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qingyingpocketlirary · 1 month ago

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Tea Collection 3; Nezha. Lavender (a herbal tea)

Looking back, he was in the wrong.

“Did you really just wing that plan of yours?”

Tang had asked when things were calm. The kids were all sleeping, tucked into a nest where they would be safe and warm with the little monkeys. The Pig was by the remains of the campfire and Macaque was long gone. The large blue demon was sat quietly with the blue cat in his lap, seemingly meditating.

His own accusation that Wukong never had any good plan for this whole mess had prompted the question from Tang and it had led to... well, Nezha should really have known better than to push the Monkey King.

Apparently, Wukong’s whole plan had been well thought out, and despite himself, Nezha couldn’t deny that if things had gone the way Wukong intended, the fight with the Lady Bone Demon might have gone very differently.

The Monkey King had actually planned to use the train ride to the mountain to speak about the fourth ring privately, to tell them that during his time away before the Bone Demon stole his staff, he had visited the place where Ao Lie had said he’d be laid to rest, hoping to find the ring entombed with his lost friend. Instead, he’d found the tomb empty, and realised that there was no trace of the fire there at all. That had been when Wukong realised that the fourth ring had to have been passed down the chain, meaning that as his descendant, Mei likely had the ring and it was only because of her dragon heritage and her immense chi that the ring had been rendered dormant within her. A testament to just how powerful the young girl was and could be if she ever tried to apply herself the way dragons of old had.

Because the ring was needed for the ritual, Wukong had planned to make a numbing pill, one strong enough to leave Mei completely senseless so that he could remove the ring without hurting her the way removing the fire from Red Son had hurt him as a babe.

Nezha had demanded to know why this pill hadn’t been used on the child if it was so powerful. Wukong had remarked that the pill was a later invention, crafted after weeks of Ao Lie suffering silently with the pain until his body had given up and he’d collapsed into a shallow river, desperate for some relief.

Wukong went on, ignoring Nezha in favour of answering Tang’s questions about what he would have done after the rings were in his possession, explaining that his plan had been to use the rings and the fire to battle the Lady Bone Demon, using the flames to slowly chip away at her power and force her to abandon the child she’d taken as a host, allowing Wukong to unleash all the power of the fire upon the demon and end her.

With that done, he intended to turn the fire onto the corrupted relics and the trapped souls within the Trigram Furnace, cleansing it and them of any lingering hold the witch might have tried to leave upon them. Then, he would return to the mountain and split the fire back into four rings.

Nezha had scoffed at this and asked if the Rings would have then become yet another part of Wukong’s horde of relics and artifacts.

“One ring would go back to the Demon Bull King. One ring would go back to Chang’e, one ring would stay with me and the now solid fourth ring would be returned to Mei. The map would have been returned to you then and we could have all gone back to ignoring each other. But, as always, no one listens when I try to talk.”

“I can understand why you didn’t tell the Third Lotus Prince your plan. But why didn’t you tell us?” Tang had asked, hurt and concern laced in his tone. “If we had known the plan, it wouldn’t have been so easy for Macaque to gain the upper hand.”

“The few people I once trusted with my back are gone, either sealed in the Underworld, they no longer call themselves my friend, or they are dead of old age. Those high above don’t trust me, those deep below despise me and many in the inbetween can’t even believe I'm real. I got used to doing things on my own, with no one to watch my back a long time ago. So, I kept the plan to myself and did what I saw as the best choices for all of you.” The Monkey King stated, shaking his head. “But, it's over now. Mei is safe, the fire within her is contained and with Red Son’s help she’ll be able to master it as her own, the Lady Bone Demon is gone… Another victory for MK.”

“Not yourself, Sun Wukong?” Nezha couldn’t help but snip.

Wukong turned sharply and for a moment, Nezha saw a flash of red eyes that had been absent for so long. “No Li Nezha, this wasn’t a victory to me because I didn’t win this battle.” Wukong’s tail lashed, and broke a nearby boulder in half. “MK did. A boy who is practically a baby compared to you and me and everyone else up in that grand hell you call home upon high.” Cracks began to form at Wukong’s feet, and Nezha saw blood drip from his clenched fists at his sides. “In fact, this is the third time that boy has put a stop to mistakes Heaven began by himself, and yet, not one of you dared to come down here to help when you saw what was happening.”

“Wukong-”

“Not a one of you bothered to think that maybe, just maybe, the normal folk who actually have to work and earn their living, might need a little heavenly help with this mess before one of the few demons in all the world; who could match me blow for blow and took the combined efforts of me and my Master to seal, might I just add. Got back enough of her power to threaten Heaven and turn every realm into an icy waste land?” A burst of chi, enough to knock Nezha back a few feet as Wukong’s lips curled into a snarl, showing the normally glamoured teeth that lay beneath, sharp and ready to rip flesh from bone. “No, of cause not, because as per fucking usual, Heaven was too busy pretending that nothing and no one can ever reach their little estate of grand palaces in the clouds! Too busy with meaningless Merit and status to care that the people who actually matter are suffering! Too blind to understand that just maybe, something besides me might succeed and kill the Jade Emperor.”

“Monkey.” The Blue demon tried to soothe, but Wukong was beyond such attempts now, the glamour was flickering now, and it was only thanks to the moon light that Nezha could see the brief flashes of the scars that littered Wukong’s face, the band around his head, the burns around his mouth and neck, the ruined eyelids…

How many of those scars did Heaven give him? How many more were hidden that Nezha knew his hands and weapons had caused? Did Wukong even remember them all?

“A boy, Li Nezha, a boy not even a quarter way through his life, was the one who defeated the Lady Bone Demon. Not you, not me, him. So go on and have your final say. Take a jab at me and make yourself feel good for finally winning a petty argument like the reckless, uneducated child you clearly still are. I’m so eager to know what possible victory you gain, beyond making yourself no better than the bastard who sired you!”

“Monkey!” Something in the tone, the suddenness of it all, or maybe it was the fact the blue demon had stood up and put himself between them that made Wukong stop and look at the demon with wide eyes.

Something unsaid went between them, and then Wukong had turned away, ignoring any attempts to call after him as he summoned his nimbus and took off at speed.

He pushed too far. Every bit the child he’d been so long ago, the child who never gained the approval of a man he’d only ever loved in the beginning.

Before he could retreat into meditation, he felt a shift, ever so slight and barely noticeable, but there and before he could stand and mask his injuries behind a glamour, the persons who had arrived stepped into the room and all at once, Nezha was on the verge of tears.

The first to enter was a woman, modernly dressed and mortal at a glance, but the aura of her and the faintest hints of white light that followed her movements spoke of her godly nature, however minor. She silently greeted Nezha with a respectful bow, but it was not too deep, as she was helping to guide the other into the room with great respect and care.

The second to enter was a man, dressed in familiar robes and frail in appearance, his long white beard neatly groomed and smoothed from years of care and attention. One arm cradling his long tailed fly-brush and the other was resting in the hands of the woman, allowing her to guide him as his eyes were still not quite adjusted to the brightness of Heaven.

Taiyi Zhenren, Nezha’s master and teacher, who had helped Nezha face the Dragon King of the East when he had rebelled, the man who brought Nezha back and comforted him when his own father had driven him to death. The man who had come down from his mountain with flowers and offerings to leave at the headstone of Nezha’s mother’s grave when she had passed, and who had been more of a father to him than the head of the Li Family.

“Master. Lady Chayi.” He greeted, quickly standing and descending the steps to greet them both. “Please, you did not have to-”

“I could feel your distress in my meditation, my student. I will not deny you comfort and aid when it is within my power still to give it to you. Even if I ought to have brought something to better shade my eyes from the brightness.” The frail old man dismissed his concerns softly, a fondness to his tone as the woman guided him further into the room, closer to Nezha. “You are injured.”

“It will heal by the morning.” Nezha assured as they met, gently taking the old man’s hands in his own as the Lady stepped back, allowing the old master and student their moment, she had never spoken of anything she witnessed, and she never would.

No one needed to know that the two embraced as family, no one needed to know that there was a small dampness to the elderly man’s shoulder from the few tears that slipped free in the safety of that embrace.

“If you are sure,” Zhenren relented, slowly stroking Nezha’s hair before pulling back a little. “Now, what has you in such a state of turmoil, my student? You’re brothers are well, yes?”

“It is nothing of the family, Master. I just… I…” Nezha turned his gaze away, suddenly feeling every bit the young boy he had been so long ago, unsure of his words and actions after waking from what he’d thought would be his last breath.

The sound of pouring water and the scent of tea drifted by, and both males turned to see the lady had crafted a table and three chairs from seemingly nothing, setting a cup at each seat for each of them and herself as she poured the hot water into each cup.

“Lavender?” Nezha asked, somewhat confused. “You know I do not sleep.”

“The scent is good to help the restless drift into a restful sleep, yes. But in tea, the flavour helps to reduce stress and anxiety.” She explained with a kind smile. “It seemed fitting, given the late hour.”

“Thank you, Lady Chayi.” Nezha said, and helped his master to sit first.

“Please, use my name, the title feels far too grand for me, especially when at such a humble gathering with good company.” She requested of him as he pulled her chair out so she could sit down before him.

It was the lowest statue Heaven could offer to her without insulting the Great Sage of Tea’s disciple, Nezha reminded himself and yet still finding himself shocked at how reluctant the goddess was to use her gifted title. She barely permitted it when it came to her in written form, such that only the Jade Emperor and The Golden Star of Venus could use it without making her wince in discomfort.

But if anyone was to hear them-

“Very well, Chi Yue. If it is what you prefer, then please, call me Zhenren, our titles are not needed to share good tea. Is that not fair, Nezha?” His master smiled, and Nezha knew if someone was to overhear, they’d not question the lack of titles at the table.

“Yes Ma- Ahem, Zhenren.” He quickly corrected himself.

Neither of them reprimanded him for the slight slip, only sharing a smile between them before taking their first sips of the tea.

There was no judgement amongst them, even as Nezha spoke of what had happened, not just Sun Wukong stealing the scroll but also the chase across the west, the fourth ring’s activation within the dragon girl, the possession of Sun Wukong, the battle and eventual defeat of the Lady Bone Demon at the hands of a mortal child.

“After the battle, they invited me to stay and rest a while, and for a time, things were pleasant. Until the sunset and I made a careless accusation.” Nezha said, his shoulders sagged and his body slumped in the chair, heavy with thoughts and questions he doubted he’d ever get to ask now that he’d pushed Wukong to the point of near violence.

“Oh Nezha.” Zhenren sighed. “Such a sharp tongue was not needed.”

“I know, I was wrong to push him… But I was so angry with him. All of this could have been avoided if he had just told me what the plan he had was instead of just showing up and trying to just take the scroll.” Nezha said.

“Would you have listened?” Chi Yue asked. “If he had told you what the plan was, would you have let him take the Scroll and do what needed to be done, trusting his words to return with the Scroll when the task was done?”

“...” Nezha slumped into his chair. “No. Sun Wukong being here put me on alert and, what with the history of him being in Heaven… I gave him no choice.”

“While your reaction was understandable, the way I recall, it was not Sun Wukong who began the whole mess in Heaven the first time.” Zhenren remarked, sipping his cup slowly, careful not to speak too loudly.

“Seems to me that you have forgotten that despite your current appearance, you are still a child, Little Nezha.” Chi Yue said, easily leading the conversation forwards. “It is understandable, given your desire to be respected, but it seems you have kept the lie up for too long and it has begun to affect your thinking.”

“What makes you think so?” Zhenren asked, setting his cup down with a fond smile.

“Since we arrived, Nezha has lost six inches of his height, and his face has grown rounder, his scarf is restless, constantly twisting into lazy loops and twists and, most telling of all things,” the goddess said, and gently reached over to put her hand over Nezha’s, stopping them from-

Oh. That was why his hands felt sore.

“He’s been picking at his own fingers, a nervous habit many children suffer when they feel anxious or overly stressed about a situation.” She said with a kind smile, pushing some of her chi, steady and kind like warm water over aching muscles, into his hands. The small amount healing the raw sores and peeled skin with the same ease and painlessness as any god.

“I’m sorry,” He said, filling his hands with the cup so as not to start picking again, instead, letting the glamour of his adult self fall away to allow himself to better focus on healing his still sore body.

“Whatever for?” Zhenren asked. “You may be a titled Prince of Heaven and a masterful warrior now, but first and foremost to all those things, you were Little Nezha, the blessed gift to your lady mother for her faithfulness and devotion, not only to her husband, but to the Queen Mother of the West. You were blessed to her as a child whom she could have loved forever more, had that vile witch not taken her from you in such a cruel way.”

Nezha winced at the reminder of the loss, the memory of his mother, a mortal woman so kind, so loving and so gentle, quickly becoming weak and frail, withering away faster than the doctors could treat the poison that stole away her life.

A light flick, a touch barely there, wiped away the tears that managed to slip free of his eyes.

“You’re allowed to be the child she would have loved, and if anyone, be they immortal or god, has a problem with that, then it speaks to their ignorance and disrespect to the Queen Mother more than it speaks of you. Such people are not worthy of your time or your energy.” Zhenren said kindly, as Chi Yue refilled Nezha’s cup before Zhenren’s and then her own.

“If this low born one may be so bold, I prefer your true appearance to the adult form you insist on holding.” The goddess said with pride.

“Why?” Nezha asked, unable to stop himself in the moment of shock at her words.

“Because it’s your true appearance.” Chi Yue answered honestly.

“But, why do you prefer it? What could anyone possibly like about this?” The Third Lotus Prince rephrased. “Its short, unproportioned to my statues and duties, and-”

“And it is the you that your mother loved.” Chi Yue said. “To borrow some wise words from times past, to change, or alter what something is, when that something is not yours, is to ruin it for the person it was intended for. For example; If I were to wish for it, I could pour myself a Darjinglee tea from this pot right now, and if I wanted, I could form a plate of cakes to go with that bend of tea. Then because that is what I wanted and only what I wanted, I could pour the same tea and bring the same cakes for you, if this is what you want, then I am straying true to you and your wants. But if you do not want it, and instead prefer a sweeter tea, like say, Rooibos tea, or something sharper on the tongue, like a blend of Mint tea, and instead of cakes, you’d want small pastries or candies, and I deny that to you. I am ruining your experience of the tea for my own enjoyment, my own wants.”

“Hm, simple wisdom, but wisdom nonetheless.” Zhenren nodded. “From whom did you hear such words?”

“A kind old granny, a very long time ago.” Chi Yue said and both men caught the hint of loss in his words before she continued. “The same logic is so for your appearance, Nezha. I like you to appear as the child you were meant to be, because you were a gift to your mother. A child whom she could love and raise without worry that you would be taken and forced into the same style of life as your elder brothers, Jinzha and Muzha. The child who your mother could raise to be a gentle and kind soul, that is the Nezha the world should know. The Lotus Prince who put down the Dragon King of the East and the child who was blessed with his mother’s love eternal for her devotion to her family and faith. Not the adult appearance the man who sired you forces you to appear as, just because he can not stand the imaginary shame of it being associated with his family name.”

“It isn’t imaginary.” Nezha said, a familiar defence to the behaviour. “I killed Ao Bing. A Dragon prince equal to myself and I spoke poorly to Ao Guang.”

“After Ao Guang caused discord amongst the human realm for three years in your father’s absence and then sent his son to attack you, in retaliation for you defending your friends from being taken as offering to him. An act that had never been stopped before because humans back then were scared of the Dragon King of the East and never questioned the many missing people snatched from the waters as they bathed or washed their clothes.” Zhenren recalled, softly putting a hand on Nezha’s smaller one. A tenderness shared only between them. “If the Dragon King of the Eastern Sea had simply left well enough alone back then, his son could well be alive today.”

“But I-”

“You reacted, Nezha.” Chi Yue said. “Ao Guang cast the first stone in making the choice to be wicked and cruel in his domain during the time Li Jing was moping about the long pregnancy his wife had been blessed with. The ripples that went out from there and came back to him with the consequences of his actions. If General Li Jing wants to blame you for the fall out of his failing to subdue Ao Guang before the trouble grew beyond his control, then it is he who brings the greatest shame upon the Li family name.”

Before Nezha could ask what she meant by those words, Zhenren spoke up. “My dear lady, your truths are pure, like the waters of your birth and you are right to speak them. But this is not the place.” he said and there was the slightest flick of his fly-brush, back towards the doorway.

And quite suddenly, Nezha realised while they had been talking, another presence had approached, but had masked themselves to remain undetected by Chi Yue and him in his still recovering state.

A very familiar presence.

How long had- Oh stars, how much had he heard?

“But Zhenren-”

“You are right, the father has forgotten old wisdoms of the mortal realm, and for that, he should be corrected.” Zhenren went on to say, and Nezha swallowed the sound that tried to escape him down with a mouthful of the tea, hoping his face didn’t show the sudden shock. “But it is not the place of you or I to remind him of this. It should be his elder sons, or if not them, his seniors and brothers in arms.”

“His elder sons do not dare, he has them trained well enough to keep their silence even if they know he is wrong. And those who should correct him above them simply ignore it or are kept from giving corrections by others.” Chi Yue sighed, suddenly showing a very young side of herself as she turned her nose up to the topic, much in the way a child turned away from a meal they disliked at the table. “I’m not afraid to tell him to his face, nor do I care what he thinks of me in turn. Men like him do not deserve sympathy nor grace when they choose to be needlessly cruel to others.”

Zhenren laughed at that and Nezha felt himself smiling at the sound. It was a fond laugh, one of a man who enjoyed the braveness and honesty of young children around him, yet still understood that there were rules to follow and lines to avoid crossing.

“Such bravery, Oh my, I dare say such boldness would startle many an old warrior if they’d heard it back then.” He said and set his now empty teacup down. “But, I fear we have kept Nezha from his meditation far too long already. What with our talk of appearances, looks and statues.” He expressed, giving Nezha the answer to the question he’d been unable to voice.

As Nezha helped his Master stand, he felt a surge of Chi, warm as the sun as just as gentle, pass into him and all at once, his aches and pains were washed away, allowing him to properly glamour himself once more as an adult, and waved away the now unneeded seating placements. “Thank you for your time, Master.” The Third Lotus Prince bid as he stepped back and bowed deeply to the old Master. “And thank you for the tea, Lady Chayi.” He bid, with another bow to Chi Yue.

The old Master chuckled fondly, and offered as low a bow as his frail body allowed. “Until next time we both meet, my student.”

“Until next time, Prince Nezha.” Chi Yue smiled, and with a flick of his fly-brush, the two were gone, and Nezha made a point of not looking to the doorway as he climbed the steps back to his post and assumed the lotus position to begin meditation.

He pretended he didn’t hear the steps that walked away from the doors a few moments later.

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I will get around to sorting out a Head Cannon Post for things that don't make it into my serises, but first I have to finish making sure I don't accidently mix up any of my other works with what will be happening in the A Very Broken World story.

Enjoy!!!!!!!

#lego monkie kid #lmk #lmk tea collection #lmk nezha #lmk sandy #lmk tang #lmk sun wukong #taiyi zhenren #lmk Li Jing #lmk muzha #lmk jinzha

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jytan2018 · 1 month ago

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Yessss.

Hope OP doesn't mind me adding on, but another thing that makes Shen Gongbao a good Nezha/Ao Bing foil is how their parents contributed to their self worth.

Nezha grew up with parents that relentlessly defended him from an entire town that's hated him since his birth, even if Nezha went on to act out in ways the townsfolk rightfully resents him for (property damage and serious physical injury is no joke when you're a peasant who does manual labour for a living, y'all). Ao Bing grew up with a father who not only got the entire dragon clan to pry off their toughest scales (which is explicitly shown to be a PAINFUL process) in order to forge armour for him, but also admitted that his life experience may not be applicable to Ao Bing's pursuit of happiness and allowed him to resume risking his life with Nezha.

Shen Gongbao, on the other hand, grew up with a bootstrap-mentality father that teaches his disciples, "If you must hate, then hate the fact that you were born a demon!".

Like, I understand it's intended to be motivational, but that can't have been good for Shen Gongbao's self esteem. Papa Shen was unknowingly setting his own son up for a lifetime of failure, not because of a skill issue on SGB's part, but because Papa Shen himself is so loyal to the oppressive status quo that he doomed his own disciples by asking them to surrender to the Chan Sect. And when the only way to win the game is to change the rules entirely, is it any wonder that SGB found himself repeatedly losing and got desperate enough to turn evil?

I'm gonna go off on a tangent here, but another character I've seen people suggest SGB is a foil to is Taiyi Zhenren, and I find that especially interesting. Taiyi is consistently portrayed as the favoured disciple throughout both movies, be it through SGB's jealousy when he discovers their master gifted him the Shan He She Ji Painting (Taiyi's Doraemon pouch of ridiculously OP magical items suggests it's a regular occurence) or Wuliang calling Taiyi "privileged" while ranting about his justification for committing demon genocide. Literally, the plot of Nezha 1 kicks off because SGB got nothing after years of doing Wuliang's dirty work, and all Taiyi had to do to score the Golden Immortal title was babysit the Spirit Pearl's reincarnation (a.k.a. Nezha) for 3 years.

This privilege is also glaringly obvious in the simplistic suggestions he provides to them. Why don't you just ask Tianzun for Liquid Jade instead of going through the three trials? Why can't you simply apologise to Tianzun instead of killing everyone? These are solutions that can only come out the mouth of someone who's never been told no.

By all accounts, Taiyi is just as much a personification of the system's inequality as SGB is, and he should be its staunchest defender because of everything he stands to lose when it falls.

And yet, who was the one that decided to risk it all for Nezha and Ao Bing when they were caught in the Heavenly Trial Curse? Taiyi. Shen Gongbao gave up when the Curse struck because he simply couldn't see a way out of it, but Taiyi was the one who jumped in the moment they survived long enough for a glimmer of hope to emerge. He was only able to help BECAUSE he's never been discouraged and therefore has rock-solid confidence in his ability to save them. His magical items were only there to guarantee his success.

Another notable thing about Taiyi is that he's the only non-family person that SGB doesn't stutter around. Jiaozi has confirmed in the past that the stutter was a result of Chan Sect folks repeatedly speaking over/interrupting SGB and destroying his self esteem, so it says a lot about SGB's trust in Taiyi AND Taiyi's respectful treatment of SGB if the guy instinctively feels safer and more relaxed around him than he is with Ao Bing, the universally acknowledged precious boy who's never done anything wrong except when he tried to massacre all of Chen Tang Guan.

Of course, it's very easy to do good when you have the cultivation equivalent of a Doraemon pouch in your pants and you're not being constantly beaten down by the status quo, but I feel it's important to realise that Taiyi as a character isn't meant to prove that SGB had no excuse for what he did, and that the current system is still salvageable if it could produce wholesome thicc chads like him.

Nah, I'd argue Taiyi is meant to showcase the importance of refusing to succumb to bitterness and despair. This particular trait also makes Taiyi a foil to Oubing, because both of them grew up with the depressing realisation that their parents may have their back, but the world doesn't. SGB used the resulting bitterness to fuel his cultivation efforts, but he failed to realise that it doesn't work the same way as anger. Anger is your heart telling you that something is wrong and you must fight back, bitterness is your mind telling you EVERYTHING is wrong, so you don't have to hold back your worst self against anyone, not even those who don't deserve it. The ability to process that bitterness and despair (or at the very least, block it out temporarily) via self-care, mutual aid etc. can make or break a revolution, and it shows when the only thing Ao Guang had to say when demons were dying by the dozen in that cauldron was, "Don't give up." Taiyi had a lot of chances to turn bitter when asked to teach Nezha, or after he realised how far gone Wuliang was, but he continued to put the "relief" in "comedic relief" and kept everyone going with the resources he had at his disposal and/or his refusal to give up.

With Nezha 2's post credit scene implying SGB will accept the deal with Wuliang to save Papa Shen, I think Nezha 3 will set up another crossroads moment where he decides who he truly wants to be. However, given that Nezha's OG myth revolves around this epic battle between the Chan and Jie Sects where multiple major characters die and subsequently attain godhood for their service (both movies reference the Fengshen Bang/Fengshen Da Zhan, or God Induction List/God Induction Battle for this reason), literally everyone will likely be struggling just to stay alive, let alone reach out to a enemy-turned-ally-turned-enemy-again guy like SGB. Well, everyone except the comedic relief guy who's had god-tier plot armour for two movies straight.

It'll come down to Taiyi Zhenren, the one Chan Sect Guy who he can trust AND has the resources to shield him from some of the immediate backlash for his betrayal, to help SGB complete his redemption arc.

Nezha 2 spoilers - on the character of Sheng Gongbao.

More on Sheng Gongbao, because I think what the movie did in introducing this classic antagonist's parent and kid brother may feel really random at first, but totally recontextualsies him to be (1) an even closer foil to Ao Bing and (2) a new foil to Nezha.

Ao Bing

In Nezha 1, Shen Gongbao explains his nature to Ao Bing so he could share the similarities of their situations: that he is a leopard demon, and demons suffer the same disrepute and disadvantage of dragons in the world of cultivation. That's why he did all this scheming from Ao Bing's birth to set him on a path that can diverge from his own - so he can prepare his disciple to advance where he can't - so Ao Bing can climb higher on the cultivation ladder. Shen Gongbao would benefit from Ao Bing's advancement as the master who trained, raised, and sponsored him to advance on the celestial stage. Ao Bing's father and people would also benefit from Ao Bing's ascension.

The foil Shen Gongbao plays for Ao Bing is being a demon - underpriviledged, undesired, having to struggle and claw his way in everything, being twice as good and yet not good enough, all because of what they are and how they were born. But he's known to Ao Bing only as his master and senior, someone who understands how the world works and whom taught Ao Bing his martial arts and magic.

In Nezha 2, the characters Sheng Zhengdao, the father, and Sheng Xiaobao, the kid brother, are introduced. This immediately changes the reading of Shen Gongbao. Not only is he a master, senior and an 'adult' in the complicated and cruel cultivation world - but he is also a son. Not only is he a son, there is an intricate backstory about what kind of son he is - he's the son who left his home and backwater town to go to celestial university, he's the first in the family to be accepted into the Chan Sect, the son who achieved human form, the over-achieving son, the son with a career, the son who made it, the absolute pride of the family. The eldest son who's family think he is living it up.

He is..........decidedly not. This is where the 'demon' storyline comes back: he has hit wall after wall. He's done dirty quid pro quo. He's been decieved, used, and even cowed by the system. One can't be treated fairly as a demon. Since he cannot make it any further by himself, he's resorted to relying on Ao Bing.

However, Sheng Gongbao's new role as a 'son' now paints him in an interesting light to both Ao Bing and Nezha. We instantly see that his motivation isn't just about feeling oppressed as a demon and wanting to be recognised for his merits. There is also clearly some insane filial piety driving him - because his position and ascention is supposed to benefit his kid brother and aging father back home! He is not just doing it for himself. He did all that dirty quid pro quo, being used as a tool, cowed by the system....because he needed to be the good son for his family. Because the truth is he has not made it at all. But if only he trains the perfect disciple, more perfect than himself...if only he gets him accepted into the celestial word...if only Ao Bing becomes a god of the Fengshen Bang...if Sheng Gongbao is reocognised as one of the 12 Golden Gods.........

On and on. His foil to Ao Bing as a son adds an extra dimension to Nezha 1. Ao Bing trained his whole life (being given the advantage of being the 'Yang pill') to advance his father's and people's position. To the point of being convinced, even if for a moment, that levelling Chentang Guan and killing all the people to keep the shameful secret of his dragon nature, was the only way forward...This now sounds very similar to his master. This is the solution his trusted, experienced master sold him. In Nezha 2, we learn Shen Gongbao has done terrible things for the celestial Wuliang (his senior cultivation brother)...it follows he would unload that same treacherous cycle onto Ao Bing.

2. Nezha

In a broad sense, Sheng Gongbao as the son becomes 'young,' a former protagonist himself, the hero of his own story, with his own parents and brother to appease. What I found endlessly interesting, is that with this new role, Shen Gongbao explicitly becomes a foil to Nezha as well. But the specific foil to Nezha in this case is 'being a son who will go on a total rampage out of love for his parents/family.'

With the knowledge of his parent's 'deaths,' Nezha goes on a total rampage out of love for his parents and the pain of losing them, that ends in beating up dragons and locking them in a huge magic furnace, completely playing into the hands of the evil celestial Wuliang. When our hero Nezha mitakenly fights the Eastern Dragon King Ao Guang, with the threat of his unfinished flesh body being disintegrated (he's not ready to fight in that condition yet!) - what does he say? He says "I don't care if I'll die, so long as I kill you!" The urge to avenge his parents is stronger than his self-preservation. But it's a twist. His parents are alive!

In the furnace scene, Nezha is offered a chance to save his parents who are getting cooked into cultivation pills by Wuliang. To accept a pill that makes him lose his memory and fall under the control of Wuliang. But Nezha's mother bats that thing out of Wuliang's hands, that's stupid and her son will never be a puppet for nefarious gods! Nezha, in the end, comes from a loving and supportive family who knows and understand him. They accept him for who he is. They would never stand for it. And so Nezha is protected from being manipulated.

Upon the Chentang Guan plot twist, it's revealed Shen Gongbao actually has the same reaction Nezha has when he thinks his family has died. Except for the point that his kid brother really does die - right in front of him! After whisking away Nezha's parents, Sheng Gongbao steps out again to the war-torn Chentang Guan, to fight off a thousand demons and the three traitor dragons. All by himself. There's dialogue, Nezha's parents ask Master Shen Gongbao what is he doing - where is going - why doesn't he take shelter with them?! And Shen Gongbao answers with bitter acceptance, "What's the point? My family's gone." And he goes out to fight. To take a last stand. To die.

Going back to Nezha, doesn't that reveal Sheng Gongbao's deepest motivations as the same as our hero's? He wasn't really doing it - all of it - entirely for himself. Now that his father and kid brother are dead, there is no reason to strive further. Shen Gongbao can let go of being one of the 12 Golden Gods or whatever. He's going to go out into danger, satisfy the urge to avenge his father and brother, and die.

Which takes me to the very delicious, delicious, diabolical end credits scene. The villainous Wuliang goes to a terrible prison where Shen Gongbao and his barely-ok father are alive. In a scene that totally parallels Nezha's choice in the furnace, he presents the same offer to Shen Gongbao. Accept a curse on his mind and body that will enslave him to Wuliang in exchange for his father's life.

But Shen Gongbao doesn't have the same honesty, understanding, protection from his father...because all this time he has been away from home...not returning because he hasn't made it...his father under the impression he is living it up as a celestial...his father not even conscious...

His kid brother died.

He has just this one family member left.

A person he was supposed to be doing all this for, to make proud.

A person he was ready to get revenge and die for.

After all he has already done - what is a little curse on Sheng Gongbao for the benefit of his father?

#nezha #nezha 2 #哪吒 #哪吒2 #哪吒之魔童闹海 #sheng gongbao #taiyi zhenren #ao bing

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