Chapter 11

◎Joint Efforts◎  

Persuading Xie Cexuan wasn’t difficult.  

After observing him over these past days, Zhuo Ying had realized that from top to bottom, there wasn’t a single immortal in the Supreme Purity Heavenly Palace who could stand the sight of the Mount Sumeru Immortal Realm.  

However, due to various constraints, their attitude toward the immortals of Mount Sumeru could be summarized as:  

Forget it, just endure it.  

Let others be angry—I won’t be. Getting upset only harms my own health.  

The immortals of the Supreme Purity Heavenly Palace truly lived up to their reputation as those who had ascended through merit in the mortal realm. If nothing else, their ability to treat suffering as a blessing was second to none.  

So when Zhuo Ying proposed a method to make the people of Mount Sumeru uncomfortable without violating heavenly rules, Xie Cexuan, though pretending on the surface to be three parts indifferent and seven parts nonchalant, was practically itching to carry it out for her immediately.  

“…But what you’re suggesting is missing the most crucial step.”  

Xie Cexuan reminded her.  

“The Supreme Purity Heavenly Palace has strict heavenly laws. Immortals cannot descend to the mortal realm without reason. Generally, there are only two scenarios: first, if you’re on official duty, or second, if a mortal worshipper prays to you, and you have enough immortal power to descend.”  

Zhuo Ying didn’t meet any of these conditions.  

Yet she seemed to have already planned for this and wasn’t worried. She only asked:  

“How much of your immortal power can you use when you descend?”  

“Twenty percent. Every immortal in the Immortal Realm is limited to about twenty percent when descending. But since everyone’s full power varies, some people’s twenty percent is no different from a mortal’s, while others can still take on an army of thousands single-handedly.”  

Xie Cexuan was a mid-third-rank Young God of War. Twenty percent was more than enough.  

Zhuo Ying silently calculated before saying:  

“A Young God of War must be the type who can take on an army alone. If you could assist me, it would be such a relief.”  

Under normal circumstances, Zhuo Ying would never say such things. But since she was currently in dire straits, a few flattering words that cost nothing were necessary.  

However, Xie Cexuan studied her for a moment before replying:  

“Save those words for someone else. You’re not the type to say such things.”  

How could Chi Shui Zhuo Ying stoop to coaxing someone?  

She simply wasn’t cut out for it.  

Zhuo Ying blinked slowly and nodded.  

It seemed that flattery did require some natural talent.  

By the time she left the training grounds, dusk had fallen. A young attendant from the Hall of All Phenomena in the Upper Purity Heaven was waiting outside the Hall of Heavenly Kings with a carriage from the Golden Horse Station.  

Spotting her, the attendant waved and smiled:  

“Has Princess Zhuo Ying finished your business? The Empress of Heaven said to fetch you back for dinner once you were done.”  

Zhuo Ying froze.  

The idea that someone was waiting for her to return for a meal was beyond her experience in both lifetimes. She stood rooted to the spot for a long moment before finally managing to reply:  

“The Empress of Heaven is waiting… for me?”  

“That’s right,” the attendant said, hopping down from the carriage and handing her a golden bell. “The Empress also said that until you’re able to ride the wind, you may use the Golden Horses from the Golden Horse Station. Just ring the bell, and they’ll come at your call.”  

The Supreme Purity Heavenly Palace was indeed too vast to traverse on foot.  

Most of the time, Zhuo Ying only traveled between the Academy and the Hall of All Phenomena, with the reluctant Fu Yao ferrying her back and forth, so it wasn’t too tiring.  

Only on occasions like this, when her path didn’t align with others’, did she have to rely on her own two feet.  

Zhuo Ying stared at the golden bell in her hand, momentarily lost in thought.  

“…Let’s go. We shouldn’t keep the Empress of Heaven waiting.”  

—  

“—I heard you checked your merit points at the Merit Administration Office and found you were in the negative by over ten thousand?”  

Dinnertime at the Hall of All Phenomena.

Originally troubled by the affairs of Mount Sumeru Immortal Realm, Fu Yao’s expression visibly brightened the moment he saw Zhuoying, as he suddenly remembered something.

He gave a cold laugh:

“It seems the Heavenly Dao still has eyes.”

Zhuoying ignored him, lowering her head to eat the meat in her bowl.

She was actually already full, but to recover her health as soon as possible, she forced herself to consume twice her usual portion every day, making each bite a struggle.

“A-Yao,” Tianhou said with a gentle smile, “could you fetch me a bowl of soup?”

Fu Yao obediently served a bowl.

The dignified yet kind Tianhou said softly, “Just place it by your sister’s hand. As an elder brother, you shouldn’t need me to remind you of such things in the future.”

Reprimanded, Fu Yao: “…”

He endured it.

“The Merit Administration Office has already reported this matter to me.”

Tianhou looked at Zhuoying, who was struggling with her meal, and gave her a reassuring glance:

“The Heavenly Dao has its judgments, but the Heavenly Dao is not absolute truth. Don’t let this affect how you judge yourself.”

Zhuoying looked up, surprised by Tianhou’s words.

“You… don’t think the Heavenly Dao is right?”

“What is right, and what is wrong?”

Tianhou lowered her gaze, a faint smile appearing on her serene, majestic face.

“This world does not have only one measure. Everyone holds their own standard, and the Heavenly Dao is merely one among them.”

Zhuoying raised her eyes: “Yet this one alone can block my path of cultivation.”

“There are countless paths to the Dao. What blocks your way is not limited to this one. If it obstructs you, break through it.”

Her voice was calm as water, yet her words carried immense weight.

“I heard there’s been a minor issue with your temple in the mortal realm. Your sister’s temple gained followers even before it was completed, while yours was hastily finished and filled with slander against you. Would you like me to send someone to reprimand your parents?”

Both Fu Yao and Zhuoying looked astonished.

Fu Yao: “Mother, Mount Sumeru Immortal Realm has slandered me repeatedly. Why don’t you reprimand them?”

“What slander?” Tianhou pondered. “If you mean them calling you stubborn and single-minded, how can I defend you? That is simply the truth.”

Fu Yao was speechless.

Zhuoying snapped out of her daze.

She knew Tianhou held inexplicable kindness toward her. At first, though she didn’t understand why, no one would refuse such favor.

But now, Zhuoying grew increasingly bewildered.

If Tianhou genuinely cared for her, why would Zhaocui claim that life in the Supreme Purity Heavenly Palace was unbearable?

In her past life, Zhaocui had taken her place to enter the Supreme Purity Heavenly Palace.

Even if the deception were uncovered one day, the Heavenly Palace would only realize they had acquired the most favored daughter of the Human Emperor—a pawn of immense strategic value. It would be entirely to their advantage.

Zhuoying couldn’t make sense of it.

Unfortunately, Zhaocui was now thousands of miles away, leaving her with no way to seek answers.

“Stop staring.”

Seeing Zhuoying fixated on Tianhou’s retreating figure as she left to attend to official matters, Fu Yao set down his chopsticks and spoke coldly:

“Feeling moved? Guilty? Or scheming how to exploit my mother’s kindness for your own ends? Give it up. My mother may be generous and magnanimous, but she’s not your birth mother who’d trust you unconditionally. If you think you can deceive her, your petty cunning won’t be enough.”

There were still three pieces of meat left in the bowl. Zhuoying couldn’t eat another bite, yet she continued to chew slowly.

“My birth mother didn’t trust me unconditionally either. She abandoned me in the palace and disappeared when I was three.”

Fu Yao’s mocking expression froze.

“And now, the Empress in the Great Yong Palace is not my mother. She only wishes for me and my birth mother to vanish completely.”

No more.

She truly couldn’t eat another bite today.

Zhuoying’s brows furrowed tightly as she felt the food rising in her throat. One more mouthful and she would vomit, the discomfort bringing involuntary tears to the corners of her eyes.

But to Fu Yao, this expression looked entirely like she was on the verge of tears from his harsh words.

…Crying?

Chi Shui Zhuoying, crying because of him?

The moment this thought surfaced, Fu Yao’s face cycled through a kaleidoscope of shocked expressions.

His first instinct was to check if his mother was nearby—otherwise, he’d surely be blamed.

Only after confirming no one was around did he relax slightly, though not entirely—because she had already begun coughing into her hand, looking as though she might cough up blood at any moment.

“You… Hey, that’s not what I meant. You’re usually so tough—how was I supposed to know your family situation was like this…?”

Fu Yao’s expression remained stiff. As the Crown Prince of the Heavenly Palace, he had always lived a life of luxury and reverence. When had he ever needed to comfort someone?

After hesitating for a long while, he could only offer a handkerchief.

Which Zhuoying declined.

“No need, thank you.”

After a pause, Zhuoying sighed inwardly. Eating now was no different from torture for her.

She met Fu Yao’s troubled gaze and said calmly:

“Earlier, you wanted to know where the Heart Devouring Gu and Frost Poison in my body came from. The truth is, the Heart Devouring Gu was planted by my father, and the Frost Poison… When my mother was pregnant with me, the Empress poisoned her. That’s why I was born weak and tainted with poison.”

Fu Yao had never expected such an answer.

Born to loving parents and revered by all immortals, his greatest worry had always been when those Mount Sumeru Immortal Realm immortals who looked down on the Supreme Purity Heavenly Palace would perish. He had never witnessed such bloody human tragedies.

How could there be parents in this world who didn’t love their own child?

“…Why are you telling me all this? What’s your goal?”

Though moved, Fu Yao maintained a fragile vigilance.

Zhuoying curved her lips into a smile—an ethereal, bewitching smile. When she gazed at you, it was like the bright moon in the sky or a pearl in the ocean, pure and untainted by worldly dust.

“I just want you to understand that I won’t betray the Supreme Purity Heavenly Palace for the sake of the Human Emperor.”

Fu Yao was half-convinced: “Then why didn’t you say so earlier?”

“Not everyone enjoys laying out their tragic past for all to see.”

Zhuoying met his eyes steadily:

“But now, the entire Upper Purity Heaven likely knows my Merit Points are negative. If I still wish to cultivate into a true immortal, in this entire Heavenly Palace, the only one I can rely on is you.”

She delivered the same speech she had given Xie Cexuan without batting an eye.

And just as expected, Fu Yao looked as though he’d been struck dumb by a sudden blow.

“…Me?”

What kind of ranking was this based on?

How could he possibly be the only one she could rely on?

Zhuoying nodded.

“Although Tianhou has been kind to me, her noble status and governance of the Heavenly Palace sometimes leave her with no choice. The immortal instructors at the Academy treat me well too, but they are impartial to all students. If I were no longer a student, that kindness would naturally cease. Only you—”

Fu Yao watched coldly, wondering what nonsense she would spin next.

“Your Highness, the Crown Prince, I know that even if you dislike me, compared to the Mount Sumeru Immortal Realm, I must still be somewhat more agreeable, right?”

…At least she had some self-awareness.

Seeing him finally begin to listen seriously, Zhuoying continued persuasively:

“Now that the divine maiden from Mount Sumeru has descended to the mortal realm to undergo trials, Ting Yun has written her fate as one of smooth sailing. But happiness in this world is finite. If her life is too smooth, someone else will inevitably bear the misfortune she brings.”

No one understood this better than Zhuoying.

In her past life, Chen Ye rose from an unfavored prince to the ruler of the Four Seas, even capable of rivaling the Supreme Purity Heavenly Palace. His path was smooth, and everyone hailed him as a prodigy blessed by destiny.

But if he hadn’t climbed over her corpse, where would his smooth road have come from?

Fu Yao had a bad feeling: “Why bring her up? What are you planning?”

Zhuoying looked out the window.

Beyond the Nine Heavens lay the heavens beyond heavens.

The invisible Heavenly Dao overlooked all living beings, including the unchecked arrogance of the Mount Sumeru Immortal Realm.

“Tell me, if I were to punish that divine maiden on behalf of the 1,897 innocent people who died in Yaoguang City, how much Merit would the Heavenly Dao assign me? Positive or negative?”

“If positive, it would prove even the Dao knows her actions were wrong yet did nothing to punish her. If negative…”

“If the lives of wronged commoners weigh less than an incompetent divine maiden, what value does such a Heavenly Dao have?”

Watching Zhuoying speak so casually, Fu Yao felt for the first time—

Though Chi Shui Zhuoying was cunning and self-serving.

Standing on the same side as someone like her… was oddly reassuring.

Fu Yao, stirred by her words, eagerly asked:

“So what’s your plan? Let’s hear it.”

The plan was simple.

As the Crown Prince, Fu Yao had the privilege to visit the Fate Administration Office and learn about the divine maiden’s current reincarnated state in the mortal realm.

Xie Cexuan possessed profound immortal power. If Zhuoying descended to fulfill a devotee’s wish, she would need him by her side to ensure success.

With these two, they could grasp the situation in both the Immortal and mortal realms.

“Now, there’s just one last problem—”

Fu Yao pondered:

“To interfere in mortal affairs, we need a devotee to make a wish. How long must we wait…?”

“That’s why you must investigate the Fate Administration Office. We need to find those destined to be stepping stones for the divine maiden in this life and have them make wishes to me. Only then can we justifiably intervene.”

Fu Yao suddenly understood.

If they could manipulate the divine maiden’s fate, making her face due punishment would be easy.

Because of this, even his gaze toward Zhuoying changed.

When her cleverness was directed at their enemies, it wasn’t so detestable after all.

Meeting his increasingly appreciative look, Zhuoying smiled faintly.

It seems this foolish crown prince hasn’t realized he’s also being used as her stepping stone.