The Third Goddess gave birth to her son Chenxiang in the completely dark cave. To prevent any later mishap, she wrote a letter with her own blood and concealed it within the clothes of the child. She also entrusted the God of the Land with the task of handing over the child to Liu Yanchang when he made a pilgrimage to the Temple of Goddess one month later.
Liu Yanchang succeeded in the government examination and was appointed Governor of Yangzhou. Before he took up the post, however, he especially came to Huashan Mountain. But, to his dismay, the Temple of the Goddess was full of dust and cobwebs. Though the appearance of the statue of the Goddess was as beautiful as ever, she wore an expression of great sadness.
Suddenly, a blast of fragrant wind blew and Liu heard the cries of a child. Liu raised his head and saw a baby lying on the incense burner table. He took it in his arms at once and found a piece of gharu-wood hanging around the baby’s neck and a letter written in blood in its clothes.
After reading the letter, Liu burst into tears, now understanding what had befallen the Third Goddess and that the baby was his son.
Liu took Chenxiang back to Yangzhou in tears. He employed an ayah and brought up the boy with great care. Chenxiang grew steadily day by day and became both clever and strong.
At the age of 13, Chenxiang accidently discovered the letter written by his mother and thus discovered that she was imprisoned under the Huashan Mountain. He immediately wanted to rescue his mother but his father only shook his head at the idea and sighed deeply. One day, Chenxiang could no longer restrain himself and left without saying goodbye to his father. He went to the Huashan Mountain with the letter to rescue his mother.
He experienced innumerable trials and hardships on the journey but fi nally arrived at the Huashan Mountain. But, where was his mother?
He called out loudly. His miserable shouts and cries resounded in the valley, attracting the attention of an immortal named Pili Daxian who just happened to be passing. This kind immortal read the letter and felt indignant for the virtuous Third Goddess and her distressed child. After thinking for a while, he agreed to help Chenxiang rescue his mother.
Chenxiang urged the immortal to set out straight away. The immortal walked as if flying ahead and Chenxiang followed closely behind.
On the way, they came upon a great river. The immortal flew over it. However, there was neither bridge nor ferryman. Without hesitation, Chenxiang jumped into the swiftly flowing waters, with a view to swimming across the river in order to keep up with the immortal. Fortunately, this was a heavenly river. Washed by its waters, Chenxiang was changed completely and thoroughly and endowed with supernatural strength.
The immortal also told him that a magic axe was buried in the mountain ahead which could split the Huashan Mountain. Chenxiang ran swiftly forward but encountered a raging fire. To fetch the axe, Chenxiang dived into the flames. Luckily, there was no fi re inside. He saw the axe on the cliff, shining with a strange glow. Chenxiang strode one step forward and twisted off the chains that bound the axe.
Now possessing immortal power and the magic axe, Chenxiang thanked the immortal and proceeded to Huashan Mountain to rescue his mother. He found the Black Cloud Cave and called out to his mother from in front of it. The sound penetrated layer upon layer of rocks and reached the Third Goddess
Knowing her son had come to rescue her, the Third Goddess was immensely excited. However, she knew that God Erlang was infinitely resourceful. Even Sun Wukong, who made havoc in the heavens, had been beaten by him. Chenxiang was still only a boy and God Erlang had the lotus lantern, so the former was no match for the latter. Hence, the Third Goddess asked her son not to act rashly and instead go in supplication to her brother.
Chenxiang arrived at the temple of God Erlang and tried every means to entreat him. However, God Erlang was as hard as the netherworld’s millstone, and was not only unwilling to set free the Third Goddess but also lifted his broadsword with three points and two blades to aim a blow at Chenxiang.
Chenxiang was now furiously angry and brandished the axe while moving towards God Erlang. The two fought from heaven to earth, shaking the ground and overturning the rivers and seas.
The scenes startled the Great White Planet in the heavens, who sent four fairies to have a look. After watching for a while from their seats on the clouds, the four fairies also came to believe that God Erlang was too heartless to his nephew. Hence, after giving each other a nod and a glance, they aided Chenxiang with some secret magic power. Chenxiang became increasingly valiant in the fight and God Erlang could ward off his blows no longer, barely escaping with a bad wound. The Lotus Lantern was restored to Chenxiang.
Chenxiang immediately hurried back to Huashan Mountain and came to the Black Cloud Cave. He brandished his axe and brought it down on the rock. With an earth-shaking noise, the Huashan Mountain split in two and the Goddess who had suffered captivity for 13 years saw the light of day once more, and embraced her son for a long time.
