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墨書 Inktalez
Giving a birthday gift is fundamentally about two things: it should be valuable and rare. Ye Chuanze felt that given his relationship with Fuxi and Nüwa, if he were to choose gifts solely based on their value and rarity, it would come off as too superficial and thoughtless. If it were just an ordinary birthday, like if today were the birthday of Demon Emperor Di Jun or Eastern Emperor Taiyi, Ye Chuanze wouldn’t need to worry about the gift at all; he could simply pick out a couple of valuable items from his treasury, the more expensive the better, as that would reflect his intentions.
However, when it came to Fuxi and Nüwa, if he dared to act this way, he was certain that Nüwa would mock him, saying, "You truly are a disciple of the Dao Ancestor; you have quite a collection of fine things."
As for Fuxi, who was always gentle and considerate, he would not be as merciless as Nüwa in his tone. Instead, he would smile warmly at Ye Chuanze until it made him feel uneasy and then say in a soft voice, “You really shouldn’t have gone to such expense. Next time on your birthday, I may not be able to present something so precious, but the gift I give will certainly be carefully chosen and meaningful.” The implication being that it wouldn’t be as casual as merely picking out something expensive.
In some ways, Fuxi and Nüwa were equally formidable siblings who were not to be trifled with.
Ye Chuanze was troubled by this; his head was spinning. He had never been good at social interactions or at the skill of gift-giving. If possible, he wished he could just throw money at Fuxi and Nüwa and say, “Buy whatever you like.” Of course, this was just a thought; not only was there currently no trade or currency in the Primordial realm, but even if there were, Nüwa would likely beat him up for such an idea, followed by Fuxi delivering a finishing blow.
Ye Chuanze was distressed! His hair was almost turning gray like Hongjun's. He began to recall his own birthdays and realized that over the years, he had never celebrated one. The main reason was that he had transformed late; in front of the powerful beings of the Primordial realm, he could still be considered a junior. While others celebrated their millennia-long birthdays, he was still only a few thousand years old. He felt embarrassed to celebrate his birthday as it would lower his status! Thus, he had automatically blocked out the significance of that day. The powerful beings of the Primordial realm had also grown accustomed to celebrating without him since when they held banquets for birthdays in the past, he was still an untransformed lotus flower.
Speaking of which, how did the custom of celebrating birthdays originate? Ye Chuanze couldn’t remember who first held a banquet for their birthday. He only recalled that there was a time when the Primordial beings started a trend of holding birthday banquets. Initially, it was because they were bored and wanted an excuse to gather for some lively festivities. Over time, it became a customary practice.
The one who truly gave special significance to birthdays should be Demon Emperor Di Jun. To express his joy at having offspring and to bless his children, he held a grand birthday banquet in the Heavenly Palace. From then on, birthdays took on a celebratory meaning filled with good wishes.
In truth, the significance of birthdays among immortals and deities is far less profound than it is among humans. Immortals have infinite lifespans; their long lives make their birthdays less important. In contrast, humans have short lifespans akin to flowers—brilliantly blooming but quickly fading away—making their birthdays much more significant. Each passing birthday brings them closer to death. Celebrating one’s birthday is both a celebration of life and a reminder that another year has passed; thus they must cherish their remaining time even more.
To the gods and immortals, humans are like mayflies—born in the morning and dead by evening—no different from ants on the ground.
Ye Chuanze leaned back on a soft couch with his long black hair casually draped across his chest. His expression was calm as he recalled passing through a human tribe recently and taking a look at their living conditions. After all, he bore the title of Saint Master among humans and had a responsibility to guide them; he couldn’t ignore them completely. If humans faced great disasters, Heaven’s Dao would hold him accountable.
The human race was developing well; they had learned to use simple tools and could hunt and fish effectively, greatly increasing their chances of survival. Ye Chuanze felt gratified upon seeing this. Although he held the title of Saint Master among humans, he understood that his true responsibility wasn’t to teach them how to survive; humans didn’t need guidance from a demon clan member for development. His role—or rather the task assigned by Heaven’s Dao—was merely to help them adapt to this world during their early stages of ignorance and protect this weak new race from being exterminated under the strong rule of the Lich Clans.
Thus, he rarely intervened in human affairs; initially guiding them swiftly to adapt to this world before letting them develop freely once they had acquired basic survival skills. Afterward, he would occasionally visit the Human Tribe to check on their well-being and ensure there were no threats of extinction looming over them.
He is basically a nanny, isn't he? Nuwa is at least a mother, but here she has been reduced to the status of a nanny, Ye Chuanze couldn't help but sigh.
Last time, when Ye Chuanze passed by the Human Tribe, he found it bustling with activity. Unable to contain his curiosity, he asked what was happening. The High Priest of the Human Tribe told him that everyone was preparing for a celebration to honor Nuwa's birthday. The warriors of the tribe had set out to hunt in order to present the best game on Nuwa's special day. As he spoke, the High Priest's face radiated joy and reverence, as if he could see the figure of Nuwa Sage in his mind's eye.
Hearing this, Ye Chuanze fell silent. Regardless of what might happen later, at least for now, the humans genuinely loved their mother and also cherished her kin. The relationship between the humans and the demon tribe was not bad; in fact, they were quite close to the very mother who created them. Because of Nuwa and Ye Chuanze's relationship, the demon tribe did not trouble the humans; instead, some demons had formed good relationships with humans. After all, this newly emerged race was quite charming and easily attracted the attention of demons.
Thinking about all this made Ye Chuanze feel very complicated—somewhat melancholic and somewhat helpless. He tilted his head back and stared up at the sky. So what kind of gift should he give to Fuxi and Nuwa? He couldn't let himself fall short compared to the humans! If even the humans were putting so much effort into preparing gifts, he couldn't be careless!
In the end, Ye Chuanze chose a piece of deep-sea black iron that he had stumbled upon and personally forged a sword for Fuxi. He also carved a jade hairpin from an extremely rare Cold Jade, embedding a Golden Silk Butterfly on top that looked as if it were about to take flight. A sword for a hero and a hairpin for a beauty; both were excellent magical treasures. The sword was a weapon commonly used by men, while the hairpin was traditionally associated with beautiful women—elegant yet sharp.
The key point was that these were all made by his own hands. Even if they weren't perfect or didn't meet expectations, Fuxi and Nuwa would not disdain them; they simply couldn't! If they dared to show even a hint of disdain, Ye Chuanze promised he would make them regret it! The phrase "made by hand" was enough to overshadow everything else.
Ye Chuanze carefully placed the sword and hairpin into gift boxes and stored them away, feeling greatly satisfied. He deeply admired his own cleverness and was moved by his kindness towards his friends. He believed that his gifts would surely please Fuxi and Nuwa; they would definitely like them, Ye Chuanze thought confidently.
However, the reality was that Fuxi and Nuwa never got the chance to receive his meticulously crafted birthday gifts.
The reason was that on the day before Fuxi and Nuwa's birthday—just as Ye Chuanze had finished preparing their gifts—someone came to visit Purple Cloud Palace. The visitor was Haotian, whom Ye Chuanze personally received with curiosity. Purple Cloud Palace had always been independent from Primordial; Dao Ancestor never interfered in Primordial matters, and Haotian along with Yaochi were never far from Dao Ancestor's side. Why had they suddenly come to Yunze Cave today?
Haotian said, "On behalf of Dao Ancestor, I have brought this item for you."
"...What is this?" Ye Chuanze saw two red boxes in Haotian's hands—one large and one small—and felt an ominous premonition.
"This is a birthday gift for Nuwa Sage and Fuxi Daoist," Haotian replied earnestly.
Damn it! Ye Chuanze suppressed the urge to facepalm and forced a smile as he said, "Dao Ancestor holds a noble status; Nuwa Sage and Fuxi Daoist do not deserve such treatment from him. He should take it back!"
"This is not something Dao Ancestor is giving to Nuwa Sage and Fuxi Daoist; this is prepared for you by Dao Ancestor," Haotian stated.
"There's no need to trouble the old man; I have already prepared birthday gifts for both of them," Ye Chuanze told himself that the time for his test had come, and he must not disrespect Dao Ancestor! He absolutely could not curse!
"Senior Brother..." Haotian suddenly looked up at him and asked, "Do you have the guts to refuse Dao Ancestor?"
"..." Ye Chuanze.
"So you might as well not make things difficult for me," Haotian said with a pained expression. "You should just accept your fate!"
Although Haotian's words were quite irritating and made Ye Chuanze feel an urge to punch him, he had to admit that what he said made sense. Ye Chuanze really didn't have the courage to refuse Hongjun. So, he sadly accepted the items sent by Hongjun's people, and then he buried his painstakingly crafted masterpiece at the bottom of the box. It was truly heartbreaking!
The next day, when Fuxi and Nüwa opened the gift sent by Ye Chuanze, they both fell silent at the astonishing value of the gift. Such a lavish gesture was completely inconsistent with their perception of Ye Chuanze. Nüwa's keen eyes spotted a Jade Tablet pressed at the bottom of the box. She picked up the Jade Tablet, which was inscribed with several divine characters, reading: "Gift from Ye Chuanze and Hongjun."
Seeing this, Nüwa fell silent and silently handed the Jade Tablet to her brother Fuxi.
Fuxi also fell silent for a moment, and after a long while, he said with a bitter smile: "What a grand gift... Ye Chuanze, you really know how to get me into trouble!"
Nüwa remained quiet upon hearing this; after all, the person who accompanied the gift held a significant status that she could not casually comment on. However, in her heart, she secretly scorned him as a petty and domineering man. Did he really need to assert his dominance even when giving a gift?
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