Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors
It took about a month and a bit over ten weeks for Mangnyang to find any spell for refining the map among the books he brought. As he examined each book and interpreted them, he seemed to have become adept at deciphering even unfamiliar characters. After piling up the twenty-odd books I had brought, Mangnyang said,
“There’s nothing among these.”
Miho had stepped out for some fresh air. I sat with Mangnyang in the courtyard, letting out a groan.
“Ugh…”
There doesn’t seem to be any refining spell to create a more accurate map to the Arctic among these. Does that mean I have to go back to the Otherworldly Beings’ secret library to gather more resources? As I was about to teleport to Beating, Mangnyang gestured for me to stop.
“However, while interpreting these books, I discovered two significant facts I’d like to share.”
Two significant facts?
I focused my attention on Mangnyang as he continued,
“First, the secret library you got the books from isn’t the only one. There are at least ten such places around the world, all housing mysterious ancient tomes.”
“Well, that’s interesting.”
“Second… these books are historical texts, at least three thousand years old.”
“Wait, what?”
I blinked in surprise at the second revelation. Mangnyang, however, remained adamant.
“Without a doubt. These are the histories recorded from the time of the Yin Dynasty, established during the reign of King Tang—descendant of the Yellow Emperor.”
“You mean these are written in runic or ancient Cyrillic?”
“They are translated versions.”
“Translated versions?”
Mangnyang flipped through the books one by one and pointed to a tiny mark next to the runic script. As I examined the mark, I realized it wasn’t just a dot; it was shaped according to some specific rules. Mangnyang said,
“This is an early form used for converting oracle bone script into abbreviations. I was able to notice this since I studied it while mastering the world’s knowledge and learned how to convert abbreviations, allowing me to further interpret the runes and understand the book’s content.”
“I don’t quite get it. Are you saying they deliberately translated the oracle bone script into runic?”
“Exactly.”
Nodding his head, Mangnyang broadened his explanations.
“In other words, there must have been an original oracle bone text recording the history of the Yin Dynasty. However, the author may have thought that this original could get damaged for some reason, so they attempted to translate it into runic. This translated version was then collected by the Otherworldly Beings and stored in their secret library.”
“Surely they wouldn’t get damaged? This is the era of the Yin Dynasty, which is ancient, right? They wouldn’t have had proper paper back then; how could it last for hundreds or thousands of years?”
“Knowledge isn’t solely dependent on paper and writing. The reason philology (訓古學) developed and preserved history is due to humanity’s inherent intellect and memory that created an intangible flow. The transfer of knowledge doesn’t just halt because of the inferiority of the recording medium.”
“What are you getting at?”
Mangnyang paused for a moment, pondering before replying,
“According to the historical texts, it seems the ancient noble class of the Yin Dynasty could use something called the Transference Gate. The authors of these histories were also nobles, and it appears they could freely traverse great distances and learn about other cultures. They must have anticipated something, which is why they chose to translate the history of the Yin Dynasty into runic script, the language of primitive barbarians.”
“Anticipated something, you say…”
I muttered. Mangnyang’s eyes glinted.
“The fact that the noble class of the Yin Dynasty used Transference Gates shouldn’t surprise you.”
“Well, I’ve vaguely heard about things like that during my past lives; the expedition team of the Divine Being’s Pure Enlightenment left the Middle Kingdom to set up Transference Gates around the world.”
Plus, it should also relate to the current Emperor’s ambitions.
“Exactly!”
Mangnyang seemed excited as we connected ideas. He grabbed my hand enthusiastically and said,
“The Transference Gates weren’t created by the Ming Empire but were made in ancient times! That’s the key point!”
I began to understand why Mangnyang was so thrilled. If his claim was true, they could very well seize or exploit the Transference Gates before the Ming Empire intended to use them. Provided we could recognize how to use the Transference Gates from the ancient texts, this information could very well be invaluable going forward.
“Anyway, getting back to the main point: all these twenty books discuss Cangjie. With the variety of subjects covered, it seems Cangjie was very active during the early era of the Yin Dynasty, so they likely documented his activities in detail.”
I was baffled. “Cangjie? You mean the one who created Chinese characters?”
“Indeed, that Cangjie. These twenty historical texts all meticulously record his whereabouts.”
“That’s nonsense… Cangjie is a mythical figure, someone from the time of the Emperor. How could there be records of him existing in the time when human history was supposedly just beginning with the Yin Dynasty?”
My rebuttal was reasonable enough for all scholars in the world to agree with.
Cangjie!
He was known from antiquity as the figure from the time of the great Emperor Gongsun Xuanwen, also referred to as the one with the broad dragon’s face and four luminous eyes, credited with inventing the Chinese characters that would form the foundation of the entire Middle Kingdom. Naturally, almost no one would believe in the existence of Cangjie as a real person—it’s widely accepted that he was a fictional mythical character created to explain how Chinese characters came to be.
However, Mangnyang slowly shook his head.
“I thought so too, before I interpreted these twenty historical texts. But Cangjie is also referred to as the ‘Four Emperors’ (史皇) and is also credited as the inventor of ‘maps’ (圖). A powerful mythical figure like that isn’t likely to just die easily.”
“……!!”
“Despite the lack of specific mentions after the time of the Emperor, Cangjie has continued to exist and operate in the human world, and his activities are recorded in these historical texts.”
A mythical being.
I felt those words echoing within my mind.
“This is ridiculous… I didn’t pick those twenty books deliberately. I just randomly selected books from each shelf. How in the world could all twenty of them happen to be historical texts mentioning Cangjie?”
As I half-panicked and refuted, Mangnyang chuckled softly.
“Then it can’t be a coincidence. I suspect that most of the books in that library are historical records related to Cangjie, just like those twenty.”
“……”
Then it makes sense.
The secret library built by the Otherworldly Beings might very well have been aimed at preserving the historical records of Cangjie. But why would they preserve such an extensive amount of information about one subject?
Mangnyang shrugged.
“Well, if we follow your logic, you’d say Pengzu is still alive too, right? So it wouldn’t be odd to suggest that Cangjie is alive.”
He was suggesting to approach it from the angle of mythical beings potentially being immortal. I thought deeply for a moment before saying,
“Hmm… Alright, let’s say that. What activities of Cangjie does it record?”
“Well, this is rather strange…”
Mangnyang spoke in a hushed tone.
“These historical texts are filled with dialog exchanges between Emperor Gongsun Xuanwen and his aides—like Hu, Mo Yi, Huo Zhao, Bai Ye, Yi, Yun Shu, Ye Che, Wu Peng, Wu Han, Ying Yun, Ying Zhang, Dai Yao, Yi Shu, Long Sheng, and Cangjie, discussing how to create various cultural artifacts for humanity in a grand assembly.”
“A meeting, huh.”
In that instant, it clicked as to why these vast historical texts all contained information related to Cangjie. It was because all the discussions among the Emperor and his aides were recorded, creating an extensive document. And since letters and maps are essential in human culture, Cangjie had to be involved at all times.
“Hu spoke of bows, Mo Yi spoke of arrows, Huo Zhao mentioned crowns, Bai Ye took care of clothing, Yi brought drums, Yun Shu mirrors, Ye Che gods, Wu Peng medicine, Wu Han copper wares, Ying Yun and Ying Zhang music notes, Dai Yao calendars, Yi Shu calculations, Long Sheng assistance… Well, you should already have an idea from the [Classic of Mountains and Seas].”
“Of course.”
Although Mangnyang’s explanation sounded complex, it was nothing remarkable. As recorded in the [Classic of Mountains and Seas], it detailed how the Emperor overcame Chiyou to create all sorts of beneficial artifacts for humanity. Anyone who had studied Daoism a little would find it hard not to know that content.
Mangnyang, who quickly explained everything, let out a deep sigh.
“Haah—however, these historical texts are quite different. Especially, the content of the meetings differs significantly from what we know.”
“What do you mean?”
“Emperor Gongsun Xuanwen does not directly participate in the meetings. Rather, there are mentions of his presence, but no actual display of involvement. Instead, it is Cangjie who presides over the meetings, issuing commands with substantial authority. Moreover, there are scenes written where Cangjie kills one of the Emperor’s aides.”
“……!!”
What on earth does that mean? This was a complete contradiction to the traditional interpretations stating Cangjie was merely one of the Emperor’s aides. Looking at Mangnyang with shock in my eyes, he continued with a calm expression.
“Additionally, these historical texts consistently refer to Cangjie as the ‘Four Emperors’ (史皇). This signifies that he holds a position and power entrusted directly by the Emperor. In other words, Cangjie wields authority second only to the Emperor himself.”
“Hmm…”
The inventor of Chinese characters being such a prominent figure?
I suddenly realized this and said to Mangnyang,
“Wait a moment? Earlier you mentioned it records the history from the time of King Tang of the Yin Dynasty’s ascension, right? Why are the contents of Cangjie’s meetings mentioned so often?”
“Good catch. That’s indeed the crux.”
Mangnyang glanced around before calmly stating,
“Because Cangjie is King Tang, the founding ancestor of the Yin Dynasty.”
“……?!”
What kind of crazy nonsense is this?
The founding ancestor of the Yin Dynasty!
King Tang, also known as Taiwu Wang, is known to have toppled the Xia Dynasty and established the Yin Dynasty. While he is indeed an ancient figure, unlike mythical figures like the Emperor or Cangjie, he is nonetheless considered a legitimate historical figure certified by the Records of the Grand Historian (史記). So why on earth would they equate King Tang with Cangjie?
“While King Tang is said to have established the Yin Dynasty post-Xia’s collapse, that’s merely a mixture of folklore and myths. The true origin of the Yin Dynasty is speculated to trace back to the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors and is related to Zigong. Viewed from that angle, this historical record aligns perfectly.”
I didn’t fully grasp the meaning, but one thing was clear—Cangjie was being described as the founding ancestor of the Yin Dynasty.
Moreover, it seemed Mangnyang completely trusted these historical records.
Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors…
I repeated that term in my mind. For some reason, I felt like the secret regarding the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors was drawing closer to me, shrouded in mystery like a serpent coiling and ready to strike. It felt like it was challenging humanity to unravel its riddles, tormenting us with the need to seek answers.
No—this was it.
It meant that without unlocking the secrets of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, we would not be able to progress.
“The reason I say Cangjie is King Tang is simple. The twenty volumes of records mention that Cangjie was entrusted by the Emperor with the dominion over the Middle Kingdom to establish the Yin Dynasty, with aspirations to lead humanity while presenting offerings to the Divine. It also mentions the scene where Cangjie refers to himself as King Tang.”
“……”
Calmly accepting the confusion, I organized Mangnyang’s words in my mind. Then, after a moment’s thought, I slowly opened my eyes and spoke,
“So, the Emperor relinquished dominion over humanity to Cangjie, who established the Yin Dynasty as King Tang and these records document the meetings held to teach the primitive humans.”
If that were the case, it would be extremely significant indeed. It could be reasoned that the aristocrats of the Yin Dynasty had deliberately created translations of Western scripts to preserve these accounts. Furthermore, the Otherworldly Beings, in their pursuit of knowledge, had good reason to store them in their library.
“Exactly. But I’d clarify that ‘teaching’ isn’t the right expression.”
“Why not? The Emperor’s aides created various artifacts for humanity, surely that was a grace bestowed upon them?”
When I rebutted, Mangnyang fell silent.
After a while, he finally spoke.
“It wasn’t grace.”
He wore a slightly angry expression, but it wasn’t anger aimed at me—it looked like he was annoyed with something formless and massive. He clenched his jaw tightly, a vein bulging on his temple as he spoke,
“It was domestication.”
“Domestication?”
Rattle
Mangnyang opened one of the books and clearly read aloud line by line to me.
“[Thus, King Tang Cangjie spoke: ‘What do the Five Emperors wish for their offerings? How much yield do you think is necessary in a year?’ In response to this, the Goblin God and Ulu joyfully leaped forth from the boundaries of the underworld to voice their opinions. ‘Since humans breed without season or timing, it would be best to capture five hundred men and five hundred women each month as offerings; the Great Spirit enjoys the flesh of infants.’ Following this response, King Tang Cangjie took it to heart and from then on, he held grand celebrations…]”
The offerings given to the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors.
Which were humans.
“……”
I understood what Mangnyang was trying to convey, and my expression turned pale.
“Such content wouldn’t appear in casual historical texts, but this must be the ‘real history’. There’s no way a book in the great library of the Great Race would be a forgery.”
As he murmured that, Mangnyang continued solemnly,
“For hundreds of years until the fall of the Yin Dynasty… the Divine Race governed humans over generations, joyfully capturing them as offerings at predetermined times. Thousands of human sacrifices occurred, and ancient humanity was no more than cattle, not granted any dignity.”
Memories from the past surfaced.
The Golden Eagle Guards carried out human sacrifice rites with shamans at the forefront, immersed in ecstatic sins while divine creatures writhed. During the ancient period called the Yin Dynasty, the practice of divine beings devouring humans had been conducted continent-wide!
‘So that’s how it was.’
I’d suspected it all along, but now I realized that the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors were certainly not benevolent beings toward humanity.
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