Chapter 8

(T/N: i change the title from god lord to divine lord and emperor Qing to Emperor Azure  for a smooth translation…hehe)

The news that the Princess had successfully been accepted as a disciple under Lord Baize made Qi Nan so happy that his beard practically flew into the sky.

He couldn’t stop grinning the entire way back.

Leaning against the carriage window, Xuanyi continued to sculpt flowers out of white snow while muttering with a pout, “You finally got your wish, but I am the one who has to suffer. Now I have to face that cold-faced Fucang every single day.”

Qi Nan forced a stern expression and scolded her, “Divine Lord Fucang was offended by you personally, Princess. You clearly had no grievance with him, yet you used him as an excuse to get yourself out of trouble. It would be a miracle if he wasn’t angry seeing you!”

Xuanyi’s pout deepened.

“But I am only nine thousand years old. Who gets married off so early?”

Qi Nan glared at her.

“Does the Princess actually believe that if she hadn’t put on those obnoxious airs, Divine Lord Fucang would have fallen in love with her at first sight?”

Xuanyi tilted her head, thought for a moment, and nodded.

“Yes, exactly.”

How on earth did the Emperor and his Consort raise such an arrogant girl? Qi Nan laughed out of sheer frustration, becoming more certain by the second that he would one day be worried to death by her.

“The Princess worries too much,” he finally managed to choke out.

“As the saying goes, it is better to resolve an enmity than to settle it. Moreover, you and Divine Lord Fucang will be fellow disciples. Please be kind to your peers and treat others with sincerity.”

Xuanyi used her fingernail to carve the shape of a petal, saying indifferently, “I hate that Fucang.”

And I believe Divine Lord Fucang likely hates her even more, Qi Nan thought, his head beginning to throb.

His good mood had completely dissolved into a surge of fresh anxieties.

He felt he should say something more, but he had no idea what was left to say.

Across from him, the little Princess seemed to recall something.

The gloom from a moment ago vanished, replaced by an innocent and triumphant smile.

“I must write a letter to Qingyan!”

Her eyes sparkled with delight.

“The fact that I’ve taken Lord Baize as my teacher will definitely give him a shock!”

Accustomed to her mercurial moods, Qi Nan remained unmoved.

In his hundred thousand years as a divine official, he had seen countless gods: the passionate and romantic Emperor Zhongshan, the aloof and eccentric Lord Xuanming, the ethereal and transcendent Goddess Wangshu.

At least their actions followed some sort of pattern, but even now, he could not figure out the little Princess’s style.

Whenever he thought things couldn’t get worse, she would find a way to leave him speechless; whenever he thought they had reached a dead end, she would twist and turn until a new path appeared.

Sometimes he truly felt that locking her away in Mount Zhong for her entire life would be the most peaceful solution.

Upon returning to Mount Zhong, the worried Qi Nan went straight to the Palace of Longevity to find Emperor Zhongshan.

When he learned that Xuanyi had passed Lord Baize’s test, even Emperor Zhongshan was stunned.

“Ah Yi truly became a disciple under Lord Baize?”

Previously, he and Qi Nan had selected many potential teachers for Xuanyi, operating on the assumption that if one rejected her, another would eventually take her.

Although Lord Baize was their first choice, the probability of Xuanyi becoming his disciple was miniscule.

He hadn’t held much hope and never expected it to succeed on the first try.

Qi Nan gave a bitter smile.

“The Princess has always been clever, and Lord Baize has a keen eye for talent, so he naturally chose her. My Lord, I have another matter that weighs on my mind.”

He recounted the various conflicts between Xuanyi and Fucang, finally speaking with deep concern.

“The Princess has now completely established a grudge with Divine Lord Fucang, and since they are studying under the same teacher, it is likely the friction will only deepen. This not only wastes the efforts of you and the Heavenly Emperor but will also harm the Princess’s reputation over time. Furthermore, it might affect the relationship between Emperor Azure and yourself.”

To his surprise, Emperor Zhongshan burst into laughter.

He had not laughed like this since his Consort passed away, and Qi Nan stood there in a daze.

“I was always afraid she was too fragile, but I never imagined my daughter had such spirit!”

A glow of pleasant surprise appeared on Emperor’s withered face, and the candle flame in his palm suddenly brightened.

“Good! This is what a descendant of the Zhuyin clan should be like!”

After Ah Cui died, his heart had turned to ash.

He withdrew from worldly affairs and neglected his two children.

Qingyan hated him and thus left Mount Zhong to stay far away.

Xuanyi was still young and had never left home, so he had been extremely worried about her, wanting to pave every inch of her path to ensure she walked it safely.

If not for Qi Nan’s words, he would never have known that Xuanyi was not the quiet, submissive little girl he remembered.

The joy and excitement made Emperor Zhongshan’s back straighten considerably.

He recalled his own childhood, when the previous Emperor Zhongshan—his father—was perpetually dissatisfied with him.

The phrase his father said most often was, “You are nothing like a descendant of the Zhuyin.”

Unparalleled confidence, ice-clear intelligence, and indomitable arrogance—he had possessed none of these traits.

Instead, he was shy and sentimental, drawing endless sighs from his father.

But if his father could see Qingyan and Xuanyi, he would never sigh again.

They were the true heirs of the Zhuyin clan; he, who had been mediocre for a lifetime, had fathered two brilliant children.

“Qi Nan, you needn’t worry too much. The Zhuyin clan fears nothing. Let Xuanyi do as she pleases.”

Qi Nan had not expected the Emperor to say such a thing.

He couldn’t understand it, but he knew he couldn’t argue further.

He said helplessly, “If we let her be, aren’t you afraid the Princess will still be unmarried by the age of five hundred thousand?”

Emperor Zhongshan shook his head with a smile.

“We will worry about the future when it comes. As long as Xuanyi isn’t bullied, what does it matter if she never marries?”

Left with nothing else to say, Qi Nan bowed to take his leave.

The Emperor suddenly called him back.

“Wait, Qi Nan. Let me see how many disciples Lord Baize actually has.”

Previously, his mind had been elsewhere, and he had only glanced at the list.

This time, as he looked through the register carefully, he realized that Lord Baize had only taken twelve disciples in twenty thousand years.

With Fucang and Xuanyi, the total was now fourteen.

Among them, the eldest disciple was the ninth son of the Heavenly Emperor, the sixth was the third son of the Flower Emperor, the ninth was the Princess of the Snake Emperor of Mount Tuxiang, and the eleventh was the young Princess of Emperor Crimsom.

Looking down the list, every single disciple came from a background of immense nobility and prestige.

The Lord’s gaze suddenly stopped on the name of the twelfth disciple, and his brow furrowed.

“The Qingyang clan? A member of the Nine Heavens Phoenix lineage?”

He hadn’t noticed earlier that a god from the Nine Heavens Phoenix line was also studying under Lord Baize.

Qi Nan pondered for a moment before saying, “I noticed that earlier and had my concerns. However, the friction between the Zhuyin and Qingyang clans was caused by the emperor of two generations ago. It was so long ago that there is little point in bringing up old history. Furthermore, why the two emperors came into conflict…to the point where the Sea of Departed Sorrows remains a restricted zone…is a great mystery. Since both emperors have passed away and the world has changed, I believe there is no harm in the Princess and a descendant of the Qing Yang clan studying together.”

Emperor Zhongshan reflected for a moment then nodded.

“True. We shall leave it be for now. Cowering and being overly cautious is not the style of my clan. It isn’t as if we are afraid of them.”

He hadn’t exerted this much mental energy in a long time.

The emotional laughter from earlier seemed to have exhausted him, and the candle flame in his palm flickered, slowly growing dim.

Qi Nan sighed inwardly.

Back then, in a fit of fury, the emperor had frozen the entire Tongshan clan, consuming too much of his divine power.

To this day, he had not fully recovered.

He tucked away the register and whispered, “Please rest your mind, My Lord. I shall take my leave.”

Emperor Zhongshan slowly closed his eyes and said softly, “Go on. If there is news from Qingyan, be sure to tell me.”

Qi Nan bowed and backed out to the palace doors.

Looking back one last time, he saw the thick darkness quietly swallowing the fading candlelight.