The mother goddess XI-WANG MU and the Jade Emperor, YU-HUANG-SHANGDI, sought to end their loneliness by having a child. The emperor carved a statue of a girl from the keystone of his jade palace. XI-WANG MU, sprinkled her husband's creation with nectar from the fruit of her Heavenly Peach Garden. The statue transformed into a child, which her parents name YUSHENG-LIJUAN (Beauty and grace, born of jade)
A band of demons seeking to destroy the eternal couple's happiness stole the child from her crib and hid her on earth, where she became mortal. She was found by a family of poor rice farmers and raised as their own. YUSHENG-LIJUAN, called NINGHONG (Tranquil red), by her adopted family, grew in intelligence, wisdom, and beauty.
The gods would find their daughter when she turned twenty-one. They blessed her with demi-god hood and charged her with defending the weak and helpless.
Notes: Another redo of an older manip. Changed pose and applied some newer techniques that I have learned. Much of the costume was reworked as well The background colors were enhanced to give an almost ethereal feel to the piece.
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