The Bride Of The Water God Wang Su

Chapter 15

The gods sat on the threshold of a small hut perched on a hillside, watching as thick smoke from hundreds of fires enveloped the village in the valley below. Soon, only the black roofs of the buildings were visible, resembling bats' wings hovering in the fog.

Wei An gazed at the perpetually gray sky.

"It's hard to distinguish day from night here. Order is being lost," he mused after a long silence.

"Demons cherish freedom and have no need for rules or order," Tien Tu remarked. A small bottle of colored glass appeared in his hand.

"Do not confuse freedom with rudeness and lack of restraint. The residents of the Dark Kingdoms fail to control their base desires," Wei An responded instructively.

"They prefer to remain under the sway of darkness. It's their nature," the God of Shadows noted indifferently, uncorking the bottle to inhale the sweet wine's aroma.

A gust of wind carried screams, grinding sounds, rhythmic knocking, and a prolonged howl to the gods' ears. The Day of the First Sacrifice celebration was in full swing.

"Why am I here? I could be enjoying the festivities in the palace," Tien Tu mused, surveying the spacious courtyard, the master's buildings, and the huge, shaggy sheep sleeping on the straw.

"Nobody is stopping you. You're free to return and celebrate with everyone," Wei An replied.

"I don't really want to. The local beauties are passionate and always ready for fun, but the noise is deafening. Besides, at the most important moments, they tend to..." Tien Tu leaned closer to Wei An, intending to share intriguing details, but stopped mid-sentence and shrugged. "Who should I tell here? You wouldn't understand anyway."

Wei An remained silent, showing little interest in the conversation about the Dark Kingdoms' beauties. Instead, his attention was drawn to small creatures hiding behind a stone pile in the courtyard, which served as a home altar. The God of Shadows noticed them too. Their beady eyes closely observing the gods.

Realizing that they had been discovered, the clumsy animals, resembling mice with tortoiseshell patterns, scattered in panic. Two collided, and one squeezed through the fence, while the other flipped onto its back, flailing its legs in the air helplessly.

"The Dark Lord's spies aren't very effective," Tien Tu chuckled, watching the sudden commotion.

"Nor are those two hundred hiding behind the fence, thinking they're unseen," Wei An added, looking back at the sky. "From this side, the Stargate looks different. Don't you think the air feels odd, as if thickening?"

"Did you sense something?" Tien Tu asked, surprised. "There seems no cause for concern. Peace reigns in all Five Worlds, and the Dark Lord has long abandoned his dreams of conquest, unless..." he did not have time to finish.

There was a noise in the hut, accompanied by the clinking of dishes and an indignant exclamation from the young lady. In response, the celestials, without a word, jumped up and burst into the hut.

"Lee Soo, what happened? Did he bother you?" Wei An asked, his usual calm demeanor slipping.

In the dim light of the oil lamps, the gods saw a broad-shouldered, bruiser demon standing near the low wooden elevation that served as a bed. The demon was trying to shield himself with a pillow while the young lady persistently pressed the confused demon against the wall.

"Supreme Lord, I remember your instructions and have not touched the young lady!" the palace guard, who had rescued Lee Soo from the lake, hurried to explain. "I offered my bed to the miss, but she insists that we sleep together..." His voice faltered. "But she smells so sweetly. I fear I won't be able to resist the temptation through the night."