Chapter 4, Teacher, do you want a wife?
The woman possessed an exquisite face and a shapely figure. The divine power she exuded was of the same origin as Shiva's. Only one was supremely yang and strong, the other supremely yin and gentle.
She must be Shiva's separated self, the goddess Sakti.
"Since you two are both here, please mate here," Vishnu said, clearing a space.
Shiva: "→_→"
Vishnu, do you even listen to what you're saying?
Do I, Shiva, look like a casual god?
Although this goddess Sakti's headlights are bigger than Mr. Yang's, her legs far surpass Kurosawa Rei's, and her appearance possesses both Eastern elegance and Western exoticism.
But!
I am the god of destruction and asceticism, the lord of innocence and knowledge, the cause and effect of all things. "Why did you have to do something so wrong, like sleeping with your gender-swapped self?"
"Shiva, you need not worry. The moment Sakhali separated from you, she became an independent woman. She can survive without depending on you, possessing her own will and thoughts. She is you, and yet she is not you."
Vishnu's philosophical words failed to convince Shiva.
An independent woman? Sakhali was the other half separated from him! Have you ever seen a woman who takes half of a man's possessions and still talks about independence?
"Vishnu, you need not say more. Even if Shiva agrees now, I cannot unite with him. Right now, I am merely a soul without substance, powerless in such matters," Sakhali suddenly spoke.
She was originally the sensual aspect separated from Shiva, possessing only spirit, without form.
Vishnu's expression immediately became anxious and urgent. His duty was to protect the world, thus he always had to shuttle between Brahma and Shiva to maintain the balance of the world.
Previously, when Brahma first created the world, he encountered a great obstacle. Shiva, as the embodiment of the supreme will of the universe, was inherently perfect, and the universe could not simultaneously tolerate two perfect beings.
Because Shiva was incredibly powerful, his perfect state could not be broken by any external force. Therefore, at Vishnu's suggestion, Brahma implored the androgynous Shiva to separate his own nature, transforming into the goddess Shakti. Only then was Brahma able to create a stable world.
Shiva is one; one begets two, two begets three, and three begets all things.
However, after the world was created, Brahma encountered another problem, also stemming from Shiva.
Because Shiva was the embodiment of the cosmic will, his incompleteness caused the entire universe to become incomplete, and the world Brahma created was still not perfect.
After much deliberation, Vishnu finally devised a solution: to unite Shiva with the goddess Shakti, creating Schrödinger's Shiva. Both perfect and incomplete, he could thus coexist with the world Brahma created. However, accomplishing such a thing is truly difficult.
On one hand, Shiva cannot accept union with him; on the other hand, the goddess Sakti doesn't even have a physical body, making sexual intercourse impossible.
After deep thought, Vishnu had a sudden inspiration.
"Shiva, can you accept soul intercourse with the goddess Sakti?"
"Soul...soul intercourse?"
"That is, making love with the goddess Sakti in the form of a soul."
Nonsense! Do you really need to explain this? Do you think I haven't seen those Japanese hypnotic videos?
But, while he may have seen them, Shiva is absolutely unwilling to do it. Not everyone is like you Indians, who will try anything, even with lizards.
"Sigh. Since that's the case, then there's only one way left. Let the goddess Sakti reincarnate, reborn as a completely different woman, and then let the two of you become husband and wife." Vishnu sighed and shook his head, then looked at Daksha, who was meditating in the distance.
"Lord of all beings, the goddess Sakti will be reborn as your daughter, to be worthy of her nobility. Are you willing?"
"Of course I am willing," Dasha replied respectfully, hands clasped together.
The great goddess Sakti was to become his daughter—what an honor! His years of arduous cultivation, searching for the goddess Sakti, were not in vain.
The goddess Sakti, radiating maternal love, appeared before Dasha, her brow slightly furrowed, and warned, "Before I am reborn as your daughter, you must swear an oath not to disrespect my reincarnation. Otherwise, you will face utter destruction."
"Goddess Sakti, you are joking. I am a gentle and refined lord of civilized harmony, and your devout follower. How could I possibly disrespect you?"
"I hope you will not break your promise." With that, the goddess Sakti transformed into a golden sphere of light and flew towards Dasha's territory.
After Daksha left satisfied, Vishnu turned to Shiva: "Shiva, wait for your wife to come to you. No matter where you go, you will be entangled with the reincarnation of the goddess Shakti."
With that, Vishnu shattered the void and vanished, leaving Shiva shivering in the cold wind.
In truth, as the powerful god of knowledge, Shiva could see many possibilities for the future. Some could be changed, while some destinies could only be slightly adjusted.
Shiva knew that he and the goddess Shakti must unite to bring complete perfection to the world. Although this broken world had nothing to do with him, if he refused again, Vishnu and Brahma would definitely join forces to pressure him.
Rather than be forced by fate, he might as well start enjoying it himself.
At least after the goddess Shakti was reincarnated, she wouldn't feel awkward about having sex with him. No dowry, no house, and he was even guaranteed to be the most beautiful woman in the world as his wife—what more could a husband ask for!
...
Within Dasha's territory.
The seven immortals were in complete chaos.
"Disaster! Last night I observed the celestial phenomena and foresaw that Brahma would suffer a bloody calamity."
"It must be that Brahma cursed the Vedas, angering Shiva, and was punished by him."
"Brahma's cursing of the Vedas only lasted a short while before stopping. Could it be that Shiva blew his head off?"
"Can you be more precise? His head was blown off by Shiva's trident."
"It's over. If Daksha finds out, everything is ruined."
"Perhaps we should keep it a secret for as long as we can."
"Brahma's head has been blown off! He is not only the creator god but also Daksha's father. You think you can hide it? You can't hide it at all!"
"If we conceal this secret, and Daksha discovers it later, he will surely be furious with us."
After some discussion, the seven sages finally decided to tell Daksha.
Soon afterward, Daksha, having finished his ascetic practice, returned to his palace. As soon as Dasha entered his bedchamber, he heard the cry of a baby. He saw his queen holding an infant, gently singing lullabies to lull her to sleep.
"I, Dasha, have been away from home for many years, and upon my return, I find myself with a daughter! Thank the heavens! Thank the goddess Sati!"2
Dasha embraced his daughter, caressing her delicate and beautiful face, and named her Sati. He knew that this baby girl was the reincarnation of the goddess Sati.
While the family of three was enjoying their time together, three of the Seven Sages also came to Dasha's bedchamber to pay their respects.
"Lord, I have some good news and some bad news. Which would you like to hear first?"
"I just had a daughter. On such a joyous day, please hear the good news first."
"The good news is that the great Brahma, with five heads and four arms, is about to complete the world he created. As Brahma's son, you will attain an incomparably high status, and countless beings will offer you sacrifices."
"Alright, alright, I know that's so simple. Now tell me the bad news."
"Your father got his head blown off."