《The New Pingyao Zhuan: The Legend of the Heavenly Book》
In ancient China, the celestial manual Ruyi Baoce was stolen from the disciple of the goddess Xuan Nü by a white ape spirit, Yuan Gong. Centuries later, a mysterious orphan named Danzi Hesheng (Egg-born Monk) is raised in a temple. Driven by an inner calling, he makes three perilous attempts to infiltrate Yuan Gong’s cloud-shrouded cave. On his final try, the manual recognizes his pure heart and flies into his hands, binding them together.
Danzi crosses paths with Shenggugu (Saint Aunt), a 470-year-old fox spirit seeking a cure for her lame son, Zuo Que’er, and a future for her daughter, Hu Mei’er. Recognizing the divine aura of the tome, Shenggugu forms a sworn sibling bond with Danzi and teaches him to unlock the manual’s secrets. The group settles in the mountains, but their fates intertwine with the mortal realm. Hu Mei’er, after a tragic affair with the Taoist Zhang Luan and a fatal misadventure in the imperial palace, dies and is reincarnated as Hu Yong’er—a girl born with a plum blossom mark and a faded memory of past lives.
As Yong’er grows, Shenggugu becomes her mentor, awakening her dormant magical powers—from conjuring endless coins and paper soldiers to animating bean-men armies. When natural disasters and corrupt officials plague the land, Yong’er allies with the righteous army officer Wang Ze in Beizhou. Together, they stage a rebellion, using the celestial manual's spells to feed the starving populace and capture corrupt cities without bloodshed. However, power corrupts Wang Ze. He declares himself emperor, betrays the people's trust, and becomes a tyrant.
The Song court dispatches the shrewd veteran Wen Yanbo to quell the rebellion. Meanwhile, the white ape Yuan Gong, seeking redemption, and the egg-born monk Danzi (now going by Zhuge Suizhi) decide the magical chaos must end. Danzi assists Wen Yanbo from the shadows, guiding him with the prophecy: “Encounter the three Sui, and Beizhou shall fall.” These three are the spy Ma Sui, the tunnel-digger Li Sui, and Danzi himself.
As Wen Yanbo’s army pacifies the region by repaying the debts of corrupt officials, the three "Sui" infiltrate the city. Wang Ze is captured alive. Shenggugu, witnessing the cycle of human greed, abandons her staff—which sprouts new life—and retreats into the earth. Yong’er, disillusioned by Wang Ze’s betrayal but at peace, releases her magical tools, frees her horse toward the mountains, and walks away into the dawn. Danzi surrenders the celestial manual to the goddess, allowing the ancient tome to return to the heavens. The rebellion ends not with annihilation, but with the quiet restoration of balance—the land is healed, the debts are paid, and the spirits vanish back into the mist, leaving only the echo of plum blossoms and the memory of a kindness that once was.
