The Child I Picked Up Turned Out to Be a God

This is a planned story. I wrote about twenty thousand words as a trial, but realized that with my current abilities, I can't finish it, so I've decided to put it aside for now. I may never start it, or I may get inspired and pick it up again in a few years.

You can remove it from your collection if you like. This isn't really a pure child-rearing story. If I had to describe it, it's a story about gods, and about humans, demons, and gods.

Le You was born into a wealthy family, but had been frail and bedridden since childhood. A physician declared he wouldn't live to see his twentieth birthday.

His parents couldn't bear the thought of him dying young, so they prayed to every demon, god, and spirit they could find.

The Mountain God granted their wish, allowing Le You to live past the age of twenty.

When Le You came of age, he went to a temple in the mountains to give thanks, never expecting to find a child and take him home.

The child was small, barely reaching his waist, and gentle-natured. He wasn't hard to raise, but he gave Le You plenty of headaches.

The child he found was good in every way, except that he loved running off into the mountains and was always eager to help the temple's visitors.

But...

You're a child, so why are you climbing onto rooftops and up trees to find things for people?

Why are you helping grown-ups sort out their relationship problems?

And aren't all those people asking you to make pills and magical artifacts going a bit too far?

Le You's head was about to split. He stared at the child he'd picked up, wanting to say something but stopping himself.

The child he was raising looked at him with clear, bright eyes, and Le You immediately caved.

He thought, isn't his child just a little too helpful? He could help out too.

Le You transformed into the second person to fulfill a temple visitor's wish.

With the two of them looking after it, the temple's incense offerings grew more and more abundant.

Then Le You discovered that monsters and demons were coveting his child.

Le You smiled benevolently. "What did you just say? You want to eat my child? Keep dreaming!"

It was time to show them the true power of the wealthy!

Le You pulled out spirit stones, magical artifacts, and pills, and scattered them toward the cultivators~

The number of people helping him fight rose by one, two, and more...

The true Mountain God, reduced to a child after losing his powers, looked up in confusion. He thought he sensed an evil gaze. Was he imagining it?

Le You, whom he had once saved, smiled gently, surrounded by peaceful calm.

After confirming there was no danger nearby, he trotted off on his little legs to fulfill another visitor's wish.

Today, too, he was a good Mountain God, doing his best to grant the visitors' wishes!

Theme: This world is so beautiful, so be sure to love something.