Chapter 6

◎ Responsibility (Major Revision) ◎  

After Tianhou left, Zhuoying lay in bed for quite some time.  

The words Tianhou had spoken to her still felt like a dream.  

She tried to find a reason for Tianhou’s preferential treatment toward her.  

Perhaps, like Chen Ye, all the kindness shown to her was merely to gain something in return.  

But this reasoning didn’t hold up. Tianhou ruled over the Supreme Purity Heavenly Palace, commanding the immortals of the Immortal Realm. She was not like the isolated and vulnerable Chen Ye, who had to win her over. Tianhou had no need to stoop to such words just to recruit a mere hostage like her.  

Then why?  

Only then did Zhuoying realize that while she despised being used, she couldn’t think of any value she possessed beyond that. She couldn’t believe anyone would treat her well without reason.  

“Awake?”  

Behind the bed’s curtain, Feng Li Shen Jun stood by Zhuoying’s bedside.  

Though their previous meetings had never shown him in a particularly good mood, this time he seemed even more solemn than before.  

Zhuoying wisely began, “I’ve caused trouble for the Divine Lord. My apologies.”  

She had thought this would ease Feng Li Shen Jun’s displeasure, but instead, he appeared even more displeased.  

“This matter was my oversight to begin with. For you to apologize first—are you trying to make me feel ashamed?”  

“Of course not.”  

“If you didn’t do wrong and don’t believe you did, why apologize?”  

Feng Li Shen Jun’s tone remained stern and authoritative, cold at first glance, but the content of his words suggested otherwise.  

“It’s just a habit,” Zhuoying replied softly, her long lashes lowering.  

Even if she didn’t believe she was wrong, if others demanded an apology, she would give one. It was how she protected herself.  

Feng Li Shen Jun frowned.  

How could a pampered human princess like her have such a habit?  

“Break that habit.”  

Zhuoying looked at him in surprise. Feng Li Shen Jun clasped his hands behind his back and said,  

“In my presence, speak plainly. I dislike mind games and unnecessary courtesy.”  

“At the Academy, I am your teacher, and you are my student. I will teach to the best of my ability, and you must study diligently. Outside the Academy, I am a martial god of the Hall of Heavenly Kings, and you are a human hostage. If you ever threaten the Heavenly Palace, I will not show mercy.”  

After a long silence, Zhuoying spoke slowly,  

“Is that all the Divine Lord came to say today?”  

“One more thing.”  

Feng Li Shen Jun said sternly,  

“Your past actions in the mortal realm offset your involvement in the Glazed Realm incident. From today onward, our accounts are settled. As for the reasons, I won’t bother asking. Just remember not to repeat such mistakes.”  

Zhuoying was taken aback by Feng Li Shen Jun’s straightforwardness.  

In fact, ever since arriving at the Supreme Purity Heavenly Palace, everything that had happened had been beyond her expectations.  

“Divine Lord—!”  

Footsteps sounded outside the door—it was Chang Meng, whom she had met earlier at the South Heaven Gate.  

Upon entering and seeing Zhuoying awake, his face brightened with joy, but he dared not speak to her under Feng Li Shen Jun’s imposing presence. Instead, he bowed respectfully and said,  

“Divine Lord, the Hall of Heavenly Kings has summoned you. There is urgent business to discuss.”  

A summons from the Hall of Heavenly Kings was no trivial matter.  

Feng Li Shen Jun rose immediately, leaving a book in the room and instructing Zhuoying to rest for a few more days before returning to the Academy. Then, he hurriedly departed with Chang Meng.  

Zhuoying removed the silver needles from her body and picked up the book, flipping through it.  

It was a manual on the Tai Chi Palm Technique.

This palm technique was not an external practice but an internal one, so it could be learned regardless of one’s cultivation level. It had the effect of strengthening the body and laying the foundation for formal cultivation later on.

If she had to search for it herself, she didn’t know how long it would take to find a technique suitable for her current stage of cultivation.

So this was what it felt like to have someone guide her cultivation path.

A faint rustling sound came from the window.

“Who—”

A hand clad in a bracer pushed open the window. Xie Cexuan leaned against the windowsill with his other hand, tilting his head as he signaled:

“Come on, I’m taking you somewhere.”

–

Inside a stone cave in the third level of Observing Mystery Heaven.

Zhuoying stared at the medical texts filling the entire cave, stunned for a long moment before slowly lifting her gaze to Xie Cexuan and Fu Yao standing before her.

Fu Yao crossed his arms, his expression stern.

“—Xie Cexuan said Yan Jun won’t treat your illness, so you’ll have to find a way yourself. Since you’re now part of our Supreme Purity Heavenly Palace, I’ll help you out. These books are copies I retrieved from the Celestial Medicine Bureau—the writing won’t fade for five days.

“But you have to tell me: what’s the deal with the Heart Devouring Gu and Frost Poison in your body? If someone planted the gu in you to make you a spy, confess now, and I might plead for leniency on your behalf before Lord Qing Yuan.”

Lord Qing Yuan was a divine official of the Censorate, responsible for judging immortals across the Immortal Realm.

Beside him, Xie Cexuan lazily raised three fingers and waved them.

“I said I’d give you an answer in three days, and I did. The extra day was because you didn’t wake up—can’t blame me for that.”

Zhuoying’s gaze remained fixed on the sea of medical texts.

After a long pause, she finally looked up.

“Actually… Tianhou came to see me earlier. She said she’s already spoken with Yan Jun and would discuss how to treat my illness with him…”

Fu Yao immediately turned a furious glare toward Xie Cexuan.

“Also, I already told Xie Cexuan about the Heart Devouring Gu. Didn’t he inform you?”

Zhuoying seemed surprised.

Fu Yao’s fists clenched audibly.

“Xie—Ce—xuan—you were deliberately messing with me, weren’t you?!”

Leaning lazily against the cave wall, Xie Cexuan smirked.

“Don’t be mad. Even though your efforts were wasted, you’ve earned my respect—sneaking in and out of the Celestial Medicine Bureau seven times, copying all these books and still escaping unscathed. Truly impressive, Your Highness.”

He clapped lightly, with a hint of sincerity—though not much.

Fu Yao was so furious he nearly drew his sword.

“It wasn’t entirely wasted.”

Kneeling beside the piles of books, Zhuoying scanned the titles swiftly in the dim cave light.

“There are some things I wanted to look into—things that might only be found in medical texts.”

Why had she been able to endure three full days in the Upper Purity Glazed Realm?

Though she considered her willpower strong, she suspected there were secrets about herself she hadn’t yet uncovered.

Those secrets might be the key to how she had lasted so long.

“In that case, you should at least explain the Heart Devouring Gu now—”

Before Fu Yao could finish, Xie Cexuan’s expression suddenly sharpened. With a flick of his fingers, he extinguished the illuminating flames.

“Shh.”

He raised a silencing gesture, his figure tensing slightly.

“There’s someone else outside.”

Fu Yao’s first thought was: “People from the Celestial Medicine Bureau?”

“No.”

Xie Cexuan, skilled in archery, had exceptional hearing.

“Only two. And they’re not here for us.”

Fu Yao pondered, “It’s already dark outside, and Observing Mystery Heaven has few immortal halls—mostly just habitats for spiritual beasts and breeding grounds for celestial herbs. It’s usually the least frequented place. What are these two doing here at night…”

As if struck by a thought, Fu Yao’s expression subtly shifted.

Xie Cexuan also fell into contemplation.

The other party likely wasn’t a high-ranking immortal; otherwise, they would have been the first to detect outsiders.

After some thought, Xie Cexuan released a paper crane folded from a talisman.

The eyeless crane could perceive its surroundings and transform into mist. Unless the observer was a higher-ranking immortal, its presence would go unnoticed.

“…Any luck?”

“Reporting to the Young Lord, we still haven’t found the Divine Maiden.”

“Send more people to continue searching the mortal realm. Also, have all the palaces, temples, and shrines of Supreme Purity in Yaoguang City been destroyed?”

“Without delay, all have been razed. The voices of those lowly mortals in Yaoguang City will never reach the Supreme Purity Heavenly Palace to implicate the Divine Maiden.”

Their voices transmitted through the paper crane into the stone cave. Xie Cexuan and Fu Yao exchanged glances.

The Supreme Purity Heavenly Palace typically learned of mortal affairs through incense offerings and prayers at earthly temples.

Destroying a city’s temples and shrines meant even overwhelming grievances from below would never reach the heavenly court.

Fu Yao said gravely, “They’re from Mount Sumeru Immortal Realm.”

The Supreme Purity Heavenly Palace had no titles like “Young Lord” or “Divine Maiden”—these were clearly immortals from Mount Sumeru.

In the Immortal Realm, Mount Sumeru stood equal in fame to Supreme Purity, both renowned immortal clans.

The Supreme Purity Heavenly Palace comprised post-celestial immortals—mortals who ascended through accumulated virtue to condense their Immortal Roots. They governed the cosmos and wielded actual authority, serving as the Immortal Realm’s leaders.

In contrast, Mount Sumeru’s immortals were born with celestial essence. Though holding no official positions, their noble status commanded reverence without effort, making them the Immortal Realm’s aristocracy.

Though both were immortal clans, their methods differed greatly, with little interaction.

Whenever they did intersect, it was never for good.

Like now.

“Mortals destroying our Supreme Purity temples is one thing, but for Mount Sumeru—fellow immortals—to stoop to such despicable acts! Let me catch them red-handed—”

Xie Cexuan calmly restrained him:

“I’ve already recorded this with the paper crane. We’ll let Lord Qing Yuan of the Censorate investigate later. You know how those old relics from Mount Sumeru are—always flaunting their ancient bloodlines and divine ancestry to bully others. As a Supreme Purity Crown Prince without real power, you’d only alert them.”

“Wait—”

Zhuoying’s voice came from behind.

“There’s another exit at the back of this cave. I’ll take my leave now.”

Fu Yao, mid-argument with Xie Cexuan, turned in surprise:

“You’re just leaving? This is a major incident—how can you react like this?”

Zhuoying had already stored the medical texts into her Mustard Seed Pouch.

The copied books only lasted five days; she had to read them urgently, hoping to find clues about her Primordial Spirit’s recovery.

She looked up, slightly puzzled.

“How should I react?”

Fu Yao frowned. “Yaoguang City is a human settlement—aren’t you worried about its people at all?”

“If Yaoguang City faces calamity, its governor is responsible. If the governor fails, he can appeal to the Great Yong court. If even the human emperor cannot resolve it, there’s still the Supreme Purity Heavenly Palace to protect all living beings.”

Zhuoying covered her lips and coughed lightly, her delicate brows slightly furrowed.  

Her body was too weak. Just organizing these books had already left her feeling exhausted and drained.  

“If something happens in Yaoguang City, there are others who will handle it. I have neither the strength nor the duty to intervene—what does it have to do with me?”  

Fu Yao had never heard such reasoning before.  

As the Crown Prince of the Supreme Purity Heavenly Palace, he had been raised with the belief that it was his duty to protect all living beings under heaven.  

A nation was part of that duty, and so was a single person—none could be ignored.  

Yet Chi Shui Zhuoying, a princess of a kingdom, disregarded her identity as a human princess and turned a blind eye to her suffering people.  

And here he had thought better of her because of the Glazed Realm.  

Beside him, Xie Cexuan lifted his gaze to the frail figure of the young girl.  

Fu Yao had been meticulously nurtured by the Supreme Purity Heavenly Palace, and as the Crown Prince, it was only natural for him to be devoted to it, willing to go through fire and water for its sake.  

But Chi Shui Zhuoying was different.  

Though she bore the title of princess, her treatment had been worse than that of a beloved daughter in an ordinary family.  

At the very least, common folk wouldn’t poison their own daughters or casually hand them over to their enemies.  

Having never enjoyed the privileges of a royal princess, how could she be burdened with responsibilities far beyond her capabilities?  

“Why walk so fast?”  

Xie Cexuan caught up to her in a few strides, speaking leisurely:  

“Observing Mystery Heaven is a hundred and eight thousand miles from Lesser Light Heaven. If you walk, you’ll collapse from exhaustion before you even get back.”  

Zhuoying glanced at him sidelong.  

Unlike the furious Fu Yao, Xie Cexuan seemed indifferent to her words—neither agreeing nor disagreeing.  

“But if you beg me, I might be merciful enough to—”  

“Thank you for your kindness, Young God of War.”  

Zhuoying cut him off with a faint smile:  

“The last time I asked for your help, it didn’t seem to do much good. Let’s skip it this time.”  

Xie Cexuan: “…”  

“Besides, I have a teleportation talisman to Upper Purity Heaven. And given your rank, Young God of War, you wouldn’t be permitted to enter Upper Purity Heaven anyway. There’s no need for you to escort me.”  

Xie Cexuan: ?  

Fu Yao, who had been following behind them: ?  

Upper Purity Heaven stood at the pinnacle of the Nine Heavens, reserved only for the Heavenly Emperor, Tianhou, the Crown Prince, and the twenty-seven other high-ranking immortals.  

Meeting their astonished gazes, Zhuoying’s usually cool expression feigned contemplation before brightening with realization.  

“Did I not tell you?”  

The smile on the young girl’s face was as breathtaking as a night-blooming epiphyllum under moonlight.  

“Tianhou has granted me special permission to reside with her in Upper Purity Heaven from now on. Crown Prince, it seems we’ll be sharing the same roof from now on. If I offend you in any way, I hope you’ll forgive me.”  

For once, Fu Yao and Xie Cexuan shared the same thought.  

She was undeniably beautiful.  

But she was also undeniably infuriating.  

Author’s Note:  

Revised~