Translator's note: You may have noticed the English title of this novel has been changed on this blog—after some deliberation, I decided the initial title I had been using wasn't as fitting as I had originally thought. It's still listed as "Seeking Immortality in Vain" on the Novel Updates page due to the complex process of editing a novel's title on the site, but from hereon out it'll be listed and tagged as "Begging the Heavens in Vain" on this blog. -  There were still many people before the statue, or perhaps what now ought to be called an idol. Come to speak of it, this idol's craftsmanship was quite fine; its hair was graceful, and its eyes were bright; it was truly vivid and lifelike. It was just that, though the artisan had, after the fact, made all efforts to hide it, using the countless decorations to conceal it, if one were to come close, one could see the faint signs of crumbling at the furthest extent of the sleeves. The artisan ...