After Provoking the Mad Beautiful Deity - Chapter 50

The Empress was not surprised. She turned back to look at Yan Lai and said, “Your question is one that someone else has asked before. Now, I will ask you a question in return. When you faced your Master, why did you choose self-immolation?”

“I am not the Yan Lai of that time. Since I am not currently in that danger, I cannot explain it,” Yan Lai shook her head.

The Empress smiled and said, “Since you choose to avoid the question, I will not force you. Let me tell you that I am not alone. Behind me are the thousands of lives of the Flower Tribe. If I were not the Princess of the Flower Tribe, we would not be in this situation today. I will not hide it from you. When the Heavenly Emperor encountered Chu Rou, I did not know because my parents kept it from me. Similarly, they hid this matter as well. I am not aware of every single detail.”

To the Flower Tribe, Qing Feng was the one they could rely on for their future. The Flower Tribe proactively informed the Heavenly Emperor about the medicinal human, offered up Chu Rou, and suggested the plan to swap the root bones.

As for her, she was merely a small woman. Because the Heavenly Emperor was the Lord of Heaven and Earth, she was the Empress. When the Heavenly Emperor was a prince, she was nothing more than an obscure Prince’s Consort. The Flower Tribe was anxious, and in their desperation, they offered Chu Rou. For the Heavenly Emperor to have his achievements today, the Flower Tribe’s contributions cannot be ignored.

“The Flower Tribe,” Yan Lai murmured. She raised her head and asked the Empress, “Your Majesty could slaughter Phoenix Mountain, so why not turn your blade toward the Flower Tribe?”

“The Flower Tribe offered Chu Rou but did not take her life. I dealt with the people involved. The Flower Tribe suggested the bone-swapping plot but did not kill Hong Chen. I dealt with those people as well. They never intended to kill Chu Rou. Only Phoenix Mountain, a so-called righteous immortal sect, committed such a despicable act. Do they not deserve to die?” The Empress spoke with a hint of anger.

She raised her hand to summon the Mirror of Reverting Light and infused it with spiritual power. Instantly, the mist-shrouded Phoenix Mountain appeared within the mirror.

It showed the same scene of the Phoenix Mountain crowd hounding Chu Rou to her death. Hong Chen was weak and helpless, pinned to the ground by Yan Jing. After a struggle, she was met with an even heavier stomp.

Yan Lai could not bear to look. The Empress stared directly at her and asked, “Does your heart ache? But Chu Rou is dead.”

“It is true that Phoenix Mountain killed her, but Chu Rou was a medicinal herb of the Immortal Tribe. Why did she fall into the Demon Tribe? Empress, it was your pressure and the pressure of the Flower Tribe. You started it, and Phoenix Mountain finished it. If Phoenix Mountain is guilty, then the Flower Tribe should be guilty as well.” Yan Lai did not back down. “You forced Chu Rou to become a demon and then sent Hong Chen to Phoenix Mountain. You should have expected that day would come.”

“Are you making excuses for your treacherous and shameless sect?” Anger flickered in the Empress’s eyes, yet her expression remained weary. She stared fixedly at the mirror and a cold sneer touched her lips. “You have died once already. Can you still not see through the hypocrisy of these immortals?”

At the mention of having died once, Yan Lai’s face turned pale. The Empress continued, “The Phoenix Clan brought their own destruction. You are alive because Hong Chen traded her life for yours. Your departure from the Immortal Tribe today is a start. After today’s battle, every tribe knows Prince Qing Feng swapped his bones. Once the Heavenly Emperor catches his breath, he will surely order them to attack the Demon Tribe. Just like ten thousand years ago, he will sit back and reap the spoils.”

The Empress proactively mentioned the events of ten thousand years ago. Yan Lai was startled and could not help but press further. “Can Your Majesty use the mirror to look at the Great War between Immortals and Demons?”

“I did not participate in that war and do not know the details. The mirror cannot show it.” The Empress refused again. Her gaze lingered on Yan Lai’s face for a moment before shifting to her waist. Seeing her slender frame, she gave a meaningful smile. “I am curious why you two no longer engage in dual cultivation. The Demon Lord’s body is the best cauldron for cultivation. Why do you not want it?”

At this mention, Yan Lai’s face flushed red. Her aggressive momentum vanished. She raised a hand to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear. Her every movement radiated shyness, and the Empress curled her lips.

Yan Lai’s habit of getting easily embarrassed had not changed to this day. The Empress wondered if Hong Chen could handle it.

Setting aside the topic of dual cultivation, the Empress glanced at her and said, “It surprised me that Hong Chen would fall in love with you again after forgetting you. I thought being foolish once was enough, but who knew she would be foolish a second time?”

“Is that so? I wonder if the Demon Physician in the Demon Realm is one of Your Majesty’s people? The nonsense about seeking a woman with the Phoenix Divine Vein for dual cultivation is a lie that only Hong Chen would believe.” Yan Lai’s tone sharpened slightly.

The Empress arched an eyebrow and appeared somewhat pleased. “Hong Chen was never smart to begin with. She is endearingly dull.”

With that, she activated the Mirror of Reverting Light again.

The mirror revealed palace chambers. A young child was walking barefoot on a pebble path. She was crying as she went, babbling incoherently as if she were cursing or complaining.

The Empress stood at the end of the path. The toddler had two small hair knots. Her hair was sallow and a bit curly at the ends, standing stubbornly on her little head. She cried and eventually stopped walking, plopping down on her bottom. For some reason, as soon as she sat, she stood right back up.

Feeling her bottom, she cried even louder.

The Empress did not call her or hurry her. The toddler lifted a tiny foot and pointed at it with a finger. Only then did the Empress speak. “Will you run outside again next time? If you want to run, I will let you run to your heart’s content.”

The toddler responded with a series of babbles. Whatever she was saying, she refused to move from the spot.

“If you will not walk, I am going to get the rattan whip. It hurts quite a bit, even more than pebbles under your feet,” the Empress said slowly. As she finished, a rattan whip appeared in her hand.

The moment the whip appeared, the tiny child sprinted across the pebble path, moving like the wind.

Reaching the Empress, she opened her arms and stood on her tiptoes. After babbling for a while, she shouted out of spite, “Hug! Hug!”

“No. Walk yourself.” The Empress did not coddle her. She turned and walked away.

As she turned, a surprising scene unfolded.

The tiny child plopped down and lay flat on the ground. She was not moving.

The Empress walked two steps and then returned. Seeing the situation, she also sat down and lay down next to her. The movement was smooth and practiced. Clearly, this was not the first time.

The two wasted time together. The Empress stared into the void while the child beside her pouted. The Empress ignored her and leisurely took out wads of paper to plug her own ears.

Once she had done this, the child burst into loud, wailing sobs.

The Empress closed her eyes. No matter how loud the crying was, she lay there comfortably.

Outside the mirror, Yan Lai could not help but press a hand to her forehead. She could tell that this tiny child was Hong Chen as a toddler.

She could not tell if it was the Empress’s lack of effort or Hong Chen’s rebelliousness, but the mother did not act like a mother, and the child did not listen.

After an unknown amount of time, the crying stopped. The Empress sat up on her own and glanced at the child on the ground. “Go home.”

The child scrambled up, put her hands on her hips, and glared at the Empress with another round of babbled output. Unfortunately, no one understood her. The Empress only smiled gently and patted her head. “Go home.”

The Empress walked in front, and the child followed behind with her head hanging low.

The mirror went dark.

Yan Lai did not know whether to laugh or cry. Seeing this, the Empress spoke with the air of an elder. “You think that is the end of it?”

“Is there more?” Yan Lai asked helplessly. “If it were Princess Qing Gu, would you have hugged her?”

The Empress snorted coldly. “If it were that troublesome one, I would just give her a beating. Do you think I am so idle that I have time to tease children?”

The corners of Yan Lai’s mouth curved up.

The Empress felt that the woman before her sat very straight. From her shoulders to her waist, she was like a green bamboo in a forest. Even someone as cold and elegant as Yan Lai could not change Hong Chen’s rebellious nature.

She felt bored. Yan Lai was naturally dull, binding herself with worldly rules and immolating herself for so-called loyalty and filial piety. It was simply foolish. Staying with a foolish person would only make her foolish too.

“Here, take this.” The Empress tossed the Mirror of Reverting Light to Yan Lai. “Watch whatever you want. Just tell it the time you desire with your thoughts. No one will disturb you.”

The Empress left. Yan Lai caught the mirror, examined it closely, and then looked back at Hong Chen with a look of relief.

Following the Empress’s example, she infused it with spiritual power and sent her intent into the mirror.

The scene changed. It showed an infant in swaddling clothes. She was as delicate as carved jade with bright, dark eyes. The Empress, who was then still a Prince’s Consort, stood before the baby and said, “She actually does not look like a monkey. Those other two troublesome children looked exactly like monkeys when they were born.”

After speaking, she picked up the baby. Seeing no one on the path, she took the child directly to her own bed.

A while later, the baby cried. The Heavenly Emperor arrived in person. “Why did you bring her back?”

“Your child is my child. Why can I not raise her? Chong Fang, this is my child. Consider your next move carefully.” The Empress remained dignified and gentle. Her eyes were fixed on the baby, and she did not even glance at the Heavenly Emperor.

Chong Fang was the Heavenly Emperor’s name. She addressed him directly, and he did not get angry.

“This child, I have a use for her.”

“A use? It is one thing for you to practice spirit cultivation with Chu Rou, but you will not even spare your own daughter?” The Empress straightened up. Her gaze finally met Chong Fang’s, and her eyes were filled with frost. “If you will not even spare your own daughter, how could you ever treat my Flower Tribe well?”

She used the Flower Tribe as a threat. The Heavenly Emperor flicked his sleeves and left.

Yan Lai frowned, and her heart tightened with worry.

The mirror shifted back to the child. The Empress stroked her cheek. The newborn’s skin was incredibly soft.

The child was too small. She was so small that something could go wrong the moment she was out of sight. Therefore, the Empress stopped going out and stayed with the child every day. The two accompanied each other, and the Empress was more devoted than a biological mother.

As the child grew day by day, the Empress once infused her with some spiritual power. Visibly, the child grew a bit larger.

The Empress seemed to find joy in this and infused more power. This time, the child grew enough to crawl and laugh foolishly at the Empress.

“Know when to stop.” The Empress did not infuse any more spiritual power. Instead, she gently squeezed the child’s limbs and began teaching her how to speak. Yet, for every word she said, the child would follow with a long string of babbles, spraying saliva all over her face. The Empress felt extremely frustrated and glared back at the infant, but the child only gave a silly, innocent smile before diving into the Empress’s arms.

A gratified, warm smile spread across the Empress’s face. She reached out to embrace the tiny infant, her heart softening completely.

The Empress named her Hong Yan, intending to signify that Chu Rou was her confidante (Hong Yan).

As Hong Yan grew day by day, she never saw Chong Fang come to visit her, and even Chu Rou never came.

Hong Yan followed the Empress every day, becoming her little shadow. The Empress did not like to go out and preferred reading books in the hall, so the child would sit by her side holding a book. Within moments, the little head would begin to nod and sway. Just as she was about to hit her head on the corner of the table, a pair of slender, jade like hands would catch her small body in time and gently place her on the bed.

Life was supposed to go on this way until one day, the Patriarch of the Flower Tribe fell ill, and the Empress had to return to visit him.

After much deliberation, the Empress took her little tagalong with her. Hong Yan leaned against her shoulder, watching with wonder as the clouds in the sky receded. she even reached out to grab them, her chubby hands waving in the air. She was overjoyed; it was her first time flying in the sky. She remained excited for a long time, but before they reached the Hundred Flower Mountain, she grew tired and fell asleep against the Empress.

Upon returning to the Flower Tribe, the Empress let her guard down and handed Hong Chen over to her mother to be looked after for a brief moment.

It was meant to be only a moment, just long enough to see her father before returning. She never imagined that in that brief span of time, Hong Chen would vanish.

Her mother told her that the child had woken up on her own and walked outside, wandering off because no one was paying attention. They had already sent people to search for her.

The Hundred Flower Mountain was vast, as large as several cities combined. How could they find her, and how many years would it take?

The Empress was furious. She rebuked her mother for deceiving her and swore that if any harm came to Hong Chen, she would make them pay the price.

Her mother wept silently, offering not a single word in the face of her anger. The Empress fell into a frantic rage, her usually gentle face transforming, yet her parents remained silent as if allowing her to vent her fury.

After a long standoff, both sides fell silent, and the Empress left the Hundred Flower Mountain with a cold, despondent heart.

When she arrived, she was accompanied by a toddler who babbled incessantly. She had complained about the noise, yet her heart had been full of joy.

When she left, she was alone. Her ears were met with total silence. She turned back again and again, hoping the child would run out from somewhere and wave clumsily at her.

However, there was nothing. She gazed at her parents, her voice desolate and low. “She was just a child. How could you have the heart? From this day forth, in life or death, we shall never meet again.”

Returning to the Heavenly Palace, the room was empty. She felt lost and hollow, not knowing what to do.

Sitting on the couch, she picked up a book and glanced to her side. There was no one there, and no child clumsily holding a book to imitate her.

She stared at the empty space for a long time without speaking. After an unknown amount of time, she began to laugh. She laughed loudly, abandoning her usual elegance.

The laughter shook the heavens, yet she soon collapsed over the table in agony, her shoulders trembling as she sobbed uncontrollably.

She was resisting, she was trying hard to protect the person she wanted to protect, but in the end, it was all for naught.

Between the crying and the laughing, a strange and eerie atmosphere filled the hall.

Yan Lai watched as a once humorous and witty person was driven into a corner, suffering in agony yet powerless to resist.

What could be done? Was she supposed to kill her parents for someone she shared no blood with? Her parents had given her life and raised her; their kindness was greater than the heavens. She could do nothing.

Yan Lai felt that sense of powerlessness. Even though it was clearly unfair, there was no strength to change it.

Did she hate them? They were her biological parents.

What could be done? She could only swallow the bitter medicine.

Days suddenly became lonely. The Empress confined herself to the hall every day. Suddenly, Chu Rou asked to see her daughter.

At that moment, the Empress panicked. She felt both guilty and dazed. She lied to Chu Rou: “The child went out to play. You can see her next time.”

Chu Rou did not suspect anything. Instead, she was full of gratitude. In the past, the Empress would gaze at Chu Rou with longing, but today she did not dare to look her in the eye. She left in a hurried panic.

Back in her hall, she gasped for breath. That single trip felt as though she had returned from the gates of hell.

Finally, she stopped waiting for fate to take its course. She returned to the Hundred Flower Mountain and took her elder brother, Xuan Jing, hostage. She told her parents: “I cannot hurt you two elders, but him, I can kill.”

“How dare you! This is your own elder brother! How can you harm your own brother for the sake of a medicinal human?” The Patriarch rebuked his daughter, his heart filled with grief.

The Empress mocked him: “You knew how important Chu Rou was to me, yet you offered her to Chong Fang. To you, I am nothing but a pawn. Since you treat me as a pawn, there is no need for me to endure anymore. Let us be destroyed together.”

“You only care about Chu Rou. Do you even know that Qing Feng is sick and near death? Only the root bone in Hong Chen’s body can save him!” Her mother accused her of not loving her own son.

The Empress suddenly understood. Overwhelmed with pain, she let go of her brother as if her soul had left her body. “So, that is how it is.”

She knew where the child had been taken, but she did not know if she should bring her back.

After being brought back, would she still be that same disobedient child?

The Empress burst into tears and flew toward the horizon to find the Physician Immortal.

However, she was too late. Hong Chen lay on the Physician Immortal’s bed, her eyes tightly closed and her face deathly pale.

The Physician Immortal told her: “Without the spiritual root, she is now a mortal. She can no longer enjoy the lifespan of an immortal. She can still live; this is the best I could do.”

The child was found, but she was no longer the same. What had changed?

The Empress expressionlessly picked up Hong Chen, her steps numb. After returning to the hall, she placed Hong Chen in her small bed as she usually did.

She raised her hand to infuse her spiritual power into Hong Chen’s body. However, it was like a stone dropping into the ocean; it had no effect.

She refused to give up and tried once more, but eventually, she lowered her hands helplessly.

“Mother.” Hong Chen, lying on the bed, opened her eyes.