They flew without conversation the whole way—actually, Xuan Yi quite wanted to talk, but Gu Ting kept a straight face without saying a word, and Fucang habitually played mute even more, so she could only fly while casually admiring the scenery.

Gu Ting suddenly spoke: “Fucang, you go to Xihe Palace. I’ll go to Wangshu Palace to probe Divine Lord Feilian’s mood.”

Divine Lord Fucang, who had been playing mute the whole time, finally spoke, with only five simple words: “I’ll go to Wangshu Palace.”

Gu Ting shook his head, his expression grave: “You haven’t dealt with Divine Lord Feilian before. He… cannot be judged by common sense. It’s safer if I go.” After speaking, he suddenly smiled slightly and added: “Besides, if you go to fetch the Radiance of the Sun, there’ll naturally be no problems.”

At the previous Imperial Daughter’s wedding banquet, Goddess Xihe beat the drums while Fucang danced with his sword. Since then, Goddess Xihe had been quite taken with Fucang. She was always straightforward and bold. No matter how many times he coldly ignored her, she remained undaunted, completely unconcerned about the gap of over a hundred thousand years between their ages.

“Be careful not to get caught by Goddess Xihe crying to you.” Gu Ting joked once, then turned to fly toward Wangshu Palace.

Xuan Yi looked at him, then turned back to look at Fucang. Who should she follow?

But clearly neither of these divine lords had any intention of acknowledging her. Seeing Gu Ting fly until he could no longer be seen, and Fucang also becoming a small black dot, she hurried to catch up.

Today her mood was good again. She opened her mouth with smiling eyes: “Senior Martial Brother Fucang, what is Xihe Palace like? Is Goddess Xihe beautiful?”

Fucang remained silent. Only after she persisted and asked over ten times did he lower his head to glance at her, his bewitching voice sounding low: “You’re very curious?”

Oh my, he finally spoke. Xuan Yi nodded: “Of course. I have very little experience. I beg Senior Martial Brother Fucang’s guidance.”

He said indifferently: “Then you need to watch carefully later. Don’t blink. I’ll explain it to you point by point.”

Xuan Yi smiled like spring breeze blowing: “Won’t this trouble Senior Martial Brother too much?”

Fucang stared fixedly at the undulating sea of clouds in the distance, slowly saying: “Not troublesome. As long as you’re happy.”

She felt this fellow had hidden meaning in his words. After flying with him for a moment, she only felt the light before her eyes growing brighter and brighter, gradually becoming impossible to look at directly. Xuan Yi had a not-so-good premonition in her heart.

She only heard Fucang speak: “Go down. Xihe Palace has arrived.”

Xuan Yi landed following him. Sure enough, Xihe Palace was right across from them. The steps before the hall were all crimson-gold, with surging seas of fire in the trenches on both sides, occasionally splashing several zhang high with alarming momentum. The entire great hall shone with ten thousand rays of light. She immediately felt she was about to go blind and hurriedly covered her face with her sleeve.

Fucang ascended the steps and turned back to say in a businesslike tone: “These are the steps. The material used is ten-thousand-year fire rock produced from the sea of fire in the land of Qiongsang. The flames in the trenches are the fire of Ganyuan.”

The piercing light made this poor princess of the Zhuyin Clan, who couldn’t bear brightness, wish she could wrap herself entirely in her sleeve. Fucang glanced at her: “Didn’t you want me to explain? We haven’t even entered Xihe Palace yet, and you haven’t seen Goddess Xihe. Put your sleeve down.”

Xuan Yi’s voice sounded quite pitiful: “But I can’t open my eyes. Senior Martial Brother, you go fetch the Radiance of the Sun.”

Fucang remained businesslike: “How can the homework assigned by Master be abandoned halfway?”

Xuan Yi said nothing and turned to fly away. Who knew her collar would be grabbed by him? His voice was neither pleased nor angry, extremely bland: “I said, it cannot be abandoned halfway.”

She whirled around abruptly. The corner of her lips beneath her long sleeves tilted up. She was about to speak when she heard Goddess Xihe’s hearty voice suddenly ring out from within the hall: “Who is lingering at the hall entrance?”

Fucang clasped his hands in salute and spoke: “Disciples under Imperial Lord Baize—Fucang of the Huaxu Clan and Xuan Yi of the Zhuyin Clan—following our master’s command, have come specially to request three strands of Radiance of the Sun from the goddess. We hope the goddess will generously grant them.”

Before his words finished, they felt a fragrant wind rush toward them. Goddess Xihe came running to the hall entrance with a face full of spring breeze. She wore a crimson-gold long robe with flame-like earrings hanging from her ears, her complexion incomparably gorgeous and brilliant. Seeing Fucang, her eyes immediately filled with tears. She grasped his sleeve firmly, saying repeatedly: “Divine Lord Fucang! Quick! Come inside and sit! It just so happens that today there are dense clouds, so the Golden Crow stayed inside the hall. I’m helping it bathe right now. Isn’t this fate?”

Pulling and dragging, she forcibly pushed them both into Xihe Palace. Xuan Yi only felt the hall was full of blinding brilliance, everywhere piercing to the eyes. She couldn’t see anything and stood frozen in place. Goddess Xihe said with surprise: “Why do you keep covering your face? Come here.”

Xuan Yi slowly walked in the direction of the voice. Suddenly she heard Goddess Xihe cry out: “Be careful!”

She quickly retreated a step, only then discovering that her skirt hem had been ignited, the flames already leaping to her waist. This was her favorite skirt! Xuan Yi froze in anger.

A huge black curtain covered the entire hall. The piercing bright light was finally blocked. Goddess Xihe hooked her finger, and the flames on Xuan Yi’s skirt instantly became like an obedient cat, rustling as they flew up and circled around her finger.

“Don’t wander around,” Goddess Xihe looked at her reproachfully. “What if you get injured?”

Xuan Yi silently looked at her charred skirt hem. After a long while, she exhaled and looked up with a smile: “Thank you, Goddess Xihe.”

The Golden Crow’s sun fire had only burned a patch of her skirt hem black. Goddess Xihe’s expression instantly had a trace of subtle change. Her beautiful, gorgeous eyes stared at her for a moment before finally forcing a smile: “So you’re that little princess of the Zhuyin Clan. Indeed, just as the rumors say—truly a rarely seen beauty. I heard earlier that the Celestial Emperor tried to arrange a match between you and Divine Lord Fucang, but it didn’t work out. I didn’t know you would then study together under Imperial Lord Baize.”

Her expression, which had been full of uncontainable joy just moments ago, had turned resentful. She glanced at Fucang sorrowfully, took out a golden small pair of scissors from her sleeve, turned and walked back to a high platform within the hall. Lifting both hands, she raised a corner of the huge black curtain. Behind that high platform was actually a huge fire pool, and heaven and earth’s last remaining sun Golden Crow was soaking in it, swaying up and down, always appearing somewhat dispirited.

Goddess Xihe embraced the Golden Crow and stroked it lovingly several times, then used the scissors to carefully cut three sections of sunlight.

“That hateful Houyi fellow killed all the other nine Golden Crows! How lively it used to be bathing in Ganyuan before!” She complained while cutting. “Now only this one little fellow is left all alone, listless all day… Sigh, I’m also all alone. Now only the two of us keep each other company…”

She seemed to recall some sad matter and actually began sobbing plaintively. Her tears became fire beads one after another, falling into the fire pool.

Xuan Yi silently listened to her cry for a while, lowered her head to look at her own charred skirt hem—the more she looked at it, the more displeasing it was. She released white snow to fill in those charred places completely, when she suddenly felt Goddess Xihe’s resentful gaze fall on her again.

“You’re so fortunate.” She kneaded the three strands of Radiance of the Sun over and over. “So young, so beautiful, and you study under the same master with him, seeing each other morning and evening. Not like me—ten Golden Crows were killed until only one remains, forever alone. The Celestial Emperor actually turns a blind eye to such crimes!”

Xuan Yi turned her head to look at Fucang. He had started playing deaf and mute again, his long lashes lowered as if lost in thought. She thought for a moment and smiled: “Goddess Xihe, actually Senior Martial Brother Fucang doesn’t have me in his heart at all. His heart only has you. He even wrote a poem for you called ‘Who are my thoughts for? The beautiful Xihe.'”

Goddess Xihe froze abruptly, then instantly had spring on her brow: “Really?”

Xuan Yi gently nodded. This innocent goddess immediately rushed toward Fucang and once again grasped his sleeve.

Fucang turned his head to glance at her. She gave him a sweet smile: “Senior Martial Brother and Goddess Xihe can slowly exchange romantic feelings. I won’t disturb you.”

When she said she’d leave, she left. In the blink of an eye, she rode the wind and flew until she could no longer be seen.