While Wujin was still writing Gate, something happened to him. Nobody but Xian noticed that on some occasions, his aura was annihilating. He did his duties as a gatekeeper very well and he wrote Gate whenever he got the time to. Xian noticed that his master was getting tired and agitated. He used to be so free and happy when he was a demigod. Now, he felt caged.

A gatekeeper's responsibilities were a long list. He was supposed to guard the realm gates, protect the beings who worshipped them, solve disputes between gods, pass judgements and decide the fate of the souls of the dead—Whether they were to go to heaven or to hell.

One day, 'Where there's Lust' was brought to the purgatory since she had been sending ghouls for deriving the spirit energy of humans by attracting them towards false sexual pleasures.
"You're stealing the spirit energy of humans?" Wujin asked. Xian stood behind him writing everything that was being said during the trial.
"Yes, I am."

"You know it's against the rules to hunt for anyone who has lower spiritual energy than yours"
"I don't care—I did what I had to do to survive."
"Even if it means killing others?"
"It's not like they don't want it. Every human has lust within them. If they don't want to die, they should be careful of the deception."

"You are a star of lust."
"And based on that you're going to pass your judgement?"
"No," He smirked and got up, "I'm just wondering how good you are at what you represent," Xian's eyes widened and he looked at his master. Wujin walked towards Lust. He stopped before her and looked into her eyes.

"How should I take that?" She asked.
"Take it any way you want." He grabbed her hand and pushed her on the floor, "Close the doors." He commanded and all the doors of the purgatory closed by themselves. Lust crawled away from him.

"They say sin stars don't have a heart and they would fall to any extent to get what they want," He walked towards her as she crawled away from him. Xian felt a heavy aura covering the room.
"Those are just rumours," Lust said.
Wujin grinned, "After today, they won't be just rumours."

"What?" Lust was in disbelief. He grabbed her kimono and tore it apart.
"What are you doing?!" She shouted as she pushed him away.

'Defaming,' Xian said inside his head, 'But this is a ritual we perform on sex demons--She isn't a demon.'

She shrieked as she ran towards another corner. Wujin laughed as she struggled to keep her clothes together. "Now, put that away." He pulled her clothes away from her as she clung to them.
"No!" He got on top of her.

'Wait, this isn't defaming anymore. This is rape!'

"Calm down and I will cleanse you."
"Cleanse me?! You're the demon here!"
Suddenly, a golden wall appeared between both of them. Wujin looked at Xian.

"So, now you're drawing a wall against me?"
"I didn't mean to—" Xian said, "But I just can't see you doing something so disgusting."
"Because you know that I won't do this to you. And now I'm stuck with you! Your presence is just suffocating me now. I lost my freedom, lost my country, lost everything to become a gatekeeper just to keep you around but now what? Because I don't feel like this is my destination. You are not my destination. What did I do so wrong that I have a soulmate like you?! I don't like you--I am just coping. Because you, Xian, aren't a woman and you'll never be one!"

Xian's eyes grew watery and he swallowed a lump in his throat, "Okay." He simply mumbled. Wujin looked at him with hatred in his eyes.
"Kill her," He went away.

Xian looked at her after he was gone. "Are you okay?" He asked.
"I should ask the same to you." She said, "How can you bear a master like that?"
Xian smiled, "He wasn't always like this. Just get out here before someone sees you."

"He told you to kill me,"
"I'll pretend I didn't hear that." That night, Wujin disappeared but Xian figured where he might have gone. He opened the gate to the human world and rushed to Anho's place, a mistress mansion. He found Wujin sitting among the ladies and drinking soju.

"Wujin!" Xian shouted and Wujin looked at him, "What are you doing?"
"Enjoying life."
"You shouldn't be here. If the gods know about this—You'll be banished!"
"What if I say that I want to be banished?"

"Don't say that, Wujin..."
"I will say it. Don't show me your face again and again."
"Why do you suddenly hate me?"
"You didn't kill her, did you?" Xian didn't answer, "You're getting pretty rebellious."

"There's nothing like that. I will still do everything you say."
"Alright, so I want you to rape Anho's daughter."
"Lord Wujin! She's just 14!" Anho said but he hushed her, "Tell me, Xian, would you do it?" Xian's body had gone numb.

"You are listening right, Xian?"
"If I do that, do you promise that you'll never come back here again?"
"What are you saying?!" Anho shouted.
"I promise."
"No!"

Lust ran with a bucket of water towards the mistress mansion. She opened the door of the room where Lict was in and splashed the water on him. He had blemishes all over his body which gave out smoke the moment ritual water touched his body. She had fetched it from Wujin's old shrine.

"Xian," She leaned towards him. The blemishes faded in colour but they were still there. Wujin had left for the purgatory already. Leaving Xian behind in the human world to die.
"Let's take you to the shrine. They'll do the cleansing. Can you stand, Xian?" Lust asked. One of his old friends at the shrine picked him up on his back and carried him to the shrine where the head priest cleansed him through a ritual.

Slowly, his body healed. He sat outside the shrine and looked at the moon. Lust came and sat beside him. "Why did you save me?"
"You saved me first. I just returned the favour. How do you feel now?" Lust asked.
"Honestly, I feel dirty. I feel so dirty that I don't want to be inside my own body anymore. I hate myself."

"The whole world can give up on you and you'll be fine but if you give up on yourself, it won't be fine."
"I don't want to be fine. You should've let me die."
"And lose my first friend? Never! Now get up, the purgatory is waiting. That bastard left the door open for you."
"You know, he is not him. He was so happy before." Xian told her everything. From how they met at the shrine till the date he became the gatekeeper.

"I thought elites had it good but I was so wrong."
"Everyone has their own struggles."
"In the end, he proved that he has a human inside him too. And humans have always hurt us ever since God created them. So, don't be surprised."
"I didn't know that."

"Well, now you do. The hard way."
"Yeah, I guess." Xian bit his nail. He passed through the gate that Wujin had left open for him and reached the purgatory. He didn't seem very happy to see Xian.

At night, while Xian was taking a bath, he noticed a black patch on his shoulder. It seemed like a fingertips sized vitiligo, just darker and sluggish to touch. He decided to show it to Wujin and inquire about it. Wujin had a look at it and told him that it was nothing.

"It's just vitiligo. Ignore it."
"But, it's hurting a little."
"Don't you hear once—I said ignore it."
"Yes, my lord."

'But should I ignore it? Nevermind, it's vitiligo. I'm just overreacting.'

-To be continued

Wujin Chen
Dear Ms Lady Demigod