Inside the Pale Moon Pavilion, the evening banquet had progressed to halfway through. The wine had also changed from the light Luofu Spring to the strong and intense Supreme Clarity Wine.
Tai Yao looked somewhat helplessly at the two shidi and shimei beside him. Gu Ting was so drunk he had already started talking complete nonsense. Earlier, when a shidi had gotten tired of him constantly mentioning inns, he brought up mortal realm brothels instead. As a result, Gu Ting was still clutching him and repeatedly asking whether brothels were buildings painted blue.
Zhi Xi had always been the most steady among the disciples, yet unexpectedly today, for some unknown reason, she had been gripping her wine cup without putting it down. Both her eyes had already gone vacant, her face completely flushed, only capable of foolish laughter.
He just hoped these two good disciples who represented the Hall of Clarity’s reputation would absolutely not smash the Hall of Clarity’s face here today.
Suddenly he saw Fucang, who had been missing all afternoon, walking over gracefully. Tai Yao quickly waved: “Fucang Shidi.”
Fucang awkwardly avoided Qing Di’s teasing gaze and quickly walked over to sit down, saying softly: “I apologize. I… had something come up. I’ll punish myself with three cups of wine.”
Right now Tai Yao got a headache at the mere mention of wine. He quickly stopped him: “Don’t drink anymore—just look at these two!”
Zhi Xi was still alright, sitting quietly with a foolish smile. Gu Ting had tormented every single disciple present before finally pouncing over to embrace Fucang, laughing: “You and Xuan Yi spent the afternoon outside chatting—it went well, didn’t it?”
Fucang took away the wine cup from his hand and said coolly: “You’re drunk. Sit down.”
The Hua Huang Yao Clan had always emphasized “moderation” in their conduct. No matter what they did, they would keep it within certain limits. Gu Ting would never drink himself to such intoxication at similar banquet occasions before, yet this time for some unknown reason he had. Could he have something weighing on his mind?
Gu Ting indeed sat down. Since he couldn’t snatch back his wine cup, he simply grabbed a new one and sighed: “I’ve been looking for you all afternoon… you didn’t even keep me company for drinks, running off somewhere. I’m telling you, Fu Luo came to see me yesterday. She… heard I fell to the mortal realm and was very worried. The waist ornament with eighteen lily-of-the-valley flowers I gave her before… later broke, and she repaired it herself again…”
As he spoke, his body tilted sideways. Fucang reached out to straighten him, only to see he had already fallen into a sound sleep.
Tai Yao couldn’t help but sigh: “It was the same in the mortal realm—stealing those mortals’ wine to drink, and once drunk he would recite Fu Luo’s name. If he can’t forget her, why not let bygones be bygones and reconcile?”
Fucang shook his head. For Gu Ting, he would rather spend the next several thousand years drunk and longing day and night than ever reconcile. He could just be that stubborn.
Gu Ting on this side had just peacefully fallen asleep when Zhi Xi on the other side suddenly covered her face and began crying softly. Tai Yao’s head was practically splitting in two. Everyone had come out happily to congratulate Fucang, yet one after another had drunk too much—if not reciting old lovers’ names, then inexplicably starting to cry. He felt he barely recognized his fellow students anymore.
He could only console her in a low voice: “Zhi Xi Shimei, if there’s something troubling you, just speak up. Venting it out will help.”
Zhi Xi didn’t speak, only covered her forehead as tears fell like broken pearl strings.
Tai Yao had never known how to deal with weeping goddess maidens. He could only look around at the surrounding disciples as if seeking help, but one after another they all avoided his gaze. What a joke—Zhi Xi Shijie was always so serious and proper. If something could make her cry, the matter must be terribly troublesome. Nobody wanted to get involved.
He looked toward Fucang. Fucang only summoned two attending female immortals to help Zhi Xi up, while he himself lifted Gu Ting: “I’ll send them back to the guest rooms to rest.”
Tai Yao sighed and also stood up: “Let’s go together. I’m tired too.”
By now it was nearly the hour of Hai. The Dijuns had also returned to their guest rooms in twos and threes to rest. Fucang and Tai Yao settled Gu Ting, then stepped out of the room, only to hear Zhi Xi’s faint sobbing still coming from another guest room.
Tai Yao coughed heavily outside the door. Zhi Xi’s crying immediately cut off, with no further sound.
“Ask her about it another day.” Tai Yao shook his head and bowed to Fucang before heading to his own guest room.
The lakeside avenue was illuminated snow-bright by the silver moon. The guests had mostly dispersed. Fucang had no desire to sleep and slowly walked forward along the avenue. He had seen the surrounding scenery since childhood and was already incomparably familiar with it. Tonight, for some unknown reason, a trace of fresh and charming meaning seemed to arise from the old scenery. He actually didn’t want to return to his room to sleep so early.
Suddenly he saw a figure leaning against a huge bluestone ahead. Empty wine pots were piled on the stone, and the person was still pouring and drinking for himself. Between his movements, the fiery red jewel on his forehead swayed slightly.
Seeming to hear footsteps, Shao Yi turned around in surprise. Seeing it was Fucang, he relaxed his brow: “Even in the Celestial Palace you couldn’t find such a moonlit view. It’s truly beautiful.”
Having said this, he shook the wine pot in his hand: “Share a cup?”
Their temperaments were extremely incompatible. Ordinarily they had nothing to say to each other. Plus there was the matter with Gu Ting. Fucang wasn’t particularly willing to approach this inscrutable shixiong. But today he was the host. Having left the banquet for an entire afternoon was already extremely discourteous. The Huaxu Clan’s emphasis on propriety meant he could not refuse a guest’s invitation again. He therefore nodded, accepted the wine cup, and drank half a mouthful.
Shao Yi smiled: “Fucang Shidi’s sword has awakened. You’ll soon enter a Thousand-Year Dream of formlessness and non-appearance, won’t you? To think you’ve become the first in the Hall of Clarity to enter a Thousand-Year Dream—as your shixiong, I’m quite ashamed.”
Fucang said coolly: “Why is Shao Yi Shixiong being so modest? If Shixiong had set your mind on this, the first in the Hall of Clarity to enter a Thousand-Year Dream should have been you.”
Shao Yi tilted his head to think, then turned back with a smile: “That’s just polite talk, isn’t it?”
Fucang also smiled: “What does Shixiong think?”
Shao Yi sighed, took a light sip of the wine in his cup, and gazed at the bright moon atop Taishan without speaking further. The surroundings became quiet again.
The bright moon gradually ascended to the middle of the sky. Fucang finally felt a trace of weariness. Shao Yi also yawned while stretching lazily, then said: “Oh right, Fucang Shidi, I haven’t thanked you yet. This time during the heavenly calamity, you protected Little Loach so well for me.”
Fucang’s whole body trembled. He almost couldn’t resist turning around abruptly.
He used every bit of his reason to slowly turn and look at Shao Yi. His expression was sincere as he said again: “Thank you for your trouble.”
Fucang took a deep breath. He had always thought being pierced through the heart by Chun Jun was the illusion, but it turned out Shao Yi’s earlier words were also part of it. Now he spoke almost the same words to him as in the illusion. He actually didn’t know whether to be shocked or suspicious.
“Fucang Shidi?” Seeing his strange expression, Shao Yi couldn’t help but ask softly.
Fucang suddenly laughed coldly. It was he himself who had given birth to an inner demon. The locust tree demon’s illusion had allowed him to glimpse the unease at the bottom of his heart. And at this moment, the inner demon was vaguely reappearing. But how could he sink into it?
“For you?” He asked back proudly.
Shao Yi smiled: “My words were inappropriate. I apologize.”
Fucang looked at him coldly, then turned and walked away.
—
Baize Dijun hurriedly stepped into Yuhua Hall in the northwest corner of the Myriad Gods Assembly Halls. These past days he had been rushing about constantly. He had neither time to eat and drink nor to sleep. His originally tender and full cheeks now looked much more haggard.
Crown Prince Chang Qin sighed upon seeing him: “Baize Dijun, I’ve told you that we can handle the matter of the Five Elements and Yin-Yang flow. Why must you exhaust yourself so, venerable elder?”
Baize Dijun took off his shoes and sat cross-legged on a soft chair, accepting the tea handed to him by a divine official. As he drank, he sighed from exhaustion: “I wish it were only the matter of the Five Elements and Yin-Yang flow. The Sentient Beings Mirror collapsed because of the Sea of Severed Regrets’ fall. The two Ministers of Fate have been constantly organizing the tangled threads of destiny and still don’t know how long it will take to sort out. Over there at Wenhua Hall they’re saying too many demon clans have fallen into the demonic path now, and the mountain, river, earth, and land gods below must all be thoroughly investigated one by one…”
Before he could finish, Crown Prince Chang Qin’s scalp was already tingling from listening. He quickly interrupted: “Dijun, we examined the locust tree demon corpse you sent to Yuhua Hall last time, and also examined the hands of the Fangfeng Clan member by stripping skin and dismantling bones. This repeatedly healing power is actually quite similar to the regenerative divine power of the Nine-Heavens Phoenix Clan. Could it be that those two Dijuns who fought at the Sea of Severed Regrets back then left behind residual divine power, which caused this kind of mutation in the Sea of Severed Regrets?”
Baize Dijun was not surprised: “How mighty was that battle between Dijuns? Those two even fought with their lives—how could there not be residual divine power? Isn’t the black fog sealing the Sea of Severed Regrets precisely the Darkness of Zhuyin?”
Crown Prince Chang Qin sighed: “So that’s how it is. This resolves the doubt in my heart. After so many years, the turbid energy and clear energy have entangled with each other, giving birth to such strange things. Baize Dijun, you are the eldest in age—do you happen to know which of those two Dijuns won or lost back then? And why did they fight with their lives?”
In the mortal realm there had always been beautiful tales of dragons and phoenixes bringing auspicious fortune, which showed that the Qingyang Clan and Zhuyin Clan once had a good relationship. How did they become like fire and water now?
Baize Dijun concentrated in thought for a long while before slowly shaking his head: “At that time I was also still young. Too many years have passed—I can’t remember clearly. I do have an impression of a Qingyang Clan princess who was to marry into the Zhuyin Clan, but somehow it later came to nothing. The two Dijuns suddenly wanted to fight to the death, and even the previous Tian Di could not stop them. In the end, no one knew the outcome either. These two venerable elders’ karmic entanglement only bore its evil fruit today, troubling me to clean up the mess. How infuriating!”
Seeing him speak childish words while putting on an air of being old and weary, Crown Prince Chang Qin couldn’t help but laugh: “Dijun, should we publicly announce the source of this repeatedly healing power?”
Actually, whether they announced it or not, those with discerning minds should be able to guess the truth—just like the darkness shrouding the Sea of Severed Regrets. Everyone knew it was the Darkness of Zhuyin, but no one mentioned it. When these famous divine clans committed misdeeds, even Tian Di couldn’t stop them.
Baize Dijun put on his shoes and let out a huge yawn: “Don’t announce it. Do you think the Qingyang Clan is easy to provoke? Sometimes they’re much more difficult to deal with than the Zhuyin Clan. I’m off.”
He still had a pile of matters to attend to.