Half City Of Love - Chapter 1
Chapter 1: Prologue
On the second day of the second lunar month, the day when the dragon raises its head, the peak of Mount Zhong that had been silent for centuries was filled with noise and excitement.
Starting from the hour of the Rabbit (around 5–7 a.m.), golden flowers the size of bowls began to fall one by one from the clouds, accompanied by waves of celestial music and fragrant breezes.
Guests came in a continuous stream.
Emperor Zhongshan had been smiling all day, receiving gifts from morning till night, so much that even his jaw and arms felt sore.
His youngest daughter turned exactly two hundred years old today.
Normally, such an age wouldn’t call for such a grand celebration.
But just a few days ago, this little girl who used to be like a wriggling mudfish suddenly took on human form, a major event for the lineage of the Dragon Gods of Mount Zhong.
Naturally, deities from all corners of the realm had to be invited to share a drink in celebration.
As the sun climbed higher in the sky, the number of congratulatory guests only increased.
Emperor Zhongshan’s face was practically frozen from smiling too much.
For some reason, he kept getting distracted today.
Several times he mistakenly addressed guests by the wrong honorifics.
Fortunately, his divine attendant Qi Nan was there to smooth things over, so no serious offense was caused.
Finally getting a moment of rest, the Emperor gazed at the rising sun and couldn’t help but sigh softly:
“Ah Cui really isn’t coming back?”
Qi Nan chuckled.
“The little princess attained human form at just two hundred, such a joyous occasion. How could Lady Ah Cui possibly stay away? Please don’t worry, Your Majesty. She’ll come.”
But the Emperor still looked troubled.
“She’s definitely still angry that I invited the clan from Tongshan. But Shanshan is innocent. Her affection for me has always been respectful and proper. That foolish Ah Cui, why must she keep holding this grudge against me?”
Qi Nan lowered his eyes with a faint smile, secretly brushing away the goosebumps on his arm.
Even after serving the Emperor for over a hundred thousand years, he still hadn’t gotten used to His Majesty’s way of speaking.
The Emperor was good at everything, except for this incurable romantic streak.
He fell for every beauty he met, always saying it began with true affection and ended with propriety.
The cold and fearsome reputation that the Dragon God of Zhongshan bloodline had built up over generations was close to being completely squandered by him.
Even the little celestial lords on the faraway immortal islands of Penglai, Fangzhang, and Yingzhou knew that Emperor Zhongshan was one of the most difficult emperors to deal with.
To be addressed as “Emperor” by the Heavenly Emperor himself was already a mark of exceptional status.
More importantly, the Dragon God lineage of Mount Zhong was nothing like the other dragon clans scattered across the realms.
As the ancient Heavenly Emperor once said:
“When dragons battle in the wild, their blood turns the skies black and yellow.”
He was speaking of none other than the Dragon God bloodline of Zhongshan.
There were even rumors that a previous Emperor Zhongshan, several generations back had clashed with the Phoenix Clan from the Nine Heavens.
In a fit of fury, he cast the Sea of Sorrow in the extreme west into eternal darkness.
Even to this day, that place remains bone-chillingly cold, infested with vicious spirits and deadly creatures.
If any ordinary deity dares approach, they suffer grievous wounds.
For this reason, the Heavenly Emperor had long sealed it as a forbidden zone.
This was the domineering might of the Supreme of All Dragons—
Yet looking at the current Emperor… Qi Nan let out a silent sigh.
But sighing aside, he still had to offer comfort.
Qi Nan gently advised,“There are countless guests present, Your Majesty. It’s best to mind your words. Besides, with the little princess blessed with such talent, shouldn’t Your Majesty be rejoicing rather than frowning?”
The bloodline of the Dragon God of Zhongshan was unlike that of any other dragon clan.
At birth, they were purely dragon in form, and typically needed to spend five to six hundred years in the Dragon-Rearing Pool atop Mount Zhong before they could take on a human shape.
Both the current Emperor and the little Dragon Prince had only gained human form around the age of five hundred.
For the little princess to take on a human form at just two hundred years of age spoke volumes of her immense divine power…perhaps she would even be the one to restore the once-glorious reputation of the Dragon Gods of Zhongshan.
After bringing up the little princess several times, he finally touched the sentimental heart of Emperor Zhongshan.
Just as the Emperor was about to summon a court lady to bring over his daughter for some affectionate cuddling, he suddenly felt a faint tug at his sleeve.
Looking down, he saw his son Qingyan leaning against his leg, his young face full of innocence as he looked up and said softly:
“Daddy, carry me.”
Qingyan reached out his arms in a babyish voice, asking to be picked up.
Emperor Zhongshan smiled and was just about to scoop up his son when a ceremonial officer suddenly announced loudly:
“Third Princess of Tongshan arrives to offer her congratulations!”
From the palace gate, auspicious clouds swirled as a grand procession of celestial beings floated in.
Leading them was a divine maiden dressed in soft peach-colored celestial robes, her sleeves and hems adorned with countless specks of stardust from the Heavenly River, glittering so brightly they lit up all of Mount Zhong.
Upon seeing the Emperor, she cast him a graceful glance, eyes flowing with shy charm, and offered a demure bow as she softly called out:
“Your Majesty.”
That single word made the Emperor’s heart melt.
Unable to resist, he stepped forward and replied:
“Shanshan.”
Qi Nan looked down at Qingyan.
The child’s arms were still outstretched, confused, waiting to be picked up but his father had already walked away.
Qi Nan could only sigh once more in his heart.
He crouched down and said gently:
“Young Dragon Prince, His Majesty has many guests to entertain today. Why don’t you go see your little sister?”
Innocent as ever, Qingyan was easily persuaded.
He excitedly waved his arms and shouted:
“See baby sister! See baby sister!”
A fairy attendant quickly came forward to carry him away, positioning her body to block his view so he wouldn’t see the Emperor now holding the hands of Tongshan’s Third Princess.
With her arrival, it was clear the Emperor had no mind for the other guests.
Qi Nan had no choice but to take over the hosting duties, bustling about like a spinning top.
As dusk deepened and the hour of the Rooster arrived (around 5–7 p.m.), there was still no sign of Her Ladyship.
Qi Nan thought to himself: She definitely isn’t coming back.
The Lady was the daughter of the River God, a fairy named Cuihe by status; she had indeed married far above her station when she wed into the Zhongshan Dragon clan.
This had always been a source of inner conflict for her.
After the wedding, the Emperor’s flirtatious nature never changed, constantly falling for others.
She’d fought with him endlessly over it.
Perhaps she had simply grown tired, and silence was her choice this time.
Then again, among the divine clans, nearly eight or nine out of ten were entangled in romantic chaos.
With lifespans stretching across eons and appearances that never faded, which one of them wasn’t caught up in relationships that were tangled beyond repair?
Love today, hatred tomorrow…so many long years for drama and entanglement.
Who cared about vows before or after marriage? It was rare to find a deity like Her Ladyship, who took things so seriously.
At exactly the hour of the Rooster, the fairy attendants came out of a side hall carrying the little princess.
Though she was already two hundred years old, having just gained a human form, she still looked more like a mortal infant.
Her tiny body was wrapped in a brocade blanket woven from golden threads.
A lavish and intricate gold amulet rested on her chest.
She was fast asleep, sucking her thumb as she slept, unbelievably adorable.
Qingyan bounced and skipped behind them, reaching out again and again to touch her, excitedly yelling:
“Little Bun! Little Bun!”
A chorus of admiration rose from the gathered guests.
Many had thought the Emperor was boasting, how could a dragon girl take on human form at just two hundred? But now that they saw it for themselves, it was true.
Even the oldest of the deities were stirred with emotion, remembering the fierce, unmatched power of the Dragon God of Zhongshan lineage in days past.
The grand atmosphere eventually startled the little princess awake.
The fairy attendants, afraid she would cry, quickly began rocking and soothing her gently.
But she was very calm.
She simply switched hands to suck on and stared at the many gods around her with large, black-and-white eyes, not blinking even once—quietly curious.
Qi Nan estimated that the Emperor would soon bestow a name upon the little princess, a ceremony of utmost importance that could not be disturbed.
He stepped forward to calm the inexplicably excited Qingyan, instructing a celestial maid to bring the child to his seat.
Then, Qi Nan himself carried a jade box forward.
Inside were delicate sticks carved from the Immortal Tree, each engraved with inscriptions, waiting for Emperor Zhongshan to make his choice.
After offering prayers in all four directions, the Emperor suddenly raised his hand and gently tapped the jade box.
At once, the many slender sticks inside stirred as if alive, rising into the air and forming circles of varying sizes.
Before long, two of the sticks seemed to be drawn together by invisible threads and gently landed in the Emperor’s palm.
He looked down, picked up a brush from the table, dipped it in water from the Heavenly River, and swiftly wrote two characters in the air: “Xuan Yi”.
Instantly, a radiant glow lit up the sky.
The characters floated midair, shimmering, before bursting into thousands of points of light that drifted like glowing snowflakes in the twilight breeze, slowly fading away.
“Since the Heavenly Dao has spoken, I shall follow its will. Today, I name my daughter: Xuan Yi.”
The next moment, cheers of congratulations erupted all around.
Behind the massive crystal screen, celestial musicians struck up a heavenly tune.
Tens of thousands of golden blossoms rained down like showers.
On the once-empty banquet tables, countless fine wines suddenly appeared, and the gathered gods raised their cups to celebrate.
The wine was rich and fragrant.
In the arms of a celestial maid, little Princess Xuan Yi wasn’t yet used to the smell.
She gave a sudden sneeze and then…“poof”…under the watchful eyes of the entire court, this exquisite little jade baby transformed into a wriggling, ash-colored baby dragon.
She was only a few inches long, squirming in the attendant’s hands like a slippery mudfish.
The hall fell dead silent.
Tongshan’s Third Princess turned pale, her voice sharp and piercing from shock:
“Oh no! She turned into a mudfish?!”
Emperor Zhongshan’s expression darkened.
The surrounding deities froze in place, pretending not to hear what she said.
Even the musicians behind the screen stopped playing.
For a dragon god who had already gained human form to revert to dragon shape in public, this should never happen.
Unless… unless their divine power was too weak to sustain the human form.
But how could the daughter of Dragon God of Zhongshan bloodline have weak divine power?
She had just been praised as the miracle of attaining human form at two hundred years old, and now what? She turned back into a dragon in front of everyone and looked like a mudfish, no less!
This was like slapping the Emperor in the face, loud and clear, echoing through the heavens.
Qingyan, who had been quietly seated, suddenly strode up to the embarrassed celestial maid, took his little sister gently into his arms, and stroked the tiny budding horns on her head with his finger, soothing her in a soft voice:
“Good girl, be good. Change back, okay?”
But the little princess, wriggling like a mudfish in his palms, only gave a big yawn, blew out a stream of drool bubbles, curled up into a ball, and promptly fell asleep.
On the second day of the second month, the day the dragon raise its head, the grand two-hundredth birthday banquet for Zhongshan’s little princess ended early.
By the time the deities left, rain had already begun to fall over Mount Zhong.
Clearly, the Emperor was in a foul mood and perhaps in the next few days, he would freeze the whole mountain over.
No matter how displeased Emperor Zhongshan was, the news spread like wildfire across the divine realm.
Even the junior immortals on the Three Immortal Islands had heard:
The Zhongshan Dragon God, once boasting that his daughter had gained human form at two hundred, had been humiliated when she turned into a mudfish at her own banquet.
Thus, the nickname “Mudfish Princess” resounded across the heavens.
The already-fragile reputation of the once-revered Zhongshan Dragon God bloodline was tarnished even further.
Even the demon clans below dared to mock them openly now.
A thousand years passed.
One day, the Emperor’s consort, the River Goddess of Cui was mysteriously perished in the Great Wilderness.
At the same time, the entire Tongshan clan in the north was suddenly frozen in ice.
All the deities in the clan perished.
There were whispers that Emperor Zhongshan was behind it.
The destruction of the Tongshan clan was so strange that the Heavenly Emperor personally summoned Emperor Zhongshan to question him.
But the result was… inconclusive.
No one knew what the two divine rulers spoke of.
All that was known was that Emperor Zhongshan returned safely to his mountain and resumed his position as Emperor.
The matter of the Tongshan clan was quietly buried by the Heavenly Emperor…as if it had never happened.
From that point on, the might of the Zhongshan Dragon God bloodline once again awed the divine realm.
And the jokes about the “Mudfish Princess”?
No one dared bring them up again.
Time flowed on like a river.
In the blink of an eye…eight thousand years had passed.
