This Human Immortal Is Too Serious-Chapter 364 - 362 ’Can You Be My Father?
What does 'leave with a flick of one's sleeves after the business is done' mean?
Wu Wang leaned back slightly beside his own deity statue, lifted the wine jar, and took a swig.
The Young Master was busy in her Divine Realm, and the subsequent arrangements for those souls certainly consumed some energy.
Wu Wang wisely chose to withdraw and did not continue to be involved.
There was no helping it; when he had been guiding the God of Death, the amount of 'personal input' he mixed in was simply excessive, so much so that Wu Wang himself felt a bit guilty! The current God of Death, calling her the 'great-niece of the Human race,' wouldn't be an exaggeration at all.
Emperor Shun probably wouldn't mind his little maneuvers; what he wanted was a stable God of Death that, when the Candle Dragon returned, could break the Candle Dragon's immortality. As for whether this God of Death was friendly toward the Human race or the Rain Mistress Nation, it didn't matter much to Emperor Shun. With the return of the Candle Dragon and the descent of the Dao of Chaos, the God of Death would naturally take on the path of granting the Candle Dragon the 'capability to die.'
Wu Wang raised his cup in the direction of the Young Master's Divine Realm and downed another mouthful of the strong liquor from the Northern Wilderness.
Da Yi stood by silently with a look of curiosity in his eyes, waiting a while before finally speaking up, "Lord, you seem to be in a good mood today?"
"Ah, I almost forgot about you," Wu Wang said with a chuckle, tossing over a wine jar.
Da Yi caught it steadily, opened it to take a sniff, and immediately grinned.
Wu Wang said with a laugh, "When one achieves something, naturally it brings happiness. By the way, Da Yi, has anyone come looking for trouble during this time?"
"No," Da Yi wiped the corner of his mouth, holding the wine jar and answered with his head down, "but Lord, since you won't let me search far and wide for isolated followers, this place has remained desolate."
"There's no rush," Wu Wang said with a smile. "Who said I was going to develop followers in the Emperor's City? Can't I bring people from outside?"
Da Yi was somewhat puzzled and spoke softly, "My Lord, isn't the Emperor's City known as the holy land of all creatures? It draws together all the strongest beings from heaven and earth, following in the footsteps of the gods, fighting for the glory of the gods. To gather followers from outside..."
Wu Wang couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity. That was quite audacious.
"Yi, have you lived here since childhood?"
"Yes, my Lord."
"No wonder."
Wu Wang casually took out several books describing the Nine Wildernesses of the Great Wilderness and tossed them to Da Yi, chuckling, "Don't lose them. These books will probably need to be shown to others in the future. Your next task is to read and broaden your horizons, to increase your knowledge. You need to have a vision that's as vast as the landscape!"
Da Yi set down the wine jar and began to flip through the books. Six black dots slowly appeared above his head, and a hint of embarrassment colored his face. "My Lord... I only recognize some Divine Literature and a portion of the Human race's characters..."
Wu Wang laughed and said, "Never mind, when the support I called for arrives, someone will teach you the script that originated from the Northern Wilderness."
"Yes, I understand, my Lord."
Da Yi tucked the books into his chest, still wanting to ask more: when would these foreign followers arrive? What preparations did he need to make? Should he build some wooden houses in advance for their accommodation?
But before Da Yi could speak, streaks of Divine Light shimmered, and three figures—two men and a woman—leaped from the sky, landing dozens of yards away and hurriedly running toward them.
The deity statue of Wu Wang stood erect like a sturdy mountain peak. The eight Giant wood spirits had already opened their eyes.
The leading figure was the woman, who must be a minor and inconspicuous goddess from the Heaven Palace, dressed quite meticulously, with layers inside and out, in an effort to exude a sense of authority. The two men must be Divine Generals of Human race origin, decently strong, likely handpicked by the minor goddess as her entourage to deliver the message.
While still far from Wu Wang, she put on a somewhat flattering smile. Suddenly, this Innate God, with her strange makeup reminiscent of the female bodhisattva statues in temples from Wu Wang's memory, became very down-to-earth.
"God of Spring, my lord!" she called out in as gentle a voice as she could manage. "Lady Xihe has requested your presence at the Heaven Palace. His Majesty the Heavenly Emperor has decreed a banquet to celebrate our achievements, an event that hasn't been seen in many years. It truly must not be missed."
"Celebrate achievements?" Wu Wang, looking at the wine jar in his hand, asked, "For whom are we celebrating?"
The small god replied timidly, "Naturally, for you and the other three supporting lords."
"Is that so?" Wu Wang's mouth twitched slightly as he said indifferently, "Trouble yourself to return and inform Lady Xihe that I'm feeling a bit down and will not attend this celebration banquet."
"This..."
"Just go and say it," Wu Wang said with a smile. "Lady Xihe surely won't blame you."
"Yes, sir," the small god bowed his head to take the order, rushing off with the two Divine Generals, though his posture was very humble.
Wu Wang used his Immortal Consciousness to observe the reactions of the eight Giant wood spirits and found that they weren't randomly hurling stones at people. In his heart, he gave the Young Master a thumbs-up.
You can always trust the methods of the Young Master. Of course, the prerequisite is that it's not related to a Duel.
Da Yi didn't ask much and stood with his hands behind his back.
Wu Wang drank by himself and soon even began humming a tune, his heart undoubtedly filled with great joy, his eyes always conveying a hint of a smile.
He found himself missing Lin Suqing and the others, yet being in the Heaven Palace, it wasn't appropriate to see them. Even if he found firm footing in the Heaven Palace, he couldn't possibly bring them over. Why not? Because that's a vulnerability that could threaten him, a real leverage point that couldn't be placed under the scrutiny of Emperor Shun.
"Da Yi, tell me," Wu Wang suddenly said, "do you think I am sometimes too much of a good-hearted person?"
Da Yi pondered for a moment and answered earnestly, "I don't know you very well, my lord, but I feel you are definitely not someone who is overly good-hearted."
Wu Wang cursed with a laugh, "What, are you suggesting that I'm not a good person at all?"
"I would never mean such a thing!" Da Yi said with seriousness. "The 'overly good-hearted' are usually indecisive, unaware of the truth, not knowing whether others are good or evil, blindly offering help upon request. You, that day, tricking the Mirror God... Please forgive me, my lord."
"Was that tricking? That was mutual cooperation!" Wu Wang glared at Da Yi, who lowered his head, smiling silently.
"Heh," Wu Wang looked up into the hazy night sky, listening to the clamor of living beings from miles away. "Da Yi, don't you think some words are just designed to hoodwink us?"
"What do you mean, lord?"
"Like that saying, 'A man should make something big of himself in this world!'" Wu Wang chuckled. "But what constitutes a big thing? Isn't it a big deal to choose something you like, to continue doing it for a long time, and to have it mean something to your surroundings?"
Da Yi thought hard for a while and said, "My lord, I've heard many such sayings since childhood and have been inspired by them. I don't think they're entirely without merit."
"In this flashy and prosperous age, countless ships vie on the river, poets by the water's edge, singing praises to the free and easy life." Wu Wang took out a packet of jerky and chewed on it, washing it down with strong liquor, suddenly understanding why the Young Master might like such things. The master chefs of the Bear Hug tribe truly surpassed the one they learned from, greatly advancing the production techniques Wu Wang had used in the past. Indeed, there is strength in numbers.
"By the way, Da Yi," Wu Wang asked, "what weapon do you use?"
This was purely a rhetorical question.
"A Hard Bow," Da Yi reported truthfully. "I practice bow combat techniques, and my accuracy with shooting arrows... is also quite decent."
"Then you'll be needing a bow and arrows," Wu Wang said slowly, nodding with a smile. "In that case, give me your measurements, and I'll get you a couple of longbows that fit you well."
Da Yi raised his hand to gesture and then ran off to pick up a few branches in the distance, mimicking the size that felt best in his hands. When it came to Weapons, Da Yi was neither polite nor reserved.
After all, his life had been given by his lord. Without a suitable weapon, how could he hunt down Divine Generals for his lord in the future!
Wu Wang took out a notebook and jotted it down.
Others might not know of Da Yi's bravery, but Wu Wang was well aware of it. The Golden Crow's bane, the fierce sun-archer, Xihe's messenger of despair, Chang'e's original husband. Heck, Wu Wang was willing to painfully pluck a hair from his own avatar for Da Yi's weapon! However, Wu Wang quickly reconsidered. That might be an overuse of good material and could also disrupt the current mining market in the Northern Wilderness. So he opted for the next best thing... He decided to pluck a single eyelash from the Star God instead. Naturally, these sacrifices weren't something Wu Wang would openly share with others; being moved by his own generosity in private was enough.
Ores emerged from the Northern Wilderness, craftsmen hailed from the South Wilderness; thus, the forging of Da Yi's Divine Weapon was arranged by Wu Wang.
They chatted intermittently, having drunk half a jar of wine and eaten through four or five packs of dried meat, fruit, and nuts when the Young Master, who had finished with her affairs, found her way to them. This was nearly an hour slower than Wu Wang had expected.
"Why are you hiding here?" she asked curiously, lightly landing in front of Wu Wang.
Wu Wang casually summoned a chair and smiled. "It's best to avoid the victory celebration in the Heaven Palace."
"But you're the top contributor," the Young Master said, slightly dissatisfied. This was not a sign of displeasure towards Wu Wang.
Looking at her current attire—the elegant long dress revealing her beautiful collarbones, a pair of thick 'wooden clogs' that seemed to be made of condensed crystal, and her long hair which seemed casually done but was actually neatly groomed—it was clear she had searched the celebration banquet without finding Wu Wang and had specially come here to look for him.
The Young Master sighed. "If you, the top contributor, don't go, leaving my brother and the Earth God to accept praise everywhere, that is really..."
"What reward did Nu Chou receive from the Heaven Palace?" Wu Wang interjected.
"She's been promoted two ranks in her Divine Position, now having the authority to patrol and supervise the Four Seas," the Young Master said softly. "Plus, she received a new Divine Artifact; you could say her gains were substantial."
"That's good to hear." Wu Wang smiled. "She shouldn't have been busy for nothing."
The Young Master frowned. "But doesn't that mean you're the one who's been busy for nothing?"
"Not at all," Wu Wang looked up and took a sip of wine. "The benefits I could gain were already secured before I lifted a finger."
The Young Master was somewhat puzzled. "Really?"
"Really."
The Young Master smiled. "Well, that's good then."
Wu Wang squinted, smiling as he looked upward at the Temples above, but simply smiled without asking further about the celebration banquet. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞
However, what puzzled Wu Wang was that when he inquired about the reincarnation of the God of Death, the Young Master became evasive and inconsistent.
This shouldn't have been a difficult task. Cast the Divine Soul of the God of Death into the Divine Pool, use the reconstructive methods of the Heaven Palace to help craft a divine body for Ming, and a mature, complete God of Death would be created, right? What mistake had occurred? Or what trick might be hidden in this process?
A trace of doubt surfaced in Wu Wang's mind. But, out of trust in the Young Master's competence in non-Duel matters, seeing that she was reluctant to answer, he did not press the issue any further.
Perhaps it was some small secret between Nu Chou, the Young Master, and the God of Death. Or perhaps the God of Death didn't want others to know her whereabouts, so she asked the Young Master to help conceal it. Wu Wang had long experienced the Young Master's reliability and integrity.
Just as another Envoy arrived from the Heaven Palace, it turned out to be two Divine Guard leaders who came to report to Wu Wang that the numerous rewards from the Heavenly Emperor had been moved to the God of Spring's Temple, asking Wu Wang to hurry over and take possession.
Upon hearing this, Wu Wang was indeed energized and, mounting a cloud, prepared to rush back to the Heaven Palace to see what treasures he had obtained.
They would basically be ores, medicines, or some other strange and curious items. Treasures that could enhance Wu Wang's power? How could Emperor Shun easily grant those?
Wu Wang had just ascended dozens of yards into the sky when he looked down at the Young Master, who still hadn't moved an inch on the ground, and laughed, "What, does the Young Master intend to stay here and admire the floating dust in the night air?"
"Um!" The Young Master put her small hands behind her back, pursed her cherry lips, and slowly took a half-step back, her gaze shifting left and right. "I have a small matter to attend to in my Divine Realm. A Divine General is about to give birth; I need to go and bestow blessings upon him!"
No sooner had she finished speaking than her figure turned into a streak of light and, SWOOSH, vanished without a trace.
Wu Wang's forehead was metaphorically covered in question marks; he truly couldn't understand why the Young Master had suddenly developed such 'wariness' towards him.
In the Illusionary Realm, had he been too harsh on Ming, dishing out too much suffering, making the Young Master perceive him as a cold, unreasonable, and troublesome man?
Wu Wang pondered this to himself.
This was a serious matter. The first 'treasure brick' he had 'mined' since coming to the Heaven Palace couldn't have any flaws.
With numerous doubts, Wu Wang rode the clouds and floated back to his Temple.
He hadn't even entered the door when he saw the hazy treasure light inside. He 'wowed' twice, temporarily pressing down his suspicions, and dashed in with great enthusiasm.
Tens of golden wooden chests were arrayed before the great hall; each one could fit one and a half of his brother Yun Zhongjun! Inside those chests, delicacies that were difficult to find in the Great Wilderness, spirit birds and Spiritual Medicines—all were rare treasures. There were even Spiritual Cores of Spirit Beasts whose records had long vanished from the Human Domain, all appearing here by the boxful.
Excessive! Emperor Shun's wealth was simply too excessive! And that box of furs... OH WOW! A box of top-tier Lusheng hides, seemingly blessed with the Great Dao of Reproduction too! Could that ornament actually be a horn of a Chenghuang? Absolutely savage, just savage! Why not directly give him eight or ten Chenghuang, preferably a breeding pair, and let him start a longevity village back in the Northern Wilderness? Wouldn't that be beautiful? He had a friend who was in charge of the reproduction of all living beings. And in that central chest, this egg—it seemed to be from some spirit bird or rare beast, yet it appeared to be more for ornamentation than a fighting pet...
"Hm?" Wu Wang's forehead furrowed as he stared intently at the egg. He felt an all-too-familiar Daoist Essence of the Star God's Great Dao, followed by the Daoist Essence of the Earth God's Great Dao, and the Daoist Essence of the Reproduction Great Dao.
Taking slow steps forward, Wu Wang approached the egg's location, a ridiculous thought bubbling up inside him.
Could this egg be...
ROLL. ROLL. ROLL.
The one-foot-tall white 'egg' suddenly rolled around a few times inside the chest, a clear baby's laugh emanating from within.
Simultaneously, dark lines seemed to appear on Wu Wang's forehead. He froze on the spot, his eyes almost popping out. It was because, as that laughing sound resonated, Wu Wang sensed Ming's Divine Soul fluctuation and heard that sweet, childlike voice call out:
"Lord Wu Wang, I want to experience the growth of a living being in the real world, and I'll also seal away my memories of being Ming afterward. Although it's a bit presumptuous, I'd like to receive your guidance once more. So basically...
Would you be my father?
Please! I'll be very well-behaved!"
