"Māmā! Māmā! Can you tell me the story of the White Phoenix before bed? Pretty please! It's my favorite!" exclaimed the little girl.
"Alright, Yī nuò, but first, you need to lay down and get ready to sleep to make that happen, little one," the exhausted mother said.
"Okay, okay!" Yī nuò said excitedly while running to her sleeping pallet near the fire. She tucked herself into the blanket her mom had made for the little girl's birthday that year. White and light blue colors lay in the middle of the garment in the shape of a bird feather. In contrast, the outside is adorned in patches of dark blue, purple, and green hues—a lovely gift to keep her daughter warm during the harsh, cold winter months. The little girl's mother walked towards her daughter at a relatively slow pace to tease her young one and make her learn patience.
"Māmā! Please hurry! I want to hear the story!" Yī nuò excitedly squealed while squirming underneath her covers. Upon hearing this, her mother walked even slower.
"Patience, little one, it will help you later in life to learn it," her mother said calmly but demandingly.
Yī nuò stopped squirming after her mother's words. She lay still and patiently waited for her to approach and sit beside her. Her mother kept with her slow pace until she was next to Yī nuò, then swiftly sat down. Yī nuò's mother Ruqun's qun fanned out before her in a sea of pink as if she were a blooming lotus. The soft silk of the long skirt reached the little girl's nose and started to tickle it a little.
"Māmā! How am I to lie still if your qun tickles my nose?" asked the little girl.
"By learning to relax the mind and body, as well as keeping outside forces away from you that are within your control, little one. Take in your surroundings and learn what could be interfering with what you desire to achieve," said the little girl's mother calmly as she moved her skirt away from her daughter's face.
"Māmā, do you always have to say things in a way that is hard to understand?" asked Yī nuò.
"Of course, little one. Life does not give you answers immediately, let alone make them easy to understand. You must learn how to find the answers that you seek. Now shall I tell you the story of the 'White Phoenix' that you want to hear?" her mother asked placidly.
The little girl nodded vigorously and settled even deeper onto her sleeping pallet. Her mother sat up straight and placed her hands on her folded legs. She looked at her daughter to see if she was settled in comfortably before she took a deep breath and gazed outward towards the gardens. As if she were seeming, the story played out before them there.
"Long ago in our village, there was nothing but chaos, death, and misery. Everyone was corrupt with greed and an insatiable hunger to consume everything around them and take them for themselves no matter the cost. It left our lands barren and dry. Our fields were nothing but graves for everyone who was killed by others or consumed by their corruption—many lost hope of finding peace and harmony in their lives here in the village.
"That is until one day, a stranger dressed in all white appeared out of the forest. Her skin was as pale as the moon, her long hair shimmered as brightly as the stars, and her eyes were the color of the brightest blue sky during the daytime. She was breathtaking. The embodiment of a living deity amongst mortals. All who saw her fell to their knees immediately and bowed in submission and fear towards this pale goddess."
Yī nuò sat straight up, looked her mother into her eyes, and proclaimed, "Māmā! No one is as pretty as you, though! Not even the White Phoenix!"
The little girl then laid back down to where she was before and put her hands over her mouth. It was their way of indirectly saying they would be quiet towards the other person and let them speak. Her mother looked down at her little girl with love and adoration in her eyes. She smiled at her while she leaned down to kiss her daughter on the forehead. Her daughter smiled underneath her hands at her mother's affection, but no one could see the sparkles of joy in her eyes.
Her mother also sat back and cleared her throat to speak, "Thank you, my dear. I appreciate your kind words, my daughter. Shall I continue the story?". The little girl once again nodded her head vigorously.
"Continue, I shall then," she said.
"She started her journey towards the villagers but did not appear to be touching the ground when walking. Instead, she was gliding across it. Many thought she was the apparition of death and had come to claim their souls from this life. Those people fell to their knees in fear, asking her for forgiveness for their past deeds, or some fled from her presence entirely.
"She glided towards one of the people that were on the ground. They were a simple farmer with nothing to offer but their servitude towards this mysterious figure. The closer she got to them, the more their whole body shook out of fear. Then, to everyone's surprise, she kneels beside them and places her hand on their head. At first, she speaks to the farmer in a foreign tongue, seeming to ask them questions.
"The farmer eventually looks up towards the stranger and tells her he can not understand her, for he does not understand the language of the gods. The woman smiles and nods her head in slight understanding. Then, as mysteriously as the woman appeared, a white flame erupts under the hand that lays on top of the farmer. It absorbed his hair and whole head; however, the farmer felt nothing. The farmer's heart quickened in pace, but he did not dare move.
"The woman then inhales all of the fire into her mouth as if she were eating them. Once the woman absorbed the flames, she looked down at the farmer again. Understanding seemed to wash over the stranger's eyes as she could finally hear and understand all that was said around her. Cautiously, she spoke, as if she was a child learning to speak, and asked the farmer what had happened to this place."
Yī nuò raised a hand from her mouth eagerly. Pure excitement shook throughout her body. Her mother indulged her daughter and nodded her head towards her to answer.
"What had happened to the village was due to very evil demons corrupting everyone's Chi! Because they are evil and want to hurt people! They also want to take everyone's Yang energy for themselves! Did I get it right, Māmā?" asked her eager daughter.
"Indeed, you have little one. Would you like to finish the story since you seem to know it so well, my dear?" asked her mother because she was tired.
"No, Māmā, please continue the story. You tell it the best. We are also close to the end and to my favorite part!" said Yī nuò.
"Alright, little one, I shall continue once more. However, there will be no more interruptions from now on. It is getting quite late, and Māmā will need to rest soon", the little girl's mother proclaimed, a little sleepily. The little girl covered her mouth again and nodded earnestly for her mother to continue.
"The pale goddess looked around her once more and saw the vile corruption and dark chi that consumed everyone's hearts. Deep into her heart, she felt that she needed to save these people from the demons. She stood up swiftly next to the farmer and beckoned all around her to come close. Those willing to muster up the courage to stand did so, while others stayed where they were. Soon, a cluster of people stood before her. They were awaiting her following words.
"She gazed before them and spread her arms open wide and said, 'I see that corruption made by demons has ravaged this land! You opened your hearts to their influences and allowed them to lay waste to your lives and consume your harmony! I stand before you as a Flame of Renewal! A chance to unburden yourself and unbind your soul from these demons. But only if you wish to be helped and do not fear the flame.' Her speech stunned and confused them; however, many were ready to try anything to end this evil that had conflicted them all.
"She then asked all of them to form a circle around her and hold hands with one another to create unity amongst themselves. One by one, she put her hands over everyone's heart. A white flame erupted from her fingertips each time. None of the villagers felt anything when the fire was above their hearts. That was until this mysterious stranger shed her human form before them and erupted into a giant ball of fire that rose above the villagers.
"Now, what hovered before them was a glorious white phoenix. Her feathers were pure white as the snow caps from the Heavenly Mountains. Her beak and talons twinkled like diamonds only worn by the Grand Emperor. Her magnificent tail feathers were long and wide, which shaded all the villagers from the sun above—leaving only her to be their only beacon of light.
"Below, she saw them now as only a twinkling constellation from the midnight sky. Her voice boomed before them and proclaimed, 'Let the cleansing begin! Do not fight the flames; they are here to help you overcome these evil energies! It will hurt at first, but you all will be unharmed! Believe in the flame and of one another! Don't let go of each other!' The villagers listened to her words of wisdom and did as she commanded.
"Soon, the phoenix's white flames consumed all the villagers. The villagers screamed in pain as the fire ate away the demons' corruption. Many of the flames changed to different colors depending on the corruption a person had within themselves. For a moment, they all looked like a rainbow of fire. However, they all eventually turned back to white and became a ring of flames. With the healing process complete for the villagers, the phoenix gave them a blessing before the end of the ritual.
"While they were still a circle of flames, the phoenix screeched to the heavens above and commanded the flames to grow bigger and move outwards towards the village. It burned all negative chi in its path and reached far past the village and towards the surrounding forest. The trees soon caught fire but did not burn in the phoenix's flames. They, too, went under a cleansing and burned away all of the negative chi within them and their surroundings. This left the forest pure white, which is why our village was named Xī Bái Sēnlín, The Western White Forest. All who enter the forest will undergo the phoenix's cleansing and emerge as their true selves. At least that is what the village elders say, little one, but that isn't the rest of the story, is it?"
The little girl shook her head no, but not as vigorously as before, for she had grown quite tired. Her mother smiled at her and patted her daughter's head as she spoke that last part of the story.
"Once the phoenix had finished the ritual, she flew above the clouds, let out one last triumphant screech, and disappeared toward the newly cleansed forest. Never to be seen or heard from again. However, many say that her descendants still reside deep in the woods due to the ever-white color of the trees. She left them one final physical reminder of her presence among the villagers- a phoenix feather, one of her flight feathers, to be exact. It was frigid to the touch of the villagers but would burn any others that were not pure to the soul. Sadly, the feather we were given had long disappeared before our time.
"It is said, though, that a phoenix's soul will remain in a feather of their choice when they decide to be reborn once again, so the new hatchling can remember themselves from their previous life. The feather would also be as hot as a furnace to ensure the new hatchling stays warm while it grows. All of these things you knew though, didn't you, little one?" her mother said as she leaned down to kiss her now sleeping daughter.
"Rest well, my little one, and may the White Phoenix guard you from all evil thoughts and dreams," her mother whispered. She then got up quietly and snuffed out all remaining candles.
Then she, too, went to find sweet dreams for herself as well that night.
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