Long long ago, in the age before television, life was good for Lotus Blossom. Her new husband, Lord Cheng, was a kind and generous man and no sign was seen of the demon brothers. A little over a year after they were married the joy of Lotus Blossom and Cheng became greater when they found she was with child. However before she gave birth news arrived that barbarians were pillaging villages on the borders of Lord Cheng’s domain. Although not wanting to leave his wife Cheng knew his duty as Lord of the land required he leave to protect those under his care. Leaving behind his most skilled and loyal soldiers to protect Lotus Blossom he left with the rest of his army to defend his land. While Lord Cheng was still away Lotus Blossom delivered a beautiful healthy baby boy. Eager to tell her husband the good news she wrote him a letter and sent a messenger to deliver it. The messenger traveled quickly but the journey was long. Near the end of the first day the messenger stopped to rest for the night. As he finished making a fire to stay warm during the night he was approached by three travelers.
“Hey there; traveller,” cried one of the three “if you share your fire we’ll share our wine.”
The messenger was a decent enough man but sadly he had a weakness for wine. Taking long deep drinks from the wineskin it wasn’t long before he was completely drunk. While drunk he willingly told the three strangers how he was delivering a message to his lord from his wife. He also told them about how she had escaped from demons by disguising herself as an old woman with magic. He then told them about all the guards protecting her until he finally drank himself to sleep.
The three strangers though were none other then the demon brothers. They had heard stories of the beauty of Lord Chengs new bride and suspected who she really was. However they had been hesitant to approach the palace because of all the guards. Now they knew for certain that Lotus Blossom was at the palace but that she was also protected. Making certain that the messenger was truly asleep they took out the message and read: “Dear husband, I have borne you a son, heir to your lands. Come home soon. Lotus Blossom.”
The demons tore up the letter and wrote a new one “Dear husband, I have borne you a monster with an ox’s head. What am I to do? Lotus Blossom.”
In the morning the messenger woke up and continued his journey. When he reached the army’s camp he handed the letter over. Lord Cheng read it through and was filled at once with horror.
Loving his wife he wrote in reply: “Dear wife, grieve not. Await my swift return. Lord Cheng.”
Taking the letter the messenger set out on his return back to the palace. On the way he passed his three “friends” again. Right away he joined them and was soon passed out drunk.
Again the demons took out the letter and replaced it with another which read “Evil woman, take your child and leave my land forever.”
Never suspecting a thing the messenger woke in the morning and delivered the letter he had to Lotus Blossom. She was shocked at the message she received but there was nothing for it. Taking her baby she got onto the white stallion and left. However after leaving the palace the stallion immediately bolted away from the road and into the forest. Lotus Blossom was scared, this horse had always obeyed her exactly and had never done anything like this before. It moved like the wind but the ride was surprisingly gentle and Lotus Blossom was able to maintain her seat even holding her son.
On the road outside the palace the demon brothers scowled. They had seen Lotus Blossom leaving the safety of the palace as they hoped. They had planned on waiting for her to come to them on the road then they could capture her. They hadn’t expected her to take off cross country. They started after her but soon lost sight of Lotus Blossom as her horse was much faster then theirs.
The white stallion ran swiftly with Lotus Blossom on it. She noticed that it didn’t run in a straight line. It frequently made turns and ran through streams to disguise it’s trail. Weariness overtook her and she soon fell asleep on the back of the horse. She woke up when the horse stopped. She had no idea how long she had been asleep or where she was. The stallion had stopped in the middle of a treeless plain she had never seen before. Except for some mountains in the distance there was nothing to see anywhere. She climbed down off the back of the horse a little confused, why had she been taken here? She was surprised when she heard her mothers voice say her name.
“Lotus Blossom”
She looked around but saw only the horse. Then the horse continued to speak in her mothers voice.
“My dear daughter, listen well and do what I say. Take a knife and kill the white stallion. Spread the skin on the ground with the bones in the center, the hoofs at each end, and the mane around the edge.”
Although loathe to lose her faithful horse, the last thing of her mother in this world, she trusted and performed the awful deed. As soon as she was done a terrible drowsiness came over her and she fell asleep. When she and her son awoke in the morning they found themselves not on the treeless plain but in a soft bed within a splendid mansion.
Weeks passed. Meanwhile Lord Cheng, having routed the barbarians, quickly returned home to his wife and poor misshapen infant. On the way he passed by a mansion in the middle of a plain that he was sure was completely unsettled. Eager to learn who lived there he came in and was shocked to see Lotus Blossom with a healthy baby boy.
The joy of the couple knew no bounds.
They told each other of all that had passed and soon guessed that the demon brothers were behind the mischief. They returned back to the palace together, as happy as before.
But the demons brothers were not finished. They had been searching the countryside when they heard the news that Lord Cheng had returned home with his wife and son. Disguising themselves as merchants they returned back to Lord Chengs palace. They brought with them sweetmeats soaked in poison as a “gift” hoping to kill the family. Fortunately despite their disguise Lotus Blossom recognized the scar on the Eldest demons ear and quickly informed her husband. Lord Cheng ordered his guards to kill them. The demons were surprised by the guards attack but even after being impaled by their spears the demons refused to die. Lord Cheng had his servants dig a deep pit and had the impaled demons thrown in. The pit was then filled with a boulder placed on top which finally put an end to demons. From that time on Lotus Blossom, Lord Cheng, and their son lived peacefully with no demons to disturb their peace.