After meeting Yang Yuhuan again, Wu Gang returned to the Taoist temple, spending his days pondering her words.
To verify her claims, he immersed himself in ancient texts, searching for the secret to immortality.
Soon, Wu Gang became obsessed, his days consumed by a feverish, erratic pursuit.
One day, a young Taoist sought Wu Gang to inquire about cultivation. He asked Wu Gang what the purpose of practicing Tao was.
Wu Gang couldn't answer, so he asked the young Taoist, "Do you know Chang'e?"
The young Taoist paused, then nodded, "Of course."
"Do you know she is still alive?"
"Alive? Do you mean there really is a Chang'e in the world, Senior Uncle?"
Wu Gang nodded, "Yes, and I have even met her!"
The young Taoist believed his Senior Uncle had gone mad and returned to tell his fellow disciples.
Soon, the matter spread. Coupled with Wu Gang's daily habit of chopping trees in the courtyard with an axe, muttering, "Demon tree! Demon tree! You are the one who harmed my clansmen!"
Later, Wu Gang disappeared. A scholar visited the Taoist temple, heard the story, and returned to write about Wu Gang's tale, saying his disappearance was due to being punished by an immortal to chop a cassia tree on the moon.
The story was later embellished to connect Wu Gang with Chang'e, with many conflicting accounts circulating.
Meanwhile, Yang Yuhuan, in her search for the Su Hou Pearl, had exhausted all her efforts, but unknown to her, this had triggered a rebellion.
On July 14, 756 AD, An Lushan led the rebel army and launched a major offensive into Chang'an. Li Longji received a secret report and, under the cover of night, fled with his concubines and personal guards.
They eventually reached Mawei Slope. At this point, the accompanying soldiers suddenly revolted, killing the Prime Minister Yang Guozhong. This was not the end; the soldiers, blinded by hatred, demanded Li Longji kill Yang Yuhuan as a sign of his resolve.
Chen Xuanli, the leader of the imperial guards, stated that Yang Yuhuan was the cause of the calamity and must be eliminated to appease the public's anger.
Li Longji, deeply enamored with his favorite concubine, was unwilling to kill her. However, if he didn't, he himself would not survive. To be an emperor and reach such a predicament was indeed frustrating.
As he was caught in a dilemma, Yang Yuhuan found him.
"Your Majesty, the situation has come to this, you should listen to them."
Seeing his beloved concubine utter such words, Li Longji felt even more distressed. The thought that he couldn't even protect a woman made him feel terrible.
Seeing Li Longji hesitate, Yang Yuhuan ordered Gao Lishi to fetch poison and mix it with wine.
Just as she was about to drink the poisoned wine, she said to Li Longji, "Your Majesty, after I die, I hope you will bury this with me."
She held a delicate wooden box, and inside the box lay a pearl.
After saying this, Yang Yuhuan drank the poisoned wine without hesitation.
After the death of Consort Yang from poisoning, Li Longji was grief-stricken. Gao Lishi, to let the soldiers know that the Emperor had bestowed death upon Yang Yuhuan, found a white silk ribbon, hung it from a beam, and had Yang Yuhuan suspended, summoning the surrounding generals to witness.
Seeing that the Emperor had indeed bestowed death upon Yang Yuhuan, the imperial guards and Chen Xuanli knelt before Li Longji again, shouting, "Long live the Sage!"
Thus, Li Longji survived the ordeal. Gao Lishi also ordered his men to hastily bury Yang Yuhuan's remains.
Not long after everyone left Mawei Slope, a ragged Taoist arrived. This was the long-lost Wu Gang.
He had desperately searched for the Su Hou Pearl to lift his family's curse, but to no avail. He then wanted to ask Yang Yuhuan about the situation. Upon learning that Yang Yuhuan had fled with Li Longji to this place, he followed.
Unfortunately, by the time he arrived, all he saw was an unmarked earthen mound.
Learning that Yang Yuhuan was dead, Wu Gang was filled with unwillingness. He stood before the grave for a long time, his emotions unrestrained, and let out a long howl to the heavens.
"Why? Why? Didn't you say you could live forever?! Why?"
On the desolate Mawei Slope, his cries went unanswered. Unreconciled, he dug open the grave with his bare hands.
When he dug open the grave, Yang Yuhuan lay in a simple wooden coffin, her expression unchanged, appearing as if she were not dead at all.
At that moment, Yang Yuhuan slowly opened her eyes...
...
Upon hearing this, I instinctively swallowed, staring at the old man Zhang before me, "Is what you're saying true?"
He gazed at the strange tree not far away, and after a moment, slowly turned his head to look at me, saying nothing.
I took a deep breath and said, "According to you, Wu Gang is your ancestor? Then what happened later? Where did Yang Yuhuan go?"
"Wu Gang witnessed that Yang Yuhuan indeed possessed immortality, but at the same time, the Su Hou Pearl also vanished without a trace," Old Man Zhang said.
"The Su Hou Pearl is gone? Where did it go?"
He shook his head, "I don't know. For many years thereafter, Wu Gang remained by Yang Yuhuan's side, constantly searching for the Su Hou Pearl... and the curse on his clan grew more severe. Many clan members, unable to bear the torment of the curse, committed suicide."
Listening to his account, my mind was a mess. At the same time, a familiar face kept appearing in my mind!
Could the Yang Yuhuan that Old Man Zhang spoke of be An Ying?
I let out a breath, there was indeed such a possibility!
"Did you eventually find a way to break the curse?" I asked.
Old Man Zhang looked at me and said, "It is said that three things are needed to break this curse."
"What three things?" I asked.
"Yang Zhu, Yin Zhu, and a person."
"What person?"
"A person who is immortal."
"You mean Yang Yuhuan?"
He nodded, a wry smile appearing on his face, "It's just that obtaining these three things together is too difficult. For thousands of years, our ancestors have paid too much to break the curse... Now, I no longer hope to break the curse."
"Then why do you use young girls for sacrifices to evil gods?"
"Sacrifice?" He smiled wryly, "Do you really think that was a sacrifice? That was merely self-deception by the clan..."
"What do you mean?"
"Those young girls, even if not offered as sacrifices, would not have survived. Within a few years, their bodies would have rotted, and they would have died in agony. As for the sacrifice, it was just a grand excuse devised to spare them from the torment of the curse."
I took a deep breath and looked at him, "Why are you telling me all this?"
He walked to the strange tree in front and took something from beside it, then handed it to me.
I was somewhat confused. I took it and looked, finding it was a rubbing, identical to the one I had!
"This is..."
"There are three copies of this rubbing. Two have already been delivered into my hands, and the third is the one you brought."
"What do you mean?"
He looked at me and said calmly, "I personally made these rubbings. I gave them to three people..."