Chapter 173

Page Thirty

The Elixir of Immortality

As it turned out, before Cherry Sauce could even dial her phone, Sister Yǐjī had already crawled back into the camera frame on her own.

Perhaps she was inspired by her fans, and had rallied herself anew.

Or perhaps she was driven by the desire to see her daughter, struggling forward through hardship.

Regardless, Dragon Palace Princess Yǐjī was back online, which relieved both her fans and the collaborator “Lucy.”

“I’ve just posted the photos I took on my status. Regardless of whether you believe me or not, you can take a look. I hope this will dispel any doubts everyone might have about me.”

The first thing Princess Yǐjī said after returning shocked everyone.

“Wha—?!”

Just now, Princess Yǐjī, who had vowed never to rely on her looks, easily broke her own rule.

She hadn’t left the camera because of the trolls’ remarks, but rather to take a selfie to clear her name.

Xiǎo Lěi quickly found her photo in Princess Yǐjī’s personal updates.

“What’s this? She’s wearing a mask?”

Princess Yǐjī had taken a photo in the recording studio while wearing a mask. She was dressed in a deep blue nightgown with star patterns, holding her phone up to herself, her gaze earnest.

On the blue medical mask, she had written in black marker “Dragon Palace Princess Yǐjī,” to confirm her identity.

I sighed, “Those trolls will surely find ways to criticize, even if she shows her face.”

Cherry Sauce disagreed with my view.

“No, this is actually very helpful.”

The floating messages in the screen read:

[The person inside and Princess Yǐjī look so alike! And she’s even prettier!]

[Is this model personalized?]

[Why be a virtual streamer when she could debut as an idol!]

[The artist must have drawn her exactly as she is.]

[Princess Yǐjī’s glare clearly shows she’s angry, trolls should disembowel themselves!]

…and so on.

Although there were strange messages like [She’s not actually a middle-aged man? How disappointing…], it was better to ignore them.

Lǐn Huā shrugged, “Look, she has won over some of the neutral fans. The number of messages has increased significantly, and Sister Fēiyuè is guiding the conversation. You’re too tense, Kǎi-Chan. This is just a minor incident that will pass soon, and it might even bring up new topics.”

In other words, the trolls’ activities inadvertently helped Princess Yǐjī?

Even Mother, who usually remained calm, angrily stated, “Although the outcome is good, those trolls and their masters are truly despicable. They have destroyed many small streamers before. It’s impressive that Princess Yǐjī stood up against the pressure…”

If not for Princess Yǐjī’s belief, she might have been crushed too.

I asked, “Mother, you seem to admire Princess Yǐjī. Are you interested in her streams?”

“No, from a father’s perspective, I don’t really approve of what she did in the past.”

Mother shook her head, then said gently, “But she is atoning for her past actions, isn’t that commendable? As the saying goes, it’s hard to buy a prodigal son’s return. So, let me be a fan for once, it’s not impossible.”

Lǐn Huā winked at me, then at Mother.

She sighed, “Ah, Xiao Kai’s rotten good guy personality is completely inherited from Sister Wēi, isn’t it?”

—

Afterwards.

I handed over control of my body to Cherry Sauce to go bathe, while my consciousness entered the dream world. Using a light yellow letter, I contacted Lord Hái in the Divine Court.

“You little overseer, here to check on me again?”

“Is that how you greet someone? Can’t I just chat with Lord Hái?”

“Oh, so you’re not here to chat?”

Lord Hái angrily started poking the camera with her fingers. She knew I couldn’t handle this feeling; no matter if I closed my eyes or shook my head, I couldn’t escape the odd sensation of her finger pressing against my cornea. After all, this image was directly transmitted to my mind.

I changed the subject, “Hmm, you changed your desk?”

Lord Hái retracted her fingers and flipped over the thick blanket covering her.

“Oh, it’s getting colder recently, so I switched to a kotatsu.”

“…why does the Divine Court still have seasons when there’s no night?”

“These can be adjusted. I just wanted to experience the cold climate of the mortal world.”

“Cold… what can you experience in a kotatsu then?”

Perhaps due to lack of reason, Lord Hái’s behavior remained offbeat.

She retorted, “You don’t understand! Enjoying air conditioning in summer and a kotatsu in winter, these are two great joys in my life! Of course, if someone wants to talk more with me, I’m even happier.”

…as the top existence in the world, Lord Hái’s pleasures were surprisingly ordinary and heart-wrenching.

Then, she brought up Qiǎnxià’s matter.

“By the way, since we don’t need to remove the curse, progress is faster than expected. The girl’s body is ready. Next, I need to implant the restraints left behind into the new body. Then I’ll test it to make sure everything is fine, and she can return to the human world.”

“…Lord Hái, I need to confirm something.”

“What is it?”

I organized my thoughts and composed my words in my mind.

“Cherry Sauce thinks that the mysterious girl A is my mother, but she doesn’t come forward to acknowledge me and Father because of Heaven’s Path… If Heaven’s Path confirms her identity, it would erase her existence, but since she uses Qiǎnxià’s body and has some of Qiǎnxià’s restraints, Heaven’s Path treats her as Qiǎnxià. As long as she doesn’t verbally confirm, she can continue to exist.”

Now, Heaven’s Path is merely a powerful supercomputer that doesn’t understand human emotions.

“There’s nothing wrong with that thinking.”

Lord Hái also agreed with Cherry Sauce’s view.

“But it’s only a temporary solution. Heaven’s Path will eventually discover it. It’s just a matter of time.”

I continued, “What happens if we send Qiǎnxià back now?”

Lord Hái hesitated for a few seconds before answering, “Heaven’s Path might detect the truth, and Ning Yīng’s existence may disappear.”

So it is as I thought.

I suppressed my emotions and asked, “Does Lord Hái have a solution?”

“I didn’t consider this aspect, but I can’t interfere directly in the human world, even if I had a plan… If there was a way to bring your mother back to the Divine Court, I could protect her.”

“But you said before that she was thrown out because she couldn’t stay in the Divine Court, right?”

This time, Lord Hái didn’t hesitate much, “That’s right. This is a rule set by Heaven’s Path to prevent this Divine Court from turning into another small world. Mortal souls can’t enter or leave here… But if human souls can’t do it, why not turn her into an item?”

“Hmm, how do you turn someone into an item?”

Could Lord Hái be suggesting… that a corpse counts as an item?

Reading my thoughts, Lord Hái was startled.

“Souls become part of the reincarnation system when they turn into corpses! That man Zhú Běihǎi would die too, and I certainly didn’t plan anything that bloody!”

She complained loudly, then asked, “Do you know why Little Yīng could study under me for ten years in the Divine Court?”

“Because she’s an object?”

“That’s a strange way to put it, but it’s correct. The one separated from you is no longer human.”

Cherry Sauce is indeed no longer human; she is the spirit of the beautiful girl notebook.

“Just make Mother similar to that?”

Lord Hái clapped her hands and confirmed, “Since human souls can’t enter the Divine Court, she just needs to become a non-human entity. It doesn’t have to be a spirit; even a dog god or fox spirit would work. These minor deities without altars are frequent visitors to the Divine Court.”

Easier said than done, but I have no idea how to do it…

“Hmm, in just a few seconds, reliable Lord Hái already has a plan.”

Lord Hái wriggled in front of the camera, as if waiting for my question.

“Let’s not discuss whether it’s reliable… Can you tell me what you want to turn my mother into?”

“The Elixir of Immortality!”

“Huh?”

Lord Hái seemed to mention something extravagant.

She explained, “Chang’e swallowed the elixir given by Xi Wangmu to Hou Yi and flew to the moon to become an immortal. You should know this myth, right?”

“Of course.”

Though there are many versions, it’s a well-known legend.

“Could there really be an Elixir of Immortality?”

I was surprised.

“How could there be? Even immortals eventually die. There is no true elixir of immortality.”

Lord Hái immediately denied it and added, “Because I can’t bear the long duration, I keep resetting myself. Even if there is true immortality, it’s just physical immortality. The mind will eventually fade, leaving behind a living… flesh.”

Lord Hái’s grim tone made me uneasy. Rubbing my arms, I asked, “What is the Elixir of Immortality?”

“I guess… it’s a kind of immortal medicine that can change ‘human’ nature, allowing her to enter the Divine Court.”

“Guess?”

Lord Hái clapped her hands and laughed, “Hehe, I don’t know what will happen after eating it.”

Huh?

I said bluntly, “Lord Hái, your unreliability exceeds my imagination.”

How could something so unknown in every sense be fed to Mother?

“Don’t say that! My analysis is still quite accurate! I don’t have many relics from the divine age to give away… Besides the Elixir of Immortality, I can’t think of any other way to bring Ning Yīng back to the Divine Court.”

Is the Elixir of Immortality the only way?

“There might be other ways…”

Not wanting to trouble Lord Hái, I held back.

I changed my wording, “Staying in the Divine Court forever isn’t a perfect ending. I hope my mother can return home.”

After all, everything is available in the Divine Court, yet nothing truly is.

Lord Hái advised, “Heaven’s Path wants to erase her existence, and you can’t stop it alone. Staying in the Divine Court, I might be able to protect her. Once you become a deity, you can visit us.”

In any case, it’s better than being erased by Heaven’s Path.

“Let’s try it. That… legendary Elixir of Immortality.”

It’s an immortal medicine that makes one cease to be human upon consumption.