Chapter 41: The Consultation That Could Not Continue
Annie had to admit—the owner of Mount Tokou was very different from what she had imagined.
Of course, perhaps she really wasn't very familiar with Chinese mythology, but her career as a God-Slayer had always made her believe that with the arrogance of divinity, even a subordinate god should not have been this… unrestrained?
Well, that was putting it rather mildly.
Leaving aside everything else, those ten ancient beasts named Golden Crows—quite famous in Chinese mythology—didn't seem all that vicious to her; they were simply… despicable.
And now, one of those Golden Crows, which had just been spouting off with no filter, was pulled onto the lap of an enraged ancient god who had appeared. Sitting there, the god was spanking the Golden Crow's butt with resounding slaps, sparks flying with every strike.
The sight was strangely satisfying to Annie—but when she saw that some stray sparks, once outside the protective canopy of the divine tree, instantly expanded into truck-sized fireballs that smashed into the sea, raising several mushroom clouds, she stopped feeling satisfied and started thinking her current position might not be so safe.
It seemed these Golden Crows truly deserved their title as "evil beasts." Or perhaps it was precisely because of their utterly shameless behavior that, despite being solar divine birds, they ended up portrayed as villains in myth.
Still, the family on the tree clearly wasn't paying her any attention—the domestic violence show was still in full swing.
"You act wild the moment I leave the house! Are you asking to get shot again!?" the ancient god roared amidst the smack-smack-smack, his voice booming like thunder.
"Father, oh Father! It's all from filial devotion! We brothers just wanted to get you a wife! Mother hasn't come, and you're still a lonely old bachelor—doesn't sound good at all when people say it!"
This Golden Crow really deserved a beating. Not only was it brazenly insulting its father, it was also dragging its brothers into the mess. Unsurprisingly, the others, who had been pretending to play dead, could no longer hold back their protests:
"Boss, you damn bastard! How dare you slander us! You've no birdly decency at all!" "Shit! What's that got to do with this bird! I've been climbing the tree the whole time, okay!?" "Scum! Come down here and duel me! Since you're the eldest, I'll even let you use one claw!" "Selling out your brothers? Have you no shame? Just answer me, do you have any shame!?"
Their anger even seemed greater than the god's, but their eyes were full of guilt.
"Shut up, all of you!" the god roared again. This time, the sparks didn't come from the Golden Crow's backside but shot directly from the god's eyes, "You're all no good! Keep building this world properly, or I'll send you all back where you came from!"
Annie instinctively stepped back a few more paces—not because of fear, but because those sparks from the god's eyes weren't turning into fireballs, but directly into fireclouds sweeping across the sky. He was clearly furious.
The raging fireclouds silenced the Golden Crows instantly; they all shrank back and kept quiet. As for the one still caught in the god's grip, its backside had already swelled a full size—definitely not a light spanking.
This family of deities' level of "modernization" was something Annie found shocking. She had never seen gods like this before.
Maybe it was because of the close relationship between mythology and humanity: gods detached from their myths could quickly adapt to human civilization. But these proud beings still usually didn't act so in sync with contemporary humans. A family like this, perfectly synchronized in such a bizarre way—Annie had never encountered.
Though, admittedly, their choice of what to synchronize with seemed… questionable.
Annie was bothered by something else too—how did these Golden Crows instantly recognize she was a woman? Her disguise had always worked outside; no one had ever seen through it, not even amid god-slayers.
But before she could think it through, the ancient god at the top of the tree ended his "lesson." He shoved the now noticeably taller Golden Crow boss back into place, then descended from the tree.
The enormous divine tree, seemingly infinite in scope, seemed to rejoice at the god's movement. Its leaves swayed with a rustling sound, letting streams of liquid-like light fall through the branches, converging beneath the god's feet into a golden pathway that extended all the way to Annie.
The god walked step by step along the radiant path, finally stopping before Annie. He studied her carefully for a while, then forced a smile onto his handsome face.
"Forgive that display. There aren't many who can slay gods as a woman—no wonder my children wished to subdue you."
There it was again. How did they see through her so easily?
She was wrapped up so tightly—how did this whole family know?
Before she could ask, the god continued: "But here, you and I are both Spirit Kings of equal standing. Shouldn't you show your true face?"
"How did you see through me?" Annie removed her helmet, revealing her refined, heroic, yet beautiful features.
"Hahaha, no woman can hide her identity from me. Even if you are of another kind, the scent of a woman is the same. Even across worlds, I can smell it."
"…" Annie almost put her helmet back on right then.
That was the line of a pervert, wasn't it!? Or… were the ancients of China really this "uninhibited"?
"God Emperor Jun, I have urgent matters to consult you on. Please conduct yourself with the dignity of a king—or do you look down on me simply because I am a woman?"
"Oh? You know me as well?" The ancient god—Di Jun—looked surprised. "I didn't think an outsider like you would know my name. Are you a descendant of the Gui Fang?"
At that, he looked Annie up and down again, making her frown, before shaking his head decisively. "No, you don't resemble them. The Gui Fang were tall—you're too short."
"You're short!" Annie's forehead vein popped, but she brushed back her hair to hide it.
She hadn't forgotten her purpose. She wasn't here to argue, and certainly not to fight.
Starting a battle inside his domain wasn't wise.
So she took a deep breath, calming herself, then slowly said to Di Jun: "The Heavenly Emperor is an undying god. You have descended from the heavens to the earth—not as a Heretic god, but to reign supreme here in the Netherworld. Surely there must be a special reason for this?"
"You speak well. But do I have any obligation to tell you that reason?"
"But you've stirred up chaos in the mortal world. This upheaval is enough to shake human society itself. Four… no, five gods, and the same number of god-slayers—the power here is enough to destroy the entire Japanese archipelago. What exactly are you trying to do? I too am a ruler of the present world—I have the right to ask."
"It's just an island—what of it? If you become my woman, I can give you something far better." Di Jun said. And then he added words that finally made Annie snap: "Your chest may be a bit flat, but your waist is strong. More than enough to bear my divine offspring."
Crack!
The helmet in Annie's hands split with several deep fissures…
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