Chapter 11 Celestial Gods III

　　—Even gods may die; time itself will perish. Nothing is eternal.

　　Night had fallen. Within the great hall of the giant tree the lamps burned brightly.

　　The banquet began. From the Gongyou Clan the following were present: Gongdian and his wife Yu Jiao, Fang Mu, Ge Xiong, Kong Xiaotian, Xin Biao, Yu Yong, together with Gongdian’s second son Gong Yi, his adopted son Gongkong, his elder daughter Gong Min, his younger daughter Gong Jie, and Ge Xiong’s younger son Ge Wu.

　　Because several new faces had joined the clan side of the table who had not been seen by day, host and guests once more exchanged introductions.

　　The table was rectangular; the seats were long benches.

　　Su Ziqi and her companions occupied the seats of honor. Opposite them sat the Great Chieftain, the Great Chieftain’s wife, the four tribal chieftains, the High Priest, Gong Yi, and Gong Min.

　　Among the five, Su Ziqi and Huamei sat at either end to serve as interpreters. Gongkong sat at Su Ziqi’s left hand; Ge Wu and Gong Jie sat at Huamei’s right.

　　The chieftain, noticing the absence of his eldest son, asked: “Where is Gong Kang?”

　　The second son Gong Yi replied: “Father, Elder Brother went hunting yesterday and has not yet returned.”

　　The chieftain shook his head: “In the entire Nanyu Forest only your elder brother Gong Kang dares still to wander after dark.”

　　Several of the new members at the table were seeing the “humanclan celestial gods” for the first time. Already astonished by the strangers’ attire, they now learned from the Great Chieftain’s introduction that these gods had indeed descended from the heavens; a murmur of wonder and whispered comment rose at once.

　　“Why do these celestial gods lack a third eye?”

　　“Indeed—they look exactly like us. Who would have thought that even our humble human clan possesses celestial gods!”

　　Before each place stood bone utensils. The fare was abundant: roasted meats of various unknown animals whose fragrance filled the air, rare fruits and grains, maize and tubers as staple, and even ambercolored wine.

　　The chieftain’s wife Yu Jiao explained to Su Ziqi the origin of their winemaking: following the instructions of the celestial gods, they placed surplus fruit into earthen jars with fermenting agents and stored them; after a time the contents became fruit wine. She said that both their cultivation and brewing arts had been taught by the celestial gods, for which they would remain eternally grateful.

　　Su Ziqi tasted the wine; it was fragrant and mellow, sweet in the aftertaste, yet potent. A few cups produced a sensation of floating lightness.

　　Having eaten only fruit upon the road, the five were already ravenous and abandoned all restraint. Professor Dong Yifeng seized a great joint of meat and tore into it with both cheeks, praising its savor between bites; he raised his bowl and drained a large mouthful of wine, finding it smooth, sweet, and deeply satisfying.

　　The tribal chieftains were all sturdy drinkers; soon the cups and bowls passed freely and the atmosphere grew lively. The chieftains, who apparently met infrequently, exchanged greetings and toasts.

　　Amid the noisy conviviality the young princess Gong Jie found the adult world tedious. She approached Su Ziqi, Wang Yue, and Zheng Ya and examined their faces so intently that the three grew embarrassed.

　　Su Ziqi saw that the little girl’s appleround face held a pair of bright, limpid eyes; a swinging ponytail and, when she smiled, a pair of small dimples made her appear both clever and endearing.

　　Finding the child so charming, Su Ziqi forgave her forwardness and asked in the native tongue: “Little sister, what are you looking at?”

　　“The three celestial sisters are so beautiful! Our own celestial gods all possess a third eye that grows upon the forehead and is usually closed, appearing only as a vertical seam.” The little princess Gong Jie spoke with innocent candor and no restraint.

　　“An extra seam upon the forehead is hardly attractive, and when that eye opens it is terrifying beyond description—one dare not look directly. Therefore the three humanclan celestial sisters are far prettier.”

　　Gongkong, seated beside Su Ziqi, rebuked her: “Little girl, do not blaspheme our celestial gods, or you will invite divine punishment.”

　　Gong Jie flashed her eyes, pulled a face, and stuck out her tongue at him.

　　Hearing the child speak of their celestial gods, Su Ziqi’s interest was stirred; she hoped through this naïve girl to learn more about the “threeeyed celestial gods.” She asked: “Little sister, have you ever seen a threeeyed celestial god?”

　　“Of course—this statue is our celestial god.”

　　Su Ziqi smiled: “Little sister, I mean a living threeeyed celestial god. Have you seen one?”

　　“Oh—no, I have not.” Gong Jie smiled, her face blooming like a flower. “But my father has. He says the third eyes of the celestial gods all possess magic. That is why I came to look—to see whether you celestial sisters have third eyes.”

　　The five exchanged glances. Gongkong’s earlier claim appeared true: in this world the threeeyed giants truly existed, and according to the little girl called Gong Jie their third eyes seemed to possess magic.

　　“Little sister, we have neither third eyes nor magic. We are ordinary people, not celestial gods,” Su Ziqi said.

　　“I still think you are celestial gods. We have never seen clothing like yours. Elder Brother Gongkong may talk nonsense all day, yet he has never lied to me. He said you descended from the heavens riding a great flying bird—that must be true. How could ordinary humans command such a bird? Our threeeyed celestial gods also ride triangular great birds and fly through the sky; therefore you must be celestial gods.”

　　The five looked at one another. It seemed the threeeyed giants indeed possessed the ability to pilot flying craft; the “triangular great bird” of which Gong Jie spoke was very likely the triangular spacecraft painted upon the golden sarcophagus in the Martian lava chamber.

　　“Yet compared with our own celestial gods, I still prefer you celestial sisters. You look exactly like us, unlike our gods who always remain high above, so that one dare not look directly or approach them. Celestial Sister, let me sit beside you for a while.”

　　Gong Jie was quick to make friends and soon grew familiar with Su Ziqi. Gongkong shifted his seat to allow her to sit next to Su Ziqi.

　　Among the five only Huamei neither ate nor drank. Ge Wu, seated nearby and noticing that Huamei never touched the utensils, asked in puzzlement: “Honored celestial god, does the food of our land not suit your taste?”

　　Huamei answered apologetically in the native tongue: “Young Master Ge Wu, I need neither food nor drink throughout my life.”

　　Huamei’s accent no longer carried the earlier robotic hum; it was indistinguishable from ordinary human speech.

　　At that moment conversation at the table had grown quieter, so that everyone heard Huamei’s words. The tribal members’ faces showed fear.

　　Huamei was a bionic robot; outwardly identical to a human, yet beneath the skin lay machinery, not flesh and blood, and therefore required neither food nor drink.

　　He offered no further explanation, knowing that at the present stage of the Gongyou Clan’s civilization no explanation would be comprehensible.

　　Gong Jie was filled with curiosity. She returned to her original seat beside Huamei, stared at him with wide eyes, and asked: “Celestial Elder Brother, can you teach me the secret of never needing to eat?”

　　Huamei smiled helplessly: “Little Princess, there is no secret. My structure differs from yours; I was born without need of food and without sensation of hunger, cold, or fatigue.”

　　The Great Chieftain Gongdian interjected: “If every warrior of our Gongyou Clan could, like this celestial god, neither eat nor drink and feel neither hunger nor pain, our clan would be invincible. To express our admiration for this celestial god, I propose we raise a bowl to him.”

　　All rose and offered a toast to Huamei. Huamei, somewhat embarrassed, poured a little wine into his own bowl and raised it, touching it symbolically to his lips.

　　The banquet reached its height; cups and bowls clinked, conversation grew tipsy, and every eye grew hazy.

　　Suddenly Chieftain Kong Xiaotian of the Tiger Tribe stood: “Today the celestial gods have honored our clan with their presence—an infinite glory. Great Chieftain, I propose that Sisterinlaw sing a song for the celestial gods.”

　　Chieftain Ge Xiong of the Bear Tribe and the others voiced agreement. The Great Chieftain therefore said: “My lady, please perform for the celestial gods.”

　　The chieftain’s wife Yu Jiao and several entertainers stepped into the center of the hall. They danced gracefully while singing a ballad, which translated as follows:

　　In the time when chaos first opened,

　　We were but grains of dust.

　　O great celestial gods!

　　It was you who created the vault of heaven and the stars,

　　It was you who bestowed upon us life,

　　It was you who gave us wisdom,

　　It was you who provided us food.

　　O celestial gods!

　　How great you are,

　　How compassionate you are.

　　We sing of your greatness,

　　We praise your compassion.

　　Ah! Life is bitter.

　　O great celestial gods!

　　You know the names of the stars,

　　You also know the bitterness within our hearts.

　　We thank you for granting us life,

　　We thank you for granting us wisdom and time.

　　We who are so small

　　Cling to life,

　　And in our brief existence

　　Continue to sing of you with abandon.

　　May this life be happy,

　　May the farther shore be free of care.

　　…

　　Yu Jiao and the two princesses were dressed differently from the male members of the clan; they wore long yellow skirts of silklike fabric. As the Great Chieftain’s wife, Yu Jiao further adorned herself with gold ornaments and pearls, radiant with jewels.

　　Yu Jiao’s voice was sweet beyond description, her graceful form enchanting. Such a sound should exist only in heaven; how rarely is it heard upon earth.

　　Su Ziqi, Wang Yue, and Zheng Ya, who ordinarily drank little, had endured a day of exhaustion and a succession of strange events; this night they too had taken considerable wine.

　　Under the stimulus of alcohol, hearing Yu Jiao’s moving song, they felt everything dissolve into illusion and no longer knew where they were. Was this heaven?

　　Chieftain Kong Xiaotian of the Tiger Tribe, already halfdrunk, struck the table with his hand: “Sisterinlaw remains indeed the foremost beauty of our clan; her charm has not diminished with the years. Yet no matter how well she sings, how beautifully she dances, or how fervently she praises the Yellow Clan Celestial God—the old gentleman can never be resurrected!”

　　At these words the atmosphere among the clan members at the table grew suddenly heavy.

　　Su Ziqi and her companions could not understand. According to Gongkong, the Gongyou Clan had been created by the Yellow Clan Celestial God; yet from Kong Xiaotian’s remark it appeared that these threeeyed giants whose pupils were yellow might already be dead.