The Curse of Zegeng River: The Man-Eating Beast of a Thousand Years

At the foot of Mount Luwu lay a peaceful village whose inhabitants had relied on the Zegeng River for generations. That year, a terrible drought dried up the river, revealing strange bronze fragments embedded in the riverbed. The village chief's son, A Yan, driven by greed, led a team to excavate a massive bronze horn covered in eerie inscriptions. The village shaman warned, "This is the horn of the demonic beast Gudiao! If awakened, it will bring disaster upon us all!" But A Yan ignored the warning and presented the horn to a feudal lord to gain favor. That night, the horn suddenly emitted a shrill cry like a wailing infant. The river boiled, and a colossal creature burst forth—a beast with the head of an eagle, a single horn, scales covering its body, and claws sharp as blades. It was Gudiao, the man-eating monster recorded in the "Classic of Mountains and Seas"! After Gudiao's awakening, strange occurrences plagued the village: livestock vanished overnight, leaving only scaly claw marks behind; villagers sleepwalked to the riverbank, muttering, "The infant's cry is the path home," before stepping into the water, only to be found as skeletons the next day. The old shaman scoured ancient texts and discovered that Gudiao could control minds with its voice—only the legendary Kunlun Jade Pendant could break its spell. Qing He, a young village girl, vowed to save her sister after she was taken by Gudiao. Armed with her family's half of the jade pendant, Qing He ventured alone into Mount Luwu, seeking a way to defeat the beast. Deep in an abandoned mine, she encountered a mysterious swordsmith named Mo Yu. He revealed a shocking truth: his ancestors had forged Gudiao's bronze horn, cursing their bloodline to forever guard the mountain. Gudiao was no ordinary monster—it had once been a sacred beast under Yu the Great, tasked with controlling floods. But after devouring too many vengeful water spirits, it had turned into a bloodthirsty fiend. Together, Qing He and Mo Yu infiltrated Gudiao's lair beneath the Zegeng River—a submerged altar built by Yu the Great. They planned to use the jade pendant and the bronze horn to reseal the beast. But Gudiao sensed their presence and summoned a raging tidal wave to attack. Mo Yu bit his finger and lit an ancient oil lamp—the Kui Bull Lamp (said to have been used by the Yellow Emperor to defeat Chi You). In the flickering light, the phantom of Yu the Great appeared, chanting a sealing spell from the "Classic of Mountains and Seas": "Waters of Zegeng, return to the abyss!" Gudiao shrieked in agony as its horn shattered, releasing a storm of vengeful spirits in the form of black mist. To protect her sister, Qing He plunged the jade pendant into Gudiao's forehead, but the dark energy began consuming her. Just as she was about to be dragged into the abyss, her sister broke free from the trance, picked up the broken horn, and played an ancient melody—the "Song of Peace" (said to have been used by Emperor Shun to tame wild beasts). Gudiao's crimson eyes gradually cleared, its black scales turning snow-white as it regained its divine form. With a low growl, it lifted the unconscious Qing He onto its back and soared toward the Kunlun Mountains... As the floodwaters receded, the Zegeng River returned to its tranquil state. A flock of red-beaked, golden-winged Feiyi birds (recorded in the "Classic of Mountains and Seas" as heralds of bountiful harvests) appeared along the shore. Mo Yu stood by the river, gazing into the distance, and murmured, "When a beast of calamity turns auspicious, a sage shall rise... It seems the world is about to change."