Little Gods – Chapter 13

T/N: Footnotes galore this chapter, you may skip if you don’t care about the mythical animals the book is talking about, they aren’t really plot related

Lin Fu had grown up in this city. 

But at that moment, Lin Fu suddenly realized that he had never seen its true appearance before. 

At first, it was a breeze passing by his cheek. A luminous golden bird with blazing tail feathers shot through the space between them like an arrow. 

“This is the Chongming Bird^[1]Divine bird of legend, good omen, the body of a chicken but the cry of a phoenix.” Su Qiong explained to the utterly dumbfounded Lin Fu. 

These words and the bird together seemed to cast a spell. Once the words fell, the Chongming Bird burst forth on the horizon, and the world was abound with fantastical, breathtaking hues. 

A white, fox-like Feifei^[2]Creature with a mane and white tail was taking a snooze on the roof, fascinating crimson patterns on its snow-white fur; a graceful Mengmo^[3]lit. ‘dream tapir’, a creature that consumes dreams/nightmares, it’s calls lull people into a deeper sleep and can take away people’s nightmares passed by the Feifei and deftly spat out a violet ball of dreams that burst open on the Feifei’s head. The Feifei’s mouth quivered, like it had just tasted a delicacy in its dream; a fat fire rat^[4]大火鼠, da huoshu, self-explanatory plodded gingerly on two legs along the exhaust duct with a group of little, rotund fire rats as it carried bread rolls, biscuits, and chocolate pilfered from the office in its hands, a tiny flame burning over its head; a sunset-colored Tong Bird^[5]Another mythical bird, red in color was soaring through the sky, daubing a touch of warmth to the dove-gray clouds; from afar came the sonorant cry of a Bibi^[6]Fox-like creature with wings, whose call was as clear and mellifluous as the clinking of jade; a Torch Dragon^[7]烛龙, Zhulong, creates day and night by opening and closing its eyes of power beyond comprehension was coiled around the broadcast tower like a vine, its enormous eyes shut tightly, its snores like rolling thunder; a Wind Sable^[8]风狸, fengli, a creature a bit smaller than a rabbit with red eyes, short tail, sallow-colored fur with black spots was nimbly weaving through traffic before suddenly gliding with the wind up to a mostly barren tree. The tree shook, the last of its leaves falling. In the eyes of ordinary people, it was due to a breeze; a Baize^[9]An auspicious creature that can speak and understand emotions, passed down a book to the Yellow Emperor. Descriptions vary, look up ‘白泽’ on Baidu if you want pics with a snow-white pelt and ice-blue irises sprang down from high in the clouds like a falling star, treading upon the empty air, bountiful lotus flowers blooming in the wake of each footstep before wilting away and crumbling in an instant. The air seemed to be permeated with the perfume of petals, the sensation perhaps or perhaps not illusory…

This city simply seemed to have been put through a kaleidoscopic lens by some force. With a ‘click’, the striking image snapped into place, and the wider, boundless universe was on full view before Lin Fu’s eyes. 

Lin Fu’s lips parted slightly, but he couldn’t make a sound. 

The world was filled with fairytale wonders. 

Su Qiong’s voice was composed and unruffled, like this was something he could see every day and not strange at all: “These spirit beasts can’t be seen with the naked eye, and they can’t be felt, either…”

Like he was suddenly rousing from a deep dream, Lin Fu slowly turned his head and looked at Su Qiong. 

It was strange to say, but, while the world looked entirely new, Su Qiong was still just Su Qiong. He was wearing the plain casualwear Lin Fu had bought him the other day, his sneakers clean and tidy. He had one hand in the pocket of his down jacket to ward off the cold, his exposed nose and ears were reddened by the chilly breeze on the rooftop, and his eyes were clear and earnest with a bit of habitual unease and reservation, like a weak and harmless herbivore.

“I opened your ‘heaven’s eye’.” Su Qiong scratched his head nervously, his gaze lowered as if he was afraid that Lin Fu would be unhappy, “You wouldn’t believe me otherwise. I really am a descended god….even if I don’t seem like one…”

Lin Fu chuckled in disbelief. 

He indeed didn’t seem like one, or, to be honest, he seemed rather unlike one. What kind of god would cry over wanting a thirty-something yuan serving of roast duck…

It was unbelievable, but with what he’d just seen, he couldn’t not believe it. 

“Do you believe me…” Su Qiong asked nervously. 

Lin Fu nodded with difficulty. He turned his entire body to face Su Qiong, blinking. He said softly: “So, you’re saying I’m in love with a god.”