bioinnovel Chapter 339 Chinese Mythology!
Chapter 339 Chinese Mythology!
Su Fan looked at the comments and mentally calculated the popularity score.
One hundred million, two hundred million, three hundred million.
It has risen to 300 million, but it is still far from 10 billion.
He continued speaking.
"After Nuwa, the next god was Fuxi. Fuxi was Nuwa's brother and husband. In ancient times, a great flood submerged the world, leaving only Fuxi and Nuwa as siblings. They married in order to propagate the human race. Fuxi invented the Eight Trigrams and taught the human race how to fish, hunt, and domesticate livestock."
The screen was flooded with comments.
"Emperor Fuxi!"
"The inventor of the Eight Trigrams!"
"The first king of humanity!"
Su Fan said, "Fuxi was not only the king of the human race, but also a god. He had the body of a dragon and the head of a human, just like Nuwa. He and Nuwa had four sons, who governed the four seasons: Jumang, the god of spring; Zhurong, the god of summer; Rushou, the god of autumn; and Xuanming, the god of winter."
The live chat exploded again.
"Gumang! Zhurong! Rushou! Xuanming!"
"Four Gods!"
"So Xuanming is the God of Winter?"
Su Fan glanced at the comments and continued speaking.
"After Fuxi, the next god was Shennong. Shennong was not Fuxi's son; he was a leader of the human race. He taught the human race to cultivate the land, invented farming tools, and tasted all kinds of herbs."
"He was poisoned seventy times in one day, and then he was cured seventy times in one day. Finally, he tasted a poisonous herb called 'heartbreak grass,' his intestines ruptured, and he died."
The chat fell silent.
It took quite a while before someone finally posted a message.
"Shennong".
"He tasted hundreds of herbs, and was poisoned seventy times a day."
"In the end, he died on a poisonous plant."
Su Fan said, "Shennong is dead, but his spirit lives on. He taught humankind how to cultivate the land, and thus humankind had food. He tasted hundreds of herbs, and thus humankind had medicine. He is humankind's god of medicine, and also humankind's god of agriculture."
The screen was flooded with comments.
"Shennong, the eternal god."
"The God of Medicine, the God of Agriculture."
"Thank you, Shennong."
Su Fan opened the system panel and glanced at the popularity score.
Five hundred million, six hundred million, seven hundred million.
It has risen to 700 million, but it is still 9.3 billion short of 10 billion.
He continued speaking.
"After Shennong, the next god was Huangdi. Huangdi was the leader of the human race, defeated Chiyou, and unified China. He invented the cart, boat, clothing, houses, writing, music, arithmetic, and calendar."
"His wife Leizu invented sericulture, his minister Cangjie invented writing, his minister Da Nao invented the sexagenary cycle, and his minister Ling Lun invented music."
The live chat is buzzing again.
"The Yellow Emperor!"
"The progenitor of the Chinese nation!"
"They invented vehicles, boats, clothes, houses, writing, music, arithmetic, and calendars!"
"Leizu raised silkworms, Cangjie created characters, Da Nao invented the sexagenary cycle, and Ling Lun invented music."
Su Fan said, "The Yellow Emperor was not only the leader of the human race, but also a god. He lived to be over a hundred years old and finally ascended to heaven on a dragon. More than seventy people ascended to heaven with him, including his wife, ministers, and concubines. The dragon was Yinglong, which the Yellow Emperor raised. It could fly, fight, and bring rain."
The live chat exploded.
"Riding the dragon to ascend to heaven!"
"More than seventy people ascended to heaven together!"
"Yinglong!"
Su Fan continued, "After the Yellow Emperor ascended to heaven, he became the Heavenly Emperor. He lived in the heavens and ruled over all the gods under heaven. He was the first and last Heavenly Emperor of China. All the Heavenly Emperors after him were his descendants."
The screen was flooded with comments.
"The Yellow Emperor, the Heavenly Emperor".
"The first Heavenly Emperor of China."
"And the last one."
Su Fan opened the system panel and glanced at the popularity score.
One billion, one billion, one billion.
It has risen to 1.2 billion, but it is still 8.8 billion short of 10 billion.
He continued speaking.
"After the Yellow Emperor, the next god was Zhuanxu. Zhuanxu was the Yellow Emperor's grandson and also the leader of the human race. His greatest contribution was severing the connection between heaven and earth. In ancient times, heaven and earth were connected, and humans and gods could freely travel between them."
"Zhuanxu felt this was not right, so he sent Chong and Li to separate heaven and earth. Chong lifted up heaven, and Li pressed down earth, and heaven and earth were separated. From then on, people could not go up to heaven at will, and gods could not go down to earth at will."
The screen was flooded with comments.
"Sever the connection between heaven and earth!"
"Entrusted to Heaven, resting on Earth!"
"So now humans can't go to heaven, and gods can't go to earth?"
Su Fan said, "That's right. After Zhuanxu severed the connection between heaven and earth, humans and gods separated. Humans managed human affairs, and gods managed divine affairs. Humans no longer depended on gods, and gods no longer interfered with humans. This was a turning point in Chinese mythology."
"From then on, the gods of China were no longer high and mighty rulers, but friends who lived as equals with people."
The live chat exploded again.
"Emperor Zhuanxu!"
"Sever the connection between heaven and earth!"
"Man and God have separated."
"God is no longer the ruler, but a friend."
Su Fan opened the system panel and glanced at the popularity score.
1.5 billion, 1.6 billion, 1.7 billion.
It has risen to 1.7 billion, but it is still 8.3 billion short of 10 billion.
He continued speaking.
"After Zhuanxu, the next god was Emperor Ku. Emperor Ku was the great-grandson of the Yellow Emperor and the leader of the human race. His greatest contribution was the invention of the twenty-four solar terms."
"He instructed Xi Shi and He Shi to observe the sun, moon, and stars, and to calculate the spring equinox, autumn equinox, summer solstice, and winter solstice. Later, they calculated the beginning of spring, the beginning of summer, the beginning of autumn, and the beginning of winter, and finally the twenty-four solar terms."
The screen was flooded with comments.
"Emperor Ku!"
"The inventor of the Twenty-Four Solar Terms!"
"Xi and He observed the sun, moon, and stars."
Su Fan said, "The Twenty-Four Solar Terms are the crystallization of the wisdom of the Chinese people. It is not only a calendar, but also a guide to farming. The Twenty-Four Solar Terms tell you when to sow, when to harvest, when it will rain, and when it will snow. Without the Twenty-Four Solar Terms, the Chinese people would not be able to farm and would not have survived to this day."
The live chat exploded again.
"The Twenty-Four Solar Terms!"
"The wisdom of the Chinese nation!"
"A Guide to Farming!"
Su Fan opened the system panel and glanced at the popularity score.
Two billion, two billion, two billion.
It has risen to 2.2 billion, but it is still 7.8 billion short of 10 billion.
He continued speaking.
"After Emperor Ku, the next god was Yao. Yao was Emperor Ku's son and also the leader of the human race. His greatest contribution was abdication. He did not pass the leadership to his son, but to a commoner named Shun."
He said, "My son is no good, but Shun is." So he married his two daughters to Shun, asking him to help him govern the world.
The screen was flooded with comments.
"Emperor Yao!"
"demise!"
"Pass the torch to a worthy successor, not to one's son!"
"Both of his daughters married Shun."
Su Fan said, "Yao not only abdicated the throne, but he also invented Go. He used Go to teach Shun how to govern the world. The black and white stones in Go are like the good and bad people in the world."
Good people and bad people are intertwined and mutually restraining; neither can exist without the other. Governing the world means ensuring that good people and bad people each find their proper place and live in their proper positions.
The live chat exploded again.
"Emperor Yao invented Go!"
"Go is the way to govern a country!"
"Good people and bad people should each find their place and be content with their position."
Su Fan opened the system panel and glanced at the popularity score.
Two and a half billion, two and a half billion, two and a half billion.
It has risen to 2.7 billion, but it is still 7.3 billion short of 10 billion.
He continued speaking.
"After Yao, the next god was Shun. Shun was of commoner birth; his father was blind, his mother died early, and his stepmother and younger brother wanted to kill him. They made Shun build a granary, and then set fire to the granary below. Shun used his bamboo hat as wings to jump down and survived."
"They made Shun dig a well, then filled it with earth. Shun climbed out through a passage beside it and survived. Shun did not retaliate against them and treated them very well. When Yao heard about this, he passed the leadership to Shun."
The screen was flooded with comments.
"Emperor Shun!"
"Filial piety moves Heaven!"
"His father was blind, his mother was dead, and his stepmother and younger brother wanted to kill him."
"Using a straw hat as wings, I jumped down."
"Dig a well and climb out of the passage."
"There was no revenge; we were even kind to them."
Su Fan said, "After Shun became the leader, he appointed Yu to control the floods. Yu was the son of Gun, who failed in his efforts to control the floods and was killed by Shun."
"Shun did not abandon Yu because of Gun's failure; he believed Yu could succeed. Yu spent thirteen years, passing his home three times without entering, and successfully controlled the floods. Shun then passed the leadership to Yu."
The live chat exploded again.
"Emperor Shun!"
"Employing people based on merit!"
"Yu the Great tamed the floods!"
He passed by his home three times without entering.
Su Fan opened the system panel and glanced at the popularity score.
Three billion, three billion, three billion.
It has risen to 3.2 billion, but it is still 6.8 billion short of 10 billion.
He continued speaking.
"After Shun, the next god was Yu. Yu was the leader of the human race and the founding monarch of the Xia Dynasty. His greatest contribution was flood control. His father, Gun, tried to control the floods by blocking them. He tried to block them for nine years, but the water rose higher and higher until the dikes finally broke, drowning countless people."
"Yu controlled the floods by dredging, clearing the waterways so that the water could flow into the sea. For thirteen years, he passed by his home three times without entering, and the floods were finally controlled."
The screen was flooded with comments.
"Yu the Great!"
"Control the floods!"
"Guide, don't block!"
He passed by his home three times without entering!
Su Fan said, "When Yu was controlling the floods, he encountered many monsters. One of them was a monster named Gonggong, who had a human face and a snake's body and stirred up storms. Yu defeated Gonggong and imprisoned him under Mount Yu. Another monster was a monster named Xiangliu, who was a nine-headed serpent and ate countless people."
"Yu killed Xiangliu, and blood flowed for three days and three nights, staining the land black and barren. Yu dug a large pool on that land, drained the blood into it, and then planted many trees. The trees survived, and the land became fertile."
The live chat exploded again.
"Gonggong! With a human face and a snake's body! Imprison him beneath Mount Yu!"
"Xiangliu! The Hydra! Blood stains the land!"
"Yu dug ponds and planted trees, which improved the land."
Su Fan opened the system panel and glanced at the popularity score.
Three and a half billion, three and a half billion, three and a half billion.
It has risen to 3.7 billion, but it is still 6.3 billion short of 10 billion.
He continued speaking.
"After Yu, the Chinese civilization entered the era of dynasties. During the Shang Dynasty, people believed in ghosts and gods and consulted oracles for everything. During the Zhou Dynasty, people believed in the Mandate of Heaven, believing that Heaven had a will and would reward good and punish evil."
During the Qin Dynasty, people believed in magic and thought that people could live forever.
"During the Han Dynasty, people believed in Taoism, which they considered to be the origin of all things."
During the Three Kingdoms period, people believed in heroes and thought that heroes could change the world.
During the Jin Dynasty, people believed in Buddhism, thinking that Buddha could save people. During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, people believed in Bodhisattvas, thinking that Bodhisattvas could save people.
"During the Sui and Tang dynasties, people believed in immortals and thought that immortals could live forever."
"During the Song and Yuan dynasties, people believed in 'true men' and thought that they could attain the Dao."
"During the Ming and Qing dynasties, people believed in gods from novels, such as Sun Wukong, Nezha, Yang Jian, and Jiang Ziya."
The screen was flooded with comments.
"The Shang Dynasty believed in ghosts and gods, and practiced divination."
"The Zhou Dynasty believed in the Mandate of Heaven and rewarded the good and punished the evil."
"The Qin Dynasty believed in magic and immortality."
"The Han Dynasty believed in Taoism, which is the origin of all things."
"Heroes of the Three Kingdoms".
"The Jin Dynasty believed in Buddhism."
"The Bodhisattva of the Northern and Southern Dynasties"
"The Sui and Tang dynasties believed in immortals."
"Song Yuanxin, the True Man".
"Gods in Ming and Qing Dynasty Novels".
"Sun Wukong! Nezha! Yang Jian! Jiang Ziya!"
Su Fan opened the system panel and glanced at the popularity score.
Four billion, four billion one billion, four billion two billion.
It has risen to 4.2 billion, but it is still 5.8 billion short of 10 billion.
He continued speaking.
"The gods of China are different from those of other mythologies. The gods of Greece are magnified versions of humans. They have human flaws: greed, lust, jealousy, and anger. They fight and harm others for their own selfish desires."
"The gods of the Cherry Blossom Country are a twisted version of humans. They have human desires, but they are more extreme than humans. They kill for their desires, and they eat people for their desires."
"The gods of Egypt are symbolic representations of humans. They have human forms, but no human emotions. They sit there, motionless, like statues."
"The Norse gods are a tragic version of humanity. They knew the world would end, but they still fought. They couldn't defeat fate, but they refused to accept it."
"The gods in Indian mythology are exaggerated versions of humans. They have human features, but are ten thousand times more exaggerated than humans. Some gods have four heads, some have eight arms, and some have three eyes."
The screen was flooded with comments.
"The Greek gods are enlarged versions of humans, and they have flaws."
"The gods of the Cherry Blossom Country are distorted versions of humans, possessing desires."
"The Egyptian gods are symbolic representations of humans, devoid of emotion."
"The gods of the Norse are a tragic version of humanity, who refuse to accept their fate."
"The gods in Indian mythology are exaggerated versions of humans, with four heads, eight arms, and three eyes."
Su Fan said, "The gods of China are different. The gods of China are the ideal version of human beings. They have no human flaws, no human desires, and no human tragedies. They do not fight, do not harm people, and do not eat people. They sit in the heavens and watch over the human world."
"When there is disaster on earth, they come down to save people. When there is war on earth, they come down to quell the chaos. When there is plague on earth, they come down to cure the sick. They ask for nothing in return, leave no name, and do not care about gains or losses. They are the guardians of humanity and also the teachers of humanity."
"They taught the people how to farm, fish, hunt, raise livestock, build houses, make clothes, write, do math, heal the sick, and fight. When they had done all this, they left."
"Some returned to heaven, some went into the mountains, and some sank to the bottom of the sea. They do not interfere with the lives of humans, do not rule human countries, and do not demand offerings from humans. They are gods, and they are friends."
The chat fell silent.
It took quite a while before someone finally posted a message.
"Boss, I cried."
There's another one.
"Me too."
There's another one.
"The gods of China are the ideal version of human beings."
There's another one.
"Seeking no reward, remaining anonymous, and disregarding personal gain or loss."
There's another one.
"They are gods, and they are friends."
Su Fan opened the system panel and glanced at the popularity score.
Fifty billion, fifty-one billion, fifty-two billion.
It has risen to 5.2 billion, but it is still 4.8 billion short of 10 billion.
He continued speaking.
"The gods of the Chinese nation are not just Pangu, Nuwa, Fuxi, Shennong, Huangdi, Zhuanxu, Diku, Yao, Shun, and Yu. There are many others as well."
"For example, Hou Yi shot down nine suns and saved the day from drought. Kua Fu chased the sun and died of thirst; his staff turned into a peach orchard."
"For example, Jingwei, she was the daughter of Emperor Yan, drowned in the sea, turned into a bird, and carried stones to fill the sea."
"For example, Xing Tian, after being beheaded by the Yellow Emperor, used his nipples as eyes and his navel as a mouth, and continued to fight with an axe and shield."
"For example, Gonggong broke Buzhou Mountain, the sky collapsed, and he died. For example, Zhurong, the god of fire, defeated Gonggong and burned countless monsters to death."
"For example, Ru Shou, he is the god of metal, in charge of punishments, and he kills without blinking an eye."
"For example, Jumang, he is the god of spring, riding a dragon and holding a compass, teaching humans how to farm."
"For example, Xuanming is the god of winter. He rides a black boar, holds a whip, and drives winter to come."
The screen was flooded with comments.
"Hou Yi Shoots Down the Suns!"
"Kuafu chasing the sun!"
"Jingwei filling the sea!"
"Xingtian wields his axe and shield!"
"Gonggong struck the mountain!"
"Zhurong, the God of Fire!"
"God of Harvest!"
"Gumang, the God of Spring!"
"The Winter God of the Dark Underworld!"
Su Fan opened the system panel and glanced at the popularity score.
Six billion, six billion, six billion.
It has risen to 6.2 billion, but it is still 3.8 billion short of 10 billion.
He continued speaking.
"The gods of China are not limited to these. There is also Lao Tzu, the founder of Taoism, who rode a blue ox out of Hangu Pass and wrote the Tao Te Ching."
"And then there's Zhuangzi, who was the successor of Taoism. He wrote 'Free and Easy Wandering' and dreamed of being a butterfly."
"There's also Liezi, who was a propagator of Taoism. He rode the wind and flew for half a month."
"And then there's Guiguzi, the founder of the School of Diplomacy, who taught Su Qin, Zhang Yi, Sun Bin, and Pang Juan. And then there's Sun Wu, the founder of the School of Military Strategists, who wrote The Art of War."
"And then there's Wu Qi, who was the successor of the military strategist and wrote Wu Zi's Art of War."
"And then there's Han Xin, a practitioner of military strategy, who famously used the tactic of 'openly repairing the plank road while secretly crossing the Chencang pass.'"
"And then there's Zhang Liang, the representative of strategists, who planned and executed strategies to win battles from afar."
"And then there's Zhuge Liang, who was the pinnacle of strategists, dividing the world into three kingdoms and launching six expeditions to Qishan."
The live chat exploded again.
"Lao Tzu rode a green ox out of Hangu Pass and wrote the Tao Te Ching."
"Zhuangzi's carefree wandering, dreaming of a butterfly."
"Liezi rode the wind and traveled."
"Guiguzi, the founder of the School of Diplomacy."
"Sun Tzu, The Art of War."
"Wu Qi, Wu Zi Bing Fa" (The Art of War by Wu Qi).
"Han Xin, openly repairing the plank road while secretly crossing the Chencang pass."
"Zhang Liang, a strategist, could win battles from afar."
"Zhuge Liang divided the world into three kingdoms and launched six expeditions to Qishan."
Su Fan opened the system panel and glanced at the popularity score.
Seven billion, seven billion, seven billion.
It has risen to 7.2 billion, but it is still 2.8 billion short of 10 billion.
He continued speaking.
"The gods of China are not limited to these. There is also Guan Yu, who is the Martial Saint and is revered as Emperor Guan. And Yue Fei, who is the Martial Mu and is revered as King Yue."
"There's also Wen Tianxiang, a civil official, who was honored as Wenxin Gong. And Bao Zheng, an upright official, who was honored as Bao Gong."
"There's also Hai Rui, a loyal minister who was honored as Duke Hai. There's Zheng He, a navigator who made seven voyages to the Western Ocean. And there's Xu Xiake, a traveler who traversed most of China."
"There's also Li Shizhen, a physician who wrote the Compendium of Materia Medica. There's also Song Yingxing, a scientist who wrote The Exploitation of the Works of Nature. And there's Xu Guangqi, an agronomist who wrote The Complete Treatise on Agriculture."
The screen was flooded with comments.
"Guan Yu, the God of War, Emperor Guan."
"Yue Fei, Wu Mu, Yue Wang."
"Wen Tianxiang, also known as Wen Xin Gong."
"Bao Zheng, Lord Bao."
"Hai Rui, Lord Hai."
Zheng He made seven voyages to the Western Ocean.
"Xu Xiake, a traveler."
"Li Shizhen, Compendium of Materia Medica".
"Song Yingxing, Tiangong Kaiwu" (The Exploitation of the Works of Nature).
"Xu Guangqi, Complete Treatise on Agricultural Administration"
Su Fan opened the system panel and glanced at the popularity score.
Eight billion, eighty-one billion, eighty-two billion.
It has risen to 8.2 billion, but it is still 1.8 billion short of 10 billion.