While Nüwa was away, a wicked figure named Kang Hui arrived, bringing disaster to humanity in the form of a great flood. Unable to cope, the people turned to the heavens for help. Nüwa, who was deep in meditation, suddenly noticed that one of her prayer beads had stopped spinning. Concerned, she sent a young girl to investigate the situation. After learning the truth, Nüwa was furious and immediately descended to confront Kang Hui.
Kang Hui was a strange being from Jizhou, with a copper head, iron forehead, red hair, and a serpent-like body. He was a demon sent from the heavens to oppose humanity, leading a group of water-dwelling creatures who were skilled in using water as a weapon in battle.
Using her magical powers, Nüwa gathered intelligence on Kang Hui’s forces. She then commanded the people to gather 20,000 stones of various sizes, sorting them into five colors: blue, yellow, red, black, and white. She also instructed the people to gather 100 wooden poles of varying lengths, including 20 very long poles, which she carved into the shape of turtles. Furthermore, she ordered the collection of 500,000 bundles of reeds within a month.
Next, Nüwa selected 1,000 strong villagers to train on a high mountain, running up and down twice daily, as quickly as possible. She also chose 2,000 agile villagers to practice swimming, diving underwater for long periods. She also molded thousands of clay figures, of various sizes, to prepare for battle.
As soon as Kang Hui attacked with his usual flood strategy, Nüwa ordered the people to burn half of the 500,000 bundles of reeds, turning them into ashes. She instructed the villagers to mix the ashes with mud and carry it forward to fill any water-filled areas, thus reversing the floodwaters sent by Kang Hui. After Kang Hui’s first defeat, he grew even fiercer and led his forces into battle.
At that moment, the thousands of clay figures Nüwa had created sprang to life, each towering up to five meters tall and wielding weapons. Kang Hui’s forces, unaccustomed to such an army, were struck with panic and quickly retreated.
Knowing Kang Hui would change his strategy, Nüwa ordered the 2,000 swimmers to prepare for the next move. She predicted that Kang Hui would retreat to the dangerous areas of the Daluze and Zhaoyu Great Swamp, where he had built massive dikes to prevent flooding. She instructed the villagers to use the special wooden poles, shaped like turtle feet, to reinforce the dikes and prevent them from breaking. Nüwa had consulted with the Sea God to use the strength of turtle spirits, lending the poles their immense power.
With the preparations in place, Nüwa sent 1,000 skilled runners, along with the small clay figures and stones, to defeat Kang Hui in the swamps. Kang Hui attempted to escape, but the runners, faster than him, captured him. Nüwa, after listing Kang Hui’s crimes, ordered his execution. However, as her blade struck, no blood spilled. Instead, a dark mist rose into the air—Kang Hui had used his magical powers to transform into a black dragon and slither away to escape.