Half City Of Love - Chapter 22
Chapter 22
At the stroke of the Chen hour (7:00 AM), the disciples gathered one after another in front of Hede Hall. Xuanyi was still somewhat concerned about Yanxia and scanned the crowd for a moment.
Suddenly, she felt a shadow approach her, followed by a sweet, tender voice: “Little Mudskipper, I woke up late today and didn’t manage to strike the bell. Don’t be mad at me.”
Xuanyi found it somewhat amusing. She turned her head to look at Divine Lord Shaoyi of the Qingyang Clan standing opposite her, dressed in his flamboyant and luxurious robes.
He wore an expression full of apology that looked incomparably sincere.
“Senior Brother Shaoyi worries too much,” she said unhurriedly.
“I heard that Senior Brother was also running errands for the Master yesterday and returned extremely late, so I decided not to trouble you. From now on, let me be the one to strike the bell every morning.”
Shaoyi paused for a moment and smiled. “Who did you hear that from?”
Xuanyi replied, “This morning, I met Senior Sister Yanxia under the bell tower. She told me.”
Shaoyi blinked, his smile dripping with sweetness: “She must have been very heartbroken, wasn’t she?”
Xuanyi sighed, “Indeed. She cried for a long time. Fortunately, the Sea Sand Tea and those pastries didn’t go to waste.”
Shaoyi said in frustration, “Oh dear, she even prepared Sea Sand Tea and pastries? What a pity, what a shame that it benefited a little mudskipper like you! Quick, tell me, what kind of pastries did Yanxia prepare? Was there Peach Blossom Hundred-Fruit Cake?”
“Yes,” Xuanyi counted on her fingers as if reciting a prized inventory. “There were also Cool Jade Green-Fruit Honey Cakes, Osmanthus Thousand-Layer Cakes, and Ten-Sceneries Wisteria Cakes…”
Shaoyi was so exasperated he couldn’t listen any longer. He declared crossly, “Stop showing off! Where is that little girl Yanxia? I must go find her and settle the score!”
He looked all around. There were only thirteen disciples in front of Hede Hall, and Yanxia was nowhere to be seen. He couldn’t help but wonder aloud, “Has she not woken up yet?”
She is probably planning some earth-shattering event, right? Xuanyi thought, filled with anticipation.
“Little Mudskipper,” Shaoyi called out lazily, his narrow, long phoenix eyes gazing at her with a half-smile. “What did you say to Yanxia this morning?”
Xuanyi answered, “I encouraged Senior Sister to bravely pursue Senior Brother Shaoyi.”
Shaoyi smoothed her floating ribbon and said softly, “How thoughtful of you to keep your Senior Brother in mind like this.”
Xuanyi held onto his sleeve, looked up, and chuckled softly. “How will Senior Brother Shaoyi thank me?”
He didn’t speak, only smiling. She looked back at him with a smile as well. Today, she wore a coral-colored long gown paired with a silk ribbon as white as fresh snow. Her long hair was still adorned only with a gold ring, without any other ornaments. Specks of sunlight filtered down upon her, making her appear tall, slender, delicate, and graceful.
Shaoyi’s smile deepened: “When you grow up a bit more, you might even be more beautiful than Fuluo.”
Xuanyi’s bright, expressive eyes flickered as she said slowly, “Am I not beautiful now?”
He couldn’t help but laugh out loud: “How arrogant! Right now, you are still far from it.”
Xuanyi remarked serenely, “Senior Brother Shaoyi’s taste is too outdated; you really need to update it.”
He was caught between tears and laughter once more: “I truly can’t out-talk you. Fine, I’m going to look for Yanxia. If Master comes and asks, tell him we will be right back.”
Xuanyi waved her hand, affectionately watching him leave. As she turned around, however, she felt a pair of eyes staring at her. Looking back, she met the indifferent gaze of Princess Fuluo. The last time she saw her was at Mingxing Hall, where the auspicious light was blinding and she hadn’t taken a close look. Seeing her again today in broad daylight, she was indeed a peerless beauty with tall stature, long legs, and skin as fair as snow.
Fuluo was currently standing beside Guting. Xuanyi squinted and looked for a moment, feeling somewhat lamentful. No matter how she looked at it, that rigid Senior Brother Guting did not match her at all. If the person beside her were replaced with Shaoyi or Fucang, it would be much more pleasing to the eye.
Seeing that Princess Fuluo’s gaze remained fixed on her, Xuanyi smiled at her amicably. Fuluo merely nodded slightly before shifting her gaze away.
So cold and icy—she doesn’t look much like the bewitching, charming goddess I saw yesterday morning. Ah, right, she is the princess of the Snake Emperor from Mount Tuxiang. Speaking of which, Qinan once mentioned in a casual conversation before that the Snake Emperor of Mount Tuxiang is incomparably gorgeous, with countless admirers at her feet and nearly a hundred male consorts serving her—quite famous in the Divine Realm.
Thinking of this, it seemed perfectly normal for Princess Fuluo to be romantic and passionate.
Seeing that a quarter of an hour past the Chen hour had passed with no sign of Emperor Baize arriving—a very rare occurrence—the disciples couldn’t help but chatter among themselves. Before long, Taiyao and Guting, the two most favored disciples, decided to head to the Fangxin Courtyard to find him.
Xuanyi was standing by the roadside, staring blankly at the patterns on her sleeves, when a figure suddenly cast a shadow over her. Looking up, it was indeed Princess Fuluo—coming over to find her as soon as Guting left. This princess of the Snake Emperor was tall and slender, standing a full head taller than Xuanyi. Standing opposite her, she blocked the sunlight completely.
“Senior Sister Fuluo,” Xuanyi stood up straight and bowed elegantly.
Fuluo stared at her for a long moment before speaking slowly, “Princess Xuanyi, there are some words I am unsure whether I should say.”
“Please speak, Senior Sister.”
Fuluo said indifferently, “You are still young, Princess, and I hear you have never left Mount Zhong before, so I fear you know very little about external affairs. When those Divine Lords laugh and joke with you, it doesn’t necessarily mean they like you. As disciples, following Master to cultivate the Way of Nature is the proper path. Since you have just arrived, please be prudent in your speech and behavior.”
Xuanyi was taken aback: “Senior Sister Fuluo’s words are very profound; I don’t quite understand.”
Fuluo looked at her for another moment before saying, “Shaoyi has a gentle temperament and can laugh and joke with anyone. Fucang is soft-spoken, and even more so, a deity who values propriety. His tolerance towards you is merely out of camaraderie—do not misunderstand.”
Xuanyi tilted her head, thought for a moment, and said with sudden understanding, “Does Senior Sister mean you are afraid I will end up entangled with both Senior Brother Guting and Senior Brother Shaoyi at the same time, just like you?”
Fuluo’s face changed sharply: “What did you say?”
“Honestly,” Xuanyi smiled slightly, “I feel admiration for Senior Sister from the bottom of my heart. I wonder when I will ever be as capable as you, Senior Sister Fuluo? Neither Senior Brother Shaoyi nor Senior Brother Fucang will bite the hook no matter what—I was actually thinking of asking you for your secret formula.”
“You!”
Just as Fuluo was about to blow her top, a rush of hurried footsteps came from behind. It was Yanxia tugging at Shaoyi’s sleeve, running back hastily all the way. Whether it was from running too fast or something else, Yanxia’s face was flushed red, and an unmistakable smile rested at the corners of her lips.
“I’m late,” she whispered, looking around. “Has Master not arrived yet?”
Fuluo swallowed her anger and spoke, “Did you not sleep well last night, Yanxia? Your eyes are so red.”
Yanxia said nothing, lowering her head and leaning slightly closer to Shaoyi.
Fuluo’s expression grew even more unsightly. She cast a cold glance at Shaoyi, turned, and walked away.
Shaoyi let out a wry smile: “Senior Sister Fuluo actually glared at me.”
Yanxia kept her head down and said softly, “W-what did you call her? Senior Sister? You… won’t call me Senior Sister as well, will you?”
Shaoyi smoothed down the fringe of her hair that had been blown up by the wind, but he didn’t answer, offering only a faint smile.
Yanxia looked at him infatuatedly, tears welling up faintly in her eyes. She called out to him ever so softly, “Shaoyi, I…”
Right at that moment, three or four guiding fairy attendants arrived out of breath along the path, each holding a stack of thick booklets. Taiyao and Guting followed behind, both looking rather displeased.
“Master says… cough, Master hasn’t been feeling well lately and will start classes three months from now. He told us to take these booklets back and read them ourselves.”
As Taiyao spoke, he handed out the booklets from the fairy attendants’ hands one by one. Xuanyi took one and flipped through it casually; it was filled with dry topics such as general theories of the Five Elements, Yin and Yang, and the distribution of divine duties.
It looks like Emperor Baize is still feeling heartbroken over those hundred thousand gold bells minus one. Clearly, he has never suffered such a loss before and doesn’t even have the heart to conduct classes, granting a three-month vacation all at once—what a grand gesture indeed.
In any case, not having to attend class was always exciting for these young deities. Immediately, a Divine Lord suggested, “The peony flowers in the South Garden developed buds the day before yesterday, so they should be blooming over these next two days. Why don’t we bring a few jars of Luofuchun fine wine and go appreciate the flowers?”
Instantly, numerous voices echoed in agreement: “Great idea! But Luofuchun is too mild; the spring scenery in the South Garden is rich and vibrant, so it should be paired with Wushang Changrong Wine!”
Yanxia excitedly tugged on Shaoyi’s sleeve and said repeatedly, “Yes, yes! I’ll be in charge of the tea and pastries! Shaoyi, let’s go together! Junior Sister Xuanyi, you should join us too!”
That Princess of the Zhuyin Clan wants to come too?!
The disciples all glared fiercely at her; they hadn’t forgotten that this princess had mocked them last time as being the Master’s dogs.
Amidst the towering wall of angry gazes, Xuanyi nodded calmly: “Sure.”
