Chapter 5
Tu Tze-chun's body was lying on his back on the rock.
But his soul quietly slipped out of his body and descended to the depths of hell.
There was a dark-hole-road between this world and hell, where a cold wind blew in the dark sky all year round.
For a while, Tu Tze-chun just drifted through the sky like a leaf.
Soon after, he arrived in front of the magnificent palace with a plaque "Senluodian" hanging on the wall.
As soon as the demons in front of the palace saw Tu Tze-chun, they quickly surrounded him, and took him in front of the stairs.
At the top of the stairs, a king, wearing a black robe and a gold crown, stared sternly at them.
He must be the great king of hell, Yama that Tu Tze-chun had heard before.
Tu Tze-chun was kneeling there, wondering what would happen to him.
"What were you sitting on Mt. Emei for?"
Yama's voice rang out from above the stairs like a thunder.
Tu Tze-chun immediately tried to answer the question.
But suddenly he remembered the words of Tie Guanzi, "Never speak."
So he just kept his head down and remained silent like a deaf person.
Yama raised the iron scepter he was holding and, turning his face's beard upside down, said.
"Where do you think you are? The sooner you respond, the better.
Otherwise, you'll have hell to pay for it." He cursed intimidatingly.
But Tu Tze-chun never moved his lips.
Seeing this, Yama immediately turned to the demons and said wildly.
The demons were afraid of him all at once, and taking Tu Tze-chun, flew up into the sky of Senluodian.
As everyone knows, there were not only the swords mountain and the pool of blood, but also the flaming valley of Scorching-heat-hell and the icy sea of Cold-hell under a pitch-black sky.
The demons threw Tu Tze-chun into the hells.
So cruelly, Tu Tze-chun was pierced in the chest by a sword, his face was burned by a flame, his tongue was plucked out, his skin was peeled off, he was crushed by an iron pestle, he was boiled in a pot of oil, his brains were sucked out by a poisonous snake, and his eyes were eaten by a bear hawk.
――He was tormented in every way without end.
Still, Tu Tze-chun was patient, gritted his teeth, and did not speak a word.
This must have stunned the demons as well.
Flying through the sky like a night once again, they returned to Senluodian.
And they took Tu Tze-chun under the stairs, said to Yama on the palace all at once.
"This sinner, by all means, does not say anything."
Yama's eyebrows furrowed in thought for a while, but then he seemed to have a thought in mind.
"The man's parents must have fallen into the animal realm. Bring them here immediately." He ordered one demon.
The demon soon rode the wind and flew up into the infernal sky.
Just as the star was flowing, the demon spurred the two beasts to descend in front of Senluodian.
When Tu Tze-chun saw the beasts, he was very, very surprised.
They were both shabby, skinny horses, but their faces were just like his dead parents' face, which he had never forgotten.
"What were you sitting on Mt. Emei for?
I'll give your parents a hard time, if you don't confess it right away."
When Tu Tze-chun was scolded, he did not respond to the question.
"You are unfilial.
You think it's all right to be happy with yourself even if your parents are suffering."
Yama called out in a terrific voice, so much so that even Senluodian collapsed.
"Strike, demons. Crush those two beasts to pieces, flesh and bone."
The demons said "yes" in unison.
Taking the iron whip, they stood up and beat the two horses mercilessly from all directions.
The whip whipped through the wind and beat the skin and flesh of the horses like rain everywhere.
The horse――the parents who had become beasts, writhing in agony, with tears of blood in his eyes, wretchedly cried out.
"How about it? You still don't confess?"
Yama ordered the demons to stop their whipping hand for a moment and once again prompted Tu Tze-chun's answer.
By this time, the two horses were lying face down in front of the stairs, their flesh torn and their bones crushed, breathless.
Tu Tze-chun frantically closed his eyes as he thought about the words of Tie Guanzi.
Then a very, very faint voice came to his ears.
"Don't worry. Whatever happens to us, as long as it makes you happy, it's nothing better than that.
No matter what the great king says, keep quiet about what you don't want to say."
It must be the voice of his mother that he missed.
Tu Tze-chun involuntarily opened his eyes.
Then he saw one of the horses, lying on the ground helplessly, eyes gazing into his face, sadly.
In the midst of all this suffering, the mother thought of her son's heart and didn't even show her resentment for being beaten by the whips of the demons.
What a grateful heart compared to the people of the world who flattered him when he were rich and didn't talk when he were poor.
What an impressive heart.
Tu Tze-chun forgot about the old man's warning and ran to her side as if he were falling down.
Holding the neck of a half-dead horse with both hands, he cried out with tears in his eyes, "Mother", one voice......
- To return to table of contents of Tu Tze-chun
But his soul quietly slipped out of his body and descended to the depths of hell.
There was a dark-hole-road between this world and hell, where a cold wind blew in the dark sky all year round.
For a while, Tu Tze-chun just drifted through the sky like a leaf.
Soon after, he arrived in front of the magnificent palace with a plaque "Senluodian" hanging on the wall.
As soon as the demons in front of the palace saw Tu Tze-chun, they quickly surrounded him, and took him in front of the stairs.
At the top of the stairs, a king, wearing a black robe and a gold crown, stared sternly at them.
He must be the great king of hell, Yama that Tu Tze-chun had heard before.
Tu Tze-chun was kneeling there, wondering what would happen to him.
"What were you sitting on Mt. Emei for?"
Yama's voice rang out from above the stairs like a thunder.
Tu Tze-chun immediately tried to answer the question.
But suddenly he remembered the words of Tie Guanzi, "Never speak."
So he just kept his head down and remained silent like a deaf person.
Yama raised the iron scepter he was holding and, turning his face's beard upside down, said.
"Where do you think you are? The sooner you respond, the better.
Otherwise, you'll have hell to pay for it." He cursed intimidatingly.
But Tu Tze-chun never moved his lips.
Seeing this, Yama immediately turned to the demons and said wildly.
The demons were afraid of him all at once, and taking Tu Tze-chun, flew up into the sky of Senluodian.
As everyone knows, there were not only the swords mountain and the pool of blood, but also the flaming valley of Scorching-heat-hell and the icy sea of Cold-hell under a pitch-black sky.
The demons threw Tu Tze-chun into the hells.
So cruelly, Tu Tze-chun was pierced in the chest by a sword, his face was burned by a flame, his tongue was plucked out, his skin was peeled off, he was crushed by an iron pestle, he was boiled in a pot of oil, his brains were sucked out by a poisonous snake, and his eyes were eaten by a bear hawk.
――He was tormented in every way without end.
Still, Tu Tze-chun was patient, gritted his teeth, and did not speak a word.
This must have stunned the demons as well.
Flying through the sky like a night once again, they returned to Senluodian.
And they took Tu Tze-chun under the stairs, said to Yama on the palace all at once.
"This sinner, by all means, does not say anything."
Yama's eyebrows furrowed in thought for a while, but then he seemed to have a thought in mind.
"The man's parents must have fallen into the animal realm. Bring them here immediately." He ordered one demon.
The demon soon rode the wind and flew up into the infernal sky.
Just as the star was flowing, the demon spurred the two beasts to descend in front of Senluodian.
When Tu Tze-chun saw the beasts, he was very, very surprised.
They were both shabby, skinny horses, but their faces were just like his dead parents' face, which he had never forgotten.
"What were you sitting on Mt. Emei for?
I'll give your parents a hard time, if you don't confess it right away."
When Tu Tze-chun was scolded, he did not respond to the question.
"You are unfilial.
You think it's all right to be happy with yourself even if your parents are suffering."
Yama called out in a terrific voice, so much so that even Senluodian collapsed.
"Strike, demons. Crush those two beasts to pieces, flesh and bone."
The demons said "yes" in unison.
Taking the iron whip, they stood up and beat the two horses mercilessly from all directions.
The whip whipped through the wind and beat the skin and flesh of the horses like rain everywhere.
The horse――the parents who had become beasts, writhing in agony, with tears of blood in his eyes, wretchedly cried out.
"How about it? You still don't confess?"
Yama ordered the demons to stop their whipping hand for a moment and once again prompted Tu Tze-chun's answer.
By this time, the two horses were lying face down in front of the stairs, their flesh torn and their bones crushed, breathless.
Tu Tze-chun frantically closed his eyes as he thought about the words of Tie Guanzi.
Then a very, very faint voice came to his ears.
"Don't worry. Whatever happens to us, as long as it makes you happy, it's nothing better than that.
No matter what the great king says, keep quiet about what you don't want to say."
It must be the voice of his mother that he missed.
Tu Tze-chun involuntarily opened his eyes.
Then he saw one of the horses, lying on the ground helplessly, eyes gazing into his face, sadly.
In the midst of all this suffering, the mother thought of her son's heart and didn't even show her resentment for being beaten by the whips of the demons.
What a grateful heart compared to the people of the world who flattered him when he were rich and didn't talk when he were poor.
What an impressive heart.
Tu Tze-chun forgot about the old man's warning and ran to her side as if he were falling down.
Holding the neck of a half-dead horse with both hands, he cried out with tears in his eyes, "Mother", one voice......
- To return to table of contents of Tu Tze-chun