A Smiling Face Is Hard To Bear

The novel borrows the worldview of "Journey to the West" to narrate a fantastical realm of immortals and monsters.

The male protagonist, Yong Wei, is the youngest son of the Heavenly Emperor, chosen to guard the Celestial Measuring Ruler at the base of Mount Jiaming. The Celestial Measuring Ruler is an instrument that determines the fate of all beings in the universe, capable of accurately deciding the lifespan and destiny of gods, demons, and humans. Yong Wei is dissatisfied with his fate of dedicating his life to guarding the Celestial Measuring Ruler, and he remains gloomy all day, forbidding those around him from showing any smiles. The female protagonist, Hu Chun, is a native fox spirit who harbors no grand ambitions and simply wishes to live a peaceful life. Due to her naturally smiling demeanor, she wears a smile regardless of her emotions, which inadvertently draws Yong Wei's attention.

Yong Wei's uncle, Ju Feng, is the master of the sacred land of the Celestial Realm, the Tian Shuang Xue Yu. Due to the Heavenly Emperor's fear of the formidable power of Tian Shuang Xue Yu, he used Yong Wei as an excuse to demote Ju Feng to the lower realm as a minor deity. Ju Feng secretly harbored resentment and developed the idea of replacing him, quietly accumulating forces to oppose the Celestial Realm.

The time was ripe, and Ju Feng stirred up a storm of blood and chaos between the heavenly realm and the mortal world, with Yong Wei becoming his greatest obstacle. With Yong Wei's own strength, he could no longer prevent Ju Feng from altering the world, so he chose to destroy the celestial measuring device he was guarding, causing chaos in the heavenly order and rendering Ju Feng's various plans uncontrollable. Under the leadership of the Heavenly Emperor, the heavenly realm gradually regained control of the situation, and Yong Wei also killed Ju Feng. After the calm was restored, Yong Wei, due to his mixed merits and demerits, was punished to repair the celestial measuring device at the foot of Mount Jia Ming, forbidden from contacting anyone. Under the leadership of the Heavenly Emperor, the heavenly realm gradually regained control of the situation, and Yong Wei also killed Ju Feng. After the calm was restored, Yong Wei, due to his mixed merits and demerits, was punished to repair the celestial measuring device at the foot of Mount Jia Ming, forbidden from contacting anyone

Hu Chun has endured various adversities and the fickleness of human nature, and has lost her smile. She has devoted herself entirely to Yong Wei, waiting for him for fifty years with their child at Mount Jia Ming. When Yong Wei finally repaired the Celestial Measuring Ruler and emerged from the mountain, Hu Chun saw him smile once again