Chapter 8: One Takes the Color of One’s Company

Inside Sili Palace, things were unusually lively today.

Lord Changsheng had set up a banquet in the courtyard, inviting Xiao Fan and Wu Yi to drink and enjoy the moon together.

The table was covered with grand dishes like braised pork and sweet and sour fish, making everyone’s mouth water.

Xiao Fan downed a cup of Lord Changsheng’s private stash of Osmanthus Wine in one go and asked, “You usually hate noise and bustle. Why the sudden change of heart today? You even set up a feast to watch the moon?”

Lord Changsheng maintained his cold, aloof expression and said, “High Immortal Kong Qi is expected to ascend to Godhood any day now. I am simply happy!”

Xiao Fan poured another cup of wine and asked, “Do you even know him? What are you celebrating for?”

Lord Changsheng replied, “I have long heard that High Immortal Kong Qi is a refined gentleman and a brilliant youth. Seeing his integrity and unyielding righteousness during his time in the mortal realm has earned my admiration. One should associate with such friends. After all, one takes the color of one’s company.”

Xiao Fan laughed and said, “Look at you acting all scholarly. The man isn’t even here, so who are you saying this for?”

Lord Changsheng remained stubborn, saying, “Every word comes from the bottom of my heart. It is the same regardless of who is listening.”

Just then, Ju Fang returned from her task of arranging a mortal tribulation.

Seeing the wine and food in Sili Palace, her eyes lit up.

Seeing this, Xiao Fan understood most of the situation and joked, “The drinker’s heart is not in the wine!”

He then downed another cup.

Wiping away her drool, Ju Fang asked, “Why is there so much delicious food? Can I eat too?”

Lord Changsheng smiled and said, “Count yourself lucky! I happen to be hosting High Immortal Xiao Fan today to thank him for his usual care of Sili Palace.”

Hearing this, Wu Yi hurriedly asked, “Wait a minute! Didn’t you just say this was to celebrate Kong Qi…”

Before the sentence could be finished, Ni Yan, who was standing behind, stuffed a chestnut into Wu Yi’s mouth and whispered into their ear, “Lord Changsheng says what it is, and that is that.”

Wu Yi nearly choked to death on that chestnut and had to give up.

Seeing Wu Yi almost lose their life, Xiao Fan didn’t dare say a word either and silently continued drinking.

Ju Fang had just sat down when she suddenly stood up again and said to Lord Changsheng, “Wait! The food can wait. Where is your Mirror of Mortal Observation? I want to see if Huang Cui is treating Li Qianyun well.”

Lord Changsheng said with a hint of annoyance, “Of course he is. A promise is worth a thousand bars of gold, is it not?”

Despite his words, he still brought out the mirror for Ju Fang.

At this time, Huang Cui had been married for a year.

Although they had no children yet, he and his wife treated each other with mutual respect, earning the envy of everyone.

Ju Fang smiled happily, her eyes appearing slightly moist.

Lord Changsheng said, “See, I didn’t lie to you!”

Ju Fang took a breath and said, “Qianyun looks truly happy.”

Looking at Ju Fang’s expression of mixed joy and sorrow, Lord Changsheng felt an indescribable sense of unease.

Just as he was trying to figure out what was wrong, Ju Fang sat down and swapped all the meat dishes in front of Lord Changsheng for vegetarian ones.

She moved the braised pork, steamed goose, and other big dishes to herself, preparing to feast.

This move left Xiao Fan and Wu Yi speechless, but Lord Changsheng acted as if nothing had happened and began eating the vegetarian food with a calm face.

Xiao Fan wanted to say something, but looking at Ni Yan behind him and the plate of chestnuts on the table, he decided to let it go.

When the food was mostly finished, Xiao Fan was too drunk to stand.

Wu Yi offered to help Xiao Fan back to his palace, but seeing Wu Yi’s small frame, Lord Changsheng asked the tall and sturdy Ni Yan to help them go together.

In an instant, Sili Palace returned to its usual tranquility.

Normally Ni Yan was always around, so suddenly realizing he was alone with a woman, Lord Changsheng began to feel awkward.

Just as he was about to get up and flee the scene, he heard Ju Fang say, “Hey!”

Lord Changsheng tried to act composed and replied, “What is it?”

Ju Fang smiled slightly and said, “You often say that managing mortal tribulations is a thankless job that breeds resentment. But after returning from my two assignments, why do I feel a sense of satisfaction from helping others?”

Lord Changsheng snorted and replied, “Maybe you are a masochist? Have you forgotten the beating you took from Zhu Yue?”

Ju Fang said, “That was because she didn’t know my good intentions! If I had a chance to explain to her, she would be fine too!”

Lord Changsheng disagreed and said, “I wouldn’t be so sure! Zhu Yue is famous in the Heavenly Realm for being quite difficult!”

Remembering how he had once majestically gone to put Zhu Yue in her place, Lord Changsheng couldn’t help but feel good about himself and downed his wine.

Seeing her superior’s cup was empty, Ju Fang sensibly picked up the flask to pour more for him.

This reminded Lord Changsheng of the time Li Qianwu and Huang Cui were at the inn, looking bashful because their fingertips accidentally touched.

Perhaps he wanted to see it again, or perhaps that last cup went to his head too quickly, but Lord Changsheng moved his cup toward Ju Fang, attempting to create another accident.

Little did he know that such things cannot be forced.

Because he was being so intentional, it wasn’t just fingertips.

The entire back of Lord Changsheng’s hand pressed against the back of Ju Fang’s hand.

Far from being romantic, it looked as if he was simply too drunk to hold his cup steady.

Ju Fang poured the wine as if nothing had happened.

It wasn’t a subordinate’s place to comment on how much a boss drank.

However, seeing that the little cat showed not a hint of shyness, Lord Changsheng actually became a bit annoyed.

“I am a man after all! This is our first physical contact, at least give me some reaction!” Lord Changsheng thought, completely forgetting that he had applied medicine to her before.

Lord Changsheng had nothing if not an excess of pride.

Refusing to lose, he dipped his finger in some sauce and deliberately dabbed it on his own lip, trying to force Ju Fang into a romantic lip wiping moment.

Of course, we all know that besides pride, Lord Changsheng also has a wild imagination.

When a person is out of luck, misfortunes come in clusters.

Out of all the dishes, he just had to pick the sauce from the sweet and sour fish.

Ju Fang’s true form was a cat, and fish was her favorite.

She had been waiting for everyone to leave so she could abandon her image and lick the plates.

The moment Lord Changsheng touched that sauce, she smelled it.

All her brain cells were currently working to stop herself from jumping onto his face to lick it, so how could she think about a romantic lip wipe?

One second later, Ju Fang’s appetite defeated her willpower.

She stretched out her index finger, swiped the sauce off Lord Changsheng’s lip, and licked it off in one go.

Lord Changsheng stood up silently and walked back to his room in a daze.

He swore never to compete with Huang Cui again.

Right now, he just wanted to jump into ice water to cool down.

On this day, Ju Fang again asked to see the Mirror of Mortal Observation.

Lord Changsheng hesitated for a moment but still brought it out for her.

The mortal realm was the same as ever, with everyone harboring hidden motives for the sake of power.

The flames of war had now reached the distant foreign land where Li Qianwu had married.

Huang Cui tried his best to turn a deaf ear, but how could he be completely indifferent?

Once he received news that the country had been destroyed, he could no longer sit still.

Defying imperial orders, Huang Cui took three hundred trusted elite soldiers and rode through the night toward the place that lingered in his heart.

Every one of the three hundred soldiers was willing to die for Huang Cui.

They all believed their general would never let them make a useless sacrifice, and not a single person questioned the purpose of this trip.

With such unbreakable unity, the entire army was still standing when they reached the tent where Li Qianwu was hiding.

Huang Cui, with an arrow in his shoulder, stood straight with his back to the tent.

He insisted on waiting until Li Qianwu had boarded the prepared horse and left safely before he would turn around.

All the way back, Huang Cui stayed in the rear.

He suppressed the urge to ride forward for a glance countless times, gripping the reins so hard his hands bled.

It was only after escorting her safely into Li Chungui’s estate that he fell from his horse due to exhaustion.

Afterward, Li Chungui thanked Huang Cui for entering enemy lines to save his beloved daughter and defended him before the Emperor, allowing Huang Cui to escape punishment for defying military orders.

After being rescued, Li Qianwu never married again and lived in her parents’ home.

Huang Cui also kept his promise and never met Li Qianwu again for the rest of his life.

Only on the day after Li Qianyun passed away from illness did he stand alone outside the Li residence for the entire night.

Again, a few more years passed, and Huang Cui, who never remarried, finished his legendary life as a Great General.

Seeing this, Ju Fang was already crying uncontrollably.

In truth, after Ju Fang had left the mortal body, Li Qianwu actually had no romantic feelings left for Huang Cui.

Of course, Huang Cui, who never saw her again, never discovered this secret until the day he died.

Lord Changsheng wanted to say something to comfort Ju Fang, but at this moment, silence seemed better than words. “Just let her vent it all out,” Lord Changsheng thought as he left his study.

Kong Qi successfully completed his tribulation and ascended to become a Great God.

Lord Changsheng went to the Lingxiao Treasure Hall as usual to report the results to the Heavenly Emperor and claim his credit.

Unlike before, he didn’t feel a sense of relief at all.

His entire mind was occupied by the image of Ju Fang crying her eyes out.

On the way back to his palace, he happened to run into Kong Qi.

Kong Qi remained as elegant as ever.

He respectfully gave a deep bow to Lord Changsheng and said, “Lord Changsheng aided Kong Qi in a successful tribulation. This great kindness is hard to put into words.”

Lord Changsheng replied politely, “Great God Kong Qi is too kind. It was my duty, I dare not claim it as a favor.”

Kong Qi said, “There is still one thing in my heart. I embolden myself to ask Lord Changsheng for guidance.”

Lord Changsheng replied, “To say you embolden yourself is too much. If the Great God has something to say, please speak freely. I will tell you everything I know.”

Kong Qi seemed to be thinking about how to phrase it.

Seeing this, Ni Yan stepped back a few paces to give them space to talk.

Seeing Ni Yan walk away, Kong Qi felt his actions might have caused a misunderstanding, which was quite rude.

Just as he was about to call Ni Yan back, Lord Changsheng smiled and said, “It is fine, no need for such formalities. I have managed mortal tribulations for many years. I know what should be said and what should not.”

Having served in Sili Palace for nearly ten thousand years, Lord Changsheng had seen many immortals worried that their actions in the mortal realm would bring them shame.

He figured Kong Qi probably wanted to say something like “don’t tell anyone about the stupid things I did down there.”

After struggling for a few seconds, Kong Qi asked, “That mortal woman, Li Qianwu. Later on, did she live a good life?”

Lord Changsheng was very surprised to hear this.

Usually, when immortals returned from their tribulations, they had to pass through the Gate of Returning Source to wash away mortal ties, leaving behind neither love nor hate.

Everything in the mortal realm would be like a dream that is forgotten upon waking.

One might vaguely feel they had cried or laughed, but they wouldn’t remember why.

For Kong Qi to not only remember there was a mortal woman but even remember her name was a first.

Lord Changsheng said suspiciously, “Great God Kong Qi, the loves, hates, and lingering attachments of the mortal world should all be left behind when passing through the Gate of Returning Source. You must not be so concerned.”

Kong Qi said with shame, “It must be that my cultivation is insufficient, for I only remember her. I just… just want to know if she is well…”

Hearing the emotions that could barely be concealed in Kong Qi’s last sentence, Lord Changsheng sighed and said, “Once a tribulation is over, failing to let go becomes an obsession. Forget what should be forgotten!”

Kong Qi gave another deep bow to Lord Changsheng and turned to leave.

Watching Kong Qi’s receding figure, Lord Changsheng couldn’t bear it and shouted, “She was very well! And she was very grateful that you kept your promise. I think she never regretted meeting you.”

Kong Qi stopped in his tracks.

Turning around, the usually composed and graceful man actually had a red nose.

With tears in his eyes, he choked out, “That promise… I kept it with such bitterness…”

With a slight bow, Kong Qi turned and left.

Xiao Fan popped out from nowhere at this moment and said with a grin, “Now this is interesting. Li Qianwu was supposed to be a forgotten person, but I see Great God Kong Qi remembers her very clearly!”

Lord Changsheng said seriously, “He must absolutely not see Ju Fang. Kong Qi is extremely clever. I worry he will discover the secret of the Love Tribulation Record and cause complications.”

Xiao Fan said profoundly, “Do you think if Kong Qi discovered Ju Fang was Li Qianwu, he would have the mind to think about some Record? Two immortals, one unmarried man and one unmarried woman, who would care about a Record? For someone who has managed life, death, and love tribulations for so long, you still can’t see through the word ‘love’!”

Lord Changsheng said, “He passed through the Gate of Returning Source. Everything from the mortal realm will be forgotten sooner or later.”

It was unclear if these words were meant for Xiao Fan or for himself.

Hearing this, Xiao Fan said angrily, “You are deceiving yourself again! I’ll put it this way. Even if Kong Qi forgets his own mother, he won’t forget Li Qianwu! You are hiding from one Kong Qi now, but what about later? In a few years, will that little cat have to wear a sack over her head whenever she goes out? Lord Changsheng, you are playing with fire! You will get burned sooner or later!”

Feeling guilty and turning that into anger, Lord Changsheng replied, “What is wrong with Ju Fang going down to arrange a tribulation? There has never been a rule stating that people from Sili Palace cannot act as part of the tribulation themselves!”

Xiao Fan gave a “ha” and asked back, “Is Ju Fang a person of Sili Palace?”

Lord Changsheng shouted back, “I’ll just write her into my palace, how about that!”

Seeing that Lord Changsheng had taken the bait, Xiao Fan continued, “Fine! What title will you write? Mistress of Sili Palace?”

Lord Changsheng’s face turned red as he said, “Wha… Nonsense! Sili Palace is a building! How can it have a mistress?”

Xiao Fan returned to his usual mischievous grin and said, “Sili Palace is just you alone, isn’t it?”

Lord Changsheng was too angry to bother with him and headed back to his palace.

Meanwhile, Ni Yan, who was following behind, was wondering why he wasn’t considered a person of Sili Palace.