“Place your bets and no take-backs! Let’s wager on how long our Royal Highness the Crown Prince can last before going down again!!”
“I bet one year!”
“One year is too long; last time it was only one incense time! It’ll be three days this time, I think. I put my merits down on three days, three days!”
“Don’t, you dimwit! Three days is almost over already, do you even know how to gamble?!”
…Xie Lian silently exited the array.
He’d entered the wrong one. That couldn’t be it.
The heavenly officials of the Upper Court of Heaven were all bigwigs who guarded over a given region. They were widely known by every household and kept occupied by a myriad of state affairs. Since they were deities who ascended respectably, in keeping with their status, they were generally more reserved and often put on airs. Xie Lian himself had been the only one who dragged out every single heavenly official inside the communication array to greet them out of excitement the first time he ascended, incomparably earnest and exceedingly thorough in introducing himself from head to toe.
After he exited that array, he went on another random search and entered a different one. This time, he relaxed, thinking to himself, How quiet—it’s probably this one.
Just then, he heard a voice say softly, “So, Your Highness is back?”
It was a very comfortable voice, the sound soft and gentle, the tone decorous. However, if one were to listen closely, one would discover that the voice was quite cool and indifferent, the same as the sentiment it carried, causing that soft gentleness to turn into something more malicious in intent.
Xie Lian had intended to enter the array in a proper manner, then lie low, but since the other party had already addressed him, he couldn’t keep pretending to be deaf and mute. Besides, he was still delighted that there were actually heavenly officials in the Upper Court who would willingly start a conversation with a God of Misfortune like himself.
Thus, he quickly answered, “Yeah! Hello, everyone, I’m back again.”
Yet little did he know, after this exchange, every single heavenly official who was currently inside the communication array perked up their ears.
That heavenly official said languidly, “Your Highness certainly ascended with tremendous force this time, huh?”
Within the Upper Court of Heaven, emperors, kings, generals, and chancellors were everywhere, and heroes flowed like water.
In order to become a deity, one must first achieve greatness. Within the Mortal Realm, those who had obtained accolades or ones in possession of great talent had always had a better chance at ascension. So it wasn’t an exaggeration to say that rulers, princesses, princes, and generals weren’t a rarity here. Everyone was a Darling of the Heavens. Everyone acted courteously with each other, so they would address one another as Your Majesty, Your Highness, Lord General, Alliance Chief, Head Chief, whatever, as long as the title was flattering. However, the words from this one heavenly official seemed to have something lurking beneath their tone.
Although he said “Your Highness” this, “Your Highness” that, Xie Lian couldn’t sense a bit of respect from him at all. It was more like he was poking him with a needle. There were also several heavenly officials inside the communication array who were authentic crown princes, and they were feeling the hairs on their backs rise from such an address, incredibly uncomfortable. Xie Lian could tell that this other party didn’t come with good intentions. But he didn’t want to fight, so he chose to run instead.
He smiled. “It wasn’t too bad.”
However, that heavenly official wouldn’t give him the chance to run. He said tepidly, “It’s Your Highness, after all, so it wasn’t too bad for you. But my luck doesn’t seem to be as good.”
Suddenly, Xie Lian heard a private message from Ling Wen.
She only said one word: “Bell.”
Instantly, Xie Lian understood.
So this was the martial god who was hit by the bell!
If that was the case, then the other party wasn’t angry without reason. Xie Lian had always been adept at apologizing, so he immediately said, “I’ve heard about the accident with the bell, and I’m dreadfully sorry. I do apologize.”
The other party humphed, the meaning unclear.
There were a great number of renowned martial gods in the Heavenly Realm, and many of them were newly ascended dignitaries who came after Xie Lian’s time. Xie Lian couldn’t be sure who this person was by voice alone, but he couldn’t stay ignorant of his name after apologizing either. So Xie Lian inquired, “Might I ask how I may address my lord?”
The other fell silent at this.
Not only did the other fall silent, it was like the entire communication array froze, and the air was assaulted with stagnation.
From the other end, Ling Wen sent him another message. “Your Highness, although I think you should have recognized him after talking for so long, I still want to give you a hint. That’s Xuan Zhen.”
“Xuan Zhen?” Xie Lian said.
He was stumped for a moment before he finally came around, then sent a voice message back in shock. “That’s Mu Qing?”
General Xuan Zhen was the Martial God of the Southwest who possessed seven thousand temples; his name in the human world was considerably distinguished, and this General Xuan Zhen’s real name was Mu Qing. Eight hundred years ago, he was a deputy general at the Xianle Palace of the Crown Prince.
Ling Wen was also quite shocked. “You really didn’t recognize him?”
“I really didn’t,” Xie Lian replied. “He didn’t talk to me like this back then. Besides, I can’t even recall when we last met; it was either five or six centuries ago. I can barely remember what he looks like, so how can I possibly remember what his voice sounds like?”
The communication array was still deep in silence. Mu Qing didn’t utter a sound. The other heavenly officials were pretending they weren’t listening while waiting on the edge of their seats for whichever one would continue the conversation.
Things were rather awkward when it came to those two. The complicated plot had been spread in rumors for so many years, and everyone basically knew the story at this point. Back then, when Xie Lian was still the esteemed crown prince of Xianle, he trained at the Royal Holy Temple. This Royal Holy Temple was a royal cultivation hall in the Kingdom of Xianle, with a very strict standard for selecting disciples. Mu Qing came from the slums, and his father was an executed criminal; someone like that didn’t qualify for acceptance to the Royal Holy Temple, so he could only run errands. Within the temple grounds, he was someone who cleaned the Royal Highness’s room and served tea and water.