I Made the Ancestor Cry While He Was Weathering His Tribulation

He Ming was the despised little prince of the Great Liang, a layabout who never did anything useful. Whenever anyone in the capital mentioned him, they always spat out the same insult: "A pretty pillow stuffed with straw." Yet nobody knew that He Ming was actually a cultivator. All it would take was a single decree from his grandmaster for him to ascend to immortality. He Ming's grandmaster, Dao Lord Changning, was the ancestor of all sword cultivators in the world. Detached and passionless, he was the most noble and untainted person alive. Just as He Ming was about to ascend, his grandmaster descended to the mortal realm to undergo a tribulation. * Unable to ascend, He Ming had no choice but to continue living as a carefree little prince. That same year, the neighboring country was defeated, and its crown prince, Jiang Ning, was sent alone to Great Liang as a hostage. The emperor meant to humiliate him, so he assigned Jiang Ning to He Ming as a male concubine. Everyone in the capital knew He Ming was a playboy with countless ways to torment people. They all thought Jiang Ning wouldn't survive the winter. On their wedding night, the refined and elegant crown prince sat silently on the edge of the bridal bed, his fingers digging into his palms as he wept without a sound. He Ming, meanwhile, sat alone in the outer room all night. Afterward, He Ming kept his distance from Jiang Ning in private, while doing all he could to shield him at court. To avoid suspicion, he even arranged a sham marriage with his senior sister, publicly declaring with great fanfare that he wasn't attracted to men and that Jiang Ning had never given himself to him, in an effort to restore the crown prince's good name. Yet on their wedding night, the crown prince, who never drank, got dead drunk in the garden and collapsed among the begonias, his eyes inexplicably red. Years later, He Ming safely escorted Jiang Ning back to his homeland and helped him ascend the throne, cutting off their ill-fated relationship once and for all. As Jiang Ning rode across the border between their countries, he wept once again. * At last, He Ming's grandmaster emerged from seclusion. He Ming went to pay his respects. Standing beneath a nine-tiered platform, he bowed before the gathered immortals and gods. When he looked up, he realized that the grandmaster, the most exalted person in the world, serene and free of worldly attachments, was none other than his male concubine. He had made his grandmaster cry while the man was undergoing his tribulation. Three times, no less. * He Ming thought he wouldn't survive the winter. He became ever more cautious, staying silent in his grandmaster's presence and not daring to make a single misstep. But when he was truly gravely wounded and near death, his grandmaster leaned over his bed. The immortal, usually as calm as a gentle breeze and bright moon, was at a loss. Clutching his hand, he gritted his teeth and said, "He Ming, you are not allowed to die. I will not let you die!" Only when his hand was covered in tears did He Ming realize: He had made his grandmaster cry again. That was the fourth time. Theme: Helping one another and getting along in harmony