Too Conservative

"All right, can you let go of me?"

Wuma Xiu's voice came from between the two gods, carrying a resigned calm.

He really couldn't bear this kind of enthusiasm.

His older brother and younger brother truly had no sense of boundaries.

They had been this way since they were born.

That was precisely why he had originally hoped the Sun God and the Star God would wake up later.

Those two were simply too clingy.

When they were still asleep, he had enjoyed peace and quiet all by himself. The Moon God Palace had been tranquil, and he could do whatever he wanted. He could even finish a cup of tea without being interrupted halfway through.

And now, here they were, one on his left and one on his right, like a pair of magnets. They seemed to wish they could attach themselves to him, and he couldn't pry them off.

"...Also, brother."

Wuma Xiu's gaze fell on the conspicuously bare chest directly in front of him, without a scrap of fabric covering it.

"Could you put on some more clothes?"

The Sun God looked down at his own attire, then shifted his gaze to his younger brother, the Moon God.

The Moon God's collar was fastened tight, and his cuffs were neatly buttoned.

The only skin exposed on his entire body was probably a bit of wrist and half his neck.

The Sun God fell silent for a moment.

Question:

What should you do when you have an extremely conservative younger brother?

"Brother, you're just too conservative."

The Star God held Wuma Xiu's arm and leaned against his shoulder, rubbing his head against him until he found the most comfortable angle. His robes were much more "conservative" than the Sun God's, exposing only half his chest.

In fact, the Star God preferred calling the Moon God "brother" rather than "second brother." It felt more intimate.

Wuma Xiu decided to skip the subject.

"I'm really fine now. Can you stop touching me all over?"

Wuma Xiu caught the hands roaming over him and spoke helplessly.

"Brother, don't even think about fooling us."

The Star God remembered something, something that immediately upset him.

Those detestable humans had actually dared to blaspheme his brother, the Moon God.

Back then, those mortals had built so-called temples across the land and erected so-called statues of the gods, only to carve the statues beyond recognition and place them in filthy, smoke-filled halls to receive all manner of offerings.

Worse still, in the stories and legends circulating throughout the world, they had portrayed the Moon God as "reclusive" and "moody," freely tarnishing his brother's image.

Whenever the Star God remembered it, he became furious.

But before he could take action, their eldest brother had made his move.

That day, the Sun God had stood high in the heavens, looked down upon the vast earth, and delivered divine punishment.

Ten Suns in the Sky.

Ten blazing suns had hung in the sky at once, scorching the earth until it burned. Rivers dried up at a visible rate, the soil cracked, plants withered and curled, crops turned to ash, and waves of searing heat filled the air.

Those who had once disrespected the Moon God knelt on the scorched, cracked earth and looked up at the ten suns, too bright to gaze upon.

They finally understood what the wrath of a god meant.

Later, the Moon God discovered what had happened.

Because the Sun God had once given the Moon God half the authority over the sun, he easily removed nine of the blazing suns, leaving one in the sky and restoring things to normal.

Afterward, the Moon God asked the Death God not to take these people's souls away, and invited the God of Life and the Spring God over.

The God of Life was a gentle-tempered goddess. When she arrived and saw scorched earth and bones everywhere, she felt sorrow.

A spring breeze swept from the Spring God's sleeves, bringing a wash of moist greenery as it passed over the scorched, cracked earth.

The two gods joined forces, one restoring life and the other calling back the souls of the dead. New shoots sprouted from withered trees, dried riverbeds filled once more with clear water, and a layer of tender green covered the blackened earth.

The God of Life gently gathered the souls of those who had died needlessly in the disaster into her palm and returned them to their bodies.

When it was done, the God of Life grew angry for once and scolded the Sun God:

"Don't do anything reckless next time."

The Sun God's expression never changed as the God of Life scolded him.

He simply stood there, bare-chested, arms crossed and gaze untroubled. His indifferent expression carried a polite hint of "I'm listening," but four words were written in his golden eyes.

Absolutely no intention of repenting.

The Star God, standing nearby, thought nothing of it either. His expression was even more punchable than the Sun God's. He couldn't even be bothered to pretend he was listening, and his mind wandered the whole time.

The God of Life turned her gaze toward the Moon God nearby and gave him a look.

The Moon God nodded to show that he understood.

He stood before the Sun God and the Star God, his eyelids lowered slightly as he looked at his older and younger brothers with eyes brimming with clear moonlight.

That single gesture was all it took.

The Sun God lowered the arms crossed over his chest and straightened his previously lazy posture.

"Little brother, I did nothing wrong in this matter. They were blaspheming you. I only delivered divine punishment."

The Star God nodded beside him.

Although he had already made a thorough plan, his eldest brother had acted too quickly.

Still, though it was straightforward, this really was the most satisfying way.

Later, the Sun God and the Star God swore that if anything like this happened again, they would definitely tell the Moon God beforehand.

Only then was the matter put to rest.

The more the Star God thought about it, the angrier he became. He glanced at his bare-chested eldest brother on the left.

Those humans didn't dare get too out of line with the Sun God.

After all, the sun hung in the sky every day, visible as soon as one opened one's eyes, blazing too brightly to look at. Mortals feared that scorching light and felt greater awe toward him.

But what about his brother?

The moon was simply too gentle and quiet.

So those humans thought the Moon God was easy to bully and dared to throw all manner of filth at his brother.

"Brother, I remember everything those humans did to you back then."

In the Star God's mind, his brother, the Moon God, had suffered such terrible grievances over that matter.

Besides, in the Age of the Gods, even members of the Moonlight Clan had rarely been qualified to enter the Moon God Palace, and those who could enter had been fewer still.

There had been only a handful every thousand years.

Hadn't every one of them been permitted an audience only after making some tremendous accomplishment?

But now, the Star God's gaze swept from Yang Zhi to Li Ze, from Li Ze to Bai Yang, and from Bai Yang to the humans huddled together behind them.

Who were all these nobodies?!

Without undergoing any selection or trials, they had casually stepped into his brother's palace, stood in this moonlight, and breathed in the air of the Moon God Palace.

A single glance from him made the hairs on Yang Zhi and the others' backs stand on end, and despair welled up in their hearts.

The Star God raised a hand as he spoke:

"Brother, you've even started personally summoning those humans to the Moon God Palace. Have they done something again? You were still too kind back then, brother. If you ask me, it would be better to destroy these humans, so they can't do anything else to blaspheme you."

Yang Zhi's pupils contracted sharply.

The Star God raised his hand slowly, but Yang Zhi could see it clearly: as that hand rose—

The starlight around them began to flow.

It gathered toward Yang Zhi and the others from every direction, waiting only for that hand to fall.

They would probably be done for.

Wuma Xiu pressed the Star God's hand down.

His fingers closed around the Star God's wrist, pushing his hand back down. The gathering starlight paused, hovering in midair. It advanced no farther, but neither did it disperse.

"Don't do anything reckless. It's not what you think."

Wuma Xiu sighed inwardly.

His younger brother, the Star God, always seemed to imagine that he would be mistreated. This worry had persisted from the Age of the Gods until now, and had existed since the beginning of their lives.

Even if he said nothing, the Star God could imagine an entire story about how "my brother is suffering inside, but he won't say so."

Wuma Xiu felt helpless too!

"I just felt that I had an affinity with them, so I brought them in."

"Is that so? Although I don't think they're qualified to see you, brother, since it's your wish, I'll let them go."

The Star God looked down at the hand that had been pressed back, then at Wuma Xiu, and compromised.

The starlight dispersed, withdrawing from Yang Zhi and the others and blending back into the moonlight of the Moon God Palace.

Only then did Yang Zhi realize he had been holding his breath.

He slowly let it out. The clothes on his back were already soaked with cold sweat.

They clung coldly to his skin.

They reminded him how close to death he had been in that moment.

This was the first time he had truly understood the cruelty of gods. But it was precisely because of the contrast that they realized what a merciful god Lord Moon God was.

At the same time, he was a powerful and gentle god.

Though he possessed absolute power, he treated them as equals and was willing to speak with them amicably.

His humanity and divinity seemed to be in balance.

Half was cool, distant moonlight; half was gentleness within reach.

One half inspired awe, while the other made people want to draw close.

Yang Zhi and the others left in their spaceship.

They thought they would never forget this experience for the rest of their lives.

After the visitors left, the Star God became even less restrained.

With humans present earlier, he had maintained some of a god's dignity, but now the outsiders had gone. All that remained in the Moon God Palace were the three brothers, a bow and an arrow, and a Moon standing up and another lying in bed...

Wait.

The Star God looked back and saw the one lying on the bed.

A member of the Moonlight Clan lay there.

Long, silvery-white hair spread across the pillow, and he slept peacefully.

Of course, that wasn't important to the Star God. Why should he care whether some mere creation slept peacefully?

The problem was the blanket covering him.

The Star God's pupils contracted sharply.

He recognized that blanket. He would recognize it even if it were reduced to ashes.

Wasn't that the one that detestable fellow draped over his brother's knees every time his brother fell asleep?

Of course, the blanket itself wasn't important to the Star God either.

To them, the most, most, most... important thing was that his brother had used that blanket!

And this member of the Moonlight Clan before him, a mere creation, was brazenly lying on it, sleeping without a care.

What blasphemy!

The Star God's expression visibly darkened.

Following his gaze, the Sun God also noticed Yuexi on the bed. His eyes fell on the blanket covering Yuexi, and he recognized the familiar thing he had secretly burned many times.

Every time that detestable fellow left the Moon God Palace, he would destroy the blanket and dispose of the evidence. But the blankets were like leeks: burn one and ten more appeared. It never ended, so he eventually stopped bothering.

In any case, that fellow had the desire but not the courage. After all these years, the most he dared do was cover him with a blanket; he couldn't stir up any trouble.

He was fairly reassured.

Although the Star God hated that detestable fellow, he was still a god at least.

But this one was merely a creation.

The Star God grew suspicious. Could this creation be taking advantage of his brother's gentle, accommodating nature?

Purple divine power poured from the Star God's fingertips, forming a giant translucent hand that reached for Yuexi on the bed.

"Wake up."

The Star God shook Yuexi awake, none too gently.

Yuexi felt dizzy.

He had been dreaming of a god, moonlight, and little pink flowers covering the mountains and fields. He had been so happy that he hadn't wanted to wake up.

But suddenly the world spun, as though a hand had plucked him from that blissful place and shaken him back and forth, over and over.

Yuexi opened his eyes. His vision was blurry, but he could vaguely make out three figures standing before him.

He blinked, and the three figures gradually came into focus.

His breath caught.

A scene like this had been carved into a mural within the Moonlight Clan.

Three figures stood side by side.

Those three figures seen from behind were enough to make every member of the Moonlight Clan who looked up at them hold their breath and focus.

Yuexi became fully awake in an instant.

He recognized only the one standing in the middle.

That was his god.

And now, the other two figures stood to his god's left and right, so close, so naturally.

There were only two beings in the world who could stand beside his god like that.

Yuexi immediately got out of bed, stood straight, and bowed deeply.

"Yuexi, the current patriarch of the Moonlight Clan, pays his respects to Your Majesties the Sun God and the Star God."

Yuexi kept his eyes lowered, his gaze fixed on the floor before his toes, and did not presume to look up at the two gods' faces or expressions.

This was the most basic reverence due to gods.

The Sun God and the Star God did not tell Yuexi to rise.

They were furious.

A mere Creation had slept in their younger/older brother's bed, looking blissfully happy as he slept. How could they not be angry?

Angry as they were, however, they could hardly do anything to Yuexi.

He was not their Creation, after all, and they could hardly deal with him.

Wuma Xiu knew nothing of what was going through their minds.

"Yuexi, get up. If you're still tired, go back to sleep for a while."

Wuma Xiu's words struck the Sun God and the Star God like a bolt of lightning.

The shock left them numb from head to toe.

Everything they had just seen, combined with the word "tired," left far too much to the imagination.

A Creation had lain in a god's bed, covered with the god's blanket, and after he woke up, the god even told him to sleep a little longer, on the grounds that he was "tired."

Tired from what?

What kind of tired?

Why was he tired?

Could their younger/older brother have taken him to bed?

Once the thought appeared, it spread like wildfire and could no longer be contained.

Damn it!

They had guarded against every possibility, yet there was one right under their noses.

As the Sun God's emotions fluctuated, the solar disc deep in the universe abruptly grew a little brighter.

Golden light surged through the Sea of Stars.

Outside the Moon God Palace, the Sun God Birds perched on the eaves raised their heads and exchanged glances.

Who made their creator angry?

The Star God pinched his own hand and calmed down.

He knew his older brother, the Moon God, better than anyone. He was aloof and indifferent, so he probably wouldn't...

He wouldn't really do anything to a member of the Moonlight Clan.

Rather than let his imagination run wild here, he might as well ask outright:

"Brother, did you take him to bed?"

The question left Wuma Xiu stunned.

What had his younger brother just said?

Taken him to bed?

Did he mean what Wuma Xiu thought he meant?

Or did the phrase have some other usage he didn't know about?

Yuexi was also stunned by the question.

For a moment, he thought he was still dreaming.

Otherwise, how could he have heard the Star God ask such a question?

The scene descended into chaos for a time. After this... and that had been explained, the Sun God and the Star God finally understood. Just as they had thought, how could their older/younger brother possibly do such a thing?

Yuexi also understood the whole story, and felt a faint sense of disappointment.

But he was not the most disappointed. That honor went to the Moonlight Clan, who had learned the truth.

Yue Rushui had been huddled in a little corner some distance away.

He had been stealing glances at what was happening while posting messages in the group chat, reporting the situation as it unfolded.

Now everyone in the group was full of regret, wondering why they hadn't been the ones to take them on the tour.

Otherwise, they would be there in person now.

But as he continued reporting, he suddenly discovered that what they had thought was true had been a misunderstanding.

At that moment, the group chat was a chorus of sobs.

After the misunderstanding was cleared up, the Star God and the Sun God sent Yuexi and Yue Rushui, who was in the corner, away.

What followed was time for the three brothers.

The Star God leaned over against Wuma Xiu, occasionally trading barbs with the Sun God and occasionally moving close to whisper something in the Moon God's ear. The way they interacted had not changed in the slightest from the Age of the Gods, hundreds of thousands of years ago.

The gods' lifespans were long to begin with.

To them, those hundreds of thousands of years of slumber were no more than a somewhat longer dream.

The dream had ended, and the people beside them were still there.

Those who were meant to bicker kept bickering, and those who were meant to cling kept clinging.

Out of the corner of his eye, the Star God caught sight of the blanket on the bed.

His eyes darted around several times, and suddenly he leaned against Wuma Xiu again. His nose almost touched Wuma Xiu's collar as he sniffed carefully. He looked like a wary cat checking its territory for an unfamiliar scent.

When he was done, his expression relaxed a little.

"That annoying smell isn't there. That annoying fellow hasn't woken up yet, has he?"

With that, the Star God leaned back where he had been.

If that annoying fellow had woken up, he would probably have come straight to the Moon God Palace and refused to leave.

"Ye hasn't woken up yet."

Wuma Xiu thought that, as the Goddess of Beauty/God of Wine, he had many suitors/friends. But as the Moon God, the Night God was his only close friend. Still, he didn't know why both of them disliked Ye so much.

The moment the Star God heard that name, he frowned.

"Hmph, he wants to steal my favorite treasure. That's why I hate him. I'm not the only one, either. Eldest brother hates him too."

The Sun God, who had been named, did not deny it. He stood to one side with his arms crossed and nodded.

When it came to hating the Night God, the Star God and the Sun God stood on the same side.

Their united front was incomparably firm and indestructible.

It had endured from the Age of the Gods to the present day, remaining unbreakable even after hundreds of thousands of years of slumber.

In fact, the Night God had done nothing. He had neither offended the Sun God nor provoked the Star God.

The Night God simply liked staying by the Moon God's side. He neither fought nor competed, occasionally sharing a cup of tea with the Moon God, occasionally reading with him, and occasionally sitting in the Moon God Palace for a long time...

That was all.

Sun God and Star God: Enough. All of that is annoying enough already.

The problem did not end there.

The Night God was the Moon God's close friend.

His only close friend.

What the Sun God and the Star God hated was not the close friend.

It was the word "only."

Sun God: If it weren't for that, what would I be competing with my youngest brother over?

Star God: Otherwise, what did you think eldest brother and I were competing over in front of brother?