In Order To Ascend, I Became A Modern Wage Slave - Chapter 38: Elemental True Monarch 11

Chapter 38: Elemental True Monarch 11

 

“Split the tree open and take a look.”

 

“You stand over there,” Lian Bei pointed to a spot far from the tree. “Just in case it falls on you.”

 

Xi Yu tilted his head and exchanged a look with Lian Bei. “Oh,” he replied, obediently stepping forward. However, he didn’t go to the exact spot Lian Bei pointed to but instead chose another safe location. “This spot should work too.”

 

Lian Bei didn’t say anything. Once Xi Yu was in position, he turned toward the tree and raised his hand.

 

His fingertip lightly tapped the fork of the tree trunk.

 

A series of sharp cracking sounds echoed—it was the sound of the tree splitting.

 

Bang!

 

Bang—!

 

In an instant, the thousand-year-old tree split in half, falling to the left and right. In the center, a statue was revealed, finally seeing the light of day again. When Xi Yu got a clear look, his mind went blank, and he froze in place.

 

—A statue of a youthful deity, half-bent in a posture of prayer.

 

It was his statue!

 

He thought: Yuan Su spoke so solemnly, so sincerely—he must have done it on purpose. He knew there was a statue of him inside this tree and counted on Xi Yu to take the short route and seize any opportunity to split it open immediately instead of waiting for the right time.

 

Why was his statue here? Why was his statue suppressing this journal that belonged to someone else?

 

Countless possibilities flashed through Xi Yu’s mind until Lian Bei approached him, gently patting his shoulder in reassurance. “Don’t overthink it just yet. I’ve made an observation—look at this statue. It doesn’t quite match the contours inside the tree. It must’ve been placed here later.”

 

Xi Yu took a closer look and saw that it was true.

 

“No wonder we couldn’t find you two anywhere. So, this is where you’ve been.”

 

Xi Yu raised his eyes.

 

It was Yuan Xu. His smile was casual, and he walked toward them unhurriedly. His tone was light and indifferent, showing no surprise at the scene before him, as if he had expected it.

 

When he was two arms’ lengths away from Xie Jin, he stopped, glancing at the statue. Yuan Xu showed no reaction to what he saw, his expression calm and unruffled.

 

At that moment, Lian Bei leaned slightly closer and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear, “His hand shook.”

 

It seemed he didn’t know the statue had been tampered with.

 

“Would you like to come with me and watch the show?” Yuan Xu raised an eyebrow. “At Yuan Zhen Temple.”

 

With that, he left.

 

Xi Yu thought for a moment and then kicked over the statue, revealing a square depression beneath it. A book had once been buried there but had already been taken.

 

…

 

On the way to Yuan Zhen Temple, Xi Yu suddenly asked, “Do you know Xi Yi?”

 

Lian Bei quickly responded, “Your elder brother.”

 

Xi Yu continued, “And do you know Beishang Zunjun?”

 

Lian Bei walked silently for a few steps before replying, “I’ve only heard about him from you.”

 

“Hmm.” Xi Yu nodded and clarified, “You should’ve only heard about him from me.”

 

Lian Bei said, “That does seem to be the case.”

 

Xi Yu spoke slowly and calmly. “That’s because Beishang Zunjun doesn’t exist.”

 

As his words fell, an unexpected silence followed. Lian Bei didn’t gasp or shout but instead looked at him with mild surprise. Xi Yu even felt that this surprise was merely a courtesy for his sake. After all, Lian Bei had watched him grow up and was so clever—he must have figured it out long ago.

 

After a brief pause, Lian Bei said, “Oh? Why not?”

 

Only then did Xi Yu continue, “Because Beishang Zunjun is a god I imagined.”

 

Lian Bei boldly guessed, “Maybe your dream came true.”

 

Xi Yu said, “I think so too. Someone must’ve taken on that identity and become Beishang Zunjun.”

 

Lian Bei asked, “Who do you think it is?”

 

“Xi Yi.”

 

With a deep breath, Xi Yu repeated softly but firmly, as if confirming the answer with himself.

 

“My elder brother.”

 

—

 

Xi Yu suddenly thought back to years ago, the day he first mentioned Beishang Zunjun.

 

The 18th year of Taiping.

 

Under a bright and cloudless sky, sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating the slightly yellowed xuan paper on the desk. Sitting upright at the desk, Xi Yu wore a serious expression. One hand gently pressed the paper flat, smoothing its creases, while the other held a brush, writing four large characters on it—

 

A woman in a golden robe stood beside him, observing his every stroke. Once he finished writing, she reached out to ruffle his hair gently and asked warmly, “What words have you written?”

 

Not long ago, Xi Yu had accompanied Xi Yi and the king on a trip northward to pay respects to the ancestors of the ancient Xi Yu Kingdom. On the way, they also visited the commoners. Upon returning, he had fallen ill with a high fever that lasted several days. The palace had been in a flurry, tending to him day and night, until he finally recovered. The Empress Dowager, who had visited him during his illness, was busy with state affairs after his recovery. Today, she finally found time to check on his studies in the study hall.

 

Xi Yu raised his hand and grinned. “It’s a god’s name!”

 

The Empress Dowager became intrigued. She thought to herself that this boy had never been one to believe in gods. He was always rambunctious and unwilling to listen to anyone. How could one trip change his perspective? She leaned in closer, glanced at the paper, and asked, “What god is this?”

 

Xi Yu’s handwriting was terrible—only he could understand it. He replied, “Beishang Zunjun.”

 

The Empress Dowager asked in confusion, “I’ve never heard of this god before. What do they protect?”

 

Xi Yu raised his head and smiled brightly. “This god protects me!”

 

Placing his hands together before his forehead, he closed his eyes, praying sincerely. “Alright, I’m going to start praying now. Watch closely, Grandmother—it’s super effective!”

 

He mumbled and chanted to himself for a moment before opening his eyes. “I’m done praying!”

 

He was so lively that the Empress Dowager humored him and curiously asked, “What wish did you make?”

 

Bang—!

 

Before the Empress Dowager could finish her sentence, the door was kicked open, and an old man with a graying beard stormed in, shaking a piece of paper in his hand with fury. “Xi Yu! Come out here!”

 

Xi Yu shrank back, hiding behind the Empress Dowager, pretending not to hear.

 

The old man was fuming—his beard was crooked, and a few strands of his disheveled hair stuck up. In his other hand, he tightly gripped a ruler. He took a few steps forward. This level of restraint was already remarkable; if the Empress Dowager weren’t present, that ruler would have long since landed on Xi Yu’s backside.

 

The old man’s name was Shen Mochuan, Xi Yu’s teacher. Usually gentle and refined, speaking softly and kindly, the Empress Dowager had never seen him this angry before and was momentarily stunned before asking, “Teacher, what has made you so upset?”

 

Shen Mochuan took several deep breaths, bowed respectfully to the Empress Dowager, and handed her the paper. “Take a good look.”

 

Xi Yu peeked out from behind the Empress Dowager and saw the test paper covered in red X’s. He grimaced and then bravely stepped forward, breaking the tense silence.

 

“Mother, you just asked me what wish I made to the god, right? I’ll tell you now—I wished to get everything wrong on the exam…”

 

Two sharp gazes shot toward him simultaneously. Xi Yu took a step back, laughed awkwardly, and pressed on despite the tension. “See? The god must be listening to me—it worked!”

 

“…”

 

Shen Mochuan gritted his teeth. “Xi Yu, do you really think your teacher and grandmother are fools?”

 

…

 

Xi Yu knelt in the shrine.

 

It was unclear how much time had passed when the doors were pushed open, and a sliver of light crept in. The expanding beam revealed a shadowy figure. Xi Yu immediately got up, surprised and delighted to see who it was. “Brother! Why are you here?”

 

Xi Yi, only five years older than Xi Yu, already stood much taller. He stepped over the threshold unhurriedly and looked down at Xi Yu. “I heard you caused trouble. Teacher asked me to check on you.”

 

Xi Yu let out a disappointed “Oh” and shook his head. “I thought you came to get me out of here, but you’re just here to laugh at me.”

 

“I also brought you something,” Xi Yi said, pulling a small, blurry wooden figure from his chest and handing it to Xi Yu. “I picked this up while we were out and forgot to give it to you.”

 

“Huh?” Xi Yu immediately stood up, carefully taking it with both hands. “What’s this?”

 

Xi Yi explained, “You said on the way that it was a statue of Zunjun.”

 

“Huh?” Xi Yu rubbed the back of his head, thought for a long while but couldn’t figure it out, so he simply gave himself an explanation and said, “Maybe I was too feverish and forgot. Thanks for bringing it to me, royal brother.”

 

Xi Yu held the wooden figurine, turning it over and examining it. With a sharp critique, he said, “This was probably carved by me. Turns out that when you have a fever, not only does your brain stop working, but your hands get clumsy too. This thing is way too ugly.”

 

Xi Yi helplessly curled his lips into a smile and asked with concern, “Have you been feeling better lately?”

 

“My head hurts.” Xi Yu had been kneeling in the shrine for so long that he’d thought of this excuse countless times. This question fit perfectly with his prepared response, and he answered without hesitation, “Royal brother, can you plead on my behalf? I had just recovered from my illness at the time, and I was still groggy during the entire exam. Doing so poorly wasn’t intentional—it was just bad timing, really.”

 

Xi Yi said, “I heard your entire test only had one answer. Have you seen it?”

 

“Huh?”

 

“Beishang Zunjun.”

 

“…”

 

After a moment of silence, Xi Yu nodded more firmly. “Right, you see, I must have been feverish and only had this on my mind.”

 

Xi Yi suddenly asked, “What kind of god is Beishang Zunjun?”

 

Xi Yu was genuinely troubled by this and borrowed his earlier explanation, saying, “It’s a god specifically protecting me.”

 

Xi Yi appeared a bit puzzled and confirmed, “Specifically protecting you?”

 

“Exactly!” Xi Yu grinned, showing his two little tiger teeth. “I created it. After all, gods are supposed to protect people, right? Lately, that ghost has been bothering me non-stop, and I’m so annoyed. I just went ahead and made one up to protect me. But it doesn’t seem to work very well.”

 

As Xi Yu kept talking, he even found himself finding it ridiculous. Thinking that the very concept of gods was impractical anyway, he casually brushed it off with a laugh. “Oh well, whatever. I just did it for luck, anyway.”

 

That year, Xi Yu was six years old. His thoughts were childish and fantastical, which wasn’t unusual.

 

Xi Yi’s reaction was always understated: “I see.”

 

…

 

Xi Yu’s thoughts returned to the present. He sighed, running his hands through his hair, and said, “Honestly, I was just joking. Everyone else worships gods, and I don’t believe in that sort of thing. It made me seem like an oddball, so I just went ahead and made one up.”

 

Lian Bei asked, “Made up out of thin air?”