Mulan begins the quest to save Xiu

Mulan begins the quest to save Xiu when the Jade Rabbit tells her that her sister is dying of hupo poison and that the remedy requires a blossom from the Queen Mother of the West’s garden. The Jade Rabbit cannot reach the garden himself: a fox has badly injured him and weakened his powers. Mulan therefore insists on taking him to Kunlun Mountain on Black Wind. She leaves her sleeping family before dawn, carrying provisions and Xiu’s cloth rabbit, and rides into unfamiliar country in search of the cure.

The Cure and Its Cost

The quest begins with an answer Mulan does not want. When she asks whether the Jade Rabbit can save Xiu, he meets her eyes and says that he does not think he can. He explains that Xiu was bitten by the nine-legged spider and is dying from hupo poison. To cure it, she must drink a decoction made from Dragon Beard Grass and a freshly picked blossom of the Essence of Heavenly Majesty before the poison reaches her vitals. The remedy has ingredients, a method, and a deadline: knowing how to heal Xiu is not enough if the necessary blossom cannot be obtained in time.

The Jade Rabbit has Dragon Beard Grass, but not the blossom. He identifies its sole known location as the garden of the Queen Mother of the West, whom Mulan recognizes as the Queen of the Immortals. Even reaching the garden would not guarantee success. The Jade Rabbit says that the Queen Mother is protective about what is picked there, making the desired plant both a distant necessity and something that cannot simply be taken for granted. Mulan’s immediate problem thus opens into a journey toward an immortal domain, with the cure dependent on access to a guarded garden.

The Injured Guide and Mulan’s Decision

The Jade Rabbit had planned to summon a cloud and fly to Kunlun Mountain, to the Queen Mother’s palace. His injuries change the plan. He points to four dark marks on his leg and explains that the fox’s attack has nearly destroyed his powers: he cannot change forms, and he cannot reach Kunlun Mountain as a rabbit. The injury is not incidental to the quest. It removes the guide’s usual means of travel and makes Mulan’s participation necessary.

Mulan proposes a practical alternative: she can take him on Black Wind. The Jade Rabbit rejects the idea, troubled by the prospect of bringing a mortal again and recalling a previous occasion without explaining it. Mulan persists, arguing that Xiu’s life depends on the journey. His eventual agreement converts her proposal into a shared undertaking: he says that the only way to save her sister is for Mulan to accompany him, and urges her to gather her things so they can leave as soon as possible. Mulan feels relief, excitement, and fear together, then asks how long they have before the poison reaches Xiu’s vitals. The unanswered urgency of that deadline propels the departure.

Leaving Home

Mulan gathers food, clothes, and blankets while her family remains asleep under the Jade Rabbit’s spell. Passing her parents, she sees the bindings on her father’s damaged leg. His old account of fighting after Emperor Zhou’s defeat and against the invading Rouran has taught her that he understood sacrifice as a way to honor the ancestors. Yet Mulan also knows her mother’s contrasting lesson: a daughter brings honor through caring for her family, not through boldness. The journey makes those teachings collide. Leaving home might appear to defy her mother’s expectations, but Xiu’s condition makes departure an act of care. Mulan decides that whatever name the act deserves, she must go.

Before leaving, she looks at Xiu and takes the worn cloth rabbit that had hung beside her sister. She presses it to her chest, choosing it as a reminder of home while she is away. The small keepsake gives the departure a personal counterweight: Mulan is not simply setting out toward a distant garden but carrying a piece of her family with her. She bows farewell to each still, sleeping figure, takes Black Wind’s riding gear, and leaves the house to meet the Jade Rabbit outside the tulou.

The Road to Kunlun Mountain

The Jade Rabbit is waiting beside a silk bag, appearing at first like an ordinary rabbit. Mulan notices the silvery luster of his fur and the proud, composed way he sits, signs that distinguish him from a common animal. He tells her that Black Wind is awake. They ride out beneath the moon, and the Jade Rabbit explains that the distance is precisely why they must leave then.

Their journey quickly exceeds the bounds of the familiar. Nights and days blend as Black Wind gallops across the country, passing rice terraces, jagged green mountains, small villages, and farmers’ huts. The travelers give curious villagers vague answers about the girl and her pet; the Jade Rabbit is irritated by the questions, while Mulan is amused. The countryside changes in turn: trees become coral and amber, fan-shaped leaves drift around her, and fallen leaves soften the sound of Black Wind’s hooves. The narrative gives the quest a visible scale without losing its immediate purpose: every stretch of landscape separates Mulan from home while bringing the party closer to the place where Xiu’s cure may be found.

As she rides through places she has never seen, Mulan recalls her father’s stories of crossing the empire as a warrior. She imagines that he passed through these same fields and trees while fighting for his country, and feels wistful guilt that she might not bring comparable honor to their ancestors. The departure therefore begins not with certainty about what honor requires, but with Mulan acting under pressure, carrying her sister’s keepsake and measuring her own bold choice against the lessons she inherited. The quest’s decisive first step is her willingness to travel with the Jade Rabbit when his powers cannot carry him—and when waiting at home cannot save Xiu.