Having the Same Name as the Demon Lord of the Abyss
He embraced his fear
On the second day after arriving at the orphanage, Ye Zun came across the little boy.
The long, grey rainless weather was dark and oppressive, but when the wind started to stir, it felt freeing.
On the playground, innocent and immature kids ran around, playing games.
At the edge of the crowd, that familiar figure sat alone on a swing, looking at Ye Zun through people who came and went.
Clear bright eyes with black pupils, like black crystals falling in a quiet deep pond. A face as pure as an angel, with the corners of lips that were red as roses lifting, revealing a row of neat snow-white teeth, a smile both bright and innocent.
Even if he was still a child, his pure and perfect face was already a marvel to see. Such beauty actually existed in a human being. Was it really possible for a human to grow to look like this?
He looked at Ye Zun, smiling. From a distance, everything around him seemed to be blurred, as if he was the only thing that was real.
Ye Zun didn’t know how he came to stand in front of him. He just remembered looking at him, completely absorbed, as if he could only see him, and in a blink of an eye he had already walked up to him. And yet, it was as if they had been together since the very beginning, standing face to face, never separated.
The weather was sombre and dark, but that person’s existence seems to emanate light, like he was the source of all free and unrestrained winds.
The darker it was, the more radiant it was, like a walk in the nocturnal wilderness, seeing golden sunflowers blooming in the distance.
Like the valley in the abyss, with white dew falling on reeds under the moonlight.
He similarly looked at Ye Zun, devotedly, with a smile on his face that did not belong on a child’s face, declaring he could do whatever he pleased. There was also the faint irreverence and danger that seemed to be present, but also not. However, his clear, black eyes were gentle.
The fondness in those eyes, with careful self-restraint, contradicts the inherent malevolent pride and arrogance of the soul.
As if he was worried he would be hated by the person he was watching.
Maybe it wasn’t just hate. Even if he was disliked, if he was not liked enough, he couldn’t accept it.
A bright smile, an unaccustomed restriction on oneself, carefulness and restraint, like a river flowing from the sun through the shadows, his delight and gentleness were also cold.
It was as if, the river itself was just grim death air, and the radiant treasure was because there was a light shining on him, but that delight could dissipate at any time. The person his eyes beheld was the one who determined the appearance of the river, bestowing the river a brilliant and warm light.
It was this type of smile, and this type of gentle eyes that looked at Ye Zun with such intensity.
Giving him doubt and fear, and yet he couldn’t help wanting to get closer.
——Who are you?
He thought, and so he asked.
His skin was as white as snow, like the Snow White in fairy tales. The person with black hair, showing an unruly smile that was not like a child’s, slightly lowered his eyelids, and those eyes that were not fully opened glistened with black light.
He gently caressed Ye Zun’s throat, hand near the vocal cords, and spoke with a whisper that was like a sigh, “Little mute, both humans and ghosts will harm you, why must you fear me?”
Ye Zun stood there in a daze, allowing him to touch his wounded vulnerability.
——There is no fear, I just want to know, who are you?
That person raised his eyes to look at him. The corners of his lips lifted, his smile overflowing little by little. Those clear black eyes, were eyes full of determination.
Underneath that child’s appearance, he saw the dreadful and evil Shen Yuan, the cold and gentle Ye Zi, the dignified and restrained priest.
“My name, is Ye Lin.”
Ye Zun quietly looked at him.
Those eyes slowly made Ye Lin’s smile lose its strength. He watched him with such softness, eyes moving slightly, carefully wanting to be sure.
“Is it because of me, that you are unhappy?”
——No.
“Do you hate me?”
——I don’t.
“Then…do you like me?” It was Ye Lin himself who started to laugh, without the slightest irreverence or danger, just a smile that shone bright and pure. His slightly curved eyes looked at him, dazzling* and cute, and a somewhat unfamiliar sight.
[T/N: 烂漫/brilliant. MTL translated it as 浪漫/romantic (they are both pronounced làngmàn)]
It was as though, if Ye Zun said he didn’t like him, it would still be okay, because he had already taken the liberty of recognising Ye Zun’s liking towards him, or perhaps, as long as he liked Ye Zun, that was enough.
The peace and patience in the depths of those eyes did not put any pressure on Ye Zun. They gently accommodated any abhorrence Ye Zun had towards him, any of his true emotions.
【 My dear, you can hate me, if you really do hate me. There is no need to feel unsafe or intimidated by me. 】
But in the next second, Ye Zun stepped forward and hugged him, hugging him very tightly.
——It’s just, I’m a little scared.
Ye Lin was startled. He blinked unconsciously, then blinked again. He didn’t smile. Those eyes that were cold enough to penetrate skin, so lush and tranquil, but the colours painting the very depths were crystal clear and pure.
It was the first time this person had taken the initiative to hug him. It was completely unexpected.
An experience he never had before, he was somewhat at a loss.
But his body had already spontaneously hugged Ye Zun back, as if he had been longing to do so.
Every muscle providing strength in the arm was controlled to be absolutely gentle. Fingers lightly soothed the thin spine.
He said softly, “Scared of me, or this world?”
Ye Zun just hugged him tightly, like a lonely child who had nothing at all, hugging his Fox-gege who would give him purple grapes.
He had already seen all kinds of horrors; whether it be ghosts, or people.
This demon, was the most terrifying one of them all, but he had never truly harmed him.
He was no longer afraid of ghosts, and his fear of the Demon God’s Amusement Park had already begun to fade. He was not even afraid of death.
However, he was afraid that he would be left alone in this paradise* of death that had no beginning and no end, until this person shows up again.
[T/N: 乐园/leyuan, garden of happiness. Add 游 to the front and it turns into 游乐园/amusement park]
That voice was gentle, “That won’t happen, I’m here ah, you still have me. I will always and forever be by your side.”
【 Whether you fear me, or love me, I will always be here, like the hanging reflection of the abyss, forever staying by your side. 】
Ye Zun closed his eyes, holding his breath slightly, and his throat swallowed weakly.
——Thank you.
……
He started to feel that maybe that person didn’t really exist, that he was just an illusion born from his loneliness during this long and lonely journey.
Like the shadow that follows the body, belonging only to him.
The exact opposite of him, someone who could never be.
It is the existence that he has never hated, but he does not know if he yearned for it.
He once ran away, but that person was always in his heart, and he never forgot for a moment.
When they met again, instead of fear, there seemed to be a faint sense of ease in his heart, one that let him breathe a sigh of relief——
I am not alone, there is something in the dark that always stays with me.
Even if it is a terrifying and dangerous existence that will devour me at any time, even while I am afraid, I also think, just how wonderful this is.
It was like being in a secluded, dark and bottomless ravine in the abyss. In his dream, he saw swamps full of bones of dead travellers who walked this path. But when he woke up, he saw a beautiful and serene river, with reeds along the bank.
When he was awake, someone travelled with him on his journey. But under the eternal night in his dreams, there was only the cold and ferocious scales of a giant snake, coiling tightly around him, closely chasing him, the snake tongue whispering softly in his ear, as if to kill him, telling him to love it.
That snake also protected him. When the crocodile hiding in the swamp exposed its sharp teeth, it reciprocated with murder, and revealed an even more terrifying face.
But, that snake must also be very hungry ba, when will it eat him?
Maybe this moment, perhaps the next moment.
He didn’t know when.
But at the end of the nightmare, even if he was afraid, he couldn’t help but hug the snake.
Embracing his fear.
He closed his eyes.
He let the other person’s heavy and dangerous body wrap around him tightly, like he was being suffocated, separating him from the even more suffocating and freezing darkness of the swamp that wanted to swallow and drown him.
Until he woke up from the biting cold dream, opened his eyes, and saw the light rising above the horizon, illuminating the radiant sunflowers that bloomed alone along the sides of the path in the dark wasteland.
Golden light dispersed over the river and the tufted ends of reeds, the crystal dew shone brightly, and wet blades of grass glistened.
He forgot. Under the abyss, there is no sun that rises.*
[T/N: 深渊底下是没有太阳升起的]
He smiled with his lips pressed together at the gentle and perfect companion by his side, and reached out a hand. “Please come with me, let us walk together ba.”
The author has something to say:
A lonely and pure white soul in the darkness, like a bright flower that emits a faint light, just like the moon, attracting creatures in the dark.
Was it a real danger that existed, or a demon the swamp created an illusion of, was it a reflection of the abyss’ shadow that he made in his loneliness, or was it a real being?
I wanted to write that kind of love, where it’s like walking on the edge of the cliff, walking on the bank of the swamp, in the middle of danger, sinking, falling down at any time, a constant state of confusion and struggling, self-deception, mutual understanding, wanting to escape but willingly reluctant to leave, an extremely intimate embrace, but separated by an insurmountable danger, being clearly awake and never deviating from the path, but the soul and spirit clearly seemed to be falling in love.
Dark yet pure, grim yet gentle, beautiful yet hidden.
The Abyss is dark, but your feeble light met him, so you walk in the darkness of the night, and in the grotesque and variegated cruelty, you see the magnificent and mottled beauty.
Having the Same Name as the Demon Lord of the Abyss
He embraced his fear
On the second day after arriving at the orphanage, Ye Zun came across the little boy.
The long, grey rainless weather was dark and oppressive, but when the wind started to stir, it felt freeing.
On the playground, innocent and immature kids ran around, playing games.
At the edge of the crowd, that familiar figure sat alone on a swing, looking at Ye Zun through people who came and went.
Clear bright eyes with black pupils, like black crystals falling in a quiet deep pond. A face as pure as an angel, with the corners of lips that were red as roses lifting, revealing a row of neat snow-white teeth, a smile both bright and innocent.
Even if he was still a child, his pure and perfect face was already a marvel to see. Such beauty actually existed in a human being. Was it really possible for a human to grow to look like this?
He looked at Ye Zun, smiling. From a distance, everything around him seemed to be blurred, as if he was the only thing that was real.
Ye Zun didn’t know how he came to stand in front of him. He just remembered looking at him, completely absorbed, as if he could only see him, and in a blink of an eye he had already walked up to him. And yet, it was as if they had been together since the very beginning, standing face to face, never separated.
The weather was sombre and dark, but that person’s existence seems to emanate light, like he was the source of all free and unrestrained winds.
The darker it was, the more radiant it was, like a walk in the nocturnal wilderness, seeing golden sunflowers blooming in the distance.
Like the valley in the abyss, with white dew falling on reeds under the moonlight.
He similarly looked at Ye Zun, devotedly, with a smile on his face that did not belong on a child’s face, declaring he could do whatever he pleased. There was also the faint irreverence and danger that seemed to be present, but also not. However, his clear, black eyes were gentle.
The fondness in those eyes, with careful self-restraint, contradicts the inherent malevolent pride and arrogance of the soul.
As if he was worried he would be hated by the person he was watching.
Maybe it wasn’t just hate. Even if he was disliked, if he was not liked enough, he couldn’t accept it.
A bright smile, an unaccustomed restriction on oneself, carefulness and restraint, like a river flowing from the sun through the shadows, his delight and gentleness were also cold.
It was as if, the river itself was just grim death air, and the radiant treasure was because there was a light shining on him, but that delight could dissipate at any time. The person his eyes beheld was the one who determined the appearance of the river, bestowing the river a brilliant and warm light.
It was this type of smile, and this type of gentle eyes that looked at Ye Zun with such intensity.
Giving him doubt and fear, and yet he couldn’t help wanting to get closer.
——Who are you?
He thought, and so he asked.
His skin was as white as snow, like the Snow White in fairy tales. The person with black hair, showing an unruly smile that was not like a child’s, slightly lowered his eyelids, and those eyes that were not fully opened glistened with black light.
He gently caressed Ye Zun’s throat, hand near the vocal cords, and spoke with a whisper that was like a sigh, “Little mute, both humans and ghosts will harm you, why must you fear me?”
Ye Zun stood there in a daze, allowing him to touch his wounded vulnerability.
——There is no fear, I just want to know, who are you?
That person raised his eyes to look at him. The corners of his lips lifted, his smile overflowing little by little. Those clear black eyes, were eyes full of determination.
Underneath that child’s appearance, he saw the dreadful and evil Shen Yuan, the cold and gentle Ye Zi, the dignified and restrained priest.
“My name, is Ye Lin.”
Ye Zun quietly looked at him.
Those eyes slowly made Ye Lin’s smile lose its strength. He watched him with such softness, eyes moving slightly, carefully wanting to be sure.
“Is it because of me, that you are unhappy?”
——No.
“Do you hate me?”
——I don’t.
“Then…do you like me?” It was Ye Lin himself who started to laugh, without the slightest irreverence or danger, just a smile that shone bright and pure. His slightly curved eyes looked at him, dazzling* and cute, and a somewhat unfamiliar sight.
[T/N: 烂漫/brilliant. MTL translated it as 浪漫/romantic (they are both pronounced làngmàn)]
It was as though, if Ye Zun said he didn’t like him, it would still be okay, because he had already taken the liberty of recognising Ye Zun’s liking towards him, or perhaps, as long as he liked Ye Zun, that was enough.
The peace and patience in the depths of those eyes did not put any pressure on Ye Zun. They gently accommodated any abhorrence Ye Zun had towards him, any of his true emotions.
【 My dear, you can hate me, if you really do hate me. There is no need to feel unsafe or intimidated by me. 】
But in the next second, Ye Zun stepped forward and hugged him, hugging him very tightly.
——It’s just, I’m a little scared.
Ye Lin was startled. He blinked unconsciously, then blinked again. He didn’t smile. Those eyes that were cold enough to penetrate skin, so lush and tranquil, but the colours painting the very depths were crystal clear and pure.
It was the first time this person had taken the initiative to hug him. It was completely unexpected.
An experience he never had before, he was somewhat at a loss.
But his body had already spontaneously hugged Ye Zun back, as if he had been longing to do so.
Every muscle providing strength in the arm was controlled to be absolutely gentle. Fingers lightly soothed the thin spine.
He said softly, “Scared of me, or this world?”
Ye Zun just hugged him tightly, like a lonely child who had nothing at all, hugging his Fox-gege who would give him purple grapes.
He had already seen all kinds of horrors; whether it be ghosts, or people.
This demon, was the most terrifying one of them all, but he had never truly harmed him.
He was no longer afraid of ghosts, and his fear of the Demon God’s Amusement Park had already begun to fade. He was not even afraid of death.
However, he was afraid that he would be left alone in this paradise* of death that had no beginning and no end, until this person shows up again.
[T/N: 乐园/leyuan, garden of happiness. Add 游 to the front and it turns into 游乐园/amusement park]
That voice was gentle, “That won’t happen, I’m here ah, you still have me. I will always and forever be by your side.”
【 Whether you fear me, or love me, I will always be here, like the hanging reflection of the abyss, forever staying by your side. 】
Ye Zun closed his eyes, holding his breath slightly, and his throat swallowed weakly.
——Thank you.
……
He started to feel that maybe that person didn’t really exist, that he was just an illusion born from his loneliness during this long and lonely journey.
Like the shadow that follows the body, belonging only to him.
The exact opposite of him, someone who could never be.
It is the existence that he has never hated, but he does not know if he yearned for it.
He once ran away, but that person was always in his heart, and he never forgot for a moment.
When they met again, instead of fear, there seemed to be a faint sense of ease in his heart, one that let him breathe a sigh of relief——
I am not alone, there is something in the dark that always stays with me.
Even if it is a terrifying and dangerous existence that will devour me at any time, even while I am afraid, I also think, just how wonderful this is.
It was like being in a secluded, dark and bottomless ravine in the abyss. In his dream, he saw swamps full of bones of dead travellers who walked this path. But when he woke up, he saw a beautiful and serene river, with reeds along the bank.
When he was awake, someone travelled with him on his journey. But under the eternal night in his dreams, there was only the cold and ferocious scales of a giant snake, coiling tightly around him, closely chasing him, the snake tongue whispering softly in his ear, as if to kill him, telling him to love it.
That snake also protected him. When the crocodile hiding in the swamp exposed its sharp teeth, it reciprocated with murder, and revealed an even more terrifying face.
But, that snake must also be very hungry ba, when will it eat him?
Maybe this moment, perhaps the next moment.
He didn’t know when.
But at the end of the nightmare, even if he was afraid, he couldn’t help but hug the snake.
Embracing his fear.
He closed his eyes.
He let the other person’s heavy and dangerous body wrap around him tightly, like he was being suffocated, separating him from the even more suffocating and freezing darkness of the swamp that wanted to swallow and drown him.
Until he woke up from the biting cold dream, opened his eyes, and saw the light rising above the horizon, illuminating the radiant sunflowers that bloomed alone along the sides of the path in the dark wasteland.
Golden light dispersed over the river and the tufted ends of reeds, the crystal dew shone brightly, and wet blades of grass glistened.
He forgot. Under the abyss, there is no sun that rises.*
[T/N: 深渊底下是没有太阳升起的]
He smiled with his lips pressed together at the gentle and perfect companion by his side, and reached out a hand. “Please come with me, let us walk together ba.”
The author has something to say:
A lonely and pure white soul in the darkness, like a bright flower that emits a faint light, just like the moon, attracting creatures in the dark.
Was it a real danger that existed, or a demon the swamp created an illusion of, was it a reflection of the abyss’ shadow that he made in his loneliness, or was it a real being?
I wanted to write that kind of love, where it’s like walking on the edge of the cliff, walking on the bank of the swamp, in the middle of danger, sinking, falling down at any time, a constant state of confusion and struggling, self-deception, mutual understanding, wanting to escape but willingly reluctant to leave, an extremely intimate embrace, but separated by an insurmountable danger, being clearly awake and never deviating from the path, but the soul and spirit clearly seemed to be falling in love.
Dark yet pure, grim yet gentle, beautiful yet hidden.
The Abyss is dark, but your feeble light met him, so you walk in the darkness of the night, and in the grotesque and variegated cruelty, you see the magnificent and mottled beauty.
