Chapter 9 Celestial Gods I

　　—Every human is born with divinity; humanity itself is a part of the divine. When we pray to the god within our hearts for protection, we are engaging in telepathic communion with our own kind, summoning the deity that belongs to our people.

　　The gate guards appeared well acquainted with Gongkong; one immediately took the camelhorse’s reins.

　　A man in his forties, clearly the captain of the guard, approached with a smile and greeted him: “Third Young Master, you have returned at last. The three of you set out early this morning, yet only your two subordinates came back. I was worried something had befallen you.”

　　The native threw an arm familiarly around the captain’s shoulder and grinned: “Old man, I am the scourge of Wangqiu City and the Nanyu Forest. Others fear me; never have I feared anyone. Old man, tell me—where is the Great Chieftain now?”

　　“Third Young Master, you speak nonsense again. You are the Great Chieftain’s son; how dare I accept the title of ‘old man’? The Great Chieftain, the High Priest, and the four other tribal chieftains are conducting sacrificial rites in the great hall upon the pyramid platform of the inner city.”

　　“Yao Gang, I tell you—whether you allow it or not, I shall call you old man.”

　　“Third Young Master, from where have you trafficked people again today?” the surrounding guards bantered while glancing behind him. When they clearly saw Su Ziqi and the others in their strange attire, their smiles vanished and astonishment spread across their faces.

　　Su Ziqi observed that the moment Gongkong joined these guards he transformed into a grinning, roguish figure—utterly different from the solemn demeanor he had shown upon their first meeting. She wondered whether that earlier seriousness had been entirely feigned.

　　The guards themselves were all tall men of about 1.8 meters, dressed almost identically to Gongkong: yellow linen garments, heads wrapped in yellow cloth, bluegreen dragons painted upon their chests, straw sandals on their feet, and long spears in hand.

　　At the foot of the slope stood several dozen rows of wooden houses that appeared to be the guards’ quarters.

　　Gongkong led the way along the mountain road. This was the principal thoroughfare ascending the slopes. The surrounding terrain was gentle, without steep inclines, the path rising gradually.

　　Few pedestrians were upon the main road. Gongkong explained that it led directly to the inner city and was reserved for the Great Chieftain, generals, high officials, and warriors setting out on campaign.

　　The trees upon the mountain were towering giants; the slender ones measured several meters in diameter, the thickest more than ten.

　　Upon the branches of these colossal trees small black points could be seen, like sparrows perched upon utility poles.

　　When the company drew nearer and looked upward, they were struck dumb with astonishment.

　　This was a city of wonder. The entire settlement consisted of wooden dwellings built among the trees. The builders had fully exploited the massive trunks and the contours of the mountain range, constructing houses both within the hollowed trunks and upon the great branches.

　　Around the base of each giant tree wooden ladders spiraled upward. Upon a single tree, dwellings rose in successive tiers from bottom to top.

　　Some houses stood upon sturdy branches; others were hollowed directly into the living wood. Most remarkable of all, red fruits hung from many of the great trees, so that the inhabitants could apparently pluck food at will.

　　Between the treehouses of different giants wooden gallery bridges connected them, forming a dense, spiderweb network of daily life.

　　As they walked Gongkong explained that the dwellings within the hollowed trunks were generally the residences of the nobility; those built upon the branches served variously as soldiers’ barracks, ordinary dwellings, taverns, restaurants, shops, and inns.

　　Upon the ground beneath the giants stood camelhorse stables, blacksmiths’ forges, livestock pens, and warehouses.

　　The sun was declining westward. Looking up at the treehouses along the main road, Su Ziqi and her companions saw that the gallery bridges were sparsely populated and many windows already closed.

　　The soft afterglow of the sun fell upon the ancient, weathered bark, bathing it in golden light—a scene of solemn grandeur.

　　“I never imagined the humans of this planet would live entirely in the trees,” Su Ziqi thought. “These treehouses form communities and present a magnificent spectacle. Yet why go to such elaborate lengths to build dwellings aloft?”

　　Gongkong led them toward the highest peak of the mountain cluster.

　　Halfway up they encountered another circular wall some tenodd meters high—the inner city, Gongkong informed them.

　　Sentinels upon the gatetower, recognizing him, immediately opened the inner gate, and the company entered.

　　The treehouses of the inner city were visibly far more luxurious than those outside. Along both sides of the road the dwellings rose like soaring towers, their bracketsets interlocking, every eave elaborately carved, halfconcealed within the mountain folds.

　　Gongkong continued toward the highest summit.

　　The peak itself formed a pyramidal shape: a square platform at the base, four trapezoidal slopes rising with stairways.

　　They had reached the summit. Here too lay a square platform from which the entire city could be surveyed at a glance.

　　Looking downward, Su Ziqi and the others at last comprehended the full extent of Wangqiu City.

　　Its scale far exceeded their earlier expectations. Hundreds of continuous mountains stretched into the distance without visible end.

　　The slopes were covered with giant trees; it was impossible to guess how many of the planet’s inhabitants dwelt within this city.

　　At the center of the platform grew a single colossal tree that surpassed even the imagination of Su Ziqi and her companions—including the widely traveled biologist Dong Yifeng, who had never beheld a tree of such height.

　　Its diameter measured at least thirty meters; the trunk soared into the clouds, roughly estimated at more than a hundred meters.

　　Windows opened at intervals around the trunk. At the base, among the folds of the bark, stood a closed great door approached by several steps.

　　Below the steps a company of soldiers stood guard.

　　Recognizing Gongkong, two middleaged men strode toward him. Both wore swords at their waists and were powerfully built—evidently the commanders of the guard.

　　They clapped Gongkong upon the shoulders with familiar warmth.

　　At first they took no notice of the five standing at a distance. Then one of them caught sight of the strangers and exclaimed: “Gongkong, are these the celestial gods your subordinates reported emerging from the great bird?”

　　Gongkong swore an oath that the translation rendered roughly as “Damn it”: “You two have eyes and yet cannot see. One is the Grand General, the other the Guard General—what are you doing standing here? Hurry inside and report to the Great Chieftain that Scout Captain Gongkong, accompanying the celestial gods, has arrived at the entrance of the great hall.”

　　Though their ranks clearly surpassed Gongkong’s, they seemed powerless against his imperious, ruffianly manner and, thoroughly cowed, turned and entered the giant tree to make their report.

　　After a short interval footsteps approached from within, accompanied by a resonant voice: “My son Gongkong, celestial gods have arrived—why do you not invite them in at once?”

　　The great door opened and a middleaged man emerged, followed by several others.

　　He stood fully 1.9 meters tall, eyes bright, ears reaching his shoulders, a square face with a broad nose, a great beard falling to his chest. He wore yellow linen embroidered with a bluegreen dragon, a yellow headcloth, and held a stoneaxe scepter.

　　At the sight of this man Gongkong instantly subdued his arrogance, hurried up the steps, and was about to kneel when the middleaged man seized him and whispered something in his ear.

　　Gongkong listened, then assumed an air of indifference and declared loudly: “Reporting to Father, these are the humanclan celestial gods of the prophecy who were to descend upon our clan.”

　　The middleaged man fixed his gaze upon them; when he clearly discerned their attire, astonishment likewise appeared upon his face.

　　“Honored celestial gods, please enter at once!”

　　Su Ziqi and her companions ascended the steps, crossed the threshold, and entered the great hall. The interior of the giant tree had been entirely hollowed out, forming a circular chamber more than twenty meters in diameter. Windows opened around the walls; unobstructed by surrounding trees, the hall was brightly lit.

　　In the center stood a vermilionlacquered platform about two meters high, upon which rested a goldenlacquered throne carved with dragons, occupied by a colossal painted statue.

　　Steps led up either side of the platform to a secondary level where another dragoncarved chair stood; further steps descended to the floor.

　　The middleaged man hastily directed servants to arrange seats upon the secondary level. After seating Su Ziqi and the others, he and his attendants dropped to their knees and kowtowed, murmuring ritual phrases.

　　The five exchanged bewildered glances, at a loss.

　　Wang Yue asked: “Ziqi, what are they doing? What are they saying?”

　　Su Ziqi listened intently, brows furrowed: “Sister Yue, they appear to be speaking an ancient sacrificial language whose vocabulary resembles both Sumerian and Mayan. I can only make out something about ‘celestial gods.’”

　　“Indeed, Professor Su,” Huamei added. “My data indicate it is a still more archaic tongue, used apparently only during sacrificial rites.”

　　“Haha, I understand!” Zheng Ya recalled an incident. “During the Second World War American aircraft once landed upon isolated islands in the South Pacific. The primitive tribes, seeing airplanes for the first time, later constructed models of them from wood and grass and worshipped the Americans as celestial gods.”

　　Su Ziqi quickly descended the steps and raised the kneeling chieftain: “Chieftain, we are not celestial gods. We are ordinary human beings.”

　　Hearing that she spoke their language, the chieftain and his followers were even more astonished; they remained bowed, not daring to lift their heads.

　　Gongkong approached the chieftain and whispered for a moment. The chieftain nodded, then dismissed the others, retaining only Gongkong and five ministers. The great door was closed, and conversation with Su Ziqi and her companions began.