(MAJOR SPOILERS.)
This is like the other two, for those of you who have already read the book. I was really confused as to what was going on and then the more and more I read, each time I read the book, it became clearer and clearer and the pieces of the whole series finally started to fit and come together. So my review isn't so much what I liked about it or what is so great about it (because that's NOT what I want this blog to be) - it's more of a tutorial, or a step-by-step instruction kit so you can put the puzzle together yourself. Warning, it's going to be long. That said...
This book starts off with the main character, Pinmei. She lives on a mountain with her grandmother, Amah. This mountain is the same mountain as the one that was moved - aka the one the Spirit of the Mountain/the sage/Mr Shan/the Old Man of the Moon < that guy. It's his mountain. Some people probably think/thought it was Fruitless Mountain...it's not. Remember, Amah lives in a hut. Minli's parents had a very nice home at the end of WTMMTM, so I don't think Amah would move out to be in a hut. (spoiler) Yes, Amah is Minli (END of spoiler) but I'm not going to say that again in case there are people here who shouldn't be here. You'll notice on p2 - barely into the story - Amah is telling stories. The story of the Immortal Dragon's Pearl is from Where the Mountain Meets the Moon and the story of the Boy Who Rolled the Moon is from Starry River of the Sky (and it was actually two boys).
On p2 you find out that there's a new emperor . . . and he sounds kind of like MT when MT was alive (he dies, spirit turns into Green Tiger and dies from jumping in a well so no he is not in the story if you were wondering). But on p4 you find out they call him the Tiger Emperor which is significant. Also on p4 they mention the Mountain Spirit (spoiler Yishan END of spoiler) at the top of the mountain. Which is evidence that Amah (spoiler Minli END of spoiler) took up residence on the mountain that used to be moved.
Next you get introduced to another main character who is new to the series - Yishan (spoiler Yishan is Spirit of the Mountain/Old Man of the Moon/Mr Shan END of spoiler). p4, Yishan has his own hut higher up on the mountain. Also, you will notice in all the books that it will have an object or a place like "City of Bright Moonlight" or "Village of the Moon Rain" - in this one, the Tiger Emperor wants a "Luminous Stone That Lights the Night" which is significant. I've also wondered if this wall is either supposed to be the Great Wall of China spoiler because at the end of the bk he stops the wall's progress bc she brings it to him - but that's jumping ahead END of spoiler. On p7 they've run out of rice and they only run out at the beginning of spring. And Pinmei realizes it's been a long time since it's been warm, which is significant.
p8 has always been the exciting page for me. Amah tells Pinmei not to use that blue-and-white bowl because her gfather received it from the king of the City of Bright Moonlight! and Pinmei tells her gmother that he wasn't king yet when Amah's gfather got it. This is the significance: Rendi was the one who gave the bowl to Peiyi who gave it to MeiLan and Jiming who had a baby, Minli. They gave it to Minli because that's what Peiyi gave them the bowl and coins for (she spends the coins on the goldfish, and uses the bowl for a compass, etc.). So while Minli is growing up, Rendi goes back home and in time becomes king of City of Bright Moonlight where he boots out his dad and Minli encounters him and then his dad who was booted out a while before she comes traveling along.
Little break while I explain something that confused me for a while until it just clicked one day: Fruitless Mountain and the stone pancake mountain are one and the same. Fruitless Mtn/Never-Ending Mtn/the Mtn that meets the moon is the one that the Spirit of the Mtn/Mr Shan/the sage lives in, the one that was "moved" by Peiyi's ancestor - also the one that Jiming runs off to, to get away from the fighting between his dad and his sweetheart's mom. It's also the one Rendi leaves after he gives Peiyi the coins and the bowl - which she in turn gives to Jiming and MeiLan (Ba and Ma) for a wedding present, who in turn give it to Minli who is born in the Village of Clear Sky, who grows up there, who ends up in City of Bright Moonlight, and then goes back home.
Anyway. After Amah mentions the bowl being from a king, Pinmei saying he wasn't royalty yet clued me in on the fact that it was Rendi - the part that stumps me is the whole thing about her grandfather getting it, but I'm thinking it could be that Peiyi gave it to Master Chao who gave it to Jiming who gave it to Minli.
Here are a couple things to consider when you're thinking about the age difference:
Jiming can't be Minli's grandfather, bc Rendi is a few years younger than Jiming; assuming Jiming had a baby p soon, he would be like 12 years older than Minli's parents, bc when Minli visits and he's masquerading as an old man, she spies on him in the garden as he takes off the makeup (p127-128 in Where the Mountain Meets the Moon), and she realizes he's "not an old man at all - in fact, he was younger than Ba". It couldn't be Rendi's son, that would be confusing bc he tells Minli he kicked his dad out and his dad was the one with the borrowed line from the happy family, and that's what happened to Magistrate Tiger.
So it has to be Rendi and the age difference would make sense since Jiming (Ba) was quite a few years older than Rendi (Rendi being around 13 or 14 and Jiming being around 20 since MeiLan is around 18). Because the ages otherwise don't quite match up. But then we're back to square one - who's the grandfather who was given the bowl? Because Ba was Minli's father who got the bowl. And Peiyi was the one who was given the bowl anyway. So that part still confuses me, but only the grandfather part - the rest is pretty clear, with Rendi and Jiming (Ba), etc.
Then we come to p10 which adds another layer of confusion: who's Auntie Meiya and why did the Black Tortoise come when she died? That is answered but it's at the end of the story, so I'm not going to address it yet. But there's a hint: Yishan and Auntie Meiya lived in a stone hut and Yishan continued living in it after she died. So what's her connection to him? Also here's another hint about Yishan: Amah says about him that he forgets things (spoiler Mr Shan END of spoiler) like now, he forgets he's [only] a young boy.
So the topic moves on and Amah tells a story about Nuwa and Fuxi - you'll want to remember these things: the tear that falls from her eye, the strand of Nuwa's hair that is all Fuxi manages to get, and the drop of blood that falls from it. Also that she turned herself to stone. Amah says, p13, that if anyone could make the Black Tortoise do anything, that person would be invincible. I believe that comes into it later so store that in your attic. So then, p13-14, Amah says the Black Tortoise brings winter just like the dragon brings spring. Remember that too. Then Pinmei asks how she knows this and Amah says a friend told her; and that is very interesting: was it Yishan even tho he only answers them every 99 yrs? I think so. But it could have been Dragon or Aunt Jin. But I think it was Yishan.
Then things start happening. p16 Amah puts her in the old gang but it describes it as clay and I thought the Magistrate Tiger's gang was porcelain or china or something so it might not be - and idk how it would have made its way to the mountain since Rendi didn't take it when he ran away. But he did give Minli's parents presents when they gave him the Dragon's Pearl, and the gang *was* cracked bc Rendi's sister breaks it for him.
When Amah puts Pinmei in the gang, she says the mountain had not stopped them from coming - earlier on p4 it says that the emperor started up the mountain but couldn't go up and was forced back down so apparently that's what she's talking about. I'm assuming it's the Spirit of the Mtn who stops them. Well, as she's hiding Pinmei, she tells her Yishan will watch out for her and to remember: "You can always trust Yishan." Because spoiler he's the one who more or less pulls the strings and conducts life, fate, etc. he ties the ribbons that bring us to each other. Also he's the Spirit of the Mountain so he protects them from whoever comes up to visit. END of spoiler
On p19, things get even more confusing: why do the soldiers want Amah? spoiler Why do they want Minli? END of spoiler Then p21 things become a tiny, tiny bit clearer: he calls her, Amah, the "Storyteller". And not only that but calls the soldier in GREEN, "Your Exalted Majesty", and Pinmei realizes he's the one ppl call the Tiger Emperor on p23. He's called the Tiger Emperor and he's wearing green, like the great Green Tiger. Even stranger, he says the blue-and-white bowl of Minli's is his. And who's was it really at the beginning of the series? WangYi's, yes (and Minli's more literally, yes), but it was passed down from WangYi to the Magistrate Tiger and Rendi took it and gave it to Jiming and MeiLan - though it wasn't 100% theft bc when he became king it belonged to him, but he'd already given it away. So why does the Tiger Emperor say it's his?
p8 has always been the exciting page for me. Amah tells Pinmei not to use that blue-and-white bowl because her gfather received it from the king of the City of Bright Moonlight! and Pinmei tells her gmother that he wasn't king yet when Amah's gfather got it. This is the significance: Rendi was the one who gave the bowl to Peiyi who gave it to MeiLan and Jiming who had a baby, Minli. They gave it to Minli because that's what Peiyi gave them the bowl and coins for (she spends the coins on the goldfish, and uses the bowl for a compass, etc.). So while Minli is growing up, Rendi goes back home and in time becomes king of City of Bright Moonlight where he boots out his dad and Minli encounters him and then his dad who was booted out a while before she comes traveling along.
Little break while I explain something that confused me for a while until it just clicked one day: Fruitless Mountain and the stone pancake mountain are one and the same. Fruitless Mtn/Never-Ending Mtn/the Mtn that meets the moon is the one that the Spirit of the Mtn/Mr Shan/the sage lives in, the one that was "moved" by Peiyi's ancestor - also the one that Jiming runs off to, to get away from the fighting between his dad and his sweetheart's mom. It's also the one Rendi leaves after he gives Peiyi the coins and the bowl - which she in turn gives to Jiming and MeiLan (Ba and Ma) for a wedding present, who in turn give it to Minli who is born in the Village of Clear Sky, who grows up there, who ends up in City of Bright Moonlight, and then goes back home.
Anyway. After Amah mentions the bowl being from a king, Pinmei saying he wasn't royalty yet clued me in on the fact that it was Rendi - the part that stumps me is the whole thing about her grandfather getting it, but I'm thinking it could be that Peiyi gave it to Master Chao who gave it to Jiming who gave it to Minli.
Here are a couple things to consider when you're thinking about the age difference:
Jiming can't be Minli's grandfather, bc Rendi is a few years younger than Jiming; assuming Jiming had a baby p soon, he would be like 12 years older than Minli's parents, bc when Minli visits and he's masquerading as an old man, she spies on him in the garden as he takes off the makeup (p127-128 in Where the Mountain Meets the Moon), and she realizes he's "not an old man at all - in fact, he was younger than Ba". It couldn't be Rendi's son, that would be confusing bc he tells Minli he kicked his dad out and his dad was the one with the borrowed line from the happy family, and that's what happened to Magistrate Tiger.
So it has to be Rendi and the age difference would make sense since Jiming (Ba) was quite a few years older than Rendi (Rendi being around 13 or 14 and Jiming being around 20 since MeiLan is around 18). Because the ages otherwise don't quite match up. But then we're back to square one - who's the grandfather who was given the bowl? Because Ba was Minli's father who got the bowl. And Peiyi was the one who was given the bowl anyway. So that part still confuses me, but only the grandfather part - the rest is pretty clear, with Rendi and Jiming (Ba), etc.
Then we come to p10 which adds another layer of confusion: who's Auntie Meiya and why did the Black Tortoise come when she died? That is answered but it's at the end of the story, so I'm not going to address it yet. But there's a hint: Yishan and Auntie Meiya lived in a stone hut and Yishan continued living in it after she died. So what's her connection to him? Also here's another hint about Yishan: Amah says about him that he forgets things (spoiler Mr Shan END of spoiler) like now, he forgets he's [only] a young boy.
So the topic moves on and Amah tells a story about Nuwa and Fuxi - you'll want to remember these things: the tear that falls from her eye, the strand of Nuwa's hair that is all Fuxi manages to get, and the drop of blood that falls from it. Also that she turned herself to stone. Amah says, p13, that if anyone could make the Black Tortoise do anything, that person would be invincible. I believe that comes into it later so store that in your attic. So then, p13-14, Amah says the Black Tortoise brings winter just like the dragon brings spring. Remember that too. Then Pinmei asks how she knows this and Amah says a friend told her; and that is very interesting: was it Yishan even tho he only answers them every 99 yrs? I think so. But it could have been Dragon or Aunt Jin. But I think it was Yishan.
Then things start happening. p16 Amah puts her in the old gang but it describes it as clay and I thought the Magistrate Tiger's gang was porcelain or china or something so it might not be - and idk how it would have made its way to the mountain since Rendi didn't take it when he ran away. But he did give Minli's parents presents when they gave him the Dragon's Pearl, and the gang *was* cracked bc Rendi's sister breaks it for him.
When Amah puts Pinmei in the gang, she says the mountain had not stopped them from coming - earlier on p4 it says that the emperor started up the mountain but couldn't go up and was forced back down so apparently that's what she's talking about. I'm assuming it's the Spirit of the Mtn who stops them. Well, as she's hiding Pinmei, she tells her Yishan will watch out for her and to remember: "You can always trust Yishan." Because spoiler he's the one who more or less pulls the strings and conducts life, fate, etc. he ties the ribbons that bring us to each other. Also he's the Spirit of the Mountain so he protects them from whoever comes up to visit. END of spoiler
On p19, things get even more confusing: why do the soldiers want Amah? spoiler Why do they want Minli? END of spoiler Then p21 things become a tiny, tiny bit clearer: he calls her, Amah, the "Storyteller". And not only that but calls the soldier in GREEN, "Your Exalted Majesty", and Pinmei realizes he's the one ppl call the Tiger Emperor on p23. He's called the Tiger Emperor and he's wearing green, like the great Green Tiger. Even stranger, he says the blue-and-white bowl of Minli's is his. And who's was it really at the beginning of the series? WangYi's, yes (and Minli's more literally, yes), but it was passed down from WangYi to the Magistrate Tiger and Rendi took it and gave it to Jiming and MeiLan - though it wasn't 100% theft bc when he became king it belonged to him, but he'd already given it away. So why does the Tiger Emperor say it's his?
Things don't stop getting
weirder, though.
p25, Yishan tells them to not take her and the emperor soldier says Yishan is a small pup pretending to be a dog and Yishan comes back with - it's more honorable than a tiger pretending to be a man. And the laughter stops. Yishan went too far.
The Story of the Paper of Answers, on p32, is one of my favorites, bc it explains sm when you're looking for an explanation. Let me try to break it down. So long ago, when the City of Bright Moonlight was called City of Far Remote, the new king (Rendi) arrived. He was about to marry one of the emperor's granddaughter - the one who was the grocer's daughter. It says he was given rule over a land that constantly flooded bc of the Jade River. And if you remember, in Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, the king (Rendi) helps them with the irrigation system so that water gets spread everywhere, even to Fruitless Mountain where Peiyi was/lived, which is dusty and grey. At least, I thought that was what happened. I might be wrong.
So they (Rendi & Co.) are traveling to the city and they accidentally knock over an old man. The king, Rendi, stops and picked up the fallen buckets to help the old man. Most nobles are not strong bc they don't need to do any manual labor but the king lifts them easily and the old man comments on it. Do you know what the king says? - "I've done this before (bc he used to do it for Master Chao!) and you remind me of someone." (Mr. Shan). So the old man gives him advice and he asks his father, Magistrate Tiger, if he can have the Paper of Answers, aka the Borrowed Line. Magistrate Tiger thinks it's worthless bc to him it's intelligible, so he gives it to him, Rendi. And it helps. p35, he helps direct the water to make it helpful for crops and plants. Then Pinmei finishes the story, and p36 says the king received a dragon's pearl in return for giving away the paper of answer! The king is definitely Rendi - and the dragon's pearl is a Luminous Stone.
p39 is more about Auntie Meiya but on p38 Pinmei says the clothes seem 100 years old - could she have been one of Yishan's granddaughters?
p25, Yishan tells them to not take her and the emperor soldier says Yishan is a small pup pretending to be a dog and Yishan comes back with - it's more honorable than a tiger pretending to be a man. And the laughter stops. Yishan went too far.
The Story of the Paper of Answers, on p32, is one of my favorites, bc it explains sm when you're looking for an explanation. Let me try to break it down. So long ago, when the City of Bright Moonlight was called City of Far Remote, the new king (Rendi) arrived. He was about to marry one of the emperor's granddaughter - the one who was the grocer's daughter. It says he was given rule over a land that constantly flooded bc of the Jade River. And if you remember, in Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, the king (Rendi) helps them with the irrigation system so that water gets spread everywhere, even to Fruitless Mountain where Peiyi was/lived, which is dusty and grey. At least, I thought that was what happened. I might be wrong.
So they (Rendi & Co.) are traveling to the city and they accidentally knock over an old man. The king, Rendi, stops and picked up the fallen buckets to help the old man. Most nobles are not strong bc they don't need to do any manual labor but the king lifts them easily and the old man comments on it. Do you know what the king says? - "I've done this before (bc he used to do it for Master Chao!) and you remind me of someone." (Mr. Shan). So the old man gives him advice and he asks his father, Magistrate Tiger, if he can have the Paper of Answers, aka the Borrowed Line. Magistrate Tiger thinks it's worthless bc to him it's intelligible, so he gives it to him, Rendi. And it helps. p35, he helps direct the water to make it helpful for crops and plants. Then Pinmei finishes the story, and p36 says the king received a dragon's pearl in return for giving away the paper of answer! The king is definitely Rendi - and the dragon's pearl is a Luminous Stone.
p39 is more about Auntie Meiya but on p38 Pinmei says the clothes seem 100 years old - could she have been one of Yishan's granddaughters?
Then comes a part I find incredibly sad after having already read the book and knowing what happens and how it ends . . . p40 they go back to Pinmei's hut to salvage anything they can and Yishan finds a box, burned, the cover falling off, but inside is "a guilded jacket made of hundreds of different-colored patches". And as Pinmei reaches out to take it, something falls from its sleeve. It's a jade bracelet.
Then, chapter 10, it switches to "him". Who "him" is is still a mystery - but something is pinning "him" down. And the scene switches again . . . this time it's Amah, on a horse, travelling away from the ruins of her home and her granddaughter Pinmei. When the Tiger Emperor talks to her (p44), she's shocked because his eyes look familiar and she wonders where she's seen eyes like that before - it's because when she walked out of the cave, the tiger (Magistrate Tiger) was outside of it (it was his cave just like it had been WangYi's) and he attacks her and Dragon, that's where she's seen eyes like that. Then p45 she says "You are not just a soldier" and it mentions "the roar of his voice echoed in her ears, calling up a strange fear she had not felt since she was a child" bc Minli heard him roar when he jumped at her . . . and she still remembers the fear she experienced when he did that.
So he asks for the story of the Ginseng Boy and she tells it after reminiscing over Auntie Meiya asking for it (and telling Yishan it was time to end their string). The significance of the Ginseng Boy will come into it later. What I did notice was p52 when she talks to Amah and Yishan about mortality. Yishan's immortal.
When you get to p63, the Story of the Red Stone is significant. In the story of Nuwa, she leaves behind three things: a strand of hair, a drop of blood, and a teardrop. The Story of the Red Stone is the story of her drop of blood. It's also about Ku-Ang, the Sea King, who will factor into the story later. Many people swallow something and get turned into something: Madame Chang/Moon Lady, Jiming, Ku-Ang, to name a few.
Also, remember the horrible Haiyi, he'll come later, too. I also want to point out that Peiyi has started, just a little, to open up. Though that might be because of Sifen. His hot, feverish hands melt the feeling of ice choking her and with Sifen she can talk. So there we leave them and travel back to Amah, who has stopped traveling. She's in a dungeon and strikes up a conversation w a stone-cutter who was going to be executed but, surprisingly, wasn't. He found a white stone but didn't make the Tiger King a statue from it. Also he has a daughter. He's going to be significant.
p73 the emperor has use for him and also bears a grudge.
Then, chapter 10, it switches to "him". Who "him" is is still a mystery - but something is pinning "him" down. And the scene switches again . . . this time it's Amah, on a horse, travelling away from the ruins of her home and her granddaughter Pinmei. When the Tiger Emperor talks to her (p44), she's shocked because his eyes look familiar and she wonders where she's seen eyes like that before - it's because when she walked out of the cave, the tiger (Magistrate Tiger) was outside of it (it was his cave just like it had been WangYi's) and he attacks her and Dragon, that's where she's seen eyes like that. Then p45 she says "You are not just a soldier" and it mentions "the roar of his voice echoed in her ears, calling up a strange fear she had not felt since she was a child" bc Minli heard him roar when he jumped at her . . . and she still remembers the fear she experienced when he did that.
So he asks for the story of the Ginseng Boy and she tells it after reminiscing over Auntie Meiya asking for it (and telling Yishan it was time to end their string). The significance of the Ginseng Boy will come into it later. What I did notice was p52 when she talks to Amah and Yishan about mortality. Yishan's immortal.
When you get to p63, the Story of the Red Stone is significant. In the story of Nuwa, she leaves behind three things: a strand of hair, a drop of blood, and a teardrop. The Story of the Red Stone is the story of her drop of blood. It's also about Ku-Ang, the Sea King, who will factor into the story later. Many people swallow something and get turned into something: Madame Chang/Moon Lady, Jiming, Ku-Ang, to name a few.
Also, remember the horrible Haiyi, he'll come later, too. I also want to point out that Peiyi has started, just a little, to open up. Though that might be because of Sifen. His hot, feverish hands melt the feeling of ice choking her and with Sifen she can talk. So there we leave them and travel back to Amah, who has stopped traveling. She's in a dungeon and strikes up a conversation w a stone-cutter who was going to be executed but, surprisingly, wasn't. He found a white stone but didn't make the Tiger King a statue from it. Also he has a daughter. He's going to be significant.
p73 the emperor has use for him and also bears a grudge.
Amah tells a story on p74. This story also has a lot of significance, The stone washes up and a stone-cutter is commissioned by the magistrate of the town to make a statue of a dragon. This magistrate was very powerful bc he had the ear of the emperor's most trusted advisor and his own son was king of a neighboring city. Guess who this Magistrate (who roars) is? Magistrate Tiger who has the ear of Duke Zhe, the emperor's advisor, and whose son Rendi is king of the City of the Far Remote. So this Magistrate has a sculpture of a fish, not a dragon like he said, but then the fish starts wiggling so he puts it in his nicest gang which is not the one Rendi broke bc in this story Rendi is a king so he's grown, tho the gang I'm pretty sure was repaired so maybe it is the same. So then the fish cracks and the story ends and you find out the stone-cutter is related to the other stone-cutter.
So then it switches to Pinmei and Yishan leaving. As they're traveling, an amazingly white horse, later known as BaiMa, throws his rider who turns out to be a woman, and she has an amazingly embroidered picture of a grand mansion surrounded by a beautiful garden, pavillion, flowing river, and mountains. This, like everything, reminds Pinmei of a story - the story of the Widow's Embroidery. This story is also very, very loaded with coincidences. A widow is amazing at embroidery. She spends eight years embroidering a stunning picture, which gets blown away when she finishes. She's sewn her tears, her hair, her blood into this picture, which is part of why it looks amazing and no one can copy it. The son goes to find it when it blows away and comes across a boy with the red hat - the Ginseng Boy. He explains his troubles to the boy who decides to help him. He tells him the Sea King (Ku-Ang!) has a daughter, who wanted it. So he whistles (the Ginseng boy) and a white stone rolls out of the sea and turns into a snow white horse . . . BaiMa. Ginseng boy says the son can borrow it because "she's sewing". Who? The Sea King's daughter - she's trying to make a copy of the embroidery so the son asks for it, they say they'll give it to him in the morning so he turns in for the night after talking to the Sea King's daughter - noting she has a fishtail for legs - and each of the women compare and retreat in disappointment until the Sea King's daughter is left. She sees how inadequate her version is and decides to sew herself in, but instead gives herself legs. Then she sticks her needle in and goes to bed. The son gets up and sees it waiting for him in the moonlight and is worried they'll change their minds, so he takes it and leaves. As his mom looks at it, she asks him to take it into the light so she can see better - and as they take it into the sunlight, it spreads over their land and becomes real, with a woman in blue standing by the pond with a needle in her hand. The Sea King's daughter had sewn herself in and bc she left the needle in, it turned into reality. So the Sea King's daughter, the one who fell from the horse BaiMa, the one who wears dark blue, gets married to the widow's son.
Then, p97, a butterfly, a scarlet butterfly lands on the embroidery of the woman's and disappears - which makes the woman cry. Why? "He is dead," she whispers (that part always makes me so sad!). So Yishan asks and she's on her way to the City of Bright Moonlight. She explains she sewed him a dragon shirt and left her needle in to keep him safe and he said he'd be back when the first butterfly took flight.
On p22 the soldier in green has a silver pin in his shirt, and he's not her husband . . .
So Lady Meng and kids keep talking and she informs them that her husband and the king were good friends. Then she mentions the king's name - King KaiJae. Remember, Amah/Minli is an old lady now and Rendi was a young newly married man when she met him as a young girl around 12-14 yrs old. So Rendi is, by now, either ancient or has already died (super sad, but true) so we know it's not him.
So then it switches to Pinmei and Yishan leaving. As they're traveling, an amazingly white horse, later known as BaiMa, throws his rider who turns out to be a woman, and she has an amazingly embroidered picture of a grand mansion surrounded by a beautiful garden, pavillion, flowing river, and mountains. This, like everything, reminds Pinmei of a story - the story of the Widow's Embroidery. This story is also very, very loaded with coincidences. A widow is amazing at embroidery. She spends eight years embroidering a stunning picture, which gets blown away when she finishes. She's sewn her tears, her hair, her blood into this picture, which is part of why it looks amazing and no one can copy it. The son goes to find it when it blows away and comes across a boy with the red hat - the Ginseng Boy. He explains his troubles to the boy who decides to help him. He tells him the Sea King (Ku-Ang!) has a daughter, who wanted it. So he whistles (the Ginseng boy) and a white stone rolls out of the sea and turns into a snow white horse . . . BaiMa. Ginseng boy says the son can borrow it because "she's sewing". Who? The Sea King's daughter - she's trying to make a copy of the embroidery so the son asks for it, they say they'll give it to him in the morning so he turns in for the night after talking to the Sea King's daughter - noting she has a fishtail for legs - and each of the women compare and retreat in disappointment until the Sea King's daughter is left. She sees how inadequate her version is and decides to sew herself in, but instead gives herself legs. Then she sticks her needle in and goes to bed. The son gets up and sees it waiting for him in the moonlight and is worried they'll change their minds, so he takes it and leaves. As his mom looks at it, she asks him to take it into the light so she can see better - and as they take it into the sunlight, it spreads over their land and becomes real, with a woman in blue standing by the pond with a needle in her hand. The Sea King's daughter had sewn herself in and bc she left the needle in, it turned into reality. So the Sea King's daughter, the one who fell from the horse BaiMa, the one who wears dark blue, gets married to the widow's son.
Then, p97, a butterfly, a scarlet butterfly lands on the embroidery of the woman's and disappears - which makes the woman cry. Why? "He is dead," she whispers (that part always makes me so sad!). So Yishan asks and she's on her way to the City of Bright Moonlight. She explains she sewed him a dragon shirt and left her needle in to keep him safe and he said he'd be back when the first butterfly took flight.
On p22 the soldier in green has a silver pin in his shirt, and he's not her husband . . .
So Lady Meng and kids keep talking and she informs them that her husband and the king were good friends. Then she mentions the king's name - King KaiJae. Remember, Amah/Minli is an old lady now and Rendi was a young newly married man when she met him as a young girl around 12-14 yrs old. So Rendi is, by now, either ancient or has already died (super sad, but true) so we know it's not him.
Lady Meng & Co set out together for the City of Bright Moonlight after Lady Meng uses chopsticks and a mussel to get directions from a bird.
We go back to Amah. The stone-cutter is repeating everything from Minli's childhood (p107-108). Then he gets to one and she interrupts. So, p109 she tells a story that is sad and sweet and explains so much more if you're willing to pay attention. The story is of a girl and a dragon who has been invited to help spring come and who won't/can't be seen by mortal eyes once he begins the duty. But before he leaves he tells the girl he saw her fortune in the Book of Fortune and he gives her instructions: when the stone lions' eyes turn red, she is supposed to take the Iron Rod from the sea and hold onto it until the destruction is over. The stone lions are the ones guarding the City of Bright Moonlight, aka City of the Far Remote. The girl says the Iron Rod is too big, the dragon says it changes size depending on the circumstances. For example, the Sea King's daughter uses it as a needle. So the dragon (Dragon, from the first book) flies away and the girl (Minli) grows up, gets married, and has a daughter - Pinmei's mother. What makes me sad is that Dragon tells her, Minli, that the city will be destroyed. And it will be rebuilt but it's still sad (yk it's City of Bright Moonlight bc of the stone lions guarding the city). So when it's destroyed, she goes back to Never-Ending Mountain/Mountain that Meets the Moon/Fruitful Mtn that the Village of Clear Sky was built on, that Rendi was "stuck" in, where Jiming and MeiLan get married in, and live there, and raise Minli in - Minli goes back and lives there with her granddaughter. Then she finishes the story and it moves on to the Black Tortoise still trapped. And then it switches back to Lady Meng & Co.
She finds out Wan was sent to work on the wall and that he didn't kill him. Why? bc of the Iron Rod that the emperor took; now he's invincible with the Rod, even swords and axes bounce off of him. p127 Pinmei wonders if he's even human and the answer is . . . no. He is more tiger than man.
Then, ch24, they're fleeing from the emperor who came to King KaiJae and Pinmei notices pictures on the beams and ceiling of the walkway - it's all things Rendi experienced in Peiyi's village. And they're all from stories she's been told. (Wonder if this series is supposed to be written down from one of their ancestors or something?) Yanna, a servant girl leading them to safety, tells them they were all painted by a master painter named Chen - the same Chen who painted the dragon (p134). So Pinmei tells them the story of one painting - it's about Rendi, when he first came, and preceded a horrible ruler, making everyone suspicious of him except one girl who gave him a fish she found behind the house of someone rich. It was a silver fish; the same one that the stone-cutter made that was broken by the servant moving it into a priceless gang. I find the story slightly sad bc Rendi sees how mistrustful ppl are of him bc of the last ruler and he's discouraged bc he wants to be a good ruler and doesn't know how to get them to respect him. But the girl gets them to realize him as the ruler he is and the story finishes.
That part always made me happy - bc in the end ppl do love Rendi just like he deserves, even with a lousy father.
The story finishes, they arrive at their destination, and it moves back to Amah in the dungeon. She tells a story about the emperor who gets a peach that will grant him immortality if he takes the first bite of a peach and how Magistrate Tiger got the first bite out of it - the Magistrate Tiger who was distantly related to him by marriage (Rendi's marriage). The story doesn't seem to have much rhyme or reason for its being told until they're talking about how the emperor died soon after bc it couldn't save you from from being killed and the stone-cutter asks what happened to the Magistrate? And Amah says she wished she knew and the stone-cutter laughingly says perhaps he's still alive and wishing he'd taken another bite! but Amah doesn't laugh - because she knows what happened to him.
Then we're back with Pinmei, and we find out the king's son was in hiding in the village the emperor just ransacked - he was staying with good friends - which is why the queen was crying. Then p168 Yishan looks at a star and whispers "beacon fire". Then we go back to the Black Tortoise of Winter who decides to ask for help.
We go back to Amah. The stone-cutter is repeating everything from Minli's childhood (p107-108). Then he gets to one and she interrupts. So, p109 she tells a story that is sad and sweet and explains so much more if you're willing to pay attention. The story is of a girl and a dragon who has been invited to help spring come and who won't/can't be seen by mortal eyes once he begins the duty. But before he leaves he tells the girl he saw her fortune in the Book of Fortune and he gives her instructions: when the stone lions' eyes turn red, she is supposed to take the Iron Rod from the sea and hold onto it until the destruction is over. The stone lions are the ones guarding the City of Bright Moonlight, aka City of the Far Remote. The girl says the Iron Rod is too big, the dragon says it changes size depending on the circumstances. For example, the Sea King's daughter uses it as a needle. So the dragon (Dragon, from the first book) flies away and the girl (Minli) grows up, gets married, and has a daughter - Pinmei's mother. What makes me sad is that Dragon tells her, Minli, that the city will be destroyed. And it will be rebuilt but it's still sad (yk it's City of Bright Moonlight bc of the stone lions guarding the city). So when it's destroyed, she goes back to Never-Ending Mountain/Mountain that Meets the Moon/Fruitful Mtn that the Village of Clear Sky was built on, that Rendi was "stuck" in, where Jiming and MeiLan get married in, and live there, and raise Minli in - Minli goes back and lives there with her granddaughter. Then she finishes the story and it moves on to the Black Tortoise still trapped. And then it switches back to Lady Meng & Co.
She finds out Wan was sent to work on the wall and that he didn't kill him. Why? bc of the Iron Rod that the emperor took; now he's invincible with the Rod, even swords and axes bounce off of him. p127 Pinmei wonders if he's even human and the answer is . . . no. He is more tiger than man.
Then, ch24, they're fleeing from the emperor who came to King KaiJae and Pinmei notices pictures on the beams and ceiling of the walkway - it's all things Rendi experienced in Peiyi's village. And they're all from stories she's been told. (Wonder if this series is supposed to be written down from one of their ancestors or something?) Yanna, a servant girl leading them to safety, tells them they were all painted by a master painter named Chen - the same Chen who painted the dragon (p134). So Pinmei tells them the story of one painting - it's about Rendi, when he first came, and preceded a horrible ruler, making everyone suspicious of him except one girl who gave him a fish she found behind the house of someone rich. It was a silver fish; the same one that the stone-cutter made that was broken by the servant moving it into a priceless gang. I find the story slightly sad bc Rendi sees how mistrustful ppl are of him bc of the last ruler and he's discouraged bc he wants to be a good ruler and doesn't know how to get them to respect him. But the girl gets them to realize him as the ruler he is and the story finishes.
┉┉┉┉┉┉┉┉
"I
like that," Lady Meng said as Pinmei finished. "Especially bc the first
king of the City of Bright Moonlight is known for being the greatest ruler in the city's
history. All his descendants, including King KaiJae, revere
him."
┉┉┉┉┉┉┉┉
That part always made me happy - bc in the end ppl do love Rendi just like he deserves, even with a lousy father.
The story finishes, they arrive at their destination, and it moves back to Amah in the dungeon. She tells a story about the emperor who gets a peach that will grant him immortality if he takes the first bite of a peach and how Magistrate Tiger got the first bite out of it - the Magistrate Tiger who was distantly related to him by marriage (Rendi's marriage). The story doesn't seem to have much rhyme or reason for its being told until they're talking about how the emperor died soon after bc it couldn't save you from from being killed and the stone-cutter asks what happened to the Magistrate? And Amah says she wished she knew and the stone-cutter laughingly says perhaps he's still alive and wishing he'd taken another bite! but Amah doesn't laugh - because she knows what happened to him.
Then we're back with Pinmei, and we find out the king's son was in hiding in the village the emperor just ransacked - he was staying with good friends - which is why the queen was crying. Then p168 Yishan looks at a star and whispers "beacon fire". Then we go back to the Black Tortoise of Winter who decides to ask for help.
Then p174 the
emperor mentions how the king can get the Luminous Stone and also
mentions the Paper of Answers.
p175-176 the way to immortality is to be
made into a story and be remembered. But the Tiger Emperor doesn't
understand so he asks if he's going to achieve immortality and the paper
says. . . yes . . . so then the king and Pinmei and Yishan start
talking (though Yishan is unusually preoccupied with the stars) and
Pinmei starts telling the story of how the emperor turned into the Green Tiger and was banished.
He and his son (Rendi) have a falling out bc the king is supposed to
grow a flower and bring it back to the emperor. His father, the Magistrate Tiger, is
living in the palace because when he took a bite of the peach he fell
out of favor with Duke Zhe and lost his title as Magistrate. So he gets mad
bc Rendi listens to the Paper of Answers (that Mr Shan, the Old Man, Yishan, the Spirit of the Mountain, gave him) more
than he listens to his father, who, in a fit of anger, tries to rip it
out of Rendi's hand, loses his balance, and falls in the pond; the
paper falls on his face and as he's trying to get it off, he starts
turning into a Green Tiger. But since he's even worse as a tiger, his son
banishes him to the wild where he terrorizes the happy family.
So Pinmei finishes and the king says he has a new part to add to the Green Tiger story. So he starts telling it. The king KaiJae's father was sitting by a lake admiring the moon's very real-looking reflection when he sees something come out of the water - the Green Tiger. Along comes Mr Shan who puts the paper over him and reverses the tiger effect bc it was Rendi's wish. So the Tiger starts clawing his face and drops the paper after becoming a man again. The paper blows into Rendi's grandson's lap (probably grandson if Rendi is older than Amah and if it's been that long and if it was his dying wish, bc most ppl's dads stay alive until they've become grandparents) and the Green Tiger bolts off and the father goes back to the palace. KaiJae ends his story, and Pinmei continues hers, telling about Rendi taking the empty pot. So then the emperor's soldiers start coming after them and the king shows them the secret door that Rendi and Minli used and they head out - but not before the king gives them the Paper of Answers. From the king to the storyteller to the king's grandson to the storyteller's granddaughter. As they flee, they hear the soldiers running after them. They take refuge in the House of Wu where the servant there has scars shaped like rice. Why? Pinmei tells the story abt the rich ppl who were stingy and got scars bc of that. The servant says that's what happened and they turn in for the night but not before she says she was named after a great hero...named Haiyi. Remember Wan? Horrible Haiyi, that's the hero she's talking about. The bully of the village, the one they talk about in the story on p63 about the Sea King, Ku-Ang.
After the story is told, they all go to bed and the scene switches to the Black Tortoise of Winter, who snaps off his tongue which turns into a snake - he blows on it and sends it to get help.
So Pinmei finishes and the king says he has a new part to add to the Green Tiger story. So he starts telling it. The king KaiJae's father was sitting by a lake admiring the moon's very real-looking reflection when he sees something come out of the water - the Green Tiger. Along comes Mr Shan who puts the paper over him and reverses the tiger effect bc it was Rendi's wish. So the Tiger starts clawing his face and drops the paper after becoming a man again. The paper blows into Rendi's grandson's lap (probably grandson if Rendi is older than Amah and if it's been that long and if it was his dying wish, bc most ppl's dads stay alive until they've become grandparents) and the Green Tiger bolts off and the father goes back to the palace. KaiJae ends his story, and Pinmei continues hers, telling about Rendi taking the empty pot. So then the emperor's soldiers start coming after them and the king shows them the secret door that Rendi and Minli used and they head out - but not before the king gives them the Paper of Answers. From the king to the storyteller to the king's grandson to the storyteller's granddaughter. As they flee, they hear the soldiers running after them. They take refuge in the House of Wu where the servant there has scars shaped like rice. Why? Pinmei tells the story abt the rich ppl who were stingy and got scars bc of that. The servant says that's what happened and they turn in for the night but not before she says she was named after a great hero...named Haiyi. Remember Wan? Horrible Haiyi, that's the hero she's talking about. The bully of the village, the one they talk about in the story on p63 about the Sea King, Ku-Ang.
After the story is told, they all go to bed and the scene switches to the Black Tortoise of Winter, who snaps off his tongue which turns into a snake - he blows on it and sends it to get help.
Back to Pinmei, she
wakes up to the master and mistress yelling at Haiyi, gives them her
jade bracelet to make them stop, and gives Haiyi her handkerchief to
wipe off the soup the master and mistress throw at her. But as Haiyi wipes
at her face, the rice falls off and she's back to normal - because
instead of the handkerchief, Pinmei gave her the Paper of Answers. So
the masters notice and grab the paper, trying to rub off their scars but
instead it turns them into monkeys and out they go, taking the bracelet
w them. p230 they're discussing where to go next, while Yishan is
saying strange things about Nuwa and looking at Lady Meng - bc Lady
Meng, Nuwa, and the Sea King's daughter are all one and the same.
Well, they decide to go to Sea Bottom to get the Luminous Stone but they don't know how to get there. And then Lady Meng turns around and says she knows how.
p234 you realize . . . Yishan and Lady Meng know who the other is and there are no secrets between them. The only reason they haven't told Pinmei is because they're waiting for the right time - when she realizes on her own or when it's safe to tell her. On p240 you realize BaiMa is a longma, a dragon horse. Plot gets even more confusing.
Well, they decide to go to Sea Bottom to get the Luminous Stone but they don't know how to get there. And then Lady Meng turns around and says she knows how.
p234 you realize . . . Yishan and Lady Meng know who the other is and there are no secrets between them. The only reason they haven't told Pinmei is because they're waiting for the right time - when she realizes on her own or when it's safe to tell her. On p240 you realize BaiMa is a longma, a dragon horse. Plot gets even more confusing.
Back
to Amah on p243 and a story about "the young king", Rendi, who is working on building dams to redirect the water. He
gets the help of the Old Man of the Moon bc he helped Mr Shan (Old Man) carry the buckets. So Mr Shan goes to the
Jade Emperor in the heavens and the Dragon King of the Sea on his
behalf. And bc of his appeals, the dragon HuangLong was sent from the
sky and the tortoise Bauxi (tortoise of winter's distant cousin) comes to
help. Remember them, they come into it later. So the tortoise and the
dragon get trapped on land bc of the king's stupid father, angering the
Jade Emperor who decides no more could animals of the heavens be seen by
humans. Which is why we don't see them - but then why can Pinmei see
them? That comes later. But first we find out that the Tiger
Emperor is building a wall of great accomplishments that "would be a
fine cage for another poor tortoise". Also, Bauxi was trapped underneath
a pillar of the world's greatest accomplishments, trapping him, which
sounds like the tortoise who bit off his tongue, right? Yes, but Bauxi
turned into a stone a long time ago, whereas the Black Tortoise of Winter just
recently got trapped.
Back to Pinmei and Yishan, they arrive at sea - and stop.
"It's frozen," Pinmei whispered. "The sea is frozen."
They stood for a moment in awe.
"This is not right," Yishan said. "Something is wrong. For the sea to freeze..."
But he stopped, for Lady Meng had slid off the horse. "We will part here," she said to them.
"You're leaving us?" Pinmei gasped.
"I'm glad to have spent this time with you both," she said, "But I must find my husband."
Pinmei panics and says they need her. She looks at Yishan and says, "I know how capable you are". And they part ways.
They get to Sea Bottom, and BaiMa goes to a platform, turning into stone because he's the one the Ginseng boy called for. Then they talk to a man who came over to them and says he's been called many things - Stone Fish (bc he's the one Magistrate Tiger dropped!), Happy Fish, Not A Dragon, Special Treasure, Gift, and his favorite . . . Joy to the Heart. Who gave that name to him? A girl named Meiya. Auntie Meiya . . .
p256 Pinmei is sorting through everything and realizes the Sea King's daughter has a tail because the Sea King swallowed Newa's drop of blood when he was still Ku-Ang so when he had a daughter, the drop of blood went to her as well so she got fins. p258 he talks abt how some immortals forget who they are when ppl stop telling stories about them (part of Mr Shan's memory?) which is why Yishan sometimes forgets he's a young boy - also why Joy to the Heart looks at him when he says "Right?" Then they go see the Sea King and Pinmei is amazed with the way Yishan's talking and acting - almost like he were older. And then the Sea King says the turtle is in trouble and they bring yesterdays' guest: a black snake.
p266 is one of my other favorite parts in this book, when they go thru everything that most readers have (hopefully) figured out for themselves. So the king takes them to see the Luminous Stone that Lights the Night on p272, explaining that the Starry River is their sky while the Starry River (Heavenly Lake) is the bottom of the lake. Doesn't make too much sense tho bc Pinmei entered by going into the water. But it's supposed to be hard to comprehend.
Then they see that the Stone That Lights The Night is really the moon. Disappointing for Pinmei but p271 (ch55), the king tells them how he himself made the Stone That Lights The Night or, the Dragon's Pearl, and how it ended up getting knocked into the Lake. Sound familiar? That's bc Ku-Ang is the dragon who got his pearl stolen by the queen lady and they all ran into the garden and it got knocked into the river. It's the story told in Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. Then Yishan tries taking the moon and realizes it's not right so they put it back and Pinmei realizes they can read the Paper of Answers in the moonlight. Or, an immortal can, and the Sea King is immortal. p282 it says Yishan holds it almost lovingly (hint hint). So he takes it to the Sea King who knows who Yishan is bc he says "Ah, just a paper now, not a book?"
p285 reveals their mission and Pinmei realizes a couple things. Then they realize it's the Iron Rod weighing him down. Why? Because Lady Meng used it to sew the dragon shirt and left it in to protect him and the Tiger Emperor got hold of it when he ripped the shirt.
Then back to Amah, telling another story. This is one of my other favorite stories ever bc it explains so much. Boy named Liang is painting while waiting for his fishnets. He hears a cry, sees a girl caught in the fishnets by her hair, cuts it off for her, she leaves, and he notices how nice her hair is so he makes it into a brush. As he watches her leave he notices she has a fish tail instead of feet. Because it's the Sea King's daughter and he has her hair. So he makes it into a brush. See what this means? He has her hair and the inkstone from Fruitless Mountain which is Never-Ending Mountain which is where the Jade River runs thanks to Rendi making irrigation systems from City of Bright Moonlight to the Mountain that Meets the Moon where Jiming and MeiLan had their baby Minli. And that is why Dragon comes to life. So Liang does paintings w Lady Meng's hair and they come to life. When the judge tries to take it, Liang flees and changes his name to Chen. The judge becomes Magistrate, commissioning Chen to paint a picture for him (not recognizing him). Then the Dragon destroys the palace and they come after Chen, who jumps into his painting and sails away. Then comes a favorite part: Amah finishes and the stone-cutter says,
Back to Pinmei and Yishan, they arrive at sea - and stop.
┉┉┉┉┉┉┉┉
For before them, glittering with the cold, hard, sharp sparkle of a diamond, was the sea."It's frozen," Pinmei whispered. "The sea is frozen."
They stood for a moment in awe.
"This is not right," Yishan said. "Something is wrong. For the sea to freeze..."
But he stopped, for Lady Meng had slid off the horse. "We will part here," she said to them.
"You're leaving us?" Pinmei gasped.
"I'm glad to have spent this time with you both," she said, "But I must find my husband."
┉┉┉┉┉┉┉┉
Pinmei panics and says they need her. She looks at Yishan and says, "I know how capable you are". And they part ways.
They get to Sea Bottom, and BaiMa goes to a platform, turning into stone because he's the one the Ginseng boy called for. Then they talk to a man who came over to them and says he's been called many things - Stone Fish (bc he's the one Magistrate Tiger dropped!), Happy Fish, Not A Dragon, Special Treasure, Gift, and his favorite . . . Joy to the Heart. Who gave that name to him? A girl named Meiya. Auntie Meiya . . .
p256 Pinmei is sorting through everything and realizes the Sea King's daughter has a tail because the Sea King swallowed Newa's drop of blood when he was still Ku-Ang so when he had a daughter, the drop of blood went to her as well so she got fins. p258 he talks abt how some immortals forget who they are when ppl stop telling stories about them (part of Mr Shan's memory?) which is why Yishan sometimes forgets he's a young boy - also why Joy to the Heart looks at him when he says "Right?" Then they go see the Sea King and Pinmei is amazed with the way Yishan's talking and acting - almost like he were older. And then the Sea King says the turtle is in trouble and they bring yesterdays' guest: a black snake.
p266 is one of my other favorite parts in this book, when they go thru everything that most readers have (hopefully) figured out for themselves. So the king takes them to see the Luminous Stone that Lights the Night on p272, explaining that the Starry River is their sky while the Starry River (Heavenly Lake) is the bottom of the lake. Doesn't make too much sense tho bc Pinmei entered by going into the water. But it's supposed to be hard to comprehend.
Then they see that the Stone That Lights The Night is really the moon. Disappointing for Pinmei but p271 (ch55), the king tells them how he himself made the Stone That Lights The Night or, the Dragon's Pearl, and how it ended up getting knocked into the Lake. Sound familiar? That's bc Ku-Ang is the dragon who got his pearl stolen by the queen lady and they all ran into the garden and it got knocked into the river. It's the story told in Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. Then Yishan tries taking the moon and realizes it's not right so they put it back and Pinmei realizes they can read the Paper of Answers in the moonlight. Or, an immortal can, and the Sea King is immortal. p282 it says Yishan holds it almost lovingly (hint hint). So he takes it to the Sea King who knows who Yishan is bc he says "Ah, just a paper now, not a book?"
p285 reveals their mission and Pinmei realizes a couple things. Then they realize it's the Iron Rod weighing him down. Why? Because Lady Meng used it to sew the dragon shirt and left it in to protect him and the Tiger Emperor got hold of it when he ripped the shirt.
Then back to Amah, telling another story. This is one of my other favorite stories ever bc it explains so much. Boy named Liang is painting while waiting for his fishnets. He hears a cry, sees a girl caught in the fishnets by her hair, cuts it off for her, she leaves, and he notices how nice her hair is so he makes it into a brush. As he watches her leave he notices she has a fish tail instead of feet. Because it's the Sea King's daughter and he has her hair. So he makes it into a brush. See what this means? He has her hair and the inkstone from Fruitless Mountain which is Never-Ending Mountain which is where the Jade River runs thanks to Rendi making irrigation systems from City of Bright Moonlight to the Mountain that Meets the Moon where Jiming and MeiLan had their baby Minli. And that is why Dragon comes to life. So Liang does paintings w Lady Meng's hair and they come to life. When the judge tries to take it, Liang flees and changes his name to Chen. The judge becomes Magistrate, commissioning Chen to paint a picture for him (not recognizing him). Then the Dragon destroys the palace and they come after Chen, who jumps into his painting and sails away. Then comes a favorite part: Amah finishes and the stone-cutter says,
"It's interesting how all the magistrates and kings' fathers seem to have the same personality."
Amah agreed, "It does seem that way, doesn't it?"
The stone-cutter
laughed, saying, "All those characters could even be Our Exalted Majesty
himself."
"Yes," Amah said. "They could."
HINT HINT (p300). That's another favorite.
After that, we move on to the next chapter, following Yishan and Pinmei who have arrive at the Capital City on the back of BaiMa, and enter one of the saddest chapters in the whole book - maybe even the whole series. They come into the city to a huge throng of people, crowding around the dock. As they ask questions it's revealed that a woman came to the Great Wall bringing clothes for her husband only to find out he was dead - as one tear fell onto the wall, it fell, exposing her husband's dead body in the rubble. Then, as the story goes, the emperor had her brought to him and as soon as he saw her he was "enchanted" - as enchanted as a tiger can be - with her beauty and agreed to honor her request: that her husband be buried in the sea, despite its being frozen over. Yishan and Pinmei have arrived just in time to see the funeral.
Everyone is ordered to kneel before the emperor, as he comes behind the woman trailing the coffin. Pinmei looks up and, just as she thought . . . it's Lady Meng, the one who loved her husband so much.
They drop the coffin in, and the emperor says, now you can marry me and Lady Meng says yes she said she could only marry once her husband was buried - but she could never marry a ruthless tyrant who didn't care about the people who suffered for him. He tries to force her, she says you can try to marry my corpse, and with that she jumps into the hole in the ice, the one made for her husband. The emperor orders his soldiers to get her back - but the hole has iced over.
As everyone is yelling and talking and crowding around the dock, the emperor roaring at the men with pickaxes to get her back no matter what, to work on the ice until they break through, Pinmei and Yishan are pushed to the side of the dock and Yishan pulls her over to the edge, pointing -
┉┉┉┉┉┉┉┉
Under the surface of the ice was the translucent figure of someone swimming. Even though scarcely a shadow, the silhouette was graceful and lithe, her hair streaming behind her like ripples in the water. But as the woman turned to swim away, she distinctly flipped the tail of a fish.
The chapters ends on that note, switching to the Black Toroitse of Winter - mentioning that it was a human who captured him, and that the turtle only wishes to go home.
The next chapter is back to Yishan and Pinmei, at an inn, talking about what to do next. Yishan says they need to free the tortoise because the emperor has trapped him under the Iron Rod and they need the Iron Rod. And where both of those things are, Amah will be there too, so they can kill three birds with one stone - the Luminous Stone that Lights the Night. Pinmei, angered about the way Yishan has been acting and what he's agreed to take on without her permission or consultation, starts crying out of frustration. Yishan is taken aback and looks at Pinmei - "Pinmei," he says, his voice no longer pleading, but deep and clear with unexpected gravity. "Trust me."
And with that, Pinmei remembers Amah's last word to her - Remember, you can always trust Yishan. She looks at Yishan and sees the boy who pulled her out of a fiery hut and away from the hands of a cruel solder. No matter what, he is her true friend.
She stops crying and Yishan holds his handkerchief out to her, for her to dry her tears, and Pinmei gasps - in the handkerchief lies a small, round stone. "Exquisite in its size, perfect in its shape, the stone was lovelier than the finest pearl and more gorgeous than the costliest jewel." It's Lady Meng's teardrop, when she used the handkerchief on p98, the first page of ch17. As the sun goes down, the room at the inn starts to glow with a steady, bright light - because the stone starts to give off a soft, serene radiance just like the moon. It's a Luminous Stone That Lights the Night.
Chapter 66, Amah and the stone-cutter are woken by a voice. The emperor comes to visit, disguised as a lowly guard - why? Amah wonders. The emperor notices her scrutiny and asks why she's looking at him that way, and she says he reminds her of someone - which sparks a story. The story of Haiyi. You remember him? p321 is his story.
The village he lives in has three evils, the Old Man of the Moon tells him - so he rids the village of the first, the Old Man tells him the second, so he rids the village of that one too. Then he comes back and the Old Man says the third evil . . . is Haiyi. Haiyi is overcome with shame, and leaves the village, seeking solitude in seclusion. He reforms and at last becomes a hero.
The emperor gets mad at Amah and snarls, "That woman is never to speak in my presence again!", storming out of the cell.
Next chapter we're back to Pinmei and Yishan who tell the guards at the gate of the palace that they're here with a Luminous Stone that the emperor wants - the guards don't believe them, and say the emperor isn't going to see them anyway, but pass the message along despite the fact that they're just kids. They camp out and eventually an imperial servant shows up and leads them to the emperor. They exchange a few words, the emperor agreeing to give them Amah in exchange for the Luminous Stone which he can't "test" until the daylight fades. Why? That comes later. Then he tells the guards to get Amah, ordering them to bring her through the Black Tortoise Gate, as he prepares to go there himself in a sedan.
So he and his entourage, with Yishan and Pinmei in tow, get to the gate where he starts eating - out of Amah's blue-and-white china rice bowl. Pinmei is angry but before she can act on her anger, she sees two guards, and Amah, coming through the snow.
Amah comes closer and as she takes in her thinner, grayer appearance, she notices Amah is gagged - why? Pinmei doesn't know, but we do. The emperor is angry that she makes him feel guilty with her stories, and has ordered her not to talk in his presence. To reinforce that, he has her gagged.
"The stone?" The emperor asks. Yishan opens his handkerchief and the crowd murmurs.
┉┉┉┉┉┉┉┉
The stone seemed to reflect all the splendors of the world: the glittering of the sun on the sea, the flickering of fire, and the shine of silken threads.
The emperor sat back as if satisfied. "Now," he said, picking up his bowl and chopsticks again, "we wait for night."
While he waits, the emperor remarks this would be a good time for a story but - too bad the Storyteller is a bit limited right now. "You could take her gag off," Yishan mentions. But the emperor says no - "It's best not to underestimate the power of the Storyteller's voice." Because she might tell Pinmei something or tell the crowd something about him through a story, something he wants to keep hidden. But Pinmei must know one, being the Storyteller's granddaughter, he adds. Pinmei looks at him and something deeper than rage steels itself inside her. Pinmei has come a long way from feeling as if words had frozen in her throat - the most powerful, hate-filled, cruel, indifferent tyrant, the Tiger Emperor, doesn't stop her from offering to tell a story, but not one of her grandmother's. Excellent, he says, hers are tiresome. She says this one won't be - it's never been heard before. Good, the emperor says. Begin.
So Pinmei, shy, quiet, mouse-like Pinmei, tells him The Story of Our Mountain, the mountain that has been called many names - Endless Mountain, Moon-Holding Peak, and even Never-Ending Mountain. And it is there that the moon rests. At the top is an old man who also has many names - the Wise Sage, the Spirit of the Mountain, the Old Man of the Moon.
It is the custom of each new ruler to make a visit to the mountain, meet with the Mountain Spirit, gain his wisdom and approval, ultimately proving that they are capable of ruling (sidenote: Rendi probably didn't have any trouble since Mr Shan already knew and approved of him and because, in his humbleness earned at the foot of the mountain through the work of Madame Chang, he would have no trouble with the Spirit Mountain). One ruler, the latest ruler, tried getting up the mountain but was stopped by snow and hail cutting into him. Angered, he yells up, "Do you know who I am?" A voice replies, "I do - but do you?"
"Of course!" the ruler retorted.
"Do you?" the mocking voice continues. "Do you know whether you are a green tiger turned man or man turned green tiger? Will you ever know?"
The man bellows his fury, trying to drive the snow away. The voice tells him as long as he has the turtle pinned down, he will always be stuck with winter.
"Poor mortal," the mountain keeps whispering contemptuously in his ear. Furious, he is rolled to the base of the mountain where his assistants gape at him. Snarling, he returns to his city and orders a wall to be built - a wall that will keep the turtle contained, if he ever escapes.
The emperor, of course, is boiling with anger after the story and starts to roar until a silver light begins shining on him - Yishan is holding up the Luminous Stone as a clear, soft brightness spills from his hands and pours into the sky. It is lighting the night.
The crowd gasps and the guards loosen their hold on Amah who takes advantage of that and yanks off her gag - "Yishan! Pinmei!" she cried out. "He doesn't want the stone! It's a trap!" - At her outburst, one of the guards strikes her on the head, she falls, and the emperor laughs. She is right, he doesn't. He never did. He looks at Yishan with malicious triumph, an almost hungry look in his eyes. It was Yishan he wanted all this time. "I knew only you could bring me the stone, Ginseng Boy!" he says.
┉┉┉┉┉┉┉┉
Ginseng Boy? Pinmei whisked her head to look, open-mouthed, at Yishan. He was staring back at the emperor in shock and, for the first time Pinmei could remember, she saw a flicker of fear on Yishan's face. Pinmei suddenly felt as if she were seeing him for the first time, the redness of Yishan's hat and clothes burning with a light of its own.
"Old Man of the Moon! Spirit of the Mountain! Whatever they call you!" the emperor continued. "You, who can never ignore mortal suffering! You, who always come to help! That's how I knew you would come! And now that I have you, I will have my immortality!"
"No!" Yishan hissed, and he threw the stone at the emperor. For a moment, the world silenced. The stone flew in a direct arc toward the emperor's chest, like a shooting star in the dark sky. The emperor's eyes flashed in the light of the lanterns, showing sudden terror. But right before the stone hit, out of nowhere, a black shadow jumped in and seized it!
The black shadow is a monkey who grabs the glittering stone, another monkey jumping on it - a monkey with a jade bracelet - trying to take the stone which has grown heavy. It could no more lift it than it could lift the moon.
┉┉┉┉┉┉┉┉
The emperor laughed again and waved his hand. In an instant, the guards piled atop Yishan, his red hat disappearing from view.
"Here, only a mountain can lift the moon!" The emperor cackled. He began to stalk toward the hill of soldiers, his hand reaching for his sword. "The moon that is a tear cried by a fish-tail goddess! The tear that is stone that only you as the Mountain Spirit can carry! And you, as the Ginseng Boy, who I will kill to be immortal!"
"No!" Pinmei screamed.
Pinmei runs, jumps at the emperor, who scoops her up and laughs, holding her tightly. But...
┉┉┉┉┉┉┉┉
Instead of kicking and thrashing, Pinmei clutched at the emperor's golden robes, searching. Where was it? There! There it was! It wasn't a pin after all! It was a needle! A needle sticking into black embroidery. Black embroidery of a tortoise! [...]
The Iron Rod can shrink to the size of a needle, the Sea King had said. I gave her that needle from the treasury, Joy to the Heart had said. I sewed him a dragon shirt to protect him, even leaving in my needle, said Lady Meng. The Tiger King held the piece of shirt in his hands, the king of the City of Bright Moonlight said, and then became invincible. Pinmei stared at the needle. Could it? Could it be? It had to be!
So, with the emperor's laughter still echoing across the courtyard, Pinmei grabbed the needle and yanked the Iron Rod off the Black Tortoise of Winter.
When she yanks off the pin - the Iron Rod - she releases the Black Tortoise from its trap. It shatters everything in its path to get back home. Pinmei falls forward, embedding the rod in the ground, which stops the ground she's on from shaking - she's still wearing the thread Yishan gave her in replacement for the jade bracelet the monkey took, and that thread protects her from anything falling. After everything stops, she gets up and sees her grandmother.
Amah's eyes are closed, her face is pale except for a red gash on her forehead. Pinmei starts to cry until Yishan touches her shoulder - he has Amah's special rice bowl. She moves away and he takes her place, holding his hand out for the Iron Rod. He smiles, gives her braid an affectionate tug, and pricks his finger. Only a single drop of clear, golden liquid falls from his finger, but when Pinmei looks at the bowl, it's full. He lets it drop into Amah's mouth and slowly her face begins to show color, the cut on her forehead disappearing and she opens her eyes. She hugs Pinmei but to her surprise, a sad expression comes over Amah's face -
Pinmei turned to look at Yishan and her mouth fell open. Yishan was not there. Instead, there was an old man, tall and silver and dressed in gray. He held a red bag in his hand, a bag Pinmei recognized as made from the same cloth as Yishan's clothes.
"She wanted you to finally live as a boy and grow old as you are supposed to," Amah lamented, "instead of always giving up your youth to keep her alive. You shouldn't have done it for me."
"Nonsense, Minli," the old man said. He shook the needle in his hand, and it grew into an iron walking stick. "You know this is exactly what she would have wished me to do. Besides, what is another ninety-nine years? I'll soon be young again and I'll start over."
See the significance? Yishan, the Old Man of the Moon, is immortal. But if he gives his blood to save someone else from dying, he turns into an old man. He had kept Meiya alive, a little girl when Rendi was a young man (the little girl who gives the young king the stone fish). The same Rendi who was some years older than Amah, because when Amah visits him, he's somewhere around young to middle aged which would put Meiya around old teenager (17 to 19). Yishan kept her alive until she told him no more - and so he becomes a young boy, to grow up like a normal boy, which he would have done except he gave Amah his blood so that she could live for Pinmei. Which turns him back into an old man, where he will stay for 99 years.
After that revelation, he and Amah exchange a few words, he tells the monkeys to do no more mischief, and returns the bracelet to Pinmei. Directing their attention to a bridge rising from the mist behind them, they look at the world coming to life after a long winter (now that the tortoise of winter is freed) - swallows waking up, snow melting, and a warm gentle breeze blowing. As they turn back around, Yishan is gone - they're left alone, in a world slowly turning warm.
Next chapter, the turtle reunites with a snake (his tongue).
After that, we go back - to the City of Bright Moonlight, where Amah and Pinmei have returned to after Yishan left them. Yanna is walking around with them fsr, and they come to a gazebo where the king is, Yanna sees a man walking towards it, and is happy bc he's her dad (I think, or maybe her granddad), and Pinmei's happy bc the dude he's walking with is Sifen, and the king is happy bc Sifen is his son, who was going to live with the old guy and his wife to hide from the Tiger Emperor.
Everyone has questions and wants to talk, so after everyone hugs and is happy to be alive, they all ask Pinmei to tell the story of everything and what's been going on so she does, and just like Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, it ends with the mc surrounded by friends, telling them a story. That's where we leave them, and the series ends on a high note with everyone happy.
The End.
Also the last two paragraphs probably aren't very accurate bc I don't totally remember the end of the story. I'll come back and edit after I reread it, if I remember to.
After that, we move on to the next chapter, following Yishan and Pinmei who have arrive at the Capital City on the back of BaiMa, and enter one of the saddest chapters in the whole book - maybe even the whole series. They come into the city to a huge throng of people, crowding around the dock. As they ask questions it's revealed that a woman came to the Great Wall bringing clothes for her husband only to find out he was dead - as one tear fell onto the wall, it fell, exposing her husband's dead body in the rubble. Then, as the story goes, the emperor had her brought to him and as soon as he saw her he was "enchanted" - as enchanted as a tiger can be - with her beauty and agreed to honor her request: that her husband be buried in the sea, despite its being frozen over. Yishan and Pinmei have arrived just in time to see the funeral.
Everyone is ordered to kneel before the emperor, as he comes behind the woman trailing the coffin. Pinmei looks up and, just as she thought . . . it's Lady Meng, the one who loved her husband so much.
They drop the coffin in, and the emperor says, now you can marry me and Lady Meng says yes she said she could only marry once her husband was buried - but she could never marry a ruthless tyrant who didn't care about the people who suffered for him. He tries to force her, she says you can try to marry my corpse, and with that she jumps into the hole in the ice, the one made for her husband. The emperor orders his soldiers to get her back - but the hole has iced over.
As everyone is yelling and talking and crowding around the dock, the emperor roaring at the men with pickaxes to get her back no matter what, to work on the ice until they break through, Pinmei and Yishan are pushed to the side of the dock and Yishan pulls her over to the edge, pointing -
┉┉┉┉┉┉┉┉
┉┉┉┉┉┉┉┉
The chapters ends on that note, switching to the Black Toroitse of Winter - mentioning that it was a human who captured him, and that the turtle only wishes to go home.
The next chapter is back to Yishan and Pinmei, at an inn, talking about what to do next. Yishan says they need to free the tortoise because the emperor has trapped him under the Iron Rod and they need the Iron Rod. And where both of those things are, Amah will be there too, so they can kill three birds with one stone - the Luminous Stone that Lights the Night. Pinmei, angered about the way Yishan has been acting and what he's agreed to take on without her permission or consultation, starts crying out of frustration. Yishan is taken aback and looks at Pinmei - "Pinmei," he says, his voice no longer pleading, but deep and clear with unexpected gravity. "Trust me."
And with that, Pinmei remembers Amah's last word to her - Remember, you can always trust Yishan. She looks at Yishan and sees the boy who pulled her out of a fiery hut and away from the hands of a cruel solder. No matter what, he is her true friend.
She stops crying and Yishan holds his handkerchief out to her, for her to dry her tears, and Pinmei gasps - in the handkerchief lies a small, round stone. "Exquisite in its size, perfect in its shape, the stone was lovelier than the finest pearl and more gorgeous than the costliest jewel." It's Lady Meng's teardrop, when she used the handkerchief on p98, the first page of ch17. As the sun goes down, the room at the inn starts to glow with a steady, bright light - because the stone starts to give off a soft, serene radiance just like the moon. It's a Luminous Stone That Lights the Night.
Chapter 66, Amah and the stone-cutter are woken by a voice. The emperor comes to visit, disguised as a lowly guard - why? Amah wonders. The emperor notices her scrutiny and asks why she's looking at him that way, and she says he reminds her of someone - which sparks a story. The story of Haiyi. You remember him? p321 is his story.
The village he lives in has three evils, the Old Man of the Moon tells him - so he rids the village of the first, the Old Man tells him the second, so he rids the village of that one too. Then he comes back and the Old Man says the third evil . . . is Haiyi. Haiyi is overcome with shame, and leaves the village, seeking solitude in seclusion. He reforms and at last becomes a hero.
The emperor gets mad at Amah and snarls, "That woman is never to speak in my presence again!", storming out of the cell.
Next chapter we're back to Pinmei and Yishan who tell the guards at the gate of the palace that they're here with a Luminous Stone that the emperor wants - the guards don't believe them, and say the emperor isn't going to see them anyway, but pass the message along despite the fact that they're just kids. They camp out and eventually an imperial servant shows up and leads them to the emperor. They exchange a few words, the emperor agreeing to give them Amah in exchange for the Luminous Stone which he can't "test" until the daylight fades. Why? That comes later. Then he tells the guards to get Amah, ordering them to bring her through the Black Tortoise Gate, as he prepares to go there himself in a sedan.
So he and his entourage, with Yishan and Pinmei in tow, get to the gate where he starts eating - out of Amah's blue-and-white china rice bowl. Pinmei is angry but before she can act on her anger, she sees two guards, and Amah, coming through the snow.
Amah comes closer and as she takes in her thinner, grayer appearance, she notices Amah is gagged - why? Pinmei doesn't know, but we do. The emperor is angry that she makes him feel guilty with her stories, and has ordered her not to talk in his presence. To reinforce that, he has her gagged.
"The stone?" The emperor asks. Yishan opens his handkerchief and the crowd murmurs.
┉┉┉┉┉┉┉┉
The emperor sat back as if satisfied. "Now," he said, picking up his bowl and chopsticks again, "we wait for night."
┉┉┉┉┉┉┉┉
While he waits, the emperor remarks this would be a good time for a story but - too bad the Storyteller is a bit limited right now. "You could take her gag off," Yishan mentions. But the emperor says no - "It's best not to underestimate the power of the Storyteller's voice." Because she might tell Pinmei something or tell the crowd something about him through a story, something he wants to keep hidden. But Pinmei must know one, being the Storyteller's granddaughter, he adds. Pinmei looks at him and something deeper than rage steels itself inside her. Pinmei has come a long way from feeling as if words had frozen in her throat - the most powerful, hate-filled, cruel, indifferent tyrant, the Tiger Emperor, doesn't stop her from offering to tell a story, but not one of her grandmother's. Excellent, he says, hers are tiresome. She says this one won't be - it's never been heard before. Good, the emperor says. Begin.
So Pinmei, shy, quiet, mouse-like Pinmei, tells him The Story of Our Mountain, the mountain that has been called many names - Endless Mountain, Moon-Holding Peak, and even Never-Ending Mountain. And it is there that the moon rests. At the top is an old man who also has many names - the Wise Sage, the Spirit of the Mountain, the Old Man of the Moon.
It is the custom of each new ruler to make a visit to the mountain, meet with the Mountain Spirit, gain his wisdom and approval, ultimately proving that they are capable of ruling (sidenote: Rendi probably didn't have any trouble since Mr Shan already knew and approved of him and because, in his humbleness earned at the foot of the mountain through the work of Madame Chang, he would have no trouble with the Spirit Mountain). One ruler, the latest ruler, tried getting up the mountain but was stopped by snow and hail cutting into him. Angered, he yells up, "Do you know who I am?" A voice replies, "I do - but do you?"
"Of course!" the ruler retorted.
"Do you?" the mocking voice continues. "Do you know whether you are a green tiger turned man or man turned green tiger? Will you ever know?"
The man bellows his fury, trying to drive the snow away. The voice tells him as long as he has the turtle pinned down, he will always be stuck with winter.
"Poor mortal," the mountain keeps whispering contemptuously in his ear. Furious, he is rolled to the base of the mountain where his assistants gape at him. Snarling, he returns to his city and orders a wall to be built - a wall that will keep the turtle contained, if he ever escapes.
The emperor, of course, is boiling with anger after the story and starts to roar until a silver light begins shining on him - Yishan is holding up the Luminous Stone as a clear, soft brightness spills from his hands and pours into the sky. It is lighting the night.
The crowd gasps and the guards loosen their hold on Amah who takes advantage of that and yanks off her gag - "Yishan! Pinmei!" she cried out. "He doesn't want the stone! It's a trap!" - At her outburst, one of the guards strikes her on the head, she falls, and the emperor laughs. She is right, he doesn't. He never did. He looks at Yishan with malicious triumph, an almost hungry look in his eyes. It was Yishan he wanted all this time. "I knew only you could bring me the stone, Ginseng Boy!" he says.
┉┉┉┉┉┉┉┉
"Old Man of the Moon! Spirit of the Mountain! Whatever they call you!" the emperor continued. "You, who can never ignore mortal suffering! You, who always come to help! That's how I knew you would come! And now that I have you, I will have my immortality!"
"No!" Yishan hissed, and he threw the stone at the emperor. For a moment, the world silenced. The stone flew in a direct arc toward the emperor's chest, like a shooting star in the dark sky. The emperor's eyes flashed in the light of the lanterns, showing sudden terror. But right before the stone hit, out of nowhere, a black shadow jumped in and seized it!
┉┉┉┉┉┉┉┉
The black shadow is a monkey who grabs the glittering stone, another monkey jumping on it - a monkey with a jade bracelet - trying to take the stone which has grown heavy. It could no more lift it than it could lift the moon.
┉┉┉┉┉┉┉┉
"Here, only a mountain can lift the moon!" The emperor cackled. He began to stalk toward the hill of soldiers, his hand reaching for his sword. "The moon that is a tear cried by a fish-tail goddess! The tear that is stone that only you as the Mountain Spirit can carry! And you, as the Ginseng Boy, who I will kill to be immortal!"
"No!" Pinmei screamed.
┉┉┉┉┉┉┉┉
Pinmei runs, jumps at the emperor, who scoops her up and laughs, holding her tightly. But...
┉┉┉┉┉┉┉┉
The Iron Rod can shrink to the size of a needle, the Sea King had said. I gave her that needle from the treasury, Joy to the Heart had said. I sewed him a dragon shirt to protect him, even leaving in my needle, said Lady Meng. The Tiger King held the piece of shirt in his hands, the king of the City of Bright Moonlight said, and then became invincible. Pinmei stared at the needle. Could it? Could it be? It had to be!
So, with the emperor's laughter still echoing across the courtyard, Pinmei grabbed the needle and yanked the Iron Rod off the Black Tortoise of Winter.
┉┉┉┉┉┉┉┉
When she yanks off the pin - the Iron Rod - she releases the Black Tortoise from its trap. It shatters everything in its path to get back home. Pinmei falls forward, embedding the rod in the ground, which stops the ground she's on from shaking - she's still wearing the thread Yishan gave her in replacement for the jade bracelet the monkey took, and that thread protects her from anything falling. After everything stops, she gets up and sees her grandmother.
Amah's eyes are closed, her face is pale except for a red gash on her forehead. Pinmei starts to cry until Yishan touches her shoulder - he has Amah's special rice bowl. She moves away and he takes her place, holding his hand out for the Iron Rod. He smiles, gives her braid an affectionate tug, and pricks his finger. Only a single drop of clear, golden liquid falls from his finger, but when Pinmei looks at the bowl, it's full. He lets it drop into Amah's mouth and slowly her face begins to show color, the cut on her forehead disappearing and she opens her eyes. She hugs Pinmei but to her surprise, a sad expression comes over Amah's face -
┉┉┉┉┉┉┉┉
"Yishan,"
Amah said, sitting up and shaking her head, "Meiya would never forgive
me."Pinmei turned to look at Yishan and her mouth fell open. Yishan was not there. Instead, there was an old man, tall and silver and dressed in gray. He held a red bag in his hand, a bag Pinmei recognized as made from the same cloth as Yishan's clothes.
"She wanted you to finally live as a boy and grow old as you are supposed to," Amah lamented, "instead of always giving up your youth to keep her alive. You shouldn't have done it for me."
"Nonsense, Minli," the old man said. He shook the needle in his hand, and it grew into an iron walking stick. "You know this is exactly what she would have wished me to do. Besides, what is another ninety-nine years? I'll soon be young again and I'll start over."
┉┉┉┉┉┉┉┉
See the significance? Yishan, the Old Man of the Moon, is immortal. But if he gives his blood to save someone else from dying, he turns into an old man. He had kept Meiya alive, a little girl when Rendi was a young man (the little girl who gives the young king the stone fish). The same Rendi who was some years older than Amah, because when Amah visits him, he's somewhere around young to middle aged which would put Meiya around old teenager (17 to 19). Yishan kept her alive until she told him no more - and so he becomes a young boy, to grow up like a normal boy, which he would have done except he gave Amah his blood so that she could live for Pinmei. Which turns him back into an old man, where he will stay for 99 years.
After that revelation, he and Amah exchange a few words, he tells the monkeys to do no more mischief, and returns the bracelet to Pinmei. Directing their attention to a bridge rising from the mist behind them, they look at the world coming to life after a long winter (now that the tortoise of winter is freed) - swallows waking up, snow melting, and a warm gentle breeze blowing. As they turn back around, Yishan is gone - they're left alone, in a world slowly turning warm.
Next chapter, the turtle reunites with a snake (his tongue).
After that, we go back - to the City of Bright Moonlight, where Amah and Pinmei have returned to after Yishan left them. Yanna is walking around with them fsr, and they come to a gazebo where the king is, Yanna sees a man walking towards it, and is happy bc he's her dad (I think, or maybe her granddad), and Pinmei's happy bc the dude he's walking with is Sifen, and the king is happy bc Sifen is his son, who was going to live with the old guy and his wife to hide from the Tiger Emperor.
Everyone has questions and wants to talk, so after everyone hugs and is happy to be alive, they all ask Pinmei to tell the story of everything and what's been going on so she does, and just like Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, it ends with the mc surrounded by friends, telling them a story. That's where we leave them, and the series ends on a high note with everyone happy.
The End.
Also the last two paragraphs probably aren't very accurate bc I don't totally remember the end of the story. I'll come back and edit after I reread it, if I remember to.
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"The true writer has nothing to say. What counts is the way he says it." ~ Alain Robbe-Grillet