Half City Of Love - Chapter 15
Chapter 15
Relying on records from older texts, Xuanyi flew eastward through the sea of clouds for about half an hour. The sky grew increasingly dark while a chilly, desolate wind brushed against her face—Wangshu Palace was clearly nearby.
Lowering her cloud, a massive palace appeared ahead. It was a pale, midnight blue, and its sky-high entrance was carved with a three-legged silver toad.
A young deity stood before the gates. Looking closely, Xuanyi recognized Gu Ting. He was holding one side of his face, looking utterly defeated.
“Senior Brother Gu Ting,” she called out, landing beside him.
Slightly startled, he frowned upon seeing her arrive alone.
“Where is Fucang?”
Xuanyi covered her mouth with a suggestive smile.
“Senior Brother Fucang and the Goddess Xihe have such a wonderful relationship.”
Damn it.
Fucang must have been dragged along by Xihe to listen to her heart-to-heart, with no telling when he could break free. Gu Ting gazed gloomily toward Wangshu Palace, unable to utter a word for a long time.
Xuanyi tilted her head to inspect his face. The side he was holding looked as though it had been struck and swollen, and his robe was covered in dust. He looked completely disheveled.
Unable to hold back a giggle, she asked, “Senior Brother Gu Ting, what happened to you?”
Seeing her face full of amusement made Gu Ting even more displeased. Just as he was about to speak, a rush of wind sounded overhead. Fucang, draped in robes as white as snow, floated down beside them. Gu Ting said in pleasant surprise, “The Goddess Xihe didn’t make things difficult for you?”
Fucang’s face was as cold as still water. Avoiding the question, he simply asked, “What happened to your face?”
Gu Ting touched his injury awkwardly. “The Goddess Wangshu isn’t in today. Only God Fei Lian remains inside. I’m afraid we won’t even be able to get a single drop of the Essence of Lunar Radiance.”
Although God Fei Lian was merely the guide for the Goddess Wangshu, with her absent, he called all the shots in Wangshu Palace. He had an explosive temper, was entirely unreasonable, and held an atrocious impression of them because Emperor Baize frequently sent disciples to beg for his hair.
He would clash and fight at the slightest disagreement. Being hundreds of thousands of years older than them, who could beat him? Even Taiyao, the Ninth Prince, had been thrashed by him before. Today, Gu Ting hadn’t even seen Fei Lian’s face—the moment the doors opened, he was sent flying face-first into the dirt by lunar sand, swelling up his face.
“Let’s head back then,” Fucang said, turning around without casting a single glance at Xuanyi.
Xuanyi looked him up and down, then tilted her head and pointed at his sleeve, speaking leisurely, “Senior Brother Fucang certainly enjoys good fortune with the ladies.”
Looking down, Fucang saw a faint trace of rouge on his pure white sleeve, likely left behind when Goddess Xihe clutched his sleeve while crying.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
Glancing at the hem of Xuanyi’s skirt, which was masked in white snow, he said coldly, “Indeed. The shape of your skirt’s hem has also been burned quite uniquely.”
Xuanyi took a sharp breath as old grudges and new grievances welled up inside her all at once. She stepped forward to speak, but before she could, the giant palace doors carved with the three-legged silver toad slowly creaked open. A gust of icy wind howled outward, fluttering the robes and hair of the three deities.
A cold snort echoed from within the hall. “More trash has arrived! Since you won’t leave, then don’t leave at all!”
Xuanyi felt a massive pull grab her, dragging her uncontrollably into the main hall before roughly slamming her toward the ground. She scrambled to stabilize her body. In the next moment, violent winds erupted. The lunar sand inside the large four-cornered flowerpots flew into the air; it blinded the eyes and cut into the skin like sharp blades. Swirling fiercely, it lunged relentlessly to entangle their bodies, as if intending to tear them apart.
Gu Ting shouted in panic, “Please quell your anger, God Fei Lian! We did not mean any offense! We are merely following our master’s orders, otherwise we would never dare disturb you!”
Fei Lian’s harsh, dry voice boomed from behind the lunar sand. “Even if that old fool Baize holds the status of Emperor, how can he repeatedly perform such an absurd act of asking for my hair! I don’t care what kind of vile taste he has for wanting hair—today I’ll sever your limbs and let him taste my strength!”
The lunar sand tightened abruptly. Xuanyi slowly waved her hand, and heavy snow began to fall inside the hall.
As the white snow floated onto the lunar sand, the glittering golden grains plummeted like rain, vanishing into nothingness one by one.
She landed lightly, straightened her clothes, and said plainly, “You certainly have quite a temper.”
The other side fell silent for a moment. Suddenly, an extraordinarily tall figure emerged from the back of the hall. The newcomer wore a red-plum-colored robe. Although his features were handsome, his hawk-like nose added a touch of ruthless severity.
Most peculiar of all was his long hair cascading down—it was silver-white like moonlight, flowing with radiant luster and dancing naturally without any wind.
No wonder Emperor Baize covets his hair…
Xuanyi instantly understood.
“What are you looking at?!” God Fei Lian barked coldly, glaring fiercely at her as his silver hair surged into the air.
“So you’re a descendant of the Zhuyin Clan! Hmph! How old are you supposed to be? Trying to intimidate me?! So what if you don’t fear the five elements or yin and yang? Do you think I’d be afraid of you?! Seeing as you’re young, I’ll let you strike first! Come!”
Xuanyi shook her head.
“Constant fighting and killing is the behavior of a brute. Although you are unwilling to part with your hair, we cannot disobey our master’s orders. How about this, God Fei Lian: let’s make a bet. If I win, you give me three strands of hair plus three drops of the Essence of Lunar Radiance. If you win, my two senior brothers are yours to punish however you like—beat them as much as you wish.”
This ruthless witch!
Gu Ting flared up in anger.
“What did you say…”
Before he could finish, Xuanyi flashed a soothing smile. “Senior Brother Gu Ting, we are in the same boat.”
Like hell we’re in the same boat!
She was playing her sneaky tricks again! The bet sounded fair, but if she won, she took the credit, and if she lost, the two of them suffered!
God Fei Lian was certainly no fool. Rolling his eyes, he sneered, “You may be young, but you’re full of tricks! Why should I play any stupid gambling game with you?!”
Xuanyi stared intently at his silver hair dancing without wind. Whenever divine power surged within Fei Lian, his long hair twisted like snakes—a sight that was hardly elegant or handsome.
After a brief thought, she said, “You make a valid point. But if I have a way to make your hair settle down and return to a jet-black color, would you be willing to take this bet with me?”
The howling gale paused for a split second. He scrutinized her suspiciously and darkly.
“Truly? You should know the consequences of lying to me. I don’t care what descendant of the Zhuyin Clan you are—even if the Emperor Zhongshan came himself, I wouldn’t be afraid!”
Xuanyi said indifferently, “Since you know what you are dealing with, why fear being tricked? To bet or not? Give me your word.”
God Fei Lian glared at her intensely for a long moment. He had tried countless methods over the ages, but he could never revert his hair back to its normal appearance from his youth. As a result, now that he was approaching old age, he still hadn’t managed to take a wife or pass on his lineage. His hair was a deep sore spot that brought him endless trouble and vexation; most of his explosive temper stemmed directly from it.
“Words mean nothing,” he stepped forward.
“Prove it to me first.”
Xuanyi smiled. “Very well. Don’t blink.”
Wisps of black mist emerged from her slender, fair fingertips. She lightly pinched them like cotton, then blew them out in a single breath. The clusters drifted onto Fei Lian’s dancing silver hair, disappearing like snowflakes.
Strangely, with every cluster of black mist that landed, his silver hair turned a shade darker and drooped an inch lower.
By the time the black mist fully vanished into his hair, God Fei Lian picked up a lock of long hair with a mixture of joy and sorrow.
Having not seen it for hundreds of thousands of years, the smooth, dark hair felt like a dream.
He stood dazed for a long time before suddenly raising his head, his gaze burning intensely as he stared straight at Xuanyi.
“What method is this?” His voice had grown remarkably gentler.
Xuanyi answered with utter seriousness, “This is the darkness of Zhuyin, the heaviest and darkest substance in all the four seas and eight wildernesses. Fortunately, your divine power is abundant enough to support it. Do you believe me now?”
Reaching out to touch the hair on the other side, God Fei Lian’s expression suddenly turned stark, and he roared in a fury, “You cunning little brat! You only did half of it!”
He must have looked utterly ridiculous right now—one side of his hair hung pitch-black behind his back, while the other side glowed silver-white, dancing in the air like a snake.
She had done it on purpose!
Xuanyi smiled gracefully.
“Shall we begin now?”
