Chapter 9

The sky was gloomy and overcast.

A misty drizzle dampened the nose of the Chaofeng beast perched on the corner of the Mingxing Hall, gradually forming a crystal droplet of water that slid downward.

Xuanyi waited in front of the Mingxing Hall, staring blankly at the Chaofeng beast.

Qi Nan had dropped her off very early that morning.

As a result, the hall doors had not yet opened, and she was beginning to feel quite bored from the wait.

The Mingzxing Hall was located in the southwest of the Pantheon, separated from the department responsible for divine appointments and examinations by only two stretches of cloud. Even before the hour of Chen( 7-9 am), the sea of clouds was already bustling with gods coming and going, their auspicious light flashing so brightly it made her eyes ache.

Xuanyi used her sleeve to block the piercing light from above.

No member of the Zhuyin clan of Zhongshan liked things that were too bright.

Just how strong was the sense of superiority among those gods who loved to maximize their own radiant glow? If they wanted to be that bright, they might as well go be suns.

Since the effects of Houyi shooting the suns had not yet passed, the Heavenly Emperor would surely be delighted to have gods volunteer for the job.

A low lion roar suddenly sounded from behind her.

She turned her head and saw Divine Lord Fucang slowly approaching, leading a nine headed green lion.

Every tiny raindrop was quietly diverted three inches above his head.

In the misty rain, he appeared as if walking through thin fog and light clouds.

Clad in white clothes as pure as snow and moving with clean, crisp steps, he possessed a lofty and refined air that set him apart from any other divine lord.

Perhaps noticing her standing before the hall, Fucang did not even raise his head.

He stopped a short distance away near the hall doors, leaning against his nine headed lion and quietly closing his eyes to rest.

Xuanyi recalled Qi Nan’s earnest and painstaking advice before they left.

He was always filled with various worries, fearing she would ruin her reputation, fearing she could not get along with her peers, and even more so, fearing she would be bullied because of her wilful nature.

Qi Nan always worried most about her, and only he would nag her about such trivial matters.

She felt she could not keep making him uneasy.

Well, she decided to be friendly for once while the atmosphere was not too bad.

“Senior Brother Fucang, my greetings to you,” Xuanyi said, gracefully bowing to the young divine lord opposite her.

Now that they were colleagues, she had to address him as Senior Brother.

There was only silence from the other side.

Fucang acted as if he had not heard her, not even moving an eyebrow.

“Senior Brother Fucang?” She raised her voice slightly.

He remained motionless, as if she did not exist at all.

Xuanyi blinked.

“Senior Brother Fucang, may I ask if you are deaf?”

His long eyelashes fluttered slightly and then lifted.

Those beautiful yet cold eyes refused to glance in her direction.

His thin lips parted slightly, and his captivating voice, perhaps deepened by suppressed loathing, became very low.

“Go away.”

Go away? Xuanyi gave a slight smile and instead took a step forward.

The nine headed lion behind him immediately let out a threatening low growl, its eighteen eyes staring straight at her as if any one of its heads might lunge forward to take a bite at any moment.

She shot it a glance, and the poised nine headed lion instantly withered.

It buried its heads behind Fucang’s back, its whimpering sounding more like a cat.

Xuanyi let out a soft chuckle.

Suddenly, the arrogant divine lord turned his head.

His pitch black eyes were like ice, staring at her with zero goodwill.

“Are all those of the Zhongshan Dragon God lineage like you?” he asked slowly.

Xuanyi looked at him with a beaming smile.

“Of course not. I am the one who is easiest to talk to.”

Unexpectedly, a trace of a smile appeared on Fucang’s frostily cold face.

Much like his gaze, it carried no kindness.

“Leaving directly that day would have been a better choice for you,” he said, breaking his usual silence.

“Since you decided to stay, do not regret it.”

Xuanyi covered her mouth with her sleeve and said softly, “Your words are so profound, Senior Brother. Could it be that a divine lord of the Huaxu clan intends to ostracize a colleague and use words to kill the heart?”

Fucang shifted his gaze away from her face and said coldly, “The Huaxu clan seeks revenge for the smallest grievance. Princess, remember that well.”

Xuanyi took another step forward.

At some point, the hall doors had opened soundlessly.

A young immortal gatekeeper was staring at them both with wide, curious eyes.

“The tolerance of the Zhuyin clan, however, is very magnanimous. Senior Brother, we are truly a match made in heaven.”

Xuanyi sent him a flirtatious glance and stepped into the hall.

Perhaps because they had arrived too early, the immortal guide took quite a while to return after going inside to announce them.

He spoke apologetically. “Divine Lord Fucang, Princess Xuanyi, the Emperor has only just risen and has not yet washed. Fearing you would wait too long, he asked me to lead you to the disciples courtyard first.”

Sleeping until the hour of Chen without getting up, this Emperor is truly leisurely, Xuanyi thought.

Just as she was about to leave, several celestial gods walked into the hall laughing and chatting.

The piercing auspicious light illuminated the dark Mingxing Hall, making her eyes ache again.

She had no choice but to cover her face with her sleeve.

Seeing her like this, the immortal guide could not help but whisper a reminder.

“Princess, this is not in accordance with etiquette…”

Before he could finish, the voice of the Goddess Zhixi came from behind.

“Princess Xuanyi, from today onward we are colleagues. Yet the Princess covers her face with her sleeve upon seeing us. What is the meaning of this?”

Xuanyi lowered her sleeve and bowed gracefully, saying softly, “The senior brothers and sisters possess such abundant divine power and dazzling light that I dare not look directly. I hope you will be forgiving.”

Raising her eyes, she met the unfriendly gaze of Goddess Zhixi.

Oh dear, was she really that disliked?

She thought for a moment and then suddenly bowed again.

“Senior Sister Bear, my greetings.”

Goddess Zhixi’s expression changed instantly. “What did you call me?”

Xuanyi looked full of apology.

“I am sorry, I failed to remember Senior Sister’s name.”

The immortal guide beside her hurried to introduce them in a low voice.

“Princess, this is your second senior sister, Goddess Zhixi. She is a descendant of the Youxiong clan.”

“The Youxiong clan, right.”

Xuanyi gave the dark faced Zhixi a sincere and apologetic smile.

“Senior Sister Zhixi has such a beautiful name, and it suits her perfectly.”

Zhixi, however, had already turned her body away as if she had not heard a word.

Xuanyi ignored her for the moment, her gaze drifting over each of the celestial gods in the hall.

Counting carefully, not including herself and Fucang, there were four disciples here.

She had met Taiyao and Zhixi before.

The remaining two, a man and a woman, were very unfamiliar.

Most importantly, these two seemed to be old acquaintances of Fucang, chatting and laughing with him quite intimately.

Xuanyi lowered her head and asked the immortal guide in a low voice, “Who is that one in the green robe talking to Divine Lord Fucang?”

The immortal guide immediately introduced him generously.

“That is your sixth senior brother, Divine Lord Guting. He is the third son of the Flower Emperor. I heard he has been close friends with Divine Lord Fucang since childhood. These past few years, he has been pestering the Emperor every day to take Divine Lord Fucang under his tutelage!”

He was actually the third son of the Flower Emperor.

Last time, when she and Fucang first met in the Flower Emperor’s back garden, they had nearly picked the Posuo Peony.

That incident led the Flower Emperor to go directly to Mount Zhong to demand accountability, though it was later settled by Qi Nan.

No wonder Fucang had threatened her so arrogantly earlier.

It turned out he had friends here, and the kind who would share his hatred.

“And who is that goddess in the black dress?”

Xuanyi’s gaze fell upon the black dressed goddess beside Divine Lord Guting.

She was tall and slender, wearing only a simple black dress that made her skin appear as white as snow.

She had an elegant aura and was clearly more beautiful than Goddess Zhixi.

However, the two of them seemed quite harmonious, unlike Zhixi who looked ready for battle upon seeing Xuanyi.

“That is your ninth senior sister, the daughter of the Snake Emperor of Mount Tuxiang, Princess Fuluo.”

The immortal guide gave a suggestive smile.

“She and Divine Lord Guting have just announced their engagement and are now studying under the Emperor together. It is quite a beautiful story!”

Seeing Xuanyi whispering incessantly and glancing over from time to time, the eldest senior brother Taiyao finally took on his role.

He stepped forward and said with a smile, “Little Junior Sister, why don’t you come over and meet your other senior brothers and sisters?”