When Ge Nianlan was only two months old, he and his mother were being transported back to Black Mane Palace after hiding from Ge Jinsheng’s adversaries. During their travels, their party was ambushed and his mother, Qiao Lanying, was killed alongside the rest of their party. Being the only son of the Devil Lord, Ge Nianlan was kidnapped and sold off to the black market. Luckily, the Eight Saints had acted quickly and the Young Lord was able to return to Ge Jinsheng’s side. However, when they found him, the child had already gone through a lot, and it was deemed impossible for him to develop like other children, due to the trauma and shock.
This was the reality that Ge Nianlan had been living in. However, as he read the cursed artifact, he realized that the truth was far different from what he had known.
Two characters were written crookedly and largely, according to the muscle memory that Ge NIanlan had acquired upon
“Huái Zhēn (怀珍),” Ge Nianlan murmured.
The two characters made up the name of one person. And this was the current name of the Devil Lord’s real son.
According to the cursed artifact, Ge Nianlan and Huai Zhen had both been kidnapped and sold to a slave trading ring. Amidst the chaos, Ge Nianlan had been mistaken for Huai Zhen and Huai Zhen had been taken in by the Guardian of the Dragon Tree, Baili Liuye, who happened to be Ge Nianlan’s real father.
While Ge Nianlan was forced to live the life of a fool, because the injuries he sustained during the kidnapping had caused damage to his psyche, it still wasn’t that bad, because he was well-protected. Huai Zhen, on the other hand, was ostracized and relentlessly bullied by those at Yunkong Pavilion. They taunted him for his red “demonic” eyes and scorned him for being a cultivation waste. Little did they know that Huai Zhen was a once in a lifetime prodigy and that he would surpass Ge Jinsheng in the future to become the Supreme Devil God.
Because of Huai Zhen’s horrible childhood, he had many misgivings with the world. When his lineage was discovered, he was sent back to Black Mane Palace. The truth of the matter was exposed and Ge Nianlan, who knew nothing and understood little, became a thorn in the eyes of many. In particular, he was a roadblock to Huai Zhen.
Since Ge Jinsheng raised Ge Nianlan, he would understandably still have lingering feelings for this boy. Unfortunately, Huai Zhen felt that this was a threat to his position by his father’s side and his position in Black Mane Palace. So, in order to get rid of Ge Nianlan, Huai Zhen purposely planted an insider by Ge Nianlan’s side. This servant whispered all sorts of vile things to the innocent child, making him go mad with paranoia. The servant gave Ge Nianlan suggestions on how to bully Huai Zhen and the naïve boy took everything at face value and did just that.
Unfortunately for Ge Nianlan, blood was thicker than water. Seeing that Ge Nianlan was actively trying to harm his own flesh and blood, Ge Jinsheng cast Ge Nianlan out of Black Mane Palace.
This would have been fine, but Ge Nianlan ended up stumbling into Baili Liuye, Huai Zhen’s adoptive father! Upon meeting, Baili Liuye realized that Ge Nianlan had been the son he had lost for so many years and brought him back home. Unfortunately, Ge Nianlan was unable to inherit the rights to become the Guardian of the Dragon Tree, because he was unable to communicate with the Dragon Tree. However, he was now given food and shelter, which could also be considered a happy ending.
But by some twisted accident, he destroyed the Dragon Tree, leading to its roots rotting. It caused a big fuss within the cultivation world and many called for his execution. At the last minute, Ge Jinsheng swooped in and saved his adopted son. But now that Ge Nianlan had returned to Black Mane Palace, Huai Zhen once again felt that his father did not care for him. His hatred for Ge Jinsheng grew and towards Ge Nianlan, he wanted nothing more than to kill him.
In the end, Huai Zhen succeeded, but not without a few innocent casualties along the way.
Upon thinking about this, Ge Nianlan’s chest hurt. He felt as if there were numerous cold, jagged rocks, laying in the pit of his stomach. He clenched his fist and let out a soft sigh.
Zhao Cuihong’s death was rather horrendous. It wasn’t only because of the manner in which they passed, but also in the events leading up to it. Seeing that Zhao Cuihong valued Ge Nianlan so much, Huai Zhen decided to seduce him into coming to his side. He not only broke Zhao Cuihong’s confidence, but he also ended up breaking his spirit. Because Huai Zhen didn’t think it was normal for someone to “shift between genders”, Zhao Cuihong had chosen to remain a woman even to their last breath, when they sacrificed themselves to save Huai Zhen from an ambush. He died with a broken heart and without his identity intact.
As for Jia Chiying, because he still held some hints of adoration towards who he thought was his little cousin, he helped Ge Nianlan escape, up to the very last second. But the scene of a thousand arrows piercing Jia Chiying as he shielded Ge Nianlan came up in his mind again and again, as if such things really did happen not too long ago. The “memory” made Ge Nianlan shudder.
And Ling Tong…although she was rarely mentioned, if Ge Jinsheng told her to protect Ge Nianlan, then he could only assume that her death had something to do with him as well.
Three people died to protect an idiot, who had gone out of his way to destroy everything he touched.
Ge Nianlan truly felt like that life was not worth protecting.
His brush rolled to the wayside. The paper scrunched up under his hands and his jaw clenched.
This was his future? Then what had changed? Why was he suddenly clear headed now? And how come he was gifted with the ability to see the future?
Ge Nianlan placed the paper into the incense burner and threw a match into it. He watched as the flame ate away at the piece of paper and put the lid onto the incense burner. He rested his chin against the back of his knuckles and stared blankly ahead, at the portrait of Qiao Lanying, Ge Jinsheng, and the little baby, who was Huai Zhen.
…Now what?
If he told the truth, Huai Zhen would reunite with his true family faster. However, Ge Nianlan would be left without a home. With how easily it seemed that Baili Liuye had allowed people to take his son away, Ge Nianlan didn’t exactly trust his blood-related father. He knew that Ge Jinsheng would have lingering familial affections for him, but it wouldn’t be enough to protect him from Huai Zhen or any of those who would side with Huai Zhen.
Even in the most perfect world, Ge Nianlan’s life would no longer be comfortable.
With how much freedom the realm of devil cultivators offered, was as cruel as life treated them. Reality didn’t coddle the downtrodden. If someone like Ge Nianlan, who had been sitting at the pinnacle of power, was suddenly dropped to the ground, the pits would open up and swallow him whole. There were many who basked in the suffering of others and Ge Nianlan was not naïve enough anymore to think that the servants and disciples would still treat him kindly after the truth was revealed.
The only real way to survive in this world was to have power.
Ge Nianlan stood from his desk and sat back at his bed.
The reason people respected Ge Jinsheng was because he was powerful. And those who did not have power, had to grovel and pander to those who did. Although Ge Nianlan was currently in a position of power, he will not be for long.
According to the cursed artifact, Ge Nianlan had until he was fifteen—that was when Huai Zhen would discover his lineage and when he would come back.
Fifteen was when children in Yinxue Region were considered “of age”. This meant that Ge Nianlan would be able to take on more odd jobs in the towns and the cities. All he had to do was make sure to get an identification card from Ge Jinsheng before he left, and he would be able to live by himself.
Ge Nianlan silently ruminated on the idea as he stared ahead.
He didn’t know how many hours passed until there was a soft knock on the door. He raised his head and quietly gave permission for whoever was on the other side of the door to come in.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
The doors opened and a teenager cautiously stepped in. He closed the doors behind him and looked at Ge Nianlan somewhat worriedly.
“Tbecu Obgv, P vlvc’a vlraegy sbeg gfra, vlv P?”
Ge Nianlan stared at the teenager for a long time before he found him in the depths of his memory. A strange sense of relief encompassed him and he smiled. “Luo-gege.”
Ktf qfgofma qgbcecmljalbc bo atlr clmxcjwf wjvf Oeb Hljcke rbwfktja fwyjggjrrfv, obg rbwf gfjrbc. Lf rboais mifjgfv tlr atgbja jcv kjixfv bnfg ab Xf Rljcijc’r rlvf.
“Cgf sbe offilcu bxjs?”
Xf Rljcijc cbvvfv. Lf ufraegfv obg Oeb Hljcke ab rla. “Zs tfjv pera tegar.”
“That’s understandable,” Luo Qianwu said with a frown. His gaze cooled. “Don’t worry, Young Lord. The Saints are looking into who sent the cursed artifact.”
Ge Nianlan hummed. After a moment, he quietly asked, “Was the cursed artifact meant to be for me?”
“No. According to what the sources have found so far, it seems to have been for His Excellency,” Luo Qianwu said. He glanced at Ge Nianlan and observed his reaction.
Although many people said that Ge Nianlan was a fool, Luo Qianwu always felt that Ge Nianlan was more intelligent than he could show. Whenever Luo Qianwu spoke about things that were “too complicated”, he somehow felt like Ge Nianlan could understand. And now, as he watched the boy, he could tell that with whatever had happened during the past few days, Ge Nianlan had miraculously reached a full recovery.
“I see,” Ge Nianlan mumbled.
“Young Lord, do you remember where you got the book from?”
Ge Nianlan slowly nodded. “I seem to have…taken it from a random pile when the servants were sorting the new incoming books.”
Every month, there would be a new shipment of books into Black Mane Palace. Some would be precious resources for Ge Jinsheng and others would be books for children that were given to Ge Nianlan. During those days, Ge Nianlan would be the most excited. He would always sneak into the room and steal a book or two to read.
Ge Nianlan felt something click. Then, did he just accidentally change the course of his fate by choosing the wrong book? This had to be one of the only things that changed between the life he had read about in the cursed artifact and his reality until now!
“So, they slipped it in with the shipment,” Luo Qianwu mumbled. He sighed and softly shook his head. He glanced at Ge Nianlan. “What you saw in the book…?”
Ge Nianlan met Luo Qianwu’s gaze and smiled. “Zhao-jiejie told me to just treat it as a bad nightmare. Besides, I actually don’t remember much from it.”
Luo Qianwu breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s good. It’s called a cursed artifact for a reason. You shouldn’t obsess over its contents, Young Lord. It’ll drive you insane with paranoia.”
“I understand,” Ge Nianlan said.
He felt a brief moment of guilt, for having lied to his only friend and personal guard, but Ge Nianlan felt that it was the only right thing to do. At least, it was the only thing that he could do right now, to ensure his survival.
Luo Qianwu quietly observed Ge Nianlan for a moment before he shuffled around in his possession for something.
A second later, an open palm slid into Ge Nianlan’s line of sight. Resting at the center was a piece of candy, carefully wrapped in waxed paper. Ge Nianlan stared at it for a long time before taking it with a softened smile. He fiddled with it between his fingers and glanced at Luo Qianwu.
“Thank you.”
“I don’t know if it’ll help, but you always cheer up after having a piece of candy,” Luo Qianwu said with a mild shrug.
Ge Nianlan unwrapped the candy and popped it into his mouth. The familiar taste brought back all sorts of memories that had been lost in the waves of the new ones, crammed into his head. He smiled at what felt like the taste of a distant memory, and hummed in satisfaction.
“Still tastes good.”
Luo Qianwu chuckled. “Well, I’m glad.”
He shifted in his seat. “Once you’re done eating, you should rest some more. I’m going to head out now.”
“Already?” Ge Nianlan asked.
Luo Qianwu nodded. “I wasn’t meant to come back for another few days, so I have to head back.”
Ge Nianlan’s eyes widened. “Where were you?”
“I need to finish my coming-of-age trial,” Luo Qianwu explained. Upon seeing Ge Nianlan’s dazed expression, he realized that this might not have been a concept that Ge Nianlan had known about. “Whenever someone is nearing their fifteenth birthday, it’s a tradition that they are taken to Widow’s Gorge to go through a trial. The trial is to let those who are coming of age kill as many monsters as they possibly can within the span of a week. It’s to help them get accustomed to killing.”
Ge Nianlan didn’t remember there being any mention of such a trial in the cursed artifact. Perhaps, because of his disability, he had been able to avoid such a dangerous activity.
“What if the person going through the trial gets hurt?” Ge Nianlan asked.
“They have a guardian with them at all times,” Luo Qianwu said. “I have my Shifu with me.”
Luo Qianwu’s shifu was Meng Lingjian, the weaponsmith for Black Mane Palace. Although Ge Nianlan didn’t know much about him, he did know that Meng Lingjian was well-respected and quite infamous. On top of that, he was one of the few people who had treated Ge Nianlan with sincerity.
“However, it would be best to try your best. Most people treat it as a life-or-death situation,” Luo Qianwu explained. “That’s because the more you kill, the more capable it means that you are. Your chances of survival in society are much higher. In many households, this trial truly does mean life or death. If you are capable, you will be allotted more time and resources. If someone does not prove themselves, there are even families who kick their children out onto the streets.”
Ge Nianlan could not fathom such a situation. He fell silent as he compared what he knew in the past and what he knew from the cursed artifact, to the current reality presented to him. He must have been truly sheltered to not have known that such a tradition existed.
Luo Qianwu felt like he had scared Ge Nianlan. He quickly spoke again: “I’m sure His Excellency would not burden you with such an old-fashioned tradition, Young Lord. A lot of people nowadays do it for fun. Just like me. If I only brought home one beast, my uncle wouldn’t kick me out.”
“Your uncle?” Ge Nianlan asked. He frowned. Now that he thought about it, he didn’t know all that much about Luo Qianwu.
Although Luo Qianwu had been his playmate and bodyguard for as long as he could remember, the teenager catered mostly to Ge Nianlan’s needs and wants. They had been together for a little over half a decade, yet Ge Nianlan didn’t even know about Luo Qianwu’s family situation.
“Do you live with your uncle?”
The question surprised Luo Qianwu. He smiled awkwardly. “Yes, I do. I’m an orphan. My uncle took me in after my parents passed.”
“How did your parents pass?” Ge Nianlan asked.
“An expedition,” Luo Qianwu said. “It’s the same one where Uncle got injured too.”
Ge Nianlan wanted to ask more questions, but he stopped himself. He averted his gaze for a second. “Oh. Your parents must have been very cool then.”
Luo Qianwu was shocked by such a casual evaluation. He laughed. “Yes, my parents were great people.”
Ge Nianlan hummed. “So, are you heading back right away?”
“I should,” Luo Qianwu said. He ruffled Ge Nianlan’s hair. “I’ll be back next week though. I’ll bring you back some good food.”
The promise was one that Luo Qianwu had said to coax Ge Nianlan just a few days ago, when the child was so upset that he wouldn’t stop crying. Now that Luo Qianwu said it again, he felt a bit foolish. The intelligence shining in Ge Nianlan’s eyes felt oddly off putting.
“Mn! I’ll wait for you, Luo-gege,” Ge Nianlan said with a bright grin.
Luo Qianwu said a few more words of concern before he bid Ge Nianlan farewell.
Ge Nianlan’s smile remained until he was sure Luo Qianwu had left. He sat there for a few seconds, before he spoke at a normal volume: “Ling Tong, are you there?”
The door creaked open and the girl stepped in. She bowed. “Do you have orders for me, Young Lord?”
“Not really. Just questions,” Ge Nianlan said.
Ling Tong tilted her head. “I will answer to the best of my abilities.”
“Do you know Luo Qianwu?” Ge Nianlan asked.
“Yes.”
“Can you tell me about him?” Ge Nianlan asked.
“Luo Qianwu is the nephew of the Wolf Saint. His parents were loyal subjects to His Excellency. During an expedition to subdue the rebels in the northeast, Luo Qianwu’s parents ended up losing their life. And because of a traitor, the Wolf Saint fell into a trap that caused him to be poisoned. He is now partially retired, but still holds the title of Wolf Saint, because we have yet to find a suitable replacement,” Ling Tong said.
“Wolf Saint,” Ge Nianlan echoed. He thought about it for a moment before asking his next question, “How many Saints are there?”
“In total, there should be eight.”
“I saw six today,” Ge Nianlan said.
“Yes.”
“One is the Wolf Saint,” Ge Nianlan said. He dug around in his foggy memory. “Who’s the other missing one?”
“The Raven Saint.”
Ge Nianlan frowned. “I’ve never heard of the Raven Saint before.”
“That is because we do not have one. The Raven Saint died a few years before you were born, Young Lord,” Ling Tong explained. “There used to be a candidate for the Raven Saint, as suggested by the previous one. However, they disappeared a few years back. And, otherwise, there are no suitable candidates.”
“Disappeared? How?”
“There were many people who vied for the Raven Saint’s seat, so the child was kidnapped. Up until now, we still haven’t found them.
“Kidnapped…” Ge Nianlan murmured.
“Do you have any other questions?”
“The Saints…what are they…for?” Ge Nianlan asked. He smiled awkwardly. “From my point of view, you guys just feel like my caretakers. But I’m sure there are other reasons you guys are around, right?”
Ling Tong fell silent, as if she wasn’t sure how to explain. A moment later, she refocused her gaze. “Young Lord, the explanation is long.”
“That’s okay,” Ge Nianlan said. “I just want to know. I…realized that I don’t know very much, you see. It’s making me uncomfortable.”
“Very well,” Ling Tong said. “Black Mane Palace’s structure is split like this—the Palace Master, who is at the top, the Eight Saints, the Three Great Clans, the Four Cardinal Lords, the direct, inner, and outer sect disciples, and then the vassals, who are smaller clans that have submitted to Black Mane Palace. The Eight Saints are cultivators who are second only to the Palace Master. They are the Palace Master’s sword and their shield.
“The Eight Saints are split as thus: the Raven Saint, who is in charge of intel; the Black Tortoise Saint, who is the chief advisor; the Nine-Tailed Fox Saint, who is the strategist; the Black Koi Saint, who is in charge of the waterways; the Bull Saint, who is in charge of defense and the front line; the Wolf Saint, who has the strongest offense and is in charge of the guards within Black Mane Palace; the Vulture Saint, who guards the land before the River of the Forgotten; and the Python Saint, who is the Palace Master’s personal elite attack force.”
Ling Tong paused and looked at Ge Nianlan.
Ge Nianlan slowly nodded. “And which are you?”
“I am the Python Saint,” Ling Tong said.
Ge Nianlan hummed. “But you were in charge of watching me?”
“Yes. His Excellency said that your well being is more important than his own,” Ling Tong said.
Ge Nianlan felt a stab of guilt. This was only because he thought that he was his own flesh and blood.
Ge Nianlan wanted to awkwardly decline such a high honor, but he swallowed his words. “Can you tell me more about yourself too? I mean…if you’re guarding me, we’ll see each other often, won’t we?”
“We will not see each other,” Ling Tong said. “I am meant to stay out of sight.”
Ge Nianlan smiled. “But I still want to get to know you, Ling Tong.”
Ling Tong seemed to hesitate. “Do you have any specific questions?”
“Um…what’s your family like?”
“I have no family.”
“No family?” Ge Nianlan’s eyes widened. “O-oh, I’m sorry. Did they…?”
“No, I have never had a family,” Ling Tong said. “Young Lord, I am a puppet demon.”
“A puppet…demon?” Ge Nianlan’s eyes widened further. His face flushed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize.”
“No need to apologize. If you didn’t realize, it means that I have done a good job in cultivating,” Ling Tong joked. She thought about it for a moment and said, “There are two others with a demonic lineage.”
“Who?” Ge Nianlan asked. He didn’t want to get into more awkward situations like this one again.
“Lord Zhao, the Nine-Tailed Fox Saint, is a descendant from a true fox spirit. They inherited the fox’s talents and even decided to cultivate a similar method, but he is more human than anything. Nie Chenhui, the Vulture Saint, is a six-hundred-year-old skeleton demon. He is wicked and cunning. He is not to be trifled with,” Ling Tong said.
Ge Nianlan stared at her.
“What is it?”
“Nothing, just…do you not like the Vulture Saint?” Ge Nianlan asked curiously.
“I have no opinion of him. Why do you ask?” Ling Tong asked.
Ge Nianlan glanced away for a second. “Um…you just…he was the only person you expressed your personal opinion on.”
“That is merely because he is insufferable,” Ling Tong said monotonously. “But it does not mean that I dislike him.”
a future where some of these Saints are disrespected and dead, no thank you (⇀‸↼‶) i am growing attached already… not as fast as im latching onto Luo Qianwu tho akxhskdj candy yippee!! ٩( ᐛ )و
eheh so much more story than i thought i’d get today!! and i have so much to chew on already… Ge Nianlan feels like he can be squeezed like a squeaky toy alxhskd the poor guy
When I think of Ge Nianlan, I think of this one scene of Cerberus from a form of media i’ve forgotten with one tiny squeaky toy to share between three heads…He is the tiny squeaky toy.
Thanks for reading!!
Thanks for translating! Loving this already.
Also python saint: No. I just respectfully think the vulture Saint is a piece of-
it’s not a translation ;v; it’s my original writing LOL thanks for reading!