My Roommate is a Non-Human | Chapter 62 | A Soul for Stone | Novela.app

The next day, Jin Mu and I met at a cafe on campus. I’d never dared to step foot in that place before because I was too poor, but since nothing was real anymore anyway, I decided to throw caution to the wind. I grabbed a sofa in the corner and stared out the glass window. People passed by outside, laughing and walking, oblivious to the fact that they weren't real. Dusk was approaching, and the deep golden light felt heavy and bleak. About ten minutes later, a faint, translucent shadow slowly drifted into view within the window. He moved with agonizing slowness because over his shoulder was a thick hemp rope, and behind him, he was dragging an entire... marble statue! Holy crap! Was Jin Mu seriously bringing his "beloved" along for such a serious conversation? How was I supposed to look this couple in the eye? His beloved was now a 1:1 life-sized statue. Aside from a cloth draped around the waist, the figure was completely bare. It was clearly a man. Smooth, flowing muscles covered a well-proportioned frame, creating a sense of physical beauty. With slightly furrowed long brows and an elegant, quiet temperament, he possessed a distinct classical grace. Jin Mu panted heavily as he heaved the statue to one side. Wiping away sweat, he sat down within the reflection of the glass. He was about seventy percent transparent; sitting in the dim reflection of the sofa, I could see the streetlights flickering on and the pedestrians fading into silhouettes right through him. Seeing me stare at his sculpture, he uncomfortably adjusted his collar. "It’s mostly because my wife can’t sit down, otherwise you should have prepared another sofa—we’re basically inseparable now." I could only manage one response: "Evidently. I asked you here because I want you to break this mirror barrier. I’m trapped behind it." Jin Mu gave me an equally evident reply: "I can't do that. You know I’ve only just become... whatever this is. My technical skills are incredibly unpolished. I’ve only just learned how to clean a room without lifting a finger, and now you want me to break a barrier set by the Main God? That’s too hard, Ye Xiao. I can’t pull that off." I pressed a hand to my forehead. "Then... then let me ask you this: after you devoured Zhang Litian’s godhead, can you see scenes from the past? Did you inherit his memories?!" Jin Mu let out a sharp "No." "I went to great lengths to isolate the two of us; why would I touch his mental essence? But to be honest, I do see some blurry, strange scenes. I don't know if he’s influencing me from within, or if it’s because of my innate prophetic abilities." "Then have you ever seen how the 'old me' broke these mirror barriers?" Jin Mu shook his head regretfully. "Ye Xiao, I’ve only seen the mirror shatter and you emerging into reality because of it. I don’t know who did it, or how... I don’t even know if that was history or the future." I rubbed my temples again. It was already difficult enough for Jin Mu to communicate with me through the barrier; expecting him to actually get me out was indeed wishful thinking. Even if he were determined to help, I couldn't bear to see him turned into oil. Ideally, he would provide the strategy and I would do the work. But he couldn't even help with that; he just sat there across from me, acting all lovey-dovey with his statue. I missed Lu Daoshi immensely. Just as I finished my coffee and prepared to say goodbye, Jin Mu suddenly spoke. "Ye Xiao! Can you help me give my wife a soul?" I told him regretfully that I hadn't been a god for very long either, my technical skills were also incredibly unpolished, and as a god, I seemed no different from a mortal. Aside from growing grass, I hadn't developed any other skills. I doubted I could help him. But Jin Mu lunged forward, his eyes fixed on me, sparkling. "That’s not true! That’s not true! I saw you guys creating humans once, really! There was a hideously ugly god who took a segment of your DNA to create humanity and give them life. And you used your heart’s blood to give the first human a soul." Having said that, he frantically slapped the statue’s backside, producing a series of *thump-thump* sounds! His bright eyes stared at me intently, filled with hope. I rubbed my forehead yet again. Artists truly were creatures I couldn't understand. Gods, too. An artist becoming a god was completely beyond my comprehension. That said, I couldn't help but crack a small smile. To be honest, the psychological pressure was immense; in this fake world that constantly repeated yesterday, everyone else felt like the walking dead. Even though Jin Mu couldn't help at all and was instead pestering me to "consecrate" his husband so they could live happily ever after, I felt a sense of relief. And I was touched. If a man and a stone could be like this, what on earth had possessed my Liu Wukong to lock me up?! "Give me a drop of heart’s blood," Jin Mu urged, his gaze incredibly sincere. "That way, even if you can't get out, you’ll have two friends coming to visit you." I told him to skip that last part while I looked around, wondering if there was a way to extract blood from my heart without it hurting. Looking around the Western-style cafe, there were only knives and forks, which terrified me. Finally, I went to the "Little Western Heaven" shop next door and bought a syringe. I summoned my courage and pushed the needle into the area over my heart. Realizing it didn't hurt at all, I carefully drew a tiny bit of blood, maybe about 3ml. Once it was drawn, however, I didn't know how to give it to him. Jin Mu was delighted. He said to me, "Don't move." Then he slowly raised his hand and pinched the phantom image of the syringe within the glass window. The phantom was taken by him, and the syringe in my hand vanished into thin air. A flash of inspiration hit me. "Since that works, can you use that method to get me out too?" "No. The moment you leave, the Main God will notice." Jin Mu squinted at the blood in the syringe, looking as if his life was now complete. I couldn't help but cough twice. "That’s strange. My heart’s blood has gone out, so why hasn't he noticed that?" Coming back to his senses, Jin Mu looked a bit flustered. "It’s hard to say. He might have already noticed, but I absolutely will not back down. Even if he turns me into oil, I had to ask you for this drop of blood. My wife needs a soul so, so much—oh, I don't mean he doesn't have one; in my heart, he’s not just a cold piece of stone! He is delicate, sorrowful, and sensitive, yet strong enough to endure the dullness and loneliness of a stone body... Yes, my wife has such a rich inner world, he just can't express it. He’s nothing like our cold-hearted Main God. With your heart’s blood, he can become no different from an ordinary person!..." I cut him off. "Wait, why are you bashing my husband while praising your wife?" Jin Mu’s face turned red. "I wasn't bashing him." My face turned red with anger too. "Why did you call my husband cold-hearted?" "He... he *is* cold-hearted..." Jin Mu clutched the syringe and scooted his butt back. "Don't you know that you and he are two sides of the same coin? You are the lesser divinity, close to common humanity, while he is all the 'high and mighty' stuff." "I know that, but he’s not cold at all. He’s so good to me!" After saying that, I added dejectedly, "He used to be." Now I didn't know where he’d gone off to play. "No, no, no, no, no, that’s not it." Jin Mu’s expression turned serious. "Ye Xiao, have you ever wondered why you represent all the 'vices'?" I thought for two seconds. "Because my husband wanted to be the Main God, so he gave all the vices to me." "He didn't give you all the vices, Ye Xiao." Jin Mu looked at me with pity. "Behind every vice, there is only one thing: human emotion. People become warlike and jealous because of the desire to 'possess'; people become greedy and selfish because of 'fear'; people become excited, crazed, and foolish because of the emotion of 'liking'... Humans are creatures of emotion. Everything they do stems more from feeling than from logic, and so do you. But the Main God—the moment he discarded all emotion, he could never again be swayed by feelings. That is why he is invincible. He has no emotions." My mind went blank. I sank into the sofa, unable to move. "It can't be like that... He wouldn't..." Even though my Big Liu was usually a bit dull, a bit stoic, a bit quiet, and had a bit of a low EQ, he was good to me... He still got jealous, didn't he? He would hold Xiao Yu and stroke his head. He often said 'Daddy is angry'... Right, his tone of voice clearly didn't sound angry at all. Though he was good to me, there really wasn't much passion... "You’re crying." Jin Mu pressed his hand against the glass and crouched down to match my height. I held my head in my hands. "I don't believe it! No matter what, he’s obsessed with me. He would give me almost the entire world... if he has no emotions, how could he do that?" "His dictionary only contains what 'should' be done and what 'should not' be done. As long as he identifies you as his partner, he will play his role well; as long as he identifies his offspring, he will fulfill his duties as a father. But he has no way to experience love, hate, resentment, or regret. Nor can he experience jealousy, anger, desire, or joy. It’s not that he doesn't want to; it’s that he *can't*. Look, because he deems it necessary, he locks you in a mirror. He believes this is for your own good. He has no way to empathize with your feelings." Jin Mu slowly straightened his back. "This is... something I, as a human, cannot accept. In a sense, the Main God is like this stone sculpture—his heart is as hard as iron. That is why I must give my wife a vivid life." Seeing Jin Mu about to leave, I raised my head with bloodshot eyes and asked him, "Then why... why did he find me and stay with me? If it wasn't because of emotion." "There is a prophecy: The Fifth Era is when the cycle between the Main God and Chaos finally ends. From then on, no Main God will ever appear again, and the world will return to Chaos—unless the Sun and the Moon meet." This was the first time I’d heard this prophecy from my "eldest son," and it felt like listening to a play. Now, I understood the metaphor. "He is the Sun, and I am the Moon." Jin Mu’s light brown eyes looked at me with pity. "He wants you. He wants to merge with you. When that happens, you will disappear." When Jin Mu left, I felt like I was going to go insane. So many people had told me that he didn't love me. I hadn't believed them. I bet everything on his feelings for me. But he had no feelings. ***