Chapter 14

Chapter 14

CHAPTER 14 – PROBING EACH OTHER OUT ON THE EDGE OF CUTSLEEVERY

Originally posted on RBKTR Translations.

Author: The One Who Tells Stories Under the Bridge (天桥底下说书的).

Translated by: Yujuan

Although Ji Mo felt impatient, he forced himself to stay calm. The White Tower had collapsed in the midst of the explosion, and at present, everything left at the bottom were shattered bricks, the formerly thriving plants turning into the best medium for fire, engulfing the eastern side of the Shrine in a sea of flames. He had ordered the divine attendants to immediately dispatch people to extinguish the fire, but the panic created by the destruction of the White Tower was much more troublesome than expected. While the divine attendants had dispersed to search for people as ordered, their dazed expressions made it clear that they couldn’t be counted on.

The Fire of Life generated from the Four-Eyed Birds’ self-destruction could only be extinguished using powerful divine spells, and the most bothersome thing about it was that this fire grew endlessly, igniting anything it touched. If not extinguished at one go, it would flourish once more in the blink of an eye. Now that the Rising Sun Priest had defected, Su Ge was the only one in the Shrine capable of casting such a large-scale technique.

Quickly finding Su Ge was the best way of quelling turmoil, however, was he truly that anxious for the sake of the Shrine? If not, why would he…

All the buildings in the sea of fire were no longer the same, and Ji Mo was forced to widen Wuyan’s field of view to its maximum capacity so he could look past the roaring flames and dense smoke for the right direction. With no time to think about this question, he forcefully reasoned that making this action wasn’t a mistake, and threw out five consecutive Level 10 Divine Scrolls to open a path through the sea of flames, running straight towards one section of the White Tower’s remnants.

The rain summoned by the water-type Divine Scrolls soaked his white priest robes, his hood falling off as he sprinted, loose black hair pressed onto his neck by the rain before they could fly out. The last time Ji Mo could remember straining himself this much was around three years ago, when he had just lost his eyes. At the time, the darkness had caused everything around him to seem incomparably frightening, so he was left with no choice but to distance himself from all the sounds, wishing to find a place that would bring him a peace of mind so he could hide away, and never emerge in this world ever again.

However, he was no longer the powerless boy he was in the past, he could now accurately reach the places he wished to go.

“Ye Mingjun!”

Unfolding a scroll to extinguish the flames by the White Tower’s entrance, he tried calling out the immortal’s name. Then, when he lifted his head, he spotted two Celestials levitating in seated positions right in the middle of the tower’s rupture. One of them was dressed in white, drifting like the elusive clouds on the horizon; the other had plain looks, but he had a disposition of remarkable brilliance, as if his eyes were filled with oceans of stars. It was Ye Mingjun and Su Ge.

Seemingly hearing his voice, they glanced over from where they had both been leisurely sampling some tea. As he spotted him, Ye Mingjun revealed a rare look of surprise, and it was also at this moment that Ji Mo finally reacted. So, the Celestials did not care about this entire series of misfortunate events.

Yes, Su Ge did not care, because he protected the people at a whim, without a need for the others’ faith; similarly, Ye Mingjun did not care, because he had the confidence that no one in this world would be able to bring him harm.

Everything the mortals feared was just a trivial matter to the Celestials, he had long since become well aware of these circumstances. In the past, he had always looked on with indifference as the common people struggled in the midst of war, so why was he working himself to such a haggard state? Compared to the skillful ease displayed by both of them, he was much too unsightly.

Silently breathing in, he finally retrieved his own composure, and only spoke blandly, “High Priest, the Rising Sun Priest has turned traitor, please appear before the divine attendants at once to quell their fears.”

From what Su Ge knew of Ji Mo, this was a man who always kept his distance from the Celestials, and naturally wouldn’t come to search for him. At present, he was a little astonished too, but still gave a drawn-out sigh when he heard these words, “Ji Mo, the Shrine does not lack of high-level priests skilled in water techniques, but do you truly believe that it is better this way, not being able to effectively extinguish a fire the moment I am gone?”

“The High Priest has caused them to lose their self-confidence as the strong, or perhaps, in the face of Celestials, no one can be regarded as strong.”

Was it a good thing? Of course not, but this was the regime the Godly Continent had chosen. They had deified Su Ge, was used to believing that as long as they continued worshiping Su Ge, they would be able to attain eternal peace. This had continued for so many years, and couldn’t be rectified even if they wished to.

“Yes, that is why I will take responsibility to protect all of you to the end.”

Su Ge had also understood this to be the reality, so even if he was very resigned to those of the Shrine depending on him to solve every problem without attempting for themselves, he still stood up and smiled at Ye Mingjun in parting, “Sir, it was a pleasure talking with you, I will surely invite you to tea again in the near future.”

Looking on as Su Ge departed, soaring through the skies, Ji Mo knew that the people of the Shrine would settle down the moment the High Priest emerged, and the flames would be quickly stamped out. Then, now that they had found themselves alone with each other, what should he say?

He ought to be happy that the person he was concerned about was safe and sound. But when the immortal’s languid demeanor fell into his line of sight, his feelings became complicated instead. Should he tell him just how anxious he had been earlier? To the immortal, worrying about such a small disturbance must be something beyond his comprehension, and he didn’t want to recall his own disgraceful state earlier.

Then, should he question Ye Mingjun on why he hadn’t left the sea of flames at the earliest opportunity? That wasn’t a good idea. After all, what was he to him? Friends? Ye Mingjun had never admitted it. Lovers? That was just one of the immortal’s games. As an NPC accompanying him in this game, he truly did not have the right to say that he should naturally be given a report of his safety. Strictly speaking, he did not even have the right to worry.

He had lost his head earlier from this sudden misfortune, and now that he had cleared his mind, he finally chose to step back into the stability of his daily life, maintaining his composure as he turned to leave. He told himself silently, that he had come to summon Su Ge for the sake of quelling the people’s unrest, that he was just doing his job as a White Robed Priest. Just that.

This was Ye Mingjun’s first time hearing Ji Mo call out his name. He had been truly astonished the moment he heard his cry, because no one had ever called him that in such a tone, as if they were of the same kind. While he couldn’t understand a human’s feelings, at this moment, his emotions seemed to stir. However, before he could think carefully about it, Ji Mo turned to leave without saying a single word to him. Such an action baffled the immortal, and he could only question the picture scroll hanging by his waist, “He called out my name, so why isn’t he speaking to me?”

“This question has overstepped the System’s scope of knowledge. It cannot be answered.”

The immortal did not understand the hearts of humans, and from what he could recall of humans, they were an incredibly sensitive species frequently influenced by their emotions. He did not want to hurt the little guy he liked, so he had used the System, which he had received from the underworld in exchange for an ancient treasure, to guide him in understanding emotions, mixing in with the humans the right way, even if the restrictions were very uncomfortable.

After pondering silently for a moment, at last, the willful immortal still chose to trust his instincts, and landed before the White Robed Priest. With his rain-soaked hair hidden beneath the hood of his robes, only a few strands hung before his pale cheeks; almost as if he was caught off his guard, Ji Mo lifted his head uncertainly.

Although his expression was as indifferent as ever, Ye Mingjun felt that his gaze had grown much colder. He wanted this person to warm up, so after contemplating for a few seconds, he took off his outer robes to place over the youth’s body.

The immortal’s clothes were as thin as a cicada’s wings, fluttering like clouds when they raised, instantly soaking the moment they fell over Ji Mo’s body. Glancing down at his own thick and solid priest robes, Ji Mo did not understand the meaning of such an action, and could only ask, “Xianjun, what are you doing, might I ask?”

“You… seem cold?”

Ye Mingjun had always been a self-assured person, but there was a trace of uncertainty in his voice as he answered. Nevertheless, Ji Mo could tell from his awkward look that this guy had discovered he was in low spirits. It was just that he did not understand what was meant by this emotion, and could only generalize it with the vagueness of being ‘cold’.

Humans were an incredibly willful and selfish species. If the feelings one gave did not receive an equal response, they would feel hurt. Even if they knew this wasn’t the other’s fault, feeling vexed was something that couldn’t be helped.

He just didn’t want to show his sorry state in front of Ye Mingjun, didn’t want to admit that he had been the first to lose his head in this game of love. After all, the first to fall too deep into the game would be the first to lose. Ji Mo did not want to become the one to fall first, he just wanted to rationally survive to the end. When the truth became apparent, what made him miserable was how evidently weak and small he was before the immortal – this was the low self-esteem pertaining to a mortal, something Ye Mingjun probably couldn’t understand.

But to continue being entangled with me even though he doesn’t understand, Ye Mingjun isn’t completely without fault. So, if you continue approaching me, I won’t allow you to escape unscathed either.

Without using any of his flattering words to pacify the immortal, this time, Ji Mo slowly drew out a scroll and unfolded it under the immortal’s doubtful gaze, and the Level 5 Divine Spell: Rainstorm Technique was unleashed— Ye Mingjun, who kept his graceful bearing even after taking off his outer robes was instantly turned into a drenched chicken by the sudden rainstorm.

If he was pushed into a river by someone, he would definitely pull that person in along with him, better not think of him as a rabbit who did not bite.

Ji Mo knew that an immortal had incredibly fast reflexes, and even if he had been able to steal Ye Po’s Blood Spirit Stone, the reason why he hadn’t dodged was simply because he didn’t want to. Looking at the stupefied expression on his pretty features, the emotions he had been holding in finally burst out.

Damn this Ye Mingjun, stupidly staying in the tower to drink tea even after it exploded, how many scrolls do you think you made me lose along the way, how worried I was for you?! Even if they’re, to you, cheap little things that won’t be missed, that’s everything I risked my life to earn over the years.

What’s the use of placing a thin piece of clothing over a completely drenched person, huh? You deserve to get your teeth kicked in, just like a brat who doesn’t come home after going nuts on his way back from school! I’ll drown your face!

His innermost being exploding like a volcanic eruption, his expression became much calmer as time went on. All he did was raise his head, taking off his soaked priest robes to cover the immortal’s body in return, adding on cooly when he was done, “Xianjun has to be careful, so he doesn’t catch a cold.”

Why did he splash me with water? That’s not how it works on TV! But, he seems to have cooled down?

Looking on blankly as it all happened, Ye Mingjun realized how completely different this was from the reference materials he had gathered for himself. Glancing down at himself, who, like Ji Mo, looked as if he had just been fished up from the river, he suddenly felt that this was a very new sensation, and finally spoke of the guess he was unsure of, “Earlier, did you call out my name because you were worried for me?”

What a shock! The immortal’s EQ was not completely hopeless, after all, and Ji Mo stared blankly for a few seconds before saying coldly, “Why would someone as formidable as Xianjun possibly require a mortal’s worry?”

Ye Mingjun knew his temper to some extent, and understood this to be an affirmative reply. He then moved closer with a smile, “Thank you, I’m very happy.”

Huh? Big brother, I just drenched you in water earlier, if I still had my eyes, and you took off my mask, I would definitely be glaring daggers at you! You’re telling me you’re happy with this kind of situation? Not even an 80’s idol drama would dare play out such a storyline!

Awestruck by his strange response, Ji Mo was suddenly aware of Ye Mingjun’s face, which was placed much too close to his. Even the crystalline water droplets under his lashes could be seen, contrasting with his pair of bright eyes that made it all the more attractive, resembling a bright moon gently blowing off the layers of ominous dark clouds with a quiet blink of his eyes, pouring vast amounts of moonlight into the murky world.

Backing away a little uneasily, he tried to preserve his flat tone, “Xianjun, I don’t seem to remember pouring water into your brain.”

This chapter is scrapped from readlightnovel.org

“I am an ancient artifact Emperor Xi[1] crafted by taking the brightest star in the sky as my true form and gathering the sun and moon’s splendor. All the immortals address me as Emperor Xi’s Venus Pearl, and even after receiving the immortal title of Ye Mingjun, all they wanted to do was to carefully store me away, never regarding me as their own kind. So, you worrying about me getting hurt, not because you’re afraid of having a godly artifact stolen from you, makes me incredibly happy.”

Many years ago, when Emperor Xi had bestowed all his godly artifacts to the gods before he left, he had been the only one who was reluctant to behave himself, sleeping in the treasury in wait for the day he would be used again. Later on, Emperor Xi was left with no choice but to grant him the name ‘Ye Mingjun’, and told him that he had to live freely as an immortal henceforth. Such were the origins of the most ancient immortal in the heavens.

It had been thousands of years since Ye Mingjun mentioned his origins to anyone else, but he was now telling Ji Mo his true identity. Seeing that the other did not respond much about meeting an ancient artifact, he felt much happier. He liked being regarded as a human, and if it was possible, he hoped for this to continue forever. As he thought of this, he enthusiastically untied the picture scroll on his waist to hand over to him, saying eagerly,

“Please continue capturing me, do I need to give this to you?”

So your System can be gifted to someone else? Wait a minute, what do you mean by giving your System to your capture target so he can capture you instead? Does the System’s creator know that you’re toying with it?

Mournfully realizing his complete inability to follow Ye Mingjun’s line of thought, Ji Mo could only ask sincerely, “What gave you the impression of being captured, if you don’t mind me asking?”

At the mention of such a theory-based subject, Ye Mingjun’s expression regained the self-assuredness only he could achieve, and immediately asserted eloquently, “According to the reference books I looked into, only when faced with his love interest would a male human drape his clothes over another’s shoulders.”

There it is, the chief culprit! Curse these romantic conventions!

Finally comprehending where this immortal’s strange understanding of human relations had come from, Ji Mo was momentarily lost for words, and could only deadpan, “Xianjun, you should read books that hold a more meaningful significance to life.”

“I still think that putting things into practice is much more interesting than engaging in empty talk.”

Ye Mingjun’s reply was as gentle as always; he now knew that a thousand sweet nothings of devotion couldn’t possibly beat actually having someone call him by name. The new discovery delighted him, so he kept his cheerful smile and tacked on, “While I do not understand how a relationship between humans is supposed to work, my wish for your happiness has never been false.”

This bratty immortal is being a flirt again! But I can’t bring myself to ruin this smile… What’s this, the innate sense of preciousness that comes with every treasure?

Resignedly discovering that his complicated feelings had dissipated somewhere along the way, Ji Mo also realized how unbecoming it was for an immortal and a White Robed Priest to stand in the middle of the road looking like children who had just gotten in a water fight. He pulled on the immortal’s sleeve, saying softly, “Appearing in public all wet is rather improper, I’ll bring you back to get a change of clothes.”

Oh well, as long as he was alright. He was just concerned for this person because Ye Mingjun treated him well, and would be troubled instead if the other reacted too strongly.

After calmly thinking it over, he did feel that his temper made little to no sense. Ji Mo couldn’t understand why he, who had always possessed excellent self-restraint, would suddenly lose his temper at the immortal. Thinking about this, he softened his tone, “I was a little agitated by the unforeseen event earlier. For that, I apologize.”

So as long as you expressed goodwill towards someone, the other would retract their thorns and turn soft and pliant— It was a little cute, was he allowed to pinch?

Silently throwing a glance at the picture scroll that forbade him from making physical contact with others, Ye Mingjun could only regrettably retract his idea. However, this did not influence him from finding another way, and promptly asked Ji Mo, “Are you going to personally help me change out of my clothes?”

There you go trolling again, you’re the very definition of ‘spare the rod and spoil the child’!

Inwardly clenching his teeth, Ji Mo smiled courteously, refusing with his usual tone of indifference, “Xianjun, surely you jest. The Shrine has not fallen to the point of needing a White Robed Priest to serve a guest.”

As they stood probing each other out on the edge of cutsleevery, they had forgotten to return their outer robes, walking down the road side by side draped in each others’ clothes. Silently looking at this scene practically saturated in ambiguity, Brilliant Moon, who hadn’t had the slightest presence even if he had been putting out the fire all this while, finally caught on to what had happened,

So, both of them being White Robed Priests, this guy had run off with a man and thrown all the remedial work over to him, as if this was all a given?

Turning his head, he spotted a group of divine attendants carrying vats of water, piteously waiting for a White Robed Priest to give them their orders. At that moment, all Brilliant Moon could do was to conclude this incident with an indignant, “Ji Mo, you horrible person!”

Brilliant Moon: I’m just a MeituPic[2] gamer who likes to buy skins, are you telling me to fight a 1v5?

Su Ge: Don’t fret, allow me to finish drinking this cup of tea.

Ye Mingjun: Stuck being addicted to his pets.

Ji Mo: I’m fighting tooth and nail to resist this guy’s flirtatious claws, hold on!

Chang Hui: The Rising Sun Priest has exited the team and started firing at you.

TL Notes

[1]

‘Emperor Xi’ – 羲皇; also generally known as Fuxi (伏羲), the first mythical emperor of China/culture hero in Chinese mythology, known for creating humanity along with his sister/wife Nüwa.

[2]

‘MeituPic’ – An app that lets people improve a person’s appearance in selfies.