Half City Of Love - Chapter 4
Chapter 4
When the Goddess Wangshu drove her chariot to send the moon to the dome of the heavens, Xuan Yi also returned unhurriedly to Mount Zhong.
(T/N: Goddess Wangshu is traditionally known as the goddess who drives the moon chariot across the heavens, making her one of the lunar deities. In ancient Chinese texts, she is often described as the charioteer of the moon, guiding its movement through the night sky.)
Mount Zhong, veiled beneath the night, stood majestic and silent.
Xuan Yi ascended the long staircase step by step.
A thin layer of frost upon the steps reflected a dim cyan hue under the moonlight, while the trees and flowers on both sides were all frozen within crystal-clear ice.
Perhaps after some time, even this long staircase would be sealed by ice, Xuan Yi thought.
When that day came, if she wished to see her father again, she would have no choice but to fly.
The ancient Palace of Longevity towered at the end of the steps, a dwelling reserved through generations for the Zhuyin clan who became the Emperor of Zhongshan.
At this moment, the grand doors were slightly ajar, and a chilling wind slipped through the gap, tousling the hair Xuan Yi had just tidied.
As she pressed it down with her hand, the doors suddenly swung wide open, and the voice of the Emperor of Zhongshan came forth:
“Ah Yi, come here.”
Xuan Yi lowered her head slightly and entered respectfully.
The vast Palace of Longevity was shrouded in thick darkness, with only a faint, flickering candle flame glowing upon the icy chair in the center.
The Emperor of Zhongshan quietly gazed at the floating flame before him; his face appeared especially pale and withered in the gloom.
Xuan Yi bowed and paid her respects, addressing him formally:
“Xuan Yi greets Father.”
The Emperor of Zhongshan nodded silently.
After a moment, he asked in a low voice:
“Today you met God Lord Fucang for the first time. What do you think of him?”
Xuan Yi replied:
“Your daughter finds that God Lord Fucang’s appearance is outstanding and his bearing extraordinary. Truly, he lives up to his great reputation.”
On the withered face of the Emperor of Zhongshan, a rare smile emerged.
“Oh? You like him?”
Xuan Yi answered calmly:
“It seems the God Lord does not favor your daughter.”
The Emperor was somewhat surprised.
“Could it be that his heart already belongs to another? How can that be?”
Xuan Yi lowered her head and said:
“I am your daughter, so of course you see a thousand virtues in me. But outsiders may not see the same.”
The Emperor of Zhongshan gave her a deep look.
Her expression was perfectly calm, without the slightest trace of true emotion.
He thought back to when Ah Cui was still alive—back then, his son would chatter and laugh, making mischief all day long.
His daughter, though naturally quiet, often wore a plump, innocent smile upon her little face.
Now, all of that was gone.
Nine thousand years had passed, and Xuan Yi had never smiled at him again, nor had she cried.
In front of him, she had never made a mistake—serene, flawless, untouchable.
A bitterness swept through the Emperor’s heart, and he forced himself to speak:
“No matter. If this one does not suit, we will find another. Could it be that the daughter of the Zhuyin clan of Mount Zhong cannot find a worthy husband?”
“Father speaks truly,” Xuan Yi replied.
The candle flame flickered several times, casting shifting shadows across her face, making it appear strangely eerie.
The Emperor of Zhongshan recalled the blood-stained face of Ah Cui when she perished, and his body began to tremble uncontrollably.
The candle flame leapt wilder and wilder.
In those years by the banks of the Cui River, that enchanting goddess had just awakened to love, and with the young Emperor of the dragon line of Mount Zhong, she had fallen into a burning passion, yearning only for eternal devotion and loyalty.
Yet he destroyed her, destroyed himself, and destroyed their children.
No matter how much he regretted it afterward, nothing could be undone.
He did not want Ah Yi to suffer the same fate.
The gods lived for ages near to eternity; love and hate, flirtation and frivolity, contrivance and entanglement—many gods indulged in such things to pass the endless years.
Yet sincere and faithful hearts here were most often shattered.
He himself had once crushed a true heart with his own hands.
Therefore, this time, he must protect Ah Yi well.
The daughter of the Zhuyin clan of Mount Zhong must never be bullied by others.
“Ah Yi, the Four Seas and Eight Wilderness are vast, and among the gods, there are all kinds. Some will bring you joy, others sorrow. You are growing older now; you cannot remain cloistered in Mount Zhong forever. I wish for you to see more of the world, so that you will not become as stubborn as your mother.”
Bitterness filled his throat, and the candle flame leapt ever more violently, until with a “sizzle,” it went out.
The Palace of Longevity was plunged into utter darkness.
“Go now, and rest early,” the Emperor of Zhongshan said.
His voice sounded as though it came from an immeasurable distance.
“What follows, I shall entrust to Qi Nan.”
What follows? What matter? Xuan Yi’s heart sank with a faint foreboding.
Indeed, once outside the palace doors, she saw the god official Qi Nan waiting from afar in the snow and ice.
Upon seeing her, his smile carried a trace of mockery as he asked:
“Princess, today was your first meeting with God Lord Fucang. How went the progress?”
This question had now been asked three times.
Xuan Yi rolled her eyes and answered simply:
“The God Lord did not take a liking to me.”
Qi Nan only smiled.
Unlike the Emperor of Zhongshan, he was clearly not so easy to fob off.
“The princess is still as mischievous and clever as ever.”
The little princess had always been peculiar.
From her mouth one could almost never hear words like “no.”
Whatever the Emperor ordered, she could always agree to with a sweet smile.
If she was willing, she would carry it out; if she was unwilling, she would do it in such a chaotic way that no one could find fault with her.
When she learned she was to meet God Lord Fucang, she had cheerfully agreed.
But when Qi Nan heard this morning that she had brought one hundred and twenty attendants, he knew immediately things would not go smoothly.
“The Emperor is not in such a hurry to marry the princess off,” Qi Nan said with a smiling gaze, his tone laced with even more teasing.
“He is only worried that the princess is far too unruly. If he doesn’t introduce you early, he fears you won’t be able to marry at all in the future.”
Xuan Yi simply stepped forward, tugged at his sleeve, and tilted her head up with a crescent-moon smile in her eyes:
“I’m not even ten thousand years old yet. I’ll think about marriage when I’m two hundred thousand.”
Qi Nan was the oldest god official on Mount Zhong.
After her mother’s death, when her father’s temperament had changed drastically, it was under Qi Nan’s care that she and Qing Yan had grown up.
Compared to the Emperor, who sat solemn and silent day after day in the Palace of Longevity, the siblings were far more attached to Qi Nan.
“A two-hundred-thousand-year-old dragon girl? I fear even if you wanted to marry then, it would be difficult,” Qi Nan teased again.
Xuan Yi widened her eyes in mock innocence.
“If I truly want to marry, even at five hundred thousand years old, I can still marry!”
Such arrogance—who on earth did she take after? Qi Nan shook his head helplessly.
“Qi Nan, do you have any news of Qing Yan?”
She looked at him with the eager eyes of a little girl.
“These past three hundred years, the little dragon lord has not sent a single word. But the princess need not worry. Though Emperor Xuanming has an eccentric temperament, he treats his disciples with great care. Since the little dragon lord is under his tutelage, there will surely be no mishap.”
After the death of the Goddess Cuihe, the relationship between Qing Yan and the Emperor of had grown exceedingly strained.
Until, a little over three thousand years ago, Emperor Xuanming visited as a guest and took a liking to him.
Perhaps with the intention of easing the rift between father and son, he accepted Qing Yan as a disciple and took him north to the heavens.
Still, the little dragon lord was truly heartless—three hundred years without a word.
Truly… Qi Nan could not help but sigh.
Yet when he looked at Xuan Yi’s carefree and cheerful expression, he frowned slightly and suddenly said:
“Princess, the little dragon lord apprenticed under Emperor Xuanming three thousand years ago. He now lives freely in the northern heavens. Would you not also like to go out and broaden your horizons, just as he did?”
He thought this little girl would surely be overjoyed.
Who knew she would only smile faintly:
“Qi Nan, you and Father are in league again. What troublesome matter have you arranged for me this time?”
Qi Nan was taken aback.
“Does the princess not wish to see what lies beyond Mount Zhong? Moreover, this is a path every young god must walk. Once you reach fifty thousand years, you cannot idle your days away anymore—you must hold an official post in the heavenly realm. Otherwise, the punishment is exile to the mortal world.”
Xuan Yi yawned.
For such a rare trip outside, she was already sleepy.
“I’m going to sleep now.”
She rubbed her eyes and walked down the steps.
“Qi Nan, if you hear anything about Qing Yan, you must tell me at once.”
Qi Nan truly had no way of dealing with her willful and carefree nature.
He hurried after her:
“Princess! Seeking a master is a serious matter! You must choose one! I even brought the roster of names!”
Xuan Yi merely waved her hand dismissively.
“You arrange it. I don’t care.”
You arrange it, I don’t care.
That was the same thing she had said when they spoke of God Lord Fucang.
Qi Nan felt a headache coming on.
He feared he would never understand what exactly went on in this little princess’s head.
