At twelve thousand years old, the young Phoenix Lord learned to seek pleasure from various different goddesses.
Those alluring eyes, fragrant breaths, soft bodies, passionate and charming temperaments—they truly made him linger and forget to return, filled with delight. He loved that sense of daily novelty and difference, the light and interesting casual encounters, the brief tender embraces, the comfort that didn’t need to delve deep into the soul.
Living romantically like this, living dissolurely like this, the reputation of the Qingyang Clan’s romantic Phoenix Lord gradually rose. By the time he reached thirty thousand years old and dreamed for three thousand years, the goddesses around him became even more endless.
His mother had once advised him about this: “Being a romantic Shenjun is not a good reputation. What will you do when you meet a goddess you truly like in the future?”
What did truly liking someone feel like? He felt that thing was extremely illusory and intangible. Female immortals, goddesses, even female demons—he liked them all very much, yet when he turned around, it seemed he didn’t like any of them anymore.
Beautiful things have always been fleeting, he thought.
There’s a mortal saying: “Birds of a feather flock together, people are divided by type.” It was quite reasonable. Those who associated closely with the romantic Phoenix Lord were all similarly dissolute rakes.
One day, after completing patrol duties near the Yi River in the lower realm, an incident of moderate size occurred.
Among the young generals was the Fifth Dragon Son of the North Sea Dragon God. This Shenjun had seduced the daughter of the Yi River Water God in the lower realm and probably also said some unreliable sweet words, coaxing the goddess into hoping with all her heart to marry him. Who knew he would turn around and discard her like worn shoes, forgetting all about her. On this patrol of the lower realm, they ran into each other by the Yi River. The goddess clung to him endlessly but ultimately got no result, only crying until heaven and earth collapsed.
The Fifth Dragon Son hid in the generals’ palace with lingering fear. Upon seeing Shao Yi, he came to complain: “Phoenix Lord, I know you have many methods. Please help me pacify her well. Don’t let her keep crying and making a scene like this—it’s very troublesome.”
Other generals nearby laughed at him: “Since you knew she’d be difficult, why bother provoking her in the first place?”
The Fifth Dragon Son sighed: “She didn’t seem like this at first. Who knew she would change later.”
The young Phoenix Lord still carried the arrogant and immature air of youth. He actually left the generals’ palace for him to take a look. That Yi River goddess leaned by the water weeping, her figure quite graceful and beautiful. He looked a few more times, and the Fifth Dragon Son chuckled softly: “Phoenix Lord, I’ve always heard that even an iceberg will melt into soft tenderness in your hands. If you help me resolve this trouble, never mind her—I’ll send you four more enchanting female immortals.”
Shao Yi slowly walked to the Yi River bank. Seeing the Yi River goddess crying badly, he took a handkerchief from his bosom and passed it over, saying gently: “If you keep crying, the Yi River will flood.”
Who knew she wouldn’t even turn her head, only using her sleeve to fiercely wipe away her tears, her voice hoarse: “Go away. Tell him to come over.”
Shao Yi simply sat down beside her: “It’s precisely because he refuses to come that I came. Ah, why cry like this for him?”
The Yi River goddess turned to look at him. These goddesses of mountains, rivers, and streams were perhaps born carrying the spiritual essence of mountains, rivers, and streams, and most had absolutely stunning appearances. She was indeed no exception, except her eyes were swollen from crying and her gaze was ice-cold.
“I’m not crying for him. I’m crying for myself.” She lowered her sleeve, which was covered with tear stains. “I gave my true heart to the wrong person. I just hate that I can’t let go.”
Shao Yi tilted his head and thought for a moment: “If you gave it to the wrong person, just switch and give it to another one, right? In this world, there are always some good matches and some bad ones. Can’t you find those good ones?”
The Yi River goddess said flatly: “You don’t even know what a true heart is.”
But Shao Yi laughed, saying leisurely: “There are so many better Shenjun in heaven and earth. Why always fixate on one person and talk about true hearts?”
The Yi River goddess drew in a breath: “I understand now. You’re all birds of a feather. I was too naive. I only hope that you bastards will harm fewer of those poor naive goddesses in the future.”
Having said this, she turned and transformed into a mass of water mist that dissipated by the riverbank. Shao Yi stood by the water stroking his chin for a moment before putting the handkerchief back in his bosom. The Fifth Dragon Son had already come out to greet him joyfully, saying repeatedly: “Resolved? Phoenix Lord truly has excellent methods!”
Shao Yi suddenly felt that his jubilant appearance was rather irritating. He frowned with a smile and didn’t respond.
Shao Yi quickly forgot about this incident of moderate size. However, on the day of the Fifth Dragon Son’s grand wedding later, a truly major incident occurred.
Over these years, through some kind of persistent pestering, he had actually reconciled with the Yi River goddess, yet then turned around and followed his parents’ arrangements to marry a different goddess. The Yi River goddess attempted to assassinate him at the wedding banquet but failed, and took her own life amid the clamor of the guests, her blood staining the North Sea. This incident spread throughout the entire Upper Realm for decades without settling down. The North Sea Dragon God felt deeply that his face had been lost all the way to the Nine Netherworlds and the Yellow Springs. In great fury, he sealed off the North Sea for five hundred years.
The Fifth Dragon Son, who originally had excellent talent with hope of inheriting the position of North Sea Dragon God, was never quite right after this. The imperial position became impossible, and no goddess dared marry him. Even those dissolute and indulgent female demons despised him. After Shao Yi inherited the position of Qingyang Dijun, he came and went hastily for the ceremony and actually looked even older than his own father.
Infatuation truly was something that harmed others and oneself. While thinking this, Shao Yi turned to greet Zhongshan Dijun Chang Yu, who had come to take his leave.
Although the two of them hadn’t met many times over these years, it was as if they were secretly competing with each other. The Phoenix Lord at thirty thousand years old dreamed for three thousand years, and the little Dragon Lord also dreamed for a thousand years at thirty thousand years old. The Phoenix Lord was romantic and elegant, and the little Dragon Lord also had a reputation with flowers. At fifty thousand years old, the little Dragon Lord was assigned under the command of Gouchen Great Emperor due to his outstanding combat power, and at fifty thousand years old, the Phoenix Lord went under the equally famous Ziwei Great Emperor.
In their generation, the Qingyang Clan and Zhuyin Clan were simply like fire and water—utterly irreconcilable.
Chang Yu stood before the Zhuyin Clan’s cloud-like carriage. He seemed to have drunk a bit too much, and spoke more than usual. He turned to Shao Yi and said flatly: “Since childhood, I’ve heard that the Qingyang Clan’s Phoenix Lord has outstanding talent. When I tested you back then, you were indeed extraordinary. Since the marriage alliance has been canceled, if there’s an opportunity, I very much look forward to competing with Dijun.”
Speaking so courteously, he was actually just like himself—wanting to make a final resolution to the relationship between the two clans that had broken but not quite broken. It was just that the Zhuyin Clan disliked scheming and had always only used force to resolve all problems.
Shao Yi said with a smile: “Now that I’m already Dijun, the matter of competing might need to be approached cautiously, no?”
Chang Yu laughed coldly: “I’m afraid Dijun is being too cautious.”
There was nothing wrong with being a bit cautious. All the indulgence in his half-lifetime had been confined within a boundary he himself established—whether it was the open and covert struggles with Chang Yu, or those pleasurable romantic affairs. In his heart, he very much wanted to truly fight Chang Yu once, but he wouldn’t do it. In his heart, he had also thought about finding someone for mutual affection, but he wouldn’t do that either.
Beautiful and brilliant things have always been extremely fleeting. If you burn yourself regardless of everything, what do you do after that brilliance? What do you do with the remaining melancholy?
Just like how Shao Yi ultimately still fought a life-and-death battle with Chang Yu—what about the regret at the brink of annihilation? What about the pitch-black and profound Sea of Parting Sorrow, where all methods are useless?
In the end, it was still him who was left alone, looking back at all of this.