Qinghe walked unhurriedly on the path, his mind bubbling happily with thoughts of finally being able to marry his Xiang. He had already relayed their decision to his parents, and they had quickly begun preparations for a grand wedding. Even the twins had joined in to help with the arrangements to reduce the burden on the soon-to-be-weds. After hearing of it, many of the courtiers had also pitched in with their own ideas of what customs to include and which ways to decorate. Of course, in the end, it would be Qinghe and Wei Xiang who chose what suggestions to follow for their wedding.

Surprisingly enough, after word of their impending marriage spread, the Feng residence received an abundance of young deities expressing their regret that Qinghe would soon be forever out of their reach and that though they were exceedingly jealous of Wei Xiang, they hoped he would treat him well. Qinghe had been beyond baffled at their seemingly abrupt regard while Wei Xiang had on a smug smile. Feng Huixin had just sighed and looked helpless in the way he usually did when his family did something strange, but he'd also stayed silent.

In the end, it was Feng Chunyi who, after laughing heartily, finally explained. From the time Qinghe had shown his face at the heavenly court for the first time, their residence had received a constant influx of proposals from various families on behalves of their young lords and ladies. It seemed that Qinghe had won quite a few hearts at the court that day. But not wanting the unceasing flow of proposals to burden her son since he was already very happy with his lover, Feng Chunyi had promptly disposed of them all. And because Wei Xiang had kept his eyes open in the meantime while expecting something like this to happen, he had also known of Qinghe's popularity.

It seemed that in the end, it was only Qinghe who had remained oblivious. After all, no one had made any overt advances on him till now and neither had he been looking out for other people's romantic interest towards him. Faced with his disinterest and the sudden word of his upcoming nuptials, his admirers decided to give up and wish him well. Seeing that they'd finally let go, Feng Chunyi also deemed their well-wishes harmless and decided to let Qinghe see them. It definitely wasn't because she wanted to be entertained by her usually sharp and sly son's shocked expression, she told herself.

After all that, Qinghe and Wei Xiang decided on what rituals to adopt for their wedding and started preparations. The only uncertain factor was the officiator for their wedding. And so, Qinghe took on the important task of requesting the Heavenly Emperor to officiate at his and Wei Xiang's marriage and headed for the imperial residence situated near the back of the Heavenly Palace after sending word in advance.

A simple iron gate greeted Qinghe when he reached his destination. Thick shrubbery grew along the wall and covered the gates' edges. Peering through the bars in the gates, it was apparent that more greenery ran riotous inside. On either side of the gates stood two imperial guardsmen, their postures stiff, expressions forbidding, and attire immaculate―except for one thing. Both the guardsmen had on a nest of giant fluffy feathers in bright colors like turquoise, yellow, and orange on their heads. Nestled at the center of these overly gaudy nests was a single painted wooden egg each, inscribed with the character for 'idiot' in a flamboyant and conspicuous script right in the middle.

The contrast of the guardsmen's usual imposing figures and those ridiculous crowns of bright feathers had Qinghe blinking to make sure he was seeing right. What the heck was this?

The guardsman on the left, a square-jawed and fair-skinned man, was the first one to greet Qinghe. In a baleful voice, he called out, "Young Lord Feng, are you here to meet His Imperial Majesty?"

Qinghe gave a nod, his gaze unavoidably gravitating towards the nest of feathers on the guardsman's head and the egg proclaiming him an idiot. Since Qinghe was already familiar with quite a few of the guardsmen due to his frequent visits to the heavenly court held in the palace, he decided to directly ask, "What is that thing on your heads? I don't think the strict restrictions on the uniforms for the imperial guardsmen changed enough to allow for something like this, did it?"

The guardsman on the right, a relatively young man with dark skin and bright eyes, answered with both humor and regret, "No, it didn't. For what other reason would one wear such a ridiculous thing if not because of losing a bet? We challenged the general to a bet that we could outlast her in a drinking compet.i.tion. You can see the result of that ill-advised challenge."

The left guardsman burst out, "Who knew she'd be such a good drinker despite being a woman?! It's illogical!"

Qinghe chuckled and advised him, "If you generalize the abilities of everyone of a particular gender like that, it's inevitable for you to suffer such consequence. Especially with my mother of all people."

The one on the right sighed and nodded. "I should have listened to my gut and my own logic rather than going along with this fool."

"Oi, who are you calling a fool, you brat!" the one on the left shouted indignantly.

Qinghe shook his head amusedly. There was no place in their world for discrimination. The sooner this man learned it, the easier it would be for him. It was a wonder he hadn't suffered direr consequences in his life till now due to looking down on women. No wonder his mother wanted to bully him.

Putting the matter aside, Qinghe was just about to ask the guardsmen to open the gates when the square-jawed one on the left turned to him. "Young Lord Feng, the general is your mother, isn't she? Do you know any of her weaknesses? I refuse to let a woman get the better of me!"

Qinghe raised an eyebrow. "Well, if you want to get the better of my mother, then I can only wish you good luck." And that your corpse will be in one piece, he continued in his mind.

The guardsman frowned and determinedly persisted, "Young Lord Feng, please tell us! I'm sure you must know something we can take advantage of the next time we bet against her. Even her likes and dislikes are fine! It'll be even better if you could tell us of something she's especially fond of or fears."

The dark-skinned one on the right sighed exasperatedly and muttered, "Are you still not letting go?"

Qinghe's eyes flashed with sharp humor as he answered the guardsman on the left. "Very well, I will give you a few options and let you guess which one is correct. My mother loves growing plants because she is a female and loves nurturing them, or she loves growing plants that are poisonous or monstrous in some way to use against people she dislikes. Which do you think applies to her?"

The guardsman on the right mumbled to himself thoughtfully, "I'd say the second one is more likely…but is the answer really so simple?" After all, everyone knew by now how sly this Young Lord Feng was. Could his riddles really be so easy? Or was he counting on them overthinking and choosing the wrong option? But what if this was a double bluff?

Not thinking that far, the one on the left who asked the question immediately said, "Then the answer must be the first one! The general is a woman after all, and one who has a wood-based ability to boot! She must definitely feel tenderly towards plants because of her innate feminine nature!"

He looked at Qinghe with expectant eyes, asking him to confirm his hypothesis. But Qinghe merely laughed and said, "I've already given you what you asked for. You are free to test your answer with my mother directly. Now, if you would be so kind as to open the gates, I have an appointment to attend to."

The one on the right hurriedly pushed open the gates as if just remembering his duty while the one on the left nodded to himself as if in conviction. After Qinghe said his farewells to the two guardsmen and walked through the gates, he heard them arguing outside.

"I'll definitely win against her this time! I'll show her what a man can do!"

"…Are you still going on about that? I'm not humoring you this time. This much humiliation is enough for me."

"What are you saying? Where is your dignity as a man?!"

"Neither of us has any left now. Our dignities flew away the moment we had to wear this because of your failed bet, you big buffoon."

"Hmph, then I will challenge the general and win back my pride!"

"…Then go and die alone."

"Of course, you will accompany me as my friend!"

A long and weary sigh answered him.

Qinghe chuckled to himself as he entered the Heavenly Emperor's residence. He wondering what new type of ridiculous things those guardsmen would be wearing the next time he saw them.

...

Using his wind in the residence, Qinghe quickly determined the Heavenly Emperor's location and headed in that direction. Reaching the room, he knocked on the half-closed door. "Deity Feng requests Your Majesty's permission to enter," he called in his pleasant voice.

"Come in," came the reply.

Qinghe pushed the door fully open and stepped into the room. It was wide, s.p.a.cious, and decorated in a spa.r.s.e and traditional way. Stateliness and age permeated the s.p.a.ce. It gave the feeling that everything here was frozen in time, as if not one piece of furniture in this room had been moved in millennia. This was also the ambiance of the rest of the house from what Qinghe had been able to see till now.

The wall opposite to the doorway to the room had a round moon gate as high as a person cut into it, offering the view of the untamed garden beyond. A low table rested perpendicular to the open moon gate, with the Heavenly Emperor sitting serenely on the left side, sipping tea. His curly white beard shone in the light while his robustly muscled figure radiated strength. His posture was straight, and despite him restraining his aura, his presence still felt daunting.

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But the Heavenly Emperor's dignified atmosphere was cut in half due to a cute little black turtle perched on his head, blinking its round eyes slowly and waving its little limbs in the air.

Qinghe felt amused. Why did everyone he met in this residence have something strange on their heads today? Hopefully, he wouldn't end up with something weird on his head as well by the time he exited this residence.

As Qinghe walked into the room, the Heavenly Emperor continued to sip tea while waving a hand at the floor cus.h.i.+on on the opposite side of the table. "Deity Feng, please have a seat."

Qinghe nodded and went to sit down. Seeing that there was a cup placed in front of him with a pot of tea nearby, he decided to pour himself some too.

Taking a leisurely sip of the light and sweet tea spiced with flavorful herbs, Qinghe shot a look loaded with playfulness at the little turtle sitting on top of the Heavenly Emperor's head. "Xiao Tian, I never imagined I'd get to see you looking so cute."

The little black turtle with tiny stars glittering on its ebony sh.e.l.l glared at Qinghe. His mouth opened and closed but no sound emerged. Puffing up in anger, Xiao Tian molded the s.p.a.ce around him and changed his body.

Qinghe continued to slowly savor his tea.

In a few moments, the little turtle resting on the Heavenly Emperor's head turned into a small boy sitting on his shoulders. The boy had a pet.i.te face and figure. His skin was a warm white and impeccably smooth, with lines of silvery reflections constantly sliding over it like sunlight filtering through clear water and dancing on a lakebed. The stretch of his long black hair ended in a perfectly straight line. The small and sharp glint of what seemed like tiny white stars glittered in his hair, making it appear like a small slice of the unfathomable cosmos. His large eyes were bright and clear, his irises reflecting a different color with each angle it was viewed from. His presence gave off an unnerving sensation. It was as if he was neither dead nor alive.

Unwinding his limbs from around the unconcerned Heavenly Emperor's head, Xiao Tian went to sit on his right and poured himself some tea as well before replying to Qinghe, "Hmph, I'm cute in any form I choose to take. What business is it of yours?"

Qinghe tsked. "Such a surly child you are. Is this how you speak to someone older than you, Xiao Gui?" He could barely suppress his laughter.

Slamming the cup on the table, Xiao Tian complained, "I'm far older than you, brat! And who are you calling 'Xiao Gui'? Don't just name me whatever you like, you pesky human!"

Qinghe chuckled. "Oh? But isn't the name 'Little Turtle' much more suitable for you than the 'Little Heaven' I usually call you by?"

"Hmph. Do I look like a turtle to you now?" Xiao Tian grumped.

A sly light flashed in Qinghe's eyes. His smile was full of hidden meanings as he stated, "You might look like a human boy now, but isn't your true form that of a turtle? Or rather, what I should really ask is—aren't you the first world turtle to ever exist in this universe?"

Xiao Tian's eyes narrowed. Beside him, the Heavenly Emperor's gaze s.h.i.+fted to focus on Qinghe as well. His voice sounded as weighty and full of power as usual as he spoke, "Deity Feng, that knowledge is restricted. How did you hear of it?"

Qinghe answered unperturbedly, "I recently came to know from the Master of Land—a being who governs all land in one of the mortal worlds—that each world gains life only when a world turtle makes their home in it. It made me ponder, who was the one who gave the heavenly realm life then? The conclusion I came to was that it must be the first ever world turtle. No one else would be that old or have that much power. But Xiao Tian also implied to me once that he was responsible for maintaining the heavenly realm. I naturally realized from that that Xiao Tian must be the first ever world turtle to exist then. But unlike the other world turtles who could only give life to a single world at a time, Xiao Tian gave life to a whole universe, with Heaven at its center. Am I wrong?"

Xiao Tian's eyes flashed, but he nodded. "No, you're not wrong."

His suppositions confirmed, Qinghe smiled placidly and lifted his cup of tea to his lips again.

The Heavenly Emperor's probing gaze rested on him for a moment more before he said, "This knowledge should not be freely spoken."

Nodding, Qinghe easily promised, "I know. I won't tell it to anyone I don't trust. I will take full responsibility for whatever comes of me speaking of it."

The Heavenly Emperor gave a short nod and continued to drink his tea.

Xiao Tian looked as if he was musing about something. After a few moments of silence, he asked, "Feng Qinghe, what do you know about the heavenly beasts?"

Qinghe blinked. Xiao Tian's serious tone was more like a teacher grilling a student than his usual fun-to-tease self. Qinghe put down the cup of tea and casually leaned back to support himself on his palms. "I know that there are four heavenly beast clans now: the True Dragon Clan, the Eternal Phoenix Clan, the Auspicious Qilin Clan, and the World Turtle Clan. The Spirit Tiger Clan, which was the fifth heavenly beast clan, went extinct long ago while in a mortal world."

Xiao Tian nodded. "Yes, and what else?"

Qinghe felt puzzled, but shrugged and went into more detail, "Of all the heavenly beasts, it is said that the true dragons are the most ambitious, greedy, and arrogant. The first true dragon was a beast that could control all elements. Afterward, as times changed, of all its descendants, the storm dragons that were able to wield wind and water became the most prominent, mostly due to wors.h.i.+p received from the mortal worlds. After all, for mortals, most natural disasters are caused due to one of those two elements. Later, water dragons became even more wors.h.i.+pped due to the prevalent floods and droughts. But after ama.s.sing power in secret, the fire dragons started hunting down all other breeds of dragons in an attempt to dominate the True Dragon Clan, and later, all the heavenly beasts. Their plan succeeded to a degree and they rule their clan to this date. The other dragons currently number very few in comparison. But the fire dragons have not succeeded in taking over the other beast clans till now, and I doubt that will change."

Qinghe had heard most of this from Wei Xiang and Zheng Xuan. His knowledge of the other heavenly beast clans was a bit spa.r.s.er.

Taking a sip of tea to wet his throat, he continued, "On the other hand, unlike the true dragons, the eternal phoenixes have carefree personalities and do not bother much with politics. They are scattered across the many worlds and live their life drifting in leisure. However, when the True Dragon Clan once targeted them to try and take over while a.s.suming they would be the easiest to conquer, the phoenixes a.s.sembled and overwhelmed the dragons with raw might before chasing them out of their territory. But despite that, they do not appear to bear any grudges towards the true dragons and have gone about as usual after that.

"In contrast, the auspicious qilin are said to be proud and very petty. They are also capable of conferring powerful blessings or curses. Due to a feud with the phoenixes, the qilin cursed them to never be able to give birth to females again and withdrew to hide in some unknown area. They have not been heard from since. But true to their personality, the phoenixes remained uncaring. They either found females from other species to have children with or invented new methods to let males of their own species give birth. It is their methods that are used by males of other species to conceive even now.

"The spirit tigers that are extinct now were said to have been wise and profound. They appeared in dreams of great people and served as their spiritual guides, ushering them to greater heights. They were learned and had the most knowledge of anyone at their disposal. But that didn't mean that they were purely scholarly. They could be especially wild and ferocious in battle when provoked, but were otherwise sensible and peaceful beings. They especially loved children and showed much care towards them. To avoid aggressions from the True Dragon Clan, the Spirit Tiger Clan is said to have migrated to a lower realm, taking its Tower of Knowledge with it. The clan later perished without leaving even a single survivor.

"Unlike all of them, the world turtles are largely considered a mystery. They are said to live in a mystical place called the River of Existence somewhere at the edge of the heavenly realm. There are very few accounts of anyone having run across one of them before. Their temperaments are described as mild, but nothing more is known of them. If not for the Master of Land telling me of how they burrow into worlds to sleep and provide them with spiritual energy and life, I wouldn't have known anything else about them either."

Tilting his head, Qinghe looked at Xiao Tian, "This is a basic summary of all I know about the heavenly beasts."

Xiao Tian nodded. "It seems you found out a lot more than I expected. Putting the other clans aside, what we need to talk about is the Spirit Tiger Clan."

Qinghe asked curiously, "What about them?"

"Due to their wise and largely impartial natures, the spirit tigers have been the ones responsible for choosing candidates for the position of Heavenly Emperors all this time," Xiao Tian explained. "Due to their extinction, Feng Qinghe, you are the first Heavenly Emperor candidate I've had to select personally. And your father is the last Heavenly Emperor candidate to ever be selected by a spirit tiger."

Qinghe sat up straighter, his attention sharpening.

Xiao Tian folded his arms and continued, "Your father is in possession of the Tower of Knowledge and is the heir to everything belonging to the spirit tigers. Of course, he is without a doubt a full human."

Qinghe's mind spun with thoughts. "Your usage of the word 'heir' implies that my father has not yet obtained everything, which means that someone else has a right to it currently. Is it a spirit tiger? Is it someone from the clan who managed to live and is close enough to my father to make him the heir?"

Xiao Tian shook his head, but paused. "I cannot deny that he is close to your father, but the last spirit tiger is definitely dead. The Spirit Tiger Clan is extinct without doubt."

Qinghe paused in thought, then sighed as he realized what must have happened. "Could it be that…the last spirit tiger is still stuck in spirit form as a lingering ghost?"

Xiao Tian grinned. "You do catch on quickly. Yes, he is still lingering in spirit form. Do you wish to know everything?"

Qinghe pondered. He could simply refuse, then go and ask his father about it directly. But for some reason, he felt that getting the story from Xiao Tian would give him a different perspective. His father did not like to talk about his past, not because he didn't want his son to know, but because he viewed it as a mostly unpleasant matter that he didn't wish Qinghe to burden himself with. The only thing he had ever talked at length about was his time with Feng Chunyi. There were mentions of his master here and there as well, but he never went into much detail about him.

All Qinghe knew till now was that his father rescued his mother and took her back to his master's place in the mountains where Feng Huixin stayed at then. Later, Feng Huixin was chased by his household and fled with Feng Chunyi to avoid bloodshed, but Feng Chunyi ended up decimating the Feng household. They then returned to Feng Huixin's home in the mountains and cultivated in peace until they ascended.

From this, Qinghe could easily deduce that the spirit tiger that cared about his father must be his father's master.

Qinghe pressed his lips together. "Is there any specific need for me to know about my father's past?"

Xiao Tian smiled. "Not particularly. But I can tell you things about Feng Huixin that he will never speak about with you. Do you not want to know what all your father went through? I am willing to tell you."

Qinghe rested an elbow on the table and cupped his chin with the palm. "As I'm sure you already know, I only came here to ask His Majesty to officiate at my marriage."

The Heavenly Emperor spoke up without missing a beat, "Deity Feng, if you listen to everything Lord Heaven has to say today, then I will agree to it."

Qinghe's gaze grew hooded. After a stretch of silence, he nodded. "Very well. Xiao Tian, you might as well start from the beginning then. Tell me everything."

Xiao Tian smiled widely. "Good. Then let's start from the very beginning."

Qinghe settled himself more comfortably and refilled his cup with tea. He was guessing that this would be a long tale.

Xiao Tian coughed to clear his throat and began, "Long ago, when the Spirit Tiger Clan was looking for a way to escape the True Dragon Clan's hara.s.sment, the recently retired Heavenly Emperor of that time chose to lend a helping hand. Coincidentally, he was also the bearer of a heavenly soul and a powerful wielder of wind. Since he had no family and nothing to hold him in the heavenly realm, he decided to accompany and help the spirit tigers. He led them to settle in a particular mortal world and helped them flourish. He was considered the closest friend of the spirit tigers and was honored by all its leaders. The retired Heavenly Emperor also lavished his affection on them and treated them as his family. Eventually, he grew to love a mortal woman from a nearby town and started his own household. That was how the Feng household first came to be."

Qinghe's gaze deepened as he carefully sipped the tea.

Xiao Tian's childlike voice continued, "The Feng household was originally established near the mountain where the spirit tigers resided. But after they started dabbling in sea trade—which mostly involved being employed to use their wind ability to make s.h.i.+ps sail faster and reduce the impact of sea storms—the Feng residence moved to the coast. Over the millennia, it lost its connection to the spirit tigers and forgot about them. The Feng household slowly turned into a family of aristocrats."

Qinghe suddenly interrupted, "What about the founder?"

Xiao Tian shrugged. "After the woman he loved died of old age, he went to sleep. He waited for her to be reincarnated and then went to woo her incarnation. They spent a lifetime together before that incarnation pa.s.sed away as well, after which he went to sleep and waited for her reincarnation once more, endlessly repeating the cycle. Currently, he is sleeping once again. Needless to say, to follow his beloved's reincarnations into different worlds, he has long since had to leave his household behind."

Qinghe gave a thoughtful hum and nodded. "I see. Please continue."

Xiao Tian shot him a look. "Don't go seeking him out and making trouble."

Chuckling, Qinghe shook his head. "I wasn't planning on it."

Giving a dubious harrumph, Xiao Tian continued from where he'd left off before, "After the Feng household became involved in their country's politics, their morals deteriorated. Many centuries after this was when Feng Huixin was born to the patriarch's fourteenth concubine. His birth ruined his mother's health and she died soon. He was protected to a degree by his grandmother before she pa.s.sed away as well. When he was three, he was handed over to an old nanny to be brought up. The nanny taught him to be the kind of person he is now and supplemented all the familial affection he didn't receive.

"The children of the Feng household were raised to be highly compet.i.tive with each other. Whoever could impress the master and mistress of the house with their sharp mind and scheming nature would be the one to receive the mantle of the successor. And so, the children fought and struggled in the background while greeting each other with warm smiles and polite words of concern at the front. It was common for many of the children to be killed off by their siblings in the fight for favor from their father and his main wife.

"Not willing to get involved in this, Feng Huixin kept to himself. The only person he was close to was his nanny and her son, who was a fruit vendor in a nearby marketplace. Even when his siblings tried to rope him into their schemes, Feng Huixin refused to play along and simply extricated himself expertly. He was intelligent and was able to easily see through his siblings' plots, but refused to use it to gain favor and tried his best to lead a peaceful life.

"Growing frustrated at his att.i.tude, his siblings either tried to discompose him or entice him to join their side. However, Feng Huixin did not oblige any of them. Becoming resentful, a few of the siblings banded together and targeted the only person Feng Huixin loved—his nanny. Foregoing their usual intricate schemes, they directly captured the seven-year-old Feng Huixin and tied him to a pillar, then set out a pack of hunting hounds to chase the old nanny in front of him. As the nanny stumblingly ran for her life, Feng Huixin screamed in terror and despair. That was the only time he ever raised his voice that loud. But of course, immobilized and shaken as he was, that was all he was able to do.

"As his siblings laughed with delight that they managed to get such a strong reaction from him, the nanny was caught by the hounds. She was mauled, bitten, and dragged back to lie before Feng Huixin. At the siblings' command, the dogs began tearing into the old nanny right in front of the screaming boy. The old woman could only keep apologizing to him desperately despite her own plight, knowing that her death would leave a tremendous scar on him.

"The nanny was torn to pieces and died. As a result, Feng Huixin grew broken. But he still kept himself together and survived in the Feng household alone. However, after that, he was determined to not get close to anyone else ever again as long as there were people who would target those he cared for just to get to him."

Qinghe's eyes burned with frigid fury, his hands clenching tightly around the cup. Across from him, the Heavenly Emperor sighed, his head bowed as if in silent mourning.

Xiao Tian cast a glance at Qinghe and asked, "Do you need a moment?"

Qinghe shook his head, his expression smoothing into blankness. "The people who did this are all long dead. My father, on the other hand, is alive and happy. That is all that matters."

Xiao Tian looked doubtful.

Chuckling, Qinghe said with a wry smile, "I'm fine. Please go on."

Xiao Tian nodded. "Alright, then.

"After that incident, Feng Huixin remained alone and raised himself up. One day, when he was eleven, he was tasked with helping one of his older brothers, Feng Jianyu, with shopping for presents for their father's birthday. While Feng Jianyu bought things, Feng Huixin merely looked around. Though a few things caught his eye, as an unfavored child, he didn't receive any stipend from the family to spend, so he could only look. After shopping, he carried his brother's packages and they set off to board their carriage again. But on the way, Feng Jianyu spotted a few cultivators from a righteous sect carrying out their decennial test to see if there were any children in the capital with a good apt.i.tude for cultivation.

"Like any youth, Feng Jianyu grew excited at the thought of being chosen and dragged Feng Huixin over. After much fuss, Feng Jianyu took the test and was shown to have good apt.i.tude. But knowing that his family wouldn't allow him to leave to cultivate, Feng Jianyu had to refuse to go with the cultivators. Feeling proud, he pushed his younger brother to take the test as well. However, a mere brush of Feng Huixin's fingertip was enough to explode the testing pole. Having never before seen someone with such overwhelming potential, the cultivators desperately sought to take Feng Huixin back to their sect, but Feng Jianyu quickly dragged his younger brother to their waiting carriage and sped off.

"After reaching home, Feng Jianyu asked Feng Huixin to quickly pack up and leave for the mountains. This was not out of spite or anger as Feng Huixin expected, but out of care. It seems that when Feng Jianyu once ended up by Feng Huixin's room while heavily injured due to one of their siblings' schemes, Feng Huixin took him in and treated his wounds. Remembering that favor, Feng Jianyu cautioned his younger brother that due to the monstrously powerful apt.i.tude he'd displayed today, that righteous sect would do everything they could to track him down and drag him to their sect. And who in the city didn't know how ruthless the schemes in the righteous sects were these days?

"And so, since he knew that Feng Huixin would be able to survive well enough in the wild for a while, Feng Jianyu asked him to take shelter in the mountains at the edge of the capital for a few weeks. When the cultivators stopped looking for him, Feng Jianyu promised that he would come to take Feng Huixin back. Feng Huixin decided to listen to him and began packing. To his surprise, Feng Jianyu gave him the overcoat Feng Huixin had been longingly eyeing in the store before and helped find some rations for him. Within the hour, Feng Huixin set off for the mountains. He knew that his family probably wouldn't even notice that he was gone even if he never went back.

"During his trek on the mountains, Feng Huixin came across a magical barrier. It was only then that he remembered the legends of a secret beast clan hidden from mortals that his nanny used to tell him. Curious, he touched the barrier, and the barrier surprisingly responded to him and let him through into the hidden pocket dimension. But all he found beyond the barrier were ancient buildings that seemed to have long been abandoned. By that time, the spirit tigers' pocket dimension had already been breached by the fire dragons and the Spirit Tiger Clan had been decimated. The only remaining being was the stubborn spirit of the Tower of Knowledge's guardian, Ling Yi.

"Sensing an intruder for the first time in millennia, Ling Yi manifested and took measure of Feng Huixin. Feng Huixin unhesitatingly told Ling Yi of his situation and asked him to let him stay. Realizing that he was a descendant of the former Heavenly Emperor who had helped his clan long ago, Ling Yi allowed Feng Huixin to stay at the clan grounds for the time being until Feng Jianyu came to fetch him again. But after seeing the switch marks on Feng Huixin's back and hearing that his father used to beat him regularly for not living up to expectations, the Ling Yi who loved children like the rest of his species refused to let Feng Huixin go back to his toxic household. Instead, Ling Yi decided to take Feng Huixin in as his own disciple at the Tower of Knowledge and teach him to cultivate. Feng Huixin also did not wish to go back to that house full of schemes, so he agreed. And so they became master and disciple.

"Due to the abrupt awakening of his cultivation apt.i.tude during the test before and the overly large volume of spiritual energy that began flowing through him later on when he was staying at the Tower, Feng Huixin's spiritual pathways were ripped wide open. Rather than focusing on teaching his disciple how to wield his power, Ling Yi had to teach him how to control and suppress it to a manageable level first. When it was time, Ling Yi even guided Feng Huixin to form his own spiritual artifact, the pair of black and golden whips.

"But as time went on, being only a lingering spirit, Ling Yi lost more and more of his power. However, he was unresigned to leaving his disciple alone in the world and made a suggestion to Feng Huixin. Since Feng Huixin produced excess spiritual energy that was becoming harmful to him by now, Ling Yi asked him to take a claw from his carca.s.s and perform a ritual to bind Ling Yi's soul into it. Then Feng Huixin could store the claw in his dantian and allow Ling Yi access to his spiritual pathways so that he could use his power. Feng Huixin agreed. The procedure was completed and Ling Yi was able to manifest his spirit outside as always while also being able to siphon off of Feng Huixin's overflowing spiritual energy. This also allowed him to more easily pa.s.s on his boundless knowledge to his disciple by directly showing it in his mind.

"As he thus cultivated under Ling Yi's guidance, Feng Huixin's level increased at an incredible speed, but it also put unimaginable strain on his body. It was to the point where he would become unable to move because of the pain of his body being refined so rapidly. But the result was that he attained demiG.o.d level before he turned twenty. Rising up so high within a decade was unheard of, and though Feng Huixin rarely descended the mountain, his name still spread far and wide.

"It was on one of his rare journeys to the mortal world that he happened to see Hua Chunyi being chased by the righteous and demonic factions. By the time he was close enough to help, everything had already happened. Feeling regretful that he hadn't been able to help her, Feng Huixin took an unconscious and injured Hua Chunyi back with him and nursed her back to health in the spirit tigers' pocket dimension. They spent time together, grew closer, and fell in love.

"But soon, after the Feng household realized that one of their own had become a cultivator and was living in the mountains, they tried all means possible to first bring him back into their fold, and when that was proven to be impossible, they tried to kill him. Their att.i.tude that Feng Huixin was a failure was deeply engraved after all these years, and they refused to let a stain on their family's name who defied them to exist. Hearing how his lover was also a criminal sought by the cultivation world, they grew even more furious.

"Feng Huixin did not want to inconvenience his master or his lover and left alone, but Hua Chunyi followed him and refused to let him be. They fled from town to town to avoid the Feng household's pursuit. Since Feng Huixin did not want to kill his family, Hua Chunyi―now called Feng Chunyi―also didn't act violent. But the Feng household managed to somehow get their hands on Feng Chunyi and wanted to use her to lure Feng Huixin into a trap.

"Hearing of their plan, Feng Jianyu managed to sneak away to search for his younger brother. He b.u.mped into Feng Huixin by chance and alerted him. But rather than fearing for himself, Feng Huixin was instead afraid of what his lover might do to his family. He cautioned Feng Jianyu to change his name and hide so that he wouldn't be linked with their family anymore and went to the Feng residence. All that met his gaze there were cinders and flames. While they though her helpless, Feng Chunyi had escaped from where the Feng household had confined her, and after hearing what they wanted to do with Feng Huixin after using her to bait him, she killed everyone in a mad frenzy. The Feng household was no more.

"Feng Huixin appeased his lover and returned to the spirit tigers' mountain with a heavy heart. Later, Ling Yi officiated at their marriage and they became husband and wife. Feng Huixin suppressed his level until Feng Chunyi was ready to ascend, then they underwent heavenly tribulations together. Before ascending, Feng Huixin put the entire Tower of Knowledge into his spatial storage. After coming to Heaven, he created a pocket dimension and put the Tower there. But since it was removed from the protective barrier of the Spirit Tiger Clan's dimension, the Tower automatically restricted access to it. Only those who are granted permission by the Tower's guardian Ling Yi can enter it. Needless to say, other than Feng Huixin, no one has ever been given permission till now."

After speaking for so long, Xiao Tian finally lapsed into silence.

Qinghe stared into his cup, watching light ripple on the surface of the tea. His eyes seemed calm and deep, pondering over unknown things. The sound of trickling water from somewhere in the garden past the moon gate filled the quiet. A few moments later, Qinghe raised his head and fixed Xiao Tian with his gaze. "Is your purpose in telling me all this for me to ask my father to persuade his master to allow more access to the Tower?"

Xiao Tian blinked in surprise while the Heavenly Emperor sighed and shook his head. "Deity Feng, you think too much. Even if you can convince Lord Feng to speak with his master, he will not force his master, and the guardian of the Tower will also not let himself be coerced into letting people he doesn't approve of enter the Tower."

Qinghe frowned. "I know you said there was no purpose to telling me this, but I refuse to believe it. What do you want from me?"

Xiao Tian tilted his head and remarked with amus.e.m.e.nt, "Feng Qinghe, must you be so suspicious of us?"

The Heavenly Emperor met Qinghe's heavy gaze and let out another sigh. "We merely wish for you to be fully informed. Not just about the Tower of Knowledge, but also the history of your family and the significance of the spirit tigers to it. You have grown active in court recently. People are paying attention to your every move. It is likely that they will dig into your, your lover's, parents', and your household's pasts. You need to be prepared just in case any of these things are used against you."

Qinghe's hands clenched on the cup. If someone tried to use his family's or his father's past against them, then he would be their first line of defense and give their enemies a reason to fear the surname Feng. And yes, knowing everything that happened would indeed help him with that. It seemed…that Xiao Tian and the Heavenly Emperor truly did want to help him and bore no ulterior motives. Realizing this, Qinghe finally relaxed his guard against them.

Sensing it, Xiao Tian's and the Heavenly Emperor's expression eased as well.

Qinghe finally lifted his head and gave them a smile. Turning to Xiao Tian, he said in a light tone, "Is that all then? Aren't you going to continue my father's story to tell about his adorable son as well?"

Xiao Tian sneered. "You call yourself adorable, you sly fox? Does someone as sneaky as you who weaves webs for others to fall in to even deserve to be called adorable?"

Qinghe laughed. "Now, now, don't compliment me so much in one sentence, Xiao Tian. You'll make me bashful."

Xiao Tian sputtered in the face of this shamelessness. Then remembering something, he snickered like a naughty child. "Wait, I do remember something about when you were an infant. You caused your parents to have the biggest fight they'd ever had with each other."

Qinghe raised an eyebrow with interest. "Oh? What did I do?"

Not getting the fl.u.s.tered reaction he was hoping for, Xiao Tian huffed, but still answered, "It wasn't something you did. To be more particular, it was your name. They fought over what to name you, and it got so bad that they were forced to take the choice to the Heavenly Emperor."

Beside him, the aforementioned Heavenly Emperor serenely sipped from his cup, but his eyes refused to meet Qinghe's for some reason.

Feeling intrigued, Qinghe prodded, "What did they want to name me?"

Xiao Tian smiled wryly. "They had already decided on 'Qinghe', but the characters used to write it were different. Feng Chunyi wanted to name you with the characters for 'verdant' and 'lotus' since she hoped you would grow up healthy while flouris.h.i.+ng and be like the lotus, which is one of the most versatile herbs with many good qualities. On the other hand, Feng Huixin wanted to use the characters for 'gentle' and 'river' since he wanted you to be as powerful as a flowing river, but also possess a gentle and caring nature. Despite Feng Huixin and Feng Chunyi usually being very liberal towards each other, neither of them backed down this time. They both loved you very much and wanted your name to reflect their hopes and expectations for you.

"In the end, they decided to let the Heavenly Emperor chose a name. But even while in the court, they persisted in arguing. Though they weren't loud, they were very…intense. It gave everyone watching a headache. In the end, even the usually even-tempered Heavenly Emperor snapped and ended up deciding that they would name you with the characters for 'clear' and 'harmony' so that you would have a clearer mind than your pa.s.sionately quarreling parents and have a temperament that promoted harmony, especially between your parents. And so it was decided."

Grinning, Xiao Tian asked, "I bet you didn't know that your name had such a snarky reason behind it, did you?"

The Heavenly Emperor's eyebrow twitched at his reasoning back then being labeled as snarky, but he continued to maintain his poise and drank his tea.

Qinghe merely chuckled. "No matter what reason there was for my name being chosen, I'm still quite happy with it." And just the fact that his parents felt so strongly about choosing his name made Qinghe feel warm and loved.

Xiao Tian once again felt displeased at how unruffled this fellow was.

Coming out of his musings, Qinghe suppressed a teasing smile and said, "Speaking of parents and children, Xiao Tian, I have something to ask you. If I understand it right, then your body must lie under the earth of the heavenly realm, shouldn't it? What about your soul? I'm guessing that the you we see currently is only a projection for which you've provided a physical body?"

Shooting him a deep look, Xiao Tian nodded. Brus.h.i.+ng his fingertips against the floor, he replied, "Yes, my true physical body, the body of the first world turtle, lies underneath. My head is under the capital, my brain and eyes directly below the heavenly palace, while my heart lies beneath the River of Existence. The position of my soul is…difficult to explain. It is indeed still in my body; otherwise I'd be dead after all. But as the core of the entire heavenly realm, my soul also permeates everything here, and a part of it is also present in the governing s.p.a.ce from where I preside over all the worlds under my charge."

Qinghe's eyes narrowed. "Then would it be accurate to say that every heavenly soul is a piece that has detached from your soul? That is to say, was my soul once a part of yours?"

Xiao Tian showed an uncomfortable expression. "In a way…yes, you could say that."

Qinghe's face split into a grin. "Does that make you the father of my soul? Should I call our cute little Xiao Tian as 'Father' from now on?"

Xiao Tian's lips twitched at this sudden turn while the Heavenly Emperor cracked a rare smile that he quickly hid behind his cup.

Recovering his wits, Xiao Tian shouted, "Feng Qinghe! W-Who is your father! And as old as I am, even if you call me your great-grandfather, it still won't do me justice, hmph!"

Qinghe burst out laughing. As expected, messing with Xiao Tian felt very rewarding!

On the other side of the table, Xiao Tian struggled to regain his composure. Something suddenly flickered in his gaze and his expression grew serious. After a moment of hesitation, he called, "Feng Qinghe, tell me something."

Qinghe suppressed his chuckles and replied with a smile, "What is it, Father Tian?"

"…" d.a.m.n this brat! Was he not going to let that go even when he was trying to be serious?! Xiao Tian had to force himself to remain solemn as he asked, "Are you really going to marry that beast Wei Xiang?"

Qinghe blinked with surprise, then his gaze grew sharp. "Is there some reason you think I shouldn't?"

Xiao Tian pursed his lips. "Feng Qinghe, unlike the founder of your family, I don't think you will remain peaceful if something happened to your lover."

Qinghe's expression cooled. "Of course I won't. I will do whatever is necessary to be with my Xiang. What relevance does that have?"

A soft sigh escaped Xiao Tian. "You both have a soul bond connecting your souls. But if something ever damaged your lover's soul to break that bond and kill him while managing to let you live, then I'm afraid you will fall. Those that bear heavenly souls are like linchpins. They affect me and the heavenly realm directly. If you ever grow desperate enough to become corrupted…"

Qinghe's mind suddenly flashed to the nightmare about his Xiang dying and his own reaction to it when he woke up. He would indeed do whatever necessary to see his Xiang again, even if it meant switching over to demonic cultivation and trying to pry open the gates of the Netherworld. If he could, he might even try to bring his Xiang back to life using every means possible. Nothing was allowed to get in between him and his Xiang!

Letting out a light yet cold laugh, Qinghe finally spoke, "So you have determined that being with Wei Xiang in impossible circ.u.mstances is the only reason I will fall down the demonic path and corrupt this soul of mine, which will in turn affect you? And you want me to reexamine my priorities because of that?"

Getting a glimpse into his thoughts, Xiao Tian looked at him warily. "Yes. The flow of the worlds must only go forward. Doing something like reviving the dead would force the flow backward, which is harmful to the world and to me. And the only reason you would ever try to force the flow backward would be if something drastic happened and s.n.a.t.c.hed your Xiang away from you. Such a possibility is, of course, very rare. But in case it ever comes to pa.s.s…"

Qinghe shook his head with a smile. "It will not come to pa.s.s. Not only will I not let it, I am sure that you will help me subvert such a situation as well, won't you?"

Xiao Tian showed a wry expression. "You sure sound confident." His shoulders slumping, Xiao Tian gave in with a sigh. "Yes, I won't let something like that happen. I will have to make sure you won't ever be parted from your dear Xiang."

Qinghe's smile turned warm. "Good. No matter how many times our souls reincarnate, I want us to always find each other."

"And if he doesn't reciprocate your affections in another life?" Xiao Tian inquired.

An unnamable emotion flashed in Qinghe's eyes and disappeared. "I will respect his wishes. There will always be other lives where we can be together. But I doubt my Xiang will refuse to choose me. And even if I am not in possession of my current memories in my other lives, I will also continue to choose him."

Xiao Tian chuckled helplessly. "You beings with heavenly souls are always such an obsessive lot."

Qinghe stuck out his tongue and retorted. "Maybe we get that from our father."

"You!" Xiao Tian burst out. "Aren't you going to let that go already?!"

Qinghe laughed cheerfully. "Why would I when I can have so much fun teasing you with it?"

Xiao Tian sulked silently, feeling wronged.

Qinghe turned to the Heavenly Emperor, "If that's all, then can I ask Your Majesty to preside over my and Xiang's wedding ceremony? We are willing to arrange the wedding in the heavenly court whenever you are free. After all, there is no need to think of auspicious times while in Heaven."

The Heavenly Emperor put down his cup and nodded. "Yes. I will send an appropriate date to your household within the day."

Qinghe smiled and got up before executing a deep bow. "Thank you. I will take my leave then."

Qinghe was about to walk out of the room when he suddenly remembered something and halted. Turning to face the Heavenly Emperor again, he said, "Your Majesty, there is something I want to bring to your notice. The taller of the imperial guardsmen standing by the gates today seems to have a bias against women. I am unsure if he feels that way towards any other group of people. I would suggest engaging him with some other work temporarily where his mind can be broadened. It wouldn't do for someone working directly under the banner of the Heavenly Palace to show such open discrimination."

The Heavenly Emperor nodded thoughtfully. "He will be rea.s.signed to a.s.sist General Feng for a while then."

Qinghe chuckled. He could already imagine how delighted his mother would be to bully that guardsman even more. And this time, the poor man wouldn't just get away with a garishly bright feather crown.

...

As Qinghe exited the residence and made his way past the gates again, he was accosted by the square-jawed guardsman he'd just spoken about.

"Young Lord Feng, I've been curious about something for a while. May I ask you a question?" the guardsman spoke while scratching his chin. The dark-skinned guardsman on the other side of the gate had a look that said he'd rather be anywhere but here.

Qinghe smiled pleasantly and turned to the guardsman on the left and nodded. "Yes. What is it?"

Grinning, the guardsman said, "I apologize for being so forward, but has Young Lord Feng ever been with a woman?"

The guardsman on the right winced. What nonsense was this moronic fellow spouting now?

Qinghe raised an eyebrow. "No, I haven't. Why?"

Nodding to himself, the guardsman on the left replied, "If you have never known the fragrant softness of a woman, then it's no wonder you ended up settling for being with a man."

The guardsman on the right covered his face with his hands. This idiot!

Something sharp flashed in Qinghe's eyes, but his smile remained as warm and genial as usual. In a calm voice, he spoke, "Why should my prior experience matter? I do not care if Wei Xiang is a man or a woman. I am not marrying my lover's gender, but my Xiang as a person."

The guardsman grew fl.u.s.tered. "Th-That's… You say that, but would you really feel the same if your lover turned into a woman?"

Qinghe shrugged elegantly. "For me, it wouldn't make much of a difference, though people who are strictly heteros.e.xual may not feel that way. And that is fine too. Every kind of romantic love is love."

The guardsman suddenly showed an 'Aha!' expression. "Since those heteros.e.xual people won't be inclined to do anything s.e.xual with their lovers anymore if they turned into someone of the same gender, how can their love still be called romantic love?"

Qinghe sighed. "Do you mean to say that as.e.xual people who love their partners without wanting s.e.x don't feel romantic love?"

The guardsman sputtered, "No, I d-don't meant that!"

Giving him an amused glance, Qinghe said, "s.e.x is not always necessary for romantic love. It all depends on each person and what their specific preferences and the limits of their comfort zone are. It is not for others to judge how people love each other." His smile turning impossibly warmer, he continued with gleaming eyes, "You must broaden your mind and not try to fit everyone in a single box. But no matter, arrangements have already been made for you to get some special education in that regard."

Seeing Qinghe's blindingly bright smile as he said this, both guardsmen gulped in fear. They could sense the existence of something sly and scary right below that pleasant façade.

The guardsman on the right silently offered his heartfelt sympathies to his fellow guardsman in his mind. But he also felt that this idiot should have known not to expose his prejudiced nature to someone like the Young Lord Feng. One only reaped what they sowed.

Qinghe turned away from the two guardsmen who were wearing complicated expressions and began walking, leaving behind the Heavenly Emperor's residence.

...

"Young Master Feng, how may I help you?" asked the stern-faced officer manning the guardhouse by the entrance to the Offices of Judgment.

Qinghe smiled and answered, "May I know if Father and Xiang are in today?"

The officer nodded. "Yes, they are in their office. Shall I open the gates for you?"

Qinghe nodded. "Yes, please."

The officer's usually piercing gaze softened with a slight smile as he looked at Qinghe. He still remembered how their leader's chubby-cheeked son used to accompany him to work sometimes, running around the compound while grinning and cutely offering sweets to everyone he met. The officer recalled the feeling of pinching those soft and round cheeks and had to curl his fingers to curb the urge to reach out and do the same now.

Turning, the officer waved at the gatekeeper, indicating for her to let Qinghe in. The gatekeeper nodded and activated the array that would open the path through the high stone walls guarding the compound housing the Offices of Judgment. A square entrance with glowing edges opened up in the wall in front of Qinghe.

Qinghe thanked them both before walking through the opening. It led to the middle of an open courtyard enclosed by a circle of tall buildings. Each building was at least four stories high. The buildings had light grey walls made of some strange stone and dark-blue-tiled roofs with curling ends capping each level. Shaded skywalks connected each building with the ones on either side of it, offering a quick path between them.

The courtyard Qinghe was in had narrow paths crisscrossing through it, each path lined with verdant trees on either side that cast cool shade onto it. Officers in black and gold robes walked along the paved paths with quick yet measured steps, each looking like they had something important to attend to.

Already familiar with this scene, Qinghe chose a path and followed it, knowing that it would lead him to Feng Huixin's and Wei Xiang's office. He reached his destination within a few minutes and entered the busy building before climbing up two flights of stairs. As he walked towards his father's office, Qinghe heard s.n.a.t.c.hes of the conversation going on inside.

Wei Xiang was in the midst of stating calmly, "…but though there will be such an environmental impact, the usefulness to the citizens in that area is undeniable. The environment there will recover within two to five decades, but the convenience to the people will last for centuries at the least."

A tired sigh floated out followed by Feng Huixin's voice replying, "I would like to avoid harming the environment as much as possible. Trees and animals they might be, but every life is still a life worth saving."

Wei Xiang's tone grew helpless, yet it was tinged with a hint of a smile, "As Master wishes then. I will work on a way to s.h.i.+ft the border without the adverse impact. I suppose paving roads and clearing the natural glades a bit should do it for the mansions. Thankfully, the demonic deities aren't the sort to live cl.u.s.tered in towns. However, there's still the matter of the lake. They say they need to drain and mine the lakebed for their materials, but that would be severely detrimental to the life forms there. How should we proceed?"

There was a stretch of silence, then Feng Huixin said with exasperation, "We will have to ponder more on it."

Walking in the hallway outside, Qinghe frowned. If he remembered right, this should be regarding the issue his father and Wei Xiang had been discussing this morning during breakfast. A few days ago, the governing force of the demonic deities requested the heavenly court to s.h.i.+ft the border of the territory allocated to them to include a certain part of the forests into their border. In return, they had indicated that they were willing to let go of certain other parts. The reason for all this was because they wanted to mine a certain lake in the land they wanted to acquire for some sort of rare mineral that was extremely beneficial to the demonic deities' method of cultivation. This rare mineral seemed to naturally possess huge quant.i.ties of crystallized demonic energy that was created due to some incident there millions of years ago.

But to reach the lake containing those minerals, they would first need to clear a way through rocky and dangerous areas of the forest. The demonic deities had expressed their willingness to share these paths they would make with the surrounding towns. This would bring more trade and prosperity to those towns and resolve their current transportation issues. But from Feng Huixin's and Wei Xiang's discussion just now, it seemed that the environmental impact of clearing out the forests was still being considered before any decision could be made.

As he was thinking about this, Qinghe reached the door to the office and pushed it open. The room on the other side was wide, neat, and airy, with polished floors, light grey walls, and large windows.

Wei Xiang sat behind his desk situated by the wall on the right. The top of the desk and the area around it was full of books arranged into tall towers. Wei Xiang was leaning back on his chair, one knee casually resting against the edge of the desk as he flipped through a book quickly as if searching for something. Due to the remaining influence of his beast instincts that were strengthened during his recent heat period, Wei Xiang's eyes were still slitted and golden while his nails were long and sharp. But all of it would gradually disappear within a couple of weeks.

Meanwhile, Feng Huixin's desk was a little distance away, situated perpendicularly to Wei Xiang's. He was deliberating over a few papers with a small frown tightening his brows. A thick stack of more papers and scrolls rested by his elbow.

When Qinghe entered, both master and disciple turned to look at him. Qinghe smiled and greeted them both, "Father, Xiang, it seems you are discussing something important. Do you mind if I join in?"

Feng Huixin's expression warmed imperceptibly. "Not at all. We would welcome your input."

Wei Xiang lifted his gaze from the page he was looking through and shot a smile at his beloved. "You must have heard us talking on the way here. Do you have any ideas?"

Qinghe nodded. "Yes, a few." His gaze drifted over absentmindedly to rest on his father. Everything Xiao Tian had detailed about his father's past was still fresh in his mind.

Sensing the strangeness in his son's gaze, Feng Huixin blinked perplexedly. "Qinghe, is something the matter?"

Wei Xiang looked over, concern on his face.

Qinghe hesitated, but still answered truthfully, "Father, I just had Xiao Tian tell me about your past."

Feng Huixin froze while Wei Xiang only looked confused. His gaze bounced between his master and his lover, studying their expressions.

After a moment of tense silence, Feng Huixin asked, "…How much do you know?"

Qinghe closed the door behind him before replying, "I know about your family, the spirit tigers, the Tower, and your master."

Sighing, Feng Huixin ma.s.saged his forehead. "So you know everything then." Lowering his hand, he leaned back and looked at his son solemnly. "Then do you want me to convince my master to allow you into the Tower?"

Qinghe raised an eyebrow. "Actually, no. I only let Xiao Tian tell me because I wanted to know more about you. Now that I do, I'm satisfied. I have no other demands."

Feng Huixin's gaze turned wry. "If you wanted to know about me, you could've asked me."

Qinghe's expression turned gentle. "I didn't want you to have to remember things that might be unpleasant."

Feng Huixin's eyes widened slightly. He looked away with a cough and nodded, "Very well. Then…do you have any questions?"

Qinghe smiled. His eyes shone with curiosity as he nodded. "Yes, many. But I can ask them later when we're having dinner together back in the house. For now, all I want to know is whether your master's spirit is still in your dantian."

At the side, Wei Xiang's lips twitched with incredulity, but he hid his shock at this unexpected revelation and just listened. His little lover and master would explain everything to him later if he asked. For now, he would let them talk it out.

Feng Huixin sighed and nodded. "Yes, Master is still in his claw and stored in my dantian. I would like to have you meet him, but he is unfortunately unable to manifest now. Unlike in the mortal realms, it is next to impossible for a spirit of the dead to exist in the heavenly realm. It takes me a tremendous amount of energy just to help his spirit remain here. He had actually managed to gather a fair bit before, enough to allow him to manifest a visible form for a few minutes. But because of the incident at Wu Jin when I was sent there as an exchange, Master has used it all up. It might take him a few more millennia to gather enough power again."

"I see," Qinghe hummed thoughtfully. Leaning back against the wall, Qinghe contemplated on something before asking, "Father, are you able to communicate with him?"

Feng Huixin nodded. "Yes. Is there something you would like to ask him? I can convey his answer if you wish."

Qinghe grinned. "Then can I ask what he thinks of me?"

For a moment, Feng Huixin's gaze grew distant as if he was speaking to someone with his mind. His eyebrow suddenly twitched and he seemed to be suppressing a sigh. Feng Huixin blinked to focus his attention again and told Qinghe, "Master has stated that he likes you very much. He also says that you are to refer to him as 'Grandfather'."

Qinghe's eyes gleamed with both warmth and amus.e.m.e.nt. "Has he ever asked you call him 'Father' before then?"

Feng Huixin gave a resigned nod. "Yes. I declined his request."

Qinghe burst out laughing.

Feng Huixin pressed his lips together as if to suppress a smile and bent his head to continue looking at the papers in front of him again. "Let's put that aside for now and move back to discussing the issue with the lake. Qinghe, what suggestions do you have?"

Qinghe pushed the matter of his father's past out of his mind for now and tilted his head in thought. "Is it possible to move the entire lake to a new place with the same type of environmental conditions in a way that would cause the least impact on its inhabitants?"

Both Feng Huixin and Wei Xiang looked at him with raised eyebrows. Wei Xiang took down his knee from the edge of the desk and leaned forward to rest his elbows on it. With a contemplative expression, he finally said, "While it's not impossible to create another place for all that water and its organisms, moving it will be the problem. If we have someone move the entire lake along with its waters and all the living beings contained within, it would be inadvisable to just use a deity with a water-based ability. While they can control water, they cannot guarantee that the beings enclosed within it will be alive and well after the transfer. Such work is too delicate for them. On the other hand, water-manipulating beings who are more in tune with nature might be effective. Maybe an elemental spirit of some sort or…"

As Wei Xiang trailed away, Qinghe prodded with interest, "Or?"

Wei Xiang sighed. "…Or water dragons. But we know that it'll be next to impossible to have any beneficial dealings with the True Dragon Clan as things stand between them and our family currently."

Qinghe laughed quietly. "That maybe so, but this matter of redrawing the demonic deities' territory's border is important enough that we can afford to use a certain piece of leverage we've been holding over them all this time for negotiating with them."

Looking surprised, Wei Xiang asked, "You're willing to use that?"

Qinghe nodded with a smile.

Feng Huixin slightly arched his brows. "What have you both been up to?"

Qinghe turned to him and answered, "Father, do you remember that incident with Wu Jin and how their fourth prince seemed to know about the existence and the accurate location of the wyvern eggs? I secretly investigated a bit and found out that a certain elder of the true dragon clan revealed that information on purpose and encouraged that prince to steal the eggs. There were subtle promises of support also made. I have solid proof regarding the matter.

"Since someone affiliated with the true dragon clan directly asking someone to steal the eggs signifies a definite breach of the contract between us and them, we are ent.i.tled to some costly compensation. All we need to do is present the proof and make our case in the heavenly court. After I let them know about this, the true dragons have been trying their best to get that proof out of our hands or to at least negotiate with us somehow so that we wouldn't take them to court."

Wei Xiang smirked and added, "Yes, and Qinghe has kindly allowed me to use it till now as a way to keep them in check whenever they try to act against me or pull me to their side. It has been very useful, but I suppose it's time we used that card. We have many more pieces of information we can hang over their heads in its place if need be."

Grinning, Qinghe said, "Indeed. It's better to use this now and get this matter done with quickly."

Feng Huixin's eyes displayed his amus.e.m.e.nt at his sons' scheming to bully the True Dragon Clan. "I will leave it to Xiang-er to request the a.s.sistance of a water dragon from the True Dragon Clan then, but that can be done later. I will handle the other arrangements for now. Xiang-er, go and accompany Qinghe for a while. I am guessing that is why he came here in the first place."

Qinghe smiled at his father and nodded. "Yes. We're going to be married soon, so I naturally want to deepen our affections even more and spend as much of our bachelorhood together as possible."

Wei Xiang chuckled, "Love, you talk like we don't already do that. But very well, let's take a walk together for a bit before I get back to work. The more I can finish today, the more free time I'll have to prepare for the wedding. We can't leave everything to those twin brats."

Qinghe grinned and rushed forward to hold Wei Xiang's hand before dragging him towards the doorway. Turning back, Qinghe waved at Feng Huixin, "I'll return Wei Xiang soon, Father."

Feng Huixin's expression was indulgent and warm. "Yes. You both go and have fun."

The soon-to-be-wed couple smiled happily and nodded before going off to spend some time together.

...

Qinghe and Wei Xiang chose to stroll in a relatively deserted section of the courtyard nestled inside the circle of buildings. Their fingers were lightly intertwined and swung gaily between them as they walked. The air here was warm and dry, the breeze gentle as it brushed the hair away from their faces. The sound of leaves rustling accompanied them. The path under them was paved with flagstones that emitted a slight coldness. The shade of the trees on either side cast a moving filigree of shadows over their figures as they walked over the path, their steps leisurely and silent.

Qinghe leaned his head to rest on Wei Xiang and spoke, his voice quiet, "Xiang, do you think anything will change after we marry?"

Wei Xiang blinked and turned to his beloved. His thumb moved over Qinghe's knuckles, caressing them affectionately. "I don't know, love. I guess we'll find out after we go through the wedding."

Qinghe nodded and grew quiet again.

After a few moments of silence, Wei Xiang asked, "Qinghe, is there any specific reason you agreed to marry me?"

Qinghe shot him an amused look. "Other than because I love you irrevocably and want to spend forever with you?"

Wei Xiang smiled at him, his expression warm. "Yes, other than that."

Chuckling, Qinghe shrugged and said, "I suppose the next biggest reason would be us being legally bound to each other. I already know that you love me and want to be with me, but…" Qinghe's eyes narrowed, s.h.i.+ning gleefully as he continued, "After we marry, you'll be all mine even in the legal sense."

Wei Xiang laughed, wrapping an arm around Qinghe's shoulders to hug him closer and pressed a kiss to his temple.

Qinghe comfortably nestled against Wei Xiang and smiled contentedly. His eyes flicking upwards, he asked, "What about you? What reason did you have to agree to marry me? Other than your undying love for me, that is."

Wei Xiang's eyes were tender pools of affection as he replied, "I suppose my reasoning is more normal. I wanted everyone to know that I'm choosing to spend my whole life with you, and I want to flaunt my good fortune that you are choosing to spend your entire life with me as well."

A faint pink flushed Qinghe's cheeks. His smile turned bashful, his eyes gleaming with happiness. Feeling irresistibly drawn, Wei Xiang bent to place a feather-light kiss to Qinghe's soft and warm cheek. Gentle affection overflowed in his heart. His little lover was really too lovely and precious, an unimaginably rare treasure that he wanted to spend his whole life cheris.h.i.+ng.

Qinghe smiled and snuggled closer to his Xiang, his eyes closing as he let his beloved guide him forward. A few more peaceful moments went by before Qinghe opened his eyes and spoke, "Xiang, after marriage, do you think this will change?"

Wei Xiang looked at him puzzled.

In a quiet voice, Qinghe explained, "I mean, the way we feel with each other. This sense of contentment and happiness and intimacy and affection. Do you think it will change?"

Wei Xiang hummed thoughtfully. "People change with time. They grow and progress and let their views broaden. I'm sure we will change too, and as we change, what we feel for each other will as well."

Qinghe frowned, his fingers instinctively tightening on Wei Xiang's.

Smiling, Wei Xiang rubbed his cheek over the top of Qinghe's head rea.s.suringly. "But since it is us, I'm sure that whatever changes occur will be good ones. What we feel for each other will only grow stronger and deeper with time. The more we feed our love for one another every day, the closer we will get and the more inextricably we'll intertwine. After all, falling in love isn't a process that will stop just because we got together."

Qinghe's expression melted into a smile. "Yes, that's true." His gaze suddenly flashed with mischief as he lifted his head and grinned, "Then Xiang, how about we feed our love through some physical bonding? Do you know of any secret place where we can spend some intimate time together?"

Wei Xiang chuckled and shook his head. "No, love. We are not going to have s.e.x now."

Qinghe pouted and looked up at him through his lashes with an expression full of unspoken complaints.

Unable to help himself, Wei Xiang dropped a small peck onto Qinghe's nose. Smiling, he said, "But I would still like to show you the place I've been using to relax at recently. Will you accompany me there?"

His expression brightening, Qinghe nodded.

Wei Xiang led Qinghe off the path. The farther they got from the buildings at the edges and the crisscrossing lanes, the thicker and older the trees became. Wei Xiang unerringly walked up to a certain large and st.u.r.dy tree before leaping up. Qinghe curiously followed him to land onto a particular branch that was wide and felt very solid under his feet.

Wei Xiang went over to the junction where the branch met the trunk and sat down. His back rested against the st.u.r.dy trunk while his long legs lay straight in front of him on the thick branch. Parting his legs, Wei Xiang patted the s.p.a.ce in between and looked at Qinghe. "Love, come and sit here."

Qinghe walked up to him and sat cradled in Wei Xiang's warmth. Letting out a happy sigh, he leaned back onto Wei Xiang's chest, his hands resting on his lover's thighs on either side. Wei Xiang wrapped his arms around Qinghe and rested his cheek on his shoulder. The pair soaked in the warmth of each other's bodies.

As Qinghe looked around, he realized that he couldn't see the paths or the buildings from here at all. The tree was so high and the density of leaves on its branches so thick that sitting here truly felt like being in a secluded green world cut off from everything.

After a few minutes of silence, Qinghe asked, "Do you come here often?"

Wei Xiang shook his head. "No. I've only been using this place to get some peace and quiet these past few days. The beast instincts make me restless sometimes. And my beast likes high and secluded places, so my instincts urged me to find such a place to relax."

Qinghe smiled and tilted his head up. "What other things does your beast like?"

Wei Xiang leaned back onto the tree trunk and thought for a while. "Hmm… Since one half of my bloodline is that of metal serpents that are known to bury into the earth and make their homes there, while the other half is that of fire dragons that prefer flying high above and settling on tall perches, I think that as a wyvern, my beast would love staying at a place like a cave situated at high alt.i.tude. It would be a large cave with an entrance that isn't easy to find, perched up on a cliff wall and overlooking a vast valley."

Qinghe's expression warmed further as he looked at his Xiang's wistful expression. "And? What would the inside of the cave be like? What would you put in there?"

Wei Xiang's eyes grew unfocused as his imagination supplied the details. "It would be s.p.a.cious inside and warm. I'd fill it with all types of precious things and store all my treasured possessions there. I'd dig a shallow hole at the center to make a nest and line it with soft and comfortable materials. I'd put my mate in the warm nest so that you would be safe and protected, always waiting there for me…"

Wei Xiang trailed away and frowned.

Qinghe's gaze shone with amus.e.m.e.nt and affection. "Xiang, what is it?"

Wei Xiang shook his head and hugged Qinghe closer, resting his head onto his little lover's. "No, thinking about you being so pa.s.sive feels wrong and unsatisfactory. It doesn't suit you at all."

Raising a hand, Qinghe patted Wei Xiang's head. "Then what do you think I'd be like?"

Wei Xiang's frown eased as he replied, "Realistically speaking, you'd probably try to secure the cave by lying traps, formations, and other defenses around the perimeter. You'd also probably build several escape routes from the cave to prepare for emergencies and hide rations and secret weapons inside the walls and floors. There would also be several transportation arrays set at the sides so that you could easily come and go from both the Feng residence and the Heavenly Peak Sect. And you'd probably also be thoughtful enough to add transportation arrays that connected to the Order headquarters and the Offices of Judgment for my convenience."

Wei Xiang's lips curved unconsciously into a smile as he continued to think about it. Yes, this would be far more fun than Qinghe just lying there waiting for him obediently. He liked the proactive and spirited Qinghe more. His mate was so clever and wonderful. His eyes curving into pleased arcs, Wei Xiang buried his face into the crook of Qinghe's shoulder and took in a deep breath to savor his scent. Hmm, and his mate smelled very nice too. His familiar clean smell tinged with cool mint was mixed with the flavor of something slightly spicy and sweet, probably the scent of something his beloved had eaten or drunk today.

Sensing that his Xiang was in a very cuddling mood today, Qinghe smiled with helpless affection and tilted his neck to the side to allow his lover more access. Wei Xiang promptly took advantage of it and rubbed his cheek against the side of Qinghe's neck.

Qinghe raised his hand towards his neck, then hesitated. His cheeks turning pink, he resumed reaching for the collar of his robes and pulled it open wide, exposing his shoulder for Wei Xiang to more cheerfully nuzzle. Feeling that it was not enough, Wei Xiang tenderly traced his mate's shoulder with his lips, his eyes s.h.i.+ning with quiet happiness. Qinghe gasped softly, his head falling back.

Suddenly, Wei Xiang noticed something and lifted his head, peering down with interest. A scattering of dark red love bites trailed along Qinghe's pale shoulder, continuing over his collarbone and disappearing into his robes. Wei Xiang recalled that he'd left these marks on him just this morning. A corresponding trail of hickeys had been laid over Wei Xiang's chest and abdomen at that time as well. But those marks should have long healed by now. And with Qinghe being a deity, these red traces on him should have disappeared as well.

Wei Xiang gently touched the red patches with his fingers and asked worriedly, "Love, why haven't these marks on you disappeared yet?"

Qinghe turned his head away, his cheeks burning. "I-It's because I'm purposefully keeping the bruises unhealed. I wanted them to remain until you can put more of them on me." Qinghe peeked sideways at Wei Xiang, blinking shyly.

Wei Xiang felt a surge of pleasure. His beast was very satisfied, not just because the marks he'd made were still on his mate, but because his mate was willingly going to such lengths to keep those marks.

Qinghe suddenly felt Wei Xiang's chest vibrate with a silent rumble against his back and smiled. Was this the wyvern version of a purr?

Feeling happy, Wei Xiang bowed his head and resumed kissing Qinghe's shoulder, paying special attention to licking each of those little red marks.

"Xiang!" Qinghe protested as he felt soft warmth spreading on his skin wherever his lover's tongue pa.s.sed, healing the bruises.

Wei Xiang softly murmured against his beloved's skin, "Qinghe, be good. I'll put more marks on you tonight if you want. And I'll make sure to carry the love bites you give me next time throughout the following day as well."

Qinghe blushed, even his ears feeling hot. He stopped resisting and let Wei Xiang heal him. To his delight, Wei Xiang didn't just stop exploring his body with tongue after all the bruises were healed. His tongue swept over the top of his shoulder blades and traveled up his nape.

Giving out a shudder, Qinghe turned to straddle Wei Xiang's thighs and leaned down to kiss him deeply. Wei Xiang's hands slipped into his little lover's loosened robe as Qinghe slid his fingers into Wei Xiang's hair. The couple spent their time sensually exploring each other with their hands and mouth without removing their clothing, content to just touch each other like this.

Under the shade of the s.h.i.+fting leaves, two figures stayed pressed against each other, their time together spent with blissful harmony.