I am the ninth son of the ninth son of the Great High Dragon-King of the Eastern Sea, Ao Guang, whom all of his descendants call Grandfather. During a great flood, during the early Xia Dynasty – which also was my eleventy-first birthday – my Grandfather provided a home for me. The home was at first humble, small, and in the midst of a great misty bamboo forest, yet it was also a pristine clear brook with access to hot vents from deep within the earth creating springs up and down my brook. I had not yet gained enough fortune or glory of my own; nor had I made a name for myself, where my Grandfather did not yet see fit to find a bride for me or servants of fish, turtles, snakes, and the like. No, but I was content at being alone in my palace within the brook of the bamboo forest.
My brook had grown from a creek to a tributary then into a wide and deep stream over the next thousand years, yet remained heated and clear. The bamboo forest grew tall and thick. Each bamboo tree was as thick round as a human. The mist from both my stream and from the mountains slowly inched through and lingered, hanging on each of the tallest bamboo braches. From tiny heated tributaries, flowing and spilling from tiny waterfalls of the foothills of the mountains, came the principle warmth that, not only contributed to my stream and making it as a long wondrous spring, but also created the mystical beauty that surrounded the ever-so green and misty area. The beauty of my stream became a legend and a wonder to mortals. So much so, they built a small village nearby as well as shrines honoring me surrounding the stream and the edges of the forest. It was then I finally started to build enough fortune and glory of my own; but it was too little too late. For my stream, my home, became too wondrous that the villagers became too many and too greedy.
They stole my stream! They dammed it up; for their own selfish needs! They placed their dam, up current, leaving my palace dry, barren, and destroyed. I was now homeless and forgotten. I first sought shelter in the nearby bamboo forest, scaring away any villager, woodsmen, or anyone wanting wood from the forest. Nevertheless, my deeds were in vain, there were too many, and they felt that their need of wood was too great. Therefore, I sought shelter in a cave in a nearby mountain range, yet it was home already to demons.
I fought them and ran them out. “This cave is now mine!” I yelled at them. The demon tribe, the Blue Jade Monkey Demon Tribe, stole treasures from nearby villages for many generations; treasures of gold, silver, jewels, plates, goblets, swords, armor, shields, vases, tables, and more they acquired. I now inherited the treasure and the cave – which was properly named “Blue Jade Cave,” for most of the interior was made from a greenish-blue jade.
For over half a century, I slowly gathered fortune this way, by conquering over the demons that hid in the mountains of Taihang. Some demons had more gold and silver, others had magical treasures like a Gourde of Plenty that provided anything that the bearer wanted, or the Silver Tooth Spear that could cut through mountains, or a more useful tool against the demons themselves, was the Gourde of Void, that sucked in any – and all – that the bearer wanted to be trapped. I also won over missing both human and spirit daughters – kidnapped from the demons as slaves – at the same time of conquering golden treasures from the demons. After rescuing them they asked either to be returned to their homes, or to remain with me as servants or wives. My ventures and conquests became famous, part by the stories of the ventures themselves and part by the peace I created, for the mortals around the mountains. Many of the villages named me the great Dragon King Ao Tai, and built shrines and performed theatrical performances honoring my deeds as well a way to keep my efforts in protecting them.
After a century – of finding the Blue Jade Cave – the local (and lesser) gods of the mountains, forests, streams, hills, houses, wells, and trees celebrated loudly – within my new throne room in the Blue Jade Cave – over my absolute victory over ridding the mountains and valleys of fiends and demons and taming the man-eating beasts. During the heights of the festivities, a figure stood in the entryway casting a red glowing shadow causing all my guests to change their glances over to the entry. I called out “Who goes there? Are you here to pay tribute? Are you here for retribution against your fallen demon-brethren? Who are you and why have you come?” For a long moment the cave was quite waiting for a reply, my guests were getting nervous, but before I demanded an answer, an answer was made in reply.
“You should know me young one, I gave you a fine home, yet you squander your inheritance in this cave, like an outcast petty dragon-fiend!” the voice boomed through the cave, making my guests shake and sending them to their knees kowtowing. I too was shaken, but because it was a voice I recognized, for it was my Grandfather, the Great High Dragon King of the Eastern Sea.
I quickly got down, kowtowing while crying out “Grandfather! Grandfather! Forgive me! Forgive me! My home was destroyed! I became homeless!”
“Homeless!? You had a home within my palace under the Eastern Sea. Why did you not return if your palace, I gave you in the bamboo forest, was destroyed?” asked the Great Ao Guang.
“I was ashamed Grandfather. The mortals dammed the stream. Then, when I went to save the bamboo forest, they chopped it up. So I sought refuge in a nearby cave within the mountains. There I fought a demon monkey tribe that stole treasures from the humans for generations. After my success, I decided to protect the mountains and remove the infestation of the demons and fiends that lived throughout the mountain range. Both mortals and immortals around and within the mountains began to respect me and honor me. The mortals, in their villages built shires and called me Ao Tai. I gained treasures from the spoils, rescued daughters that are now either free or my servants and my wives. I have…”
“Enough! I have watched you from afar! I know what you have done. And out of all my children…” my Grandfather started as he approached me. “Out of all my children, none have gained their own prestige through good deeds without help from me. I am proud that you are a child from my line.” I looked directly up at my Grandfather’s face, whom now was standing in front and towering over me. His face was brilliant with a smile that stretched from ear to ear; his moth-eyebrows raised, and his eyes gentle and affectionate. He grabbed me by the shoulders lifting me up, for our eyes to meet, and then embraced me.
Grandfather offered me a proper palace, near his, in the Eastern Sea. He offered a proper dragon bride and sea servants with dragon treasures including dragon-pearls.
I kowtowed my Grandfather then said, “Grandfather, I am deeply honored. But, may I ask what will happen to my current servants and current wives? What will happen to the mortals within and around the mountains? Who will protect them from demons and fiends that will most likely re-enter the mountains after my leave? My apologies Grandfather, but I cannot leave when I am still needed.”
My Grandfather smiled larger than before, then started to laugh so loud that the cave started to shake. “Oh my boy, you continue to surprise me! If I can find you a proper home, respectable for a dragon’s palace, within these mountains, will you consent then?” I nodded in response, then Grandfather said, “Good! Follow me, I know of a grand place!” I and my guests all followed, out of the Blue Jade Cave, down the mountain, and towards a bamboo forest. There Grandfather pointed towards a small river, clear and pristine.
“How can this be!? This cannot be my old home!” I said in wonder.
“It is, I smashed the dam letting loose the water, and redirected smaller brooks and tributaries to feed your new, but old, stream. It is know a river, the Wei River!” Grandfather finished with a bellowing laugh.
“It is named after me, my true name?” I asked in wonder.
“Yes Ao Wei. Be proud of such a river, of such a home. Take good care of it, protect the mortals, and be respectful of the surrounding mountains, for they begged me to help them to give you your home back as a way to pay homage to your great selfless deeds.” Grandfather said.
I looked back to the local gods of the mountains, forests, streams, hills, houses, wells, and trees, and all of them kowtowed in appreciation. I, in return, kowtow to them out of humbleness and for their great gift.
“Before I forget.” Grandfather said, while handing me a very large bag of pearls. “The smaller ones,” Grandfather pulled one out showing me, “are for you wives and servants – though there are now some fish, turtle, and snake servants I called forth to serve you in your palace below the currents. However, these pearls will allow your mortal servants to live underwater, as well as preserving their youth as long as they have them on their possession. The three larger ones are for you find purposes for” my Grandfather said with a wink; and as I held the silk-bag of pearls, he embraced me one more time before saying, “I must be heading off, but I will stop on by some time, but I expect you and your wives to come by to my palace in the Eastern Sea; your father, mother, and brothers and sisters all miss you.” No sooner than he said that, he was in the sky as large as the mountains themselves and as long as the Yellow River, swimming in the clouds as a snake in water headed east.
So my story closes. Though, this was how my story began, my story does still continue by ensuring the Wei River does not flood – or at least not as much to harm the mortals that live near – and patrolling the mountains continuing that they are safe and free from demons. However, most of my time is either spent in my palace, with my family, or at local temples with their theatrical performances to request and beg that the river will not flood. So if you see a red-golden snake with golden eyes and nine red spots on its square head, please be respectful, bow and say “Hello Ao Wei.”
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