The Celestial Maiden's Vengeance

One summer afternoon, Xuan Nü and the daughters of Demon King Chiyou bathed in a secluded forest pool, their embroidered robes laid upon the jade rocks. A sudden gust—the mischief of wind spirits—tangled their garments.

Princess Jiutian, Chiyou's favored daughter, donned Xuan Nü's phoenix-patterned robe by mistake. Xuan Nü laughed lightly:

"Does the disciple's child now wear the master's colors?"

Jiutian's face darkened like storm clouds:

"Your father grovels at mine for patronage! You—a beggar's daughter—dare mock me?"

Before Xuan Nü could reply, Jiutian struck her across the cheek and shoved her into a dry well, leaving her for dead.

The Emperor's Rescue

Emperor Yan, hunting nearby, heard faint sobs from the well. Peering down, he saw a maiden—her jade hairpins askew, robes torn like lotus petals after rain.

"Who are you, radiant one?" he called.

"Daughter of Xuanyuan Sage," she gasped. "Pull me up, and by the Rites of Zhou, you must wed me!"

Yan hesitated: "You are a sage's child; I, a mere mortal ruler. This violates Li." But he saved her nonetheless, then rode away.

The Sage's Wrath

Xuan Nü refused to return to Chiyou's court. When Xuanyuan Sage found her weeping under a peach tree, she spat:

"Jiutian called you a court jester, me a beggar's whelp! I will not stay where honor is mud!"

Xuanyuan stormed to Chiyou's throne:

"Your daughter tried to murder mine. We depart—and without my arts, your demons will rot on battlefields!"

Chiyou, trembling, prostrated before Xuan Nü: "Name your price!"

Her eyes gleamed: "Jiutian shall be my handmaiden, serving me in my husband's house!"

Jiutian, biting her lip, knelt: "So be it. For my father's sake, I accept."

The Forbidden Union

Xuan Nü later encountered Emperor Yan again. "You held my hand—now hold my heart," she insisted.

Xuanyuan Sage, though displeased, relented: "Let this pratiloma marriage stand, though it bends heaven's laws."

For a time, joy reigned. Jiutian, ever at Xuan Nü's side, combed her hair, poured her wine—until one fateful night.

The Secret Betrayal

Hidden in the moonlit bamboo grove, Jiutian clutched Yan's sleeve:

"Must I forever kneel while she sits? Take me as second wife!"

Yan, intoxicated by her willow-slender waist, agreed. But Xuan Nü discovered them—her rage shook the palace beams.

Xuanyuan Sage cursed Yan: "Wither to old age! Let your face crack like autumn clay!"

Yet seeing his daughter's grief, he softened: "Find one fool enough to trade youth for your decay, and the curse lifts."