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 had just been searching for an excuse to leave the ship’s bow, but to his surprise, he made a new discovery: he actually spotted Qing Ye among the other divine attendants.
While Ji Mo did not know what means Su Ge would use to convince Ye Junhou, as this matter had to do with the Godly Continent’s future, he could guess that the global landscape would change with the success of this merger, bringing forth a new upheaval across the world when the time came.
Such a great event meant that every member of their entourage had been carefully handpicked. Qing Ye did not qualify regardless of his level of cultivation or seniority, and Ji Mo was certain that he hadn’t seen his name on the roster. Only one possibility was left, and that was Su Ge had personally brought him on board.
The moment he halted his footsteps, Ye Mingjun also discovered a familiar face among the crowds. As he couldn’t recall his name, Ye Mingjun merely said, “The little guy you rescued doesn’t look so good, does he need to see the doctor?”
“He used to worship the Rising Sun Priest. It must not be easy for him, being informed of Chang Hui’s betrayal.”
He wasn’t just in low spirits; Qing Ye was usually an energetic person, and had cheerfully dealt with the clean-up at Lingguang City immediately after being rescued. At present, even his face looked ashen from afar.
Thinking of how, in the past, the boy’s eyes had been brimming with trust and admiration when the Rising Sun Priest was mentioned, Ji Mo gave an inaudible sigh. He had yet to investigate Qing Ye’s identity, but if Chang Hui had wanted him dead at all costs, and Su Ge had brought him on board unbeknown to him, this probably wasn’t a simple character.
Regardless of his identity, the moment he was pulled into the worldly disputes, the boy probably wouldn’t be able to regain the innocence he had in the past.
Although he lamented inwardly, Ji Mo did not enter the cabin. Instead, he gazed quietly at the layers of drifting clouds cut through by the ark, the scattered clouds wafting behind the ship like smoke, lightly paving into a long, drawn-out, pure white pathway.
The god in Greatest Sage And Teacher was actually a pilot who had accidentally transmigrated into that world. He wandered in the western wilderness for a long time, and when he took flight once again, he was shot down by a few passing cultivators. As luck would have it, the explosion created from the plane crash saved the Su Ge’s kingdom from war, and so the people regarded this incident as the advent of God.
Su Ge was sixteen when he became lost in the wilderness. Coincidently, he had picked up the notebook left behind by the pilot and was successfully rescued after following the methods written in the notebook. From then on, he developed a strong interest in gods, even giving up his right to succeed the throne to head on a journey across various kingdoms all by himself in search for traces of his god.
This was the past pertaining to Su Ge. The readers had originally enjoyed the worship the ancients regarded modern civilization with, how they viewed them as a miracle. However, if you put it from Su Ge’s perspective, Ji Mo wasn’t sure of the changes to his ideologies if he ever found out the truth, nor the kind of terrifying obsession it would turn into when he shifted his hundred-year-long worship to his author.
Su Ge’s author had the pen name Tang Song Yuan Ming Qing, and was a senior who had been writing for three years. Ji Mo’s impression of him was of an author who wrote at a quick pace but garnered low popularity, as well as his short announcement when Greatest Sage And Teacher abruptly ended— I’m getting old, it’s time to let go of my dreams. Now that I’ve finally found a nice job, I’ll be focusing on my work from now on. Goodbye, my High Priest.
Since then, the internet never saw the presence of Tang Song Yuan Ming Qing ever again. It was until one day, when the writers’ group chat that Ji Mo was in started to do a routine cleanup and kicked the once-active ID out of the group did the few oldies who still remembered him start a discussion as a late-night topic.
“To those of our profession, the only ones who can write books for a living are called writers, the ones who can’t earn enough money to put the food on the table are just failures. With how quickly the times are changing, no one can ensure how long their popularity will last, when their inspiration will dry up. If they’re not popular, this is just cheap typing work with no insurance… It’d be good for Five Dynasties Bro[1] if he returned to reality. In any case, he graduated from an elite school. If he keeps that job for a couple of years, he won’t have any problems with marriage and getting a pension.”
When Dark Black, who had also been writing for some time, typed out these words, everyone fell silent. At last, he felt that there was no fun in this topic, then wrote in his usual tone: “I’m out, back to writing, my Devil Ye has to kill a couple emperors to steady his nerves.”
“Old Black, chill out! It’s only halfway through the storyline and probably a few million people have died. Would the ancient times have that large of a population for you to kill off?”
“If I killed a few thousand enemy soldiers and civilians to preserve the protagonist’s brothers, the readers would only praise me for killing them off. Don’t believe me?”
“I believe you, who doesn’t know that each one of your protagonists are more sociopathic than the last? They end up getting popular for some reason.”
“Anything the masses are missing will get popular if you write it. If Five Dynasties Bro understood this principle a little sooner, he wouldn’t have left. But with that temper of his, he’d probably rather go to work than write in a way that appeals to the masses. He treats his protagonist like his own son…”
After that, the group chat went to discuss many more topics. Ji Mo had just signed his first contract, not daring to cut into the conversation. However, he secretly bore this lesson in his mind, and worked even harder to research the popular novels in the market. He told himself that reaching a compromise did not equal admitting defeat; he would surely become a person who could bring food to the table by writing the stories he wanted to write.
Unfortunately, this dream had just taken a step forward before being forced to end.
It had been ages since he recalled things of the past. The Morning Star Priest gazed at the drifting clouds hovering in the sky, which seemed eternally untouchable no matter which world they were in. At last, he returned to reality in the midst of the cool northern wind, tilting his head to say blandly to the immortal behind him, “Xianjun, why don’t you put down my hair and admire the outside scenery? Don’t you like novel things?”
This bratty immortal, secretly fiddling with his hair while he was in deep thought, did he really think he wouldn’t realize? Was it fun, doing something like this? Forgive him for not understanding the pleasures of combing a pet’s fur.
Although he had been caught red-handed by Ji Mo, Ye Mingjun still wasn’t flustered. He merely pointed at the ponytail he had tied himself with a smile, “I saw plenty of clouds back in heaven, I’m tired of it. I tied up your hair, now don’t you look a little more energetic?”
That’s your excuse for entering the pet grooming industry? As an immortal, can’t you learn a few skills that would make a more meaningful contribution to the world?
Ever since discovering the fact that hair-touching was not considered within the bounds of physical contact, Ye Mingjun loved to fiddle with his hair whenever he was bored. Ji Mo knew that Ye Mingjun became all the more vigorous the more irritated he got, and couldn’t be bothered to stop him. He said helplessly, “Since you’re bored, why don’t you play a game of chess with the High Priest?”
“The System assigned me the punishment of drawing your eyebrows for half a month, but I guessed you wouldn’t want to remove your mask, so I told it to change it to combing your hair.”
Lifting the comb in his hand, Ye Mingjun openly told him the truth. He had learned many things in the past thousand years or so, but he really did not know much about hairdressing. Luckily, the System did not specify the various styles he had to do, or else this punishment would had truly stumped the almighty Venus Pearl of Emperor Xi.
Drawing a man’s eyebrows? He was clearly the one being punished!
Such words caused Ji Mo’s heart to sink, he asked, “Am I allowed to forgive you?”
“Xianjun has entered the stages of mandatory punishment, it cannot be suspended.”
“Then, can I give him permission to make physical contact?”
The System’s refusal seemed to be imbued with the resentment of being tormented by a certain someone, this path was blocked; Ji Mo attempted to avoid being pulled into punishment mode the next time Ye MIngjun did something at the spur of the moment. However, the reply he received was as despairing as ever, “Capture target’s favorability level is insufficient to enter the next stage, please maintain the mutual respect between each other.”
Needing to receive permission each time we hold hands and hug, are you a dormitory auntie who constantly gets in the way of puppy love?
Clenching his teeth as he looked at the picture scroll, which doggedly stuck to its guns, Ji Mo suddenly understood Ye Mingjun’s feelings of wanting to toss it away.
Dark Black was an author who loved to converse in the group chat – as he recalled Ye Junhou’s blackened character that he had spoken of in the past, Ji Mo was even more unwilling to slack off. He thought inwardly, he had to assist Ye Mingjun in completing the missions to the best of his ability, for the sake of his safety in the Demonic Continent. Fortunately, the current punishment hadn’t brought the mission progress to a halt, so it wasn’t too terrible.
However, their favorability meter was still stuck at 80 points, a pretty average spot. Ji Mo thought for a bit, then spontaneously chose a topic to converse with Ye Mingjun, “I remember Xianjun being curious about my appearance behind my mask…”
In truth, Ji Mo was also quite surprised that Ye Mingjun would ask the System to change the punishment. After all, even though he was unwilling, he would still cooperate for the sake of removing the seal, albeit a little reluctantly.
“You don’t wish to remove it, and besides, I can kill time by studying the various ways of styling hair.”
Answering with a smile, Ye Mingjun didn’t actually quite understand why he had a sudden change of heart. After all, in the past, he would make Ji Mo satisfy his curiosity as much as he wanted. Was it because the consequences of Ji Mo’s favorability dropping was much more severe than being troubled by his own curiosity?
This was the immortal’s first time feeling that there were many things he did not know about humans, even after mixing in with them for a long time. Asking questions for the things he didn’t understand was something Ye Mingjun had learned from the experience of his lengthy life, and at present, thought for a moment before asking the question that had plagued him for years, “Have you ever thought of what you would do if you had all the time in the world?”
“I don’t know. To us humans, a hundred years is long enough, I can’t even imagine what I’d look like in ten years.”
Such troubles did not exist in the humans’ short lifespan, and Ji Mo was unable to imagine the life of immortality. All he knew was that every self-aware being yearned for the things they couldn’t obtain, just like the humans’ thirst for longevity as well as Ye Mingjun’s curiosity towards emotion.
Ye Mingjun had been in this world for more than five thousand years, and apart from his long hair as white as snow, the years had not left a single mark on his outer appearance, and this would still hold true in the many years ahead. A doubt suddenly arose in Ji Mo’s mind, “Will Xianjun feel sad over the fact that I am bound to depart from this world before you?”
As he had anticipated, Ye Mingjun’s first reaction to this question was uncertainty, as if he had never considered such a thing. Giving a soundless laugh, Ji Mo did not say anything more, only sighing softly, “When you start thinking of such things, perhaps you are coming close to the love that you are seeking, though I do not believe that to be a good thing.”
Falling in love with a human whose lifespan was shorter than his own was not a good thing. Even more so when the person in question did not believe in love – that would be the worst possible decision.
Ji Mo’s face was hidden beneath the mask, and Ye Mingjun could only judge his mood according to his tone. Yet, such a manner of speaking was much too complicated, seemingly containing some gratification, and more than that was slight self-mockery and a trace of sorrow.
He did not understand how humans could blend so many complex emotions together, but all he could do was say truthfully, “An immortal once told me that it was better not to understand what sadness was, or I may very well end up just like the Diorama of Civilization.”
As he said that, he was holding the silent picture scroll. After secretly comparing the clear differences between the two, Ji Mo could more or less understand the implications behind his words, and urged, “He was right. Even if Xianjun is unafraid of anything, why don’t you take someone’s advice every now and then?”
Ji Mo did not actually think that he would listen to his urges. After all, if this one was truly obedient, he wouldn’t be Ye Mingjun. However, he hadn’t expected the usually sanguine Ye Mingjun to fall silent upon hearing those words. After a moment’s silence, he gave a faint sigh, “I’m not really unafraid of anything.”
“Like me, the Diorama was also an ancient artifact crafted by Emperor Xi. It was originally kept in Empress Wa’s collection, but a thousand years ago, it was suddenly delivered to my abode. Apparently, it chose to self-destruct when it became unable to find the meaning of existence. Now, the Diorama of Civilization is just an ordinary magic tool, its spirit having vanished from this world; even if I throw it away, it won’t jump out to reprimand me ever again.”
Although the Diorama of Civilization gained the ability to talk again after implanting the System into it, it had ceased being the self-aware existence it was in the past. Ye Mingjun’s finger subconsciously traced the picture scroll’s material, a hint of additional loneliness that he did not even realize present in his tone, “In fact, not just the Diorama, I never saw the other ancient artifacts again after the Three Sovereigns entered seclusion – I heard that many of them have been destroyed. If I hadn’t been so willful back then, demanding to become an immortal, I might have had the same end.”
Ye Mingjun had no parents, and Emperor Xi, who had crafted him, had long since entered seclusion. The other ancient artifacts who once fought alongside him had either been damaged or entered a deep slumber in various realms, gradually losing all contact even if the immortals had done their best to mend them.
Ye Mingjun could still remember how unruly he was the first time he had taken form, how there was a constant crowd of immortals chasing behind him, worried that he’d forget himself in his bid to have fun. He’d thought it was awfully interesting at the time, so he ran around trying out something new whenever he was given the chance, before waiting for the immortals to catch up to him with a smile. They would then invite him back to heaven with helpless looks on their faces.
However, this was something that had occurred a long, long time ago. A thousand years had passed, and the immortals of the old days had either dissipated from Heavenly Tribulations or entered seclusion beyond the world – the remaining familiar faces were just the old immortals in the heavenly palace, who would never again chase after him like they did in the past.
When the newly arrived young immortals stood behind him with humility and respect, this was when Ye Mingjun finally realized that he had become one of the few ancient artifacts existing in this world, and those of the same generation as him had slowly vanished throughout history. Only he had remained to this day by chance, and as proof of that period, he was being carefully preserved by the immortals.
“I’m always learning techniques of the new era, I can even play with you guys, so don’t lock me away, alright?”
At the time, faced with his words, the recently appointed Immortal Emperor merely urged him: “Junshang[2], you are the only remaining proof of Emperor Xi’s existence. For the sake of the shared history between you and your master, you have to protect yourself well.”
As he looked at the serious look on the Immortal Emperor’s face, Ye Mingjun suddenly lost interest in the activities he used to love doing. Not long after, he found an immortal mountain and built an abode there, no longer running off as the immortals had hoped, merely poring over various objects he did not understand as a way to pass the time.
The times were changing rapidly, and he would learn the newest customs in every new era. This way, when the world was in a crisis and needed an ancient artifact to guide the common people in search of the Way of Heaven, he could blend into the crowds at the quickest possible moment. However, the mortal realm no longer needed immortals, and naturally, no longer would anyone seek for the ancient artifacts. A long period of time had passed, yet that day still did not arrive.
Later on, when the newly ascended immortals observed his expression getting progressively downcast day after day, for fear that Emperor Xi’s Venus Pearl would walk down the same path of self-destruction as the Diorama of Civilization, they brought back many new objects from the mortal world for him to play with. The mortals of this age were more adept at expressing themselves than before, and the things they thought up were very different to the immortals. He discovered that interacting with these mortals was really fun, so he tried seeking answers from them.
“Your story is quite realistic, I was almost moved to tears. Loneliness drives people mad, quickly graduate from your chuunibyou and get yourself a wife, bro.”
He had ultimately gotten such an answer, which was why he had thought of studying the love between humans.
After slowly uttering all this, Ye Mingjun did not seem to realize how lonesome the past he had just narrated was. All he did was address Ji Mo with his usual smile, “That’s what someone told me, so I want to try feeling human emotions and see if it can last longer than the immortals’ lifespan.”
Ye Mingjun’s expression was as unperturbed as ever, as if he felt unconcerned by his past. He was saying all this because Ji Mo would always become a little livelier whenever he mentioned his past, so he thought this was a good topic.
And yet, it was Ji Mo’s turn to fall silent. After a long while, he finally said, “I’m sorry.”
“Why are you apologizing?”
The immortal looked truly astonished, but Ji Mo merely glanced silently at the Diorama of Civilization in his hands which never left his side. This was his first time getting to know the real Ye Mingjun, Emperor Xi’s Venus Pearl, who had gradually walked out of the long history of five thousand years. He had brought with him the glorious ancient civilization and hardships left by the changes of time, using his pair of bright and warm eyes to observe the three thousand secular worlds.
“I made you sad.”
Although you don’t know, that such a painless yet unbearable emotion, is what you would call sadness.
He actually understood why the immortals were being so careful with Ye Mingjun. If he was in their shoes, even if it was just an hundred-year-old antique porcelain cup, not an ancient artifact dating back thousands of years ago, he would be trembling with fear as he used it, scared that he would accidentally break it. The reason he could treat him casually was because he did not know the other’s value, but the moment he understood this was a treasure that could never be replaced, he would even be afraid of making contact for fear of harming him.
However, such protection was something utterly miserable to the treasure itself.
In Ye Mingjun’s impression, sadness was an emotion that could make the Diorama of Civilization choose to self-destruct, so it must be as painful as shattering to pieces. Now that Ji Mo had mentioned it, he finally realized that there was a slight error in his perception. Drooping his eyelids to think for a while, he suddenly said, “But you always make that face when you’re by my side, does that mean that you constantly feel sad for me?”
You finally realize just how troublesome you are! Also, don’t make it sound so suggestive, I didn’t!
Inwardly refusing to acknowledge feeling occasionally sentimental in these past few days, Ji Mo’s retort almost came out of his mouth when he remembered how Ye Mingjun had seemed calm but desolate earlier, and he ultimately did not voice those thoughts.
And yet, Ye Mingjun regarded his silence as acknowledgement, so he came up with an earnest proposal, “You once told me that humans think highly of equivalent exchange, how about I compensate you with myself?”
Taking every opportunity to promote yourself, it’s a real shame that you don’t work in insurance!
Defeated by the immortal’s strange logic, Ji Mo was about to refuse as usual, but when he lifted his head, he realized that the immortal’s expression was dead serious. Or rather, the seemingly playful words that he uttered probably wasn’t a joke in Ye Mingjun’s eyes.
“Ye Mingjun…”
Do you… wish to become the bright pearl that is cherished in somebody’s palm once more?
After much hesitation, he ultimately stopped himself from speaking out these words. Ji Mo looked down at the grains of his palm, the hands belonging to a mortal. He did not have any abilities nor supernatural powers, and even if he gained an ancient artifact, he couldn’t possibly bring out the true might of this treasure. Besides, what Ye Mingjun truly wanted was his feelings, and that wasn’t something he could give either. The current him did not believe in the existence of eternal love in this world.
Not taking advantage of him was the sole act of kindness he could give the immortal, and at present, did not wish to continue the subject. He said casually, “Let’s not talk about this, why did the High Priest call out to you earlier?”
Ye Mingjun still wasn’t sensitive to human emotions, and did not realize the miniscule changes to his look. Hearing his question, he quickly forgot the contents of the previous topic and said, “You’re talking about that match? We made a bet, the one who loses has to agree to one request.”
It’s no wonder the immortals told you to stay obediently in your abode, just look at how you can lose yourself even with me keeping a tight rein on you!
Being completely unrestricted wasn’t something to joke about, it was fortunate that the person he had made the bet with was Su Ge— if it was anyone else, this ancient artifact would have foolishly walked into another’s pocket by now. Even worse was the fact that if he hadn’t spontaneously asked him about it, he might not even have known that it had occurred!
Should he seriously consider keeping this pearl safely stored away? After all, this was the most valuable treasure from their world, it would be a shame on their forefathers if he was abducted by someone from another world.
Once again sensing the weight of humanity’s glory on his shoulders, something he hadn’t felt ever since he graduated from primary school, Ji Mo spoke gravely in the tone of a class teacher, “Xianjun, gambling is an extremely dangerous conduct.”
To his surprise, Ye Mingjun, who always couldn’t resist from doing something mischievous no matter what he was told, actually nodded his head obediently this time around, “Okay, I won’t gamble next time.”
What just happened? Why was he suddenly so well-behaved?
Ji Mo really wasn’t used to this suddenly obedient immortal, and tried analyzing this using this guy’s mindset. At last, he concluded that perhaps he had learned this from the romantic conventions in TV shows, and immediately said with a severe look, “The way humans interact in human works are exaggerated for artistic purposes, an average person would never do that sort of thing in their daily lives, Xianjun has no need to learn from them.”
“I wasn’t thinking that deeply.”
Blinking innocently, Ye Mingjun did not know the meaning of being implicit, and spoke his mind with a faint laugh, “I listen to you because I want to be liked by you, it’s just that simple.”
He didn’t know if it was due to the miserable and gloomy atmosphere he had exuded earlier, but the smile Ye Mingjun shot at him was far brighter than usual, that even Ji Mo, who had been getting increasingly used to the immortal’s features, couldn’t help but stare dazedly at him. When he did not receive a response, Ye Mingjun curiously moved closer to observe him, his long eyelashes practically brushing across Wuyan’s surface. When Ji Mo came back to his senses, he immediately backed a step away, with only one thought left in his mind,
Outrageous, this bratty immortal had learned the means of acting obedient to deal with him, what a terrifying learning capacity! Ye Mingjun, subconscious flirting is against the rules, don’t you know that?!
“Your capture target’s favorability has increased to one hundred, congratulations to Xianjun for completing the mission, seal is currently 5% unlocked.”
Yet, he was unable to hide his true feelings from the System, who could read through a person’s heart. As the announcement rang out, Ye Mingjun’s eyes were filled with satisfaction, “As I expected, you absolutely can’t resist the word ‘like’.”
From what Ji Mo knew about Ye Mingjun, this person would say that to him every day once he gained the interest to do so. In order to avoid such an ordeal to his own mental endurance yet again, he immediately warned threateningly, “Xianjun, do you know what are the implications of liking someone?”
However, not only had Ji Mo figured out Ye Mingjun’s temper in the past few days, the immortal, who was studying his behavior, had also built up a clear picture of Ji Mo. For instance, whenever Ji Mo was on his guard, this little guy would soften up whenever he spoke to him in a gentle manner.
With a tender smile at his lips, Ye Mingjun reached over, and when Ji Mo was left with no room for retreat, he murmured into his ear in a puzzled tone, eyes completely filled with pure innocence, “I don’t know, what do humans do to people they like? Teach me?”
This guy was just messing with him, he didn’t know the connotations of his actions, he just liked watching him fumble around. Calm down, just pretend that he’s a large night luminous pearl… F*ck, there isn’t another night luminous pearl in the world that murmurs and blows onto another’s earlobe!
Trying his best to turn his head away to not look at him, there was only one thought left in Ji Mo’s mind—
System, there’s an ancient artifact acting like a hoodlum with an innocent look on his face, aren’t you going to take care of him?!
TL Notes
[1]
‘Five Dynasties Bro’ – Dark Black calls Su Ge’s author Five Dynasties Bro due to his pen name, which comes from the Five Dynasties Period – the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasties.[2]
‘Junshang’ – title translated as ‘monarch/sovereign’.
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 had just been searching for an excuse to leave the ship’s bow, but to his surprise, he made a new discovery: he actually spotted Qing Ye among the other divine attendants.
While Ji Mo did not know what means Su Ge would use to convince Ye Junhou, as this matter had to do with the Godly Continent’s future, he could guess that the global landscape would change with the success of this merger, bringing forth a new upheaval across the world when the time came.
Such a great event meant that every member of their entourage had been carefully handpicked. Qing Ye did not qualify regardless of his level of cultivation or seniority, and Ji Mo was certain that he hadn’t seen his name on the roster. Only one possibility was left, and that was Su Ge had personally brought him on board.
The moment he halted his footsteps, Ye Mingjun also discovered a familiar face among the crowds. As he couldn’t recall his name, Ye Mingjun merely said, “The little guy you rescued doesn’t look so good, does he need to see the doctor?”
“He used to worship the Rising Sun Priest. It must not be easy for him, being informed of Chang Hui’s betrayal.”
He wasn’t just in low spirits; Qing Ye was usually an energetic person, and had cheerfully dealt with the clean-up at Lingguang City immediately after being rescued. At present, even his face looked ashen from afar.
Thinking of how, in the past, the boy’s eyes had been brimming with trust and admiration when the Rising Sun Priest was mentioned, Ji Mo gave an inaudible sigh. He had yet to investigate Qing Ye’s identity, but if Chang Hui had wanted him dead at all costs, and Su Ge had brought him on board unbeknown to him, this probably wasn’t a simple character.
Regardless of his identity, the moment he was pulled into the worldly disputes, the boy probably wouldn’t be able to regain the innocence he had in the past.
Although he lamented inwardly, Ji Mo did not enter the cabin. Instead, he gazed quietly at the layers of drifting clouds cut through by the ark, the scattered clouds wafting behind the ship like smoke, lightly paving into a long, drawn-out, pure white pathway.
The god in Greatest Sage And Teacher was actually a pilot who had accidentally transmigrated into that world. He wandered in the western wilderness for a long time, and when he took flight once again, he was shot down by a few passing cultivators. As luck would have it, the explosion created from the plane crash saved the Su Ge’s kingdom from war, and so the people regarded this incident as the advent of God.
Su Ge was sixteen when he became lost in the wilderness. Coincidently, he had picked up the notebook left behind by the pilot and was successfully rescued after following the methods written in the notebook. From then on, he developed a strong interest in gods, even giving up his right to succeed the throne to head on a journey across various kingdoms all by himself in search for traces of his god.
This was the past pertaining to Su Ge. The readers had originally enjoyed the worship the ancients regarded modern civilization with, how they viewed them as a miracle. However, if you put it from Su Ge’s perspective, Ji Mo wasn’t sure of the changes to his ideologies if he ever found out the truth, nor the kind of terrifying obsession it would turn into when he shifted his hundred-year-long worship to his author.
Su Ge’s author had the pen name Tang Song Yuan Ming Qing, and was a senior who had been writing for three years. Ji Mo’s impression of him was of an author who wrote at a quick pace but garnered low popularity, as well as his short announcement when Greatest Sage And Teacher abruptly ended— I’m getting old, it’s time to let go of my dreams. Now that I’ve finally found a nice job, I’ll be focusing on my work from now on. Goodbye, my High Priest.
Since then, the internet never saw the presence of Tang Song Yuan Ming Qing ever again. It was until one day, when the writers’ group chat that Ji Mo was in started to do a routine cleanup and kicked the once-active ID out of the group did the few oldies who still remembered him start a discussion as a late-night topic.
“To those of our profession, the only ones who can write books for a living are called writers, the ones who can’t earn enough money to put the food on the table are just failures. With how quickly the times are changing, no one can ensure how long their popularity will last, when their inspiration will dry up. If they’re not popular, this is just cheap typing work with no insurance… It’d be good for Five Dynasties Bro[1] if he returned to reality. In any case, he graduated from an elite school. If he keeps that job for a couple of years, he won’t have any problems with marriage and getting a pension.”
When Dark Black, who had also been writing for some time, typed out these words, everyone fell silent. At last, he felt that there was no fun in this topic, then wrote in his usual tone: “I’m out, back to writing, my Devil Ye has to kill a couple emperors to steady his nerves.”
“Old Black, chill out! It’s only halfway through the storyline and probably a few million people have died. Would the ancient times have that large of a population for you to kill off?”
“If I killed a few thousand enemy soldiers and civilians to preserve the protagonist’s brothers, the readers would only praise me for killing them off. Don’t believe me?”
“I believe you, who doesn’t know that each one of your protagonists are more sociopathic than the last? They end up getting popular for some reason.”
“Anything the masses are missing will get popular if you write it. If Five Dynasties Bro understood this principle a little sooner, he wouldn’t have left. But with that temper of his, he’d probably rather go to work than write in a way that appeals to the masses. He treats his protagonist like his own son…”
After that, the group chat went to discuss many more topics. Ji Mo had just signed his first contract, not daring to cut into the conversation. However, he secretly bore this lesson in his mind, and worked even harder to research the popular novels in the market. He told himself that reaching a compromise did not equal admitting defeat; he would surely become a person who could bring food to the table by writing the stories he wanted to write.
Unfortunately, this dream had just taken a step forward before being forced to end.
It had been ages since he recalled things of the past. The Morning Star Priest gazed at the drifting clouds hovering in the sky, which seemed eternally untouchable no matter which world they were in. At last, he returned to reality in the midst of the cool northern wind, tilting his head to say blandly to the immortal behind him, “Xianjun, why don’t you put down my hair and admire the outside scenery? Don’t you like novel things?”
This bratty immortal, secretly fiddling with his hair while he was in deep thought, did he really think he wouldn’t realize? Was it fun, doing something like this? Forgive him for not understanding the pleasures of combing a pet’s fur.
Although he had been caught red-handed by Ji Mo, Ye Mingjun still wasn’t flustered. He merely pointed at the ponytail he had tied himself with a smile, “I saw plenty of clouds back in heaven, I’m tired of it. I tied up your hair, now don’t you look a little more energetic?”
That’s your excuse for entering the pet grooming industry? As an immortal, can’t you learn a few skills that would make a more meaningful contribution to the world?
Ever since discovering the fact that hair-touching was not considered within the bounds of physical contact, Ye Mingjun loved to fiddle with his hair whenever he was bored. Ji Mo knew that Ye Mingjun became all the more vigorous the more irritated he got, and couldn’t be bothered to stop him. He said helplessly, “Since you’re bored, why don’t you play a game of chess with the High Priest?”
“The System assigned me the punishment of drawing your eyebrows for half a month, but I guessed you wouldn’t want to remove your mask, so I told it to change it to combing your hair.”
Lifting the comb in his hand, Ye Mingjun openly told him the truth. He had learned many things in the past thousand years or so, but he really did not know much about hairdressing. Luckily, the System did not specify the various styles he had to do, or else this punishment would had truly stumped the almighty Venus Pearl of Emperor Xi.
Drawing a man’s eyebrows? He was clearly the one being punished!
Such words caused Ji Mo’s heart to sink, he asked, “Am I allowed to forgive you?”
“Xianjun has entered the stages of mandatory punishment, it cannot be suspended.”
“Then, can I give him permission to make physical contact?”
The System’s refusal seemed to be imbued with the resentment of being tormented by a certain someone, this path was blocked; Ji Mo attempted to avoid being pulled into punishment mode the next time Ye MIngjun did something at the spur of the moment. However, the reply he received was as despairing as ever, “Capture target’s favorability level is insufficient to enter the next stage, please maintain the mutual respect between each other.”
Needing to receive permission each time we hold hands and hug, are you a dormitory auntie who constantly gets in the way of puppy love?
Clenching his teeth as he looked at the picture scroll, which doggedly stuck to its guns, Ji Mo suddenly understood Ye Mingjun’s feelings of wanting to toss it away.
Dark Black was an author who loved to converse in the group chat – as he recalled Ye Junhou’s blackened character that he had spoken of in the past, Ji Mo was even more unwilling to slack off. He thought inwardly, he had to assist Ye Mingjun in completing the missions to the best of his ability, for the sake of his safety in the Demonic Continent. Fortunately, the current punishment hadn’t brought the mission progress to a halt, so it wasn’t too terrible.
However, their favorability meter was still stuck at 80 points, a pretty average spot. Ji Mo thought for a bit, then spontaneously chose a topic to converse with Ye Mingjun, “I remember Xianjun being curious about my appearance behind my mask…”
In truth, Ji Mo was also quite surprised that Ye Mingjun would ask the System to change the punishment. After all, even though he was unwilling, he would still cooperate for the sake of removing the seal, albeit a little reluctantly.
“You don’t wish to remove it, and besides, I can kill time by studying the various ways of styling hair.”
Answering with a smile, Ye Mingjun didn’t actually quite understand why he had a sudden change of heart. After all, in the past, he would make Ji Mo satisfy his curiosity as much as he wanted. Was it because the consequences of Ji Mo’s favorability dropping was much more severe than being troubled by his own curiosity?
This was the immortal’s first time feeling that there were many things he did not know about humans, even after mixing in with them for a long time. Asking questions for the things he didn’t understand was something Ye Mingjun had learned from the experience of his lengthy life, and at present, thought for a moment before asking the question that had plagued him for years, “Have you ever thought of what you would do if you had all the time in the world?”
“I don’t know. To us humans, a hundred years is long enough, I can’t even imagine what I’d look like in ten years.”
Such troubles did not exist in the humans’ short lifespan, and Ji Mo was unable to imagine the life of immortality. All he knew was that every self-aware being yearned for the things they couldn’t obtain, just like the humans’ thirst for longevity as well as Ye Mingjun’s curiosity towards emotion.
Ye Mingjun had been in this world for more than five thousand years, and apart from his long hair as white as snow, the years had not left a single mark on his outer appearance, and this would still hold true in the many years ahead. A doubt suddenly arose in Ji Mo’s mind, “Will Xianjun feel sad over the fact that I am bound to depart from this world before you?”
As he had anticipated, Ye Mingjun’s first reaction to this question was uncertainty, as if he had never considered such a thing. Giving a soundless laugh, Ji Mo did not say anything more, only sighing softly, “When you start thinking of such things, perhaps you are coming close to the love that you are seeking, though I do not believe that to be a good thing.”
Falling in love with a human whose lifespan was shorter than his own was not a good thing. Even more so when the person in question did not believe in love – that would be the worst possible decision.
Ji Mo’s face was hidden beneath the mask, and Ye Mingjun could only judge his mood according to his tone. Yet, such a manner of speaking was much too complicated, seemingly containing some gratification, and more than that was slight self-mockery and a trace of sorrow.
He did not understand how humans could blend so many complex emotions together, but all he could do was say truthfully, “An immortal once told me that it was better not to understand what sadness was, or I may very well end up just like the Diorama of Civilization.”
As he said that, he was holding the silent picture scroll. After secretly comparing the clear differences between the two, Ji Mo could more or less understand the implications behind his words, and urged, “He was right. Even if Xianjun is unafraid of anything, why don’t you take someone’s advice every now and then?”
Ji Mo did not actually think that he would listen to his urges. After all, if this one was truly obedient, he wouldn’t be Ye Mingjun. However, he hadn’t expected the usually sanguine Ye Mingjun to fall silent upon hearing those words. After a moment’s silence, he gave a faint sigh, “I’m not really unafraid of anything.”
“Like me, the Diorama was also an ancient artifact crafted by Emperor Xi. It was originally kept in Empress Wa’s collection, but a thousand years ago, it was suddenly delivered to my abode. Apparently, it chose to self-destruct when it became unable to find the meaning of existence. Now, the Diorama of Civilization is just an ordinary magic tool, its spirit having vanished from this world; even if I throw it away, it won’t jump out to reprimand me ever again.”
Although the Diorama of Civilization gained the ability to talk again after implanting the System into it, it had ceased being the self-aware existence it was in the past. Ye Mingjun’s finger subconsciously traced the picture scroll’s material, a hint of additional loneliness that he did not even realize present in his tone, “In fact, not just the Diorama, I never saw the other ancient artifacts again after the Three Sovereigns entered seclusion – I heard that many of them have been destroyed. If I hadn’t been so willful back then, demanding to become an immortal, I might have had the same end.”
Ye Mingjun had no parents, and Emperor Xi, who had crafted him, had long since entered seclusion. The other ancient artifacts who once fought alongside him had either been damaged or entered a deep slumber in various realms, gradually losing all contact even if the immortals had done their best to mend them.
Ye Mingjun could still remember how unruly he was the first time he had taken form, how there was a constant crowd of immortals chasing behind him, worried that he’d forget himself in his bid to have fun. He’d thought it was awfully interesting at the time, so he ran around trying out something new whenever he was given the chance, before waiting for the immortals to catch up to him with a smile. They would then invite him back to heaven with helpless looks on their faces.
However, this was something that had occurred a long, long time ago. A thousand years had passed, and the immortals of the old days had either dissipated from Heavenly Tribulations or entered seclusion beyond the world – the remaining familiar faces were just the old immortals in the heavenly palace, who would never again chase after him like they did in the past.
When the newly arrived young immortals stood behind him with humility and respect, this was when Ye Mingjun finally realized that he had become one of the few ancient artifacts existing in this world, and those of the same generation as him had slowly vanished throughout history. Only he had remained to this day by chance, and as proof of that period, he was being carefully preserved by the immortals.
“I’m always learning techniques of the new era, I can even play with you guys, so don’t lock me away, alright?”
At the time, faced with his words, the recently appointed Immortal Emperor merely urged him: “Junshang[2], you are the only remaining proof of Emperor Xi’s existence. For the sake of the shared history between you and your master, you have to protect yourself well.”
As he looked at the serious look on the Immortal Emperor’s face, Ye Mingjun suddenly lost interest in the activities he used to love doing. Not long after, he found an immortal mountain and built an abode there, no longer running off as the immortals had hoped, merely poring over various objects he did not understand as a way to pass the time.
The times were changing rapidly, and he would learn the newest customs in every new era. This way, when the world was in a crisis and needed an ancient artifact to guide the common people in search of the Way of Heaven, he could blend into the crowds at the quickest possible moment. However, the mortal realm no longer needed immortals, and naturally, no longer would anyone seek for the ancient artifacts. A long period of time had passed, yet that day still did not arrive.
Later on, when the newly ascended immortals observed his expression getting progressively downcast day after day, for fear that Emperor Xi’s Venus Pearl would walk down the same path of self-destruction as the Diorama of Civilization, they brought back many new objects from the mortal world for him to play with. The mortals of this age were more adept at expressing themselves than before, and the things they thought up were very different to the immortals. He discovered that interacting with these mortals was really fun, so he tried seeking answers from them.
“Your story is quite realistic, I was almost moved to tears. Loneliness drives people mad, quickly graduate from your chuunibyou and get yourself a wife, bro.”
He had ultimately gotten such an answer, which was why he had thought of studying the love between humans.
After slowly uttering all this, Ye Mingjun did not seem to realize how lonesome the past he had just narrated was. All he did was address Ji Mo with his usual smile, “That’s what someone told me, so I want to try feeling human emotions and see if it can last longer than the immortals’ lifespan.”
Ye Mingjun’s expression was as unperturbed as ever, as if he felt unconcerned by his past. He was saying all this because Ji Mo would always become a little livelier whenever he mentioned his past, so he thought this was a good topic.
And yet, it was Ji Mo’s turn to fall silent. After a long while, he finally said, “I’m sorry.”
“Why are you apologizing?”
The immortal looked truly astonished, but Ji Mo merely glanced silently at the Diorama of Civilization in his hands which never left his side. This was his first time getting to know the real Ye Mingjun, Emperor Xi’s Venus Pearl, who had gradually walked out of the long history of five thousand years. He had brought with him the glorious ancient civilization and hardships left by the changes of time, using his pair of bright and warm eyes to observe the three thousand secular worlds.
“I made you sad.”
Although you don’t know, that such a painless yet unbearable emotion, is what you would call sadness.
He actually understood why the immortals were being so careful with Ye Mingjun. If he was in their shoes, even if it was just an hundred-year-old antique porcelain cup, not an ancient artifact dating back thousands of years ago, he would be trembling with fear as he used it, scared that he would accidentally break it. The reason he could treat him casually was because he did not know the other’s value, but the moment he understood this was a treasure that could never be replaced, he would even be afraid of making contact for fear of harming him.
However, such protection was something utterly miserable to the treasure itself.
In Ye Mingjun’s impression, sadness was an emotion that could make the Diorama of Civilization choose to self-destruct, so it must be as painful as shattering to pieces. Now that Ji Mo had mentioned it, he finally realized that there was a slight error in his perception. Drooping his eyelids to think for a while, he suddenly said, “But you always make that face when you’re by my side, does that mean that you constantly feel sad for me?”
You finally realize just how troublesome you are! Also, don’t make it sound so suggestive, I didn’t!
Inwardly refusing to acknowledge feeling occasionally sentimental in these past few days, Ji Mo’s retort almost came out of his mouth when he remembered how Ye Mingjun had seemed calm but desolate earlier, and he ultimately did not voice those thoughts.
And yet, Ye Mingjun regarded his silence as acknowledgement, so he came up with an earnest proposal, “You once told me that humans think highly of equivalent exchange, how about I compensate you with myself?”
Taking every opportunity to promote yourself, it’s a real shame that you don’t work in insurance!
Defeated by the immortal’s strange logic, Ji Mo was about to refuse as usual, but when he lifted his head, he realized that the immortal’s expression was dead serious. Or rather, the seemingly playful words that he uttered probably wasn’t a joke in Ye Mingjun’s eyes.
“Ye Mingjun…”
Do you… wish to become the bright pearl that is cherished in somebody’s palm once more?
After much hesitation, he ultimately stopped himself from speaking out these words. Ji Mo looked down at the grains of his palm, the hands belonging to a mortal. He did not have any abilities nor supernatural powers, and even if he gained an ancient artifact, he couldn’t possibly bring out the true might of this treasure. Besides, what Ye Mingjun truly wanted was his feelings, and that wasn’t something he could give either. The current him did not believe in the existence of eternal love in this world.
Not taking advantage of him was the sole act of kindness he could give the immortal, and at present, did not wish to continue the subject. He said casually, “Let’s not talk about this, why did the High Priest call out to you earlier?”
Ye Mingjun still wasn’t sensitive to human emotions, and did not realize the miniscule changes to his look. Hearing his question, he quickly forgot the contents of the previous topic and said, “You’re talking about that match? We made a bet, the one who loses has to agree to one request.”
It’s no wonder the immortals told you to stay obediently in your abode, just look at how you can lose yourself even with me keeping a tight rein on you!
Being completely unrestricted wasn’t something to joke about, it was fortunate that the person he had made the bet with was Su Ge— if it was anyone else, this ancient artifact would have foolishly walked into another’s pocket by now. Even worse was the fact that if he hadn’t spontaneously asked him about it, he might not even have known that it had occurred!
Should he seriously consider keeping this pearl safely stored away? After all, this was the most valuable treasure from their world, it would be a shame on their forefathers if he was abducted by someone from another world.
Once again sensing the weight of humanity’s glory on his shoulders, something he hadn’t felt ever since he graduated from primary school, Ji Mo spoke gravely in the tone of a class teacher, “Xianjun, gambling is an extremely dangerous conduct.”
To his surprise, Ye Mingjun, who always couldn’t resist from doing something mischievous no matter what he was told, actually nodded his head obediently this time around, “Okay, I won’t gamble next time.”
What just happened? Why was he suddenly so well-behaved?
Ji Mo really wasn’t used to this suddenly obedient immortal, and tried analyzing this using this guy’s mindset. At last, he concluded that perhaps he had learned this from the romantic conventions in TV shows, and immediately said with a severe look, “The way humans interact in human works are exaggerated for artistic purposes, an average person would never do that sort of thing in their daily lives, Xianjun has no need to learn from them.”
“I wasn’t thinking that deeply.”
Blinking innocently, Ye Mingjun did not know the meaning of being implicit, and spoke his mind with a faint laugh, “I listen to you because I want to be liked by you, it’s just that simple.”
He didn’t know if it was due to the miserable and gloomy atmosphere he had exuded earlier, but the smile Ye Mingjun shot at him was far brighter than usual, that even Ji Mo, who had been getting increasingly used to the immortal’s features, couldn’t help but stare dazedly at him. When he did not receive a response, Ye Mingjun curiously moved closer to observe him, his long eyelashes practically brushing across Wuyan’s surface. When Ji Mo came back to his senses, he immediately backed a step away, with only one thought left in his mind,
Outrageous, this bratty immortal had learned the means of acting obedient to deal with him, what a terrifying learning capacity! Ye Mingjun, subconscious flirting is against the rules, don’t you know that?!
“Your capture target’s favorability has increased to one hundred, congratulations to Xianjun for completing the mission, seal is currently 5% unlocked.”
Yet, he was unable to hide his true feelings from the System, who could read through a person’s heart. As the announcement rang out, Ye Mingjun’s eyes were filled with satisfaction, “As I expected, you absolutely can’t resist the word ‘like’.”
From what Ji Mo knew about Ye Mingjun, this person would say that to him every day once he gained the interest to do so. In order to avoid such an ordeal to his own mental endurance yet again, he immediately warned threateningly, “Xianjun, do you know what are the implications of liking someone?”
However, not only had Ji Mo figured out Ye Mingjun’s temper in the past few days, the immortal, who was studying his behavior, had also built up a clear picture of Ji Mo. For instance, whenever Ji Mo was on his guard, this little guy would soften up whenever he spoke to him in a gentle manner.
With a tender smile at his lips, Ye Mingjun reached over, and when Ji Mo was left with no room for retreat, he murmured into his ear in a puzzled tone, eyes completely filled with pure innocence, “I don’t know, what do humans do to people they like? Teach me?”
This guy was just messing with him, he didn’t know the connotations of his actions, he just liked watching him fumble around. Calm down, just pretend that he’s a large night luminous pearl… F*ck, there isn’t another night luminous pearl in the world that murmurs and blows onto another’s earlobe!
Trying his best to turn his head away to not look at him, there was only one thought left in Ji Mo’s mind—
System, there’s an ancient artifact acting like a hoodlum with an innocent look on his face, aren’t you going to take care of him?!
TL Notes
[1]
‘Five Dynasties Bro’ – Dark Black calls Su Ge’s author Five Dynasties Bro due to his pen name, which comes from the Five Dynasties Period – the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasties.[2]
‘Junshang’ – title translated as ‘monarch/sovereign’.