The place in which the Shrine was situated was originally the capital of a country, and after its destruction by the struggle between Celestials, the High Priestâs followers had leveled the land, reconstructing it completely into a palace of worship to serve Su Ge. The High Priest had originated from the west, so the Shrineâs architectural style had a quite exotic design. As he led Ye Mingjun along the corridor filled with stone carvings, Ji Mo did not relax in the slightest.
Ji Mo had always been careful in handling his affairs â he hadnât told anyone except the High Priest of this operation, but Ye Po had accurately pinpointed his location although the Shrineâs scouts hadnât discovered any traces of him until Jiangyin City was breached. There was no doubt that as the Demon Prince, his abilities far surpassed an ordinary human, but to say that there wasnât a single stubble originating from the Shrine, Ji Mo was utterly unconvinced.
Someone had sold him out to the Demon Continent, had perhaps even acted in concert with Ye Poâs surprise attack for the purpose of eliminating him.
Ji Mo had never minded appraising a humanâs heart with the worst intentions, he had long since ascertained this fact on the boat, but the problem lay in his inability to lock onto a targetâ someone as saintly as the High Priest probably wouldnât do anything to him, so was it the two remaining White Robed Priests? Or a spy inserted by the four other continents? They couldnât rule out the possibility of a native to this world trying to spark an internecine struggle between the Celestials, lying in wait to gain the benefitsâŠ
Resigning himself to the fact that there would be no time to rest even if he had returned to the Shrine, Ji Mo abruptly realized that traveling with Ye Mingjun had been so much more relaxing. While this immortal had a strange mindset, at least he wouldnât plot to kill his own capture target.
Ye Mingjun had always been someone who refused to stay idle; at present, he was scrutinizing the relief sculptures of wise men bringing salvation to the people, and after discovering these to not be the mythologies he was familiar with, questioned Ji Mo, âWhich deity do you guys believe in?â
âThe one we follow is the High Priest. We all know of an existence referred to as God who the High Priest loves deeply, but as for who it is, only he knows.â
Ye Mingjun was naturally unable to comprehend these relief sculptures, because these were all deeds the High Priest Su Ge had done during his travels around the world. He had never mentioned the god of his belief to anyone else, and only remained in his cloud-capped white tower, seeking traces of his god. To Su Ge, his belief was his own business, and he had no need for anyone elseâs accompaniment.
As if he hadnât expected the leader of the Shrine to be such a character, Ye Mingjun was a little bewildered, âDonât you guys preach about your faith?â
Ji Mo was unsurprised by his question, and thinking that this person would be snared in sooner or later, answered patiently, âThe High Priest has no intention of establishing his own influence, his only goal being to pursue Godâs footprints, in search of the manifestation of Godâs will. But he is the only one among the Celestials who does not like to kill, reaching out to provide aid whenever he sees the common folk suffering. That is why those who had no homes to return to after the war autonomously formed this Shrine by his side, and subsequently, the Rising Sun Priest chose to follow the High Priest. It was the Rising Sun Priestâs handling of affairs later on which caused the Shrine to grow to such a scale.â
In truth, Ji Mo wasnât being entirely honest. While Su Geâs god was mysterious, as someone who had read the plot, he was well aware of who it was. But he wouldnât speak of this secret to anyone else, because Su Ge had been the one to save him at his most helpless moment; he did not wish for this saint to crumble in the face of truth.
âWhich means your High Priest has no need for companions, or the intention to contend for power, heâs just protecting the weak?â
Ji Moâs split-second dismay was concealed so carefully that not even Ye Mingjun had realized it. He merely thought that the Shrine was much more intriguing than he had imagined, finally gaining a slight interest in making an observation.
If there was any Celestial in this world that Ji Mo had a favorable impression on, that would only be the High Priest Su Ge. And so he gave a rare smile, âA very strange person, isnât he?â
Ji Mo rarely displayed such evident goodwill to anyone else, and after secretly making a comparison, Ye Mingjun discovered his own favorability was perhaps nowhere near Su Geâs in this guyâs heart. However, he was certain the kindness he gave to Ji Mo wouldnât be any less than that person, and could only ask hesitantly, âI can protect you too, why do you trust the High Priest, but not me?â
Isnât that obvious? The High Priest doesnât want to jump me! The most I would need to do is to work myself to the bone, being protected by you would mean selling my body along with gaining a heartache, even a fool would know which one to choose!
Ji Moâs face blackened as he thought of that damn Romance System. There was a pile of trouble he still had to deal with, he had no time to accompany this immortal in playing a game of romance. In any case, there was no more need to tolerate him now that he had returned to his territory, and finally displayed his own personal look of apathy, âXianjun, love is something that is very rare in this world; it will never appear on me.â
His tone was very cold, as if his emotions were ice-bound, no longer possessing any warmth to it. Hearing this, Ye Mingjunâs brows scrunched up, but the words he uttered caused several cracks to appear on Ji Moâs layer of ice, âBut Iâm the rarest existence in all of three thousand worlds, and youâve met me, so why canât you encounter love?â
Oh, thatâs great for you.
Gazing expressionlessly at this guy, Ji Mo really couldnât understand where he had gotten that sort of confidence from, but he couldnât actually find the words to refute his assuredly justifiable tone, at last pulling the corners of his lips downward, âIndeed, Xianjun is quite uncommon.â
Thatâs right, you canât find another immortal as mischievous as this under the heavens.
Once more receiving another critical blow from Ye Mingjun, Ji Mo was just thinking about quickly dumping him onto Su Ge and running away, when a familiar figure walked up to them.
The person looked about in his thirties, hair neatly kept under a slanted hat, flame patterns symbolizing the sun covering his white robes, and a calm, mature quality belonging exclusively to an adult man. It was the first of the Shrineâs Three White Robed Priestsâ The Rising Sun Priest, Chang Hui.
In Ji Moâs impression, each time the Rising Sun Priest emerged, this meant their High Priest had wandered off to his white tower. Just when he had a bad feeling about this, the other confirmed his guess by announcing solemnly, âMorning Star Priest, the High Priest is currently divining Godâs footprints on the White Tower, please wait until tomorrow afternoon to present yourself and this gentleman.â
Nobody had a much deeper understanding of the true love between the High Priest and his god than Ji Mo, and after being told that Su Ge wouldnât possibly come down from his white tower by tonight, he replied calmly, âI see.â
Ye Mingjun hadnât cared for his identity as a guest from the start, and was a little happy about not needing to waste his time dealing with someone else, âCan I live with him?â
Ji Mo knew this wouldnât bode well the moment this question came out of his mouth. As expected, the Rising Sun Priest quickly announced his second piece of bad news, âThis gentleman was invited by the Morning Star Priest, so he is naturally responsible for arranging your stay here.â
This was exactly why the one he dreaded seeing the most in the Shrine was the Rising Star Priest â each time he emerged, it was either to announce a super difficult mission or to pressure him into doing his work. In any case, nothing good came out of meeting him, he was practically a living death knell.
Internally criticizing the clashing views of idealism between him and the Rising Sun Priest, Ji Mo could only accept the reality that he was still bound to Ye Mingjun, and led him to the palace annex belonging to him.
âWeâve had a journey that was far from peaceful, Xianjun must be tired as well, Iâll get someone to arrange a guest room for you. I hope youâll have a good rest tonight.â
Which means that you must be worn down from making so much ruckus, so youâd better not come to torment me, at least for tonight!
Just as Ji Mo was thinking of a method to soundlessly dump this guy in the furthest room away from him, Ye Mingjun noticed the weariness in his tone, and stared at him carefully, asking abruptly, âYou look pretty exhausted.â
Exhausted? He was, naturally, extremely exhausted.
Starting from the siege laid on the city by Ye Po, Ji Mo had been on the run night after night. Adding on the fact that he hadnât been able to sleep peacefully with Ye Mingjun by his side, an immortal he had yet to differentiate between a friend or a foe, he had only taken a small nap on the ship. His meridians had long since been crippled years ago, so he couldnât cultivate, and as far as a mortalâs physique was concerned, rushing about like this was already past his limit. If he took off his mask, you would see the bags underneath his eyes, but even so, he still managed to feign being completely fine with his willpower alone. Faced with Ye Mingjunâs question, all he did was answer lightly, âMy body is not as durable as the cultivators, I hope Xianjun will excuse me.â
âGive me a room a little closer to yours.â
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Whether it be that he had seen through his facade, Ye Mingjun did not continue his pestering, and finally complied with Ji Moâs arrangements for once. However, Ji Mo was not reassured by this, and thinking of this personâs temperament, warned once more, âXianjun, the Shrine has a strict curfew, please stay in your room, do not move around even if youâre bored.â
âOkay.â
He had answered too quickly, and Ji Mo looked over at him very doubtfully, still apprehensive, before he reminded him again, âI havenât slept peacefully in these past few days, so I might sleep a little deeply. If there is anything Xianjun needs, you may instruct the divine attendants.â
âMm, got it.â
Ye Mingjunâs reply was as indifferent as ever, and Ji Mo, already used to his unreasonable demands, became slightly disbelieving,
Why was he so obedient today? This wasnât the Ye Mingjun he knew! Could it be, was this guy planning on secretly doing something big while he slept? What should he do, pull an all-nighter and rest after handing Ye Mingjun over to Su Ge?
Ye Mingjun had always been someone who did things his way, and had even missed the tribulation journey the underworld had spent years preparing for him. He didnât think Ji Mo would become even more anxious when he saw him displaying such obedience today, and out of desperation, drew out an object, âThis is for you.â
There was a perfume sachet twisted up in silver thread in the palm of the immortalâs hand. However, there were no perfumes placed inside, instead, a round night pearl was inlaid in it. This pearl emitted a bright and clear glow akin to moonlight even in the darkness, luminous but not glaring, warm to the touch as well behind the silver moire fabric, giving off a subtle fragrance. This probably wasnât something cheap.
Staring the object a little hesitantly, Ji Mo did not take it, and merely asked, âWhat does Xianjun mean by this?â
Knowing that he still had his guard up against him, Ye Mingjun smiled gently, âA little trinket I refined using myself as reference, itâll let you have sweet dreams.â
When he said that, Ji Mo realized the pearl had qualities that fit Ye Mingjun very well, and seeing that it wasnât some dangerous item, finally took it after a momentâs silence, saying softly, âMany thanks.â
Seeing him accept this item, Ye Mingjun did not say much. Knowing very well that this person wouldnât be able to relax as long as he was present, while resigned, he could only lift his picture scroll, feigning an interested look as he said goodbye to Ji Mo, âIâll be returning to my room to examine this, have a good rest.â
After saying his piece, he really did return to his room led by the divine attendants, and only till the back of his white silhouette left vanished completely from his sight did Ji Mo return to his senses, walking back to his room in a slight trance.
Ji Moâs room had no lights, and as the only one who did not need to view his surroundings with the naked eye, he could move freely around this room. The familiar surroundings and peacefulness of the night scene finally caused his state of mind to gradually loosen up, and drowsiness swept over him along with it. He lay wearily on the bed, his body refusing the move the instant it made contact with the mattress. However, the radiance of the night pearl in his palm was impossible to ignore.
For it to be so precious even though it was a replica, he wondered what sort of treasure that personâs true form was⊠A treasure that had grown its own legs was trying to run into his bag, but he was keeping the bag tightly closed, unwilling to accept it. If this got out, he was afraid the common people might turn this into a joke.
The thought flashing across his mind in spite of himself, Ji Mo gave a soundless laugh. He knew he mustnât keep a foreign Celestialâs possession by his side, but perhaps because he was truly exhausted, he didnât even have the strength to get up and place the object somewhere else.
This was the Shrine, he should be safe.
If he placed this to one side, with Ye Mingjunâs temper, he would surely cause a ruckus the next morning, and heâd have to spend a lot of time appeasing the immortal.
Mm, he was just trying to avoid more trouble, there shouldnât be any harm placing it by his side for just a little while.
Various notions flashing across his mind, Ji Mo did not remove it in the end, merely cutting off his connection with Wuyan, his vision falling into darkness, yet he was unable to disperse that bright and warm radiance from his memories nevertheless.
Reflexively gripping the perfume sachet tight, he hadnât said a word when Ye Mingjun left, but at this moment, unexpectedly spoke to the night pearl, âGood night.â
Ye Mingjun: Why did you reject me, the original goods, but refuse to let go of a counterfeit!
Ji Mo: A pearl wonât start the car[1], but you will!
Ye Mingjun *blankly*: A car? We immortals travel by treading through the clouds, not by transport.
TL Notes
[1]
âStart the carâ â éè»; slang for developing a sexual plot (in novels/films). It also means talking dirty/making dirty jokes.