Chapter 6 Arrow Shot
Looking at the sweet-voiced, adorable little boy in front of him, Xie Bian felt his heart soften. A bright light flashed in his dark eyes, and he almost couldn’t resist reaching out to pinch the boy’s round little face. It must have felt incredibly soft.
The child was simply too beautiful. No wonder he was the son of the God of Beauty. Such a tiny bundle was already showing signs of becoming a handsome young man.
Fan Wujiu disliked bratty kids, but he found it hard to feel any aversion to such a well-behaved, cute child. Xie Bian, on the other hand, was completely charmed. He had always been fond of and gentle with children. The baby spirits and ghost children in the underworld loved to come and play with him. That’s why people said that Bai Wuchang was a good deity with cold hands but a warm heart.
Xie Bian bent down to greet the boy, “Hello, Cupid.”
They weren’t completely ignorant of the world’s stories. The famous Venus de Milo statue and the little God of Love, Cupid, were well-known worldwide. In the East, people often use the phrase “tied together by the red thread of fate by the Old Man under the Moon” to describe a destined relationship. In the West, they used the phrase “struck by Cupid’s arrow” to describe the feeling of falling in love.
Roman and Greek mythology shared a common origin. Many of the gods in both legends were actually the same. Just as the name Heibai Wuchang was more famous than Fan Wujiu and Xie Bian, the gods Venus and Cupid were far better known than their Greek counterparts, Aphrodite and Eros. In fact, Venus was Aphrodite, and Cupid was Eros. Whichever version was more famous was the one people tended to use.
“Why not send the child to his mother? Wouldn’t that be safer?” With the added filter of a cute child, Xie Bian immediately felt more sympathy for Venus. A single father having to flee with his child all the way to the Far East to escape pursuers was simply too pitiful. How could such a young child be forced to live a life of hiding and running?
Venus replied, “He doesn’t have a mother.” Cupid was born from him. As for the child’s other father, that remained an unsolved mystery among the gods of Mount Olympus.
What? You want to ask how two male gods could have a child? Well, the ways of birth in Greek mythology were already full of strange occurrences. The Goddess of Wisdom, Athena, sprang from Zeus’ split head. The God of Love and Beauty, Venus, was born from the sea foam. Thinking about it this way, isn’t it more normal for two men to have a child? At least it came out of the belly.
It wasn’t just in the West. Even in the East, there were examples of “conceiving by feeling.” The goddess of the Nine Rivers, Hua Xu, saw a footprint left by the god of thunder on the ground. Stepping on it, she was suddenly struck by a powerful sensation, and soon after, she became pregnant, giving birth to Fuxi and Nuwa. The ways of divine birth were as varied as the imagination could stretch. There was no limit to what the gods could do.
The Black and White Impermanence, however, were not ancient innate gods. They had been humans in their past lives, so their way of thinking was a little more traditional. When Xie Bian heard this, he immediately assumed the child’s mother had passed away, and his sympathy grew even stronger.
Poor little baby, losing his mother at such a young age and now having to flee with his father across the world.
“You sweet little angel, you’ll be lucky someday,” Xie Bian said gently, his tone soft and reassuring.
“Don’t be fooled by his appearance,” Venus kindly warned. “He’s a full-fledged little devil.”
Despite Cupid’s innocent, harmless look, he was infamous in Olympus for being the “god of nuisance.” Anyone who saw him would quickly turn and run.
From the moment of his birth, Cupid had possessed his divine artifact, the Arrow of Love. There were two such arrows: one made of gold, which caused the person struck to fall passionately in love with the first person they saw; and the other made of lead, which caused the person struck to develop an intense aversion to the first person they saw. Cupid, ever mischievous, enjoyed blindfolding himself and shooting arrows everywhere, not caring about the chaos he caused. He once struck the God of Sun, Apollo, with his gold arrow and the nymph Daphne with his lead arrow. Apollo went mad in pursuit of Daphne, who, in desperate flight, was eventually transformed into a laurel tree, becoming the Laurel Tree Goddess.
At that moment, Xie Bian and Fan Wujiu were completely unaware of Cupid’s powers.
How much harm could such a sweet, innocent child possibly cause?
None of them took Venus’ warning to heart.
A new tenant had moved into the Yanluo Apartment. The building had four floors. On the ground floor was the reception area, while each floor above, starting from the second floor, had two units, each featuring two bedrooms and a living room. Room 401 was always reserved for King Yan. Fan Wujiu and Xie Bian lived in Room 201, while Venus and Cupid moved into Room 202.
This matter was also reported to King Yan, who welcomed it — he welcomed anyone who brought him money.
Fan Wujiu often thought that King Yan should give up being the King of Hell and instead become the God of Wealth. But no, the God of Wealth distributed wealth, while King Yan only collected it.
The rent for a month was 100,000 underworld coins. The Black and White Impermanence earned roughly the same amount each month. Xie Bian was always broke, having donated all his previous salary to the underworld orphanage. Now that he had paid Venus’ monthly rent, he was left with almost nothing. Fan Wujiu, on the other hand, was more shrewd and worldly. He had invested in various industries in the underworld over the millennia and had accumulated a considerable fortune. He felt that he could still afford to support his wife…… er, take care of his brother.
Damn it, why couldn’t those improper thoughts just go away?
Inside Room 202, Venus spoke to Cupid in Greek, his tone serious and heartfelt. “Cupid, this isn’t Mount Olympus. We’re on someone else’s turf now, so you need to cause less trouble. You can’t go shooting arrows all over the place. Give me your bow and arrows.”
Cupid hugged his little bow and arrow, his voice full of grievance. “But this is my only toy!”
The Arrow of Love was his innate artifact, and shooting arrows was in his nature. It was far too difficult to suppress a child’s instincts.
Venus sighed deeply.
He felt deeply guilty toward this child. As a new father, the God of Love didn’t truly understand the responsibilities of parenthood. He didn’t even know who the child’s father was, so naturally, he didn’t feel a strong connection to the suddenly born child. The Greek gods, by nature, had little regard for family ties or moral boundaries. Fathers would swallow their children whole to preserve their thrones, sons could kill their fathers, and brothers would take their sisters by force. Greek gods essentially had no concept of family loyalty.
For the past few centuries, he had been imprisoned by that perverted monster at the bottom of the sea, while Cupid searched the length and breadth of Mount Olympus for any trace of him. It was only with the help of Cupid and a few former lovers that he managed to escape from the God of Sea.
After escaping, Venus didn’t run to any of his former lovers for help. He knew that would be like jumping from the frying pan into the fire, so instead, he took his son and fled to the distant, unfamiliar East.
A few centuries weren’t that long for a god, and could even be considered brief. But there was no denying that he had missed much of Cupid’s childhood. Over the long years, Venus had been trapped with that pervert, while Cupid had lived in loneliness. The moment he emerged from the sea and saw the sunlight again, Venus thought to himself that perhaps he had never truly understood love before, but from now on, he would love his child.
A father who loved his child would never have the heart to take away his only toy.
“Then I won’t take it away for now.” Venus emphasized repeatedly, “But remember, you must not shoot anyone without reason.”
Cupid obediently nodded. “I understand, Father.”
Venus gently rubbed his son’s chubby little face, his tone softening. “Were you bored while I was away in Olympus?”
Cupid shook his head.
Not at all bored. He had shot every god on Olympus with his arrows, and many interesting stories had come from that.
Beneath the angelic face of the little God of Love lay the heart of a little devil. The idea of loneliness and solitude? It didn’t exist for him. The father-son bond in the Greek pantheon had always been one of the most superficial kind.
Venus’ hand, which had been rubbing his face, suddenly pinched his cheek. “Think again carefully.” A child claiming he wasn’t bored without his father, didn’t that indirectly suggest that it made no difference whether he had his father around or not?
“……” Cupid was forced to nod vigorously.
“I’ll make sure you’re never lonely again, my dear.” Venus was satisfied with the answer, and then said gently, “Let’s go to the amusement park tonight. I’ll make up for the childhood you missed. How does that sound?”
Cupid responded with a quiet, “……Okay.”
“Good boy,” Venus said with a smile. “Now, turn off your halo, hide your wings, and get ready to head out.”
The amusement park at night was ablaze with neon lights and teeming with people.
Everywhere, couples were seen with children. The carousel played cheerful children’s songs, while kids jumped and bounced in the inflatable castle. The thrilling roller coaster swooped down at a rapid speed, taking with it a chorus of excited screams.
Venus cast an illusion on them so that their appearances didn’t stand out too much in the eyes of the passersby. Otherwise, it would have been hard to avoid drawing a crowd.
“Father, I want to play too.” Cupid pointed to one of the attractions.
It was an archery game. For just five coins, you could use a toy bow and arrow to pop balloons fixed to a wall. A small boy was holding the bow completely wrong, and every arrow he shot fell to the ground halfway, failing to pop even a single balloon after several attempts.
Cupid couldn’t stand it any longer. Today, he was going to show everyone present what it truly meant to be a master archer.
“Alright, isn’t this your specialty?” Venus said, reaching into his pocket to pull out some coins, only to find it empty.
It dawned on him, belatedly, that he had no money on him.
That pervert, aside from never letting him leave, had always unconditionally indulged him. If he wanted the stars or the moon, the pervert would “invite” the Goddess of the Stars and the Moon to the sea.
He had enjoyed such an extravagant lifestyle for so long that he had forgotten that things come at a price.
……Oh, but it wasn’t like he hadn’t paid the price with his body.
“……”
Venus stared at the game booth owner for a few seconds, contemplating whether to drop the illusion and use his looks to charm his way into a free game.
Without a doubt, the chances were 100%.
He had used his beauty to gain countless privileges, and he knew exactly how to use his allure to get whatever he wanted.
But just as he was about to put his plan into action, another pair of deep blue eyes suddenly flashed into his mind.
The noble and elegant god had lifted his golden hair, tilted his chin, and leaned in so close, brushing his fingers over his lips. His tone was gentle yet eerie.
“My dear, I can give you everything in the world, as long as you want it, as long as I have it, and if I don’t have it, I will find a way to get it. But if you ever dare to use that face to seduce others in exchange for anything… Of course, I wouldn’t dare to scratch your face, but I will gouge out their eyes.”
Venus shuddered, quickly shaking the horrible image out of his head, cursing the monster under his breath.
That guy was far in Greece and couldn’t possibly appear suddenly. It was bad luck to even think of him.
Venus, however, no longer had the desire to use his looks to charm anyone. It was probably because the pervert’s actions had left a psychological scar on him.
Looking up, Venus suddenly caught sight of a familiar figure.
“Your Excellency, the God of Beauty.” Wearing a simple white T-shirt and sporting short, neat hair, Xie Bian weaved through the crowd as he approached. “What a coincidence.”
Venus’ illusion could fool mortals, but it was useless against the eyes of spirits and gods.
“Just call me Venus.” Venus was surprised. “Why is Bai Wuchang here?”
“There’s a person with great merit nearby who has passed away. Lao Hei and I came to collect the soul. When I sensed divine energy fluctuations here, I had Lao Hei bring the soul to the underworld, and I came to see what was going on,” Xie Bian explained. “Since it’s you, everything is fine.”
“Of course, I wouldn’t use my divine power in front of humans,” Venus said. “And Cupid…… where’s Cupid?”
Behind him, there was no sign of Cupid.
Venus and Xie Bian turned around and saw Cupid standing just outside the shooting line. With his cheeks puffed out, he drew back his golden bow and nocked a heart-tipped arrow. “Hmph, I have my own bow and arrow.”
Father said I can’t shoot people with arrows, but he didn’t say anything about shooting balloons.
Venus’ expression changed slightly. “This is bad.”
Xie Bian was confused. “What’s wrong with shooting a balloon?”
“The Arrow of Love is a divine weapon. Once drawn, it will release the power of love,” Venus said, a rare hint of urgency in his tone. “If they don’t hit a specific target, every living being within a 500-meter radius will fall in love with the first person they see and begin to chase after them.”
If the golden arrow of love hit its mark, all the love energy would gather around that person, causing them to go into a frenzied state for a long time. If it missed, the energy would spread out, affecting everyone nearby, causing a brief period of collective chaos.
The amusement park was packed that night, bustling with families and children. Even a few moments of chaos could lead to an absurd and unforgettable scene. After all, while the golden arrow’s effects might fade, the memories would remain. If people saw their loved ones confessing to someone else…… that would create absolute pandemonium.
Cupid had never missed a shot before. He always had a specific target. The gods on Mount Olympus were already without much decorum, so it didn’t matter much if he accidentally made mismatched pairs. Once they came to their senses, they’d realize it was just Cupid’s arrow at work, and no one would take it seriously. As for the diluted power of love, it had no effect on gods. But now, leaving the divine mountain for the first time, Cupid had no idea how serious the consequences could be for mortals.
There was no turning back once the arrow was released. It was too late for Venus to stop it.
Xie Bian frowned, immediately transforming into his invisible, ghostly form, his robes fluttering as he swiftly moved like the wind. Just in the nick of time, he reached the wall holding the balloons and caught the golden arrow with his bare hands.
Sensing its target, the golden arrow became even more excited, straining to pierce its target with a force as heavy as a thousand pounds.
Xie Bian struggled for a few seconds, his long hair scattering around him. His already pale complexion grew even colder. Suddenly, his fingers trembled. In an instant, he let go, and the arrowhead pierced through his heart.
Once the golden arrow struck its target, it instantly vanished, transforming into a powerful surge of love energy that rushed into Xie Bian’s chest.
The sensation wasn’t painful, but rather it was a searing, intoxicating, and maddening feeling that rose from the very core of his being, gradually bubbling over.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
His heartbeat grew faster and faster.
Xie Bian closed his eyes, summoning his last remaining composure to conjure a white silk ribbon, using it to blindfold himself.
At the very least, he wanted the first person he saw to be Fan Wujiu.
Although it might have been somewhat humiliating, it would not be against his heart.
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