Feng Xuan noticed that he only wore the jade pendant that he had given him a few days ago around his waist. The customs in Chang’an were open-minded, and both men and women could apply makeup, perfume, and powder. Compared to the young masters who had countless sachets, jade pendants, daggers, and fire stones hanging from their waists, Qi Zhuoyu’s natural and sharp beauty was truly outstanding.
As soon as he sat next to her, Feng Xuan felt countless eyes looking at them in the dark.
Most of them were young ladies from noble families, covering half of their faces with their fans and shyly looking at them. After looking, they whispered to each other:
“Is this the Prince of the Duan Mansion?”
“He’s really handsome. He’s much better looking than any of the Four Talents of Chang’an.”
“I heard that King Duan was once the number one beauty in Chang’an, and now looking at the Prince, he must have looked like him.”
“Ah, it’s a pity that he got married so young. Did you hear that he married a very arrogant and unruly Princess…”
Then there was a chorus of “Such a pity,” “How can someone be so handsome and blind,” “Is he a masochist to fall in love with such a scheming Princess.”
Feng Xuan’s mouth twitched as he listened. Do you dare to speak louder? Do you want me to use a sound-amplifying talisman to broadcast it to the entire Chang’an City? And when did he become arrogant and unruly? How come this gossip hasn’t been debunked yet, and it even sounds like it’s getting more and more outrageous.
“What’s wrong?” Qi Zhuoyu noticed that something was off.
Feng Xuan chuckled coldly, forced a smile, and said, “Senior Brother, don’t you feel like many people are secretly looking at you?”
Dressed like a peacock tonight.
No wonder so many noble ladies were staring at him with coveting eyeballs.
Oh, come to think of it, he even charmed a princess. Attracting the attention of the elegant young idlers, a playboy, stinky and shameless person.
Qi Zhuoyu’s divine sense almost covered the entire Chang’an City, but that didn’t mean he had the patience to listen to everyone.
So he calmly said, “You don’t have to worry. Their gazes are not hostile.”
Feng Xuan: ?
Okay. Forget that this flirtatious big devil is a ruthless and foolish Daoist who only cares about his career. He probably won’t pay attention to the hearts and hints of these noble ladies. Love? What can love give him to eat?
After the small commotion of stealing glances passed, the singing banquet had already gone through two rounds.
The eunuch announcer stood at the end of the white jade steps and loudly announced, “Nanhai Sea Guixu Country Ruler presents 100 pieces of mermaid silk, three mermaid pearls, and 50 dragon brain trees!”
As soon as he finished speaking, the courtiers present gasped in shock.
Even Emperor Li sitting at the top said “good” three times in a row.
Feng Xuan had heard of small country rulers presenting tens of thousands of pieces of silk, thousands of acres of fertile land, and even millions of items. But when it came to this ruler of the Guixu Country, it was only a hundred or so, and even with a few digits for the pearls. Feng Xuan couldn’t bear to watch. Why were the courtiers and Emperor Li so excited?
As he was wondering, Qi Zhuoyu seemed to notice his expression and explained, “The sea area of the South Sea dried up more than a hundred years ago and turned into a desert. The mermaid tribe living in the South Sea also became extinct, so mermaid silk and pearls became extremely precious. The entire human empire couldn’t even produce one pearl, but the ruler of the Guixu Country presented three at once, so Emperor Li was so excited.”
So that’s it. No wonder the Sixth Prince was so shocked when he first saw Qi Zhuoyu wearing mermaid silk.
Feng Xuan had no concept of this. After all, when he was in the Ninth Heaven, he used mermaid pearls as slingshots to play with.
However, the fact that the South Sea had turned into a desert did surprise him a bit.
Since the fall of his father god, his power had fallen to different ancient gods. For example, Emperor Feng Li had the power to control the rising and setting of the sun and moon, and the power to reproduce and thrive. The god who controlled the rivers and seas was the South Sea War God Bu Tinghu Yu.
Bu Tinghu Yu had descended to the mortal world to undergo tribulations a hundred years ago and had not returned since. Seeing the South Sea turn into a desert, Feng Xuan couldn’t help but wonder if he was also an unlucky one who had fallen during his tribulations.
Lost in thought, the eunuch announcer’s voice rang out again, “Princess Amann of the Guixu Country is willing to perform a dance. Wishing Heavenly Khan the blessings of Donghai Sea, longevity and prosperity!”
Here she comes!
Feng Xuan quickly looked down at the stage. After the eunuch finished reading, more than a dozen men dressed in exotic costumes came up to the stage to dance. Both men and women from the Guixu Country could dance, and the men were the supporting dancers while the women were the main dancers, complementing the softness with hardness, showcasing the diverse charm of the Amann Princess.
Soon, Amann Princess appeared slowly.
It’s no wonder that Amann Princess, who caused headaches for “Xiao Qi” and Su Qingyan in the Book of Fate, had such an unforgettable face. Her features were slightly more distinct than those of the noblewomen in Chang’an City, and her black hair was voluminous and curly like seaweed, cascading down like a waterfall. Her emerald green eyes were like sparkling jewels, and after she finished her dance, not only the men but also the women in the audience were captivated by her.
But isn’t this Amann Princess not following the script?
When she was supposed to perform her dance, she was supposed to fall in love with the big devil, gaze at him affectionately, and send him flirtatious glances. But why did she seem to have never looked at Qi Zhuoyu from beginning to end? Instead, she looked anxious and distressed, as if someone had forced her to come up and dance.
And then there was the big devil.
Why was he not following the script either? In the Book of Destiny, although he did not directly agree to the princess’s confession of love, he always seemed to be indulging her in some way. Otherwise, how could he let Amann Princess ride on the head of his “wife of chaff” for so long? (TL: refers to a wife who has gone through adversity together.)
But the fact was that from just now until now, Qi Zhuoyu’s gaze had never left him. What, was it fun to watch him eat?
Feng Xuan hesitated and took another bite of grapes.
With his cheeks bulging, being looked at by the big devil made him feel like he was being watched by a wild beast.
At the end of the dance, the lord of Guixu Kingdom and the princess, following the diplomatic etiquette of Guixu Kingdom, bowed to Emperor Li and half-knelt under the main hall.
“Heavenly Khan. I have something to offer to the Empire,” said the ruler, referring to the human empire, not the emperor. “This item is the national treasure of my Guixu Country and also a divine object from the distant era of chaos. If anyone in the Empire can help my countrymen subdue the monsters, escape the desert, I am willing to give this national treasure to that person, without taking a penny!”
Feng Xuan heard this and thought, Oh, catching monsters.
Looking at Qi Zhuoyu: Big devil, this is right up your alley.
Qi Zhuoyu ignored Feng Xuan’s intentionally ambiguous gaze.
He peeled a shelled fruit from the table and put it in Feng Xuan’s small dish. Then he gave him a cold warning look that said, “Eating enough won’t stop your mouth.”
Emperor Li asked, “Oh? What is the ruler referring to?”
As he spoke, a servant from Guixu Country brought a lacquered wooden tray with a black velvet cloth covering it.
The ruler said, “According to ancient legends, the god who created the world in the era of chaos was called Zhu. He was the light of day, the darkness of night, the cold of winter, and the heat of summer. Therefore, there was a dragon that held a divine lamp to illuminate the gate of heaven, and a phoenix that refined the essence of fire to ignite the soul of the divine lamp. This is the divine soul lamp. Whoever possesses this lamp can keep their soul from dying, their spirit from extinguishing, and reverse the yin and yang, bringing the dead back to life.”
He lifted the black velvet cloth, and a bright light as bright as daylight suddenly surged, almost blinding everyone’s eyes. After the light faded, a piece of glass with an indescribable luster lay quietly on the lacquered tray, breathtakingly beautiful.
“The national treasure that I want to offer is a piece of the divine soul lamp.”
Feng Xuan almost spat out the juice he had just drunk with a “pft” when he heard this.
His gaze fell on the fragment of the divine soul lamp, and he almost thought he was dreaming. He was the one who shattered the lamp himself and was demoted to the mortal world for it. Therefore, he could recognize the fragments of the divine soul lamp even if they turned to ashes.
It was precisely because he recognized it that he was shocked.
A divine soul lamp was one’s destiny lamp, and only the phoenix fire could ignite the wick. After he shattered the divine soul lamp, he never saw it again, and he thought it was collected by his father emperor. He never expected that it would be broken into pieces and fall into the mortal world.
Feng Xuan stared at the fragment of the divine soul lamp for a long time with a complex expression.
Qi Zhuoyu, who had been silent all this time, said, “You want it.”
It was a statement, not a question.
Feng Xuan couldn’t say that he didn’t want it, after all, the lamp was originally his. He said, “The ruler said that we need to help their entire country escape the desert. Even if senior brother is incredibly powerful, he can’t do it either.”
“Hmm,” Qi Zhuoyu, the lifelong strong elementary school chicken, surprisingly admitted humbly.
Feng Xuan felt like he could see the sun rise from the west tomorrow.
However, he underestimated Qi Zhuoyu’s villainous character.
The next second, the big devil announced his plan without blushing or jumping, “So, after the banquet is over, go and steal it.”
