Portraits

影神图

This book is bound by:

Black Myth: Wukong is a game by Game Science, published in 2024.

This is a collection of the in-game journal entries. This is a fan project and

for personal use only; no profits are made from this typeset.

Journal entries provided by https://blackmythwukong.fandom.com/

Journal portraits taken from Black Myth: Wukong

Typeset by EggFriedPenguin in Berlin, Germany 2024

Lesser Yaoguai (From Chapter 4-6 of the game)

游戏第4、5、6章中出现的小妖

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Fly-Whisk Daoist

拂尘道士

The wide robe and crane cloak flutter in the breeze,

Why compare the righteous with the unrighteous, please?

Praising virtues and merits disturbs the sweet dream,

Whisking dust and sweeping earth disrupts the serene theme.

In Petalfall Hamlet lived a Daoist. He had taken his vows last and was the youngest, and thus, the grandmaster doted on him. He, too, was glad to wait on the grandmaster at all times. If the grandmaster extended a hand, he served tea. If the grandmaster lifted a foot, he removed his shoe. He swatted flies, fanned the breeze, made the bed, and tidied the covers-quick and thorough in his duties. The grandmaster favored him greatly.

His fellow disciples burned with jealousy, but they couldn't stoop to such fawning. They could only speak ill of him behind his back and bully him to vent their ire.

One day, the grandmaster held a test to assess his disciples' learning. When it was the turn of the youngest, he decided to be lenient with him. He only asked him to recite a passage from the scripture of Dao De Jing. The young disciple put on a smug face and chanted in a loud, clear voice: "The Dao produced One One, produced Two Two, produced Three Three, produced all things..."

The other disciples had long awaited this moment, and their wish was finally granted. They roared with laughter and even stole glances at the grandmaster to see his reaction. The grandmaster, furious, stormed off in a huff. The other disciples then warned the young one, "You've committed a grave blunder and incited his anger today. Don't dream of learning any solid skills from him now."

After that incident, the grandmaster shunned the youngest disciple. But then he found he had no one to wait on him properly. Over time, he reminisced about the young disciple's attentiveness. Before long, the disciple was summoned to serve him again. But when he saw the disciple's disinterest in Daoist learning, his aversion returned. One day, the young disciple implored the grandmaster to teach him some skills, and the grandmaster took the fly-swatting, fan-waving motions the boy did each day and made them into a set of moves. Who knows if it was meant as sarcasm? In the end, he taught the boy those moves and wind wielding techniques, and that was all the boy could hope for.

Staff Daoist

执杖道士

Fairy mountains, clouds and waters are connected to the horizon

and home is nowhere to be seen.

Holding a stick, I walk far into the dangerous nest

and enjoy the white snow and yellow buds.

Long ago, a mountain village sat on a ridge teeming with insects. Strange things kept happening, so the villagers all moved out, leaving it a deserted village. In the village below lived a young man. His mother had died, and his father was a poor wastrel who paid him no mind. The villagers looked down on him and often abused him. He felt he couldn't endure such disdain, so he fled to live in the abandoned village. Little did he know that the village was claimed by a swarm of insect guais.

As soon as the young man reached the ridge, the yaoguais seized him. He didn't fight back, as a deep-rooted death wish, stemming from a life without attachments, had long infested his heart. Seeing his resignation, the insects didn't harm him. Instead, they provided him shelter in a dilapidated shack.

That night, a middle-aged Daoist brought him food and clothing. "I heard you have nowhere to go, so I brought you some things for daily use. If you don't mind, take me as your master and stay here. I can teach you practices for ascension." The youth hadn't been cared for in so long. He eagerly donned the Daoist robe and performed the rites to acknowledge his master. From then on, he lived and trained with the insect guais. They spent their days dining and walking together, and at night, they slept side by side.

One day, a scholar barged into the young man's room. "I've just escaped from the yaoguais' lair. They had trapped me in a cocoon sack, and I'm unsure of their intentions. I'm fleeing this place. You're human, you should come with me." The young man shook his head. "I'm content here. Why should I leave?" The scholar grew angry, "Because they're yaoguais and you're human! Even if they don't harm you, staying with them long enough will turn you into a yaoguai as well!"

"You're right," the young man said as he grabbed his staff and knocked the scholar to the ground. "But even if I turn into a yaoguai, I'll do so gladly." The scholar deemed that the young man was past saving. Gritting his teeth against the pain, he crawled out the door and fled alone.

Snake Herbalist

蛇司药

Pine, bamboo, plum grant him a blue hue,

Yet hearts of jackals, tigers, and leopards he possesses true.

Collecting herbs from mountains and streams,

No desire to aid the world, lost in selfish dreams.

In the old days, there was a Daoist temple at the foot of Purple Cloud Mountain. An ascetic Daoist nun, worn from her long travels, sought shelter there one night. The temple nuns, moved by her devotion, offered her hot water and fresh clothes.

As she bathed, the nun heard a sound from the rafters. Without showing any sign of alarm, she put on her robe and nonchalantly picked up her fly-whisk. With a gentle flick, the whisk stretched and coiled with her motion, snaking up to the rafters and seizing a yaoguai.

Alerted by the commotion, the temple nuns rushed into the room to investigate. On the ground crouched a snake guai with green scales, unfazed by its capture. It seemed the nuns had been its prior victims, now taking turns to scold it. The snake guai looked at them with contempt and puffed out its cheeks to spew green venom in every direction. Anyone struck by even a drop collapsed at once, writhing in pain.

As the guai had no remorse, the nun took out a wispy golden needle, prepared to destroy it. Only then did the snake show fear. It pleaded at once: "I'm just a lesser herbalist guai from the mountain. In my basket outside is the antidote for them. Please, will you spare my life, immortal lady?"

Hearing its sincere plea, the nun granted it mercy. The guai rummaged in its basket and handed her some small white pellets. "These are the leaves of the pearl tree. They're rare in the mortal world and can cure all venoms." It fed one to each Daoist nun, and they recovered at once.

After that, the temple always had tree pearls on hand, and many afflicted by venom came here to seek aid. But the high cost of a tree pearl meant many, unable to afford it, had to face the toxin's fatal outcome.

Snake Sheriff

蛇捕头

A head so large, a tail so thin, seven feet long,

A patterned form, electric eyes, fierce and strong.

With tiger stripes, it boasts with pride,

Yet beneath its head, a strange guise hides.

In the mountains, there was a tiger with a strong desire for the Dao. He traveled across high mountains and great rivers, seeking a Daoist temple to practice. However, his Daoist affinity was thin, and he couldn't find a master willing to accept him until he reached the Webbed Hollow, hoping to become a disciple under an accomplished immortal.

At first, the immortal master disdained him for being a mere tiger, unlike his other disciples, and refused to see him. The tiger knelt outside the mountain gate for several days without rising. The immortal master, sensing his sincerity, gave him a chance and accepted him as an outer disciple.

Unexpectedly, the tiger had no steadfastness. After the initial fervor, he didn't put in the effort. The immortal master advised him, "One's practice relies on oneself, not the master." But the tiger couldn't grasp this and was punished to guard the mountain at Forest of Ferocity. Feeling resentful, the tiger became even lazier, spending his days lying idly under a tree and cursing his master to pass the time.

One day, while half-asleep under the tree, complaining about his master, he suddenly heard a soft sigh and felt something slip into his mouth. Startled, he sat up, but there was no one around. He retched for a long time but couldn't expel anything, thinking it was just a dream.

After some time, the tiger's neck became long and thin, and he could no longer speak. He diligently patrolled Hollow Forest every day. People whispered among themselves, "He started his Daoist practice with enthusiasm but ended poorly. The master must have punished him, which is why he looks like this now. From now on, we'd best be careful."

Worm Practioner

虫羽士

Swallowing pills to hasten flight,

In tainted streams, he shares the blight.

Better to seek the straight and true,

Than in the crooked paths pursue.

The disciples who practiced swordsmanship in the temple had been training under their master for a long time. Since joining the group, they had all harbored the wish to attain ascension, diligently practicing their skills with great perseverance.

One day, the master finally informed his disciples that after years of rigorous training, their skills had become proficient. He told them that they could now follow him into the mountains for a secluded meditation. If they were fortunate, they might achieve ascension and become immortals. The disciples were overjoyed and eagerly packed their belongings to follow their master into the mountains.

The master led them using a teleportation technique to a breathtakingly beautiful mountain. The mountain was rustling golden leaves, presenting a scene of crisp, refreshing autumn weather.

At the mountain's peak, there was a hamlet where they set down their belongings. The master then led them along a path behind the hamlet to the summit. There, they saw strands of silk hanging in the air, with one end suspended in the mountain mist and the other reaching high into the clouds, destination unknown. The master said, "This is the celestial ladder to the Immortal Kingdom. Hundreds of years ago, your senior brother ascended to immortality from this very spot."

With that, he handed each of them a peculiar object of a violet color and said, "This is a pill to aid your ascension. Quickly, my disciples, consume it."