Chapter 117: Firmly Supporting Goddess Nuwa in Mending the Heavens!

In a short while, the main scene shifted back to the Goddess Nüwa.

She had begun crafting the *sheng* and *huang*—musical instruments. The accompanying text clarified that these referred to a category of instruments rather than one specific piece. The *sheng* is a bamboo wind instrument, while the *huang* refers to the reed within it.

Bamboo instruments are typically high-pitched and play a vital role in orchestral arrangements. For instance, in a modern symphony orchestra, the size of the woodwind section is often determined by the number of flutes, which frequently carry the main melody. The background music, titled *Immortal*, also featured a woodwind—the flute—alongside the *sizhu* (silk and bamboo), an ensemble unique to the Huaxia tradition.

After tinkering with the *se* (a plucked zither) and the *xun* (a globular flute), Nüwa wore a look of pure joy. The screen then revealed a man with the body of a serpent: Fuxi, the Azure Emperor, Nüwa’s brother and husband.

Many viewers were puzzled by this.

"Wait? Is Goddess Fuxi playing a stringed zither? And if he's her brother, why has he become her husband?"

"It seems so. Something must have happened."

"Look, it's getting dark. What are they doing?"

Fuxi and Nüwa ceased their music. Fuxi covered his face with leaves, and Nüwa hid hers with reed blossoms as they became husband and wife. In the dimly lit bridal chamber, the tails of the two deities began to intertwine. Fuxi breathed heavily, Nüwa blushed, and as the image of their union—the *Jiaowei* (intertwining tails) scroll—appeared, the lights dimmed.

The scene jumped forward several years. Nüwa and Fuxi’s children were not shown in detail, only briefly alluded to.

Elsewhere, the Fire God Zhurong, Lord of the Palace of Light, appeared, and the divine flames surrounding the palace flickered out. Then came the Water God Gonggong, whose minions began to stir up chaos, extinguishing the sacred fires. As the fires died, the earth fell into darkness.

"Wow, a world without stars—you really can't handle that."

"Where is Goddess Nüwa? Come out and fix this!"

"Both sides have human faces and serpent bodies; there seems to be some logic to that, right?"

"Holy cow, the divine fire is back."

Light returned as Zhurong, riding a fire dragon, charged toward Gonggong’s domain. Unable to win alone, he called upon the Wind God for assistance.

The rain ceased, the clouds dispersed, and heaven and earth were restored to light. Gonggong, refusing to yield, ordered his generals to swallow the waters of the great rivers, and the divine fire was extinguished once more. Zhurong refused to accept defeat, reigniting the flames with the Wind God’s help. The water armies failed to contain the flood, the waters burst forth for thousands of miles, and Gonggong was defeated.

Pressing his advantage, Zhurong charged directly into the Water Palace.

A great flight across the world ensued. Driven to desperation and rage, Gonggong, seeing his pursuers closing in, slammed his head into the side of a massive mountain. Mount Buzhou snapped at the waist, the firmament collapsed, the Heavenly River spilled forth, and floods erupted, leaving the earth in agony.

For years, vast portions of the land were submerged, and humanity suffered countless casualties. Nüwa’s expression turned somber.

"This is terrible, there's such a huge hole in the sky."

"Is this the 'Dome Heaven' theory? The sky shouldn't be like that, right?"

"You fool, it's a myth. Someone explain it to him."

"Generally, any event has three forms: its original reality, its historical narrative—which is selective—and its folkloric representation. This film falls into the category of a mythological, folkloric representation. Here, logic is useless; you just don't understand the beauty of myth."

The music, *Immortal*, reached its second major climax. The jumping bows of the brass and strings continued to build, preparing for the third climax in this narratively rich theme.

On screen, Nüwa prepared to mend the sky. She gathered stones from various rivers, washing and stacking them until they grew into a massive pile. She then began to refine five-colored divine stones—red, yellow, white, blue, and pure azure—totaling 36,501 pieces. In the end, she used 36,500, leaving one stone behind: the sentient Precious Jade.

"Why is there an extra stone? Is that not Sun Wukong?"

"The stone Nüwa used to count the humans earlier doesn't seem to be it either."

"Let's see how Teacher Xiaotian wrote this script."

"Maybe *Journey to the West* is a separate work, or perhaps they share a deep connection. Regardless, Sun Wukong is still to come; let's focus on Nüwa and the Great Flood."

"This can't escape the framework of the flood myth. Water is the source of myth and civilization, but the philosophy of this *Immortal* piece should stay rooted in the Great Dao, rather than just stopping at the title of the 'Mother of Waters'."

"How many times have you said that? Do you think the essence of water is something everyone can understand? Do you think Teacher Xiaotian knows less than you?"

"Stop yapping, the big climax is here!"

There was no dialogue, and even many sound effects were omitted; thus, the theme song and the background music, *Immortal*, were paramount. Every one of the hundreds of notes, every scale, melody, and rhythm was meticulously crafted.

Wherever the music led, the film followed; every arrangement was deliberate.

Now, as Nüwa soared into the heavens, a silver dragon appeared. Through the perspective of Le Xiaotian, he and Chen Fang appeared on screen. He waved his hands, and more importantly, he began to chant, "Ho—ho—ho!"

With the performance of over a million musicians, combined with the extras on screen—humans looking up at their mother mending the sky, jumping with excitement and fervor—the energy was palpable. Finally, the two billion Fama people roared, "Ho—ho—ho!" through their vision, hearing, touch, and even, it seemed, their scent.

In the Fama Black Palace, the Empress, wearing her multifunctional holographic glasses, became fully immersed in the role of Nüwa. She, too, yearned to be someone who could mend the sky for her people.

The majestic brass section played in unison. Trumpeters and horn players swayed, their movements synchronized, blowing toward the heavens, their sound shaking the firmament. The string players—violins, violas, and cellos—executed extreme jumping and staccato bows. Though they were watching the film, they played with perfection.

The flutists in the highest registers played with breathtaking agility, fingers dancing. The most charismatic choir, both men and women, marched in place, shouting toward the sky, "Oh—oh—oh, ho—ho—ho!"

Everything was in harmony, both inside and outside the film, as everyone cheered for Goddess Nüwa.

The silver dragon coiled upward around Nüwa’s body, while Le Xiaotian conducted with overwhelming grandeur. During the mending, the pressure from the hole in the sky was infinite. The five-colored stones erupted with dazzling light, releasing boundless power. Nüwa’s hair and long gown fluttered, her expression one of cool, noble grace.

The theme song synced perfectly with her movements. The stones finally gained the upper hand, locking directly into the breach. With a flash of divine light, it was seamless!

At that moment, everyone cheered, and the *Immortal* theme concluded with the soaring harmonics of the zithers.

Soon after, Nüwa entered the vast ocean, slew the water monsters, and finally captured a giant turtle, cutting off its four legs.

These became the four pillars of heaven, and as the text explained the stabilization of the four poles, the mending was complete. Heaven and earth were finally secure. The humans on earth were able to multiply and thrive.