My Roommate is a Non-Human | Chapter 69 | The Primal Vow of Love | Novela.app

I gazed into the darkness at the statues of us. How wonderful—we had experienced so many forms of love... I walked forward, step by step. Osiris and Isis in flip-flops. The sorrowful Odin and Frigga. Gilgamesh and Enkidu with their curled hair. Fuxi and Nuwa with their entwined tails. Izanagi and Izanami holding the Spear of the Heavens. Tonacatecuhtli and Tonacacihuatl, sitting face-to-face with their arms around their knees, watching a single flower. Zeus and Hera wearing their crowns... "Wait, why are we those two?" I wasn't well-read, but even I knew Zeus was a philanderer who chased women everywhere. Was Liu Wukong out chasing women while I beat him up all day?! Lu Daoshi made a helpless gesture. "Every hundred years, you are practically reborn. What you look like depends entirely on your mood and your conscience." "...If all those women were me, wouldn't we have a lot of descendants?" "That’s just a beautiful human aspiration. Haven't you noticed they always carve you with big breasts and wide hips? It's for fertility." "..." We continued downward, and a massive gap appeared in the traces of civilization. Where there had been exquisite art and craftsmanship before, it suddenly regressed into ancient rock paintings and primitive wood carvings—savage and primordial. If Lu Daoshi hadn't pointed at those bizarre-looking things and said they were us, I never would have recognized them. Though, perhaps those non-human forms were closer to our original selves. "You two were active on the surface world about seven thousand years ago; that was the period when human civilizations were sprouting in clusters. Going back further, the last time your Big Brother Liu woke up and burrowed to the surface was millions of years ago. Humans were still primitive then, so you two were even more unscrupulous, never bothering to disguise yourselves." As we walked further, I noticed the traces of human activity vanished. It felt as though we had returned to an endless, dark void. I told Lu Daoshi we should head back since there was nothing left, but he suddenly hopped to the side, landing in a pit. "The ground is uneven." Only then, following the light he had ignited, did I see a trench. It was long, carved into a ground that was blindingly brilliant. Once the light hit it, the surface became almost impossible to look at directly—a light with a powerful, seductive allure... exactly like what I’d seen behind jewelry counters. It was diamond! My base human instincts flared up instantly; for a full thirty seconds, I couldn't tear my eyes away. There were so many diamonds, and they looked meticulously polished. Diamond-paved flooring! It wasn't until Lu Daoshi called me several times that I reluctantly looked up, only to find that as far as the eye could see, the diamond surface was crisscrossed with chaotic, intersecting trenches. "Let's go back," I said, swallowing hard. "What if we get lost here..." I was about to ask if I could chip off a piece to take with me when Lu Daoshi’s voice pierced my mind, issuing a direct command. "I never get lost. I am the Guide—this is where you first lived." I instantly began to tremble with happiness! I felt this might be one of the peak moments of joy in my entire life! Old Liu, you're too much! Millions of years ago, my Old Liu already knew how to use diamonds for the flooring at home! With such a partner, what more could I say? I just wanted to ask: who else?! Who else’s husband in the entire world would do such a thing! To be honest, I never worried about Old Liu’s taste in interior design—never! This kind of class, this aesthetic... even if he hung a six-legged, big-eyed creature like Lu Daoshi from the ceiling as a chandelier, swinging back and forth, it would still be heartbreakingly beautiful! Lu Daoshi doused me with a bucket of cold, contemptuous water. "It’s the result of high temperature and pressure. It used to be a pile of rotten mud and carbon." Honestly, he really didn't know how to talk to people. How could a neighbor be like this?! It was a pity Old Liu hadn't given him a beating. Lu Daoshi reverted to his true form and floated around above us like a giant fluorescent jellyfish. I followed him for a while, but after seeing him drift aimlessly left and right, I crouched down to wait. I felt his wise, giant eye was seriously scrutinizing the glittering diamonds below. "What are you looking at my floor for?" Lu Daoshi’s voice rang out: "Those trenches look disorganized from below, but from the air, they are the most ancient script. It seems your husband wrote them." I was startled. Those trenches were four or five meters wide. If my husband wrote this... well, considering he could reach the Himalayas if he jumped, it was understandable. "What did he write? Is it his True Name?!" Lu Daoshi slowly descended from the air, unabashedly transforming back into a human before me. He looked at me with a regretful, slightly mocking expression, saying nothing. I pestered him the whole way back. Only when we were nearly back to where we’d stashed Old Liu did he reluctantly tell me, "He was the god who first created script and language. Using the primal script, he wrote 'I love you.' I expect that was the first time those three concepts ever appeared in the world." I was so moved. I was moved to tears, you know? That diamond wasn't a floor; it was the face of my ring, and Old Liu had even engraved words on it. I couldn't wait to transform into my majestic form, put it on, and go punch Zhang Litian. My attack power would definitely be off the charts; one swipe and I’d leave a gash. Just then, the ground beneath us shook violently again. Lu Daoshi grabbed me and ran outside. The Eldest was protecting the Imperial Physician, hiding under Old Liu’s body. On the altar, a massive spatial rift had appeared out of nowhere. It was larger than any rift I had ever seen, looming over our heads like a public square. The barrier, which hadn't fully stabilized yet, fluctuated wildly. As I jumped over a stone that had fallen from Old Liu, I was nearly knocked down by a cluster of flames shooting from the other side. Clearly, the other side of the rift was a battlefield. But who was fighting whom? While I was still dazed, Lu Daoshi suddenly tackled me to the ground! Even so, a heavy object slammed into my temple. My head rang with a *vroom*, and my vision went black... When I woke up, Lu Daoshi, the Third, Ren Xing, and the Imperial Physician were gathered in a circle around me. Their expressions were exceptionally grave. I touched my forehead. "What happened? How long was I out?" When I pulled my hand back, it was covered in blood. But then I realized they were also covered in blood—especially Ren Xing, who was still gasping for breath, his riot police uniform torn beyond recognition. At the same time, constant rumbling echoes came from the distance, and stone dust coated our shoulders. I smelled something burning and panicked. "What’s scorched?" Lu Daoshi said, "Some of your husbands." Dammit! Ever since I got together with Liu Wukong, I’ve had to accept that anything could happen to my boyfriend. Fuck. Just as I was heroically preparing to go put out the fire, I suddenly realized there was an extra person in the group. Someone I had seen countless times, but never imagined was a "person." But my first reaction completely bypassed all that nonsense... Because he was... so beautiful! And dressed... so provocatively! If I weren't a married woman, I would have pounced on him like a dog! Even as a married woman, I couldn't help but want to ask for his email to request some "resources"—may good people live safe lives! If it weren't for the coldness and murderous aura on his face, I might not have been able to hold back my loose tongue! In the end, it was Lu Daoshi beside me who spoke first. He asked Ren Xing, "Is this Zhang Litian’s stone statue?! How did you let him in?" "What 'Zhang Litian’s statue'? I am the real Jin Mu." The beauty had a bad temper, and his self-introduction had thorns. After speaking, he scanned the group, and I had the great honor of being targeted by his gaze. He rushed over and grabbed my arm. "Listen, Ye Xiao, I am the real Jin Mu, the one who warned you in the hospital. Zhang Litian told you some truths and some lies. Among them, he said there were two personalities in his body—that was true, as I was watching through his eyes. But unfortunately, all those so-called 'Jin Mus' you encountered were just characters he scripted and performed himself. I couldn't warn you because he had me imprisoned." I... to be honest, his voice was so beautiful! And the way he was grabbing me was so thrilling! I couldn't even speak! I struggled for a long time before squeezing out a, "Mmm~" "Don't talk to humans. Humans can't stop you." Lu Daoshi slapped me on the temple where Old Liu’s brick had hit me, knocking me aside. "What's the point of saying so much? Who knows if you're self-directing this time too?" Jin Mu sneered. "Believe it or not, you have no choice. The last of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse is Death—the Chaos that harvests all life. You should know very well that Zhang Litian serves Death." It was the first time I’d seen Lu Daoshi look like he’d been checkmated. "I know how to reverse death." Jin Mu sneered again. "Foreknowledge, surely you don't believe this pile of broken bones can bring the High God back to life!" With that, his slender, crimson index finger pointed sternly at the innocent Imperial Physician. In the silence, one of the Physician’s ribs fell off. He bent down to pick it up, and then his entire body collapsed into a pile on the floor... Lu Daoshi massaged his temples. Ren Xing walked to his side and stroked his back. "There was no other way. At the sealing point, we were ambushed and almost didn't make it back. He suddenly appeared and opened a space-time rift. He and Zhang Litian share one body; Zhang Litian never expected him to break control. He even shared his memories with him, so he possesses divine powers beyond the reach of ordinary people. Not to mention his physical body was blessed by the High God’s heart-blood..." Lu Daoshi squinted at him. "How did you get into your stone statue?" Jin Mu’s expression grew even colder. "That idiot Zhang Litian harassed me every single day! If I hadn't been determined to finish carving my Aphrodite, I would have committed suicide long ago. That moron—it wasn't enough to harass me in one body; he actually asked you for heart-blood to give Aphrodite life. I thought the bastard had finally found his conscience and done what I wanted, that he was going to marry us off. Instead, he turned around and stuffed me into my wife’s body! Fuck! That’s my wife! Later, after you guys gave him a beating, he actually had the nerve to ask me to bandage him. Bandage your sister’s cunt! I turned around, grabbed my easel, beat him up, and shoved his head into the toilet. That idiot!" If the World Serpent hadn't twitched again, I suspect he could have stood there cursing for three days and nights. Given that he was cursing Zhang Litian and his voice was so lovely, I was quite willing to listen, but Lu Daoshi and Ren Xing made him stop. "You have the ability and the knowledge to open spatial rifts; you also know how to stitch Old Liu back together. Can we just get this done?" Jin Mu agreed. "I’ll use every last breath to resurrect the High God! Then just watch me beat that idiot Zhang Litian to death! Ye Xiao, remember, you owe me a huge favor. When Liu Wukong comes back, don't let him lift a finger! I’ll end that bastard myself in a heartbeat!" I remembered him as an artist who wouldn't even say a harsh word, a refined gentleman. He must have been pushed to the brink to suddenly develop such a rugged, aggressive personality. Can one still be artistic while being this crude?! With Jin Mu, the work became twice as efficient. His two-way portal connecting to other dimensions was incredibly useful. Originally, Ren Xing and the Third were supposed to go to eight different places to find Old Liu’s remains, trekking over mountains and rivers, sleeping in the wild, and fighting monsters along the way. Now, Jin Mu just opened a rift, and they could run through and drag a piece back. While Jin Mu opened the portals, he also set about stitching Old Liu together with practiced ease. I found it very strange that he knew how to do this. I asked the Imperial Physician, who had finally managed to reattach his jaw. The Physician was also puzzled. "The one who taught us the art of resurrection was Anubis, the God of the Dead." Anubis? The jackal-head?! I suddenly remembered some small details I had overlooked long ago. For instance, the night Zhang Litian emerged from Jin Mu’s consciousness into the world, there had been the sound of fierce dogs barking. Later, on the night I was almost disemboweled in the hospital, there was also that eerie barking! Because he barked like a dog, the ancient Egyptians drew him with a jackal's head... Zhang Litian deserved it! Curiosity got the better of me, so I nudged Jin Mu with my elbow. "What did Zhang Litian do to you? Did he bully you?" Jin Mu cursed as he stitched Old Liu. "That idiot! That idiot really knew how to play! He spent all day in my inner world toyed with my fragile nerves. He loved it most when he scared my soul out of my body so he could catch me again! Let me tell you what he liked to play. His favorite was 'he chases, I run.' Every time I thought I was safe, the bastard would turn out to be something right next to me! Can you imagine running through the desert for seven days and nights, finally finding an oasis, leaning against a tree to rest, and then the tree suddenly turns into a hideous thing that ties you up and licks you all over?! As soon as I pissed myself in fear, he’d get this look like he was about to climax. Psycho! My life was a horror movie every day, and when I came out, I still had to carve my wife. I thought about suicide more than once, truly." I felt deep sympathy for him. "Old Liu is also very ugly." At this, Jin Mu kicked me away. "Go think of his True Name! To resurrect him, I need to know his True Name, understand? I have to summon his real name using the most ancient language." Dejectedly, I told Lu Daoshi and the Eldest that I planned to walk among the statues again to see if there were any clues. Lu Daoshi disagreed. "Did Old Liu ever tell you that he came to your side because you summoned him?" "Yes." "Then his name definitely won't be anything particularly ancient or high-flown. You don't seem like the type for that." Lu Daoshi insulted me again without a hint of self-awareness. The Eldest didn't even defend me, simply picking up the thread. "Think about any special words you said before or after you were with Father, or things he said to you." I started listing them: "Duck blood vermicelli soup is very meaningful to us. Duck blood vermicelli soup. Um... he often calls me 'Little Friend'? Could he be 'Big Friend'? He also said you gods all take logical symbols that are universal across the galaxy. He gave you three brothers symbol-names; which symbol is he? Let me think, 1? Am I 0 and he's 1, forming binary?" "You are too depraved." The look Lu Daoshi gave me said it all. "But some of those thoughts might be on the right track." The Eldest crooked his right hand against his chin, looking a bit intense. "Actually, I don't think Father's True Name is necessarily something special with a specific meaning. To go a step further, his True Name should be vague and uncertain; only then can it achieve enduring truth." "What does that mean?!" I was already lost. "As the High God of the world, he is a collective. Look, within his DNA are hidden the genetic codes of all life. He also told you that he is the will of all things in the world; though he died, he hides behind all things to wait for you. If a specific name served as his name, he wouldn't be able to contain the concept of 'everything,' because a specific name cannot remain unaffected by changes in the subject, time, or space—and he is eternal. Therefore, his True Name must not be specifically directional." My brain wasn't enough for this. "Huh?" "For example, there is a sentence: 'It is seven o'clock right now.' What do you think is certain in that sentence?" I thought about it. "'Seven o'clock' is certain." The Eldest explained further: "Then is that sentence true or false?" I suspected he was giving me an IQ test. I thought for a long time before answering carefully, "If it really is seven o'clock right now, then the sentence is true. If it's not seven o'clock, then the sentence is false." The Eldest actually said "Exactly!" with excitement. Fuck! To what extent was my intelligence being looked down upon?! "Yes, exactly. At seven o'clock, that sentence is truth, but time passes quickly. If you look at that sentence again at eight o'clock, it is no longer truth. But, please note—which word makes the sentence untrue?!" I looked at the Eldest’s encouraging face. I couldn't answer! I actually faltered! Lu Daoshi hit me again. "It's 'seven o'clock.' Once that time and place pass, 'seven o'clock' becomes untrue because seven o'clock has passed. Yet it was simultaneously accurate. In other words, in that sentence, the seemingly insignificant 'right now' is what stands up to scrutiny at every moment; it holds true at every moment. The concept of 'right now,' because of its vagueness and lack of specific direction, becomes enduringly true." "You mean Liu Wukong’s name is something like... 'This' or 'That'? That’s so lame!" While we were lost in thought, Ren Xing stepped through the two-way portal. Behind him, the Third brought the final piece of Old Liu’s body. He waved his hands at Jin Mu: "Close it! Close it!" The entrance to the barrier was already fluctuating violently! A colossal tentacle, bringing with it roaring ocean waves, reached through, pointing straight at Old Liu! At the last second, Jin Mu made the entire rift vanish. The tentacle, which was only dozens of meters from Old Liu, was sliced clean off and fell to the ground with a wet *thwack*! I felt sick. Not just me—even Lu Daoshi looked shaken. "The Midgard Serpent." I was terrified. "It’s awake?!" As if to answer me, the entire city began to shake violently! Jin Mu pressed his lips thin and directed the Third to move the last piece of Old Liu to the correct gap, burying his head in his work without a word. Ren Xing called for the Third to go outside and hold the line. "The gods all know we are trying to resurrect the High God. they were waiting at the sealing points, and now they’re likely going to lay siege to this place!" Lu Daoshi stopped them. "Don't go! The World Serpent... also knows how to open space! He is the Death that can kill the High God!" Just as he finished speaking, another tentacle suddenly dropped from the sky, slamming into the ground and tearing a fissure! Ren Xing leaped up, raising Gungnir high, and severed a piece with a fluid motion! In the blink of an eye, the remaining part vanished along with the torn space. "How much longer!" I crawled over to Jin Mu. Jin Mu looked at me, his face deathly pale. "One piece is still missing." I gasped. "Could it be..." Jin Mu lowered his head in a gesture of mourning. "I knew it! I knew he lost his little birdie! No wonder it was so short!" Jin Mu nearly slapped me to death. He hauled me over to what looked like a hollowed-out groove. "We’re missing a heart!" We both fell silent. The groove looked like an altar. After a long while, I feigned a light tone. "It’s fine. It was his to begin with anyway. And it’s not like I can’t live without his heart." "You can't." Jin Mu looked at me sorrowfully. "He is dead. There is only one heart; once it's used, it's gone." He patted my shoulder and went back to stitching the final piece of Old Liu. Soon, small glimmers of light appeared in the distance. The earth beneath my feet trembled. My ears picked up stirring shouts—the cries of tens of thousands of gods and abyssal creatures welcoming their impending carnival. The World Serpent’s tentacles were everywhere. The space above my head tore repeatedly; purple rifts opened and closed, ejecting surging rages of ocean waves, vowing to destroy all life and order. I saw the Third transform into a massive form I didn't recognize, charging alone into the void with his shadow. I saw the Imperial Physician shattered into a pile of bones, then burned to ash by raging flames. I saw fires breaking out on Old Liu’s body again. I saw Lu Daoshi revert to his giant eye form, hobbling along, his eye firing purple matter in a futile attempt to repel the invaders. I saw Ren Xing cut down a tentacle that had coiled around Jin Mu, only to be slammed brutally into the ground. The Eldest shouted something at me and rushed to pick up the Gungnir Ren Xing had dropped, but he was dragged out of this space by the World Serpent. I watched it all. Finally, my gaze fell upon that small groove. Who would have known that Liu Wukong’s heart-space was so small? So small it could only hold one person. When Lu Daoshi told me his name was uncertain and vague, I had already caught a glimpse of the answer. Just now, the Eldest had also wanted to tell me his True Name. He created the first language and the first script. And that first language was spoken to me. That first script was written for me to see. Stroke by stroke, word by word, he told the me who understood nothing— I. Love. You. His True Name is the oldest first-person pronoun in this world. Because at the dawn of creation, the answer to the question "Who am I?" was simply: I am who I am. And I was the person sitting opposite him, the one called "You." And so, from then on, there was love in this world. And there were countless love stories. Countless people, in different eras, at different ages, using different languages and different voices, told another person: I love you. Whether they were sincere or false, they thought it was a simple expression of emotion. But no, it wasn't. I. Love. You. This sentence is actually a story, a truth, a piece of history. From the primal ancient times until now, it has been happening eternally. The epic belonging to the Supreme God. Yes, there have been many, many love stories in this world. Many people, in different eras, at different ages, using different languages and different voices, told another person: I love you. But they didn't know; they were only repeating our story. Over and over again. Liu Wukong hid behind them, speaking to me of a love I could never understand. A love that never failed a promise. A love so sincere it would die. Yet a love that had never, ever, ever been received... The smell of the sea fell from the sky in increasing waves. The World Serpent twisted and devoured; a thick arm of destruction circled above my head, gradually condensing into a long sword, its tip pointed directly at me. There was no more light. Everywhere was pitch black. I couldn't even hear the voices of my companions. Could this world be saved? That question was not within my considerations. I simply knelt down and stroked that groove. "How should I love you?" Liu Wukong did not answer me. I pressed my fingers against my lower left ribs and slowly tore open the skin. This time, because I was doing it myself, it was exceptionally painful. "Is love pain?" I reached into the bone and blood, higher, further up, and gripped the heart that was still beating. "Is love the sound of two hearts beating together?" I squeezed the heart tight and pulled it out with force. It hurt so much; there was blood everywhere. I knew I was dying, so even time seemed to stop, halting the Sword of Damocles that was halfway through its fall above my head. Billions of years of memories flooded into my empty, cold chest like a tide. And so, I saw us sitting in the palace at Abydos, watching the sunrise over the Nile. We played flutes as we passed through the tyrannical rainy season of the Fertile Crescent. I sat for forty-nine nights in the Black Forest of Northern Europe, watching you carve a tiny doll. We... So much, too much. And I didn't even have time to go back and watch it all again. I struggled to place the heart into the groove. "Is love sacrifice?" I asked him. He still didn't tell me. "...It’s too hard. I don't understand yet, and the pain is already unbearable..." I gripped the edges of the groove. In a sensation of extreme lightness, I vaguely saw Liu Wukong lying at my feet. Between us, everything was transparent. I reached out, wanting to touch his face, but I was already disappearing starting from my fingertips. Between us, a dazzling golden light appeared, growing brighter and more magnificent, yet it blurred his features. I could only whisper my promise to him. "It won't hurt that much anymore." I am giving the forgetting back to you as well. Thank you for the tenderness you maintained for ten million centuries. *** | Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | 伏羲女娲 | Fuxi and Nuwa | Creators in Chinese mythology, often depicted with intertwined serpent tails. | | 伊邪那歧 | Izanagi | A creator deity in Japanese mythology. | | 伊邪那美 | Izanami | A creator deity in Japanese mythology, wife of Izanagi. | | 托纳卡特库特利 | Tonacatecuhtli | Aztec god of fertility and creation. | | 托纳卡西瓦特利 | Tonacacihuatl | Aztec goddess of fertility and creation, wife of Tonacatecuhtli. | | 尘世巨蟒 | World Serpent / Midgard Serpent | Jörmungandr from Norse mythology. | | 昆古尼尔 | Gungnir | Odin's spear. | | 阿弗洛狄忒 | Aphrodite | Greek goddess of love and beauty. | | 阿拜多斯 | Abydos | One of the oldest cities of ancient Egypt. | | 新月沃土 | Fertile Crescent | A crescent-shaped region in the Middle East. | | 靳穆 | Jin Mu | The artist character. | | 章立天 | Zhang Litian | The antagonist who shared a body with Jin Mu. | | 达摩克利斯巨剑 | Sword of Damocles | An allusion to imminent and ever-present peril. |