In the dream, the skeleton said to Zhuangzi that after death, there is no class or season, and humans merge with nature and change with the changes of heaven and earth, which is very comfortable
Zhuangzi said to the skeleton, ‘I ask the God of Life to resurrect you and see if it’s comfortable to live or die.’
The skeleton fled in fear upon hearing it
Zhuangzi was a philosopher in the Warring States period of China. This story tells people to think about death with the principles of nature and not to be greedy or afraid of death.
This is the source and translation of my manga
In the Chu Dynasty of Zhuangzi, when he saw a hollow skull with a visible shape, he struck it with a horse and asked, “Master, why did you indulge in life and lose reason? Did you cause the downfall of your country and punish your son with axes and swords? Did you cause your son to behave badly and be ashamed of the ugliness of his parents and wife? Did you cause your son to suffer from frostbite and despair? Did your son’s Spring and Autumn period end here?” He then spoke up, supported the skull, and lay down on his pillow. In the middle of the night, the skull saw a dream and said, “Those who talk about the Son are like debaters. They see that the Son’s words are all the burden of life, but death is not like this. Does the Son want to hear about death?” Zhuangzi said, “Yes.” The skull said, “In death, there is no ruler above, no minister below; and there is no matter what happens in the four seasons. Therefore, the heaven and earth are regarded as the Spring and Autumn Period. Although the king of the south is happy, it cannot pass through.” Zhuangzi did not believe it and said, “I have ordered the revival of the Son’s form, with flesh, blood, and skin. What does the Son want to hear from his parents, wife, and family?” The skull furrowed his brow deeply and said, "Can I abandon the south? Wang Le has returned to the labor of the human world!(庄子之楚，见空髑髅，髐然有形，撽以马捶，因而问之，曰：“夫子贪生失理，而为此乎？将子有亡国之事，斧钺之诛，而为此乎？将子有不善之行，愧遗父母妻子之丑，而为此乎？将子有冻馁之患，而为此乎？将子之春秋故及此乎？”于是语卒，援髑髅，枕而卧。夜半，髑髅见梦曰：“子之谈者似辩士。视子所言，皆生人之累也，死则无此矣。子欲闻死之说乎？”庄子曰：“然。”髑髅曰：“死，无君于上，无臣于下；亦无四时之事，从然以天地为春秋，虽南面王乐，不能过也。”庄子不信，曰：“吾使司命复生子形，为子骨肉肌肤，反子父母妻子闾里知识，子欲之乎？”髑髅深矉蹙额曰：“吾安能弃南面王乐而复为人间之劳乎！)
Nice to see some fluffy versions of classical literature; the mane tied up in a bun is a nice touch.
If you’re planning to do more in this style, perhaps something from the 36 Stratagems (三十六計)? If you need help finding some examples of them, I’m happy to do so.
