Half City Of Love - Chapter 19
Chapter 19
Emperor Baize smiled gently and said in a mild voice, “My little disciple is unruly and full of mischief; this seat apologizes to the Divine Lord on her behalf. As luck would have it, a few hundred years ago, Su Nü gave me a box of Melting-Snow Paste. Take it, Divine Lord, and apply it to your hair—in less than three days, it will return to normal. Afterward, I shall offer a token of compensation as well. I hope the Divine Lord will not hold a grudge against a mere junior.”
Divine Lord Fei Lian snorted again. “I told you, paste or gifts, I want none of it! I only want this little rascal!”
What on earth did she do to drive a Divine Lord into such a fury that even Emperor Baize’s personal intervention holds no weight? Emperor Baize cast an inquiring look at Xuanyi.
Standing nearby, Taiyao whispered the whole story to him.
When he reached the part about how she had tricked Divine Lord Fei Lian out of three strands of hair, Emperor Baize could not help but burst into a soft laugh.
“Why did you revert his hair back to its original state? If that isn’t deception, what is?”
Xuanyi replied sluggishly, “Master, it wasn’t me who wanted Divine Lord Fei Lian’s hair. I merely fetched it for you, and I certainly wasn’t willing to part with my Darkness of Zhuyin. Now that the Divine Lord is here and Master is present, the two of you can negotiate directly. What does this have to do with me anymore?”
Emperor Baize was rendered completely speechless by her logic.
After choking back his words for quite a while, he leaned in and whispered, “Good child, could you just do your master this favor and fix his hair so that everyone leaves happy?”
A troubled expression crossed Xuanyi’s face. After pondering for a moment, she finally gave a reluctant nod.
“Since master puts it that way, I shall naturally do my best. However, I am still young and lack sufficient divine power. Even if I give the Darkness of Zhuyin to the Divine Lord, it won’t last long. How about the Divine Lord and Teacher patiently wait for several tens of thousands of years? Once I am older and my divine power becomes abundant, I will definitely help fix the Divine Lord’s hair.”
*Tens of thousands of years! She was spewing nonsense with a straight face again!*
Emperor Baize turned his head to look at Divine Lord Fei Lian, who was still glaring furiously with puffed cheeks and flared nostrils. Then he looked back at Xuanyi, who wore her usual innocent and bright smile. Finally, he looked around at the surrounding disciples—everyone appeared utterly helpless.
He felt quite helpless himself and was filled with regret… Why did he ever accept such a troublesome brat in exchange for a single dragon scale in the first place?
“Divine Lord, in this seat’s view, your hair is not entirely beyond cure,” Emperor Baize said with a smile as he stepped forward, looking up at the long hair slithering and twisting like a swarm of silver snakes atop Fei Lian’s head.
“Your divine power contains the elemental power of wind, which is why your hair twists and writhes whenever your divine power surges. If you do not mind a bit of trouble, you can divide your hair into countless fine locks and tie a heavy ornament to each one. From then on, when your divine power surges, the weight of the ornaments will keep your hair bound and prevent it from moving wildly.”
Divine Lord Fei Lian said coldly, “Easy for you to say! Where am I supposed to find tens of thousands of precious pearls and ornaments?”
The Wangshu Palace was practically an ascetic realm. Goddess Wangshu lived on wind and dew, giving up normal meals entirely.
How many treasures could a mere guide like him possibly afford to squander?
Emperor Baize scratched his chubby cheeks with a pang of heartache and let out a forced laugh.
“Ultimately, this matter was my fault to begin with, so I naturally ought to offer recompense. When I was young, the malignant and ferocious Demon Clan was wreaking havoc, and I used my divine power to condense ninety-nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine Red-Gold Heavenly Sound Bells. If the Divine Lord does not mind, you are welcome to take them.”
He sent Taiyao back to retrieve the golden bells. The group of deities waited in the sea of clouds for a full meal’s length of time before Taiyao finally returned, trembling at every step.
He held a massive wooden box in his arms, his face pale from exhaustion. Once he managed to set the box down, he could only lean to the side to catch his breath.
With a flick of Emperor Baize’s finger, the wooden box immediately flew open. In an instant, golden light burst forth, illuminating heaven and earth with a dazzling radiance so brilliant that no one could look directly at it.
“Please take a look, Divine Lord. Here are ninety-nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine Red-Gold Heavenly Sound Bells.”
Looking at these delicate and exquisite little golden bells, Emperor Baize blinked with renewed heartache.
“Each bell weighs three fen and three li (approx. 1.2 grams), making the total weight three thousand three hundred jin (approx. 1,650 kg). However, with your grand ability, Divine Lord, this weight will naturally feel as light as a feather.”
With a face as dark as water, Divine Lord Fei Lian picked up a single golden bell, placed it in his palm, and examined it closely for a long time. Then, he rolled a lock of his long hair and tied the golden bell to it. Sure enough, even as his divine power surged, that lock of hair no longer pointed toward the sky, but rested steadily behind his back.
His expression finally softened. He reached out and lifted the wooden box into his arms, doing so as effortlessly as if it were truly just a feather.
“My thanks to Emperor Baize. Farewell.”
Without the slightest hesitation, he turned and left on the spot. After throwing a fierce, wrathful glare at Xuanyi, he vanished in the blink of an eye.
Only then did the crowd of deities heave a collective sigh of relief. They had finally managed to send this harbinger of trouble away.
Emperor Baize was so heartbroken over his loss that he couldn’t find peace. Looking at Xuanyi, he trembled and said in a breath as faint as gossamer, “You… you… If you couldn’t get it, you should have just returned empty-handed! Why did you have to provoke him? Not only did you force me to give away my golden bells, but you’ve also brought trouble upon yourself. Why put yourself through all this!”
Xuanyi did not answer; she simply smiled like a blossoming flower.
“Let us go back…” Emperor Baize shook his head and led the way back.
Having spent an entire morning fussing over three strands of hair, the class could no longer go on. Emperor Baize only wanted to go back and sleep a bit more, while nursing his heartache over those hundred-thousand-minus-one golden bells. The moment he stepped into the hall, he was about to slip away when Zhixi and Guting called out to him simultaneously from behind.
“Master!”
“What is it?” he asked, completely drained of energy.
Zhixi stepped forward first and said anxiously, “Master, Junior Brother Fucang was struck by Divine Lord Fei Lian in a vital spot. Please take a look at him!”
Struck in a vital spot? If he were struck in a vital spot, where would he find the strength to cut off most of a Divine Lord’s hair?
Puzzled, Emperor Baize glanced at the black footprint on Fucang’s chest and said mildly, “How could Divine Lord Fei Lian’s foot be so small? Besides, why would the Divine Lord use his feet and teeth to harm someone? He is fine; there is no need to panic.”
Zhixi instantly realized whose handiwork—or rather, footwork and teeth marks—those were.
Stamping her foot heavily on the ground, she said in a deeply aggrieved voice, “So you’re actually fine… It was that Princess of the Zhuyin Clan again, wasn’t it? She only arrived yesterday, yet she’s already caused so much trouble!”
Fucang looked back at her. Her criticism of Xuanyi sounded to his ears like a criticism of himself—the trouble he caused was not a bit less than that of the dragon princess.
“What is it?” His gaze made Zhixi feel somewhat uneasy.
“Senior Sister is right. I was in the wrong,” Fucang admitted candidly.
Zhixi parted her crimson lips in bewilderment—what did he mean by that? She wasn’t blaming him…
“Master, regarding Princess Xuanyi, this disciple has something to say.”
Guting spoke in a deep, stern voice, his expression solemn.
The moment these words were uttered, the surrounding disciples pricked up their ears. Emperor Baize looked at Xuanyi with great amusement. Her eyes were rounded like a cat’s, her entire face a picture of innocence.
“This disciple believes that Princess Xuanyi’s way of doing things and her temperament run entirely counter to Master’s philosophy of ‘Benevolence, Elegance, and Moderation’. She is unsuited to study under your tutelage. The incident with the Posuo Peony was the first proof—from it, one can see that the Princess is domineering and utterly devoid of benevolence. The incident with Divine Lord Fei Lian was the second proof—the Princess was deceitful in her speech and deeply scheming, luring a Divine Lord into a trap in a way that sends a chill down one’s spine, showing she possesses no moderation whatsoever. And just now, in her exchange with master, she was extremely casual and slack, behaving impolitely and willfully without a shred of elegant decorum. This disciple is foolish and dares not share the same rank with Princess Xuanyi. I hope master will think twice.”
