Zhi Xi wandered aimlessly through Yuyang Manor step by step. She had been wandering for a long time, deliberately avoiding the lively area near the Azure Jade Platform.
Right now, she was in no mood for drinking and laughing.
She came from a family of divine generals in the divine realm. Her father commanded the guard troops around the South Heavenly Gate. There were many Shenjun in her clan and very few Shennu. The atmosphere was rough yet strictly disciplined. The ways of gentleness and graceful charm had never been practiced. Since childhood, she had conducted affairs with fairness, neither partial nor biased. Later, when she became a disciple under Baize Dijun’s tutelage, her teacher taught her benevolence and elegant magnanimity. She earnestly followed these teachings, but her nature couldn’t tolerate even a grain of sand in her eyes. When getting along with fellow disciples, her martial brothers mostly held her in awe and respect.
Xuan Yi had once been that grain of sand.
Then came the incident at South Flower Garden and the incident at the lower realm’s Wu River. This dragon princess who, in her eyes, only knew how to make trouble all day suddenly became utterly adorable. Her mischief and pranks also became harmless things, just like Baize Dijun’s various eccentricities.
So Fucang treating Xuan Yi particularly differently should also be understandable.
Zhi Xi sighed, thinking of the sword dance she had eagerly anticipated earlier. At that time, the Nine Songs had only been performed for half a movement. The fifty-stringed zither made sounds that split the heavens. Surging wind, clouds, and white snow entwined around Chun Jun. The Fucang at the center suddenly withdrew his momentum. In an instant, the clouds scattered, the snow fell, and Chun Jun traced an exquisitely pure arc before being steadily sheathed.
Not only she, but all the gods present were somewhat bewildered. Even Crown Prince Chang Qin’s face was full of astonishment: The sword dance was already over?
Fucang clasped his hands in all directions, then turned and left. He actually walked extremely quickly. When he brushed past her, she gently called out: “Fucang Shidi…”
But he didn’t answer—perhaps he didn’t hear—and in the blink of an eye, he had vanished.
Later… later he came back carrying Xuan Yi. Zhi Xi’s heart felt like clouds parting to reveal the sun as she suddenly awakened to something.
She had long vaguely noticed that Fucang treated Xuan Yi differently. Regardless of what kind of feelings he had toward Xuan Yi—whether dislike, refusal to submit, or childish quarreling—this clever and mischievous dragon princess must surely hold a very different place in his heart from other divine beings.
She had just never thought deeply about it, or perhaps she was avoiding thinking about it.
Years ago at the Imperial Daughter’s wedding banquet, the striking sword performance—the young Shenjun, lofty and pure, was like a faint, cold moonlight that had illuminated her heart for ten thousand years. No matter how little she understood gentleness and graceful charm, she was ultimately a young Shennu with admiration in her heart, trembling with fear, harboring countless strange expectations of him, and considering herself his intimate friend.
Looking back now, she only felt it was both laughable and pitiful.
Zhi Xi listlessly surveyed the magnificent surrounding pavilions when she suddenly glimpsed a solitary figure sitting on the azure jade railing. The silhouette looked somewhat familiar.
She subconsciously moved closer and heard him intermittently playing a strange little tune on a leaf. Perhaps even he himself had forgotten the specific melody. The crude leaf sounds seemed short and rough, yet they carried a peculiarly lingering sentiment.
The wind made his dark black long robe sway gracefully. The warm-colored afterglow of the setting sun outlined a golden edge. Zhi Xi suddenly found this intermittent little tune played on the leaf extraordinarily pleasing to the ear. Perhaps it touched upon her own troubles, for she actually listened in a trance.
“Shijie… you scared me.” The Shenjun on the railing put down the leaf and suddenly discovered her, his eyes widening in shock.
Zhi Xi looked at the fire-red jewel swaying on his forehead. If it were any other time, she might have already turned and left. But at this very moment, she suddenly didn’t care anymore. She had already lost utterly in an inexplicable one-sided affection—why should she still follow rules and maintain strict propriety?
“What tune is this?” She leaned on the railing and asked in a low voice, looking up at him.
Shao Yi seemed somewhat surprised by her pleasant demeanor: “I can’t remember either. A long time ago when I was traveling in the lower realm, I heard it in a mortal music hall.”
Zhi Xi nodded, dazedly spacing out for a moment, then said: “Why aren’t you up front chatting and laughing with the Shennu, but have come here to stay alone instead?”
Shao Yi was even more surprised: “Shijie is actually concerned about me like this.”
Zhi Xi stared fixedly at the leaf in his hand and, as if possessed, said in a low voice: “I ask you, if you’ve liked a Shennu for a very long time, but she likes another Shenjun, what should you do?”
Shao Yi looked at her thoughtfully, then suddenly smiled faintly: “Of course, use every means to snatch her back.”
“But you’re not in her heart, and the Shenjun she likes also has feelings for her. You don’t want to make him sad.”
“Shijie has a noble and simple heart. If it were me, I would never let myself be sad. I’d rather watch them shed tears—that would also be quite interesting.”
Zhi Xi’s beautiful eyebrows knitted tightly together. She couldn’t agree and glanced at him askance: “The atmosphere of these four wilds and eight wastelands is already bad enough. If everyone were like you, only caring about their own happiness, wouldn’t all the gods fall into decadence?”
Shao Yi had half his body leaning on the azure jade railing, smiling even more joyfully: “So Shijie asked the wrong person. The situation you described—I wouldn’t encounter it.”
Zhi Xi couldn’t help but be left speechless. She was stunned for a long time, then listlessly lowered her hands. How absurd—why would she chat with this degenerate fellow? In his eyes, liking someone probably meant those dissolute romantic affairs, and when he’d had enough, he’d simply withdraw and leave.
She turned to leave when she suddenly heard Shao Yi say softly behind her: “Feeling unhappy in your heart—they don’t know, and even if they knew, they wouldn’t care. Does Shijie prefer to torment herself, or prefer to make herself happy?”
Zhi Xi remained silent for a moment, then slowly turned around and said indifferently: “These sowing-discord words have actually made me sober up. Even if I can never be together with the Shenjun I like for my entire life, I will never become a degenerate fellow like you.”
Shao Yi still smiled: “This degenerate fellow like me also has things he cares about. Shijie, I have a favor to ask of you.”
Zhi Xi was bewildered: “What?”
Shao Yi touched his lips, seeming somewhat troubled: “I want to go down to the lower realm to see Yan Xia. I heard that Shijie’s father commands the South Heavenly Gate area. With Shijie’s company, descending to the lower realm would certainly be much more convenient.”
Zhi Xi was even more bewildered: “…See Yan Xia?…”
Had he finally found his conscience?
“Divine beings descending to the lower realm have no restrictions. Why would you still need my help? You can go yourself—no one will stop you.”
Shao Yi smiled without answering, only saying gently: “Shijie just needs to agree.”
Zhi Xi agreed with complete confusion. Then she saw him smile warmly: “Shijie Zhi Xi’s makeup and appearance today are truly very beautiful. Shijie should dress up often like this.”
She acted as if she hadn’t heard and quickly left this azure jade pavilion. She had always looked down upon Shao Yi’s frivolous and ambiguous words and behavior. But for some reason, when he had just praised her, she didn’t seem so angry.
From the entrance of Mingxing Hall in the early morning to this azure jade pavilion full of afterglow—an entire day—only he had praised her carefully done makeup.
Only he had noticed her effort.
An indescribable sourness and grievance swept through Zhi Xi’s heart. She let out a long sigh.
*
The moon rose to mid-heaven. The luminous pearls atop all the pavilions in Yuyang Manor illuminated everything around as bright as daylight. Behind the screens, the strings, bamboo pipes, and reed organs continued playing. The celestial dancing fairies were still moving seductively. Fine wine and delicacies had been changed batch after batch—but none of this seemed to have anything to do with Zhuxuan Dijun.
His face was ashen as he sat foolishly on the cold floor of the seventh level of the Jade Green Glazed Tower, staring blankly at Baize Dijun across from him. This Dijun was still keeping watch over the fingernail and skull inside the celestial seal with his eyes glowing green.
Five hours. Baize Dijun had been watching here for five hours without eating, drinking, or moving. Zhuxuan Dijun felt he was going mad.
This couldn’t continue! Zhuxuan Dijun cleared his throat and, for the one hundred and eighth time, tentatively asked: “Baize Dijun… you’ve stayed in this Jade Green Glazed Tower for five hours. Might you feel stuffy? Why not go down together to drink some tea and eat something?”
Baize Dijun didn’t even turn his head: “This little brat can go down himself. Could it be you’re afraid this venerable one will steal your treasure!”
That’s right! Given Baize Dijun’s character, he really could do something like steal away Chiyou Dajun’s fingernail and Gonggong Dajun’s skull! Heads could be severed, blood could flow, but the treasures absolutely could not be lost! Zhuxuan Dijun sat properly with utmost seriousness: “If that’s the case, then this venerable one will keep the Dijun company.”
As soon as the words fell, he suddenly felt a violent tremor beneath his feet. The two coral stands sealing the fingernail and skull also shook several times. He was used to this. But across from him, Baize Dijun asked strangely: “Why is the earth trembling?”
“Most likely the Sea of Regret is expanding again.” Zhuxuan Dijun thought nothing of it and turned his head to look at the sky. “It’s nearly the hour of midnight. In recent years, every day when the hour of midnight arrives, the earth trembles. The Dijun need not mind—it has no real impact.”
No real impact? The land of the divine realm was the fundamental structure of the Five Elements and yin-yang rules. How could earth tremors be inconsequential?
Baize Dijun walked to the window and looked up at the bright light emanating from the supreme yang luminous pearls outside. A chill suddenly transmitted from the soles of his feet to the center of his back. He developed an ominous premonition, and his premonitions were always accurate.
He pondered for a long while, then took out a handful of fine bamboo divination sticks from his bosom and casually tossed them. The bamboo sticks seemed to have spiritual intelligence as they adhered to the glazed wall, moving gracefully until they finally formed a divination sign—eh? Kun above, Li below: Earth Fire Brightness Hiding. What an ominous divination.
Baize Dijun was stunned for a moment, then turned his head to look at Zhuxuan Dijun: “Have you sent divine officials to check the situation at the Sea of Regret?”
“Just fifty days ago.” Seeing his caution, Zhuxuan Dijun didn’t dare be negligent. “Compared to late winter ten years ago, it expanded by less than half a li. Besides that, there are no other abnormalities.”
Baize Dijun put away the bamboo sticks. His feet, which had been frozen motionless, finally began to move as he turned and descended the tower: “Send divine officials to check again now. Little brat Zhuxuan, go down and see the guests off. Don’t hold the grand banquet anymore.”