Baize Dijun smiled and said warmly: “This young disciple is mischievous. This one apologizes to Shenjun on her behalf. It just so happens that several hundred years ago, Su Nü gave this one a box of Snow Melting Ointment. Shenjun, take it. Apply this ointment to your hair, and within three days it will return to normal. Afterward, this one will also present compensation. I hope Shenjun will not hold it against this young disciple.”

Feilian Shenjun snorted again: “I said, I don’t want any ointment or gifts! I only want this little bastard!”

Just what had she done to anger this divine lord to such a state that even an emperor’s face was no longer effective? Baize Dijun cast a questioning look at Xuan Yi.

Tai Yao at the side quietly recounted what had happened. When he mentioned how she had swindled and cheated to obtain Feilian Shenjun’s three strands of hair, Baize Dijun couldn’t help but laugh: “Why did you turn his hair back to its original state? If this isn’t using trickery, what is?”

Xuan Yi said slowly: “Master, I wasn’t the one who wanted Feilian Shenjun’s hair. I only retrieved it for you. I couldn’t bear to give away the Darkness of Zhuyin. Now Shenjun has conveniently arrived, and you’re also here, Master. Let the two of you negotiate directly. What does it have to do with me anymore?”

Baize Dijun was rendered speechless by her words. After holding it in for quite a while, he finally moved closer and said in a low voice: “Good child, could you just help your master with this favor and fix his hair properly so everyone will be happy?”

Xuan Yi’s face revealed a trace of difficulty. After pondering for a moment, she finally nodded with difficulty: “Since Master puts it that way, I will naturally do my best. However, I’m still young and my divine power is insufficient. Even if I give Shenjun the Darkness of Zhuyin, it won’t last very long. Why don’t Shenjun and Master patiently wait tens of thousands of years? When I’m a bit older and my divine power is abundant, I will definitely help Shenjun fix his hair then.”

Tens of thousands of years! She was pretending to be serious while spouting nonsense again!

Baize Dijun turned to look at Feilian Shenjun—he was still puffing his beard and glaring with wide eyes. Then he looked at Xuan Yi—she still had her consistently innocent yet bright smile. Finally, he looked at the group of disciples around them—everyone looked quite helpless.

He felt quite helpless himself. So full of regret… Why had he accepted such a troublesome commodity for the sake of a dragon scale back then?

“Shenjun, in this one’s view, Shenjun’s hair is not completely without solution.” Baize Dijun walked over with a smile, tilting his head up to look at Feilian Shenjun’s full head of long hair twisting like silver serpents. “Shenjun’s divine power contains the power of wind, which is why your hair twists because of the surging divine power. If Shenjun doesn’t fear the trouble, divide your hair into countless fine strands. Tie an extremely heavy ornament to each strand. From then on, when your divine power surges, the hair will be restrained by the ornaments and won’t move chaotically.”

Feilian Shenjun said coldly: “Easy to say. Where am I supposed to find tens of thousands of pearl ornaments!”

Wangshu Palace was basically a pauper’s office. Wangshu dined on wind and drank dew, not even eating food anymore. As a mere guide, how many treasures could he squander?

Baize Dijun scratched his round cheeks somewhat painfully and laughed dryly: “This matter ultimately has this one at fault first, so naturally compensation should be made. Like this—in this one’s youth, when fierce evil demon clans caused chaos, this one condensed ninety-nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine Pure Gold Heavenly Sound Bells with divine power. If Shenjun doesn’t disdain them, feel free to take them all.”

He sent Tai Yao back to fetch the golden bells. The group of celestial deities waited in the sea of clouds for a full meal’s worth of time before Tai Yao finally returned, trembling with each step. In his arms he carried a huge wooden chest, so exhausted his face had turned white. After finally setting down the wooden chest, he could only hide to one side gasping for breath.

Baize Dijun lightly flicked his finger and the wooden chest immediately opened. In an instant, golden light illuminated heaven and earth, its radiance spanning ten thousand lengths, impossible to gaze upon directly.

“Please look, Shenjun. Here are ninety-nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine Pure Gold Heavenly Sound Bells.” The emperor looked at these exquisite and delicate little golden bells and painfully blinked again. “Each of these bells weighs three fen and three li. Altogether this amounts to three thousand three hundred jin. However, with Shenjun’s ability, this weight is naturally as light as a feather.”

Feilian Shenjun’s face was dark as water. He first picked up one golden bell and examined it in his palm for quite a while, then rubbed a strand of long hair and tied the golden bell to it. Under the surging divine power, this strand of long hair indeed no longer shot skyward, but hung steadily behind him.

He finally showed emotion, raising his hand to embrace the wooden chest in one motion, as effortlessly as if it truly were only a feather.

“Many thanks, Baize Dijun. I take my leave.”

Without any hesitation, he left as soon as he said he would. After glaring viciously at Xuan Yi once, he disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Only at this moment did all the deities collectively breathe a sigh of relief. They had finally managed to send off this malevolent star.

Baize Dijun was in so much pain he couldn’t rest easy. Trembling, he looked at Xuan Yi, his voice thread-like: “If you couldn’t obtain it, just come back. Why provoke him? Not only did this one lose the golden bells, but you also got yourself in trouble. What suffering is this!”

Xuan Yi didn’t answer, smiling like a flower.

“Go back…” Baize Dijun shook his head and left first.

Tossing about all morning for three strands of hair, there was no way to conduct class. Baize Dijun only wanted to go back and sleep a bit more, and feel heartache over those one hundred thousand minus one golden bells. As soon as he entered the hall, he was about to slip away when unexpectedly Zhi Xi and Gu Ting simultaneously called from behind: “Master.”

“What is it?” He was listless.

Zhi Xi stepped forward first, saying urgently: “Master, Junior Brother Fucang was injured in a vital area by Feilian Shenjun. Please examine him!”

If he was injured in a vital area, where would he get the strength to cut off more than half of the other divine lord’s hair? Baize Dijun was full of confusion. He looked at the black footprints on Fucang’s chest and said calmly: “How could Feilian Shenjun’s feet be so small? Besides, how would Shenjun injure people with feet and teeth? He’s fine. No need to panic.”

Zhi Xi immediately understood who had made those footprints and teeth marks. She immediately stamped her foot hard, her voice resentful: “So he’s fine… It was that Princess Zhuyin who did it, wasn’t it? She’s only been here one day and already caused so much trouble!”

He turned to look at her. Her reproach of Xuan Yi sounded like she was reproaching him. The trouble he caused was no less than that dragon princess.

“What’s wrong?” His gaze made Zhi Xi somewhat uneasy.

“Senior Sister is right. I was wrong.” Fucang said frankly.

Zhi Xi was bewildered, her vermillion lips parting slightly—what did his words mean? She wasn’t reproaching him…

“Master, regarding Princess Xuan Yi, this disciple has something to say.”

Gu Ting’s expression was solemn as he spoke in a deep voice.

As soon as these words came out, the surrounding disciples all pricked up their ears. Baize Dijun looked at Xuan Yi with considerable interest. Like a cat, she had widened her eyes, her face full of innocence.

“This disciple believes that Princess Xuan Yi’s manner of conduct and temperament both run contrary to Master’s teachings of ‘Benevolence, Elegance, and Magnanimity,’ and she is not suitable to be accepted under Master’s tutelage. The matter of the Dancing Peony is the first example, from which it can be seen that the Princess is domineering and overbearing, completely lacking the intention of benevolence. The matter of Feilian Shenjun is the second example. The Princess’s words were deceitful and her scheming runs deep. She induced Shenjun into a trap, making this disciple shudder with cold. It can be seen that she completely lacks magnanimity. Just now in answering Master, the Princess was also extremely casual and lax, handling matters without propriety and willfully. The ceremony of elegance is not to be seen. This disciple is dull-witted and does not dare to be listed as a colleague with Princess Xuan Yi. I hope Master will think thrice.”