When Bai Gungun woke up, he found himself lying in a thicket of poshijia flowers, a strong floral scent wafting from the white blossoms. Mingling with the floral fragrance was a bit of the dewy scent that came after rain. He could not help but sneeze. Only when he stood up and looked ahead did he realize that he had unexpectedly arrived at the Holy Blue Sea.
Bai Gungun was dumbstruck. Ten years ago, father and Jiujiu were both injured when they killed the demoness1 Miao Luo. Jiujiu had to drink several large bowlfuls of father’s golden-red blood alongside High God Zheyan’s elixirs, recuperating for several months before the crisis was over. It was just that she would not be able to recultivate her immortal energy for a while. But for Jiujiu, there was no particular urgency on whenever she could cultivate back her immortal energy. Father’s problem was also that he had to cultivate back the immortal energy he had lost, but this was a very important matter that the entire God Clan was concerned about. Brother Zhonglin said that, actually, if father could go into a deep sleep to recuperate for a few hundred years, then that would be it, but he did not want for Jiujiu to be all alone again just as soon as she returned to Jiuchongtian. Moreover, he did not want to miss his young Gungun’s childhood. For these reasons, he chose to go into seclusion for three to five months each year, slowly recovering his immortal energy over a thousand years.
Today was once again the day each year that father went into seclusion. Whenever father went into seclusion, it would be inside Taichen Palace’s innermost Yangshu Tower. Every year when father went into seclusion, Jiujiu would take him back to Qingqiu. Taking advantage of Jiujiu saying goodbye to father at the door of Yangshu Tower in their reluctance to separate from each other2, feeling that his own presence was unnecessary, he snuck out, planning to go each and every palace and residence of the 36th Heaven to say goodbye to the little immortal children he played with. When he passed by Yuanji Palace, he thought that although there were no little immortal children living there, Yuanji Palace’s Third Uncle Lian had always treated him well. Since he was going back to Qingqiu, he should go say goodbye to him. Who could have known that as soon as he entered Yuanji Palace, a wave of light would hit his face, and then he lost consciousness…
Yes. This should be what happened a moment ago.
In the end, as soon as he shut his eyes and opened them again, he had unexpectedly arrived at the Holy Blue Sea, separated from Jiuchongtian by hundreds of thousands of miles. The main entrance to the Holy Blue Sea was even surrounded by a group of immortals. There were even a few immortals who were hacking away at his father’s restriction spell as if they were using weapons to tear down a house.
Unexpectedly, there were immortals who would dare to disturb the land of the Holy Blue Sea? What was going on?
Baffled, Bai Gungun walked nearer, and finding a discreet place, he squatted and watched intently, then heard two young immortal brothers discussing.
Brother A gazed ahead and sighed: “To be so disrespectful to Dijun, if we really disturb Dijun into coming out, none of us will end well, will we?”
Brother B was a bit more extreme compared to the other: “As long as Dijun would come out, so what if we don’t end well? The God Clan is already in imminent danger; if my waiting can make Dijun come out of retirement, even if I died for this, my death would be worthwhile!”
Wanting to live, brother A rationally advised: “I’ve heard that the elders have also requested High God Zheyan to try talking to him. Let’s wait here respectfully. If Dijun does not come, then perhaps High God Zheyan has a way to see Dijun. I still feel that we don’t absolutely have to use such an extreme method…”
Bai Gungun listened in this way for a while, a little confused. From these two young brothers’ meanings, father was actually at the Holy Blue Sea right now? But wasn’t father supposed to go into seclusion? Why would he come to the Holy Blue Sea again?
He walked toward the immortals ahead of him who were exhausting all their abilities in trying to break father’s restriction spell, but also did not get too close, only finding a safe spot to squat down again.
These immortals seemed to have urgent business to see father for, but how could they move father’s restriction spell by so haphazardly hacking at it?
But Bai Gungun also understood very well that with his own immortal energy, he was no match for these tall and burly immortals. Thus, he did not take the initiative to raise his voice to make them stop hacking at their home’s main entrance.
Only when those few god generals tired themselves out from hacking did he stand up, walk over, and ever so politely nod at them: “May I ask, are you tired from hacking, and want to rest for a bit?”
The god generals who had indeed planned to stop to and rest for a bit looked at the toddler in front of their eyes who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, then looked at each other, a little dumbstruck.
“Oh, then make way please.” Having said this, Bai Gungun carefully slipped between the god generals.
The gods gaped as this toddler who had appeared out of nowhere moved unimpeded into that golden restriction ring that they had chopped at for half a year without being able to chop open, and effortlessly walked to the main entrance of the Holy Blue Sea. Then, they gaped as he slowly pulled from around his neck a key, stood on his tiptoes, and totteringly inserted the key into the door’s jade lock. Click, he easily opened that door they had watched for three years, that had gathered up the painstaking efforts and intelligence of forty-nine people, who after trying for 1,095 days and nights, had not been able to touch even an edge of the main entrance.
Everyone was dumbstruck.
Bai Gungun did not notice the strange atmosphere suddenly rising behind him. Naturally, he pushed the door open and walked in, and when he turned around to shut the door, still separated by Dijun’s restriction spell, in the direction of the dumbstruck god generals outside the door, gave another nod. As politely as before, “Thank you for making way for me.” Then, still under the gazes of the crowd that could not believe it, who doubted their immortal lives, courteously shut the door.
Familiar with the route, Bai Gungun climbed aboard the small boat, passing through the lake lushly filled with flowers and trees. Only as he neared the stone palace did he feel that something was not quite right: the flower garden connecting the right side of the stone palace to the lake had unexpectedly disappeared. In its place was instead a dense grove. Moreover, what was unexpectedly hanging on the door of the stone palace also was not the jade sign that he and father had inscribed together last year. Instead, engraved were a few characters that he did not recognize.
Just as he was lost in contemplation, a brother he had never seen before flew down, blocking his way. He called himself immortal Fei Wei, the caretaker of the Holy Blue Sea.
Instantly, Bai Gungun was completely dumbstruck.
He knew that immortal Fei Wei was the first immortal caretaker of the Holy Blue Sea. He was brother Zhonglin’s grandfather who had already faded hundreds of thousands of years ago.
When immortal Fei Wei cautiously and curiously asked him who exactly he was and how exactly he was able to step foot in the Holy Blue Sea, the completely dumbstruck young Gungun, for the first time in his life, stuttered. “I… I’m my father’s, that is Dijun’s, that is, also Donghua Dijun’s, I… I’m his son. My name is Bai Gungun.”
After that, immortal Fei Wei was completely dumbstruck along with him.
As immortal Fei Wei brought him to see his father, the intelligent young Gungun came to understand some things. Three years ago, after that big incident on Kunlun Mountain, the Light Goddess Zuti who had returned had continuously secluded herself in Yuanji Palace to nurse her injuries. He had heard that for Goddess Zuti, Third Uncle Lian had turned the entirety of Yuanji Palace into a seclusion formation. Most likely, when he had gone to Yuanji Palace this morning, he had accidentally bumped into the formation, and because of this, like the sisters in the stories that his Great Aunt Bai Qian loved to read, he traveled through time. After all, one of Goddess Zuti’s most famous abilities was to look back in time. He bumped into Goddess Zuti’s formation, therefore he was sent back to the era when brother Zhonglin’s grandfather was still alive. This was also quite reasonable.
Right now, Bai Gungun was sitting in front of Dijun. Immortal Fei Wei conjured up a small chair especially for him. Holding onto the small chair’s jade armrest, he looked at this father of his in front of him with some curiosity. He was not at all anxious about what he ought to do about being sent back a few hundred thousand years by Goddess Zuti’s formation. In front of him was his own all-powerful father. Father was here, so he felt very safe. He had no doubts that father would definitely be able to send him back.
This younger father in front of him looked at him for a moment, and opened his eminent mouth: “You’re saying that you’re my son? But I’ve never been married.”
Bai Gungun froze. He was shocked that his father unexpectedly did not want to acknowledge him as his son. “B- but I’m a silver-haired little immortal child, one look could tell anyone that I’m father’s child.”
But even though he had brought up such strong evidence, his father did not seem at all concerned. “The Demon Clan’s long waves and mist, the Monster Clan’s luster and clarity, and the God Clan’s shine, all are also silver-haired.”
Bai Gungun had never once thought that in this era, in these Eight Realms and Four Seas, aside his father, there would also be so many other silver-haired creatures. Surprised for a moment, “But I’m so good-looking. Aside from father, the other silver-haired uncles and aunts aren’t fit to have a child as good-looking as me.”
His father looked at him for another moment: “Mmm, I also agree with this explanation of yours,” he paused, “but I’ve really never been married.”
Only now did Bai Gungun remember, “Oh, I forgot to tell father.” He struggled to organize his words, trying to explain things clearly: “I’m not father’s child from right now, but I’m your child from the future. This morning, after seeing father off to seclusion with mother, I went to Yuanji Palace to find Third Uncle Lian to say goodbye, but as a result, I accidentally collided with Goddess Zuti’s seclusion formation, and was sent here by that formation.”
“Zuti? Zuti is still alive?” This question was not asked by his father, but by High God Zheyan who had been sitting to the side drinking tea all this time. When Bai Gungun turned his gaze towards him, High God Zheyan could not quite hold back his surprise, but kindly asked him another question: “Young Gungun, you say that you’ve come from the future, then do you know how many years later you’ve come from?”
Bai Gungun was a very well-organized child. He tried to answer each of Zheyan’s questions in order. “Reporting to High God Zheyan, Goddess Zuti is indeed still alive. She only returned not too long ago.” But after all, he was still just a little child who forgot things easily. After finishing answering this question, he had kind of forgotten what else High God Zheyan had asked him, and looked at him helplessly. Only after High God Zheyan reminded him did he remember again. “Oh, I don’t know how many years in the future I come from either.” He thought for a while, “But I know that when I was born, father was already 400,000 years old.”
High God Zheyan worked out this arithmetic problem very quickly. He took a breath of cold air: “Then, you come from 260,000 years later?” He also instantly seized onto the highlight of this gossip, “You’re saying that Dijun only had you at the advanced age of 400,000 years. You must be the youngest child then, right? How many older brothers and sisters do you have?”
Bai Gungun shook his head. I don’t have any older brothers and sisters. I am father’s only child and also the only young master of Taichen Palace.” After saying this, he turned his head to look at Fei Wei standing beside him, “Brother Fei Wei, I’m a little thirsty. I want to drink water.”
Fei Wei hurried to attend to him.
Dijun examined the toddler in front of him who was holding a teacup in both hands and decorously drinking tea, sip by sip.
This child who called himself Bai Gungun did indeed look very similar to him and Zuti indeed could also still be alive. The alive Zuti indeed could also send this child 260,000 years into the past. The most important thing was that this child was also able to pass through his restriction spell unimpeded. A toddler, even if he were lying, could not possibly lie so perfectly. Then this beautiful child indeed should be his son. To Dijun who did not have the slightest interest in the worldly dusts of love and affection, after confirming that Bai Gungun was his son, did not have any interest in who exactly his future wife was, but was instead genuinely puzzled about a different matter. After contemplating for a long time, he asked the toddler still drinking water with his head lowered: “400,000 years old? Why did your mother and I only have you at such an old age?”
Bai Gungun raised his head up from his cup, blinking his eyes. “Mother isn’t 400,000 years old. Mother is still very young. Our family only has you who is 400,000 years old, father.” He carefully tried to recall how Jiujiu had described herself at that time, and very quickly figuring it out, he fisted his small right hand and lightly rapped his right leg with it, repeating her words with certainty, “Jiujiu also said herself that she’s very young, that she’s father’s beautiful pampered young wife3.”
The four words “beautiful pampered young wife” made Dijun’s face go blank.
High God Zheyan snorted with laughter. “You’re just a little toddler, do you know what beautiful pampered young wife means?”
Gungun put his teacup down. “Mmm,” he waved his small hand. Without a trace of doubt, “Of course I know. Jiujiu said that when she only just reached the age to begin discussing marriage, she married father. So young and full of life, and even so good-looking, so she’s a beautiful pampered young wife.”
A hint of skepticism emerged from Dijun’s blank expression: “So exactly how much difference is there in age between your mother and I?”
Gungun did the math in his head: “370,000 years.”
Dijun was silent for a moment. His expression solemn, “Did you say an extra ‘thousand4’?”
Gungun shook his head. To show that he was a trustworthy person, he copied his father and put on a solemn expression. “No.” He very carefully explained this arithmetic problem to his father: “Father, you were 400,000 years old when you married mother. At that time, mother was 30,000 years old. It’s 400,000 minus 30,000, so it’s 370,000.” He added another sentence, “Not 3705.”
Once again, Dijun was silent for a moment. His expression seemed a little distracted. “Why is our age difference so large and I still married her? Was I forced to?”
Seeing Donghua like this for the first time in his entire life, High God Zheyan was so happy he could die. Seeing Gungun frozen there without a way to answer this question, hardly able to hold back his excellent mood, he offered a fair assessment: “Let’s not even talk about how virtuous and prestigious your reputation will be 260,000 years from now in the Four Seas and Eight Realms. Even today, no one on Heaven or on Earth would dare to force you. It looks like you did it willingly!” Then he said to the still frozen Gungun, “Surely there must be something exceptional about your mother. Only that would make Dijun not care about there being such a large difference in between their ages and sincerely marry her. Right, which young lady of which family is your mother?”
This question, Gungun knew how to answer. He immediately pulled himself together again, looking at High God Zheyan. “You don’t know my mother,” he thought for a bit, “but you do know my mother’s grandfather. He’s your good friend High God Bai Zhi.”
High God Zheyan spit out a mouthful of tea.
He just happened to spit it all over Bai Gungun.
Gungun was stunned.
Dijun finally returned to his senses. He glanced at Zheyan, glanced at Gungun, then signaled for Fei Wei to take Gungun to change his clothes.
Gungun followed Fei Wei to leave, leaving only the two High Gods staring at each other beneath the fuling flower tree.
At length, High God Zheyan opened his mouth, shattering the silence beneath the tree. His face filled with glee and incredulity: “You actually married Bai Zhi’s granddaughter!”
High God Zheyan’s words had just fallen, but before Dijun could respond, two lively young immortal children came skipping in, carrying in their arms a small fiery red fox.
Dijun looked at the two young immortal children in front of him, feeling a headache: “What other matters do you have?”
The young immortal child presented the nine-tailed little fox in his arms to Dijun as if it were a treasure, chattering about their achievement, “Dizuo, dizuo, the servants found this strange little fox by the Jinjing Lake6. Thinking that Dizuo loves furry animals, we brought it here. Dizuo, hold it!”
Dijun really did like furry animals. When he saw beautiful furry animals, he really could not help but want to hold them. For this reason, he took the little fox. Seeing that its eyes were tightly closed, he asked the two young immortal children: “What happened to it?”
The young immortal child answered: “It had already fainted when we found it, but it’s not a big deal. We gave it a qingxin pill, it should wake up soon!”
Dijun nodded. Caressing the little fox’s forehead, he told the two young immortal children, “We’ll raise it in the palace as a spirit pet, then. You two go and build it a cozy hut.”
Brought out again by Fei Wei after changing his clothes, Bai Gungun heard the word “hut” and was somewhat curious. As he quietly mumbled “what hut?”, he turned a corner, seeing the little fox in Dijun’s arms. His eyes widened. “Ah, mother!”
High God Zheyan glanced at Bai Gungun, glanced at Dijun, then glanced at the little fox in Dijun’s arms. “Ah,” he said, “the family of three is reunited.”
Again, Dijun’s face went blank. Looking at the little fox in his arms, it wouldn’t be right to put it down, but it also wouldn’t be right to not put it down. For a moment, he didn’t know who he was, where he was, or what exactly he was doing.
The two young immortal children looked at each other, then quietly and timidly asked, “Huh? Dizuo, are you going to marry this little red fox? Th- then should we still build it a hut?”
Notes:
1: 妖; the translation I’ve been using for this word is actually ‘monster,’ but another possible translation of 妖 is ‘demon.’ I usually try to differentiate, but it’s a bit awkward here.
2: 难舍难分; loathe to part from each other
3: 小娇妻; meaning ‘beautiful and pampered young wife,’ a wife that is very well-loved and spoiled by her husband
4: 万; technically means 10,000, which doesn’t translate nicely into English
5: Again, because 万 is 10,000, it should be 37 here, but it translates a bit awkwardly if I try to retain it
6: 金镜湖; lit. Golden Mirror Lake
UnluckyWhiteCat 
This so so funny…
Thanks for translating this novel. It’s my favorite…
Thanks!!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️
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Oh my gosh. This is getting better and better.
Can’t wait for the next chapter. Thank you so much for the translation.
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