MidReal Story
Please write me a legendary st
Scenario: Please write me a legendary story about ancient Chinese character spirits, starting from Cangjie’s creation of characters. The story must have ups and downs, be profound at the same time, and be able to arouse people’s resonance and reflection.
Create my version of this story
I was born during the reign of the Yellow Emperor, at a time when our people were using primitive drawings to communicate with each other.
Our emperor believed that these simple drawings were inadequate for capturing the complexity of the world, and that a more sophisticated system was needed.
It was for this reason that he summoned me and asked me to create characters that would transform the way we communicate.
So I embarked on my journey of discovery, determined to create characters that would accurately depict the world in all its richness.
I realized that in order to create characters that were true to the essence of things, I needed to study nature itself.
Thus, I ventured into the ancient scriptorium, where I spent countless days observing the world around me.
But as time passed, my curiosity grew, and I realized that in order to truly understand nature, I needed to explore it more fully.
So I ventured beyond the walls of the scriptorium and into the heart of nature itself.
There, amidst the grandeur of the mountains and the serenity of the rivers, I observed the tracks left by animals and birds on the ground.
These natural imprints, fleeting yet profound, inspired me to conceive of characters that were not static symbols but dynamic representations of the world's living spirit.
Through my diligent study and contemplation, I came to understand that everything in this world is interconnected and in constant motion, leaving behind traces of its existence.
It was this realization that guided me in creating characters that were not mere drawings but embodiments of the ever-changing essence of the world.
When I began creating characters, I looked for inspiration in the natural world.
I roamed the mountains and forests and observed the tracks left by animals and birds on the ground.
At first, they seemed no different from the characters we used for writing: still, unchanging symbols etched onto the earth like a paused moment.
But as I spent more time studying them, I came to a realization: these tracks were not just static marks; they were living symbols that captured the essence of all things.
The world is never still.
It is always in motion, in flux—everything living and breathing and leaving behind traces of their existence.
If that is how things are meant to be, then our characters should be living symbols as well.
Each character has its own story.
When we read them out loud, we breathe life into these stories.
These stories have existed long before us, and they will continue to exist long after we are gone.
Through our words, we become a part of this vast narrative.
This realization led me to a new quest: to create characters that were not just images but living spirits.
If these characters are truly meant to capture the essence of all things, then they should be modeled after the world itself.
So I delved deeper into my study of the natural world.
Birds, for example, have always fascinated me with their beautiful plumage and melodic songs.
But as I observed them more closely, I found that their true wonder lay in their flight patterns.
As they soar through the air, they leave intricate trails behind them.
These patterns are so complex and profound that they seem almost like a language of their own.
And so it dawned on me: what if our characters were modeled after the patterns birds leave in the sky?
What if they were just as intricate, just as profound?
This question led me to the feet of the Yellow Emperor, seeking his permission to continue my work.
The Emperor was a wise man who understood the importance of capturing the essence of the world.
He granted me his permission and even bestowed upon me his own wisdom.
Empowered by his support, I returned to my study of birds and the patterns they left behind.
As I watched them in flight, a new idea began to form in my mind.
What if I could create a system of writing that was not just based on how things looked, but how they moved?
The world is always in motion, after all.
And so, with this newfound insight, I set out to create a new system of characters that captured the spiritual essence of all things.
The beauty of this revelation was that it did not require me to look any further than the ground beneath my feet.
As I walked through the forest, I saw tracks left by animals imprinted in the mud.
These tracks were different from the characters we used for writing; they represented something more fleeting and transient.
But even still, they captured the eternal essence of all things that had passed through this forest.
I realized that these tracks could become characters too.
To write about all living things, we must write not only about what they are but also about what they have been—about their past and their future just as much as their present.
And so, with this realization in mind, I set out to create a system of writing that captured the dynamic essence of life itself.
This system was simple, yet it held within it the wisdom of all things: the tracks left by animals, the songs sung by birds, and every living spirit in between.
The tracks left in the mud by animals are simple and fleeting.
They do not remain for long before being washed away by rain or covered by leaves.
But even still, they capture a fleeting moment in time—a moment where a living spirit passed through this forest.
Each character I created was like one of these tracks, capturing not just what something looks like but its very spirit as well.
A character is more than just a symbol; it is a living record of all things.
I walked through the forest, looking at the tracks of the animals.
I saw imprints left by birds, deer, and even a tiger.
Those of the birds were small and delicate, while those of the deer were larger and more solid.
As for the tiger, I could see the sharpness of its claws and the power in each step it took.
I looked up to see the Yellow Emperor watching me with a smile on his face.
I continued to walk through the forest, looking at the tracks of the animals.
I saw imprints left by birds, deer, and even a tiger.
Those of the birds were small and delicate, while those of the deer were larger and more solid.
As for the tiger, I could see the sharpness of its claws and the power in each step it took.
I looked up to see the Yellow Emperor watching me with a smile on his face.
"Your Majesty," I said.
"I have been studying the tracks of animals to better understand them and create characters that are true to their form.
But now I see that there is wisdom in these tracks as well.
By studying them, I can learn about the animals themselves and how they move through the world."
The Yellow Emperor nodded his head.
"It is good that you are using your eyes and your mind to study the world around you," he said.
"For it is only through deep observation and contemplation that we can truly understand it and live in harmony with it.
This is the way of wisdom, and this is the way of the spirits who watch over us."
"I will continue to study these tracks," I said, bowing my head.
"I will look at those of different animals to see what they can tell me and how they differ from one another."
"Very good," he said with a smile.
"And remember, Cangjie, that all things are connected in this world.
Everything has a spirit, and everything has wisdom to impart if we are willing to listen."
With those words, he turned and walked away, leaving me alone in the forest to continue my studies.
I bent down and looked at the imprints of the animals once more, studying them carefully and trying to see what wisdom they held within them.
I saw that the shapes of the tracks were not fixed, but that they changed depending on the ground and the animal itself.
A bird's track was different on solid ground than it was on sand, and a deer's was different on flat ground than it was on a hillside.
And even the same animal could leave different imprints depending on its mood or the situation it was in at the time.
As I studied the tracks, I began to see that there was a pattern to this change, and that it was driven by the power of the Five Elements: wood, fire, earth, metal, and water.
These elements are constantly interacting and changing, giving rise to all things in this world and shaping the way they move and live.
It was then that I knew what I had to do: I had to create characters that captured this movement and change so that future generations could understand it and learn from it.
As I sat down at my desk and took out my brush and ink, I thought about what I had learned from the Yellow Emperor and how I could pass it down to others.
He had taught me about the power of the Five Elements and how they give rise to all things in this world, as well as how everything has a spirit and wisdom that we must respect and honor.
These teachings were profound and filled with meaning, but they were also difficult for ordinary people to understand and remember.
That was why he had asked me to create characters: so that these teachings could be written down and passed on from generation to generation, allowing everyone who read them to learn from his wisdom and live in harmony with the world around them.
I had thought that this would be an easy task, but now I saw that it would be anything but.
As I dipped my brush into the ink and made my first stroke on the tortoise shell, I felt a sense of unease in my heart.
The characters I had created were functional, but they lacked the depth and intricacy of the natural world they were meant to represent.
Each stroke I made on the tortoise shells produced symbols that, while clear, were flat and lifeless, lacking the spirit of the things they were meant to depict.
As I looked at them, I felt like I was missing something, as if there was some secret hidden within the symbols that I could not see or understand.
And I knew that if I wanted to create characters that truly captured the wisdom of the Yellow Emperor, I would have to find out what that secret was and how to bring it out onto the page.
But how could I do that?
The characters I had created were just simple drawings, meant to show the shape of an object or an idea, rather than its true nature.
But then I thought about how even something as simple as making a stroke could be so profound.
When I drew a man, for example, it was not just a representation of his form, but also of his life and his spirit, as well as all of the things that he had seen and done during his time on this earth.
It was the same with a bird or a river or a mountain: each one was unique, with its own form and its own story to tell, but also part of something much larger than itself, connected to everything else that existed in this world.
As I thought about this, I felt a new determination rise within me as well as a new humility: how could I ever hope to capture such things with just my brush?
But even though it would be difficult, I knew that I had to try, for if I did not, the wisdom of the Yellow Emperor would be lost forever, as would the essence of our world and everything in it.
So I set out again, my brush in hand and my mind clear and focused, ready to try once more to create characters that would truly capture the spirit of the things they represented.
I have always been a patient man and a wise one too, or so I like to think (although others might disagree).
So it was not in my nature to give up easily or to rush into things without thinking them through first.
And so before I began my work again, I spent some time thinking about the characters that I had already created and about the strokes that I had used to make them and the meaning that lay behind those strokes.
It was then that I realized that the characters that I had created were not just arbitrary lines that happened to look like the things they represented.
Instead, they were made up of much more than that: they were a combination of different strokes and forms that represented the most profound aspects of the natural world itself!
With just a few lines and a few strokes, I could capture the majesty of the mountains or the serenity of the rivers or the boundless expanse of the heavens themselves!
But how could this be?
How could it be possible for me to capture such things with just a few simple strokes of my brush?
I thought about this for a long time before it finally came to me: when I was making characters before, I had been focusing too much on the external forms of things and not enough on their essential qualities.
I had been trying too hard to replicate the way that things looked without considering what made them what they were in the first place, and it was this that had caused my characters to appear flat and lifeless rather than embodying the spirit of their subjects as they should have done.
But now that I understood this, everything became clear once more: it wasn’t that my characters were wrong or incomplete; it was simply that they had not yet reached their full potential!
My work had only just begun!
So with a new sense of purpose, I picked up my brush and began to draw again, experimenting with different forms and structures until at last, after many long hours of work, it finally came to me: if I wanted to capture the spirit of something with just a few simple strokes, then those strokes could not just be any lines—they had to be lines that represented the things that they depicted in their very form!
And when it finally came to me, I knew right away what those lines would be: they would be lines that represented the Five Elements—the dynamic balance between wood, fire, earth, metal, and water—that was at the heart of everything in this world.
With these lines as my guide, I set out once more to create characters that would truly embody the spirit of their subjects—and as I drew, it was as if everything around me fell away and there was nothing left in the world but me and my brush and the characters that we were creating.
And as I drew, at last, something else became clear to me: it was not enough for these characters to be beautiful or complex or meaningful; they also had to be simple if they were going to be useful.
And so even as I continued to work on them, trying to capture everything about their subjects in just a few simple strokes, something inside me told me what they should look like: they should look like parts of a whole—like elements in a diagram rather than separate things in themselves—each one connected to every other in perfect harmony, like the cosmos itself.
And that was when something else occurred to me: that even though there are only so many things in this world that can be represented by characters, and only so many ways in which these characters can be drawn, there are still more possibilities than any one person could ever hope to explore.
In fact, there are so many that no matter how much care and attention is given to each one, there will always be more that are not considered than are considered—and this is true not just for characters, but for everything in this world!
The more I thought about this, the more it struck me just how vast and complex this world really is: how much there is in it that we don’t know, and how much there is that we will never know, no matter how hard we try.
It struck me that no matter how much time and energy we spend trying to understand and explain and control this world, there will always be parts of it that are beyond our grasp.
And as this realization sank in, something else occurred to me: that even though this world is so vast and complex that no one person could ever hope to know everything about it, that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t try to learn as much as we can!
And that’s when something else occurred to me: that even though this world is so vast and complex that no one person could ever hope to understand everything about it, that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t try our best to do just that!
We may never be able to understand everything about the world, but that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t try!
And with that in mind, I went back to work once more.
As soon as I started drawing characters again, something became clear to me: even though there are only so many things in this world that can be represented by characters, and only so many ways in which these characters can be drawn, there are still more possibilities than any one person could ever hope to explore—and with that in mind, it occurred to me that even if there were no limits on our understanding, we would still never be able to fully capture the essence of everything around us.
Even though there are only so many things that can be represented by characters, there are still more possibilities than any one person could ever hope to explore—and even if there were no limits on our understanding, we would still never be able to fully capture the essence of everything around us.
No matter how many characters I draw, there will always be more that are not yet created than are created—and no matter how complex or intricate or beautiful these characters may be, they will always be only pale reflections of the things that they depict!
And yet, even though there is little that any one person can do about this, that doesn’t mean that it’s not worth trying!
Even though these characters will never be able to capture the essence of the things that they represent, that doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t be beautiful and intricate and complex in their own right!
We may never be able to create the perfect character that represents the essence of every single thing in this world, but that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t try!
Because even if these characters can never hope to capture the beauty and complexity of the world around them, that doesn’t mean that they can’t be beautiful and complex in their own right!
And so, with this realization, I set out once again to create characters—and as soon as I started drawing them, something became clear to me: that each character is not just a depiction of a natural form, but a representation of its essence as well!
And once I realized this, everything began to fall into place: that the reason why all my previous attempts at creating characters had fallen short was because when I was creating them, all I was doing was drawing pictures of things, rather than creating representations of their essence!
And as soon as I started drawing characters with this in mind, something incredible happened: with each stroke of my brush, the tortoise shell on which I was drawing started to glow with a bright light!
At first, it was only a faint light—but as soon as I started drawing more and more characters, it grew brighter and brighter until it was finally shining so brightly that it was impossible for me to look at directly!
Something amazing was happening: when these characters were drawn correctly, they were not just pictures of natural forms, but embodiments of their essence—living beings who had been brought into being for the very first time!
Even though this was what the Yellow Emperor had told me to do, he hadn’t mentioned any of this—and when he saw what was happening, he was just as amazed as I was!
Even though they were not pictures of natural forms, but embodiments of their essence, they still looked like pictures—and as such, they could still be used to represent those same natural forms.
And with the help of the Yellow Emperor, who was watching over my shoulder and providing guidance as needed, I set out to create more and more of them.
They were not pictures of natural forms, but embodiments of their essence—and as such, they were not just pictures, but living beings who had been brought into being for the very first time!
These beings still resembled the natural forms that they depicted—and as such, they could still be used to represent those natural forms.
But they were not just pictures.
And while they may have looked like mere pictures, they were not just pictures.
They were living beings.
They may have resembled mere pictures, but they were not.
They may have looked like mere pictures, but they were not.
They may have seemed like mere pictures, but they were not.
And while they may have been nothing more than mere pictures to some people, they were much more than that to others—most notably myself!
And while it may have seemed like nothing more than a simple task at first glance, it turned out to be much more significant than it appeared at first!
And while it may have seemed like a simple task at first glance, it turned out to be much more!
And because of this, I was able to proceed with much greater confidence and determination than before!
Some people might think that creating all these characters is a simple task or a minor accomplishment, but in fact, it is an undertaking of great significance!
After all, in my quest to bring characters into existence for the very first time, the entire world watched on with bated breath—and as soon as the tortoise shells in my possession started glowing with a bright light, two other people arrived on the scene: Ling and Mingyu!
Ling is the guardian spirit of wisdom, and Mingyu is the spirit of courage.
Ling is a figure of great elegance, with glowing eyes and a figure as graceful as a butterfly.
Mingyu is a figure of great muscular build, with a fearless gaze and a figure as bold as a lion.
They are both very close friends of mine, and after we exchanged greetings, I told them: “What you are about to see, my friends, is something of great significance.”
“I’ve been commanded by the Yellow Emperor to create these things, and while they may seem like nothing more than mere pictures to some people, they are actually living beings who have been brought into existence for the very first time—and as such, they are not just symbols of natural forms, but embodiments of their essence!”
“Each of these characters is a symbol of a certain natural form—and as such, they can be used to represent that form.But they are not just symbols.
The characters themselves are living beings—and they have been brought into existence for the very first time!”
“This means that after they have been created, they will continue to exist!
And because of this, they will be able to change the destiny of human beings!”
“After all, before the creation of these characters, human beings were not able to communicate with each other on their own.
But now that these characters have been created, they will be able to do so.
This means that human beings will be able to communicate with each other on their own—and by doing so, they will be able to change their own destiny as well!
And so, even though they may appear to be mere pictures at first glance, they are actually living beings who have been created for a very important purpose!
And because of this, you should watch closely as I create them—and you should pay close attention afterward as well, so you can see what happens after they have been created!”
After saying this, I took up my chisel again—and once again, Ling and Mingyu watched closely over my shoulder.
As soon as Ling saw what was happening, she let out a gasp of astonishment.
“Each of those strokes contains an entire world within itself!
Not only does it embody the essence of a certain natural form, but it also carries within it a certain spirit!”
“I know,” said Mingyu.
“Every stroke is like a divine dragon writhing in midair!
“Not only does it resemble a certain natural form,” said Ling, “but it also embodies the essence of that form—and on top of all this, it is a living being as well!”
“And because of this,” said Mingyu, “it can change the destiny of human beings!”
After hearing this, I felt as if my heart had been pierced!
I had always thought that creating these characters was just something that needed to be done—and so when Ling and Mingyu asked me about them afterward, I was at a loss for words!
I didn’t know what to say—because they were right!
In creating these characters, they were not just symbols of natural forms but embodiments of their essence as well—and because of this, they could change human destiny!
But even so…
How could this be?
I hadn’t realized this before—so why did it have to be like this?
Ling seemed to sense my confusion—so she gave me an answer right away!
“Cangjie,” she said, “it’s not simply a matter of your having created these characters—because you didn’t just create them out of thin air!You created them out of your own blood and sweat—and each stroke contains within itself a certain piece of your flesh and blood as well!In other words…
You are in each one of these strokes as well!”
After hearing this, my heart skipped a beat!
Now that she mentioned it…
It was true!
These characters were not just symbols of natural forms but embodiments of their essence—and because of this, they could change human destiny!
But even so…
How could this be?
I hadn’t realized this before—so how could it have happened?
It was only after Ling spoke these words that I finally understood—because in creating these characters, I had put myself into them as well!
“This means that not only do you embody the essence of natural forms within each stroke,” said Ling, “but you have put yourself into them as well!And because you have done this…
“You’re right,” I said.
“In order to create these characters, I needed to embody the essence of the natural forms that they embodied as well—and in doing so, it became a part of me too.
And because it became a part of me as well, it means that these characters are me too!”
“That’s why they are able to change human destiny!”
I realized that in creating these characters, they were not just natural forms that were changing human destiny—but they were myself as well!
And so, because they were me too, they would be able to change human destiny as well!
“That’s right,” said Ling.
“But even so…
That doesn’t mean that you haven’t changed at all—and you’re still the same old Cangjie that you always were, aren’t you?”
After hearing this, my heart skipped a beat again.
Now that she mentioned it…
It was true!
Even though these characters were not just symbols but living beings that could change human destiny…
No matter how much my appearance might have changed, and no matter how much my knowledge might have grown…
I was still the same old Cangjie that I always had been!
And even though they might have been able to change human destiny, they would still be my creations—and my own children as well!
After realizing this, I felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude toward Ling and Mingyu—because if not for them coming into existence alongside me, then there would have been no one there who could witness my creation and give me such profound insight afterwards!
And then…
The two of them seemed to sense what it was that was on my mind—so they gave me an answer right away!
Ling came over to me and looked at the tortoise shells.
“There’s something special about these characters of yours,” she murmured.
“Even though they’re nothing more than markings on the tortoise shells…
They seem to have a life of their own…
And they’re overflowing with a profound sense of meaning and significance…
As if they are trying to tell a story about you!”
However, when I heard her say this…
I was unable to hide the shock on my face.
It was almost as if it was the first time that I had ever noticed it myself—as if Ling’s words had suddenly cast a new light on the characters I had created!
And as I looked at them again…
The tortoise shells were filled with countless strokes—each of which had its own unique form and structure.
Some of them were big and bold, while others were small and delicate.
Some of them had sharp edges and angular lines, while others had gentle curves and flowing strokes.
Some of them looked like miniature mountains or winding rivers, while others looked like forests or flowers.
And when all of them were put together…
It was almost as if they were a group of spirits who were standing shoulder to shoulder amongst each other!
But at the same time, they also seemed to be reaching out toward Ling as well—as if they wanted her to read the story they were trying to tell her!
And when Ling saw this…
She seemed to be filled with an overwhelming sense of emotion as well!
She reached out toward them and gently caressed them with her hands.
And at the same time, she seemed to be whispering something to them as well!
However, because I was too far away from her, and because I couldn’t read her lips, I wasn’t able to hear what it was that she was saying to them!
But even so, I could still tell from looking at her face and from seeing the way she was gazing at my characters what it was that she was feeling!
It was almost as if these characters were like a mirror that reflected all of the secrets and mysteries of the world to her!
And in an instant…
Everything seemed to become clear to me as well!
The characters I had created weren’t just symbols or marks on the tortoise shells—they were living beings who contained all of the wisdom and knowledge I had sought to capture within them!
So it was only natural for Ling, who was the guardian spirit of wisdom, to feel such a deep sense of connection and understanding when she saw them!
And when I thought about it like this…
I couldn’t help but feel a sense of familiarity toward my own characters as well—almost as if I was seeing them for the first time myself through Ling’s eyes!
At the same time, Mingyu came over to us too.
He stood beside Ling, his gaze fixed on my characters as well.
He didn’t seem to say anything or do anything in particular—but even so…
The sight of him standing there with his powerful build and his fearless gaze made it feel as if he too was filled with an aura of power!
However, even though he looked different from Ling in terms of his appearance, and even though he seemed to possess a different kind of power…
He and Ling seemed to be connected in some kind of special way too!
I stood there with my brush and with my tortoise shells in hand, feeling a little bit nervous and uncertain about what I should do next.
But even so…
I was still filled with a sense of curiosity and wonder as well.
I was wondering if Ling and Mingyu would be able to help me with what I wanted to do next.
But before I could say anything to them…
Ling suddenly looked over toward me.
Her gaze was so gentle and so loving that I almost felt like I was being embraced by her.
At the same time…
I saw Mingyu looking over at me too.
He had a look of surprise on his face.
It was almost as if he had never seen anything like what I was doing before either!
He seemed to be filled with a sense of reverence and astonishment when he saw me creating these characters—and he seemed to be filled with a desire to learn more about them as well!
At that moment…
I was filled with a sense of pride and confidence.
So I walked over toward Ling and Mingyu.
And then I looked at them with a smile on my face and with joy in my heart.
“Ling, Mingyu—I would like you both to take a closer look at these characters that I have created!”
And when they heard me say this…
They both looked over toward me with a look of surprise on their faces.
It was almost as if they couldn’t believe that I had managed to create something so wonderful and so amazing like this before!
And then they both looked down at the characters I had created too.
They seemed to be looking at them with a great deal of care and attention—as if they didn’t want to miss even the tiniest detail or nuance about them when they saw them for the very first time like this!
I stood behind them and watched them do this.
And then I saw Ling gently reaching out toward them again.
She ran her fingers across each row of characters one by one.
Her eyes seemed to be glowing with a faint light.
At the same time, she seemed to be filled with an aura of ethereal beauty and grace that surrounded her and made her look like a goddess who had come down from heaven itself!
I couldn’t help but feel a sense of wonder and amazement in my heart when I saw her like this.
It was almost as if she was able to see through everything in the world—including me and the characters I had created!
But at the same time…
She also seemed to be able to understand something that I didn’t realize myself either.
She seemed to be able to read my life story and all of the wisdom in the world through these characters—the same way that I had written them down and brought them into existence!
And when I looked at Mingyu…
I saw that he was looking at these characters too.
He stood beside Ling and watched her run her fingers across each row of characters in this way.
He looked at them with a bold and determined gaze.
