“Do you want to stop the floods?” his father retorted. “We won’t finish if the men are not worked so!”

The king saw his father was right, but he could not bear the sufferings of his people. Luckily, the Old Man of the Moon took pity on the young king and went to the Jade Emperor in the heavens and the Dragon King of the Sea on his behalf. Because of the Old Man’s appeals, the dragon HuangLong was sent from the sky and the tortoise Bauxi (a distant cousin to the Black Tortoise of Winter) was sent from the sea to help the king.

Both creatures swore to stay on earth until the project was complete. And they were both much needed. The tortoise, with his incredible strength, would hold back the water while the dragon dredged the land. They worked tirelessly alongside the men, and the honor they brought to the city was relished by all, especially the king’s father.

“The tortoise and the dragon are now my servants,” the king’s father said to him. “What will they do when the irrigation is complete?”

“They will leave,” the king said.

“You must not let them!” the king’s father said. “With them I am very powerful! I can even rival the power of the emperor himself!”

“They vowed to stay until the project is finished,” the king said. “I cannot make them stay longer.”

Then he left, missing the gleam in his father’s eyes.

Over nine years later, the irrigation was completed. It was a grand success! The river flowed out to the land, gentle and docile, and the great floods were eased. But before the beasts could sit to rest, the king’s father approached them.

“There is one last part of the project I need your help with,” he said.

“Of course,” the unsuspecting beasts replied.

“There is a grand monument I had made,” the father said, leading them to a massive stone placard. It was as tall as a pine tree and covered with carved words. “I would like to have it carried to the river.”

The placard was too heavy to lift, so the men had to dig a hole and lower it onto the tortoise’s back. The good-natured tortoise shuffled into the pit, taking for granted that his immense strength could carry it out. However, as soon as the tablet was laid on his back, Bauxi felt himself weighed deeper and deeper into the ground. He could not move! He was trapped.

“What have you done?” HuangLong said, looking at the king’s father with suspicious eyes.

“That plaque lists all the great accomplishments of the world,” the father said, a poorly hidden look of gloating in his eyes, “so of course you cannot carry it! And if you cannot carry it to the river, then the project is not complete and you both must stay here on earth!”

Bauxi sputtered and spat, but he was helpless. In frustration, he gave a great yowl, a protesting noise so full of resentment and anger the river water leaped in surprise. With a shudder, he turned into stone!

HuangLong turned to the king’s father. “Bauxi has kept the oath,” he said. “He will now never leave earth.”

“And you?” the king’s father asked.

“I too will keep the oath,” HuangLong said. “But you will never benefit from it. From here on, I shall be invisible, and no mortal shall ever see me again.”

And without another word, the dragon disappeared. The king’s father looked around, aghast, but only the lifeless stone Bauxi, held down by the monument as if pinned by a needle, remained.

“Ah,” the stonecutter said. “Tricking the beasts of heaven and sea! The king’s father was crafty.”

“Yes,” Amah said. “But his trickery caused a great loss to all. For when the Jade Emperor heard what had happened, he was quite angry. He decreed that all beasts of the heavens would therefore no longer be seen by mortals.”

“Which is why we do not see them today,” the stonecutter said. He fingered the stones. “But why have me carve these? They are not stones for a monument. This is very common stone, to be placed someplace humble—like a country road or a wall.”

“A wall?” Amah said, sitting up abruptly. She stared at the hill of stones, studying them.

“Ha!” the stonecutter said with a snort. “I suppose an entire wall of great accomplishments would be a fine cage for another poor tortoise!”

“Yes,” Amah said, her eyes still on the stones. “It would.”

CHAPTER

50

Pinmei was afraid to open her eyes. The shock of the cold water had been overwhelming, and she wasn’t sure how long she had been lost in blackness. But now she felt strangely warm, as warm as if she had been dipped in a bath. The fabric of Yishan’s shirt was still clenched in her fingers, and she swayed with the gentle motion of BaiMa’s walking. Slowly, she opened her eyes.

Pinmei could not believe what she saw. It was early dusk, the deepening sky just beginning to fill with twinkling stars. BaiMa, still a dragon horse, his mane and mustache floating like the tentacles of a squid, walked on a road of white sand. The dark mussel was still rolling before them. The sand also twinkled in the light of the glowing lanterns that hung from red trees that lined the road. Red trees? Pinmei rubbed her eyes. They weren’t trees! They were corals! And the glowing lanterns were jellyfish! She looked above again at the sky. The twinkling stars were really tiny swimming fish!

“Are we…” Pinmei gulped. “Are we at Sea Bottom?”

“Good, you’re awake,” Yishan said. “We’re almost there.”

Yishan motioned with his hand. In front of them was a field of waving sea grasses dotted with chrysanthemum flower anemones, but beyond that there was a silver glow in the darkening sky, as if the moon were rising.

“We’re almost where?” Pinmei said.

“The Crystal Palace, silly!” said Yishan. In their descent, her braid had been flung over his shoulder; he now pulled it with a teasing tug. “Where else?”

As they got closer, the enormous, grand palace seemed to rise like a growing mountain. First they saw the roofs of crystal tile that glinted like the sun on rippling water. Then came the iridescent beams, carved and inlaid with gold and coral. After that were the translucent columns, so lustrous Pinmei could see their gleam from the distance. All of it glowed with an ethereal light, and the sight made Pinmei catch her breath. How many stories had Amah told her about this place?