Chapter 48: Are You Really? |
[March 6, 2021] . . .
Tomorrow would be the Hundred Flower banquet.
It wasn’t difficult for two people with magical abilities to avoid one another, so Shěn Lí and Xíng Zhǐ hadn’t seen each other since the day with the tablets.
Xíng Zhǐ cooked Shěn Lí tasty meals and left them by her door for the first two days after that, but he stopped when he saw she hadn’t touched her food.
Even if she wasn’t eating his home cooked meals, Shěn Lí wasn’t going to starve herself. She didn’t like immortals in the Immortal realm, but she had to go out every day to find something to eat. She wandered over to the banquet venue intending to pilfer some fruits.
She picked up a couple peaches and was in the middle of turning around when from behind her who did appear and stare at her but Goddess Luò Tiānherself.
Shěn Lí coughed. “The peaches in the Immortal realm are quite big,” she said before putting the peaches back.
“They are not big in comparison to others. Those peaches came from a tree that began fruiting a hundred years ago. They’re nothing special. Taste it, then taste the other plate of peaches over here. These came from a tree that fruited 500 years ago. Judge the quality after you’ve tried both.”
Shěn Lí blinked. This . . . was this letting her eat whatever she wanted?
Shěn Lí stared at the food in her arms, not sure how to react. What was that? Was she trying to choke her to death with immortal peaches? Frame her for theft?
Shěn Lí turned to the maid, who was bustling about preparing things, and asked, “Your goddess handed these to me. It’s not counted as stealing if I take them, right?”
The maid was surprised. “Your Highness must be jesting. Goddess Luò Tiāngave them to you; it is certainly not stealing.”
Shěn Lí raised an eyebrow before biting into a peach enthusiastically.
She walked leisurely back to the residence with wine and peaches in hand, munching as she did. Once she reached her room, she realized something was not right. Her energy was so low she barely made it into bed. She buried herself under the covers muttering as she did so. “I knew this place was no good for me . . .”[notes]
. . .Shěn Lí slept soundly and would not have woken had the bells not tolled to signal the start of the banquet. It rang through the nine levels of the Immortal realm 81 times.[notes]
She stretched under the blanket before peeking out from underneath it. The color of the sky jolted her completely awake. She was attending on behalf of the Demon realm. Being late would be incredibly unseemly! She got up, then quickly tied her hair before pushing open her door to exit her room.
Xíng Zhǐ was nowhere in sight.
That guy! He hadn’t even bothered to call her awake. But she quickly doused the anger that rose in her heart, after all it wasn’t like they were housemates who were on good terms. She was about to call a cloud to ride over when a red light streaked across the sky.
She frowned thinking it was a fireworks display, but instead of blowing up it kept getting closer. She was wondering whether to block it or not when it accelerated towards the main hall. Then with a loud boom, it crashed into the roof. The ground shook while a part of the structure collapsed in flames. Hot air rose up and engulfed the area. The flames spread upwards and tinted the sky a smoky, bloody, red.
Was the Immortal realm under attack?
Shěn Lí raised her head and looked into the distance as the thought flashed through her mind. She watched as another fireball came barreling toward the residence. It smashed into the wing with the spiritual memorial tablets.
The memory of Xíng Zhǐ’s smile jabbed at her heart. She immediately flew over without hesitation.
She groaned as she pulled up a semi-circular barrier around the residence. She hadn’t recovered her full strength after cleansing in the water, so she expected to have some difficulties, but the force of the fireball was beyond her expectations.
It was incredibly hot with a powerful amount of forward thrust. She would have already burnt to a crisp if it weren’t for the phoenix fire inside her.[notes]
The roof tiles beneath her feet gave a cracking sound as they disintegrated under intense pressure. Shěn Lí growled through gritted teeth. Golden light formed around her as magic coalesced in the air. She released the overwhelming power in a direct wave at the fireball. It shattered from within. The only remnants were the tiny sparks fluttering around the wing.
Shěn Lí stood on the roof with blood dripping from her hands. The wound on her back from Little Disaster had reopened, but there was no time to rest. Another fireball was coming.
Shěn Lí’s face was grave, but her eyes were filled with fierce determination. She would not hide nor would she retreat.
. . .After the 81st bell tolled, the Immortal emperor bowed to Xíng Zhǐ. “High God please, your seat.”
The emperor couldn’t sit in the most esteemed position with Xíng Zhǐ there. Of course that spot belonged to the high god. It was a shame no one knew how much Xíng Zhǐ disliked the seat though. Cold, hard, white jade, stone . . . it was the most uncomfortable.
A sudden red light streaking across the sky got everyone’s attention.
“Whose house does that light belong to? So beautiful -,” murmured one immortal.
Before he could finish speaking, a loud bang sounded and the western sky turned bright red. It made the cloud tops tremble and the tableware rattle. Cups and bowls fell in disarray. No one knew how to react, so the initial cries of surprise gave way to silence.
Unease rose in Xíng Zhǐ’s heart as he watched several more balls of fire chase after the initial red light.
“Report!” The guard’s sharp voice was particularly harsh in the silence.
An imperial bodyguard ran in to report. His armor, though cumbersome, made a pleasant sound as he moved. As well as being music to the ears, it was also quite beautiful to look at. But unfortunately none present were in the frame of mind to admire it.
The guard shouted in panic. “The west . . . the western sky courtyard is under attack!”
The immortals were visibly shocked.
The guard continued in a trembling, hoarse voice. “The western sky is burning!”
No one saw when Xíng Zhǐ left, they just felt the breeze of his movement. By the time they turned to look, he was already gone. Only then did the emperor recover. He hurriedly called the generals and assigned a task to everyone. As for the western sky, he personally led a group to go over.
The Azure Sky king came to the Immortal realm on the Demon emperor’s behalf, but she never showed up at the banquet. It was safe to assume she was still in the western sky. If she was attacked . . . it would be difficult to explain. Moreover, the spiritual tablets were also enshrined there. The emperor knew how important the tablets were to High God. He couldn’t allow any of them to be lost. If the Immortal realm failed to guard them appropriately, and High God became angry . . .
. . .The roof tiles under Shěn Lí’s feet had all shattered under the onslaught. Shěn Lí cursed the idiots in the Immortal realm. Such an important place and not a single enchantment! It had been so long, yet no one had shown up to help. Did none of them have eyes? How were they missing such an explosively glaring attack? How could no one have already taken down the culprit yet?
The Immortal realm had lived too long in peace. Their brains were mush! If the Demon realm attacked, the Immortal realm would be conquered in no time at all. The bunch of good-for-nothing, party-drinkers would surrender within a day.
Another fireball came her way. This one was heavier and fiercer than the ones before. Shěn Lí heard the roof beams creaking under her. The roof wouldn’t hold out for too much longer, but the attacks didn’t show signs of stopping.
Shěn Lí gritted her teeth. So unfair! She liked to fight fast and hard so her offense was good but her defense was lousy. But this entire time she was forced to hold up a protective spell. It would have felt better being slashed by the enemy!
The wound on her back had been oozing blood since it reopened, so her clothes were soaked red and she was woozy from blood loss and qi depletion. She felt like she was running on empty.
Fireballs kept bombarding her enchantment and she was forced into a crouch. The most troubling thing was the tiny flames. Without enough qi to exert a complete shield around her body, they were able to pierce through her thin barrier and singe her skin.
Her cheeks bore red marks from the flames. The superficial wounds didn’t concern her, but she was worried about the flames getting to her eyes. In that moment a flame did come near her eyes. Shěn Lí unconsciously closed them and turned her head to avoid the flames.
Another fireball hit just as she was distracted. The impact made her legs go soft and her one knee buckled under pressure. She hit the roof hard. With a tremendous crack, the beam failed and the space Shěn Lí stood collapsed inward.
Her breathing hitched at the sudden blow, causing her blood vessels to dilate. She tried to suppress it but blood spilled out of the corners of her mouth anyway.
A burst of cool air wrapped around her and alleviated the pain. Was she hallucinating?
Shěn Lí didn’t have time to think it through. This was the first time she was forced into such an abysmal condition without even the chance to see the enemy. Really unacceptable!
She was met with a giant fireball when she raised her head back up. That this was bad flashed through her mind. A severe cold suddenly seized her body and the pressure she felt disappeared. White fabric came into view and the outline of someone’s back appeared in front of her.
He wore his bun in a more ornate style for the banquet. The hot air made his clothes and hair flutter mesmerizingly in the wind, but he never lost his lazy air.
Shěn Lí raised a hand to her chest feeling her heart. The violent beating from before had calmed. His body had sufficiently blocked the heat and pressure for her.
That back of his really gave her a strong sense of security – a rare thing for her to feel.
The oncoming fireball brought a surge of heat with it. The intense pressure felt like it would vaporize everything, but he was unphased and stood calmly waiting for it. He only needed to gently probe forward to make the ball stop. It couldn't move an inch. It was like arresting a vicious dog with a tight leash.
“Go!” Xíng Zhǐ shouted as he waved his sleeve to send it back to wherever it came from.
Just like that . . . it was tossed back. He made it look so easy.
Shěn Lí finally understood why the gods weren’t allowed to follow their personal desires. Just one wave, and there was so much power. To allow them to act willfully, to follow their heart’s desires . . . with that kind of power . . . wouldn’t it wreak havoc in world?
The spot the ball returned to lit up in flames. The attacks stopped.
Shěn Lí was amused thinking how flustered he had to look. With the tension gone, she was finally able to relax. All that blood loss was too much and she fell back, rolling off the roof.
Xíng Zhǐ naturally grabbed her before she hit the ground, but surprisingly, he did more than just hold her.
A warm hand pressed against her drenched back. A cool hand lightly caressed her burned cheeks.
Shěn Lí felt like Xíng Zhǐ’s face was magnifying before her eyes. She could read his eyes even if she was too weak to gauge anything else around her.
Xíng Zhǐ was angry. “Shěn Lí, do you not want live anymore?”
“I wouldn’t have died.” Her voice was tired and small. “Just tired.”
“You injured yourself so much for this place?” It was obvious how much will it took for him to control his emotion. “You . . . do you have no heart?”
“I couldn’t . . .” Shěn Lí couldn’t keep her eyelids from drooping. Her tired muscles could barely support her head. She finally just pressed her forehead against his shoulders. Her voice came out small and fuzzy. “I couldn’t . . . let you regret losing it.”
That day, the image of Xíng Zhǐ’s bright eyes and warm smile had engraved itself in her heart. It was only a quick glance, but she would never forget it.
His fingers shook as if he was struggling with something. He wrapped one arm around her body while cradling the back of her head with the other. He held her fiercely against him, sometimes tightly, sometimes loosely. It was as though he couldn’t modulate his strength.
For there to be someone like her in the world . . . he was completely weak in front of her.
He touched her hair with a finger and bent close to her ear. His expression was a mix of helplessness and bitterness, but mostly bitterness. “Your Highness, are you genuinely trying to help me control my emotions?”
The emperor and his guards finally arrived. The residence was completely destroyed and burned to ashes. The only thing still standing was the wing Shěn Lí tried so hard to protect. High God was holding the Azure Sky king in front of the rubble with his back to them. They couldn’t see his face.
The scene startled the emperor. “Immortal High God . . .”
“Do not come any closer.” Xíng Zhǐ’s voice was light. “I’m helping the Azure Sky king heal her wounds right now. No one is allowed to approach.”
Of course no one dared disobey.
Xíng Zhǐ continued to embrace Shěn Lí in front of everyone. It was a surprising image to witness. The mighty and impressive the Azure Sky king, when compared to High God, was actually rather petite.
Right, the king was a woman so it was normal for her to be slender and petite . . .
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