CHAPTER 283: CHAPTER 274: GECKO TELLS A STORY_1

Jin Si the Fool straightened up, still a bit wobbly.

He hazily watched the Witch Doctor of the Golden Dragon clan treating Jin Yao. He blankly observed the three brothers of the Jin Family surrounding Jin Yao, worried about her.

Finally, he stepped back a few paces and left the cave for some fresh air. The entire day had been ridiculously stupid.

To take the fall for Jin Yao, he had eaten so much meat that by the end, when he had to defecate, he dug a colossal hole and hurriedly buried the waste afterwards, feeling it was disgustingly smelly.

When he returned to the cave, it was normal for his eldest, second, and third brothers to visit Jin Yao. After all, they had grown up together, brothers who cherished her.

Jin Yao shouldn’t have deceived them; she should have explained everything clearly and then discussed what to do next. But she didn’t. Instead, she implied in just a few words that Si Yan had poisoned Jin Yao out of jealousy, wanting to return to the Golden Dragon clan.

But that wasn’t the case at all.

He saw the look in Si Yan’s eyes clearly. Si Yan didn’t care at all about Jin Yao. No matter what Jin Yao said or did, it was completely irrelevant to her. She even seemed to look down on the Golden Dragon clan itself. Jin Yao being poisoned was purely her own fault.

Why did he do such a silly thing as taking the blame for Jin Yao?This not only damaged the reputation of the Golden Dragon clan but also pushed Sister Si Yan even further away.

Jin Yang leaned against the wall, supporting his head with his hand. His head ached terribly, as if it were being pricked by needles.

Thinking that the competition was still going on and Si Yan should be at the competition site crafting her entry,

Jin Yang staggered back to the scene of the competition.

The contest was still underway. Si Yan had started putting iron beads into a pottery container before placing it into the charcoal fire to melt. The molten iron glowed fiery red and hot. Using several sticks to hold the pottery, Si Yan poured the molten iron into a mold. She concentrated on her work, seemingly unaffected by the issues of the Golden Dragon clan.

Tai Seng wagged his tail, his eyes shining with excitement as he watched Si Yan. "Si Yan," he asked eagerly, "what is this thing we are making?"

Si Yan replied with a smile, "This is an axe."

Once the molten iron took shape, Si Yan had Tai Seng put the axe in water to cool. She watched the axe sizzle and bubble.

Si Yan’s thoughts drifted off momentarily, her mind wandering. Suddenly, she asked, "Old Gecko, does this world truly have a Beast God?"

Hearing her call, Old Gecko crawled out from her now substantially large space. "Of course," he said lazily.

Si Yan asked, "What kind of person is the Beast God of this world? A gentle, simple-minded, and purely kind deity?"

Not knowing what a deity looked like, the image that came to Si Yan’s mind was that of a radiant figure within a light, a glowing white being whose eyes were kind and gentle, able to illuminate the darkness of the world.

Feeling that Si Yan might be thinking about something terrifying, Old Gecko hastily said, "Hey, hey, don’t think like that. There’s no such thing as a purely kind deity, you know."

Si Yan paused, somewhat surprised. "Aren’t deities supposed to be purely good?"

Old Gecko broke into a cold sweat. "Kid, in your past life, you must have read many mythological stories, right?"

"I have."

"Name a few."

"Journey to the West, Investiture of the Gods, The Classic of Mountains and Seas."

"Now tell me, which of the deities in those were purely good?"

Si Yan thought for a moment. "Tang Sanzang?"

"Tang Sanzang?" Old Gecko shrieked. Fortunately, no one but Si Yan could hear his voice.

Old Gecko realized he’d lost his composure and immediately readjusted himself. "Tang Sanzang? He had a silly monkey protecting him. Without that silly monkey, do you really think he wouldn’t have been the first to die?"

Old Gecko stiffened his neck and said, "Don’t go imagining things that aren’t there, and don’t think about being purely kind-hearted."

"Child, let me tell you a story instead."

Time for a story?

Si Yan, not caring about the metal tools any longer, quickly grabbed a wooden cup of water, found a rock, and sat down to rest and listen.

"Go ahead," Si Yan said with interest.

Old Gecko suddenly became serious. He hopped onto a rock right in front of Si Yan, looking her in the eyes. "Si Yan, this is a story that every new god in the Pantheon of Gods has to hear upon their ascension."

"The protagonist of this story is the kind-hearted and simple god of your imagination."

Old Gecko cleared his throat, gave Si Yan a couple of meaningful looks, and then began the story.

"There once was a kind and simple king, a very kind-hearted and happy man. He had loving parents and united, friendly siblings. He had a queen he deeply loved, and he also had three cute and clever little princes."

In Si Yan’s eyes, a harmonious and united family started to take shape.

"His kingdom boasted fifty thousand subjects, all living and working in peace and prosperity. He met all the conditions to become a god, and so he naturally ascended to godhood."

Si Yan listened with rapt attention, setting her water down.

"As a god, he was filled with a gentle and warm power. His very blood was a treasure; drinking just a drop could extend life by a hundred years. After discovering the power of his blood, he shared it with his parents, siblings, queen, and children. Just as you would expect, those he loved gained eternal youth because of his blood."

Si Yan’s hand paused slightly.

Old Gecko glanced at her. "It’s like a piece of Tang Sanzang’s flesh, right?"

"This god, at first, was very cautious. But later... As you know, the world will never be at peace forever. Wars, plagues, famines, decay—one by one, they came knocking. In the midst of despair, his subjects saw his relatives, free from sickness and aging. Everyone wanted to live forever; no one wanted to fall ill."

Si Yan was taken aback. "What happened then?"

"Child, the greed of his subjects grew boundless. They started scheming against their own deity, demanding his flesh and blood. Unable to bear seeing his people suffer, he cut his own flesh and let his blood flow for them. This kind and naive god used his own body to quell one disaster after another. Eventually, he realized he couldn’t stop it."

Si Yan froze. Having experienced the Beast God’s legacy, she completely understood Old Gecko’s words.

"When they need you, you are a god," Old Gecko continued. "But when they need you more, you may just be a panacea, a piece of Tang Sanzang’s immortal flesh."

Si Yan’s fists clenched involuntarily, her mood tensing with the story. "What was his end?"

Old Gecko lowered his gaze. "He didn’t die. But his parents, siblings, queen, and three children—they all died. The people he loved and had always protected were devoured by his own subjects. Unable to consume the deity, they ate the relatives who had partaken of the god’s flesh and blood."

For some reason, Si Yan felt an unbearable sadness rising within her. She quickly asked, "What happened next? I refuse to believe that’s the end of the story!"

Old Gecko looked at Si Yan and said heavily, "The god, he went mad. He destroyed the world he had loved for so many, many years. He turned his world into a tomb for the people he loved."

"Child, you must understand, not everyone in that world was bad; in fact, many were innocent."

Old Gecko said, "In the end..."

Then, as if voicing a shared thought, both Old Gecko and Si Yan concluded aloud, "The fault lies with the god; the fault lies with the god’s simplicity."

Old Gecko looked up at the blue sky overhead, then lowered his head.

"Since then, when the Pantheon of Gods selects a new deity, kindness is still a requirement. But one must not be simple-minded. As a god, you must see clearly, be able to judge the situation, know how to use your power, and discern right from wrong."

"You are very good."

Old Gecko said in a low voice, "You can feel the pain of others. Deep down, you are all kindness. But you are not naive; if someone wrongs you, you will surely fight back."