∘―o―∘

Standing large and tall over the surrounding gardens was the palace of the Heavenly Emperor, shrouded in an air of stateliness and grandeur. Bathed in light, its white walls s.h.i.+mmered lightly in the morning sun as if spun out of pleasant dreams, warm and magical.

Currently, the throne room inside the palace was packed with the heavenly court in full attendance, every important personage and heavyweight present with delicately-wrought fans fluttering in front of their faces, hands tucked into wide sleeves weighed with heavy embroidery, or half-lidded eyes glancing shrewdly at the center of the hall while polite smiles adorned their carefully arranged expressions. Low mutters and subdued voices floated lightly in the hall as the usually casual and informal courtiers maintained their decorum perfectly. After all, they were entertaining guests from another nation right now. It wouldn't do to act too freely.

As always, the Heavenly Emperor sat on his pearly white throne that gleamed with a mild rainbow sheen, the roots extending from it embedded deep into the risen platform. His figure robust and heroic, the Heavenly Emperor rested upon the Throne with a straight posture exuding weighty majesty, his gaze calm and unfathomable.

To his right stood prominent members from the Offices of Judgment, headed at the front by Feng Huixin with Wei Xiang standing to the side and slightly behind him. Garbed in stark black intercepted with gold, the officers all stood with rigid exactness in even rows, their expressions carefully blank while their eyes remained sharp and intent. Righteousness and a sense of duty were stamped into every stiff line of their being.

On the other side of the throne, the high-ranking members of the heavenly armies were stationed, lead by Feng Chunyi at the front and a Qinghe who was made to stand by her side just because his mother wanted to have a son accompanying her too. Wearing thick robes in dark red under heavy plate armor in white and gold, the warriors looked much livelier than the oppressive, black-clad group of the officers of judgment. Though the lieutenants and high-ranking soldiers of the army maintained their ranks with precision, their postures were indolent and their faces more expressive.

The one person who didn't belong there amid the ranks of the army was Qinghe. But since the warriors already knew their general's character, along with already being familiar with her son and his abilities, they welcomed Qinghe's presence gladly.

Qinghe stood beside his mother while wearing pristine silvery white robes that looked slippery and s.h.i.+ny like watered silk, with the character for 'feng' st.i.tched to the left of his chest in gleaming silver thread. The robe was something his parents had had made for him, and Qinghe loved it enough to wear it for all special occasions or important matters of court.

And what was taking place right now was definitely an important matter.

In Heaven, though the Heavenly Emperor was able to control the entirety of the realm due to his connection with the Throne of Heaven, there were still areas that were declared a separate nation from Heaven itself. It was not because of Heaven's lack in military might that they didn't possess those lands, but rather because of the law of fairness that the heavenly court operated by.

It was said that if at any time a group of people wished to secede from Heaven and form a nation of their own, they didn't need to rebel. They only had to send a pet.i.tion to the Heavenly Emperor to allow them to create a new nation. The court would first undertake a thorough evaluation to see if this new nation would be able to hold up its citizens' prosperity and responsibly take care of them. And if they pa.s.sed this a.s.sessment, the Heavenly Emperor would then cede his rule over the land and declare it a new nation, like a parent finally sending their child off into the world to make their own way. However, if the seceded nation ever stopped being able to provide a stable living environment for its people without there being any improvement in the foreseeable future, then the nation was to merge back into Heaven so that its citizens could live better lives. Since it was a reasonable agreement, most nations agreed.

Of the four such nations present in the heavenly realm currently, Wu Jin was one.

Formerly, there had actually been six such nations. But two of them had decided that they had grown powerful enough to conquer Heaven. The result was that the Heavenly Emperor carved out one of these nations' lands and held it afloat high in the sky for years until, isolated from the rest of the realm, they had run out of all natural resources and broke down, pleading for peace and to join back into Heaven. As for the other one, since it chose to turn hostile when Feng Chunyi was serving as the Heavenly General, its armies that were marching to attack the border were utterly and completely annihilated without mercy by Feng Chunyi singlehandedly to vent her frustration after her husband left for the lower realms to search for their young son. After that, the other four free nations quickly sent a.s.surances of friendliness and offerings of peace to the heavenly court.

Now, unable to sustain itself due to a series of calamities borne of internal conflict, the free nation of Wu Jin was considering joining back into Heaven before it lost its last dregs of glory and prosperity. Naturally, the heavenly court welcomed this proposition, since they would have to spend less effort helping them get back on their feet later when they merged with Heaven if the people from Wu Jin already had some means left. But the royal court of Wu Jin remained divided in this prospect. Some wanted to wait and see if they could muster more wind in their metaphorical sails and keep their nation afloat while others wanted to maintain their honor and voluntarily merge back before their condition became unsightly.

To solve this dilemma, the king, along with the most favored fourth prince and a few other important courtiers of Wu Jin, came to the heavenly court to offer a trial. This trial was an ancient tradition dating back to even before they separated from Heaven. If the heavenly court was able to fulfill this one trial, then the royal court of Wu Jin would unanimously agree to the merging of their nation with Heaven and begin negotiations.

―And this was where things currently stood.

From his position near the platform holding the Throne, a minister asked, "Until we know what sort of trial it is, it would be unwise to agree."

Hearing this, heads nodded and murmurs of a.s.sent sounded throughout the heavenly court.

Standing in the center of the throne room, the king of Wu Jin, Yang Lingyun, maintained his composed appearance. His skin was an even, light brown while his hair was colored a darker brown peppered with gray near the temples. Small lines creased the corners of his eyes and mouth, giving him the air of an experienced man. He stood tall and regal in front of the entire court, but a sharp eye could still make out the nervousness flittering in his green eyes.

"You can rest a.s.sured that whatever damage the trial might cause can be easily healed by a deity," said Yang Baoyu, the fourth prince of Wu Jin who was standing beside his father. Yang Baoyu stood taller than his father, his shoulders broad and his well-proportioned body visibly muscled. His face was square-jawed, his features clean and charmingly handsome. His eyes were a similar green to his father's and radiated steadiness and calm.

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"Hmph, or is it that you can't even spare a few healing pills to heal such a simple injury?" questioned the nasal voice of a reedy thin man standing beside Yang Baoyu. He was his cousin, but opposed his and the royal family's views, instead supporting the faction that resisted their nation joining back with Heaven.

Frowning, Yang Baoyu lightly chided, "Royal Cousin speaks too impolitely. Please remember to retain the dignity of Wu Jin's royal court and think carefully before you speak."

Showing a sullen expression, the cousin closed his mouth.

"That still doesn't explain what this trial we have to complete is," asked a woman in a fluttery, light green dress. Her smile was soft and inviting while every sweep of her thick lashes over her bright eyes exuded a seductive allure. She was the Deity of Romance Ai Li, Feng Chunyi's friend and her supplier of strange items.

Yang Lingyun glanced at her and turned back to look at the Heavenly Emperor, trying to not let the other man's heavy and deep gaze intimidate him. "Then I will now reveal the details of the trial."

Waving a hand, Yang Lingyun brought out a large stone structure shaped like a basin. Resting on a cylindrical stand that flared widely at the base, the basin was shaped like a large bowl with a diameter a little less than a meter. The entire structure was chest-high. A pile of fist-sized jewel-like stones shone brightly from inside this bowl in various bright colors. Carved out of ancient rock, the entire structure looked dull and grey on the outside. However, the inside of the bowl-shaped basin gleamed a bright, polished silver.

Addressing the entire heavenly court, Yang Lingyun explained, "This is the ancient brazier pa.s.sed down through the royal line, used for various traditions and rituals. One of those traditions is called 'Testing Will through Fire'. As apparent by its name, it is a trial where one will test their will by immersing a part of their body into the fire that will burn in this brazier. The one who is able to hold on for the longest is declared the victor. And since we are to determine our nation's future, it is only right to let the future of both of our nations take this trial."

More murmurs filled the hall as the deities discussed among themselves about this barbaric ritual, dissecting whatever schemes Yang Lingyun or his court could have concocted and speculating on just what he could mean by his words.

Not willing to waste much time, a courtier directly asked Yang Lingyun in a drawling voice, "What does Your Majesty mean by 'the future of our nations' taking this trial? Please state it clearly."

Yang Lingyun answered solemnly, "The future, of course, rests on the shoulders of the young ones, so they are the true future of our nations. That is why my son, Fourth Prince Yang Baoyu, will represent the Wu Jin royal court as its youngest member and take part in this trial. In return, I request that the heavenly court send its youngest member to compete against him as well. The one who can hold on the longest in the fire will be said to have won on behalf of their nation. Of course, usage of abilities or any outside help is not permitted." After a brief pause, Yang Lingyun called, "Now, may the youngest member of the heavenly court please step forward."

The entirety of the heavenly court froze. Then slowly, all eyes turned towards the platform and the Feng Qinghe standing unruffled near his mother.

Beside Qinghe, Feng Chunyi had on an annoyed scowl. Why should her son take part in some weird, self-mutilating ritual just because he was the youngest? Wasn't it usually the other way round? Weren't the youngest ones supposed to be the ones most protected?

On the other side of the Throne, Feng Huixin and Wei Xiang looked none too pleased as well. Feng Huixin's gaze churned darkly while Wei Xiang's narrowed eyes fixed on the people from Wu Jin with searing intensity. Were these people purposefully targeting his little lover knowing that he would be the Heavenly Emperor one day? After all, as young as he was now, they must think that Qinghe would be an easier target.

But seeming unbothered by all this, Qinghe calmly stepped forward and said, his voice flowing pleasantly, "Since I don't think anyone joined the court after me, I suppose I'm the youngest."

Yang Lingyun's gaze focused on him, looking unsurprised. He silently a.s.sessed the young man who'd stepped to the front, then asked, "May I know how old you are currently?"

Qinghe smiled and replied, "I'm forty. Is it relevant in any way?"

His eyes lightly widening, Yang Lingyun coughed and shook his head. His son Yang Baoyu was two hundred years old, but he had only been hundred-and-twenty when he began attending the royal court. It was considered a very young age to join a court, making the people of Wu Jin laud him as a political genius. But this person who'd stepped up was only forty, and he was already accomplished enough to stand on the platform with the Heavenly Emperor and the Throne! How could Yang Lingyun not be surprised?

But thinking about the various mostly unconfirmed rumors they'd heard of this Feng Qinghe and the Feng household in general, maybe this accomplishment wasn't so astonis.h.i.+ng.

Qinghe's calm voice broke him out of his musings. "Since this matter is important, why don't we begin soon, You Majesty?"

Yang Lingyun looked at him with caution, then nodded. No matter what he was going to be in the future, hearing how this Feng Qinghe had been coddled and cosseted by his family and lover ever since he ascended, he shouldn't be very good at bearing pain. There hadn't yet been a single report of him sustaining any heavy injury while in Heaven, so his life must not include much fighting. Or at least, so he surmised.

Of course, Yang Lingyun didn't know that apart from his light duties in the heavenly court, Qinghe had actually taken part in several important and dangerous tasks these past years, helping both Feng Chunyi and Feng Huixin in their work without publicizing this knowledge and hiding his involvement. Meanwhile, he continued to manipulate people, gain favors, gather support, and h.o.a.rd resources for his household. He also descended regularly to take part in missions with groups of disciples or Elders from the sects, or just went at it on his own, completing all tasks with his usual level of competence and efficiency.

Till now, only a few exceptionally intelligent deities in the court had managed to find out about it. But they also knew that if they didn't want the Feng household to turn against them, they should keep this knowledge to themselves. On the other hand, the rest of Heaven indeed thought that Qinghe's life only consisted of lazing about, being pampered by his family, sometimes attending court to take care of some small tasks a.s.signed to him, and running off to play with his friends in a lower world. And since he was very young by deity standards, it was considered only natural that he'd have it easy, so it did not arouse anyone's suspicion.

And so, Yang Lingyun was secure in the knowledge that the inexperienced Qinghe would lose. If he lost, then that would mean that Wu Jin wouldn't merge with Heaven. But despite not showing it outward, Heaven really needed to have Wu Jin under its control right now due to a certain material that was recently discovered in Wu Jin whose uses led to a large political controversy.

To stop the situation from becoming more volatile, Heaven needed to isolate this newly-discovered material and guard it while the heavenly court sorted out the mess. But they could only do that if Wu Jin merged with them, otherwise it would look like they were invading and bullying a smaller nation. Because of this, even if they failed the trial, Heaven would have to still try to convince Wu Jin to join them, and Yang Lingyun and his faction who supported the merge would 'reluctantly' agree in return for favors. This would also put them on a higher ground during the negotiations.

Using this, Yang Lingyun and his son Yang Baoyu were planning on extracting more benefits for the royal family. After all, once Wu Jin merged with Heaven, it would cease to be an autonomous nation, and its royal family and court would also be dissolved. To make sure they still held onto their prestige so that they could keep on living carefree lives, the king and prince of Wu Jin would need the heavenly court to support them, which was why they were scheming to get favors from it in such a way. With this, they could continue to live luxuriously with political power still in their hands.

But for all of this to be possible, Feng Qinghe must lose. Thankfully, that looked very possible right now.

Thinking all this, Yang Lingyun finally decided to begin the trial without any more delay.

Lifting a hand, Yang Lingyun produced a small crystal bottle with blue liquid slos.h.i.+ng inside. Opening its gla.s.s stopper, he poured the liquid evenly onto the gem-like stones inside the bowl of the brazier and barked a single, sharp word. A spark of spiritual power burst in the brazier and the brightly colored stones inside the bowl burst into blazing white flames with a blue and purple colored center. A wave of heat rolled outwards from the brazier, making those present snap to attention and take a closer look at the fire. Something ancient and vicious danced in those flames, hungering to feed on pain and agony.

Qinghe's eyes slightly narrowed, but his smile remained unfaltering.

The fourth prince of Wu Jin, Yang Baoyu, turned to Qinghe and smiled warmly. "Since Young Lord Feng must have never seen this trial done before, allow me to go first."

Stepping back from the brazier, Yang Lingyun silently made way for his son, his brows lightly creased with concern.

Yang Baoyu walked up to the brazier burning with those strange white flames and pushed up his right sleeve until it reached his shoulder, revealing his muscled arm. Then, after bracing himself, he thrust his bare arm into the fire, his hand tightly clutching the opposite edge of the brazier to stretch his arm out straight.

The attention of everyone immediately fixed on his arm.

Bathed in the eerie white fire, the light brown skin of his arm first turned pink, then turned redder and redder before losing its tautness, beginning to bubble and melt. The fire licking over his arm must be very strong for this change to happen within moments like this. The smell of cooking flesh and charring meat slowly spread throughout the throne room.

Yang Baoyu gritted his teeth, sweat beading his brow as his fingers tightened on the edge of the bowl on the opposite end. The pain was horrible, like a thousand knives coated in acid stabbing deep into his arm again and again. The fire seemed to feed on his agony, growing brighter and harsher as it gently enfolded his arm in its cruel embrace. Each lick of those flames was like a serrated whip ruthlessly cutting into his skin and carving into his flesh. The pain was inescapable, all-consuming, like being devoured by the fires of h.e.l.l itself. It filled his mind completely, the torment weighing every flicker of his thoughts and suffusing even the blank s.p.a.ce in between.

His muscle-corded body turned taut with strain as Yang Baoyu's mind began to buckle under the constant pain beating on his senses. If only he could escape this, if only he could beg it to be more merciful… And he could do it. He could just let go, take his arm back, and the pain would stop. If he took some healing pills, his arm would recover completely within a few hours. He didn't have to go through this horrible pain chewing on his arm, slowly eating away at his will. He could just give up and―

No, he couldn't. He had to hold on. He had to keep going for as long as he could. He was sure that he had already held fast longer than necessary. After all, that Feng Qinghe couldn't possible hold on for this much time. But still, it was better to be cautious.

Just a bit more…just a little bit more…

Through eyes dazed with overwhelming pain, Yang Baoyu saw his own skin slough off his bones and fall into the ignited stones in the brazier, immediately disappearing as if consumed greedily without even leaving behind ash. His exposed muscled slowly burned, turning dark and crisp as they curled. A pained grunt escaped his clenched jaws, followed by a strained groan. It was too much. This pain, this psychological torture of having to force himself to go through this… it more than he could handle.

Before Yang Baoyu could muster up more willpower, his hand instinctively let go of the edge of the brazier, the bones of his fingers creaking. His arm immediately recoiled from the fire as he hunched over due to the pain. Black and white spots flashed in his eyes as he staggered due to the shock of the severe injury.

With alarm, Yang Lingyun and a few other courtiers rushed forward to support Yang Baoyu. His willpower had already exceeded their expectations, so they lavished their care upon him and gave him several pills and elixirs to swallow in quick succession.

Having been watching from the side, the heavenly court also felt somewhat impressed with Yang Baoyu's show of mental fort.i.tude. They weren't sure if Feng Qinghe could match him. But since he was after all someone from the Feng household, they decided to give him the benefit of the doubt.

On the Throne, the Heavenly Emperor calmly spoke, "Deity of Health, please take care of our guest's injury."

A deity garbed in gauzy white robes silently stepped out of the ranks of the heavenly court, his steps making it seem as if he was floating. A strip of white cloth was wrapped around the entire length of his long neck as if to bind a wound. His apprentice, a cheerful young girl in blue robes, walked behind him. Gliding towards the people of Wu Jin, the Deity of Health immediately began attending to Yang Baoyu without uttering a word while the smiling young girl spoke in his stead, explaining what her master was doing so that they wouldn't be alarmed.

Seeing that his son was in good hands, Yang Lingyun turned to Qinghe and said, "Young Lord Feng, it is now your turn."

Qinghe nodded and stepped down from the platform before beginning to leisurely walk towards the brazier. His smiling expression remained the same even as he saw the white flames in the brazier waving with increasing vigor as if welcoming a new meal.

Reaching into the back of his mind, Qinghe sent a small poke and asked,

The Heavenly Throne's voice sounded grumblingly,

Qinghe sighed inwardly.

The Throne immediately yelled back in retort,

Ignoring this outburst, Qinghe lamented,

Suppressing his mirth at the irate tone, Qinghe questioned,

Qinghe's mind was suddenly flooded with the Throne's incredulous laughter.

Qinghe wanted to roll his eyes.

Having said everything he wanted to say, the Throne let out a sly snicker before his presence receded.

Qinghe suppressed a frown. So there would probably be some other plot after this trial was over. But for now, he had to finish this trial and then focus on healing his arm. He could deal with whatever happened next afterwards.

Finally reaching the brazier, Qinghe carefully began rolling up his right sleeve. After all, he didn't want it to come loose at an inopportune time and get burnt. He liked this robe too much to risk that. His lightly muscled arm was slowly revealed, looking slender yet showing a marked definition. Without much ado, Qinghe placed his arm into the fire, his palm casually resting on the edge of the brazier directly opposite to him.

The attentions of everyone in the throne room quickly s.h.i.+fted focus between his arm and his expression, trying to a.s.sess just how long he would be able to hold on.

In the fire, the smooth and unblemished white skin of Qinghe's arm quickly turned red and began melting off, the thin layer of yellowish fat underneath boiling and evaporating with popping sounds. Soon, raw muscles and bones were revealed, roasting over the open flame. But even as the fire continued to burn his entire arm from his wrist to below his shoulder, Qinghe's expression showed no change. His eyes remained undisturbed as his smile stayed pleasant. There was no strain or rigidness in his posture as well. It was as if he couldn't feel the pain ripping up from his arm with brutal intensity at all while his flesh slowly cooked right in front of him. Compared to the obvious difficulty with which Yang Baoyu had faced this trial before, Qinghe seemed exceedingly composed and relaxed as if he were soaking in a hot spring rather than getting his arm roasted.

The people watching from both sides wanted to gape at his nonchalance. In a disbelieving voice, Yang Lingyun asked, "Y-Young Lord Feng…can it be that you are unable to feel pain? If that's the case, then this will become a very unfair trial."

Qinghe looked up at him with amus.e.m.e.nt. "Your Majesty, I am capable of feeling pain as much as anyone here. There's nothing wrong with my tactile perception. And I'm sure you already know that in these halls of the Heavenly Palace, no one can lie or cheat. But still, fair or not, I can't help it when you were the one who chose to call for me to come and take this trial in the first place."

Yang Lingyun was left with no words to refute and could only stare in incredulity as Qinghe watched his arm burn with a carefree expression. The fire had already eaten through the layers of his skin and muscle, now licking over his bared bones and charring them black. Sharp crackling sounded as the marrow inside reacted to the heat.

On the platform, Feng Chunyi was watching with gritted teeth and intense eyes. She would do anything to take her son's place, but she also knew that her Qinghe wouldn't want her to undermine him in front of the entire heavenly court. He needed to stand strong and separate from her protection. He needed to make a name of his own so that his authority would be respected in the future. She already knew that this much pain was well within her son's limits, so she waited while almost trembling with the strain of not leaping to Qinghe and pulling him away from that stupid fire.

On the other side of the platform, Feng Huixin and Wei Xiang had much the same thought. They already knew that Qinghe could handle it, and also that he neither needed nor wanted their interference. But unable to stand quietly and watch his son suffer, Feng Huixin turned his head and said something inaudible to the Heavenly Emperor. Hearing it, the Heavenly Emperor frowned and nodded. In a measured voice, he declared, "Since Deity Feng has already borne the fire for much longer than Fourth Prince Yang, he is the victor. There is no need to continue this further."

Hearing this, Qinghe nodded and immediately tried to retract his arm. But reduced to blackened bones, his arm was without any muscles to let him control it, so he could only step back to drag it off the brazier. Due to the damage, the bare bones of his arm could only dangle limply from his shoulder socket now. Uncaring of it, Qinghe unrolled his sleeve and let it drape over his charred bones, hiding them from view. With his arm thus covered, there seemed to be nothing amiss at all as he walked back to the platform towards his mother. His steps stayed steady and his back straight as he leisurely made his way forward.

When Qinghe was a couple of meters from the platform, the officer on the other side of Feng Huixin softly said, "Lord Feng, Officer Wei, you should go and take care of Young Master Feng. I can take over here."

Giving nods of grat.i.tude, Feng Huixin and Wei Xiang immediately leapt down and began striding towards Qinghe with worry apparent in their expressions. Seeing this and being unable to control herself either, Feng Chunyi impatiently jumped down and rushed towards her son as well, reaching him first due to being nearer.

As he saw the concern in his mother's eyes as she headedfor him, Qinghe tried to rea.s.sure her, "Mother, it's alright."

"Of course you'd say that!" Feng Chunyi retorted, then pulled him close for a hug before her hand crept up and cupped her son's nape. "See how tense your nape is. It must be hurting you so much…" she whispered disconsolately. Then quickly sorting through her storage s.p.a.ce, Feng Chunyi took out several pain dampening pills to give him before searching for healing pills.

Finally reaching them too, Wei Xiang wrapped his arms gently around his little lover's waist and asked in a low voice, "Love, how is it? Does it hurt too much? Do you need to go back home and rest?"

"Qinghe, don't strain yourself. Wait, I'll go and get the Deity of Health to take a look at your arm," Feng Huixin said with a frown as worry darkened his eyes.

Qinghe looked at them all with helpless affection. Was there really a need to fuss so much over this? It wasn't like he would die or be permanently maimed. But still… seeing their care and concern made his chest fill with a sweet warmth. "Xiang, Mother already gave me medicine for the pain, so I don't feel anything for now. And Father, there's no need to trouble the Deity of Health when he's attending to Fourth Prince Yang. My arm will heal within a few weeks anyway, so please don't worry."

Seeing the Feng household once again pampering Qinghe so blatantly, the others all showed a complicated expression. After witnessing the frighteningly calm way he'd taken the trial in, they had to wonder, was there even any need to worry over him like this? Either way, the sight of his relaxed and smiling face as he saw his own arm burn to bones would forever be etched into their minds. As befitting someone of the Feng household, this Feng Qinghe seemed to be just as unfathomable with hidden depths and complexities as the rest of his family.

After his son was fussed over to his satisfaction, Feng Huixin went to stand in front of the Heavenly Emperor and bowed respectfully, "I request Your Majesty to let my son use the Lotus Nectar Pond to heal his injury, since he has after all come to bear the wound in the line of fulfilling his duty to the heavenly court."

The Heavenly Emperor nodded. "So be it. He may use it after the court closes for today."

Feng Huixin hesitated, then nodded. As much as he wanted to rush his son to the healing pool, it wouldn't do for them to abandon their stations while there were outsiders still in the court.

Meanwhile, wanting to move this along quicker so that Qinghe would be able to go and heal in the pool soon, Feng Chunyi turned towards the people of Wu Jin and said, "Since my son was able to last longer, does this mean that your nation will now start negotiations about merging with Heaven?"

Yang Lingyun's lips pressed together. Since it was like this, they had no choice but to use the other, more unreliable scheme they'd thought up. Sighing, he nodded. "Yes, we concede you this victory. We will begin negotiations. However, to make sure neither side makes any unexpected moves against the other, I would like to ask for some insurance."

By now, after being attended to by the Deity of Health, the pain in Yang Baoyu's arm had been numbed and regeneration had already begun. As a centuries-old deity, unlike Qinghe, he would only need a few days to heal. And due to the medicine he'd already taken, that time had now shortened to a few hours. And so, quickly composing himself again, he went to stand by his father. After all, the next stage of their plan would require his partic.i.p.ation as well.

Not willing to let them keep dragging this, Feng Chunyi folded her arms and prodded, "What sort of insurance do you mean? I'm sure you already have something planned. Just say it already."

Faced with her direct approach, Yang Lingyun hesitated. But under her glare, he quickly spoke, "I meant an exchange of politically influential people. If one of our important people were to be exchanged with one of the significant personages in the heavenly court, then we will each have a reason to keep our behavior in check to protect the person exchanged from our nation. Does the Heavenly Emperor agree to this?"

Being a man of few words, the Heavenly Emperor simply said, "That will depend on whether the people themselves consent to be exchanged."

Yang Lingyun nodded. "Then from our side, I propose to send my son, Fourth Prince Yang Baoyu, as the exchange. As the one who was chosen to be my heir and the next king of the nation of Wu Jin, he is the most appropriate for this."

The Heavenly Emperor turned his deep gaze towards Yang Baoyu. "Does the Fourth Prince agree?"

Pinned under that heavy gaze, Yang Baoyu swallowed nervously and nodded.

Letting out a silent breath in relief, Yang Lingyun went on, "The person he is to be exchanged with from the heavenly court should have an equal value as well. In that case, I suppose the most suitable one would be…"

Seeing Yang Lingyun's gaze land on Qinghe, his parents immediately stepped in front of him protectively while Wei Xiang held him closer. In a decisive voice, Feng Chunyi stated, "No, my son will not go with you, especially not in his current condition."

Yang Lingyun narrowed his eyes. He supposed he couldn't press this matter. From beside him, Yang Baoyu lifted his uninjured arm to lightly touch his father's hand. When Yang Lingyun turned to him, Yang Baoyu smiled rea.s.suringly, indicating that it was alright, he could use this situation. Yang Lingyun's eyes widened as he realized what his son was planning. Yes, it would be better if his son had the chance to talk with that Feng Qinghe and a.s.sess the best way to influence that youngster.

Clearing his throat, Yang Lingyun turned to the other three members of the Feng household and pondered. Proposing to take Feng Chunyi as the exchange was out of the question. She was too cunning and volatile. But due to his status as a heavenly beast, the wyvern Wei Xiang couldn't strictly be called a part of the heavenly court either, so he couldn't be chosen. That only left… Yes, this could work. Targeting the next Heavenly Emperor might be more beneficial to them. He just hoped his stupid children back home wouldn't screw this up for once.

In a smooth voice, Yang Lingyun spoke, "Pardon my presumptuousness, but may I ask Lord Feng to be the exchange from your court? As the next Heavenly Emperor, it is only fitting that you be exchanged for the next ruler of our nation."

The Heavenly Emperor's eyes deepened with unfathomable thoughts, but he stayed silent. Though he was their ruler, he always kept his interference to a minimum. He would leave this matter to the persons involved to handle. If they asked for his help or needed it, he would answer, but otherwise, he would simply let them decide what to do.

The other courtiers of the heavenly court had much the same att.i.tude. Though it seemed like the Feng household was being targeted by the people from Wu Jin this time, they were still certain that those four could handle themselves. But if they found that these courtiers from Wu Jin actually managed to hurt them, then the entirety of the heavenly court would stand behind the Feng household and against the outsiders. But until then, they saw no reason to move. The politics of the heavenly court were that simple and that complicated at the same time.

Meanwhile, though Feng Huixin was surprised, he still nodded in reply to Yang Lingyun. It was better for him to go than his son anyway.

Seeing his father being targeted, Qinghe lost his pleasant smile and directed a sharp gaze at Yang Lingyun while Wei Xiang looked at the people from Wu Jin with an amused expression. If they thought his Master would be easy to manipulate or influence, they'd be in for a surprise. Feng Chunyi didn't spare them a thought as she simply reached out and held her husband's hand tightly.

Turning towards the group from Wu Jin, Feng Chunyi asked, "When do you want the exchange to take place?"

Yang Lingyun didn't expect them to so easily let him choose who to take back as the exchange, but he quickly recovered from the startlement. "Since it's better to start negotiations immediately, it would be better for the exchange to take place right now. Since Lord Feng will have to stay at the Wu Jin royal palace for the duration of the negotiations, I hope you don't mind my son staying at the Feng residence in the meantime?"

Qinghe's eyes suddenly glittered with something akin to sly glee, but he quickly hid it. "Yes, that'll be fine. We will host Fourth Prince Yang, then."

The rest of his family didn't refute him, trusting him to know what he was doing.

Yang Lingyun frowned. Why did they suddenly seem antic.i.p.atory? Shouldn't they be feeling anxious since their patriarch would be going away for a while? Something suddenly occurring to him, Yang Lingyun spoke up in an apologetic voice, "Lord Feng, I would like to state an important condition that I hope you will choose to accept. Since you will be staying at my homeland for the next one or two days, could you please allow me to put on some deity-suppressing restraints on you? Considering how powerful you are, I wouldn't feel at ease knowing you could destroy large portions of my country at once by just accidentally releasing a little bit of your power."

By all rights, hearing such a flimsy excuse, anyone would usually reject it. But surprising everyone, Feng Huixin nodded calmly. "Very well. If it will make Your Majesty feel at ease, then I don't mind putting on those restraints."

Anyone could see that what Yang Lingyun said was only an excuse to nullify Feng Huixin's power so that he would be helpless when he arrived at Wu Jin's royal palace. But though the younger ones in the heavenly court showed worried expressions at Feng Huixin's acquiescence, the more experienced ones simply smiled wryly. They already knew enough about Feng Huixin to not feel concern over this situation. And one had to know, the more the Feng household seemed like it was giving in, the more cautious one had to be.

But not knowing that, Yang Lingyun felt happy that everything was going so smoothly and that every request of his was being agreed to so easily. Slowly walking up to Feng Huixin, he retrieved a set of seven bangles and held them up respectfully. Each of them was a plain ring of black-colored metal s.h.i.+ning dully despite the bright light. The materials and procedure to make these restraints for deities were only available in Wu Jin, which was what had destabilized the nation in a way. Certain people wanted to obtain these types of restraints very badly while others wanted to make sure no one could ever get their hands on them. Along with internal upheaval caused due to an underground organization in their capital city, it was no wonder that Wu Jin was reduced to such a state so suddenly.

Without fuss, Feng Huixin cooperatively pushed back his sleeves to reveal slender white arms that almost looked delicate. With careful motions, Yang Lingyun slid the bangles one by one onto both of Feng Huixin's arms, settling seven restraints in each. Usually, a deity only needed a single bangle to be completely unable to use their power. It was hypothesized that the Heavenly Emperor might need four sets, that is, eight whole restraints, which was already a shocking amount. But just to be safe, Yang Lingyun had used seven whole sets—a total of fourteen restraints—on Feng Huixin. He knew it might be a bit overboard, but he still wanted to be as cautious as possible, so he'd used all the ones he had just to be safe.

After both of Feng Huixin's arms were covered from wrist to elbow with these bangles, Yang Lingyun muttered a spell and had the metal restraints shrink so that Feng Huixin couldn't just slip them off. Now, until Yang Lingyun personally decided to take them off, these bangles would remain on Feng Huixin, restraining his power.

Straightening, Yang Lingyun finally declared. "It is done."

Feng Huixin nodded expressionlessly, not seeming affected by the loss of power in the least. Strangely enough, Feng Chunyi didn't seem bothered as well, just staring intently at Yang Lingyun until he felt cold sweat covering his back.

Once she was satisfied that she'd scared him enough, Feng Chunyi turned to her husband and hugged him. "Ah-Xin, take care of yourself and don't put up with any injustices, alright?"

Feng Huixin lifted his arms and hugged his wife back, his eyes softening. "Yes."

As he let go, the bangle-restraints on his arms made heavy clunking sounds. But Feng Huixin didn't look strained in the least while moving his arms.

In a solemn tone, Wei Xiang spoke out, "Master, did you have time to look over the files I left on your desk yesterday?"

Feng Huixin's eyes deepened. Those files had contained investigation reports on the underground organization plaguing the capital city of Wu Jin. Thinking about some of the logical hypotheses presented in those files, Feng Huixin had been somewhat surprised. Nodding to show that he had indeed looked through those files and understood the danger Wei Xiang was asking him to look out for in such a roundabout way, Feng Huixin said, "Yes, I know. I will be careful."

Wei Xiang let out a breath in relief and nodded. Though he was worried for his master's safety, he also knew that Feng Huixin wasn't the type to put himself in danger without thought. He was usually very careful and methodical. So for him to agree to Yang Lingyun's terms like this should mean that they held no threat to him.

In Wei Xiang's embrace, Qinghe held out his uninjured hand and retrieved a rectangular wooden box, then handed it to his father with a cheerful smile. "Father, these are the sweets with the new flavors we decided on yesterday evening. All of them were made specifically according to your tastes. I wanted to save them to enjoy together later, but since you'll be away from home for a while, I want you to have them now itself. Think of us when you're eating it, okay?"

Feng Huixin's eyes slightly widened, then turned warm with affection. Solemnly accepting the box with his precious son's handmade sweets, he said, "Yes, thank you."

Qinghe's expression turned happy. Though he had been concerned at first, since his mother didn't try to manipulate the circ.u.mstances to get his father out of this situation, it must mean that his father would be able to handle this.

After receiving his family's well-wishes, Feng Huixin walked to stand in front of the Heavenly Emperor and bowed. "Your Majesty, Deity of Judgment Feng Huixin will now depart for the lands of Wu Jin."

The Heavenly Emperor nodded. "Lord Feng, be well. And if need be, listen to your master."

Everyone in the throne room except Feng Chunyi looked at them with curiosity and surprise. His master?!

Feng Huixin's expression tightened with sudden shock, but he quickly put it away and replied, "Yes, I thank Your Majesty for your concern."

And so, all courtesies fulfilled, Feng Huixin turned to Yang Lingyun. "I am prepared to set off." He didn't want to extend this and delay his son's treatment in the healing pool.

Yang Lingyun nodded and turned to Yang Baoyu, "Yu-er, you will stay with the Feng household until the negotiations are over. Behave yourself and don't do anything that will violate the laws of Heaven." If he did, then depending on the severity of the offense, the heavenly court might just get even more leverage over them.

Also understanding this, Yang Baoyu nodded gracefully and smiled with a.s.surance. "Father, I know. I will not shame our nation."

Yang Lingyun turned to his reedy-thin nephew and ordered, "Yang Jian, lead everyone back. I will stay here with the people who came with me to negotiate the terms of merging. Treat Lord Feng with the utmost respect, and after you reach the palace, tell my children to take good care of him as well."

The very picture of an obedient nephew, Yang Jian bowed and replied, "Yes, Royal Uncle."

Yang Lingyun gave a nod and turned to walk away with his people without another word. Left bowing, Yang Jian sneered before fixing his expression and straightening again. What was even the need to bring him and his faction of people opposing the merging in the first place? His uncle had just ended up doing everything as he liked without letting them say a single thing! Did he think they were his servants to order about as he liked? Hmph!

But fearing Yang Lingyun and Yang Baoyu, Yang Jian didn't dare show even a hint of his displeasure outside or make any moves now. He just respectfully led Feng Huixin out along with the dissatisfied-looking people who had come with Yang Jian to the line of carriages in which they'd arrived. Once they'd made their way far away from this place, he could then try to mess with his uncle's instructions.

...

The carriage rattled along among the line of other, similarly opulent vehicles being drawn forward by vaguely horse-shaped spiritual beasts. The carriage Feng Huixin was allocated to had soft leather seats and a relatively smooth gait as it trundled along. The gauzy fabric of the curtains was drawn over the windows to block out the harshness of the suns.h.i.+ne, filtering the light to cast the inside in dim shadows. Other than Feng Huixin, there was no one else in the carriage.

Feeling comfortable in this environment, Feng Huixin finally opened the box of sweets Qinghe had given him that he'd been carrying along till now. Inside, several b.a.l.l.s of white dough sat in part.i.tions, each one looking even, smooth, and very round.

Reaching out slender fingers, Feng Huixin carefully took the one in the top right corner and lifted it up to his lips, parting them to take a small bite. The pleasant fragrance of rose mixed with the flavor of saffron and honeyed milk, dissolving on his tongue smoothly. Feng Huixin closed his eyes, his brows relaxing as he savored the sweet. He didn't usually care about food except for his preference towards milder flavors, but since the ones in this box were made and specially given to him by his son, he was determined to enjoy every crumb of it as if it was made from divine nectar.

After the first one was finished, Feng Huixin reached for the one below that, then the next one, until he'd completed one-third of the sweets before even realizing it. Feng Huixin paused and looked at the box with a.s.sessing eyes. No, it wouldn't do to finish it all in one go. He had to ration it until the time for him to go home arrived. Letting out a soft sigh, he closed the lid of the box, then raised his crumb-stained fingers to stare at it with a conflicted emotion in his eyes. Manners indicated that he should just use a cloth or some water to clean his hands, but Feng Huixin really didn't want to waste even this little bit of the sweets his son had worked hard to make.

Well, since there was no one else present in the carriage…no one should be able to see him acting improperly.

Rea.s.suring himself with that, Feng Huixin extended his tongue out from between his lips and carefully licked away the crumbs on his fingers, then retracted his tongue and swallowed the last remnants of the sweets he'd finished with a guilty look. Placing the box of sweets on his lap with his hands neatly resting on it, Feng Huixin straightened his back and a.s.sumed a proper posture again.

Hours pa.s.sed in this way.

Just when the line of carriages finished making a stop to feed and water the horse-like spiritual beasts and was about to move, the door to Feng Huixin's carriage unexpectedly opened and a large, bald man entered, directly sitting on the seat opposite to him.

Closing the door just as the carriage began to move, the bald man turned to Feng Huixin and explained, "One of the carriages has a loose axle that will need to be repaired. Since this carriage is mostly empty, I decided I could share with you. Do you mind…uh, Lord Feng, wasn't it?"

Feng Huixin slightly turned his head and nodded. "It is fine."

The bald man grinned, his dark eyes looking up and down while a.s.sessing the other man. "Hmm, that's good then. Wouldn't want to inconvenience you, now would we?"

Not seeing the need to speak, Feng Huixin remained silent, his figure still as he closed his eyes to show that he wasn't open to any more conversation. He heard the bald man chuffing out a strange laugh as he s.h.i.+fted on the leather seat before settling himself comfortably again. Feng Huixin could hear every loud breath the other man exhaled, along with the thud of his large heart, the irregular staccato of his boot tapping the floor, and the tiny s.h.i.+fts of his clothing as his chest moved up and down. It was slightly irritating, but Feng Huixin bore with it. It didn't help that other than those little noises, the carriage was almost completely silent. But even the m.u.f.fled sounds of the rhythmic hoofbeats of the spiritual beasts pulling the carriage outside and the rattle of the wheels and the wooden cabin was more pleasant to hear than the annoying little noises let out by this person.

But not wanting to blame the other man for something he couldn't control, Feng Huixin determinedly ignored him and redirected his thoughts to the sweets Qinghe had given him. It would have been even more perfect if his other son, Wei Xiang, could have made something too, but maybe it was for the best that he didn't. After all, Feng Huixin would then have to carry around an extra box. And Wei Xiang had already helped him a lot by compiling that information about the underground organization in Wu Jin's capital. Knowing that certain operatives from that organization might be in high positions in the palace was definitely something he had needed to know. It would help him take precautions and―

Feng Huixin suddenly sensed the bald man get up and step towards him. A moment later, humid breath smelling of chicken and sour onions washed over Feng Huixin as the other man leaned over him. Easing his eyelids open, Feng Huixin flicked his gaze upwards without a change in expression. The bald man was looming over him, one arm on the windowsill to the left while the other hand gripped the top of the seat to his right, caging him in.

In an inflectionless voice, Feng Huixin asked, "Yes?"

The bald man grinned and tilted his chin down to motion towards Feng Huixin's lap. "You've been tightly holding on to that box since you came out from that s.h.i.+ny white palace, haven't you? It looks like it's made out of very expensive and high-quality stuff too. What's in there? Money? Treasure? Or is some sort of priceless artifact?"

Feng Huixin remained indifferent. "It's nothing of that sort."

The bald man laughed. "Hey, come now. You have to let me at least take a look. For all I know, you've got it stuffed with phoenix feathers. Since we're sharing this carriage anyway, why don't we share the contents of your little secret box too, huh? Or are you that stingy?"

Feng Huixin wanted to sigh. Closing his eyes again, he refused simply, "No."

The bald man's face twitched with anger, but he suppressed it and talked in a jovial voice, "Now, now, mister. Don't be like that. You might be some uppity hotshot from Heaven, but I've already been told that all your divinity has been sealed away by some pretty bangles. If I wanted to hurt you now, there's nothing you can do. So it's better to cooperate, isn't it? It's more painless that way."

Feng Huixin opened his eyes and looked up at the bald man again. This man… he was threatening him? And he seemed to be under the wrong impression that Feng Huixin was helpless just because of those deity-suppressing restraints. Even most children of deities knew that blocking one's spiritual energy did nothing to weaken physical strength. To not even know that… did this bald man lack intelligence that much? But Feng Huixin very politely didn't ask the other man that to his face.

But taking his silence as agreement, the bald man chuckled and reached a hand towards the box on Feng Huixin's lap. His brow twitching once in annoyance, Feng Huixin clamped his fingers around the other man's wrist, not letting it even touch the box before flinging it away. Once again, he said a single, unbending word, "No."

The bald man wanted to rage and yell at him, but the second his eyes met Feng Huixin's, he froze. Feng Huixin's eyes were like two crystallized pools of frigid coldness, the dark depths filled with unfathomable age and weight. Shocking might exuded from his slender body, stilling the air around them and making the breath in the bald man's chest feel like it had solidified into stone. His trembling lips parting, the bald man let out a smothered yelp.

That small sound brought Feng Huixin back to his senses. Closing his eyes, he composed himself again. The aura of overbearance in the air slowly dissipated as he regained his calm.

The bald man took a shaky breath and let out a shuddering laugh. "Y-You must be some heavyweight if you can do all this even when your power is suppressed. Mister, let's put aside that box. Now I'm even more interested in you."

Not wanting to give Feng Huixin the chance to do anything, the bald man shot out his hand to grip Feng Huixin's jaw to pull his face towards his own. Seeing that extremely stunning androgynous face nearing him made the bald man feel incredibly excited. No matter the other man's aura, the bald man was sure that with his power currently sealed, Feng Huixin couldn't do anything more than posture grandly. And just the thought of holding such a beautiful and otherwise powerful being down, ripping open that black robe and having his way with his struggling body, made the bald man lose his reason as all blood rushed downwards. As he'd expected, the beauty his master chose for him to steal from and humiliate this time was exactly his type!

Feng Huixin's eyes narrowed, his neck remaining rigid as he pulled his head back. Sensing the growing bulge in the other man's pants as he pressed against his knee, Feng Huixin felt a hint of repugnance curling in him. This man dared to try and force him! A small spark of anger finally ignited in his eyes.

Meanwhile, faced with his surprisingly strong resistance, the bald man used his other hand to press on the back of Feng Huixin's unbudging head to try and pull if forward while growling, "Now, now… The more you resist, the more painful it will be later. If you act good and obedient, I will even leave half of the contents of that box to you. Otherwise, not only will you lose your virginity, you will also―"

Not wanting to hear any more nonsense, one of Feng Huixin's legs swept out to kick away this infuriating person, barely managing to hold back his strength in time. The side of the carriage exploded outward as the bald man went shooting out.

From high up, the line of carriages looked like a long snake in brown and gold slowly making its way forward on a pale and narrow path. On one side was a steep mountain face rising up while on the other side was a lush, dense forest. Suddenly, a large projectile burst out of one of the carriages in the middle of the line, blasting through the forest and tearing down the ancient trees in its wake. The carriage with the exploded side was suddenly pulled to a halt by its startled driver, making the ones behind it stagger to a stop as well. A few moments later, the ones in the front noticed the disturbance and slowly rolled to a halt as a few people came out to see what was wrong.

In the carriage, Feng Huixin sat with his usual poise, uncaring of the entire wall reduced to splinters beside him when the bald man crashed through it, flying with force into the forest. Looking down at the undamaged box on his lap, Feng Huixin frowned. Though he really wanted to put it away in his storage s.p.a.ce… Feeling the heavy restraints on his arms, he could only sigh and push aside that thought.

Within minutes, Yang Jian and a few others hurried towards the carriage, looking with wide eyes at the trail of wood and splinters leading into the forest, mixed with some streaks of blood here and there.

Gingerly approaching Feng Huixin, Yang Jian asked, "L-Lord Feng…may I ask just what happened here?" In his mind, Yang Jian was cursing the bald man for failing in his simple task of discomposing and humiliating Feng Huixin a bit. Yang Jian had even used that box this man's son had given him to bait that bald man by purposefully misleading him about the contents, saying it had something valuable in it. All Yang Jian wanted to do was defy his uncle's orders and place all the blame on the bald man. How did it end up like this?!

Still sitting calmly in the ruined carriage, Feng Huixin cast a disinterested glance at Yang Jian and answered, "The man you sent wished to a.s.sault me. I disagreed."

Hearing this simple statement, Yang Jian's lips twitched. "I…I don't know what Lord Feng means by the man I sent… I don't remember sending anyone…"

Feng Huixin turned to look at Yang Jian, his eyes cold and piercing.

Yang Jian snapped his mouth shut and held himself tautly to avoid trembling. He was the kind of person who, if someone let him push them around, wouldn't mind pus.h.i.+ng that person to their death. But the moment someone showed him that messing with them could have very grave consequences, he would immediately become servile, not daring to offend them. His weak character was what had made Yang Lingyun choose Yang Jian to represent the opposing faction, since having someone strong would be more troublesome for him.

Not wanting to waste his breath with such a person, Feng Huixin said, "Since this carriage is now unfit for travel, I hope Lord Yang has a replacement ready for me?"

Unable to meet that incisive gaze, Yang Jiang hesitantly replied, "Uh, th-that… We don't have any empty carriages for Lord Feng's use, s-so…if you don't mind sharing…"

"I refuse," Feng Huixin stated, not willing to be polite anymore. Though he tried not to be unreasonable, he wouldn't put up with being mistaken for a pushover either. "I do not trust your people, so you can either clear a carriage for my use or wait for the other carriage with the faulty axle to be fixed. That shouldn't be a problem, I hope?"

Yang Jian's hands clenched within his sleeves. He felt as if the weight of the other man's gaze on him was like a mountain pressing down on his shoulders. He didn't dare to even lift his head as he nodded quickly, "Y-Yes, it will be arranged. If Lord Feng is willing to be a bit patient, th-then I can have it ready within the hour."

A few moments of ominous silence slowly dripped by before Feng Huixin finally agreed, "Very well. It wouldn't do keep everyone waiting for too long, so please make haste."

Yang Jian let out an unsteady breath in relief and nodded fervently, trying to project sincerity. Hurrying off, he set about working to get a free carriage for Feng Huixin. At the side, a few people were busily hauling off the unconscious and bloodied bald man from the forest on a stretcher, while a few others argued about who would share their carriage with the injured person.

Inside the carriage with the busted wall, Feng Huixin leaned back silently on the backrest, looking completely unapproachable. He disliked having to behave in a forceful manner like he just did, but if it would get people to bother him less, then he supposed he could only use it. Letting out a soft sight, Feng Huixin closed his eyes. It seemed that this whole business of him being used as an exchange was going to be troublesome this time.

Thirty minutes later, the carriage that was supposedly getting repaired was quickly brought back and Feng Huixin was able to peacefully relax in solitude again. This time, no one disturbed him except to ask him if he needed anything when they stopped to rest the spiritual beasts drawing the carriages.

A few more hours of travel later, they finally reached the large scale transportation array that would directly lead the whole line of carriages to the other side of the array situated before the Wu Jin royal palace. A few dozen minutes after the transportation array was activated, Feng Huixin finally found himself entering the gates of the nation of Wu Jin's royal palace.

...

In the meantime in Heaven's capital, as soon as court was dismissed for the day, Feng Chunyi and Wei Xiang wanted to rush Qinghe to the healing pool. Before going to submerge himself in the pool, Qinghe asked his mother to escort Yang Baoyu to the Feng residence and give him a room to stay at, then go to the heavenly armies' barracks until this situation was over. After Feng Chunyi asked a dozen times if her son would really be able to deal with everything without her help, she went off to do as requested.

Now, a few hours had already pa.s.sed since Qinghe entered the healing pool. The azure skies were beginning to darken to purple, the horizon a line of burning orange as the sun slowly eased downward. Reflecting the twilight, the thick bluish-green liquid in the healing pool gained a warmer tint.

Sitting on one of the wide marble stairs leading down into the square pool was Wei Xiang, his gaze intently fixed on the spot where Qinghe had laid down. He had remained entirely unmoving from the moment his little lover waded into those languid waters.

Though Qinghe could have just submerged his burnt arm into the pool to let it heal while he stayed above the surface, unfortunately, the damage wasn't just isolated to his arm. His entire body had been adversely affected due to the unbearable heat that had charred his arm down to the bones. He had developed a fever and even some of his organs had incurred damage due to the heat seeping into the rest of his body. But not wanting to appear weak, he had suppressed these symptoms until the end of court, which had only made them worse. And so, he had to once again lie down on the pool's floor to heal his whole body.

But unlike the last time when he slept alone in the pool for three years, this time, Wei Xiang waited for him anxiously on the pool's edge, not wanting to leave his beloved for even a moment.

As Wei Xiang thus continued to stare intently at the pool while hoping for the slightest signs of movement, his wishes were answered as the small round lotuses in a certain area began bobbing up and down even as ripples disturbed the surface of the thick liquid. Wei Xiang quickly stood up, his gaze focused with frightening intensity on the disturbance.

Qinghe slowly emerged from the middle of the healing pool. Standing up, he felt thick liquid weighing his clothes and slowly dripping down his hair. Qinghe carefully made his way forward to the edge of the pool and walked up the steps until he reached his lover. Waving a hand, he quickly dried his clothes, body, and hair with the wind, s.h.i.+vering at the resultant feeling. Wei Xiang immediately came forward to hug him tight. "Love, how is it? Are you alright now?"

Qinghe rubbed his chilly face into his beloved's comfortably warm shoulder and replied, "Yes, I'm fine now. The arm is fully regenerated too."

Wei Xiang stepped back and quickly lifted up Qinghe's right arm, pus.h.i.+ng up his little lover's sleeve to rea.s.sure himself. With a helpless smile, Qinghe indulged his beloved. Staring at the smooth skin stretching over the healthy looking arm, Wei Xiang finally let relief take over him.

"Satisfied?" Qinghe asked.

Wei Xiang raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Not yet, love. I haven't performed an in-depth examination yet."

Qinghe's face turned pink as Wei Xiang lowered his head to place his lips on his little lover's fingers. Extending his tongue, he gave the slender fingers a warm lick before kissing them gently. "Hmm, the newly regenerated skin seems softer. I feel that more exploration is required."

As Wei Xiang's lips and tongue slowly made their way up his fingers to his knuckles, then the back of his hand and to his wrist, Qinghe inhaled a deep breath and whispered unsteadily, "…X-Xiang…we can't… We still have that guest…waiting back home― Ah! …Mnn…" His voice dissolving into a moan as he felt a soft suck on his arm, Qinghe pushed away thoughts of Yang Baoyu and decided to enjoy his lover's attentions for now.

Wei Xiang smiled in satisfaction, his mouth moving up his beloved's arm while kissing, licking, and sucking along the way. Qinghe's lips parted as his breaths turned hot and heavy. His eyelids fluttered down gently while need slowly unfurled in his belly. Hmm, if this was his reward for having his arm burned, then he didn't mind doing it a few hundred times just so that he could feel his lover's lips moving on his skin like this, so soft and warm…

Wei Xiang reached all the way up to Qinghe's shoulder where the sleeve sat bunched. Pressing one last kiss and finally lifting his mouth from the smooth skin, he said, "Yes, everything seems to have healed nicely."

Qinghe's eyes darkened with need looked deeply into Wei Xiang's. Pulling down his beloved's head by his nape, he enticed, "I can think of plenty of other places you can explore next."

Wei Xiang smiled, letting himself be pulled down. "Oh? What other places does my little lover have in mind?"

"This," Qinghe said, then kissed him. Wei Xiang groaned and pulled his beloved tighter against his body, his hands smoothing over Qinghe's back and sides even as he opened his mouth to let his tongue play with Qinghe's. Pressed together, their bodies gently swayed as their mouths sucked each other with pa.s.sion.

Qinghe's hands slid down from Wei Xiang's shoulders and his strong back to settle on his hips. As he pulled his lover forward to grind the bulges between their legs against each other, Qinghe felt his blood boil with the need to feel his Xiang inside him right this instant. Leaning back from the kiss, he panted harshly. "X-Xiang…let's do it now."

Wei Xiang gave a breathless laugh and leaned down peck his little lover on his forehead. Just as Qinghe felt his antic.i.p.ation increasing, Wei Xiang suddenly pushed him away and said solemnly, "Feng Qinghe, what sort of behavior is this? We have a guest waiting for us alone at home. How can you give in to l.u.s.t at a time like this?"

"…" Qinghe speechlessly looked at Wei Xiang. Then spotting the laughter and mischief lighting up his beloved's gaze, Qinghe's lips twitched. With an unamused expression, he took a step forward. "Xiang, you…"

Wei Xiang immediately leapt back and chuckled cheekily. "Now, now, love. I won't fall for your seductive wiles so easily." Then turning around, Wei Xiang sped away.

For a moment, Qinghe just stood there blank-faced. Then letting out a growl borne out of s.e.xual frustration, he chased his smirking lover at full speed while shouting, "Wei Xiang, you sneaky b.a.s.t.a.r.d! Just wait until I catch you, and then I'll make you wish for a quick death!"

Laughing cheerfully, Wei Xiang continued to run while wondering just what fun things his little lover was planning to do to him if he caught up.

Seeing this couple chasing each other around like this and playing happily together while they had a snake staying at their house, the people of the capital couldn't help but wonder at the Feng household's carefree att.i.tude. Could it be that they didn't feel threatened by Yang Baoyu's presence at all?

Not caring about others' speculations, Qinghe and Wei Xiang had their hearts' fill of fun before making their way back to the Feng residence.

On the way from the transportation array to the house's gates, Wei Xiang suddenly asked, "Qinghe, what are you planning with that fourth prince?"

Qinghe's eyes gleamed slyly. "Well, since he and his people seem to be scheming to tip the balance between our courts in their favor, I wanted to try doing the same too. That prince will probably try to approach me sometime, probably because he thinks I'm young and easily manipulated. He will try to test the waters and get a feeling for my relations.h.i.+p with you. Well, I have a few ideas on how to use that, but I want to wait and see just how far he is going to go."

Wei Xiang shook his head with a wry smile. Well, if playing with that prince could entertain his little lover a bit, then he was content to let his Qinghe mess with their guest however much he wanted. He could just stand at the side and see his beloved's happily plotting face.

And so, the pair of lovers merrily made their way into the Feng residence.

But the second they stepped foot into the house, Wei Xiang stiffened, a corner of his lips lifting up in a snarl. "He dared!"

Qinghe frowned concernedly. "Xiang, what happened?"

Walking quickly, Wei Xiang replied, "That prince actually tried to fiddle with the wards around the egg chamber."

Qinghe's expression turned cuttingly serious. "Did he breach it?"

"Of course not, but he removed a few layers. It's not like we didn't prepare the wards for this, but still… What sort of guest dares to try and lay his hand on his host's children?!"

Qinghe chuckled coldly. "An extremely rude one. He's crossed a line, so I hope he's ready to pay."

Within moments, they reached the egg chamber. The s.p.a.ce before the door was empty. It seemed that sensing their arrival into the house, Yang Baoyu had decided to abandon whatever he was doing and retreated into his room. He shouldn't yet have known that Wei Xiang was directly linked to the eggs using a perception spell. The second the eggs were in grave danger, Wei Xiang would be able to sense it. This sort of spell was only possible because of Wei Xiang's shared blood with the unborn wyverns inside the eggs, which was why no one else in the Feng household could use the same spell. But since the eggs weren't in any direct danger this time, Wei Xiang was only able to sense Yang Baoyu's fiddling with the wards after he entered the house.

But not knowing that the couple had already found out, Yang Baoyu might try to distract them someway and get back to working through the wards. Qinghe was determined to use this. But he refused to let his future children be the bait.

"It seems that the chamber isn't safe anymore," Wei Xiang spoke.

Nodding, Qinghe said, "It's good that we already have a safer secret chamber prepared that we were planning to move the eggs into anyway. But the problem will be transferring the eggs there without alerting our nosy guest."

Wei Xiang sighed. Just because these eggs were linked to the Feng household, they were being targeted. By destroying the eggs, the future of the household could be weakened, and by stealing them and holding them hostage, they could exhort and manipulate the Feng hosehold however they wanted. Of course, seeing how valuable the unique wyvern bloodline was, they could also sell the eggs or breed the wyverns hatched from it to make a fortune. There were plenty of such reasons for Yang Baoyu to want to access the egg chamber and the eggs within, but neither Qinghe nor Wei Xiang would let him have his way.

By now, Qinghe was already plotting all the ways he could exact vengeance for this without harming Yang Baoyu, since doing so would give the other side a reason to cry injustice and use it as leverage against the heavenly court. Even if Qinghe was able to hide all evidence of any crimes done unto Yang Baoyu, the second he stepped into the throne room and was questioned by the Heavenly Emperor, he could only tell the truth. But despite all this, though he couldn't hurt him, Qinghe still knew plenty of ways to make Yang Baoyu suffer.

Since Yang Baoyu wanted so desperately to get Wu Jin some power in these negotiations, Qinghe would make sure that he would be the reason Wu Jin lost power instead.

"Xiang," Qinghe finally called. "I will distract him, so can you use that time to ready the secret chamber in the meantime and move the eggs?"

Wei Xiang nodded. "Do you want my help with the distraction?"

Qinghe was about to shake his head, but suddenly paused as he thought of something and nodded instead. "It will make things a bit easier if you could act as if you're losing your affection for me. I can then act the role of the lonely and neglected lover. Of course this will make our guest want to come and console me. Long story short, I can get us a few hours without his interference to set up something that will hopefully end up with his regret and despair."

Wei Xiang raised an eyebrow. "Can you do it without breaking the laws? Since we are the hosts, if something happens to him during our watch, we will naturally be suspected."

But Qinghe only chuckled. "I know. It will be fine."

His expression softening, Wei Xiang bent down to kiss his little lover's smiling mouth, then murmured into his beloved's soft lips, "Very well, then. I'll leave all the scheming to you. But for now, we have a show to put on. Our guest has left his room and is heading towards us."

Qinghe leaned back and nodded. Not wanting Yang Baoyu to find them by the egg chamber and trigger his suspicion, Qinghe and Wei Xiang also started strolling through the corridors while slowly increasing the distance between them purposefully.

When Yang Baoyu saw his hosts and how they didn't seem to have found anything out, he finally relaxed. "Young Lord Feng, Lord Wei, I see that you are back."

Qinghe smiled pleasantly and said, "Yes. I apologize for failing to attend to you till now. I hope Fourth Prince Yang hasn't found anything inadequate?"

Yang Baoyu chuckled and shook his head. "No, of course not. I'm just grateful that the Feng household has graciously agreed to host me. May I ask how Young Lord Feng's arm is now?"

Qinghe lifted the arm in question and replied, "It's all healed up now. And yours?"

"Thanks to the Deity of Health's care, mine has thankfully regenerated as well," Yang Baoyu answered smilingly.

At the side, after remaining silent with an irritable expression all this while, Wei Xiang finally spoke, "I have matters to attend to in the Offices of Judgment in Master's absence. Qinghe, take care of our guest." Then giving Yang Baoyu a curt nod, Wei Xiang turned on his heel and left.

Qinghe raised a hand as if to ask him to stay, but curled his fingers and lowered his arm again. Biting his lip, Qinghe saw his lover's back getting farther away with a dissatisfied expression mixed with hints of loneliness and apprehension. Of course, Yang Baoyu didn't fail to catch this, his eyes gleaming with ideas as he maintained a sympathetic expression. "Lord Wei seems quite a bit colder than he shows outside."

Giving an awkward laugh, Qinghe acted as if he was trying to make excuses, "N-No, that… I'm sure he's only dreading all the work waiting for him in his office. Yes, I'm sure that's it. And his workload also seems to have increased these past few months, making him stay out late… No. I'm sure it's only work…"

Looking at Qinghe's expression that seemed to be saying that he didn't want to face the obvious signs of his lover losing his interest in him and maybe even cheating on him, Yang Baoyu had to struggle to hide his pleased smile. It seemed that getting this person to his side would need even less effort than he'd thought. He should perhaps put aside the matter of that protected egg chamber and work on Feng Qinghe instead.

After a few more moments of longingly gazing in the direction Wei Xiang had gone in, Qinghe finally turned to Yang Baoyu with a somewhat subdued smile. "If Fourth Prince Yang needs something, please don't hesitate to find me. Now, if you'll excuse me, I…I need to go and…"

With an understanding smile, Yang Baoyu said kindly, "Yes, of course. I'll go to my room and meditate for now."

Acting like he wanted to considerately give a sad Qinghe some s.p.a.ce, Yang Baoyu walked back. Dropping his anxious expression, Qinghe showed a small, amused smile and began to head in the opposite direction.

And so the two people parted, each with their own thoughts and schemes.

...

In the Wu Jin royal palace, Feng Huixin stepped into the simple room set aside for him, closed the door, and breathed a sigh of relief.

The second Feng Huixin had entered the palace, he had been latched onto by Yang Baoyu's three other siblings. The eldest was a mountain of a man called Yang Yehuo whose bold att.i.tude reminded Feng Huixin of the unpleasant bald man from the carriage. Yang Xuehua was the second prince, a slender young man with an earnest, somewhat shy, and pleasant personality. The third was an energetic princess named Yang Ruanyu, who happened to be Yang Baoyu's older twin.

Each poked and prodded Feng Huixin verbally, trying to get information about the situation back at the heavenly court, the status of the negotiations, and other such details about politics. Having to constantly evade their questions while surrounded by their lively personalities left Feng Huixin exhausted. So, now that he was finally able to enjoy some peace and quiet, Feng Huixin relaxed.

Looking around, he noticed that this room given to him wasn't too opulent despite being situated in the palace. Its placement also pointed to it probably being a servant's quarters before, but Feng Huixin didn't mind. The furniture in the room was simple and functional, and there was a large window opposite to the door that let in fresh breeze. Feng Huixin noticed that the windowsill was thick enough, and the window itself was wide enough, that two to three people could easily sit on it. Maybe that really was the intended purpose.

Walking up to the table in the center of the room, Feng Huixin placed the box of sweets he had been carrying till now down. Pulling out the nearby chair and sitting on it, he carefully opened the box, pondering on the two-third of the sweets still left. Then giving out a sigh of defeat, he proceeded to slowly eat another one-third of the sweets. He missed his family, and eating food made by his son seemed to fill the emptiness in his chest a little.

He contemplated on whether he should try contacting Wei Xiang telepathically to cure his loneliness, but decided not to. With Yang Baoyu in the Feng residence right now, who knew how tense the situation there was? Wei Xiang might not be able to afford being distracted right now. Unless it was an emergency, it might be better not to contact him. Sighing, Feng Huixin decided that eating his son's handmade sweets would have to suffice for now.

While growing up, Feng Huixin had never had the chance to eat food made with affection for him alone. The kind nanny who'd brought him up had been terrible at cooking. But whenever one of Feng Huixin's siblings tried to hara.s.s him to gain points from their parents by throwing away his food, his nanny would give him some fruits. Her son had been a fruit vendor, and knowing how despite being a young master from a rich family, Feng Huixin was often deprived of food, the fruit vendor also set aside the juiciest fruits in his stock for Feng Huixin. As a sensible and quiet little boy, Feng Huixin had evoked protective feelings in most of the adults he'd met.

The rest of the time when he was able to eat, Feng Huixin had to sit at the table with his various siblings while his parents would be seated at the head. His siblings would aim their sly tongues and poisonous words at each other, constantly attacking one other verbally while scheming to pull the others down so that they could gain their parents' favor. Their parents looked on at all of this with satisfied smiles while a.s.sessing the intelligence of their children like studying meat at a market. Not wanting to be a part of all this, Feng Huixin had let himself be pushed to the end of the table to sit near the unfavored children just so he wouldn't have to hurt others. He had long since given up any hopes for parental affection, instead feeling content with the love shown to him by his nanny.

But now, every day was filled with warmth and laughter as he shared pleasant meals with his family. His wife Chunyi, along with his sons Xiang-er and Qinghe, made every meal a joyful and relaxing experience. Feng Huixin had never felt lonely before having a family. But after getting used to their playful banter and gentle shows of affection, the small acts of care and carefree discussions, Feng Huixin found that spending time away from his family was getting more and more difficult. He missed them. He missed feeling like a part of his loved ones' lives.

Sighing, Feng Huixin lifted another round sweet to his mouth, letting its complex yet mild flavors temporarily fill the emptiness in his heart.

Meanwhile, in another part of the palace, the three royal siblings were huddled around a table and holding an important discussion.

"I say, that old man can't just train only Baoyu all this time and then expect us to scheme like a born and bred politician!" the princess Yang Ruanyu stated displeasedly. "He wants us to squeeze some benefits out of that Lord Feng without just beating him up or hurting him in any way, but how exactly do we do that? Threatening won't work, since he already knows that we can't break any laws if we want the merging to go smoothly and in our favor. We can't kidnap his family, since they're not even here… Tch! What the f.u.c.k does that father of ours want us to do?!"

The tall and overly muscled Yang Yehuo folded his arms and leaned back. With a solemn nod, he stated, "We have to seduce him. There's no other way."

Yang Ruanyu slapped the table with her fair hand. "Elder Brother! Just because you've gained an interest in that Lord Feng s.e.xually doesn't mean you can just blatantly insert your self-interest into this very serious discussion, understand? If we mess this up, Father will probably rip us a new one in front of the entire court while saying what a great and otherworldly genius our youngest brother Baoyu is again! Do you want to go through that?"

Yang Yehuo snorted. "Younger Sister, if you can come up with a better idea, then by all means, do tell."

"Tch. I don't know, that's why I'm asking you lot, aren't I?" Yang Ruanyu muttered with irritation. Turning to the Yang Xuehua who had been silent all along, she barked, "Well? Second Elder Brother, do you have anything to contribute?"

Yang Xuehua sighed. "Do we have to follow Father's orders again this time? He will probably be disappointed no matter what we do, so is there even a point in trying? Also…Lord Feng is our guest. I don't think we should―"

Yang Yehuo slapped his big hand on Yang Xuehua's back and laughed. "There you go worrying about unnecessary things again. Who cares if he's our guest or not? If we can use him, then we should. If I can use him in bed, then it would be even better."

"Oh, shut up about it already," Yang Ruanyu groaned while rolling her eyes. "I heard that man has a wife, so he might not be interested in men anyway."

Yang Yehuo sneered. "Oh, I wouldn't be too sure. Maybe if I can push him down once or twice, I can confirm it."

Yang Xuehua frowned and bowed his head. In his soft voice, he said, "Elder Brother, such a thing… you really shouldn't do that."

Nodding to agree with him, Yang Ruanyu said, "Yes. Father said not to harm him, don't you remember? He's not one of your pretty servants you can just use and throw away without concern. He's a bigshot from the heavenly court, though I have no idea what he actually does. Anyway, if you hurt him, it could affect the negotiations, so behave."

Yang Yehuo didn't look too happy about it but still nodded, while Yang Xuehua looked even more uncomfortable with the situation.

"So, in the end, what exactly should we do?" Yang Ruanyu sighed. The topic ended up returning to where it had started.

"Well," Yang Yehuo began hesitantly. "Even if he isn't interested in men, we know for sure that he's at least interested in women, don't we? Maybe Younger Sister could give it a try and seduce him."

Yang Ruanyu didn't look convinced. "He's beautiful and all, but… is there really nothing else we can do?"

Yang Yehuo unfolded his arms and spread his hands helplessly. "If we had any other ideas, then do you think I'd suggest this? It's a safe enough method. And you only need to play with him until we're done extracting as much benefit from him as we can. You can keep using him or throw him back to his wife after everything is over."

As if unable to hear anymore, Yang Xuehua suddenly stood up. "I-I don't approve of treating Lord Feng this way!" Without waiting for his siblings to say anything or looking them in the eye, he turned and quickly walked away with a complicated expression.

Yang Ruanyu watched him leave confusedly. "What's up with him?"

Shaking his head, Yang Yehuo said, "He's always been weak. Maybe he doesn't like how we were talking about our guest. Leave him be. He'll get scolded by Father anyway when it comes out that he didn't even try to fulfill Father's instructions. For now, let's focus on that Lord Feng."

"That's true. Anyway, for now, I'll go and pretty myself up a bit and work my charm on our dear guest," Yang Ruanyu declared and got up.

Nodding and also standing up, Yang Yehuo accompanied his sister as she began walking. The plan they had was admittedly not the best, but hey, stupider things had worked for them before, so what was the harm in trying?

In his room, Feng Huixin looked up at the stars in the night sky visible outside the window and wistfully thought about his family, oblivious to the developments in the palace.

Sitting in the flower garden in the Feng residence, Qinghe looked up at the same sky, his lips curling in antic.i.p.ation as he lifted another jar of wine to his mouth.