Tales of the Great Wall
Yukki Qin, Grou
any moons ago, in the faraway land of China, there lived kind, religious, but weak people and
strong, blood-thirsty Huns. The Huns disturbed the lives of these people frequently, and raided the
peasants’ food, clothing, and tools. Occasionally they took their family away to become slaves.
YuHuang DaDi’s sons, the golden dragon, look down at the sight on earth, and couldn’t bear seeing
these things. He decided at once to come down to earth to protect the people. As thanks, the herders
sacrificed sheep and calves as food for the dragon.
p 2: Fiction, Independent Schools Foundation Academy
M
One day, the dragon was bored and was resting on a cloud, looking down at the herders in the meadow
below with their seas of sheep. His eyes fell upon a young, beautiful herderess, who was sitting under a tree,
singing to herself. The dragon transformed into a young man, approached her and asked for her name. She shyly
replied WuShuang, which meant the unique one. They met in the meadow everyday, and soon became friends.
Neither told anyone, though. A month later, the Huns attacked. WuShuang didn’t know about this, so she still
went to the meadow, waiting for the dragon to appear. What she also didn’t have a clue about was that the
dragon had left, for his father had called on him. When the Huns came, she couldn’t protect herself, and was
killed during the fight. The dragon came back as soon as he could, but it was too late. Tears in his eyes, he
watched his beloved die, and swore he would no longer protect China.
So China was in chaos again. While innocent peasants were slain on the streets, the emperor sat drinking in
his palace. His subjects came to him, saying that the Huns have left word that the next time they attacked, China
will end. The emperor panicked, and summoned everyone to his court. People rushed to give their solutions, but
none actually worked. Finally, an old man suggested that they should send the princess to the dragon, as she
maybe able to convince him. All agreed, and the emperor called for his daughter.
The princess RuoHua walked into the court and gave everyone a cold stare. The emperor shivered, then spoke,
“
RuoHua, my beloved, talented, amazing, brilliant, beautiful extraordinary…” “Get to the point.” “…Daughter,
we would like you to go to the great dragon and seek for his help.” “No.” The emperor begged and begged, and
finally she said yes. “You would have to pass 2 mountains, each holding a beast or horror, in order to reach the
dragon. Also, do it before the next attack. I can only wish you luck, child.” The emperor said to RuoHua before
she left.
After countless days of traveling, she reached the first mountain. Legend has it that this particular mount
holds a three headed, immortal spider. However, the giant beast had a weakness—it hated water. The only
waterway across the mountain ran deep under, and no mortal could swim across, for the depths are dark and
mysterious. Just as RuoHua was desperately thinking of a way through, she heard a tiny voice call for help.
Curious, she approached it. She found that the voice came from a tiny fish trapped in a bowl of water.
“
Please! Save me!” it pleaded. “Why?” “Please! I can help you across!!” “…..Fine. How shall I do it?” “Push
that rock on the right, and the magic wall that’s holding me back shall free me.” Unsure, she did as she was told,
and picked up the fish. “Thank you. If you may, please take me to the waterway underneath please.” As she
released the it into the dark, murky waters, it suddenly transformed into a huger, dragon-like creature with
beautiful scales. “Climb on, and swallow this air bubble, but don not speak during our dive.” She hesitated, but
decided to give it a try. As the fish swam deeper into the water, it introduced itself as the JinLi. Strange fish tried
to attack them, and some had hurt the JinLi, but they managed to reach land. “You are safe now….here. Take
this pearl. It is made by my father, the white dragon, and inside it holds seeds of precious trees, such as the
XuanLiangMu. Use it wisely. I won’t live for much longer, as the poison from the monsters are spreading. I
wish you luck…” “Why?! Why risk your own life to help me?!” “Because….save…..we…..friends….” The
JinLi passed away.
Heartbroken, RuoHua continued her journey, not wanting to waste her friend’s life. As she neared the
second mountain, she faintly made out the frightful screams of the monster. She passed a forest of burnt roots,
and it was as if she almost heard the spirit of each, begging for mercy under the monster’ anger. She walked
into a natural arch formed by rocks, and found a breath-taking tree which shimmered under the sunlight.
“
You…are the magic flower, LuoShenHua, right? Will you help me?” RuoHua knew the monster of this
mountain feared the flower’s petals. “….I…miss my friends…if…you help me… I will treat you…as…a
friend…” a sigh came from the beautiful tree. RuoHua knew that this was the time to use the pearl. She opened
it, and tossed the seeds into the ground. At once they grew, and soon the LuoShenHua rejoiced with all her
friends. “Thank you…I shall bloom till I cannot…..” These were the tree’s last words as tiny, blood-red
blossoms fell from its branches, and the tree dried up. RuoHua ventured up the mountain, and successfully
defeated the monster, turning it to a small silver dear.