A Dire Prophecy and a Divine Task

On the night the demon soul was vanquished, King Sadan remained in his mourning chamber. At midnight, through a rift in the lightless clouds, the White Hungry Ghost Demon God of the Jiang region, riding an ash-grey horse, sang a prophetic song from the sky to King Sadan:

Seven white hairs from the demon soul's body,

Have been shot down to earth by the Ling king.

The pillar of its life-soul is severed,

What use is mourning in your chamber now?

Prince Yula, the vanguard commander first,

And all the knights under his command,

Along with Dharma King Queji Gongga and others,

Have long been finished off by the Ling men.

A great pity, my King Sadan,

Quickly shed those black mourning robes.

Don your protective armor swiftly,

String your bow, grasp spear and sword—the three weapons.

Upon your head, fasten the red war-helmet,

Plant your feet firmly in the golden stirrups.

Mount that black whirlwind steed of yours,

And charge to your death against the enemy camp.

Let Qula lead the right flank to battle,

Let Caima Keji lead the left flank to attack.

Let Baidui command the vanguard,

Coordinating closely to slay the foe.

Now, the three fierce Poison-Brothers,

And the three heroic Long-Arm Brothers,

Six capable men ordered as the vanguard,

Unite and go forth to meet the enemy.

If you yourself take to the field,

Your little finger could subdue a great foe.

To protect your rule, miss not this chance,

What comes hereafter is hard to foresee.

Hearing this prophetic song from the White Hungry Ghost Demon God, King Sadan was deeply agitated. He secretly resolved: If this is true, and the demon soul—the deity of our Jiang people for generations—has been slain by the Ling men, then tomorrow I will slaughter every last one of them without exception, to avenge the demon soul.

At that moment, King Gesar's heavenly aunt, Langman Gam, descended from the Trayastrimsha Heaven's Infinite Palace. Riding a white lion without saddle or pad, led by a bird-like humanoid figure, and surrounded by dakinis amidst the clouds, she delivered a prophecy to the Great King: "Yesterday, the Jiang Kingdom's demon soul was destroyed—a victory achieved through righteous Dharma. Tonight, as King Sadan mourns, he received a prophecy from the White Demon God. Tomorrow, the Jiang people will go to inspect the site of that Soul-Binding Iron House. If they find the iron house destroyed, King Sadan will be furious. His wrath is terrible; he will churn the Ling men into a sea of blood, and will capture you, Great King Gesar, along with your ministers and people, delivering you to your deaths. Furthermore, he will seize all your troops and civilians, like dust grasped by demon claws, and cast them into a poisonous sea to perish. From midnight tonight until sunrise tomorrow, you must go and restore the black iron house where the demon soul resided to exactly how it was before, leaving not a trace. Only by deceiving King Sadan in this way can you lull his vigilance. Only through such cunning can the Ling army avoid missing its chance. At the foot of the Tiger Mountain in the Jiang region dwells a nine-headed black demon. It is the soul-binding place for the Jiang populace, a deity of King Sadan. That mountain is the life-soul mountain of hungry ghosts, housing a seven-headed poisonous serpent. Unless that serpent is killed, subduing King Sadan will not be easy. To later obtain King Sadan's head, you must first acquire the white conch key to the earth-gate. There are seven white conch keys from the heavenly gods; you, Great King, must personally go to retrieve them. Go now to the divine realm, fetch those white conch keys, and see how victory in this great war between Jiang and Ling below can be achieved."

Hearing his heavenly aunt's prophecy, King Gesar was greatly alarmed. He immediately summoned an assembly. At the meeting, he relayed all this information in detail. Everyone listened, feeling fear. Most agreed to follow the King's arrangements without objection. A few individuals thought of fleeing overnight but, unsure of the King and ministers' plans, dared not act rashly.

The Miraculous Restoration of the Iron House

Following the heavenly aunt's prophecy, King Gesar led fifteen knights and arrived at the site of the smashed iron house at dawn. They found the original location in ruins. Large pieces were broken into seven or eight fragments; smaller pieces were crushed like barley grains; some were already powder, scattered by the wind. It seemed impossible to repair. The King could only pray to the deities for assistance in restoring the iron house:

I pray to the White Brahma King in the pure lands of the heavenly realm.

I pray to the powerful god Indra in the palace of the Trayastrimsha Heaven.

I pray to the deity Jiaoyaozi Panrong dwelling atop Mount Meru.

Today I beg all gods to help me restore this demon soul's iron house.

Restore this iron house, the demon soul's abode, without leaving a single trace.

First, repair its four gates; with gates restored, we can subdue the demon foe.

Let white conch craftsmen repair the eastern gate;

Let golden hammer craftsmen repair the southern gate;

Let coral craftsmen repair the western gate;

Let iron hammer craftsmen repair the northern gate.

In the half-dome Infinite Wind Palace,

Warm Wind Fairies and all wind maidens,

Take your wind-filled bags in hand,

Please stir the winds from all four directions.

If this iron house is not restored,

The Ling people will be devoured by King Sadan.

Black forces will rise to heaven's height,

White virtuous deeds will be suppressed.

The happiness of all beings will be destroyed,

The debt of evil karma will be bottomless.

I beseech all deities of the white side,

To exert your strength in restoring the iron house.

Hearing King Gesar's plea, deities descended from the heavens, the mid-air, and the earth. Some gathered firewood, some lit fires, some fanned the flames, some smelted, some repaired and constructed, some decorated. Swiftly, they restored the demon soul's dependent iron house to its former state. With the iron house repaired, the King and his ministers returned to camp, their minds at ease.

Deception and a Skirmish

King Gesar had restored the Jiang region's demon soul iron house as per the prophecy of the heavenly aunt Langman Gam. King Sadan knew nothing of this. In his mourning chamber, he trusted only the prophecy from the White Demon God and was consumed by grief. Early the next morning, King Sadan summoned Minister Baidui in his mourning chamber and said, "I have orders. Listen well, Minister, and keep them firmly in mind. Last night in a dream, I heard the White Demon God prophesy that the iron house where our generational divine lineage's life-soul resides has been smashed by that villain Joru. Send a few men to investigate and see what state the iron house is in."

Minister Baidui thought to himself that if it was the Demon God's prophecy, the iron house must surely be destroyed, and looking would be pointless. But this was the King's command and could not be disobeyed, so he withdrew.

Following the King's order, Baidui and Qindui led fifty knights to investigate. Seeing the Jiang troops move out, the Ling men knew they were going to inspect the iron house. They immediately discussed ambushing and attack the enemy on the road. At this point, Chief Steward Rongtsa Chagen said, "Rushing into battle rashly will bring disadvantage. Today, we need not pay a high price to deal with so few enemies. Before their fate is exhausted, it's better to subdue them slowly with strategy."

Minister Baidui and his knights arrived at the demon soul's site to find the iron house standing intact, with no trace of damage visible. They turned their horses around and returned immediately. On their way back, they galloped past the front of the Ling army camp. The Ling men, seeing the white-clad rider on a white horse at the front, thought he was coming to raid the camp. Chaos ensued. Some heroes immediately charged out from the camp in pursuit; others reined in their horses, not giving chase. At that moment, Danma and Adanam charged forward together. Seeing two pursuers, Baidui let the others go ahead while he reined in his horse and waited. When Danma was within range, Baidui shot an arrow at him. Protected by the life-garment of the war deity, Danma's armor was pierced, but his skin was unharmed. Danma pondered that this man could not be killed by arrows; he would have to be subdued by other means later. He shouted, "Hey! White-clad rider on the white horse! Which of us is the hero will be proven in combat. If one only boasts without action, isn't that shameful?"

With that, he charged forward, reached out, grabbed Minister Baidui's right arm, and pulled. Baidui was nearly dragged from his saddle. Only because Jiang demon gods transformed into black and white evil winds supporting him from left and right did he not fall. Danma, momentarily buffeted by the winds, also nearly lost his seat. As the two struggled, the heroine Adanam shook her reins and charged up. She shot two arrows in quick succession at the enemy. One struck Baidui's horse, which immediately collapsed. Baidui abandoned his mount and fled. Jiang's Qindui came to his rescue. They fought several more rounds without a clear outcome, eventually each returning to their own camp.

The Ling army, having encountered such a capable Jiang man in Baidui, was astonished. Some showed fear on their faces.

A King's Denial and a Costly Raid

Minister Baidui returned on foot to the palace and reported to King Sadan: "Your Majesty, hear my report. I obeyed your command and went to inspect the iron house where the demon soul resides. I found it completely intact. Neither on the high mountains nor the plains did I see any footprints of men or horses. Now, I beg the King to ascend the throne hall quickly, order the troops to mobilize, and annihilate the invading enemy in one stroke."

King Sadan reasoned that if the iron house binding the demon soul was intact, it proved even the heavenly White Demon God could lie. Recalling that previous dispatches, like for Yula and others, were also based on the White Demon God's words, he found it hard to predict whether it would bring fortune or disaster now. He said, "Minister Baidui, remember this: As long as the iron house is intact, it shows that villain Joru has no power to harm me. My word is final. I said before that for nine years I would not leave my mourning chamber for my mother's memorial rites. Do not trouble me with this again." With that, he shut the door securely and remained in his chamber to mourn.

Seeing the King's attitude, Minister Baidui was filled with worry but could do nothing. He withdrew with a sorrowful expression.

The next day, the commander of the Jiang army's right flank, the golden-armored officer Qula, mounted his steed, donned his armor, girded himself with his three companion weapons, and went to the Jiang camp. He encouraged the ministers: "I, Qula, am aged, my temples grey. If the King wishes to discuss important matters, he cannot omit this bearded Qula. The realm requires heroes to uphold it; strong enemies need brave men to subdue them. From this day and hour forth, let each fulfill his duty to slay the enemy. Though the King mourns and neglects governance, ministers must protect the kingdom."

After these bold words, Qula spurred his horse and galloped towards the Ling army camp. The Ling army saw a rider on a wheat-yellow steed charging towards them but did not know who it was. Chief Steward Rongtsa Chagen said, "Judging by this man's valor, his horse's gait, and its color, the rider is likely Qula or the long-armed youth Chitu Dama Laren. Whomever it is, this man is certainly coming to raid the camp."

King Gesar instructed, "Do not engage this man in direct combat today. Let the army guard the camp perimeter tightly like a bracelet. Those with bows hold them ready, those with swords grip them, those with spears brandish them."

Before he finished speaking, Qula had already reached the camp front and charged straight for the central command tent. However, the central tent was protected by guardian deities like stars guarding the sun and moon, preventing Qula from entering. He pulled his horse's head around and charged to the right, where he encountered Danma and Seba Niben Daya. Blocked by them, he failed to breach the camp, only killing a few armored guards. Qula then charged towards the rear camp of the Rongba tribe. General Angwa Rongtsa Malie engaged him alone. They first exchanged arrows, then clashed with long spears at close quarters, finally fighting hand-to-hand with swords. Unfortunately, Rongtsa was slashed by Qula, blood streaming from his wound, and had to turn his horse and flee. Qula pursued fiercely into the camp, churning through it like a stick stirring chaff, wounding many men and horses. Finally, he charged into the left camp. Wenbu Alubasen shot an arrow at him, wounding his horse slightly, but it could still run. Qula then wheeled his horse around and galloped away.

Because Angwa Rongtsa Malie had suffered sword wounds, all the heroes came to see him. The King concernedly asked his ministers, "How severe is young Rongtsa's injury? Is his life in danger? Can he be brought to me?"

Danma reported, "His injury is severe, the wound large. His ribs are split open, his heart and lungs exposed."

Hearing this, the King prayed, "Compassion knows no partiality. O Greatly Compassionate One, dispel the mist for him, help him see light again."

Witnessing this, all the heroes shed tears of profound sorrow. King Gesar himself went to Angwa Rongtsa Malie's side to inquire carefully. However, Rongtsa no longer had the strength to answer; he merely opened his eyes, glanced at the King, and then closed them in death. The King and all ministers were deeply grieved. The King said, "The loss of young Angwa Rongtsa Malie is greater than losing a hundred thousand troops! Those heinous Jiang men will one day fall into my hands!"

Chao Tong beat his chest and wailed loudly, "Good men are hard to keep in this world! Rongtsa is gone! Why can't this old bones die in his place?" Though his cries were loud, not a single tear fell. Seeing this, people looked at him with contempt. The heroes remained silent, cremating Rongtsa's body amidst boundless sorrow.