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墨書 Inktalez
Ye Chuanze, as a celestial teacher of the human race, must bear the burden of educating humanity. The first lesson he imparts is to wear clothing, to cover their bodies and understand shame. Summer covers themselves with leaves, while in winter they use animal skins for warmth. The earliest humans were tall and strong men, with well-developed limbs, skilled in running and hunting. The women were also tall, with honey-colored skin; they gathered wild fruits to satisfy their hunger, and some women even went hunting alongside the men. Most women were dexterous and skilled in weaving.
Ye Chuanze guided humanity to use fire, cooking food with it and moving away from the primitive stage of eating raw flesh. However, Ye Chuanze did not teach them how to create fire; he only guided them to obtain flames from trees struck by lightning and then preserve the embers. He also taught them to use weapons to hunt and drive away beasts, such as sticks, stones, and torches.
The first stone weapons were created among humanity, who learned to grind stones into tools, marking their entry into the Stone Age. During this same period, the first stone nets were made by humans, who learned to construct simple bamboo rafts for fishing. They began sewing animal skins with bone needles and adorned themselves with animal teeth and gathered pearls as decorations, developing their initial sense of aesthetics and preferences.
Humanity's development progressed steadily as Ye Chuanze had hoped—calmly and methodically evolving step by step. Ye Chuanze did not overwhelm them with all his knowledge at once; haste makes waste, and forcing growth can destabilize foundations. His role was to guide them; everything was created by humanity itself, and he aimed to point them in the right direction.
Ultimately, humanity's development relied solely on their own wisdom and hard work. All teachers in the world are merely guides who show you the way forward, help you up when you fall, and sternly admonish you to turn back when you stray off course.
Nüwa often visited human settlements to check on their progress. Since humanity was born from her hands, she felt a tremendous responsibility towards them that she could not escape. Seeing that Ye Chuanze was teaching humanity in an orderly manner, she did not interfere but entrusted all matters concerning humanity to him.
"Friend, I leave the affairs of humanity in your capable hands," Nüwa said to Ye Chuanze.
Walking together on the grassland, Ye Chuanze looked at the humans fishing in the river with a faint smile and replied, "This is what I should do; there is no need for concern from the Sage."
Nüwa fell silent upon hearing this, and Ye Chuanze also did not speak further as they continued walking quietly on the grass.
Ye Chuanze gazed into the distance, reminiscing about long ago when he first arrived at Buzhou Mountain. At that time, Nüwa was proud and impulsive, displaying a youthful innocence while completely relying on her brother Fuxi. Back then, Fuxi was gentle and elegant, always wearing a soft smile that resembled jade—a refined and warm man.
Now, however, this Sage Nüwa walking beside him wore a deeply furrowed brow filled with complexities that others could not fathom. The title of Sage, this supreme position of Primordial, had drawn an invisible yet real chasm between her and him, isolating them in two different worlds.
The ever-gentle Fuxi, whose warm smile had vanished without a trace over time, now bore a hint of sorrow on his brow. He would often bring a jug of wine to find Ye Chuanze, sitting silently at the table drinking until dawn without uttering a word.
In what seemed like a single night, Fuxi and Nüwa transformed from close siblings into strangers from two different worlds. When they met, there was nothing left to say; perhaps it would have been better not to meet at all. This might be why Fuxi chose to remain drunkenly lost in Yunze Cave, unwilling to return!
The siblings who once relied on each other were now so distant, let alone him. The relationship between him and Nuwa had also become estranged, making their interactions extremely awkward. Just like now, they walked together in silence.
The memories of the three of them exploring the Primordial world, filled with laughter and conversation, were now unreachable.
"Last night, your brother went to see you again, didn't he?" Nuwa suddenly said.
Ye Chuanze looked up at her and replied, "Yes, as usual, we drank all night."
Nuwa fell silent upon hearing this. After a while, she said, "I apologize for troubling you with him."
"I don't mind the trouble; it's just that... compared to me, Fuxi would prefer it to be you," Ye Chuanze said.
Nuwa remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "I cannot do that."
"What do you mean you cannot? That's truly a joke. Can you not even be close to your own brother? If that's the case, what meaning does your status as a Sage hold? You can't even do what you want; suppressing your inner desires and thoughts," Ye Chuanze's tone carried a hint of impatience and harshness. Recently, he had been troubled by Fuxi's worries and Nuwa's difficulties, which made him feel uneasy. He despised the will of heaven; he acted according to his heart without suppressing his desires. Therefore, he could not stand Nuwa's demeanor—clearly yearning inside yet putting on an aloof and noble facade that kept others at bay.
Nuwa looked at him thoughtfully and said after a while, "You are indeed different from others."
"In what way am I different?"
Nuwa did not answer but instead said, "I really don't know what the Dao Ancestor saw in you to insist on taking you as a disciple. Your temperament is truly unsuitable..." She did not finish her sentence, but Ye Chuanze understood her unspoken words.
The Taoist Sect advocates for non-action and purity, following the will of heaven and seeking progress in tranquility. In contrast, Ye Chuanze followed his heart's desires, believing everything was subjective. This was contrary to the teachings of the Taoist Sect and aligned with the principles of the Demon Gate. The so-called demons were precisely those who indulged in desires and acted according to their whims.
Ye Chuanze was aware of this point but never believed he would fall into the Demon Gate. The Demon Gate was ultimately not the right path; the Taoist Sect was the true way. From the very beginning, he chose the Taoist Sect solely for its righteousness so that he could walk openly in the world. He would never regret his choice nor abandon it halfway; since he chose the Taoist Sect, he would not turn to the Demon Gate. This was also why Rahul repeatedly tempted him to abandon the path for demonic practices—his steadfast nature remained unshaken.
Moreover, now that his relationship with Hongjun is so close, how could he bear to betray the Taoist Sect, abandon Hongjun, and turn to the demonic path? In the past, Red Cloud refused to fall into darkness for Zhen Yuanzi, resisting the temptation promised by Rahul to help him reshape his body within a thousand years. Now, for Hongjun's sake, he cannot turn to darkness; deep down, he is unwilling to be enemies with Hongjun.
"Perhaps it's because I'm good-looking and have a likable personality," Ye Chuanze suddenly said.
Nüwa was momentarily taken aback by his words, taking a moment to understand their meaning. She shook her head and laughed, saying, "Dao friend, you always love to joke."
Ye Chuanze remained silent, thinking to himself that he wasn't joking. The Dao Ancestor surely loves him... and his body, of course, but also likes him as a person. Remembering the scene at Purple Cloud Palace and Hongjun's emotional response, Ye Chuanze couldn't help but smile smugly; he still has quite an appeal to Hongjun, doesn't he?
After a moment of silence, Nüwa said, "Under the Heavenly Dao, everything is but a pawn; even the Sage is no exception. There are always things I cannot do. Rather than causing harm to others and myself later on, it’s better to make a decision now... My brother has always been the most important to me; that has never changed. It's just that there are some things I cannot do."
Ye Chuanze did not respond, his expression inscrutable.
Nüwa continued, "Please take care of my brother; he is close to you."
After a while, Ye Chuanze sighed and said, "Rest assured, Fuxi is my dear friend; I will naturally look after him."
With his promise received, Nüwa relaxed her expression and revealed a faint smile.
After sending Nüwa off, Ye Chuanze headed towards the human settlement. At this moment, many were returning from hunting. He saw a group of men with bronze-toned muscular upper bodies wrapped in animal skins carrying a wild boar and approaching the tribe with joyful smiles on their faces. Upon seeing Ye Chuanze, they respectfully called out, "Immortal Master!"
Ye Chuanze nodded at them with a smile and glanced at the wild boar they were carrying. He said, "It seems you had quite a good haul today!"
The leading man grinned proudly, revealing his white teeth as he replied, "Indeed! We won't have to worry about going hungry for the next half month."
The human race had only recently come into existence and was still quite primitive in many aspects. Their hunting tools were limited to stone implements and wooden sticks, making it very difficult to catch prey. It was common for hunters to return empty-handed after a day out. Therefore, capturing a large wild boar like today was something worth celebrating. After slaughtering the boar, the meat would be shared among everyone for a hearty meal; any leftovers would be salted for preservation to eat later.
"I don't need it; you can keep it for tomorrow." Ye Chuanze glanced at the piece of pork being offered to him, then looked up to see a handsome, dark-skinned face. The human man was nervously staring at him, stubbornly holding out a large piece of roasted pork wrapped in leaves.
This human man, Ye Chuanze remembered, was a warrior from the tribe. He was very handsome and valiant, skilled in hunting. Ye Chuanze remembered him because every time the tribe caught prey, this man would always bring him the tenderest piece of meat, just like now. No matter how many times Ye Chuanze refused, he persistently offered him a piece of meat each time.
"I told you I don't need it. You eat it yourself. Don't let it go to waste like last time." Looking at the man's unyielding face, Ye Chuanze felt somewhat helpless. He truly did not need the food; this man completely disregarded his words and stubbornly repeated the act of offering him food. If he didn't eat it, the piece of meat offered to him would be left aside until it rotted away. This man forbade anyone from touching the meat he had dedicated to Ye Chuanze, including himself.
Hunting was not easy for humans; if luck was not on their side and they failed to catch food, they would go hungry. Yet even so, this man would not allow anyone to touch the piece of meat he had offered to Ye Chuanze. Even though he himself was starving and his eyes were fixed on the meat set aside for Ye Chuanze, his expression remained unchanged. The other members of the tribe were aware of his actions and consciously refrained from touching that piece of meat, even if its ultimate fate was to rot away.
Ye Chuanze had said many times that he did not need food, but this man continued his sacrificial gesture every day. Even Ye Chuanze himself could not stop him.
Ye Chuanze thought this might be a form of gratitude from humans. There were legends in later generations that in ancient times, humans offered sacrifices of cattle, sheep, chickens, ducks, and grains to the deities as a way to express their gratitude and hope for continued blessings.
Life was hard for humans, yet even so, they remembered him and never forgot to share their food with him. Ye Chuanze felt touched; he reached out and accepted the pork that the man offered him. This was the first time he accepted food from a human's sacrifice.
The human man's expression immediately brightened with excitement; a flush spread across his dark face—this time the sage did not refuse him!
Ye Chuanze accepted the food and said to the man, "I don't need food. The reason I accepted it is because I am moved by your sincerity; I cannot bear to refuse you again. However, I do not need this food. I hope that in the future you can share any food you set aside for me with others who need it more. If you truly wish to express your gratitude to me, then lead your people to hunt more prey and live better lives—that is what I desire."
Upon hearing his words, the man's excited expression gradually calmed down. He lowered his head, concealing his emotions on his face, which caused Ye Chuanze to miss the stubborn spark of passion in his eyes.
A thought can become an obsession; desire gives rise to demons.
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