Chapter 54.1 Paternity Test
It was not an uncommon sight for gods from foreign lands to visit China. Typically, there was no need for Eastern gods to make a special effort to welcome them. However, the level of importance between an ordinary tourist and a visiting ruler was certainly not the same. Yanluo, the Chinese King of Hell, personally welcoming Poseidon, the Greek King of the Sea, was already a diplomatic event of royal caliber, especially since they will be living under the same roof afterward. As the host, it was only proper for Yanluo to hold a banquet to welcome Poseidon, demonstrating the grandeur of the host country with impeccable etiquette.
Poseidon, this god who could easily present a divine artifact with a wave of his hand, was bound to offer many valuable things in the future. For Yanluo, inviting Poseidon and his family for a meal was no hardship at all.
He instructed Xie Bian to go knock on Poseidon’s door and invite the King of the Sea and his family for dinner the following evening. Poseidon, understanding the importance of building good relationships with the gods of China, graciously accepted the invitation.
Venus and Cupid, of course, had no objections. Who wouldn’t want to eat? They had already been thoroughly conquered by the wide variety of Chinese cuisine during their stay. Even if it were just for the food, they were more than content to stay in China.
The dinner would take place at Yanluo Hotel, managed by Cui Jue.
Upon hearing that King Yan would be hosting foreign gods at his hotel, Cui Jue immediately went to the kitchen and instructed the food gods to prepare signature dishes from all of China’s major culinary traditions. It was important for Poseidon and his family to understand just how delicious Chinese food could be. This also served as a kind of cultural exchange. If King Yan was pleased, he might even give Cui Jue a larger share of the hotel profits.
On the day of the banquet, Cui Jue shamelessly came to the private room to freeload. As a member of the underworld, it was only right that he assist in hosting the distinguished guests. Besides, he was quite curious about what the legendary Greek gods looked like and wanted to take the chance to see them firsthand.
So, the private room was split into two factions: the Chinese camp — Yanluo, the King of Hell; Fan Wujiu, the Black Impermanence; Xie Bian, the White Impermanence; and Judge Cui Jue. And the Greek camp — Poseidon, King of the Sea; Venus, the God of Beauty; and Cupid, the little God of Love.
One dish after another, each more exquisite than the last, was brought to the table. Cupid, his mouth watering, could hardly contain himself. During his time in China, he had already mastered the use of chopsticks, and soon he was piling food onto his plate, eagerly peeling shrimp shells on his own.
Xie Bian and the others also began to use their chopsticks.
Poseidon, keeping his expression neutral, observed the movements of the Chinese gods before turning his attention back to his own plate. He picked up his chopsticks and expertly selected some dishes, so smoothly that it was impossible to tell this was his first time using them.
Poseidon placed the meat he had picked onto Venus’ plate, while the shrimp went into his own bowl. He then peeled the shrimp and, without hesitation, fed them directly to Venus. Venus, in turn, obediently opened his mouth and ate with ease, clearly accustomed to such attentive service.
With just this single gesture, Poseidon had already established himself as a good husband who doted on his wife.
Fan Wujiu and Xie Bian, watching the scene unfold, thought to themselves that the saying “Couples may fight at the head of the bed, but they make up by the foot of the bed” was indeed true. Just last night, Venus had been reluctant when Poseidon came knocking on his door, yet now, the couple was sweetly enjoying their meal, oblivious to the world around them.
Yanluo, noticing this, subtly signaled to Fan Wujiu, who was sitting closest to him. Fan Wujiu set down his chopsticks, leaned in, and heard King Yan whispered into his ear, “You should peel shrimp for Xie Bian too.”
Fan Wujiu blinked in confusion. Xiao Bai was his boyfriend, so of course he would peel shrimp for him without being reminded. But why would King Yan specifically instruct him to do so? Did his superior really have time to micromanage his subordinates’ love lives?
Before he could voice his thoughts, he heard Yanluo snap open his fan with a cold snort. “How can we let the Western gods outdo us in displaying affection? I have no partner, so this one’s on you to help us win.”
Fan Wujiu: “……”
Your Majesty, are you really trying to compete over this?
Following Yanluo’s orders, Fan Wujiu reached for the plate of shrimp, peeled a few, and placed them into Xie Bian’s bowl.
Xie Bian, seeing the tender shrimp in his bowl, returned the favor and peeled a few for Fan Wujiu.
The entire plate of shrimp was quickly devoured. Venus, who never got his hands dirty, didn’t peel any shrimp for Poseidon, while Fan Wujiu and Xie Bian took turns peeling shrimp for each other. It was clear that nothing could beat mutual affectionate. In this small display of affection, the Chinese camp had undoubtedly come out on top.
Yanluo silently declared victory in his heart, pleased that once again, the Eastern gods had triumphed over the Western gods in such an unusual way.
The happiness of the King of Hell was simple and straightforward.
Meanwhile, the only one in the room not enjoying the spectacle was Cui Jue, a single man longing for love but yet to find a partner. His face was one of pure agony.
Were they eating shrimps or dog food?
In this private room, there was a child who only cared about eating, and a king whose thoughts were filled with money, but the rest of the room was dominated by a couple and a married pair constantly showering each other with affection. Cui Jue wondered what kind of sins he had committed in his past life to be subjected to this much dog food in this life.
He stole a glance at the family opposite him, then quickly lowered his head and resumed eating in silence.
This family truly was the pinnacle of beauty in the divine realm.
Especially Venus, with his deep, alluring eyes and breathtaking beauty…… Cui Jue felt as though if he looked at him any longer, his soul might be captured. Of course, if he stared too long, Poseidon would likely cut him down with a glare.
This beauty, even when viewed from a global perspective, stood out as one of the finest in a patheon where gods and goddesses of exceptional beauty were commonplace. If Yanluo could represent the beauty of the East, then Venus was undoubtedly the epitome of Western beauty. Cui Jue thought it was perfectly natural for him to be stunned. Any god would be stunned!
However, the couple seated beside him showed no reaction at all. Even Yanluo, who was single, seemed completely unfazed, as though he were blind to Venus’ beauty. Was he the only god in the room with normal eyes???
This only made Cui Jue feel even more out of place.
Clearing his throat, Cui Jue tried to steer the conversation to cover up his embarrassment.
“Your child is so cute,” he said, glancing at Cupid, who was busy gobbling food. “He looks completely like the God of Beauty, not at all like Your Majesty the King of the Sea—”
Under the table, Fan Wujiu kicked Cui Jue sharply.
Cui Jue turned to him in disbelief. Why are you kicking me?!
Fan Wujiu, however, didn’t just want to kick him. He wanted to seal Cui Jue’s mouth.
Why bring up such a topic?
Fan Wujiu had spoken with Venus before and knew that Cupid was the child of one of his many lovers. The names from Greek mythology were too complicated and hard to remember, so Fan Wujiu had forgotten exactly who Venus had mentioned that day. However, he was certain Poseidon’s name had not been among them.
In other words, Cupid could not possibly be Poseidon’s child.
The event from last night until now only confirmed what Fan Wujiu had suspected. From the moment Poseidon arrived, he had only cared about Venus, completely ignoring Cupid on the sofa. During dinner, Poseidon continued to only attend to Venus, not once offering food to Cupid. Meanwhile, Cupid was very close to Venus, but there was a clear distance between him and Poseidon.
The family dynamic here seemed rather complicated.
“Cupid is my child, so of course he looks like me,” Venus glanced at Poseidon. “But he may not necessarily be our child.”
Cui Jue was stunned. “Not necessarily?”
What was going on here? Was he really admitting to an affair right after showering everyone with dog food?
Cui Jue instinctively glanced at Poseidon, worried that the King of the Sea might get enraged by the revelation.
But Poseidon merely finished peeling the last shrimp and fed it to Venus. He leisurely wiped his hands and said, “Venus has had several lovers. I don’t know whose child Cupid is. It doesn’t matter. As long as Venus is mine, that’s enough.”
Cui Jue was shocked.
So the Greek gods were this wild?
“Didn’t you do a paternity test?” Xie Bian asked.
“Paternity test?” Venus shook his head. “The Greek pantheon doesn’t have a way to identify the bloodline of gods.”
The Greek gods generally didn’t place much importance on bloodlines. Even if there were countless illegitimate children abandoned in the world, they wouldn’t bat an eye. They also couldn’t determine parentage through genetics, considering that in Greece, it was not uncommon for two gods to produce a cow, a horse, or even a monster. Each of these was a genetic anomaly, so there was no point in using such things as a reference.
Yanluo suddenly spoke up, “China has it.”
All eyes turned to Yanluo.
He was in high spirits, pleased that the East had won again.
“What method?” Venus asked quickly. He was also very curious.
Yanluo: “Bloodline testing with a drop of blood.”
“Ah?” Cui Jue instinctively blurted, “But modern science has already proven that this method is superstitious, hasn’t it?”
Yanluo, Xie Bian, and Fan Wujiu all turned to look at Cui Jue with expressions that screamed crazy.
Cui Jue felt a chill run down his spine as he squirmed under their gaze. “Why are you all staring at me like that?”
Fan Wujiu: “Don’t you think it’s ridiculous to say the word ‘superstition’ from your mouth?”
Xie Bian: “Have you been in the hotel industry for so long that you’ve forgotten your true job is to be a judge?”
Yanluo: “We are gods. Why would we care about science? Theology is what matters here.”
Cui Jue: “……”
That made some sense.
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