Returning to heaven felt both familiar and unfamiliar. The fairy friends that saw me came to greet me kindly. It seemed no different from the time before I went down.

　　Without one celestial star Chu Kong, heaven is still heaven. The immortals are cold and don’t have so many feelings as humans.

　　Perhaps before going down I was also like that. Now…….

　　If I burry my head, I can smell the earth on my whole body.

　　Back to Yue Lao temple. The red strings in Yue Lao temple is still the same as always; a mess created by Yue Lao. They’re so mixed together that you don’t know where the one ends or begins.

　　I went to the backyard and saw Yue Lao sleeping with stolen wine. I deeply feel that all my bad habits are learned from this tricky Yue Lao.

　　I walked to him, grabbed his two white beards and mercilessly pulled them down.

　　“Aiyo,” Yue Lao screamed in pain. He grabbed his chin and woke up. It took a moment before he saw me.

　　“Ah, Xiao Xiang Zi, you’re back!”

　　I looked at him with squinted eyes. He sensibly changed the way he called me: “Alright, Xiao Xiang. The moment you come back, you tossed me, this old bone! By the way……”

　　Yue Lao looked left and right. Close to my ears, he asked: “When you were down, you weren’t together with celestial star Chu Kong, right? Heaven made a bet. I bet you two won’t be together. I put five golden teals!”

　　“Inside information.”

　　I plucked his two long white beards out.

　　“If you don’t want to lose money, quickly go change your bet.”

　　Yue Lao looked at me with his round eyes. I laughed: “I bet all the wages from my whole life. I and Chu Kong can absolutely be together.”

　　Yue Lao looked at me blankly for a while. He turned, took out an abacus and calculated: “Even with all the wages from your whole life, they aren’t worth five golden teals, ah. Your information is also notorious for being untrustworthy.”

　　I twitched my mouth: “Whatever!”

　　After saying that I went back to my own room while holding the mirror of the past. I locked the door and put the mirror of the past above the desk. I felt emotionally complex. In fact, Yue Lao was right. Like my life wages isn’t worth five golden teals, I also don’t know if my information is correct or not. I’m just relying on my intuition or better said I’m gambling with the confidence I’ve in Chu Kong.

　　I definitely believe that Chu Kong won’t want to go in the evil ways.

　　Even if he didn’t have the memory of his past lives. Even if he really wanted to prove himself. Even if he’s jealous and angry. But he’ll definitely not follow Jin Lian’s wish to want to go in the evil ways. After all he’s always been a good person.

　　No matter if it’s arrogant celestial star Chu Kong, Lu Hai Kong or meatball Kong, I’ve always believed that deep in his heart there’s tenderness and kindness.

　　Moreover the thing about meatball Kong going into the evil ways is really strange. He said Jin Lian was in his body for three years. Since he was willing to let Jin Lian into his body, three years ago, why didn’t he follow Jin Lian and chose to wait untill now?

　　I dare to guess that meatball Kong was careless and Jin Lian entered his body. He has been affected by Jin Lian, but he was afraid that I’ll be worried. So he never told me about this matter.

　　He cares about me. Besides it’s an excessive care.

　　I looked in the mirror of the past. Waves formed in the mirror. I saw Chu Kong still holding the body that has been abandoned by me. His body was stiff. It looked like he also has become a corpse and will not move again.

　　“I’m not celestial star Chu Kong,” he said quietly. His voice was hoarse. “In my heart there isn’t immortal life of the heaven and earth and there also isn’t doing good things for the people. I just wanted to protect you. I just really wanted to protect you. What freedom. What living alone. They aren’t what I want. To become the person you like. To let my figure enter your eyes, even if it’s just for a moment, it’ll be alright. Knowing that you like me will be enough.”

　　“I really didn’t want to make you angry. I was just afraid……afraid that one day I can’t control myself and hurt you. So I tried everything to leave you. I just thought……”

　　His voice choked. He buried his head in my neck like how I comforted him in the past.

　　“I just thought that I can’t let that person in my body harm you. I just wanted to use all my effort to protect you. I just thought that if you say some disappointing words to me, after I died, will you be less sad?”

　　My heart felt pain. I listened to him continue saying: “I’m sorry. I’m so stupid……I’m still as stupid as when I was a child. I couldn’t think of a better idea!”

　　He broke down in tears.

　　“Get up and beat me. Get up and teach me a lesson. You can do as you like, just……don’t leave me.”

　　“You know, my greatest fear is this……”

　　Comments: 

　　The points that this Chu Kong lost are back.

　　Chapter 51 Part 2

　　Sure enough, it’s the same as I’ve guessed. I tried heart to suppress the complex emotions in my heart. I rationally analyzed.

　　Three years ago, Jin Lian’s scattered immortal soul entered his body and began to tell him what happened in the past and trying hard to lure him in the evil ways. Chu Kong didn’t listen to him, but the evil energy would certainly have an impact on Chu Kong.

　　For three years, Chu Kong came back once in the month on the fifteenth. The fifteenth of each month is the time where it’s the most clean on earth. He came back to see me then, must be because he is fully able to neutralize the evil energy. After that he didn’t return for a few months. Probably his strength wasn’t enough to suppress the evil energy in his body.

　　On New Year’s Eve he came back. After I told him all the things that happened in the past, he looked for a reason, found and excuse, say some hateful words to anger me and made me faint. He looked at me helplessly and told me again and again to not go look for him.

　　When I think about it with a calm mind, actually all these acts, it’s him who is saying goodbye to me.

　　He took Jin Lian to the place where former Chu Kong died together with Jin Lian. He wanted to put everything back to square one. He wanted me to take it as if in this lifetime I’ve never found him.

　　I thought that meatball Kong is already no different from an ordinary human, but now I know that he is still really stupid. He wanted to die with Jin Lian again and he was afraid that when he died, he won’t know how to comfort me. So he took preventive measures. Using such a clumsy way to let me be disappointed in him, to let me lose all hope in him. When he left, then I’ll not be sad.

　　Really……

　　So extremely stupid!

　　He really thought that I was so stupid. He really thought that I couldn’t see his strange behavior. Does he really think that if he did these things, he can protect me?

　　I gritted my teeth. At this time, I really want to grab his collar and roar: “What sort of thing did you become in this life?! See, into what you turned your fine life into?!”

　　But the things are now as they are. I should let them go. It can be considered that I won the bet between me and meatball Kong. As for the second bet……

　　Meatball Kong, didn’t you want to protect me? Aren’t you really afraid of me leaving you?

　　Well, I’ll stubbornly not let you be able to protect me. I’ve stubbornly died in front of you at least once to make you realize that what you did was wrong. It was useless!

　　If you’re afraid of being left by me, practice cultivation with effort! Use all your effort to find your last mortal soul. Become an immortal with your own ability. Become celestial star Chu Kong. Become like a man and come search for me upright and frank in heaven.

　　I bet that meatball Kong have that courage and ability.

　　The Chu Kong in the mirror of the past is still choking with his head bowed. Perhaps for him, I’ve completely left. He needs time to walk out of the shadows. And I believe that Chu Kong’s heart has always been strong. Only that kind of Chu Kong is worthy of being liked by me.

　　The deer horse demon beside him, used his horn to pat Chu Kong two times. It seemed like he wanted to comfort Chu Kong.

　　I closed the mirror of the past and thought: After Chu Kong comes back; we’ll bring the deer horse demon to heaven. We’ll ride him together. After that, we’ll go let the promises that Chu Kong promised me come true.

　　For five days, I didn’t touch the mirror of the past. As before, I watched Yue Lao’s temple with sleep. The gamble in heaven about if I and Chu Kong can be together is getting more speculation fire. The immortals seeing that Chu Kong is now a mortal and seeing that I’m sleeping with an expression of not wanting to live anymore every day at Yue Lao temple, rushed to change their bet. They are resigned that we won’t ever be together.

　　Yue Lao quietly took out five golden teals out of his small coffer and put them together with his other five golden teals. A total of ten golden teals. All put on the side of “will be together”.

　　The immortals thought that Yue Lao did it only to comfort me. And I know that Yue Lao, this sort of stingy immortal, won’t comfort me with their money. He eventually believed me……

　　Or, it’s because every day while I wasn’t paying attention, he’ll quietly go into my room and look in the mirror of the past and believed in Chu Kong.

　　Five days in heaven is five years in the human realm. Meatball Kong is twenty three years old this year.

　　Today, I still don’t intend to go look into the mirror of the past. I know my temperament. The more I look, the more anxious I’ll get. The more I think, it’ll be bad for this matter. Being calm is the best. If worst comes to worst, Chu Kong died in this lifetime, the next lifetime I can just go look for him. At worst, he’ll forget me. I’ll then use all my virtue and charm from the heaven and the human realm to let him fall in love with me again.

　　The most difficult thing of the humans is persistence.

　　I yawned. In front of the temple I changed of position and was ready to go to sleep. Suddenly, I heard birds chirping at the other side. It’s a movement to great a new god entering heaven.

　　In this heaven beside I,  who has been transformed into a half god by Yue Lao, it has been five hundred years since someone else has transformed into an immortal.

　　To heaven this is a happy event.

　　In my heart, I’ve a vague guess, but I don’t dare to hope that’s real.

　　I heard Yue Lao rushing while entering with laughter: “Haha ha! I bet right! The money is mine! My golden teals, wait for Yue Lao grandfather! I’ll go pick you!”

　　Looking at Yue Lao’s leaving back, I know I really should be happy. But the knot in my heart didn’t let me take a step. What to say, what to do, I thought that I can calmly face it again. But when the reunion comes, I just only know now that at an important moment not knowing what to do, can be forgiven.

　　I was still hesitating while suddenly at the horizon a black figure driving a black cloud is swaying leisurely to Yue Lao temple.

　　He came really slowly like he could fall at any time. I couldn’t help myself anymore from wanting to go help him to let him drive the dark clouds steadily.

　　I didn’t even get to lift my hand; the man in the sky came down straight on the carpet made of clouds in front of the temple. A “pu “sound can be heard like a fart from a soul.

　　I blinked and looked at the man who is having a difficult time of getting his head out of the carpet made of clouds.

　　He is such a sorry figure. Hair being fried by lightening. Dirty face. His clothes are so dirty that you can’t see the color anymore. But I don’t need to see his appearance; I can know who he is.

　　“Fuck!”

　　He stood up and patted his clothes.

　　“Are you blind? Don’t you know how to come and help xiaoye?!”

　　I don’t know why, my eyes actually turned somewhat red.

　　“Chu Kong…..”

　　He is really as strong as I imagined. He got his last immortal soul himself. He cultivated into an immortal with his own effort. He overcome his misfortune and brought a complete him to me.

　　Hearing me calling him, Chu Kong also hesitated. Then he frowned and rubbed his forehead. Quite upset, he said: “No……wait wait. Don’t hurry. Wait till I change my identity for a little bit. I need to ponder about which tone I should use to talk to you. Really confusing.”

　　Seven lifetimes, I saw too many different types of Chu Kong. He probably is even more confused than me.

　　However, what does it matter? Because all the people in my memories there is only him. This is my fortunate thing.

　　But before being fortunate…..

　　I held out my hand and said with not a so friendly tone: “Ten copper coins. Because of you, I lost them. You need to pay me back.”

　　Chu Kong blinked and looked at me for a while. He stared at me in disbelief and said: “Xiaoye cultivated into an immortal like a mad man to come see you and my waistband is gone because of the lightening! You actually want me to give you ten copper coins? Where can I dig out ten copper coins for you?!”

　　“Don’t have?”

　　I raised an eyebrow and said with a serious tone: “Don’t pay me money back? Then give me your person. Pay me back with your body!”

　　Chu Kong was stunned. He looked away and touched his nose. He whispered: “Hasn’t it already been yours a long time ago……” (awwww)

　　My heart went soft. I rushed forward. I didn’t care how sorry Chu Kong looked at this moment. I also didn’t care how dirty his face is. I bit Chu Kong’s lip. Then I released him: “I stamped it! From today one you’re my worker! All money that you earn will be mine!”

　　Chu Kong was severely shocked. He looked at me in daze for a moment and then sighed helplessly: “This thing isn’t done like how you did it.”

　　He dropped his head. His lips touched my lips. A warm touch. It gradually deepened and slowly turned moist.

　　Opposite of what his temperament is, he carefully thought me how to do this thing. Perhaps in the future, he’ll teach me more things……uh, serious things……

　　(Pfff, I bet ten golden teals that they aren’t serious things)

The End

　　Comment: 

　　I’ve so much fun translating this project. Hope that you guys also have enjoyed it.