Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 8

In a wilderness far from the hustle and bustle, a magnificent and splendid palace stood tall and imposing. Yet, within this crystal-like palace, there were apple orchards, one after another, where not a single apple grew.

Deep within the apple orchard, a god resided.

The god’s facial features were so delicate and exquisite that they seemed opulent, and he possessed a pair of eyes as deep as the ocean and as radiant as crystal. Within his eyes reflected the green of the leaves and the blue of the lake water. His gaze was akin to a cloud looking down upon the world from the horizon or perhaps a leaf drifting with the wind. He observed the world with a detached demeanor, devoid of any emotion.

Yet, for some unknown reason, his body was tightly entwined with numerous branches and leaves, and he showed no intention of struggling. This was the legendary God Epoh.

Seeing Epoh open his eyes, the two goddesses in mid-air bowed to him. “Great God, this is an imposter believer who sneaked in. My sister and I have captured him! Should we execute him?”

Epoh appeared indifferent, not even glancing at them, merely closing his eyes once more.

The two goddesses in white looked at each other briefly, nodded in unison, and released their grip. Dong Xiang plummeted towards the lake below.

The moment Dong Xiang entered the lake, he was blasted into countless fragments.

A silent mist of blood spread out, staining a vast space red. Yet, it seemed there was a barrier around the lake; all the blood and flesh that splattered outwards halted at the edge, only to fall back into the lake.

A large portion of the lake was stained red.

Throughout this, there was no sound from the direction of the lake. The entire scene played out like a bizarre, colorful silent film in front of the believers.

On the surface of the lake, the dresses of the goddesses remained pure white, untainted by any filth.

Together, they chanted in unison, “[The Lake of Sin and Punishment] can cleanse everyone’s sins. May there be no lies or deception in this world henceforth. May the sacred lake water return purity to the world.”

After chanting the spell three times, the blood-red lake turned crystal clear.

The reflection of the green trees and the faintly visible dome of the palace on the lake surface suggested that no bloody massacre had ever occurred.

Witnessing this, the four remaining players realized one thing: They must never touch the water in that lake.

Having dealt with Dong Xiang, the two goddesses continued to hover over the lake. They exchanged glances and conjured three bridges on the lake, crystal clear in appearance.

One of the goddesses returned to the lakeshore and waved her hand. Each believer suddenly had a numbered tag around their neck.

She said, “The tags are randomly numbered from 1 to 24. Please proceed to meet the Great God Epoh on the other side of the lake according to your number. Three can go at a time. Let’s see… Who is the first lucky one to meet God Epoh?”

Zhou Qian looked at his tag—he was number 3. He wasn’t the first to see the god but was among the first to cross the bridge.

Soon, the players with tags No. 1, 2, and 3, under the guidance of the goddess, took their positions on the three bridges. Zhou Qian was on the far left.

“Before crossing the bridge, if you wish, you can speak about how you feel the Great God has wronged you. Please speak in the order of your tags. Once you’ve finished, you may proceed to the Great God. Those who want to vent, please feel free.”

The goddess’ voice remained light and clear, exuding an air of innocence. But the words she uttered were rather peculiar. “Once you are before the Great God, you can do whatever you want to him. The Great God will never resist. Each believer has 5 minutes.”

Believer No. 1 was a pregnant woman with a protruding belly. She walked with a bit of difficulty.

Clutching her swollen abdomen, she began, “I was once very grateful to the Great God Epoh. Since I believed in him, all my wishes came true. I wanted to get into medical school, and I did. Then I fell in love with the most popular guy at the university. He originally had a girlfriend, but after I made a wish to the Great God, he fell in love with me. My wish came true again. But then… he died.”

“I-I’m pregnant now!” Her voice suddenly became more animated. “It’s a girl! He was so happy; he loved baby girls! But he died! I was with him through years of studying and the hardships of starting a business. We finally got married, and everything was perfect, but it all vanished… How can I accept this?”

The believer became choked with emotion, and there was a hint of resentment in her tone. “Of course I made another wish to the Great God! I want him to come back to life! But the Great God actually said… that his divine power has declined, and he cannot satisfy my wish…”

“How could this be… How could this be…!!!”

“Poor believer. The Great God feels very guilty towards you. Please vent your anger. The Great God you worship will always love and cherish you. He is willing to bear your wrath.”

The goddess said, “Next, please.”

Believer No. 2 was a man, about 50 years old, looking very thin, almost skeletal.

At the same time, he has dark circles under his eyes, always hunching his body, looking as if he’s been crushed by life’s burdens.

“I am a driver. I once thanked the Great God Epoh. He told me that I could make any wish. I don’t believe in sudden fortunes, and I have to earn my living. So, I didn’t directly ask the Great God for money! With my back injury, I just wished for my body to recover, to continue driving trucks…”

“My wish came true; my back injury healed. Later, my mother became increasingly frail, as if she was about to die… After all the hardships she went through raising me, it was finally my turn to repay her. How could she die? So I made another wish to the Great God, hoping she could live a long life and always be with me. But…”

His eyes gradually darkened, and he clenched his fists and said, “Indeed she lived longer. But now she’s completely incapable of taking care of herself and often gets sick…”

“If I were ten years younger, it wouldn’t matter. But I’m getting older, working late into the night, and I can’t drive anymore! I don’t earn much money… I can’t afford a caregiver, so I had my wife help take care of my mother. But she refused! She said I was a mama’s boy and divorced me… At this age, I can’t believe I’ve lost my home!”

“My wife… my wife is gone. My mother… My mother has dementia. She’s crazy all day, and I have to take care of all her needs by myself, I…”

So, your wish now is to let your mother die?

Zhou Qian frowned with disdain.

The believer continued, “I made a third wish to the Great God, hoping that my mother’s body could return to the health of her youth and that she could remember me again. But the Great God said he doesn’t have the power anymore…”

“How can I endure this kind of life? So, I made a wish to the Great God, begging him to kill my mother. But the Great God actually said—”

The believer’s eyes were fierce. “He said he still couldn’t do it!”

After the second believer finished his story, he crossed the bridge to the Great God.

Next was the third believer, Zhou Qian.

The priestess looked at him. “Believer No. 3, it’s your turn. Are you grateful to the Great God? Do you resent him?”

Standing on the semi-transparent crystal bridge, with the green forest inside the palace around him, not far in front was a Great God who seemed willing to be trampled on by his believers.

Setting his sights on the Great God Epoh, Zhou Qian answered the goddess’ question.

“I like money and sex. He satisfied me. But the person I loved the most committed suicide. So, I wanted the Great God to revive him…”

At this point, mimicking the tone of the previous two believers, Zhou Qian deliberately said, “But he said he couldn’t satisfy me anymore. How hateful.”

After finishing his story, under the guidance of the goddess, Zhou Qian walked over the crystal-like bridge, crossed the lake that could tear people into a million pieces, and finally reached the Great God Epoh.

At this time, Believer No. 1 had already taken action.

She approached the Great God Epoh, clenched her fist, and seemed to want to slap him.

But just as her palm was about to touch the high nose of the Great God, she hesitated.

Is it really okay?

He is, after all, a god with divine power…

Is this an act of disrespect towards him?

Will I face terrible punishment…

“What are you afraid of?”

The one who spoke was Believer No. 2. “We’ve all just insulted him mercilessly, and he didn’t respond! The Great God we believe in… Hahaha, he’s utterly weak now! He gave us hope and then gave us even greater disappointment! If not for him, I’d live a million times easier than I do now!”

After saying this, he drew a sharp knife and walked directly in front of Epoh, then slashed at his face. “I hate you!!!”

When Believer No. 2 threatened, his face was fearless, but when he slashed, he was obviously scared.

It was simply human instinct when facing a force many times stronger than oneself.

So, his slash was light, just lightly scratching the corner of Epoh’s right eye.

Blood droplets spilled out, rolling down, staining Epoh’s fair face with a vivid crimson mark.

Yet Epoh remained with his eyes shut, not so much as furrowing his brow.

Epoh’s reaction undeniably emboldened Believer No. 2. Taking a deep breath and hardening his resolve, he drove his blade directly into Epoh’s shoulder. Blood gushed out immediately, dripping incessantly down the green stems, falling with a constant drip onto the ground below, painting a large patch of earth red.

As Believer No. 2 continued to harm Epoh, Zhou Qian approached and said, “Epoh, you love and cherish your believers, even allowing us to vent our anger on you. Therefore, you surely won’t refuse to speak with us, right? Can you open your eyes and look at me?”

Just then, Believer No. 2 slashed across Epoh’s forehead.

Blood streamed down, tinging his long eyelashes and then filling his eyes. His deep blue irises were instantly awash in red, making the sight alarmingly visceral.

The reason Zhou Qian witnessed this was, of course, because Epoh had opened his eyes.

What kind of eyes were they?

Like age-old still water, slowly tainted with red, the deep-sea blue mingled with the blood red, forming a profound tableau. Regardless of the colors they took on, his gaze remained largely emotionless.

“Do you feel pain, Epoh?” Zhou Qian inquired.

Epoh silently locked eyes with Zhou Qian for a moment, then nodded. “If I didn’t feel pain, the believers’ venting would be meaningless. So, yes, I feel pain.”

Zhou Qian’s eyes narrowed as he asked, “Then, are you afraid we might kill you?”

The first two disciples had already shown such fervor, and those on the other side of the lake seemed ready to join. By the looks of it, Zhou Qian wouldn’t be surprised if they tried to consume Epoh alive.

“Gods do not die,” Epoh calmly stated, looking directly at Zhou Qian. “My dear believer, you cannot kill me; you can only inflict pain upon me.”

“Come, punish me in whichever way you deem fit.”

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The author has something to say:

The inspiration for this piece came from the renowned performance artist Marina Abramović. In one of her performances, she anesthetized herself and lay motionless on a stage, leaving the audience free to interact with her as they pleased. At first, they merely applied lipstick and makeup, but as time went on, they turned to knives and guns, with the situation escalating out of control. Those interested can look it up.

I thought of this artist while reading “The Crowd“, a book on mass psychology. The idea of “blaspheming gods” seemed quite evocative, leading to this story about gods set in the backdrop of the Garden of Eden.

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Kinky Thoughts:

The performance the author is referencing is Rhythm 0. Contrary to what the author is saying (I believe the author is confusing a few of her works together), she stood still for six hours while letting the audience do whatever they wished with 72 objects that she had placed on the table (of which included knives, guns, among other things).

The Crowd is a book written by Gustave Le Bon. In it, Le Bon claims that “an individual immersed for some length of time in a crowd soon finds himself–either in consequence of magnetic influence given out by the crowd or from some other cause of which we are ignorant–in a special state, which much resembles the state of fascination in which the hypnotized individual finds himself in the hands of the hypnotizer.”

In layman’s terms, he believes that when one is part of a larger group, they act more on impulse than they would otherwise if they were isolated. The group gives them a sense of power and security, allowing them to act as part of the group. This is a psychological phenomenon call groupthink.

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