Chapter 12
[Extra: Ziwei Star Lord]
I am the Ziwei Star Lord of the Central Heavens, in charge of the Destiny Star Plate.
Yuanzhou is my most outstanding disciple.
He ascended at a young age, a child of utmost purity and kindness.
Radiant as the sun and moon, moving as the stars in the sky.
Yuanzhou possesses the grace of rosy clouds and the charm of the moon, the character of jade and autumn frost, and he respects his teachers and values the Way. I hold him in high regard and have great expectations for him.
Because I value him, the Destiny Star Plate is often entrusted to his care.
The twelve palaces of the Star Plate govern the rise and fall of mortal dynasties above, and the fate of ordinary people below.
Unexpectedly, one day, the Vermilion Bird of the Star Constellations flew over the Ziwei Star Palace, and the Zhenshui Yin on its tail inadvertently landed on the Destiny Star Plate.
For the sake of this tiny life, Yuanzhou intervened.
I have long known he is a good and kind child, but the Heavenly Way abhors excess; he was destined to face a calamity.
Because he saved the Zhenshui Yin and touched the Destiny Star Plate, a mortal dynasty perished as a result.
All things operate according to rules.
Though I am the Ziwei Star Lord of the Central Heavens, I cannot defy destiny or alter the Star Plate.
Yuanzhou has committed a grave mistake.
He must be banished to the mortal realm, to assist the Lord of Fate Calculation and cultivate good Karma for ten lifetimes.
I sighed endlessly, but Yuanzhou remained calm. He said to me, “Master, it’s only ten lifetimes; it will pass quickly.”
This foolish child, it is not so simple.
His true tribulation lies in the tenth lifetime.
If he touches the Destiny Star Plate again, he will face another choice.
The Zhenshui Yin falling onto the Star Plate, and the annihilation of that little Jiangshi, are both their destined fates.
The Heavenly Way is both merciful and cruel.
Though I know this is his tribulation, as his master, I cannot help but harbor some selfishness.
In the tenth lifetime, he is named Shen Yutang, a top-ranked scholar, serving as an official in the court.
Later, his father passed away, and he returned home from the Capital.
Passing through Suzhou Prefecture, in the wilds of the mountains, I transformed into an old man gathering firewood and kindly warned him: “The terrain here is complex and easy to get lost. The mountains are not peaceful, and strange things often happen. Young master, it’s best to take a detour.”
Shen Yutang, like Yuanzhou, was courteous and polite.
He bowed and thanked me.
But in the end, he still chose the mountain path.
Because he was eager to attend his father’s funeral and did not wish to delay.
Thus, he saw the white bones hanging from a tree and kindly buried them.
That night, I took on the form of his father and entered his dream-
“Son, why did you not heed the warning? I had already asked someone to tell you to take a detour.”
“Do you know the white bones you buried had hung on that tree for two hundred years? That was a Monster cultivating Indestructible Bone. By burying her, you disrupted her cultivation, and she will surely come for you and endanger your life.”
“You must not be deceived by her. It’s best to deal with her carefully and later seek a solution at Qingtai Temple.”
Later, that Monster took human form and came to find him.
Shen Yutang was calmer and clearer than I had imagined.
He was somewhat nervous, but not truly afraid of her.
Perhaps because the Monster was nothing like he expected.
A bit clumsy, not particularly charming, but her eyes were lively and carried a heroic spirit.
Shen Yutang tried to get her name to give to the great Daoist at Qingtai Temple.
She said her name was Daomei Fairy.
Later, the Monster transformed into a little girl and stayed by his side.
The little girl was called Li Niannian.
Shen Yutang was no fool; he quickly sent her name by fast horse to the Capital.
A few months later, the great Daoist at Qingtai Temple gave him a Silver Needle that could annihilate the Monster.
I had already done enough and could say no more.
Blessings and misfortunes, Karma-all that followed was his own choice.
I returned to the heavens.
Another year passed in the mortal realm. Wanting to know if the Monster had been eliminated, I peered through the Water Moon Mirror.
The result was deeply disappointing.
My pure-hearted foolish child hid the Silver Needle in the Study Room and never took it out again.
He liked that Monster.
At first, perhaps it was just sympathy, knowing her origins and the pain she had endured.
Later, he began to blame himself for ruining her cultivation.
Yuanzhou has always been a kind child.
Of course, the Monster’s nature was not truly evil.
She was clever, sincere, and adorable, and even mercifully saved his mother.
At that moment, I knew Yuanzhou was unlikely to return.
He had already made his choice in his heart.
Sure enough, when the Monster grew weaker, he panicked.
He whispered “I’m sorry” in her ear.
Because he had mistakenly buried her from the start, and because of his selfishness, wanting to linger a little longer, he caused her to become so weak.
I did not look into the Water Moon Mirror again.
But if Yuanzhou died, the Monster could not escape annihilation.
She was destined to perish.
What I did not expect was that Yuanzhou took his own life.
He asked a maid to bring him a dagger.
He cut his finger and wrote the character “Repay” on the wall of the Prison.
Yuanzhou, oh Yuanzhou, why such sorrow?
The Mortal Emperor wished to spare your life; that was your only chance to return to the heavens.
He did not accept it, and even forced the Heavenly Way to spare the Monster.
Ten lifetimes of Cultivation, all lost in vain.
There is no more Yuanzhou in the Ziwei Star Palace.
Nor is there any more Shen Yutang in the world.
What enters the cycle of reincarnation is but a mortal body.
……
Five hundred years later in the mortal realm, I have come to terms with it and nearly forgotten Yuanzhou’s existence.
Winds rise and clouds surge, day and night change in an instant.
Because the Heavenly Way forbids it, Spirit Monsters have become fewer and fewer in the world, and most immortals have retreated to the immortal mountains and treasures, rarely appearing.
On the birthday of the Southern Pole Immortal Elder, I drank a few extra cups. On my way back, I passed by Fanghu Mountain.
Amidst the green waters and blue mountains, I suddenly thought to visit Yuanzhou.
Then, to my surprise, I found two sets of white bones in the green mountain tomb.
One was the mortal Shen Yutang, the other… what was her name?
Oh, Niannian.
A Jiangshi who had cultivated Indestructible Bone revealed her true form and met annihilation in this tomb.
It seems a saying circulates in the mortal world: What is love in this world, that it makes people vow life and death?
A thousand mountains under evening snow, mountain spirits weep in the dark, wind and rain all buried in yellow earth.
Through the ages, desolate smoke over the plains, even the heavens are jealous.
I sighed, collected the two sets of white bones, transformed them into Relics, and have carried them with me ever since.
(The End)