The Red Loong#

Smoke rises high, from wood afire. Hit the back, let the beats respire, as in mist, thunders conspire.

After the case of the Old Loong King of Jing River was settled, the loong princes found themselves facing an uncertain future. Following the journey west, rewards were given based on merit, but only the loong princes alone awaited judgment, heightening their anxiety. They sought out Yuan Shoucheng and asked him for a sign of their fortunes. The signs showed "The loong lies hid; not a time for action," which became a thorn in their hearts. Among them, the most concerned were the Four Loongs who governed the four rivers and knew well the might of those above. They took the initiative to resign, hoping to save their lives by retreating. Yet, the letters they submitted to the Celestial Court were all returned. Time flew by, and one day, Yuan Shoucheng sought out the Four Loongs. He relayed that the signs had shifted to "The loong lies hid; it stirs in the deep", indicating a favorable time for action. Upon hearing this, the Four Loongs left their underwater abode and went their separate ways to plan their next moves.

The Red Loong was quite astute. Knowing that Black Bear Guai was greedy for treasures and had the protection of Guanyin, he bartered all his valuable possessions with Black Bear Guai in exchange for an ideal cave nestled in the mountains. Afterward, he went into seclusion in the cave and slept for many years.

One day, he awoke and wanted to soar up the sky and stretch his body again, but he found that he could hardly climb the clouds. He remembered an ancient saying: "When a loong wishes to ascend to the sky, it must first climb the claw-wood." He wielded his thunderbolt tail to carve out a set of claw-wood in the mountains to help him fly, but it was still to no avail. The Red Loong was unwilling to accept defeat and sought help from Black Bear Guai. Although Black Bear Guai was not good at flying, he couldn't resist the chance for profit that presented itself. He sold the Boshan Censer he had brought from Guanyin's place to the Red Loong, claiming that the censer could create clouds and smoke. He cited a passage from ancient texts to persuade the Red Loong: "Aloong cannot traverse without clouds."

The Red Loong believed this to be true. He embedded the censer on his back and burned his Will to forcibly create smoke from it. When one censer was not enough, he added another. Each time the censers emitted smoke, they greatly consumed his Will, yet the help they provided was very limited. Although the Red Loong could use it to fly again, the flight could never compare to that of the old days. He could only reside wearily among the claw-woods.

Alas, to think that the world harbors such vexing realities. A skill once mastered can fade with neglect. Such is the nature of all knowledge: if not applied, it withers away to nothing in the end. How lamentable!