Lord of the Mountain [Mountain God]

Main CP: Hei Yu and Yao Ling. Both are each other's first and only. Raising them from a young age at first, then a power couple later. HE.

Gentle, powerful, aloof Snake God top x innocent, kind, resilient White Wolf King bottom

Hei Yu, the Snake God who rules over countless mountains, rescues a wolf cub by chance while at his weakest. He had no intention of interfering in the lives of ordinary creatures, but the cub clings to him?

(Some angst: the top suffers physically, and the bottom suffers emotionally...)

One bears the burden of protecting the world (the top, Hei Yu the Snake God), only to be misunderstood and betrayed by humans. He searches single-mindedly for the land of Guixu, hoping to sleep there forever.

The other was born weak, blind in one eye, and with mismatched eyes. His mother's family was murdered, his clan abandoned him, and hunters pursued him, leaving him gravely wounded (the bottom, Yao Ling the White Wolf). Yet he still struggles to survive.

Was their meeting fate, or were they destined to save one another?

The White Wolf gives everything to transform into a half-demon and become a mountain god, all so he can see the Snake God again.

But the Snake God is poisoned, and his endless life begins its final countdown...

"Master, this time, let your wolf protect you..." Yao Ling says.

[Mini-scene One]

Hei-Yao CP: Hei Yu (Snake God) x Yao Ling (White Wolf)

Zhuoguang Mountain, the Mountain God's temple.

At dawn, Yao Ling wakes on Hei Yu's chest, disturbed by the commotion outside.

The door opens a crack, revealing that the temple is surrounded by animals, packed so tightly that no one could get through. There are no calls or roars, but the clopping of hooves, antlers knocking together, birds flapping their wings, a tiger yawning... All kinds of tiny sounds overlap. Animals of different species coexist peacefully, and seem to be gathering in ever greater numbers.

"Oh my gosh, Master!" Yao Ling hurriedly nudges the sleeping Hei Yu beside him.

Hei Yu keeps his eyes shut, grabs Yao Ling's hand, and tries to pull him back.

"Stop sleeping! Master, look outside!" Yao Ling hauls Hei Yu upright and turns his head toward the door. "Master, you've only been back for a day. Is your spiritual power spreading too fast? All the animals have gathered here, and my temple is about to be crushed!"

Hearing Yao Ling's complaints, Hei Yu glances at the animals outside. "I've already been holding back. They can't even see me..."

"Even with you concealing yourself... Your Snake God power has drawn all these animals here! Before, when you stayed for a few days, at most they followed you around and grew flowers and plants..." Yao Ling suddenly realizes something. "Plants... Is it cloudy today? Usually, the morning sun reaches the temple..."

Yao Ling shoves the door open and rushes outside. Sure enough, the temple is surrounded by several trees that have grown wildly overnight...

He turns to Hei Yu, at a loss for what to do. The Snake God is still groggy with sleep and looks a little bewildered.

Stepping outside and looking up, they see branches meeting above the temple roof, careful not to damage a single brick or tile. Rather than being drawn to the spiritual power and growing out of control, the trees seem to have grown around the temple to protect it.

Fragments of sunlight filter through the gaps and dot the ground.

"These trees are... rather lovely, aren't they?" Hei Yu asks tentatively.

[Mini-scene Two]

Fish-and-bird CP: Yuan (white-tailed sea eagle) x Little Fish (black carp)

The Palace of the Underworld...

"You've worked hard lately, Underworld Messenger. You deserve a reward." The Underworld Emperor's sudden words leave Yuan stunned.

"I wouldn't dare accept," Yuan says.

"Bring it in," the Underworld Lord orders, raising his hand.

A ghostly official obeys, carrying in a white jade plate carved from jade, with a chill seemingly rising from it. Only when it is brought close can Yuan see the neat row of pale white meat with a faint blue-green tint.

"Try some. This black carp meat was hard to find, and it's very nourishing."

The Underworld Lord watches Yuan's expression, emphasizing the words "black carp" as he speaks.

Black carp... Little Fish's true form is a black carp.

"How does it taste?" the Underworld Lord asks.

"Delicious." Yuan eats it piece by piece. "Thank you, my lord."

Yuan flies back to his home after leaving the Palace of the Underworld.

He opens the door, only to have a water-soaked figure leap into his arms.

His body stiffens for a moment, then he holds Little Fish tightly.

A few notes:

1. This story is about animals, mountain gods, and mountains. Most characters take human form, and the setting moves from one mountain to another...

2. At first, the bottom is a wolf! Then he becomes a half-demon (wolf ears and tail), and only later can he fully take human form. His feelings are settled once he reaches adulthood. Whether he's a big white wolf, a little wolf demon, or a White Wolf King, every form is adorable and cuddly~

3. Since this is set in nature, there are occasionally hunting scenes (a very, very small part, briefly mentioned). If you're squeamish about blood, please take care.

4. The top is a Snake God! He won't directly transform into human form in the story, so don't worry.

5. There will be lots of animal stories outside the main plot, and the supporting characters have their own romance lines.

6. Some mountain names and supporting characters are inspired by The Classic of Mountains and Seas, while others are based on modern mountain names and endangered animals. The author will explain in the author's notes.

7. Ordinary creatures (animals, plants, and so on) can cultivate and, by chance, take human form. Some mountain gods, whether hundreds of years old or not, choose not to take human form, or take other forms instead.

8. The setting includes the mortal world and the underworld (the Snake God rules the mortal world, and the Underworld Lord governs the underworld), as well as the celestial realm and the demon realm (only briefly mentioned in this story).

9. Warning: Chapter 40, "Heaven's Calamity," has angst...

The top returns in Chapter 56, "Living"...

The second volume is full of sweetness...

This desperate need to survive... ( _(:з"∠)_ )

10. Both the top and bottom appear within the first 200 words, yep.

The main CP has an HE. The side CPs have a mix of happy and sad endings.

There may be more stories set in the same world in the future.

11. The main story is complete. Any updates are for fixing typos or adjusting paragraphs. If the page won't open, please wait a little longer. I beg for your understanding, and thank you so much.

12. Lastly, thank you, thank you to everyone who loves this story and its characters. When I reread it, I always feel like I've let my favorite characters down. But I can't change the course of their fates or the causes and effects that shape them, and that leaves me with a profound sense of helplessness...

Theme: All things have a spirit, but nothing in the world compares to you.