villagers arrived at the valley. The girl's parents, afraid of the yaoguai, desperately pleaded at the entrance of the cave. Despite their pleas, the determined girl refused to comply with their demands. Frustrated and enraged, her parents resorted to cursing her. However, their vitriol subsided momentarily when the Father of Stones emerged from the cave and bellowed a commanding shout, causing the villagers to retreat in fear. Yet, as soon as the stone deity returned inside, the villagers resumed their insults, persistently tormenting the girl.
The Father of Stones decided to guard the entrance, but the girl's parents threatened to bring a Daoist to subdue the stone guais if their daughter was not returned.
Fearing that her presence would bring further trouble to the stone guais, the girl made the difficult decision to quietly leave the cave during the night. Tragically, she fell off a cliff and lost her life. The following day, the stone guais discovered her lifeless body, already cold and devoid of any signs of life.
Upon hearing about Lady Rakshasi of Flaming Mountains and her reputed power and compassionate nature, the stone deity made a difficult journey, carrying the girl's lifeless body to seek her help.
However, Lady Rakshasi, with her deep understanding of life and death, examined the girl's body and came to a somber conclusion. She expressed that attempting to revive her would be futile. Even if she were forcibly brought back to life, she would be nothing more than a soulless shell, devoid of the essence that made her who she was.
Unwilling to give up, the stone deity waited on the mountain path of Flaming Mountains every day with the girl's body, hoping to gain Rakshasi's sympathy. Even as the girl's flesh turned to bones, he did not abandon his hope.
A rock spirit called the Father of Stones lives in a cave on Yellow Wind Ridge. One day a wounded, tattered-clothed girl stumbles into his cave looking for shelter. At first he intends to force her out, but when he sees how badly hurt and poor she is he lets her stay. The girl uses the wild fruit and game the guai finds to cook good meals, and over two years the spirit brings ingredients while she cooks; they live together peacefully.
While washing clothes by the river, the girl runs into a woodcutter from her village. Seeing someone she knows makes her break down and she tells the truth: she ran away from abusive parents who wanted to force her into a marriage to get a dowry. She is afraid they will find and take her back.
The next day the villagers, led by her parents, come to the valley and demand she return. She refuses. Her parents curse and shame her, and the villagers press the issue. The Father of Stones comes out of the cave and bellows, which scares the crowd off, but when he goes back inside they resume their insults. The parents even threaten to bring a Daoist to control the stone guais if the girl is not handed over.
Worrying that her presence will bring more danger to the stone spirits, the girl sneaks away at night to protect them. She accidentally falls off a cliff and dies. The stone guais find her the next day, already cold and lifeless. The Father of Stones carries her body to Flaming Mountains to seek help from Lady Rakshasi, who is known for power over life and death and for being compassionate.
Lady Rakshasi examines the girl and tells the Father of Stones that trying to bring her back would be pointless: even if her body could be forced to live it would be a soulless shell. The Father of Stones refuses to give up; he waits every day on the mountain path with the girl's body, and even as her flesh decays to bone he keeps hoping for her return. The story ends with his devotion and grief unresolved and the hard limit that true restoration of who she was cannot be done by force.