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墨書 Inktalez
Yama's Wedding
Void wandered through the human realm every day, carefree and reluctant to return to the court. The beauty of the world and its food captivated him, making him forget his duties.
Because of this, he took on various identities in the human world, experiencing its myriad forms. He found great joy in this game.
Until one day, he encountered a woman. This time, he was disguised as a scholar—a down-and-out scholar who, despite his talent, was frustrated and could only drink and compose poetry daily to express his abilities.
While enjoying himself in the human realm, Void adhered to its rules. He rarely acted recklessly; partly out of fear that his actions would be discovered by those in the court, and partly because he wanted to experience human life more authentically. Ultimately, it was simply that he was bored.
As he roamed the mountains in line with his identity, he unexpectedly ran into a group of bandits. Naturally, Void did not take these bandits seriously. However, to maintain his guise, he allowed them to rob him. After all, how much money could a poor scholar have? After the robbery, the bandits were dissatisfied with their meager haul and brandished their weapons, threatening to kill him to silence him.
Allowing them to rob him was merely for show. The weapons were deadly; he could not afford to take such a joke lightly. Just as he prepared to act in self-defense, the woman appeared.
Perhaps it was fate; Void forgot her name but vividly remembered her red attire. The sword she wielded effortlessly drove the bandits away. If he truly were a down-and-out scholar, this scene would fit perfectly into tales of beautiful women rescuing heroes.
What followed unfolded naturally. Though the woman was from the martial world, she admired scholars greatly. After wandering through the human realm for so many years, Void had absorbed knowledge even if he hadn’t understood it before; day after day of exposure had turned him into a talented individual. Moreover, his insights far surpassed those of ordinary people. The woman admired him immensely and willingly withdrew from her life in the martial world, wishing only to be a celestial couple with him.
The trouble began here. In the past, Void had always been alone in the human realm; any commotion he caused went unnoticed by those in the court. This time, however, he wanted to experience the joys of human relationships and ended up marrying this woman. Furthermore, she became pregnant with his child.
A human child is inherently different from an immortal one; it didn’t take long for those in the court to discover this situation. Upon investigation, they also uncovered Void’s escapades into the human realm over the years.
As a result, Void was captured and brought back to court along with the woman.
Many events transpired afterward that Void could hardly remember clearly. He had been playing freely in the human realm and felt indifferent about any punishment from the court; what troubled him most was disappointing the woman who loved him. It wasn’t until the end that he realized he was not merely the downtrodden scholar she saw him as. He understood that her devotion had been nothing more than a whim on his part—a game at her expense. Ultimately, it was only her that he owed an apology to. What right did those hypocritical immortals have to judge him?
When captured and brought back to court, Void never defended himself even once. What could these gods do? Even if he explained himself, they would still find fault with him; in their eyes, no one besides themselves was worthy of their approval. Even if he hadn’t been caught this time, they would concoct another reason to deal with him—this wasn’t their first time doing so.
Yet they should never have allowed that innocent woman—who had been dragged into this—to face punishment for his actions. She had known nothing from beginning to end but was treated as an accomplice deserving of punishment. Void could endure their accusations against himself but could not forgive them for punishing such a vulnerable woman.
The Jade Emperor—what was that? A simple decree could determine another's life or death; all blame should fall on him alone! To reduce a mortal to ashes—wasn’t that the greatest punishment? What wrong had she committed?
The loss of their child saddened Void slightly; perhaps what that woman said was true—he really wasn’t much different from these people after all. He didn’t care about that child or even about her anymore; once filled with vows and efforts to please her, he eventually forgot about her entirely—even her name faded from his memory amidst all he had experienced and forgotten over time. That unborn child meant little more than another cycle of reincarnation for him. The River of Forgetfulness would wash away those memories—both painful and joyful—until everything faded away slowly into oblivion. But once a mortal turned to ashes, nothing remained; they would neither cry nor laugh again.
He had already wronged that woman; how could he bring such suffering upon her? Yet looking around at those indifferent faces surrounding him reminded him how much these immortals wished for his absence from court. Previously constrained by his awkward position, now they finally had something substantial against him—how could they let go? Furthermore, this woman was merely a mortal; no one in court would speak up for her. In their eyes, she became an outlet for their resentment towards him.
Since he had betrayed her trust, then on this road to the underworld, he would ensure she wouldn’t be lonely either—after all, they could join their lost child together and drift freely through space as wind or rain. Yet this bond remained something he owed her deeply.
"Jade Emperor, I have something to say."
A woman's voice echoed through the grand hall. "Yao Guang, come back."
The woman was unfamiliar to Xu Kong, but he recognized the man who had interrupted her—Shu Xing Jun. Judging by the familiarity between them, it was likely that she was the feared and loathed Star Lord Yao Guang, the only female Star Lord among the twelve constellations.
Despite being stopped, Star Lord Yao Guang resolutely knelt before the Jade Emperor. The previously noisy hall fell silent due to her bold action.
"Jade Emperor, I plead for you to spare this woman." The moment those words left her lips, not only did the deities in the hall find it unbelievable, but even Xu Kong thought that Star Lord Yao Guang must have lost her mind. It was clear to anyone that the Jade Emperor's recent punishment was merely a means of avenging his own humiliation at being forced to ascend to divinity. At such a critical moment, pleading for someone else was incredibly unwise. Moreover, Xu Kong knew he had no connection to Star Lord Yao Guang; why would she risk herself for a stranger like him? He believed he had nothing of value that would warrant such a sacrifice.
The exalted Jade Emperor clearly disapproved of Star Lord Yao Guang's plea on Xu Kong's behalf. "Star Lord Yao Guang, do you know what you are doing?"
"Jade Emperor, Yao Guang was just confused for a moment. I hope you can forgive me. Yao Guang, hurry and step back," Shu Xing Jun quickly interjected, trying to appease the Jade Emperor. Watching this scene unfold, Xu Kong felt a twinge of envy. He too had once been in such a position; no matter what mistakes he made, his seniors would always plead for him before their master. But after inexplicably becoming a deity himself, he found that he had to rely solely on himself. Now he faced disdain from others. The feeling of being protected by loved ones was something he longed for but could no longer experience. By the time he could freely descend to the mortal realm, those who had once guarded him and shared laughter with him had already reincarnated many times over. They were no longer the same people he once knew, and he was no longer the carefree disciple who could act spoiled in front of them. None of this was what he desired; those who believed they had granted him great fortune by making him a deity were oblivious to his true feelings—he only wished to be that carefree self who lazily napped in the back mountains during afternoon hours.
"I am not wrong; this woman has done nothing wrong. In this life, she is merely a victim of circumstances. If that is so, why can’t she be allowed to reincarnate and start anew?" Star Lord Yao Guang straightened her back and earnestly requested of the Jade Emperor.
Xu Kong looked at Star Lord Yao Guang and wondered why she was so determined.
"Jade Emperor, a mortal's life is merely a fleeting memory. A single drink from the River of Forgetfulness erases all past events. We have already taken away her child; is that not punishment enough for a mother? Moreover, from my perspective, she has not committed any grave offense. If we were to judge her faults, it would simply be her poor judgment in encountering Xu Kong."
Star Lord Yao Guang's blunt criticism seemed insignificant to Xu Kong; perhaps she was the only clear-headed person in this court.
"Yao Guang, how dare you! Do you know your crime?" The Jade Emperor slammed his dragon throne in anger.
"What crime have I committed? Every word I speak is true; this woman is truly innocent. Since she has already been punished, why must we relentlessly pursue her? As deities, should we not hold compassion in our hearts? Every mortal is our child; is it not our duty to protect them and forgive their mistakes?"
Facing the Jade Emperor's fury, this woman boldly expressed her thoughts with conviction. Xu Kong had once overheard other celestial maidens discussing Star Lord Yao Guang; they labeled her as a harbinger of doom who sullied the court's purity and accused her of being cold-hearted and devoid of compassion—an outsider in their midst. At that time, Xu Kong dismissed their words as mere gossip, but now it seemed evident that their court was just as hypocritical as they claimed Star Lord Yao Guang to be. They preached righteousness while harboring contrary sentiments within their hearts. This Star Lord Yao Guang was just like him—a "freak" in this court where outsiders received no kind words.
"Jade Emperor, please retract your decree. A cycle of reincarnation is merely a fleeting memory; once it turns to ash, nothing remains." Yao Guang lowered her head and bowed deeply before the Jade Emperor.
"Star Lord Yao Guang, if you insist on this course of action, I can grant you some leniency." The Jade Emperor suddenly relented with a smile.
Both Xu Kong and Yao Guang looked at the Jade Emperor in surprise. Could it be that leniency was truly possible? If so, then no matter what punishment awaited him, he would accept it willingly; it would ease his guilt towards this woman somewhat. Although he had delayed her current life, he could still think of ways to ensure she lived safely and happily in her next life.
"Thank you, Jade Emperor." Yao Guang prepared to bow again in gratitude for the leniency offered by the Jade Emperor.
“Star Lord Yao Guang, you don’t need to thank me just yet. Since I have pardoned this woman, someone must take her place in bearing the consequences,” the Jade Emperor said, glancing at Star Lord Yao Guang. “You pleaded for her, so you shall take her punishment.”
Star Lord Yao Guang displayed a troubled expression. Void, observing him, understood the difficulty of the situation. It was already commendable for Star Lord Yao Guang to advocate for them; now, the Jade Emperor had made such an unreasonable demand. Even if Star Lord Yao Guang were to apologize to the Jade Emperor now, Void felt it wouldn’t matter much. They had no prior connection, and it was already generous of Star Lord Yao Guang to speak up for them. In this world, no one should feel obligated to do anything for another.
“Fine.” Without further ado, Star Lord Yao Guang simply uttered this word.
“Yao Guang, you…” Shu Xing Jun attempted to stop Star Lord Yao Guang.
Waving his hand, Star Lord Yao Guang addressed the Jade Emperor, “I hope the Jade Emperor can arrange a beautiful ending for this poor woman in her next life.”
“Very well. Since someone is willing to bear this responsibility, let this woman be reborn in the Underworld. Star Lord Yao Guang, you will endure twenty bolts of thunder on behalf of this mortal,” the Jade Emperor declared.
Void remembered Star Lord Yao Guang and said nothing as he walked past him without a word. As he passed by the woman, he exchanged a brief remark with her before heading straight to the execution platform to face the twenty bolts of thunder.
Mortals undergoing trials in their cultivation typically faced only three bolts of thunder. He himself had once been struck down by a single bolt and became a deity. Yet here was Star Lord Yao Guang, enduring twenty bolts for someone they regarded as insignificant.
Void found it hard to comprehend this woman’s worth but realized that he owed a debt of gratitude now. It turned out there were still people like Star Lord Yao Guang in this realm—what a pity.
Laughing heartily, Void accepted his fate of being cast down to the mortal realm.
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