As Fuxi and Nüwa were discussing how to deal with the Thunder God’s father, a sudden deafening crash, like the sound of heaven and earth splitting apart, reached their ears. Knowing that something was wrong, they quickly rushed back home. Upon arriving, they found that the Thunder God had escaped, and the two children were also missing. Their father, alarmed, anxiously called for the children, searching both in front and behind the house.
As for the children:
The two siblings, holding the Thunder God’s teeth, found them fascinating.
“Are these seeds?” the sister asked.
“They must be seeds, only seeds can be planted in the soil,” the brother answered.
“But I saw him pull them out from his mouth,” the sister said.
“Let’s plant them quickly before Father comes back and sees that the monster has escaped and left us a gift. He’ll be angry,” the brother suggested.
So, they ran to a field far from home and buried the teeth in the ground. After a short while, two vibrant green shoots sprouted from the soil. The siblings were amazed. At that moment, they heard their father calling for them, so they quickly ran back.
When they saw their father, they hung their heads and explained what had happened. Their father didn’t scold them but said seriously, “Children, a great disaster is coming. What you released was not a monster, but the Thunder God. He will come back for revenge. I must build a great iron ship to withstand this disaster.”
Frightened, the children told their father about the gift left by the Thunder God. The father instructed them to show him the plant they had planted. They led him to the spot where the plant had grown and flowered. The father said, “This is the Thunder God’s way of thanking you! Let it grow. You two are in charge of taking care of it while I work on the iron ship.”
The next day, when the siblings went to check, they found that the fruit that had grown from the plant had become an enormous gourd. That evening, the gourd ripened and fell from the vine. The siblings dragged it back home and sawed off the top of the gourd. Inside, they discovered a mass of tooth-like objects, which were somewhat frightening at first glance. When they pulled one out, they found it harmless and removed all the tooth-shaped items. The inside of the gourd was hollow and large enough for both of them to fit inside. They told their father about it, and he instructed them that in case of storm or flood, they should hide inside the gourd.
On the third day, the father finished the final nail on the iron ship. Suddenly, a great wind blew, and dark, heavy clouds filled the sky, as if the world was about to be covered in darkness. A fierce rainstorm followed, and the ground began to crack, spewing torrents of water. The flood grew increasingly violent, quickly turning the land into a vast sea.
The father called the children and instructed them to hide inside the gourd, saying, “Children, this is the Thunder God’s revenge in the form of a flood. Stay inside the gourd until you no longer hear the sound of wind and rain.” He closed the lid on them and jumped into the iron ship, sailing through the surging waves.
The floodwaters continued to rise, submerging mountains and threatening to reach the heavens. The father, in his iron ship, fought the storm and waves, until by chance, he reached the Gates of Heaven. He rammed the ship’s prow into the gates, causing a great noise that reverberated through the clouds. As he did, he shouted, “Heavenly gods, open the gates! I have urgent news for the Heavenly Emperor!” The Heavenly Emperor, already alerted, summoned the gatekeeper to inquire about the situation. The gatekeeper reported the disaster unfolding on earth.
The Heavenly Emperor, alarmed, immediately summoned the brave man. When the father arrived before the Emperor, he explained how the Thunder God had refused to bring rain, leading to drought. The father had fought with him, and when the Thunder God fled, he returned to exact his revenge through the flood. The Heavenly Emperor was furious and ordered the waters to be withdrawn.
The Water God obeyed the command, and in an instant, the wind and rain stopped, and the floodwaters receded. The iron ship, with its vast size and sudden disappearance of the flood, fell from the sky and crashed to the ground, shattering into pieces. The unfortunate father was crushed to death, his body shattered like the broken ship.
Meanwhile, the siblings, safely hidden in the gourd, fell from the sky but were unharmed. The gourd, being round and soft inside, bounced a few times before coming to a stop. The siblings, hearing no more wind or rain, opened the lid and crawled out.
After the floodwaters subsided, all the humans on earth had perished, and only the two children survived. Since they had no names, and because the gourd had saved them, they were named “Fuxi,” which sounds like “Hu Xi” (meaning “gourd play” in Chinese). Later, to distinguish between the boy and the girl, the boy was named Fuxi, and the girl was named Nüwa. And so, Fuxi and Nüwa became the legendary brother and sister, the progenitors of humankind.