The Bright River of Stars: Flowing Fire

Master said that back in the day, he had apparently forced himself on the Dragon King of the Jiang River, and that the whole Three Realms had witnessed it.

I couldn't help asking, "Master, are you even human? The Dragon King was precious and revered, and he was a junior fellow disciple of ours. He had even been granted the title of Jiang River deity. Wasn't it too much to humiliate him like that?"

Master replied, "That's right. Back then, I hadn't spent a single day as a human."

I said, "Well, that's true."

Only later, when Master underwent three hundred years of romantic tribulations in the mortal world, did he truly experience what it meant to be human.

I asked again, "Master, do you have to go through romantic tribulations? Do cultivators have to as well?"

Master replied, "Only those with feelings need to undergo romantic tribulations. Those without feelings have no such tribulations to worry about. Besides, he wasn't a cultivator. He was born in the celestial realm from the very beginning."

Only then did I realize how strange that was. I curiously asked him when he was born in the celestial realm and what his true form was.

Master teased me with a hint, then waited a long time before telling me the whole story in detail. It made sense. Long before the Goddess Wa created humanity, there were already many gods and immortals in the world.

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Additional note: The celestial universe in this story is only partly based on Daoist lists of gods and immortals. Historical accounts vary, and the names and titles used also differ across eras. Readers are welcome to enjoy it as entertainment, but please don't scrutinize it academically. The timeline in this story has also been deliberately blurred. Its setting is fictional, not historical, and may lack rigor and detail. Please bear with me.

As for the category, maybe I'm just a born contrarian. I can't stand certain situations, so I have to provoke someone and learn my lesson the hard way. We don't have to argue. Could we debate instead? The point is, don't expect to convince each other. Just convince the audience.

Theme: In the face of freedom and conscience, all gods and deities can step aside.