When the new colleague excitedly planned how to get close to her idol, the female coworker immediately poured cold water on her: “Consultant Shen never gives autographs or takes photos with anyone. You can’t even sneak a picture of him.”
The assistant researcher, lost in her own world, said confidently, “Then I’ll be the first!”
The female coworker gave her a pitying look, shook her head, and said nothing more. Over the years, she had seen too many people like this. There was no point in trying to talk them out of it; they had to experience it for themselves.
She could already foresee that after tomorrow, this new colleague would inevitably be down in the dumps for a while.
Hearing someone mention Shen Ming, a few other colleagues couldn’t help but chime in. What they talked about most was why Shen Ming only worked as a small consultant at the research institute.
In their view, if they had the talent of someone as extraordinary as Shen Ming, they would never waste it like that.
However, after the academic disputes were settled, no matter how hard others tried to persuade Shen Ming to strive further, he remained unmoved. Dongzhou University even wanted to hire him as an associate professor, but Shen Ming wasn’t interested. In fact, if it weren’t for Professor Cui, he wouldn’t have even wanted to work at the research institute.
No one knew what he was thinking. Maybe the gap in thinking between geniuses and ordinary people was just that vast.
·
Shen Ming had no idea what his colleagues were saying behind his back. Even if he did, he wouldn’t care. What troubled him now was still the letter from Yubei.
It was only after returning home that Shen Ming revealed a troubled expression—something he never showed in public.
Most people who saw Shen Ming assumed he was very aloof, an unapproachable flower on a high peak. He was cold, indifferent, and so handsome that people dared not look directly at him. Though he never got angry, he carried an undeniable authority that made people instinctively obey him and keep their distance.
But in reality, he was just an old-timer who couldn’t keep up with the times and was terribly socially anxious.
His long-time rival, the bi Fang, once described him like this: “That old fossil is just a gloomy old turtle. No one wants to be his friend!”
If it weren’t for the severe injury he had sustained a century ago that still hadn’t healed, and accidentally breaking through YCG’s Kunlun Barrier and damaging the source of spiritual energy, Shen Ming would most likely never have appeared before people.
YCG promised not to hold Shen Ming accountable for the damage and even offered to help find a cure for his injury, on the condition that Shen Ming, in his Xuanwu form, would protect YCG.
It was a typical move by YCG.
In fact, the Kunlun Barrier had already been damaged by someone from the United States. Shen Ming, gravely injured at the time, hadn’t actually caused any substantial harm to the source of spiritual energy. But Elder Li would never let such a golden opportunity slip by.
Shen Ming, having dealt with cunning humans for the first time since his emergence between heaven and earth, was easily hooked. Not only did he end up working for YCG, but he was also quite grateful to them.
Of course, having tricked an ancient god into their service, YCG didn’t dare to overexploit him. They usually let Shen Ming do as he pleased and never imposed restrictions on him.
That was, until fifty years ago.
At first, no one minded Shen Ming’s aloofness. After all, he was an ancient god—who would dare to control him? As long as he was around, he provided a powerful safeguard, so naturally, no one cared if he spent his days sleeping at the bottom of the sea.
But with the rapid advancement of human society, the living space for non-humans shrank further. Territories that once belonged to them became places humans could wander into at any time. Shen Ming had no choice but to disguise himself and live as a human.
Poor Xuanwu of the North, the most powerful deity in both the human and demon realms, couldn’t even lie down on his own turf.
His massive true form was too easily spotted by humans. When he slept at the bottom of the sea, his divine aura unconsciously affected the surrounding environment, making it easy for humans to detect anomalies. It also influenced nearby creatures, leading to unnecessary conflicts and harm.
So, a few decades ago, after much persuasion from Elder Li, Shen Ming reluctantly began living as a human.
Elder Li said: “Your injury hasn’t healed, and you can’t fully blend into the natural order. Humans will discover you, and that’ll be hard to explain. Last time, we got lucky—the submarine that found you happened to be blown up.”
That was during World War II. Shen Ming, inexperienced and unwilling to interfere with the normal course of Chinese civilization, decided to go back to sleep. But he hadn’t realized he was resting in waters too shallow, and nearly got mistaken for a sea monster by foreigners.
Just thinking about having to deal with many unfamiliar people made Shen Ming want to back out. He tried one last time to resist: “This time, I’ll go somewhere deeper.”
Elder Li said, “That won’t work either. Human technology is advancing too quickly. Soon enough, there won’t be a place in the ocean they can’t reach.”
Elder Li pleaded earnestly, “Besides, didn’t the Star Lord say that your destined opportunity lies within this century? What if you sleep right through it?”
“Just take pity on this old man. Look at how much I’ve been worrying about you—I’ve lost all my hair!”
In short, before Elder Li lost the last of his hair, Shen Ming finally agreed to return to land in human form.
But that was the limit. Asking him to truly integrate into human society and play the part of a real human was still too much. He made no further promises.
Did he not know that it didn’t matter whether Elder Li lost his hair? That old tree spirit shed his leaves every year anyway!
Of course, Shen Ming had made some efforts to fit into human society.
His exceptionally striking appearance had always been a problem. For a while, he deliberately cultivated a scruffy, unkempt look with a heavy beard, only to find that it diminished his dignity but did nothing to reduce his appeal to humans. Instead, it attracted even more people trying to get close to him.
And since he never knew how to deal with others, he simply couldn’t handle it.
Eventually, after becoming famous in marine biology circles, Shen Ming discovered that if he simply ignored everyone, his natural aura would make humans instinctively keep their distance, afraid to disturb him.
So he stopped making any extra effort and abandoned the idea altogether. After all, he was an ancient god, a true deity. Even with a severe injury, even having lost most of his divine authority, even walking the human realm—none of it diminished his divine nature.
His current state was simply living as a solitary person: avoiding interaction whenever possible, speaking to others only when absolutely necessary. He paid little attention to the many rules of human society.
When Yubei proposed that Shen Ming become Ye Yang’s mentor, he hesitated greatly. He was perfectly satisfied with his current situation and didn’t want to change at all.
If anyone else had made this request, Shen Ming would have refused without a second thought. He had that right; YCG’s rules couldn’t bind him.
But Yubei was different. Not only were they both aquatic beings, but Shen Ming also owed Yubei many favors.
He wrestled with the decision alone until late at night, when the spirit snake finally grew restless and materialized, shoving its head insistently against Shen Ming’s shoulder to urge him to go out for a walk.
Shen Ming sighed. Finally, before stepping out, he sent his reply to Yubei.
·
At two in the morning, in the demon realm’s Dreamless Sea. Amid the silence, Yubei suddenly woke up. The moment he opened his eyes, he saw a piece of silver, water-rippled letter paper floating before him.
He was instantly awake. He unfolded it immediately, and soon a smile spread across his face.
Wonderful! Shen Ming agreed!
Even though the letter came with a long list of “don’ts” and “can’ts,” now that Shen Ming had accepted, he would surely follow through.
At the very least, with Shen Ming watching over him, even if Ye Yang went astray, the damage could be contained in time, preventing any terrible consequences. A being with Ye Yang’s kind of clear spiritual essence must be an ally, never an enemy.
Yubei believed in him!
“Ah, at least this adds a layer of security… May the great calamity come a little later, even later…”
His murmuring voice gradually faded. With this heavy burden lifted from his mind, Yubei could finally sleep in peace. The massive tsunami stirred up by the giant Kun turning over slowly dissipated, and the entire Dreamless Sea returned to stillness.
…
In the cozy, warm dorm room, the sleeping Ye Yang turned over unknowingly, completely unaware that someone had been worrying themselves sick over him.
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