After Provoking the Mad Beautiful Deity - Chapter 16

You take half the bed, I take the other half.

The mortal world was bustling with noise and excitement. The lively streets echoed with the clamor of voices, occasional shouts from vendors, and arguments between stall owners and customers. The commotion drifted intermittently into the room.

The two of them were locked in an embrace, the intensity of Hongchen’s passion overwhelming. Her tongue sought out the sweet fragrance, the taste of mortal delights lingering between their teeth. The kiss was so deep that Yanlai’s chest heaved, her eyes brimming with the tenderness of spring. Before Hongchen could pull away, the screen panel crashed to the ground with a thud, startling Yanguang.

“Master, have you and Shiniang been kissing for three years?”

Yanlai turned her head away in a fluster, while Hongchen, as if still savoring the moment, touched the corner of her lips and glared at Yanguang with displeasure. “I told you to come if there was something important. Did you forget to check the almanac before leaving home? Today is an inauspicious day for going out. Go back to wherever you came from.”

Yanguang scratched the back of his head awkwardly. “Even if I leave, Master, you can’t just pick up where you left off.”

Yanlai cleared her throat softly, propping herself up with one hand, her body as delicate as if boneless. “What is the matter?”

Shiniang’s beauty was breathtaking, though her face was pale, making her appear fragile and pitiable. Yanguang’s attitude shifted instantly. He turned and bowed respectfully to Shiniang. “It’s nothing too serious. The celestial tribe has been causing trouble without reason, and our clan has suffered heavy losses. I came to ask if Master has any solutions.”

The conflict between the celestial and demon tribes had persisted for tens of thousands of years, with disputes never ceasing. Since Hongchen ascended to power, she had refrained from provoking the celestial tribe, never launching attacks without cause, nor harboring ambitions to dominate the realms of heaven, earth, and humanity. In contrast, the celestial tribe, dissatisfied with the demon tribe, had suddenly changed their stance, initiating conflicts in an attempt to annihilate the demons.

Yanguang voiced his discontent, his words tinged with disrespect. “The celestial tribe is utterly incompetent, only capable of petty skirmishes. Three years ago, they suffered heavy losses in a battle they started, yet now they pin the blame on us. It’s utterly despicable.”

The incident began when Jiuhan attacked first. It was only natural for the Demon Lord to stand up for her disciple. Yet now, everyone was condemning the Demon Lord, ignoring the root cause of the conflict.

Yanlai lay on her side against a soft pillow, her injuries having eased slightly. She remained silent, quietly awaiting the Demon Lord’s response.

Hongchen paused briefly before speaking as if to herself, “Then let’s fight them once. Pick the softest persimmon to squeeze. Once we’ve beaten them into submission, we can have some peace.”

The conflict between the two tribes had deep roots and could not be resolved in a single day. It was a prolonged war. Since ancient times, the celestial and demon tribes had stood on opposing sides of righteousness and evil, making coexistence difficult.

Yanguang nodded deeply. “Exactly. We should beat them into submission. After the battle ten thousand years ago, they behaved much better.”

“Yanguang, how old are you?” Yanlai suddenly asked, sitting up.

Yanguang bowed respectfully. “Three thousand years old. My junior sisters are only a little over a thousand, and Little Ten is the youngest, just five hundred.”

They were all still so young. Yanlai couldn’t hide her disappointment. Hongchen found her disciple’s presence irritating and waved him away. “You handle the fighting for now. It’s not like we have anything better to do anyway.”

Yanguang was taken aback. “Master, you used to love fighting the most. You’ve changed.”

“I’ve found something more interesting than fighting. I don’t feel like returning for now. Since you’re already three thousand years old, how about I pass the title of Demon Lord to you?” Hongchen’s eyes lit up with a sudden idea, and she smiled brightly at her fifth disciple, her expression radiant. Yanguang shuddered and, without a second thought, turned and fled. “Master, you should enjoy yourself for a few more years. I’ll hold the fort for now.”

Yanlai couldn’t help but smile. Both master and disciple were such amusing characters. As she chuckled, Hongchen remarked, “Aren’t you worried about the safety of the celestial tribe?”

“Phoenix Mountain does not belong to the immortal clan. Ten thousand years ago, the Phoenix Clan stood shoulder to shoulder with the Immortal Clan, equal in status. By rights, I should be as revered as the Heavenly Emperor. The affairs of the Immortal Clan have nothing to do with the Phoenix Clan.” Yanlai lay back down again, leaning against the soft cloud pillow, a cold smile playing on her lips. “Hongchen, do you want to retrieve your soul fragments?”

“Ha, what would I need those for?” Hongchen paid no mind, instead going to straighten the screen that had been knocked over by Yang Guang. She bent down, her fingertips brushing over the beauty depicted on the screen, pausing for a moment. Remembering the Empress and the Noble Consort, she was suddenly inspired and asked, “Shall I take you to meet the Empress and Noble Consort in the palace?”

Instead of focusing on serious matters, she insisted on meddling in the lives of others. Yanlai massaged her temples, helplessly reminding the foolish woman before her, “Retrieving your soul fragments will elevate your cultivation to the next level.”

“As things stand, can anyone from the Immortal Clan harm me?”

“The one who injured me has cultivation surpassing yours. If they are from the Immortal Clan, how will you protect your people?”

Hongchen’s gaze shifted from the screen to Yanlai’s pale face, her heart tightening. “You’re right. Where should we go to find the soul fragments?”

“Return to the Demon Realm and consult a demon physician,” Yanlai suggested.

Hongchen nodded and sighed softly. “I really like it here. Look how lovely the people are, especially that pair, the Empress and the Noble Consort. Shall I take you to meet them? Your injuries haven’t healed yet, so it’s a good chance to recuperate. Can you fly now?”

“I can’t,” Yanlai shook her head. Her injuries were too severe; even the slightest movement tugged at her organs, causing excruciating pain.

“Perfect. I’ll take you to the palace to recover. It’s too troublesome here.” Hongchen frowned. Their adversary was elusive, and if they were to show up, the two of them wouldn’t stand a chance in a fight.

Laying low for a while was a good idea. Hongchen quickly made up her mind and rummaged through her bag, pulling out two Elixirs of Longevity and tucking them into her robe. Yanlai watched her quietly, utterly perplexed. “What do you need the Elixirs of Longevity for?”

“Rent,” Hongchen replied.

The imperial palace was heavily guarded, its square walls symbolizing the authority of the human emperor. The Immortal Clan was forbidden from interfering in human affairs at will, and using magic against unarmed ordinary humans would inevitably result in backlash.

Hongchen, familiar with the way, went straight to the human Empress’s Changchun Palace. Without preamble, she handed over the two elixirs. “Rent?”

The human Empress, though past thirty, was well-preserved and carried herself with dignified grace. She looked at the elixirs in her hand, then at the woman behind Hongchen. “Are the two of you planning to stay here?”

“Is that not acceptable?” Hongchen raised an eyebrow.

The Empress smiled and said, “I will assign you a palace residence. To the outside world, you will be introduced as my younger sisters from home. But I cannot accept these medicines.”

“Elixirs of Longevity. They can extend the lives of you and the Noble Consort,” Hongchen said bluntly. Yanlai, standing behind her, facepalmed and instinctively poked her shoulder. “Nonsense.”

The Empress flushed bright red, covering her face with her sleeve but managing to maintain her imperial composure.

Yanlai spoke up, “We merely wish to borrow a place to stay. These are but a token of our gratitude. Please do not refuse, Your Majesty.”

“Very well. I will have a palace prepared for you. You may stay,” the Empress replied, her lips curving gently, her gaze warm and comforting.

Palace maids brought stools, and the two sat down according to etiquette. Hongchen looked around casually and asked, “Why isn’t the Noble Consort here?”

“She has her own residence and doesn’t come here often.” The Empress smiled gently, her gaze falling upon Yanlai, who exuded an ethereal grace and an otherworldly aura, unlike any mortal woman. After a brief glance, she averted her eyes and asked, “Why have you decided to stay here for a while?”

“To escape my enemies,” Yanlai replied before Hongchen could speak, fearing the foolish demon lord would spill all the details and frighten the Empress out of her wits, making her too scared to take them in.

The Empress smiled graciously. “You have done me a favor, young lady. If you face any difficulties, feel free to ask. I will do my best to help.”

After exchanging a few pleasantries, the palace maids tidied up the hall and invited the guests to settle in. The two took their leave, stepping out of the hall. As soon as they crossed the threshold, Hongchen began chattering incessantly about what she had witnessed that day.

That day, when she came to retrieve some clothes, she happened to enter the bathhouse and saw two women entangled in the water, their souls intertwined in blissful abandon. She only took one glance before someone barged in from behind the curtain. Not wanting to disrupt such a beautiful scene, she shooed the intruder away.

Unexpectedly, that intruder turned out to be the human emperor. What a mess, he had come to catch them in the act.

The two in the water were terrified and scrambled to find their clothes. Strangely, the garments had vanished, which was quite peculiar. Coincidentally, she had taken a few sets of clothes. Since they were all women, why make things difficult for them? She casually handed over the clothes, only to find that the one called the Imperial Consort tried to escape by climbing out the window.

But when she pushed the window open good heavens, a dense crowd was gathered outside, making escape impossible. The Imperial Consort grabbed a hairpin from the edge of the bath and was about to plunge it into her own neck, casting a tender, longing gaze at the Empress.

Instead, the Empress pushed her into Hongchen’s arms. “I don’t care how you got here, young lady, but please take her away.”

Where could they go? The area outside the window was swarming with people. Left with no choice, she transformed the Imperial Consort into a folding screen and lay on the beam to watch the commotion.

The human emperor was quite handsome. When he entered again, he glanced at the Empress in the water and surveyed the surroundings. Strangely, he didn’t raise a fuss but instead asked the Empress why she was bathing alone.

The Empress smiled gracefully and replied, “Your Majesty is busy with state affairs. It would be improper for me to trouble you and earn your displeasure.”

The emperor, unsatisfied, scanned the bathhouse for a long time before his eyes finally fell on the folding screen. He then flicked his sleeve and left.

Disappointed by the lack of excitement, Hongchen transformed the Imperial Consort back. The Empress was so frightened she nearly lost her soul. To avoid further trouble, Hongchen erased the memories of both the Empress and the Imperial Consort and left the palace in a carefree manner.

When they met again, the Empress remembered the favor but had no recollection of the specific events from that day.

After listening to Hongchen’s thrilling tale, Yanlai rubbed her forehead and reminded her, “The Imperial Consort is the emperor’s concubine, and the Empress is his principal wife. These are titles, not personal names. The two of them.”

Yanlai trailed off, shooting her a cold glare. “They should not have been involved in such an affair.”

“What’s wrong with that?” Hongchen chattered animatedly, completely disregarding the rules of heaven and earth. “The emperor has so many women, why can’t they seek companionship with other women? What kind of logic is that? The Heavenly Emperor has countless celestial consorts, so why can’t the Heavenly Empress seek out other women? One of these days, I’ll send some beautiful women her way.”

Yanlai fell silent. The Heavenly Empress deeply loved the Heavenly Emperor, how could she possibly seek out other women?

The hall was located in the northwest corner of the Changchun Palace, a place rarely visited by others. It was meticulously clean, with a single bed, a quilt, and elegant furnishings. The windows were spotless, letting in ample light.

Hongchen collapsed directly onto the bed, exhausted. Yanlai surveyed the room and found only one bed. Frowning, she looked at Hongchen. “There’s only one bed. How are we supposed to sleep?”

“You take one half, I’ll take the other,” Hongchen replied calmly.

Yanlai refused. “You’re restless when you sleep.”

“You’ve never slept with me before. How would you know I’m restless?”