Half City Of Love - Chapter 6
Chapter 6
Princess… she probably wasn’t as gentle and delicate as the Emperor imagined, Qi Nan thought to himself while following behind her.
When the Emperor Zhongshan was young, he had been mild-tempered and affectionate.
His wife was even more refined and reserved.
Yet their daughter was nothing like them.
Such a willful and arrogant manner—he truly had no idea where she got it from.
If she continued like this, she might really reach five hundred thousand years old without ever getting married.
Thinking of that, Qi Nan could not help feeling anxious on her behalf, five hundred thousand years too early.
The God Fucang was such a good match.
Their statuses were equal, their ages not too far apart, and most importantly, he had none of those messy rumors or scandals attached to him.
Among the young gods, that was rare indeed.
And yet, the princess had managed to make him storm off in anger.
Qi Nan felt that one day she would surely drive him to his grave as well.
Just then, a low murmur rippled through the nearby gods.
Qi Nan, still lost in thought, casually looked over and saw a striking figure in white leading a nine-headed blue lion through the crowd toward the Hall of Mingxing.
Who else could it be but Fucang himself? Could he also have come to seek instruction from Emperor Baize? What an unbelievable coincidence!
A sudden unease gripped Qi Nan.
He lifted a hand to catch hold of Xuan Yi and remind her to behave properly, but his hand caught only air.
Turning his head, he saw his young princess standing far off to the side, clearly having no intention of greeting Fucang at all.
Qi Nan panicked.
They had already met once before—if she pretended not to know him face to face, what would the other gods think of the Zhuyin clan? They would surely laugh at their lack of manners.
Seeing Fucang draw nearer, Qi Nan hurried forward, bowed, and said, “God Fucang, our princess greets you.”
Fucang’s cool gaze swept past him and landed on Xuan Yi.
He looked at her for only a moment before moving his eyes away, nodding slightly.
“Greetings, Dragon Princess.”
Dragon Princess? What was that supposed to mean? Did he not even bother to remember her name?
Leading the nine-headed lion, Fucang clearly had no intention of staying.
He walked briskly around her, but just as he was about to pass, his eyes fell upon the peony embroidered on Qi Nan’s robe, and his steps suddenly stopped.
“You actually plucked the Posuo Peony?”
His enchanting voice dropped low, laced with a dangerous undercurrent.
Turning back, his gaze darkened like a deep abyss as he fixed it on Xuan Yi.
Qi Nan instinctively touched the peony on his robe, not quite understanding the question but quickly trying to explain, “God Fucang, it is only—”
A slender white hand came up before him, silencing him mid-sentence.
Xuan Yi calmly met Fucang’s cold stare.
Her voice was slow and soft, yet instead of easing the tension, it only seemed to fan the flames.
“It is but a flower. I liked it, so I plucked it. Why should the God be so angry?”
Fucang looked at her without a trace of emotion.
His tone was measured, each word deliberate.
“The Posuo Peony is a spiritual root of heaven and earth. It blooms once every thirty thousand years, and the Flower Emperor cherishes it deeply, tending to it personally every day.”
Xuan Yi smiled faintly.
“Precisely because it is so rare and precious, it befits the Zhuyin clan.”
Fucang studied her for a long moment.
Then, releasing the reins of his nine-headed lion, he began walking toward her step by step.
Qi Nan was alarmed.
Whatever the god intended, this was already an act of provocation.
If conflict broke out because of a moment’s rashness, it would bode ill for both Emperor Azure and the Emperor Zhongshan.
Acting quickly, he tore the peony from his robe and threw it to the ground.
The crystal-like flower broke soundlessly into pieces, melting into specks of white snow—it had been made of snow all along.
Qi Nan chuckled and said, “God Fucang, this was merely a jest by the princess. The Bosa Peony is far too precious for her to pick so lightly. She is young and speaks without care. I beg the God’s forgiveness and hope you will not take offense.”
God Fucang frowned deeply, staring at the shattered snow peony on the ground for a long time.
When he finally lifted his eyes toward Xuan Yi, she was slowly tracing the embroidery on her sleeve and asked, “God, you came here just now with such momentum…were you planning to strike me?”
He seemed not to hear her.
Instead, he cupped his hands toward Qi Nan and said calmly, “The name of the Zhuyin clan is well deserved.”
Xuan Yi’s soft and gentle voice rose again.
“The Huaxu clan has also broadened my horizons.”
Qi Nan wished he could crawl into a hole.
That remark from the god was not praise…it was pure mockery! The princess was always so willful, and after all his efforts, what was he even working so hard for?
Fucang, still acting as if he had not heard, turned away, took the reins of his nine-headed lion, and went to wait on another stretch of open ground for the Hall of Mingxing to open.
Xuan Yi stepped back gracefully, her tone unhurried.
“It seems God Fucang has also come to study under Emperor Baize. I have no wish to share the same master with one so reckless and arrogant. Qi Nan, we are leaving.”
Qi Nan was dumbfounded.
Of all things, he had not expected this.
The princess intended to leave before even meeting Emperor Baize! On the way here, his heart had been in his throat, afraid she would stir up trouble.
Now that she truly had, he could not think of a single way to fix it.
Across from them, God Fucang’s expression had darkened to steel.
Since the day Qi Nan had known him, he had never seen this usually calm god wear such an ugly look.
A few strands of his own hair turned white from anxiety.
He wanted to offer an apology, but how could he begin?
Just as the princess was about to board her carriage and return to Mount Zhong, Qi Nan, nearly frantic, called out, “Princess…”
At that moment, the tightly closed doors of the Hall of Mingxing opened.
A gentle yet delicate voice sounded with a faint laugh.
“Since you have come, why rush to leave? I have long wished to meet the Dragon Scale. I ask the princess to grant me this desire and not be in such a hurry to go.”
The heavenly gods gathered nearby were astonished.
That was Emperor Baize’s voice! Had the Emperor been standing behind the door watching the commotion all along?
Xuan Yi had no choice but to return.
She took the jade box from the beaming Qi Nan and said calmly, “This junior will obey.”
Moments later, two young immortal attendants with faces as fair as carved jade walked gracefully out of the hall and said in unison, “Please, honorable gods, enter the hall. The Emperor awaits you within.”
The gods, who had been waiting eagerly, entered one after another full of hope.
Time passed, yet none of them came back out.
Xuan Yi frowned slightly.
“Wasn’t it said that Emperor Baize’s test is extremely difficult? Did all those gods pass already?”
Qi Nan, unsure himself, said, “Princess, do not worry too much.”
Xuan Yi thought for a moment, then lifted the jade box and stepped through the door.
Qi Nan seemed to say something behind her, but she did not catch it.
In an instant, light and shadow spun before her eyes.
In the blink of an eye, she found herself inside a modest study.
The room was lined with countless shelves filled with books, neatly arranged and spotless.
Before one of the shelves sat an old man with a white beard, reading a bamboo scroll intently.
In the western corner, beneath a vase, sat a young god in luxurious robes, wholly absorbed in his reading.
Beneath the moonlit window stood a desk made of West Sea agarwood.
Before the window sat another elder, holding a brush and painting.
Beside him was a beautiful goddess dressed in white, her silk sleeves rolled up as she slowly ground the ink.
The ink stick made a soft, gentle sound as it rubbed against the inkstone.
From a bronze incense burner on the desk, thin curls of green smoke rose gracefully, filling the room with a cool, delicate fragrance.
A little immortal boy, delicate as carved jade, was using a bronze spatula to gently scatter the fine white ash.
Among these five celestial beings, which one was Emperor Baize?
Xuan Yi’s gaze swept around the study and suddenly she seemed to understand.
Was this her test? If she carelessly chose the wrong person, it would mean she had failed…and could happily return to Mount Zhong.
Should she deliberately choose wrong? What a troublesome thought…
Holding the jade box in her hands, her eyes once again passed over each of the five celestial beings.
Then, moving slowly, she walked toward the little immortal boy who was tending the incense, bowed respectfully, and said, “This junior, Xuan Yi of the Zhuyin clan, greets Emperor Baize.”
