Half City Of Love - Chapter 20
Chapter 20
After Guting finished speaking in one breath, the surrounding disciples instantly burst into a flurry of animated discussion.
Emperor Baize smiled faintly.
“Xuanyi is only nine thousand seven hundred years old. Since she lacks understanding, as her senior brothers and sisters, you should naturally guide and assist her. Why, instead, have you shown a disposition to exclude her? When did this seat’s disciples become so narrow-minded?”
Guting lowered his voice.
“Master, it is not that we are excluding her. It is just that the disciples under Master’s seat have long enjoyed a stellar reputation. We fear that Princess Xuanyi may not live up to this reputation and will instead bring shame upon your name.”
“If it is mere empty fame, then better to do without it,” Emperor Baize waved his hand dismissively.
“An unpolished jade cannot become a vessel. If you do not carve and polish it, do you expect fine jade to simply fall from the sky? Very well, let us set this matter aside for now. This seat shall take his leave.”
As if afraid they would badger him further, he slipped away with incredible speed, vanishing in the blink of an eye and leaving behind a crowd of disciples still buzzing in debate.
Guting shook his head and sighed. Master simply couldn’t bear to part with that Zhuyin dragon scale—this treasure-loving, greedy behavior truly left him speechless.
Xuanyi, who had been silent all this while, suddenly let out a soft chuckle. Her eyes glistened with shifting light as she fixed her gaze on Guting.
“I, on the other hand, have a question for you senior brothers. Is it true that no matter what Master orders, you all obey without hesitation—never questioning if it is right or wrong, safe or dangerous, possible or impossible?”
Guting said in a stern voice, “Those words are deeply scheming once again! How could Master ever command us to do things that disregard our very lives?”
“‘Every single disciple was sent by Master to ask Divine Lord Fei Lian for his hair, and every single one was beaten up by the Divine Lord.’ Were those not your words?”
Xuanyi looked at him with a serene expression.
“Since he clearly knew Divine Lord Fei Lian had a foul temper, why did Master send his disciples to get beaten up time after time? If Master wanted Divine Lord Fei Lian’s hair, he could have traded items for it right from the start. Why did he always send his disciples to shamelessly beg for it for free? I do not understand this logic; I invite Senior Brother to enlighten me.”
“This…”
Guting was caught completely off guard, cold sweat breaking out across his forehead.
Xuanyi swept her gaze around the circle and smiled faintly.
“You were only right about one thing—that the disciples are foolish. Obeying blindly without asking for the reason—if this is what you call Benevolence, Elegance, and Moderation, then I respectfully beg to differ. After all, I have no desire to be Master’s dog.”
“Who are you calling a dog!?” The disciples flared with anger.
She turned to leave with an air of triumphant satisfaction, saying as she walked, “Whoever barks the loudest is the dog. I’m going back. Senior Brother Guting, you had better worry about your own affairs first. All this talk of benevolence, righteousness, elegance, and moderation makes my ears ache.”
“This Zhuyin dragon is far too arrogant!” The disciples trembled with rage.
“Let us write a joint petition to Master and insist that he drive this princess out!”
Guting couldn’t help but give a bitter smile.
“If Master wanted to drive her out, he wouldn’t have accepted her as a disciple in the first place. Enough, speak no more of this. Perhaps… what she said makes sense.”
Emperor Baize had taken countless disciples, and every single one had run into a wall with Divine Lord Fei Lian. Only she had obtained the hair effortlessly while also forcing Master to trade golden bells for it. On this point alone, she was far superior to them.
He shook his head, sighed, and walked away.
Zhixi couldn’t help but sigh as well. Before this Zhuyin princess arrived, everything was fine—the disciples were harmonious, and the relationship between master and students was peaceful. The moment she arrived, she turned the place upside down and even did such an outrageous thing to Fucang…
Thinking of Fucang, she hurriedly searched for his figure. Her gaze passed over the deities in the courtyard and landed on a snow-white silhouette.
Every disciple under Master’s seat hailed from a noble lineage and possessed dignified, elegant grace. Any single one picked out would be exceptional among the younger generation of the divine realm. Yet she felt that all of them put together could not compare to the breathtaking impact of Fucang’s vague, snow-white shadow.
He had his head lowered, gazing intently at the precious sword in his hand. His side profile was handsome and refined, his long eyelashes resembled butterfly wings, and his eyes were cool and focused.
Zhixi recalled the fleeting glimpse she had caught years ago at the Heavenly Princess’s wedding banquet. She had accompanied her father to that tedious and noisy gathering, her heart filled with impatience, until she saw Fucang dancing with a sword—his posture elegant and ethereal, light as a soaring swan.
From that moment on, she could never forget the silhouette of the moment he drew his sword to a close.
When she learned that the Heavenly Emperor had actually tried to play matchmaker between Fucang and the Zhuyin princess, she felt as though her world had turned upside down. Among the countless spectating deities in the imperial garden that day, she had been one of them.
However, Fucang was different from those shallow deities who only cared about physical appearances. For some unknown reason, Zhixi was certain of this deep down inside—he was different. Yes, what he needed was a soulmate, a companion who understood and respected him.
Feeling her face grow warm, Zhixi hurriedly covered her cheeks.
She was being arrogant to believe that she was that “soulmate.”
Yet for some reason, she didn’t dislike her current arrogance at all. It must be because she had spent too much time near that Princess Xuanyi and had caught a bit of her wild streak.
Forcing herself to calm down, Zhixi lowered her head and hurriedly left the Mingxing Hall.
When Fucang found Taiyao behind the hall, his eldest senior brother was leaning against a pillar, his face pale.
It appeared that those three thousand three hundred jin of golden bells had been a massive burden, leaving him so exhausted he still couldn’t speak.
Fucang stepped forward, presenting the precious sword with both hands.
“Senior Brother Taiyao, thank you for the sword.”
Taiyao panted heavily a few times before taking the sword. Instead of putting it back at his waist, he unsheathed it to examine it closely for a few moments, then suddenly looked up and smiled.
“This sword is named Chunjun. It is an incomparably noble treasure, forged personally by my father when he was young using his own hands to gather coal. Years ago, when I was frail and sickly, my father gave this sword to me. Unfortunately, to this day, I still do not understand the Way of the Sword, wasting its unrivaled valor and resolve. Seeing how valiant and decisive Junior Brother Fucang is, a true master of the sword, this sword must be overjoyed in your hands. I shall officially gift it to you.”
Fucang was taken aback.
“Since it was a gift from the Heavenly Emperor to Senior Brother Taiyao, how can I accept it? Besides, I never wear a sword and only know a smattering of the sword arts. Senior Brother Taiyao praises me too highly.”
Taiyao coughed dryly twice.
“Well, that… you have already used it to cut off Divine Lord Fei Lian’s hair…”
Fucang pondered for a moment before realizing the underlying reason, and he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
This eldest senior brother was clearly a deity who wanted to avoid trouble at all costs.
Given his special identity, he could least afford to get into disputes with other deities.
Since Fucang had used Chunjun to slice off Divine Lord Fei Lian’s hair, a grudge had been formed with Fei Lian.
If Taiyao took Chunjun back, there was no guarantee that Divine Lord Fei Lian wouldn’t spot it one day, which would certainly place him in a difficult position.
Taking back Chunjun, Fucang said in a low voice, “Senior Brother Taiyao bears quite a resemblance to Master.”
Taiyao shook his head.
“Not so. I have simply followed Master for a longer time. In truth, though Master sighs and groans at Little Junior Sister, he must be immensely pleased in his heart. Little Junior Sister and Master are truly cut from the same cloth.”
Fucang raised his long brows slightly.
“How so?”
Taiyao said, “Those who are extraordinarily clever are rarely obedient. In my view, Junior Brother Fucang, you are one of them as well.”
Fucang lowered his head and said calmly, “I am merely one among the ‘foolish disciples’.”
Taiyao shook his head and sighed.
“No disciple here would dare to cut off Divine Lord Fei Lian’s hair, nor would anyone have a way to keep Little Junior Sister completely safe under Fei Lian’s pursuit. Sigh, who knows what kind of chaos will ensue in the future? Guting and the others are all stubborn blockheads; how could they ever be a match for Little Junior Sister… Ah, off you go. I need to take a good rest.”
