"Ah! Somebody, help me! The lunatic is after me!" A woman's panicked cry echoed through the village as she sprinted in frantic circles, the wind whistling past her ears.
In pursuit, a man chased after her, his lips releasing a series of unsettling giggles. Stretching his arms out with a peculiar grace, he effortlessly caught her and brought her down to the ground. The young man wrapped his long legs around her, holding her close. In a voice both youthful and smooth, he declared, "I caught you! I caught you!" The woman in his strong embrace was delicate and seemingly incapable of resisting.
Rather than fear, she displayed frustration, yelling at him, "Xiao Ling, get off! I'm not in the mood for your games! Somebody help me already!"
The reason the men of the village refrained from chastising the lunatic named Xiao Ling was a knowledge that he harbored no malicious intent; he simply sought play.
However, unbeknownst to them, Xiao Ling was internally repulsed by his actions and the woman. It was a struggle beyond his control.
In this world, two types of gods exist: Born gods and selected gods. Born gods are celestial beings born in heaven by divine parentage, while selected gods are mortals who ascend to godhood. Naturally, born gods held greater inherent strength, but selected gods could reach their level after two hundred years or more following ascension. The two types were perpetual rivals, each attempting to prove superiority over the other.
The gods were essentially concubines for power, and their influence and strength grew with the number of devoted followers.
Two thousand years ago, Xiao Ling was a formidable selected God of War and Roses. He practiced demonic cultivation, a forbidden art in heaven. However, even the born gods were powerless against him. Xiao Ling ascended to become the Heavenly Emperor of heaven after defeating the previous corrupted ruler.
Despite his might, he fell victim to betrayal by the demons he controlled and a handful of born gods. Most selected gods were eradicated, while Xiao Ling was cursed to live as a lunatic in the mortal realm, subjected to humiliation as he observed his body engage in shameless acts.
Encounters with him were forgotten after fifteen years, leaving the lunatic with no lasting companionship. Yet, this particular village consistently treated him with kindness and compassion despite their transient memories.
...
Several men pulled Xiao Ling away from the woman. "Oi, lunatic! Don't go hugging other men's wives!" a butcher scolded, smacking his back. Xiao Ling staggered, saved from falling by the grip of other men.
Turning to the butcher, Xiao Ling opened his mouth, prompting laughter from the butcher who placed a candy in it. Xiao Ling crunched it before speaking, "Who married a 14-year-old!? She's not even a woman! She's a girl! She should play with me!" He swung back and forth.
While it was customary for girls to marry young, Xiao Ling, having once been a god, knew the challenges they faced. He had heard countless prayers from young girls trapped in early marriages, seeking help. Though no longer in control of his body, his thoughts and values still left their mark.
Xiao Ling's piercing green eyes shifted to the girl, who looked up at him not with anger or annoyance, but a fleeting hope that quickly vanished. What hope could she have from a lunatic?
...
The night drew closer as the villagers all started to retreat inside their homes.They were all fearful of falling prey to the demons that roamed at night.
After almost all the gods were either massacred or cursed down to the mortal realm,the higher ranking demons became false gods,and in order for the mortals to pray to them,the false gods released the lower ranking demons into the mortal realm at night.
The fake gods would then descend to protect those who worshipped them.
It should be known that the mortals have no clue that the lower ranking demons were released by the very gods they worshipped.
The lower ranking demons were mostly unintelligent and reminded most of wild beasts with frightful appearances.
Xiao Ling leaned against the wall and watched the villagers all shut down their shops before grabbing their children or wives and running to the safety of their little homes.Hoping they would be safe inside.
Many villagers had tried to drag Xiao Ling inside their home,trying everything in their power to keep him safe.
However, Xiao Ling would just turn around and try to bite them or try to bring them in a tight hug.
In the end,the villagers managed to drag Xiao Ling to a corner,hoping he won't be seen by the demons.
Xiao Ling was alone again,his gaze fixated on a wall as he hummed a lost lullaby.
He paused as he heard footsteps approaching and soon felt weight in his lap.
Green eyes traveled down and landed on a frail girl,dark spots visible on her sunken pale skin,and tears making their way down her cheeks.
It was the girl who he had grabbed this morning,she was sobbing in his lap,trembling and fisting his robes.
"What is she doing?!she should be inside her home!It's too dangerous out here!,don't go around hugging random men!"Xiao ling thought to himself.
His eyes were begging the girl to go back to her home,but his body only leaned forward and pulled her into a hug before nuzzling his face in her shoulder.
"I feel like the unlucky brother..."she spoke in a soft voice as she rolled over to her back, and her face was now facing Xiao Ling.
Xiao Ling could see her right eye was bruised and her skin broken.
...
There is a famous tale in the mortal realm,it is known as the "The lucky brother,and the unlucky brother."
Its origins are unknown, but it is widely told among the mortals.
According to the tale,there were once two brothers,to be more accurate, twins born in a wealthy household.
The first born twin was absolutely adored by his parents,always showered with affection and love,causing him to grow up spoiled and arrogant.
The younger twin was practically ignored by everyone around him,he was constantly bullied by his brother and other children.
He grew up shy and timid,yet looked exactly like his brother,save for the fact he looked slightly frail.
The parents died when the boys were only seventeen,all the wealth was left with the older twin.
Perhaps because he needed a punching bag or somebody to feel superior to,the older twin always kept his younger twin around.
Villagers would often see the older brother tossing his younger brother around,often grabbing his arm so hard that it left bruises.
He was often seen blaming his younger brother for being in the way of him getting married.
However, the fates of these two brothers soon took a darker turn when the kingdom they lived in went into a war with another kingdom.
The older brother was greatly skilled in cultivation and martial arts,so he joined the army to go fight for his kingdom.
He ofcourse rose Victorious and honored his people.
When he returned home ready to boast to his brother,he discovered that the enemy soldiers had attacked his village,and when they laid their eyes upon the younger brother,they found his delicate appearance a delightful sight and took him to the royal family as a gift.
When the older brother found out,instead of ignoring it or finding it funny,to everyone's surprise he broke down into tears,his screams of inner agony reaching the heavens,causing the gods themselves to look down upon him with confusion and interest.
It didn't make any sense to all those witnessing this. Why would he even cared.But at the same time,it made all the sense now.
It explained why the brother kept him around or why the brothers were always seen holding hands or having their arms linked around each other, However, the story still was still quite confusing.
The older brother tried everything in his power to save him,even going as far as to try and exchange places with his brother.
When it all failed,the brother ended up taking his own life...
It's a tragic tale,and most would argue that both the brothers were unlucky,but when the two were compared,the younger was truly the unlucky one.
Never in his life was he loved,his brother seemed to hate him, and he never showed him much love.
In the end, when the older twin went to such length to save him,the younger twin never saw that love or desperation...
It's a tale that baffles those who hear about it,and many believe it's nothing more than a tale meant to teach children to cherish what they have.
...
This girl, however, felt more unlucky than that tragic brother.
Sometimes, the fact that there's someone out their who wants to help you can be a blessing itself.
But this girl was not that lucky,no matter how many times she prayed,nobody secretly loved her. Nobody was going to go great lengths to protect her.
Every day, she left her home with more bruises than the day before, but nobody cared.
The very same villagers who cared about this random lunatic would drag her back to her husband whenever she tried escaping.
Her parents,the neighbors,the head of the village, and even the children of the village would always drag her back.
Trapping her in her own house within the village.
Perhaps they were afraid she would tell other villages about their cruel secret,and ruin their villages name,or they saw her nothing more than an object for a violent man,and a distraction to keep him away from the other women.
The only thing that kept her from breaking her own neck,was that when ever she was being dragged back,she would look over at the lunatic and while his body would just stand there and hum a little lullaby,his eyes always made him look like he wanted to help her.He looked as if he wanted to rush over and protect her with everything he has.
The eyes are doors to your soul after all.Perhaps she does have a lucky brother who wants to protect her at all costs.
However, Xiao Ling could only internally cry for her,no matter how many times he tried to protect her,his body would not listen to him.
The most his body has done to try and protect her is that whenever the girl is beaten in public,Xiao ling would rush over and bring her into a hug.
To onlookers, it looked as if the lunatic went crazy again and was going around women again.
But the nameless girl always knew that he was trying to shield her.
This, however, only made things worse for her,as her husband would grow jealous and beat her further when they returned to their house.
Tonight,the husband had enough of her and kicked her out,she was insignificant to the village, and no one would help her.
She only had a random lunatic who she knew wouldn't make her leave.
Xiao Ling sighed. He wanted to protect her,but he was less than useless right now because of the curse.
He doesn't even know her name,yet she only trusts him in this village.
Xiao Ling heavily dislikes the opposite gender,yet he always wants to help them,he first hand knew the things they have to go through.
Truly, it was a difficult task being a woman in this realm.
The girl sat up straight and stared into his eyes.There was a pause before she whispered something.
As the night deepened, demons growled in the shadows, their presence overshadowed by the deafening tolling of bells signaling the arrival of the gods. In this ominous symphony, the girl, now seated upright, uttered words that cut through the eerie soundscape, leaving Xiao Ling stunned with wide-open eyes. Unheard were the demonic growls and divine bells—his world - now resonated with a single question.
"You're a god, aren't you?"