Traveling to the Ancient Times to Rely on Love and Marrying a Shadow After O - Chapter 37

The divine officials of the entire hall turned their gazes toward me; my current situation was, quite frankly, a source of utter humiliation. Cursing my own clumsy tongue and not knowing how to resolve the tension, I could only try to butter him up with a few kind words. “True Lord, please do not misunderstand. You are a man of vast magnanimity; how could you possibly be narrow-minded? Please, do not belittle yourself. Hualing was merely afraid that such a trivial matter might delay the banquet’s schedule and waste the effort the Emperor has put in over these past few days, which is why I suggested a private resolution.”

True Lord Beixiao’s expression smoothed out, seemingly pacified. Unexpectedly, just as I let out a sigh of relief, I heard him shout, “Little Mistress! This Lord knows we have a bit of a history, but you surely do not need to mock me so blatantly in front of so many people!”

It felt as if a bolt of lightning had crackled down from a clear sky, striking me square in the forehead. I was left with a face full of confusion and speechlessness.

When exactly had I mocked him?

He was absolutely slandering me!

I have always loathed being misunderstood. Just as I was about to let fly a defense and engage in a full-blown argument, I heard Chu Yuan speak from the dais. “True Lord Beixiao, I suspect Little Mistress Hualing’s actions were not intentional. You are seven hundred years her senior; do not be so calculative with her.”

It was clearly True Lord Beixiao who was picking a fight with me, yet the Emperor’s words—while appearing to dismiss the matter—actually pinned the blame squarely on my head.

To think that I, a Goddess of the Three Realms with a status more noble than anyone seated here, had to endure such an injustice! I was determined to set the record straight right here in this hall.

“True Lord Beixiao, you say I mocked you. Pray, explain it in detail so Hualing may understand exactly what offense was committed.”

At its core, this banquet was nothing more than a place to present gifts, eat, gossip about the daily lives of immortals, and talk about mortal picture books. Where else could one find such a good show? Consequently, the crowd in the hall watched with great relish, having no intention of stepping in to intervene.

On the contrary, Zhao Ning really couldn’t bear to watch any longer, fearing a major incident. “Hualing, let the matter drop here. There is nothing to make a scene about.”

“No matter, no matter.” The host of this banquet, Eldest Prince Xuan Ce, who had been sitting above for quite a while, finally spoke a few words. “This banquet is, after all, just a meal. How can it be more important than Little Mistress’s reputation? In any case, you immortals have no need for food and will not go hungry. Why don’t we follow Little Mistress’s wish and clarify this matter? True Lord Beixiao, what say you?”

“This…” True Lord Beixiao’s face instantly darkened. While others didn’t know why, Zhao Ning and I knew perfectly well. He had brought this on himself; now it wasn’t my face that was being lost, but his!

He turned toward the dais and bowed, only stammering out after a long pause, “This Lord naturally has no objection.”

I felt a surge of joy. “Many thanks, Eldest Prince!”

I glanced at the Emperor, Chu Yuan, who was staring straight at me with no expression whatsoever on her face.

I understood; she had simply been “slapped in the face” in front of everyone, leaving her in an awkward position where her pride was somewhat wounded.

Mortals live one life, and gods live one lifetime. Who hasn’t had the experience of being a bit embarrassed?

Quite satisfied, I walked toward the center of Qiongfang Palace. As I approached, True Lord Beixiao instinctively shifted one foot backward, clearly showing a tendency to retreat. I gave a small smile that appeared friendly but hid a hint of malice. “True Lord, shall you speak, or shall I? Or perhaps you speak half, and I speak half?”

“Little Mistress… naturally, you should go first.” I guessed it took a great deal of effort for him to pull that leg back. Since I only wanted to scare him, I tucked away my fake smile and began to explain to the immortals in the hall.

To tell the story of True Lord Beixiao and me: one is a Little Mistress of the Three Realms who mastered the Heavenly Flame Arts; the other is the Rain God of the North who mastered the art of manipulating clouds to bring rain to the mortal world.

No matter how you look at it, we are two types of people who wouldn’t have much overlap, let alone form a grudge.

The coincidence happened twenty years ago when True Lord Yunhua had just added a little baby to the Heavenly Realm. All the immortals went to celebrate, hoping to tease the baby and gain a few “friendship points” for future favors. Naturally, a gift was indispensable for such a trip.

Although I had little contact with True Lord Yunhua, I had heard of her glorious deeds and truly admired her from the bottom of my heart. So, taking this opportunity, Zhao Ning and I decided to find a day to visit.

With Xingye’s help, I had secretly escaped the Heavenly Realm for a while and visited Mount Longkui in the mortal world. After battling the guardian mountain god for several hours, I obtained a Nine-Leaf Longkui Flower Core, intending to give it to the baby as a gift.

Since it was a rare opportunity, I naturally went for some fun in the mortal world after finishing my business, looking for entertainment that didn’t exist in the heavens. Unexpectedly, I lost track of time while playing. According to Zhao Ning, I returned smelling of wine and fell into a deep, dead sleep under an apricot grove. When I woke up the next day, I found that the Nine-Leaf Longkui Flower Core I had worked so hard to obtain had vanished.

Zhao Ning scolded me until the world turned dark. Afterward, she and I searched the apricot grove for half a day, but there was no sign of the flower core. I suspected I had accidentally dropped it in some corner while enjoying myself in the mortal world, where it was swept away by mortals who mistook it for a peach pit.

This was no different from searching for a needle in a haystack. Zhao Ning scolded me once more and then accompanied me to the silkworm caves to obtain several rolls of Thousand-Year Ice Silkworm Silk as a gift.

Although this gift was also of top quality, it was still a step below the Nine-Leaf Longkui Flower Core. I could only silently mourn that a heavenly treasure had instantly been demoted to a mortal peach pit because of a few jars of wine.

However, my ordeal wasn’t entirely without benefit. The other immortals had visited True Lord Yunhua early on; by the time Zhao Ning and I arrived, there were only a few people left.

To think that a Little Mistress would only present a few bolts of ice silkworm silk for a baby’s clothing would inevitably be embarrassing; with so few people around, that worry was fortunately avoided. True Lord Yunhua was a generous person and never cared about the weight or luxury of gifts. Her palace maid took the ice silkworm silk, and the True Lord offered a graceful smile, about to rise and give thanks.

I immediately supported her, telling her repeatedly that she had just given birth and there was no need for such formalities, which stopped her from rising.

After chatting with the True Lord for a few words, the baby let out a low murmur that made my heart itch. I let Zhao Ning converse with the True Lord while I couldn’t help but go over to play with the baby.

A moment later, a palace maid reported that True Lord Beixiao had come to offer his congratulations. I let out a silent sigh of pity. This True Lord Beixiao was a mere Rain God; what was the point of him flattering True Lord Yunhua?

Stopping my movements, I waited obediently in the hall for him. After a short while, a divine official in a grey robe stepped in, holding a willow branch for some unknown reason.

I assumed this was True Lord Beixiao. I had heard a bit about his deeds, describing him as a hot-tempered deity who was also extremely vengeful. I couldn’t help but wonder if he intended to use a frail willow branch as a gift? It completely overturned the image I had of him in my heart.

Just as I was feeling a sense of groundless pity, True Lord Beixiao greeted Zhao Ning and True Lord Yunhua according to etiquette. Only then did I notice the little immortal maid following behind him, timidly carrying a tray covered with a red cloth, making one very curious about its contents.

When True Lord Beixiao saw me, he hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to address me. True Lord Yunhua reminded him, “This is the Little Mistress of the Three Realms.”

Upon hearing this prompt, his eyes widened instantly, and he repeatedly bowed in apology. “It is this Lord’s lack of insight; I did not realize this was Little Mistress Hualing. I hope Little Mistress will forgive me.”

He had never seen me before, so it was perfectly normal that he didn’t recognize me. Furthermore, my mind wasn’t on the matter at all, so I smiled casually and forgave his rudeness. “True Lord, this Little Mistress is quite curious about what gift you have brought. May I see it?”

He answered with a smile, “Naturally, naturally.”

With that, he signaled the palace maid behind him to step forward and personally unveiled the red cloth. In an instant, a golden light shot forth, reaching straight to the ceiling. Once the light faded, everyone was shocked.

This Little Mistress was also shocked.

This bead sitting peacefully on the tray—wasn’t it my Nine-Leaf Longkui Flower Core that had been missing for days!

Seeing Zhao Ning’s expression sour, I quickly slipped over and tugged on her sleeve, afraid of what she might say.

One must understand, if the news of this Little Mistress’s drunken mishap got out, I would have no place to hide my face.

True Lord Beixiao stood there beaming as he presented the flower core. “True Lord Yunhua, this Nine-Leaf Longkui Flower Core was picked by this Lord and this little immortal maid together at Mount Longkui. One only needs to consume it to gain the aura of heaven and earth, and spiritual cultivation can be doubled in the future! Today, this Lord presents this flower core to the Little Immortal Lord; I hope True Lord Yunhua will not refuse.”

Listening from the side made me feel terrible. This was clearly something I had obtained after a fierce battle with the mountain god for several hours—the only one of its kind in a thousand years. How did it roll around on the ground only to change owners?

But since this Little Mistress had already presented the ice silkworm silk, I naturally wouldn’t try to snatch back the flower core. First, explaining the details would be extremely complicated; second, True Lord Beixiao and I had no prior connection, and there was no need to make him lose face and make an enemy out of him for the sake of a single flower core.

“True Lord Beixiao is truly generous! This flower core is a top-tier celestial item of the Three Realms; it is not easy to obtain. This time, it must have been difficult for the two of you.” I struck first, cutting off Zhao Ning’s escape path. Sure enough, her face turned black, and she used an excuse of business in the hall to leave me behind and return to Yuyao Palace.

I let out a silent sigh of relief, yet I was already prepared for a scolding. This lie had to be continued, otherwise, would this Little Mistress’s sacrifice not be in vain?

True Lord Beixiao smiled guiltily. “Not at all, not at all. If it weren’t for the help of this little immortal maid, I probably wouldn’t have escaped unharmed.”

Hearing this, I picked up on something else. He kept mentioning that little immortal maid, insisting on giving her credit for the flower core; he clearly had an agenda.

One does not visit the temple without a reason. Earlier, I had wondered why True Lord Beixiao would travel so far to the South Heavenly Court; now I finally understood.

That little immortal maid was soft and tender; she was likely True Lord Beixiao’s sweetheart. Coming here was a chance to flatter True Lord Yunhua so she would cancel the maid’s celestial contract and allow him to take her into his palace.

Tsk tsk tsk. To think that after being with the Old Man under the Moon for so many years, even though I don’t know how to pull the threads of fate, I have learned through observation. I can bear to see two people in love, but I cannot bear to see them apart.

I could never bring myself to destroy a marriage. I simply pretended not to know, looking at the flower core again and again, smiling and smiling.

For the first time, this Little Mistress looked like a fool in front of others.

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