He and It Chapter 58: A God’s Marriage (29)

If you want more of this novel, we are accepting donations on Ko-Fi for sponsored chapters. Each $5 gets one more chapter! There is no limit on how much you can donate. https://ko-fi.com/exiledrebels

Thank you Komaeda for the donation!!

Chapter 58: A God’s Marriage (29)

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: GaeaTiamat

 

The day Sa’gya went away, he grabbed another little sea otter from his body and handed it to Yun Chi.

“While I’m away, I’ll leave it with you.” His hot palm pressed against Yun Chi’s cheek, as he dropped a kiss on his forehead. “I put the island between the ice and the sea, surrounded by fog. Don’t leave the beach area. If you’re missing something, pull a random island beast as a substitute and go to the temple to find it.”

He admonished, “Doing what you want to do is fine, but pay attention to safety. If something goes wrong, you run to the sea…”

“The sea?”

“Yes.” Sa’gya rested their foreheads together, and gazed earnestly into Yun Chi’s eyes. “In the end, I am no longer the Main God and lack absolute control over the territory. I’ve released a warning message around the island to let the sea monsters guard the place. But if there is anyone, whether it is a new god, a spirit, a human, or an evil spirit…Whoever it is, you must not fight them hard. Jump into the sea. The sacred clothes can let you breathe underwater, and the sea monsters will gather to protect your safety until I return.”

Yun Chi repeated unconsciously, “Until you return…”

Sa’gya closed his eyes, took a deep breath, opened them again and gave Yun Chi a gentle smile.

“When I return, I will make any offenders remember lessons that are deep and long lasting.” He ruffled Yun Chi’s black hair with his fingers. “I swear by the name of my divinity.”

The vast sea dimmed for a moment, and the little sea otter that lay on Yun Chi’s shoulder let out a shivering whine.

Sa’gya kissed Yun Chi forehead, his teenage cheeks, nose tip, and finally lowered his head and gently kissed his soft lips.

“Let me go and find an answer,” he said. “I’ll come back and we’ll…we’ll just…”

Yun Chi looked at him with wide eyes, his face flushed. Sa’gya blushed. There was too much to say. He tried bravely, but finally just nibbled Yun Chi’s ear and whispered, “I’m leaving. I’ll try to go early and come back early.”

” Okay,” Yun Chi said. “You go! Be safe on the way.”

Looking at Sa’gya as a big white sea otter, walking alone towards the sea, Yun Chi finally understood, empathetically, how Sa’gya looked at himself every time he disappeared into the fog, and ran towards the heart of the land.

Could he take good care of himself? The sea otter’s rounded back looked kind of dull and meek. What if he were bullied? Will he have to fight the gods, those who mock the once majestic, now down and out Sa’gya?

Yun Chi’s heart was suddenly very sad, but Sa’gya just kept moving forward, as if not daring to turn back even once, as he hurriedly marched into the fog. With a final leap, he slid silently down the ocean and disappeared from Yun Chi’s sight.

Sa’gya left.

Yun Chi sat in the doorway for a long time, until he was sure Sa’gya was far away, then he slowly retreated into the room and closed the door.

The little sea otter rubbed the side of his face. Yun Chi turned his head to look at it. Perhaps because of its young age, the little sea otter’s fur was close to translucent white, so in the daytime, it glowed with a bright glitter.

“There you are.” Yun Chi took it in his arms, eager to do something to relieve his hollow heart feeling. “Are you hungry? I will make you something to eat.”

He looked around the room. Compared to when he had just awakened from those serious injuries, the Strange House could be said to be newly restored. The stone table was dotted with small stools; the brown tapestry on the wall was replaced with a fresh navy blue one; the fireplace was burning; a couch was placed by the window, and on the other side of the room, there was a small bookcase. There was an extra kitchen, storage room and checkroom on both sides, and a new study, tea room and terrace upstairs…

In the past, when Sa’gya was here, even though there was so much space and so many rooms, Yun Chi still felt crowded, as if Sa’gya’s shadow was everywhere, whether it was a person or a sea otter. But now that Sa’gya was gone, the Strange House was suddenly so empty and frightening that it seemed to echo with every step.

The little sea otter called him, like a big white-skinned kiwi, picked at his clothes and rolled around to show that he wasn’t hungry. In fact, Yun Chi didn’t even know what the little things lived on, as they didn’t eat, and didn’t drink water…

“Eat air?” He nudged the little sea otter snout. “Not hungry, then. Let’s just clean up the room.”

The little sea otter stared at him, covered both cheeks with its round little palms, and shook its head repeatedly.

Sa’gya wasn’t home. It could finally be bold, and dare to veto Yun Chi’s opinion.

Yun Chi really didn’t feel angry. He asked, amused, “Then what is it you want to do? Do you want to go out to play?”

Hearing the little sea otter make a “boinging” sound of approval, Yun Chi nodded fervently. “Okay! Then let’s clean out our packs, and head out for a jungle adventure!”

The island wasn’t small, as evidenced by the fact that it could support its own pine forest ecosystem, but before this, Yun Chi had always followed Sa’gya in and out and rarely went on his own.

When he said to go, he prepared a package with kindling, dry food and water, maybe a camping blanket and bedding, and a glowing ore lamp brought from the temple.

Because the island, for him, was an absolutely safe playground, Yun Chi wouldn’t plan to bring any defensive weapons. Alone around his neck was the scarf woven by Sa’gya, then he grabbed a long tree trunk to use as a walking stick.

The little sea otter lay on Yun Chi’s shoulder, so one person and one otter plucked away the pine branches and fallen snow, and headed towards the depths.

The woods were silent except for some faraway birdsong and the sound of unknown critters skimming across the snow. Yun Chi creaked on the snow, as he looked left and right for distinctive movements.

Without Sa’gya’s divine breath, the tiny creatures that used to hide, finally showed up in front of Yun Chi. He saw groups of tiny ice people, walking in an orderly manner through the thick pine branches, only about a finger size, behind a snowflake-like thin and transparent wing, and staying between the vibration of the wings to escape the tiny crystal dust.

Yun Chi hastily crouched down, surprised as he peered at those small people. A big dense pine tree seemed to be a miniature country, and they communicated with each other on the tree country, and clashed their wings with each other. On the main trunk of the pine tree, many small doors and windows were open and condensed with snow-white frost. Yun Chi had looked here before and only thought it was a spider web, not that this was the home of elves.

The little sea otter also turned its head, and curiously looked around. After half a day, it jumped off Yun Chi’s shoulder, then hid in the snow and lurked over there. Yun Chi was fascinated by the peek at the elves’ social ways, and didn’t have time to care about it. After a while, the little sea otter returned to its previous spot, and climbed back onto Yun Chi’s body, its cheeks bulging.

Yun Chi suddenly sensed that something was wrong. He stared at the little thing, but the little sea otter didn’t dare to meet his gaze, just sheepishly turned away from the black eyes.

“What’s in your mouth?” Yun Chi reached out and cupped the back of its neck. “Spit it out and let me see.”

The little sea otter remained motionless. Yun Chi narrowed his eyes, and felt more and more suspicious.

“Hmm?” He spread his hand and put it on the little sea otter’s mouth.

It really couldn’t help it. It drooped its little ears and “poof,” spit the thing out of its mouth into Yun Chi’s palm – A wet elf. Even the wings were wet!

“Ah…You’re such a bad boy!” Yun Chi hurriedly wiped the elf clean. The little sea otter lifted its eyebrows, and gave him an innocent look.

When the elf was in its mouth it nearly melted, but now it got a respite and immediately “whoosh” it flew out, and vanished into the pine tree. The rest of the elves seemed to have gotten the alarm message, and disappeared out of sight, and since then they couldn’t be seen.

Yun Chi raised his hand, and gave the little sea otter’s fleshy, dun butt two taps. “Next time do not just put something in your mouth! You hear me?”

He took the humming little thing in his arms and continued to explore the forest. It was twilight, and dusk gradually enveloped the island. The snow elves had disappeared, but were replaced by sunset-like, gorgeous light elves who carried pocket lamps, so that light jumped through the snow and dark forest, like dream-like meteors.

“It’s so beautiful…” Yun Chi murmured in fascination. He glanced down and found the little sea otter was stretching out its palms as it tried to reach a light elf body.

So lively, but since it couldn’t reach them, Yun Chi let it go. He wondered if little Sa’gya was also so naughty…

The little sea otter wailed, and the fallen snow suddenly erupted from the ground. A light elf hit their heel, was so scared it dropped the lantern in its hands, and joined its companions in their escape.

“Ugh!” Yun Chi felt silly. He looked at the cold and clear empty space, and then looked at the God’s confused little sea otter, and cried and laughed. He went over, picked up the miniature lantern, and handed it to the little sea otter.

“Really a little devil…”

It was late, and Yun Chi was deep in the forest, so he planned to sleep there for one night before going back. He followed his past camping experience. First, calculate the bedding area; with quick hands and feet, build a dome snow hut; go inside and put out the ore lamp, then wrap up in a blanket and lie down.

The little sea otter rolled happily back and forth and fiddled with the lantern. He didn’t know what kind of material it was made of, but it could always shine. Yun Chi placed in front of himself for a closer look, only to find that inside the light was actually fog-like, fine, crystal flying midges.

Well, it turned out to be alive.

“You can’t break this, oh.” Yun Chi guiltlessly scared the little sea otter. “Or the little insects inside will fly out, drill into your fur, then wait specifically to bite you where you can’t scratch the itchy place.”

“Chi!” The little sea otter was so scared that it threw the lantern away and cried as it hid in Yun Chi’s clothes. Yun Chi laughed and played with it for a while, then put out the ore lamp and wrapped himself in a blanket to sleep.

The snow house blocked the wind, while Yun Chi listened to the sound of falling snow, just like listening to a lullaby, and soon fell into a dream.

“Child, my child…”

Hmm…Hmmm?

“Come on. Come back to your family, my child…”

Who was saying that?

“I miss you. We miss you. Are you leaving us behind…?”

Yun Chi frowned. He felt like a million mosquitoes were buzzing annoyingly in his ears. He covered his ears with the blanket, not wanting to hear the disturbing noise.

The woman’s voice changed, from an earnest plea to a mournful cry, “I miss you so much. You’ve been away from home for so long…I cried for you day and night. My eyes are almost blind, my child…”

Yun Chi’s eyes snapped open, as someone poured a handful of ice water on him, all sleepiness gone.

What was it? Was it a haunting?

The woman’s sobbing voice wasn’t far away. An old male voice sounded immediately afterwards, “My son, I’m sorry…Please come home. Your favorite horse milk tea has been prepared and your favorite gold cup. Your mother wiped it for you a thousand times. We miss you. Your father is in tears, please don’t leave us behind!”

Yun Chi was completely confused. He sat up in the darkness of the night, the wind blowing through the treetops and snow, and felt as if he couldn’t stop crying.

Am I hallucinating?

He lit the light. Once the light was on, those low ramblings, like thin snow after the sun, quickly dissolved into nothingness, and could no longer be heard.

What the hell…?

Yun Chi, full of suspicion, frowned and carefully lay back.

Could it be the elves’ prank? To retaliate for the little sea otter bullying them? However, it didn’t sound like that, ah. Plus, how could this body’s biological parents come to the door…

Uh, no, that was more bizarre. The island was far from the land, even if mortals had the sky, it was impossible to get to him. However, he examined what they said and shivered. Who was to say what was real? 

Yun Chi was left thinking, and the more you think, the more you feel the hair on the back of your neck. He insisted on not sleeping until dawn, and as soon as the sun rose, he took the backpack and the little sea otter, then rushed out of the snow house all the way back home at a trot.

It was so weird! It was a little safer at home. At least he wouldn’t hear those unknown sounds.

However, it turned out that Yun Chi was mistaken.

As night fell over the land once again, and the island was surrounded by fog, Yun Chi lay in his and Sa’gya’s big bed and once again heard the sad cries.

“Son, come here. Come to your mother…” the female voice complained mournfully. “You cruel child, how can you let your mother’s heart drip with blood during pregnancy and ache from missing you? Come on, come on…”

Yun Chi woke up from his sleep, his heart pounding, and just stared at the pattern on the tent as he gasped for breath.