Originally posted on RBKTR Translations.
Author: The One Who Tells Stories Under the Bridge (天桥底下说书的).
Translated by: Yujuan
Ji Mo’s life was quite unconfined at the Shrine, and usually did not care to manage his subordinates either, only providing aid whenever a Celestial emerged. According to the contract he had with Su Ge, he would receive a Divine Scroll as reward each time he stepped in, and his storage bracelet and ring were now stuffed full with scrolls. While he had no fighting ability to speak of, there weren’t many under the heavens who could capture him. Nevertheless, he wouldn’t leave the Shrine unless it was for a mission, and as he used Wuyan’s observation mode which had no blind spots to move around each day, he was pretty familiar with the surroundings here.
He led Ye Mingjun to a patio, located a little way off from the High Priest’s living quarters, to where you could spot a white tower reaching into the clouds with just a lift of your head. He would bring Ye Mingjun to Su Ge immediately after strolling for a bit.
Although he had taken their itenary into consideration, the scenery here was truly excellent, light and simple purple wisteria clouding the patio like a ceiling, a little trail made of cobblestone cutting across the garden of exotic flowers and herbs. The flourishing vegetation took form in a natural maze, concealing the few stone pavilions situated here quite well. As it was located near the White Tower, there wasn’t a single sign of human noise to be heard in the vicinity, with only a flock of white pigeons occasionally dipping their heads by the pool to drink. It was very quiet and peaceful.
“Congratulations to Xianjun for completing the mission, your powers are currently 4% unsealed, would you like to immediately perform the next mission?”
The System judged the strolling mission as complete the moment they arrived at this area. Upon hearing this, Ji Mo thought secretly, 4%, that meant two hundred years of cultivation, this was no longer considered weak among the other Celestials. Actually, the tasks given by the System weren’t too difficult, and Ye Mingjun treated him quite amicably too. As the old saying went, the more friends you have, the more options you have in life, and he wouldn’t exactly mind cooperating with this guy if it only meant performing small tasks such as accompanying him on a stroll.
However, Ye Mingjun always did his mission whenever he felt like it, and clearly did not want to bother with the System at the moment as he gazed at the view before him, addressing Ji Mo, “Do you like flowers?”
That question is definitely in one of your missions, can’t you accept the mission before asking me that? That’s at least fifty years of your cultivation!
The unspoken criticism resounding in his heart as always, Ji Mo maintained his elegant and mysterious persona, merely saying softly, “I like the silence, and besides, this place puts me at ease.”
It did make Ji Mo loosen up when he came to this place after toiling, and he did not continue exchanging courtesies with Ye Mingjun, merely leading the immortal for a stroll through the patio.
Ye Mingjun had been cultivating for thousands of years, and naturally, he had exceedingly good patience. At present, he walked quietly alongside him under the wisteria trellises in the gorgeous sunlight and shade. Tilting his head to see the Morning Star Priest’s facial lines which seemed to have softened somewhat, a daring thought suddenly popped into his mind, “Is this what they call a ‘date’?”
No, it’s not, it’s not a date!
Ji Mo lost his composure the moment these words were said, immediately out a string of denials in his heart, but he still gave a laughing smile, “Xianjun has quite a rich imagination.”
The immortal had a strong learning ability, and could now roughly distinguish Ji Mo’s feelings from his tone. Yet, when he heard these words that were clearly rejecting him, he was actually quite happy! He thought, although Ji Mo was quite adorable when he was silent, he much preferred how he was at the moment, and couldn’t help but tease him.
Just as the rambunctious immortal was summing up his study of a human’s reactions, elegant notes suddenly drifted over from the distance. With an tilt of his head, he could tell that it was in no way inferior to even ancient court musicians of the past, and so he nodded in praise, “That’s not a bad sound.”
Ji Mo naturally knew the source of this music, and did not avoid it, continuing in his footsteps and passing through the wisteria cloister. What appeared before their eyes was a willowy boy in white robes. At the very moment, he was seated before a zither. His long, lunarlike platinum-gold hair fell to his ankles, pointy ears a token of his identity as a non-human race, and his skin was much fairer than any of the locals, making him seem like a jade carving. When he heard their footsteps, the boy stopped playing, using his dark blue eyes to cast Ji Mo a side glance, his eyes turning a few degrees colder.
Seemingly unsurprised by his cold demeanor, Ji Mo introduced placidly, “This is Ye Mingjun, he will become the Shrine’s guest very soon.”
Hearing this, the golden-haired boy’s eyebrows scrunched up, and glancing at the benevolent-looking immortal, what came out of his mouth were all cynical remarks, something entirely different from what his appearance conveyed, “A guest? The Morning Star Priest sure knows how to fool someone with his sweet words. My dear friend, be careful, or you’ll be sold off by a certain someone in the blink of an eye.”
This ‘certain someone’ was, of course, pointing at Ji Mo, and Ji Mo was already used to the sight of him turning out-of-character the moment he opened his mouth. Ignoring him, all he did was say blandly to Ye Mingjun, “This is the Shrine’s Brilliant Moon Priest, as his name is too long, you may call him Brilliant Moon. He is a Celestial who reincarnated into the elven race. He’s not a spirit even though he has pointed ears, Xianjun, so please do not harvest him as a monster.”
This golden-haired boy did not have a spiritual aura even with his inhuman appearance, and naturally Ye Mingjun would not regard him as a monster. He was just very curious about the relationship between the two, and asked, “He seems to hate you a lot?”
“It’s because I sold him out to the Shrine.”
Ji Mo had nothing to hide about his deeds and actions – he had tricked 80% of the Celestials here into coming to the Shrine, and while they had ultimately chosen to swear allegiance to Su Ge, they had nothing good to say about the person who had set them up, so his relations with the Shrine’s higher-ups really weren’t much good. However, since he had taken on this post, he had to be mentally prepared to act as a scapegoat for their leader. In any case, he wasn’t a fan of any of these protagonists, so he didn’t feel the slightest bit guilty.
“You heartless thing, if it wasn’t for your insincere obeisance, tricking me into signing that contract, I, the Elven King, wouldn’t be bowing my head to another!”
The more he acted like this, the more Brilliant Moon became angry; thinking of how he had already conquered all the lands, it would be fine if he had just crossed worlds a second time, but he had been hoodwinked by this aboriginal on the second day after arriving to this place, he really felt like smashing the zither onto his head every time it came to mind. Unfortunately, the contract Ji Mo had set up was flawless, and as he couldn’t attack this person, he settled for angrily addressing Ye Mingjun instead, “Let me tell you, this one is extremely ill-intentioned. You’d better run fast, or he’ll cut you up and sell you in pieces!”
“Brilliant Moon Priest, surely you jest. I do not deal in shady businesses such as human trafficking.”
Although he was outwardly smiling in courteousness, Ji Mo sighed inwardly, You really shouldn’t complain, as someone who’s on the Challenger rankings where the protagonists of various storylines battle it out, an air-headed protagonist like you who relies solely on your protagonist good looks to collect underlings would probably be dead by now, if it wasn’t for the Shrine helping you replenish your IQ points.
Brilliant Moon had come from the early feel-good novel Rebirth of the Elven King, where basically all the villains had IQ levels of a kindergartner, and its premise was a brainless plot in which his face, equipment and underlings had all been handed to him on a silver platter. However, while the protagonist of such a novel did not have a high IQ level, all his golden fingers were not kept within the boundaries of common sense. Powerful, yet simple and brainless, as he had yet to undergo the plots that came from the larger stage, these were all fine qualities of someone incredibly easy to trick.
This was also one of the reasons why Ji Mo loved to come to this patio – his mind would be set at ease each time he saw Brilliant Moon, and would often sigh to himself, if only all the protagonists had this sort of IQ, he wondered what a beautiful sight the world would make.
However, as the saying went, great thieves punish the little ones; before Ji Mo could bask in the pleasure of their crushing difference in IQ, Ye Mingjun pondered upon their words and suddenly smiled at him, “When I was in the human world, with no money in my hands, I would return to my original form and sell myself. Unfortunately, I would be kept in a treasury or placed in a museum each time, so I would leave a substitute and run out in a few days, because it was just too boring.”
You can do that? Is this what they call a true badger game[1]? Are you allowed to do whatever you want just because you’re a treasure?
As he was once again made aware of Ye Mingjun’s unpredictable line of thought, Ji Mo humored him with a twitch in the corner of his lips, “Xianjun truly has a knack for good business.”
Ye Mingjun’s original form had the ability of creating good fortune, and in the past, immortals would present him various Magic Treasures and Spirit Tools just so he could spend a few days by their side. As such, he did not think anything wrong about being coveted by others, even asking Ji Mo eagerly, “So, do you want to buy me as well?”
Wait a minute, you’re trying to capture me, but I’m expected to spend my money on you? What’s with this stifling gambit?
Looking uncertainly at him, then realizing that the immortal was actually being serious, Ji Mo understood at last that this was retribution for bullying a kindergartener protagonist, and Ye Mingjun was most definitely his Heavenly Tribulation. Faced with such a situation, he could only express helplessly, “Xianjun is too precious, I will not be able to afford it.”
“It’s fine! I have many treasures on me, I can lend them to you.”
The mystical Ye Mingjun had once again made another pro gamer move, yet Ji Mo, who was on a streak of stubbornness today, replied expressionlessly, “Please allow me to refuse.”
In the past, Brilliant Moon would be angered to tears each time he bumped into Ji Mo. But much to his surprise, this scoundrel was not even lifting his head to look at him once Ye Mingjun opened his mouth to speak. Although he did not understand why he had suddenly lost his sense of presence, this did not affect his ability to whiff out that strange, ambiguous atmosphere radiating from them both, and decisively ran out with his zither, not forgetting to turn his head to yell as he went, “Using a honey trap on a man, Ji Mo, you’re really a pervert, I’m not staying with cut sleeves like you, don’t follow me!”
“…”
Such words delivered a 10000 critical attack to Ji Mo, and with his rationality, barely managed to scrutinize himself and Ye Mingjun; when he finished comparing each others’ looks, he finally arrived to a conclusion— Brilliant Moon, what’s with that look? In terms of our appearances, am I not the one who is on the receiving end of this honey trap?
Just as Ji Mo was nursing a headache at his own strange rumors, the Rising Sun Priest’s glib voice suddenly drifted over from the back, “Morning Star Priest, the High Priest has instructed me to lead the newest Celestial to the White Tower.”
Ji Mo hadn’t concealed his whereabouts, and it wasn’t strange for the Rising Sun Priest to be able to find him, but when he heard this, Ye Mingjun frowned discontentedly, “Why isn’t he the one to lead me there?”
“The High Priest heard of the Morning Star Priest’s attack on his way back, and hopes he will get some rest.”
That being said, Ji Mo knew Su Ge might not be as considerate, and suspected that the Rising Sun Priest did not want him to have a close affiliation with another Celestial. However, Ji Mo hadn’t had the intentions of conspiring with anyone in the first place, and had always complied with his wishes, staying far away from any Celestial. At present, all he did was say quietly to Ye Mingjun, “The Rising Sun Priest has always handled matters prudently, he will not slight Xianjun.”
Although Ye Mingjun was a little dissatisfied, he did not push it since Ji Mo had spoken out. But when he recalled Ji Mo’s cautious nature, he was afraid he couldn’t be as relaxed as he currently was without him by his side, and urged, “I’ve placed several protective little spells in the perfume sachet. Call out my name, and I’ll immediately rush to your side.”
Had he actually been serious, when the immortal promised to protect him?
With this thought involuntarily flashing across his mind, Ji Mo observed Ye Mingjun’s serious expression. At last, he smiled courteously, “Thank you, Xianjun, but I don’t think there is anyone in this world who would dare attack a White Robed Priest in the Shrine.”
Ye Mingjun: You’re really not going to come out of the card pool?
Ji Mo: Not happening, don’t you dare think about drawing me even if you buy through the entire card pool!
Ye Mingjun: Then I’ll lend you some money, come to the immortal card pool to pull me out, I’m an SSR!
Ji Mo: You can do that???
TL Notes
[1]
‘Badger game’ – A badger game is called 仙人跳 in Chinese, which, when literally translated, is called ‘an immortal bounces/jumps’, hence the chapter title.
Originally posted on RBKTR Translations.
Author: The One Who Tells Stories Under the Bridge (天桥底下说书的).
Translated by: Yujuan
Ji Mo’s life was quite unconfined at the Shrine, and usually did not care to manage his subordinates either, only providing aid whenever a Celestial emerged. According to the contract he had with Su Ge, he would receive a Divine Scroll as reward each time he stepped in, and his storage bracelet and ring were now stuffed full with scrolls. While he had no fighting ability to speak of, there weren’t many under the heavens who could capture him. Nevertheless, he wouldn’t leave the Shrine unless it was for a mission, and as he used Wuyan’s observation mode which had no blind spots to move around each day, he was pretty familiar with the surroundings here.
He led Ye Mingjun to a patio, located a little way off from the High Priest’s living quarters, to where you could spot a white tower reaching into the clouds with just a lift of your head. He would bring Ye Mingjun to Su Ge immediately after strolling for a bit.
Although he had taken their itenary into consideration, the scenery here was truly excellent, light and simple purple wisteria clouding the patio like a ceiling, a little trail made of cobblestone cutting across the garden of exotic flowers and herbs. The flourishing vegetation took form in a natural maze, concealing the few stone pavilions situated here quite well. As it was located near the White Tower, there wasn’t a single sign of human noise to be heard in the vicinity, with only a flock of white pigeons occasionally dipping their heads by the pool to drink. It was very quiet and peaceful.
“Congratulations to Xianjun for completing the mission, your powers are currently 4% unsealed, would you like to immediately perform the next mission?”
The System judged the strolling mission as complete the moment they arrived at this area. Upon hearing this, Ji Mo thought secretly, 4%, that meant two hundred years of cultivation, this was no longer considered weak among the other Celestials. Actually, the tasks given by the System weren’t too difficult, and Ye Mingjun treated him quite amicably too. As the old saying went, the more friends you have, the more options you have in life, and he wouldn’t exactly mind cooperating with this guy if it only meant performing small tasks such as accompanying him on a stroll.
However, Ye Mingjun always did his mission whenever he felt like it, and clearly did not want to bother with the System at the moment as he gazed at the view before him, addressing Ji Mo, “Do you like flowers?”
That question is definitely in one of your missions, can’t you accept the mission before asking me that? That’s at least fifty years of your cultivation!
The unspoken criticism resounding in his heart as always, Ji Mo maintained his elegant and mysterious persona, merely saying softly, “I like the silence, and besides, this place puts me at ease.”
It did make Ji Mo loosen up when he came to this place after toiling, and he did not continue exchanging courtesies with Ye Mingjun, merely leading the immortal for a stroll through the patio.
Ye Mingjun had been cultivating for thousands of years, and naturally, he had exceedingly good patience. At present, he walked quietly alongside him under the wisteria trellises in the gorgeous sunlight and shade. Tilting his head to see the Morning Star Priest’s facial lines which seemed to have softened somewhat, a daring thought suddenly popped into his mind, “Is this what they call a ‘date’?”
No, it’s not, it’s not a date!
Ji Mo lost his composure the moment these words were said, immediately out a string of denials in his heart, but he still gave a laughing smile, “Xianjun has quite a rich imagination.”
The immortal had a strong learning ability, and could now roughly distinguish Ji Mo’s feelings from his tone. Yet, when he heard these words that were clearly rejecting him, he was actually quite happy! He thought, although Ji Mo was quite adorable when he was silent, he much preferred how he was at the moment, and couldn’t help but tease him.
Just as the rambunctious immortal was summing up his study of a human’s reactions, elegant notes suddenly drifted over from the distance. With an tilt of his head, he could tell that it was in no way inferior to even ancient court musicians of the past, and so he nodded in praise, “That’s not a bad sound.”
Ji Mo naturally knew the source of this music, and did not avoid it, continuing in his footsteps and passing through the wisteria cloister. What appeared before their eyes was a willowy boy in white robes. At the very moment, he was seated before a zither. His long, lunarlike platinum-gold hair fell to his ankles, pointy ears a token of his identity as a non-human race, and his skin was much fairer than any of the locals, making him seem like a jade carving. When he heard their footsteps, the boy stopped playing, using his dark blue eyes to cast Ji Mo a side glance, his eyes turning a few degrees colder.
Seemingly unsurprised by his cold demeanor, Ji Mo introduced placidly, “This is Ye Mingjun, he will become the Shrine’s guest very soon.”
Hearing this, the golden-haired boy’s eyebrows scrunched up, and glancing at the benevolent-looking immortal, what came out of his mouth were all cynical remarks, something entirely different from what his appearance conveyed, “A guest? The Morning Star Priest sure knows how to fool someone with his sweet words. My dear friend, be careful, or you’ll be sold off by a certain someone in the blink of an eye.”
This ‘certain someone’ was, of course, pointing at Ji Mo, and Ji Mo was already used to the sight of him turning out-of-character the moment he opened his mouth. Ignoring him, all he did was say blandly to Ye Mingjun, “This is the Shrine’s Brilliant Moon Priest, as his name is too long, you may call him Brilliant Moon. He is a Celestial who reincarnated into the elven race. He’s not a spirit even though he has pointed ears, Xianjun, so please do not harvest him as a monster.”
This golden-haired boy did not have a spiritual aura even with his inhuman appearance, and naturally Ye Mingjun would not regard him as a monster. He was just very curious about the relationship between the two, and asked, “He seems to hate you a lot?”
“It’s because I sold him out to the Shrine.”
Ji Mo had nothing to hide about his deeds and actions – he had tricked 80% of the Celestials here into coming to the Shrine, and while they had ultimately chosen to swear allegiance to Su Ge, they had nothing good to say about the person who had set them up, so his relations with the Shrine’s higher-ups really weren’t much good. However, since he had taken on this post, he had to be mentally prepared to act as a scapegoat for their leader. In any case, he wasn’t a fan of any of these protagonists, so he didn’t feel the slightest bit guilty.
“You heartless thing, if it wasn’t for your insincere obeisance, tricking me into signing that contract, I, the Elven King, wouldn’t be bowing my head to another!”
The more he acted like this, the more Brilliant Moon became angry; thinking of how he had already conquered all the lands, it would be fine if he had just crossed worlds a second time, but he had been hoodwinked by this aboriginal on the second day after arriving to this place, he really felt like smashing the zither onto his head every time it came to mind. Unfortunately, the contract Ji Mo had set up was flawless, and as he couldn’t attack this person, he settled for angrily addressing Ye Mingjun instead, “Let me tell you, this one is extremely ill-intentioned. You’d better run fast, or he’ll cut you up and sell you in pieces!”
“Brilliant Moon Priest, surely you jest. I do not deal in shady businesses such as human trafficking.”
Although he was outwardly smiling in courteousness, Ji Mo sighed inwardly, You really shouldn’t complain, as someone who’s on the Challenger rankings where the protagonists of various storylines battle it out, an air-headed protagonist like you who relies solely on your protagonist good looks to collect underlings would probably be dead by now, if it wasn’t for the Shrine helping you replenish your IQ points.
Brilliant Moon had come from the early feel-good novel Rebirth of the Elven King, where basically all the villains had IQ levels of a kindergartner, and its premise was a brainless plot in which his face, equipment and underlings had all been handed to him on a silver platter. However, while the protagonist of such a novel did not have a high IQ level, all his golden fingers were not kept within the boundaries of common sense. Powerful, yet simple and brainless, as he had yet to undergo the plots that came from the larger stage, these were all fine qualities of someone incredibly easy to trick.
This was also one of the reasons why Ji Mo loved to come to this patio – his mind would be set at ease each time he saw Brilliant Moon, and would often sigh to himself, if only all the protagonists had this sort of IQ, he wondered what a beautiful sight the world would make.
However, as the saying went, great thieves punish the little ones; before Ji Mo could bask in the pleasure of their crushing difference in IQ, Ye Mingjun pondered upon their words and suddenly smiled at him, “When I was in the human world, with no money in my hands, I would return to my original form and sell myself. Unfortunately, I would be kept in a treasury or placed in a museum each time, so I would leave a substitute and run out in a few days, because it was just too boring.”
You can do that? Is this what they call a true badger game[1]? Are you allowed to do whatever you want just because you’re a treasure?
As he was once again made aware of Ye Mingjun’s unpredictable line of thought, Ji Mo humored him with a twitch in the corner of his lips, “Xianjun truly has a knack for good business.”
Ye Mingjun’s original form had the ability of creating good fortune, and in the past, immortals would present him various Magic Treasures and Spirit Tools just so he could spend a few days by their side. As such, he did not think anything wrong about being coveted by others, even asking Ji Mo eagerly, “So, do you want to buy me as well?”
Wait a minute, you’re trying to capture me, but I’m expected to spend my money on you? What’s with this stifling gambit?
Looking uncertainly at him, then realizing that the immortal was actually being serious, Ji Mo understood at last that this was retribution for bullying a kindergartener protagonist, and Ye Mingjun was most definitely his Heavenly Tribulation. Faced with such a situation, he could only express helplessly, “Xianjun is too precious, I will not be able to afford it.”
“It’s fine! I have many treasures on me, I can lend them to you.”
The mystical Ye Mingjun had once again made another pro gamer move, yet Ji Mo, who was on a streak of stubbornness today, replied expressionlessly, “Please allow me to refuse.”
In the past, Brilliant Moon would be angered to tears each time he bumped into Ji Mo. But much to his surprise, this scoundrel was not even lifting his head to look at him once Ye Mingjun opened his mouth to speak. Although he did not understand why he had suddenly lost his sense of presence, this did not affect his ability to whiff out that strange, ambiguous atmosphere radiating from them both, and decisively ran out with his zither, not forgetting to turn his head to yell as he went, “Using a honey trap on a man, Ji Mo, you’re really a pervert, I’m not staying with cut sleeves like you, don’t follow me!”
“…”
Such words delivered a 10000 critical attack to Ji Mo, and with his rationality, barely managed to scrutinize himself and Ye Mingjun; when he finished comparing each others’ looks, he finally arrived to a conclusion— Brilliant Moon, what’s with that look? In terms of our appearances, am I not the one who is on the receiving end of this honey trap?
Just as Ji Mo was nursing a headache at his own strange rumors, the Rising Sun Priest’s glib voice suddenly drifted over from the back, “Morning Star Priest, the High Priest has instructed me to lead the newest Celestial to the White Tower.”
Ji Mo hadn’t concealed his whereabouts, and it wasn’t strange for the Rising Sun Priest to be able to find him, but when he heard this, Ye Mingjun frowned discontentedly, “Why isn’t he the one to lead me there?”
“The High Priest heard of the Morning Star Priest’s attack on his way back, and hopes he will get some rest.”
That being said, Ji Mo knew Su Ge might not be as considerate, and suspected that the Rising Sun Priest did not want him to have a close affiliation with another Celestial. However, Ji Mo hadn’t had the intentions of conspiring with anyone in the first place, and had always complied with his wishes, staying far away from any Celestial. At present, all he did was say quietly to Ye Mingjun, “The Rising Sun Priest has always handled matters prudently, he will not slight Xianjun.”
Although Ye Mingjun was a little dissatisfied, he did not push it since Ji Mo had spoken out. But when he recalled Ji Mo’s cautious nature, he was afraid he couldn’t be as relaxed as he currently was without him by his side, and urged, “I’ve placed several protective little spells in the perfume sachet. Call out my name, and I’ll immediately rush to your side.”
Had he actually been serious, when the immortal promised to protect him?
With this thought involuntarily flashing across his mind, Ji Mo observed Ye Mingjun’s serious expression. At last, he smiled courteously, “Thank you, Xianjun, but I don’t think there is anyone in this world who would dare attack a White Robed Priest in the Shrine.”
Ye Mingjun: You’re really not going to come out of the card pool?
Ji Mo: Not happening, don’t you dare think about drawing me even if you buy through the entire card pool!
Ye Mingjun: Then I’ll lend you some money, come to the immortal card pool to pull me out, I’m an SSR!
Ji Mo: You can do that???
TL Notes
[1]
‘Badger game’ – A badger game is called 仙人跳 in Chinese, which, when literally translated, is called ‘an immortal bounces/jumps’, hence the chapter title.