After Provoking the Mad Beautiful Deity - Chapter 37

The Moon Goddess was a fairy famed throughout the Nine Heavens for her beauty and gentleness.

Hong Chen did not know her, but Yanlai did. After the two exchanged a look, Hong Chen decisively hid behind Yanlai.

Seeing this, the Moon Goddess smiled and waved her hand. “I smell the scent of San Meng on this little fairy.”

“You shouldn’t talk nonsense,” Hong Chen said, feigning ignorance. “If you say that, how will I face other young girls in the future? High Immortal San Meng and I are completely innocent. Wait, who is San Meng? Master, have you met her?” Hong Chen then sniffed her own sleeve and turned to ask Yanlai, “Shouldn’t I have your scent on me instead?”

Yanlai wished she could cover her ears; these two were truly formidable.

In the next breath, the Moon Goddess put her hands on her hips. Though her posture remained elegant, her tone was gentle as she said, “Don’t try to distract me. Tell me, where did you trick San Meng into going? She promised to watch the moon with me, yet I can’t find her anywhere.”

“Watch the moon? Aren’t you the Moon Goddess? You watch the moon too?” Hong Chen didn’t understand her meaning. Beside her, Yanlai let out a low cough; the difference in their worldliness was clear.

Hong Chen’s words were too blunt, while the Moon Goddess was subtle. Yanlai reminded Hong Chen, “She means San Meng promised to go to her home to talk.”

Hong Chen suddenly understood. “So that’s it. Compared to the Moon Goddess, this, this Seat,”

Yanlai quickly covered her mouth. “This Seat” was the self-address of the Demon Venerable; Hong Chen was being far too careless.

The Moon Goddess looked at the strange master and disciple. Looking at Yanlai and then at “Yan Chen,” she immediately laughed. “Tsk tsk, something is definitely not right here.”

“San Meng is recovering from her injuries at Phoenix Mountain. The Moon Goddess may go there to find her,” Yanlai said hurriedly, loosening her grip and pulling Hong Chen away, fearing further entanglement.

Seeing their suspicious behavior, the Moon Goddess immediately declared, “I will go back to Phoenix Mountain with you.”

Yanlai looked at her, exhausted. “You can go by yourself. The two of us have things to do.”

“I want to follow you.” The Moon Goddess refused to budge. Looking at Hong Chen, she raised an eyebrow and smiled slightly. “You are truly beautiful.”

Beguiled by her, Hong Chen touched her own soft cheek, momentarily dazed. “I think I am very good-looking, but I know you like San Meng.”

The Moon Goddess was stunned. Looking at the rigid High Goddess Yanlai, who seemed so old-fashioned, she asked Hong Chen directly, “Did San Meng tell you that?”

“San Meng told me she likes Hong Yan. Moon Goddess, she has someone else in her heart; you have no chance,” Hong Chen said bluntly. “Stop looking for her and go find some other beautiful fairy.”

The Moon Goddess grew unhappy. After a pause, she glanced at Yanlai’s stern aura and gossiped, “What else did she say?”

Hong Chen stopped talking. The Moon Goddess disliked Yanlai’s stiffness; despite being a woman of exquisite character, Yanlai always acted so somber and old-fashioned.

She tried to pull Hong Chen aside to talk, but Yanlai blocked her with a flick of her sleeve. The Moon Goddess snapped, “Why are you still so unreasonable? I’m just saying a few private words to your disciple.”

“My disciple is very well-behaved,” Yanlai said.

“Your disciple is well-behaved? Your previous disciple almost destroyed the Four Realms. This one doesn’t look well-behaved either; she looks a bit dim-witted.” The Moon Goddess couldn’t help but show her disdain, sighing, “What a pity, such a beautiful face gone. This new disciple of yours actually looks a bit like her.”

With that, she reached out to touch Hong Chen’s cheek. Hong Chen didn’t move, but the Moon Goddess suddenly caught fire.

The Moon Goddess jumped back in fright, cursing, “Yanlai, you attacked me again!”

Hong Chen was surprised. “You two know each other?”

“We do. She practices water-based arts, and I practice fire-based arts. Naturally, we are incompatible,” Yanlai nodded. She still remembered the Moon Goddess. They hadn’t met in years, and since they were drunk during their last encounter, she had almost failed to recognize her.

The Moon Goddess came from the East Sea. She was originally a branch of coral that cultivated a human form over ten thousand years before ascending. Somehow, she had become the Moon Goddess.

Regarding that part of her past, she had no memory.

The Moon Goddess extinguished the fire. Her clothes were scorched, but she wasn’t angry. Instead, she looked at Hong Chen with a smile. “Your master also likes Hong Yan. Are you jealous?”

“I only eat candy, not vinegar,” Hong Chen said, pretending to be naive. “Do you know Hong Yan?”

“I’ve seen her. Back then, she was just a dirty little child of four or five. Who knew she would later fall into the demonic path and become the Demon Venerable? Such is fate. Your master has no other skills, but she is number one at leading disciples astray. A perfectly fine child from the Flower Clan was sent to her, and in the end, she returned a Demon Venerable. Tsk tsk, wouldn’t you say she’s the best at ruining disciples?” The Moon Goddess lamented, looking at Hong Chen’s features. “Your eyes look a bit like Hong Yan’s. Did your master find a disciple based on Hong Yan’s appearance?”

Hong Chen didn’t overthink it, insisting, “San Meng likes Hong Yan. Aren’t you jealous?”

“This Goddess does not compete with the dead.” The Moon Goddess spoke with pity, glancing at Yanlai triumphantly. “My disciple is very well-behaved.”

Hong Chen was curious. “Who is your disciple?”

The Moon Goddess said, “Imperial Princess Qing Gu.”

Yanlai sneered. “She is dead.”

“That’s why I say you are a bane. She liked you, and you brought her death. Yanlai, both Imperial Princess Qing Gu and Hong Yan, who liked you, are dead. What right do you have to be wandering around?” The Moon Goddess spoke cruel words in a gentle voice. “What a pity my Imperial Princess died at the hands of Hong Yan.”

Hong Chen lowered her head to look at her bracelet, suddenly surprised by something: why didn’t the bracelet react when meeting these immortals?

Yanlai also looked at the bracelet on Hong Chen’s wrist and said to the Moon Goddess, “You also brought death to your disciple.”

“You did too!” the Moon Goddess retorted.

The two goddesses, who had lived for tens of thousands of years, bickered in public. Yanlai, in particular, was acting out of character by arguing. Hong Chen grew impatient. “You both brought death to your disciples. Just go back to your respective homes.”

Yanlai nodded. “You go back to the Moon Palace; we are going back to Phoenix Mountain.”

“If I believed you, I’d be falling for your tricks. I’m going to Phoenix Mountain to find High Immortal San Meng.” The Moon Goddess stumbled, took a few steps toward the Moon Palace, then turned back to glare at Hong Chen. “Be careful being her disciple, or you’ll be dragged down and turned into a bane too.”

Hong Chen was astonished. The Moon Goddess actually knew about the past; it was very strange. She deliberately asked, “How did Hong Yan die?”

“She was killed by the gods during the Great War of Immortals and Demons. However, a Demon Venerable named Hong Chen appeared recently. Some guess Hong Chen is Hong Yan’s daughter, but no one knows if it’s true.” The Moon Goddess was also puzzled. Her arrogant tone softened as she looked at Yanlai. “I heard you were in seclusion and missed it back then. That was a good thing.”

Another goddess relying on hearsay.

Hong Chen glanced at her and pulled Yanlai forward. The Moon Goddess followed, her expression turning serious.

The three of them exited the Southern Heavenly Gate together. Outside, a flash of light landed at the entrance, rushing past them.

The Moon Goddess couldn’t help but take another look. “Someone from the East Sea.”

Hong Chen stopped in her tracks, her gaze sweeping over Yanlai, her mind heavy. She rarely did anything bad, and she wasn’t sure if this was a good or bad thing.

Yanlai said, “I just saw Imperial Princess De Shun. Is her husband’s family from the East Sea?”

“Yes, the eldest son of the East Sea. In the future, the entire East Sea will belong to him,” the Moon Goddess said cryptically.

The three stood there awkwardly for a moment. No one mentioned leaving. Shortly after, they saw Imperial Princess De Shun rushing out. The three immediately turned invisible. The Princess moved quickly and disappeared in an instant.

The Moon Goddess, having lived in the Nine Heavens for a long time, knew many secrets. Seeing this, she said, “The East Sea was unwilling to marry Imperial Princess De Shun, but somehow they eventually agreed. She rarely returns. For her to come and go so hurriedly today, something major must have happened.”

Hong Chen took the opportunity to ask, “What kind of major event? Does her husband have a mistress?”

“Even if he did, that wouldn’t be a major event.” The Moon Goddess turned to look at Hong Chen’s clear eyes and sighed inwardly for the naive little fairy. “You should join my sect instead. Phoenix Mountain is unlucky.”

Hong Chen looked at her with disdain. “Your disciple died too. Her disciple died, yours died, what’s the difference?”

Actually, it was different. The Moon Goddess’s disciple hadn’t died but had become an artifact spirit, while Yanlai’s disciple was missing a soul and a spirit. Both were quite tragic.

But Hong Chen was still a free agent. By comparison, the Moon Palace was the truly unlucky place.

Hong Chen ignored the Moon Goddess, her lips twitching. At that moment, thousands of soldiers flew out from the Southern Heavenly Gate with great momentum. The three looked at each other. Hong Chen was surprised. “Are they going to the Demon Realm?”

“No, they are going to the East Sea.” The Moon Goddess looked in the direction the soldiers were heading. “The Heavenly Emperor and the Demon Venerable signed a treaty; there shall be no war for a hundred years.”

Hearing this, Hong Chen felt that the Moon Goddess was much more reliable than Si Meng or San Meng. High Immortal San Meng, in particular, was muddled all day and no one knew what she was doing.

Once the soldiers were gone, the Moon Goddess patted the girl’s thin shoulder. “Let’s go. It has nothing to do with us.”

Hong Chen agreed; at least it had nothing to do with the Demon Realm. If the Demon Realm was safe, she could continue to linger outside.

After the incident at the Southern Heavenly Gate, the three returned to Phoenix Mountain with heavy hearts.

As soon as they landed, the Qilin pounced from nowhere toward Hong Chen. Hong Chen was used to it and took the opportunity to grab her by the collar and lead her away.

Seeing this, Yanlai knew the master and servant had business to attend to, so she led the Moon Goddess to find San Meng.

The Moon Goddess, having lived for tens of thousands of years, recognized at a glance that the exquisite girl was actually a Qilin. She froze and looked at Yanlai. “Where did you get a Qilin?”

“I caught her in the Barren Lands. If you want one, go catch one yourself,” Yanlai said calmly.

She was so composed that the Moon Goddess actually believed her nonsense. The Barren Lands produced many strange beasts, leading many newly ascended minor immortals to try their luck there. If they caught one, it became a mount; if not, they became the beast’s dinner.

The Moon Goddess followed her to find High Immortal San Meng.

San Meng had lost a lot of weight while recovering. In Phoenix Mountain, there was no distinction between day and night; one only felt the passage of time outside.

San Meng had been lying down for several days. Seeing the Moon Goddess, she was surprised. “Why are you here?”

“You weren’t around, and I missed you terribly, so I came. Why have you lost so much weight?” The Moon Goddess sat down distressed, checking San Meng’s eyes and jaw. She wanted to touch her, but San Meng avoided her. “I will return to the Nine Heavens once my injuries are healed,” San Meng said.

Yanlai sat by the window, her gaze drifting. The Moon Goddess sighed. “Who did you provoke this time? You finally made it back from the Demon Realm, only to start acting up again.”

San Meng looked at Yanlai. “High Goddess, have you explained everything clearly?”

Yanlai snapped out of her daze, looked at them, and smiled. “It’s been explained. Only the Crown Prince’s whereabouts are unknown.”

“He won’t come back right now; it’s too dangerous,” the Moon Goddess said, then scoffed. “The Heavenly Emperor has only one son, so of course he protects him. He has so many daughters; one more or one less doesn’t matter. Years ago, I saw a child in the Empress’s palace.”

At that time, the little girl was not very tall, just past the knees, and had just learned to walk. The Empress’s palace was carpeted, and the girl toddled along, her features impossibly exquisite.

Her skin was rosy and fair, soft and delicate. When she got tired, she sat on the carpet, swinging her legs and touching her toes together, looking completely at ease.

The Moon Goddess had gone to visit the Empress, who was then the Prince’s Consort, on business and remembered that glimpse to this day.

She said, “Imperial Princess Qing Gu was already grown then. I remember the Empress only had one son and one daughter. I’ve never figured out who that child was. Judging by the rumors outside, she was likely that Medicine Human.”

San Meng, leaning against a cloud pillow, sat up upon hearing this. “You should talk less, lest you bring trouble upon yourself. Protecting yourself is the priority right now.”

The Moon Goddess was startled by her tone. “Why have you become so fearful? I was just speaking casually. If that child were alive, she would be over ten thousand years old by now. The Empress was truly heartless. If I had known, I would have stolen the child and left her at the foot of some mountain to fend for herself. That would have been better than having her foundation and bones stripped. That must have been so painful.”

Yanlai’s brow furrowed deeply, an unprecedented aura of hostility radiating from her.

The Moon Goddess smiled faintly, her dimples showing. “Why have you two stopped talking?”

San Meng replied first, “We want to talk but don’t dare. I’m tired; you should go back.”

“San Meng, oh San Meng, how can you be so heartless to me? I came all this way to see you.” The Moon Goddess’s beautiful face pouted in dissatisfaction. “Can’t you recover in the Nine Heavens? Also, who hurt you?”

As the Moon Goddess prattled on in her delicate voice, Yanlai covered her ears, wishing she could fly away.

Meanwhile, the Qilin dragged Hong Chen to see Yu Qi.

Upon seeing Hong Chen, Yu Qi knelt and wept, crying out that she had been deceived by the Flower Clan for ten thousand years and wanted to return to serve the Demon Venerable.

The Qilin disliked her and stomped her feet in anger. “It’s enough to have me by the Demon Venerable’s side. You are from the Immortal Clan; how can you serve our Demon Venerable? Besides, who knows if your surrender is genuine.”

Yu Qi’s expression froze, and she said coldly, “You serve her? When enemies come, do you protect the Demon Venerable, or does she have to waste effort protecting you? You useless mount, you’re just an obstacle.”

“You, say that again! See if I don’t beat you to death!” The Qilin was furious, stomping hard. “You’re from the Immortal Clan! The Demon Venerable doesn’t trust you! How could she ever trust you?”

Yu Qi replied, “The Demon Venerable herself was once an Imperial Princess of the Immortal Clan.”

“Imperial Princess? Whose Imperial Princess am I?” Hong Chen finally found her voice amidst the arguing.

Yu Qi sighed. “You are the daughter of the Heavenly Emperor and Chu Rou of the Flower Clan. You are an Imperial Princess of the Immortal Clan.”

Hong Chen was stunned. Recalling the term “Sister-in-law,” she suddenly froze. “Am I older, or is Qing Feng older?”

“Naturally, you are younger. But even though you are younger, your cultivation far exceeds that of Crown Prince Qing Feng,” Yu Qi said proudly.

Hong Chen couldn’t help but say, “According to you, Yanlai is also my sister-in-law.”

Yu Qi didn’t hear her, but the Qilin was so angry she was nearly combusting. Hong Chen dropped her usual playful expression and looked at Yu Qi seriously.

“Recover well. I need to go sort out my thoughts.”

Yu Qi knelt to see the Demon Venerable off. The Qilin kicked at her in anger, still fuming. “I’m telling you, don’t even think about it! You’re dreaming!”

Hong Chen walked out of the barrier with her hands behind her back, slowly heading toward Yanlai’s sleeping quarters. She had already guessed her identity from the Empress’s dream; Yu Qi’s words were true.

She really was the Heavenly Emperor’s daughter. So, during their last meeting, had the Emperor pretended not to know her, or did he simply not remember he had a daughter in the Demon Realm?

For once, Hong Chen was deep in thought and grew irritable. The Qilin followed behind with her head hanging, afraid that if she left, the Demon Venerable would go back and take Yu Qi as a servant.

With different thoughts, they reached the Wind Sound Pavilion. Hong Chen stopped and looked at the Qilin. “If I snatch the High Goddess away, would that count as stealing my brother’s wife?”

The Qilin was baffled. “Would you even care about that?”

“I don’t. I said before, even if Yanlai were the Empress, I’d still snatch her,” Hong Chen said arrogantly.

The Qilin looked at her for a moment and couldn’t help but ask, “If you don’t care, then why are you asking me?”

“I don’t care, but what if High Goddess Yanlai cares?” Hong Chen was troubled. Yanlai was rigid and followed the rules to her very bones. If she became certain that Hong Chen was the Imperial Princess, Qing Feng’s sister, would she still agree?