Heaven Official's Blessing: Tian Guan Ci Fu (Novel) Vol. 2(4)
Thus, in addition to his role as the martial god that ruled the north, the Mortal Realm also worshipped him as the God of Love. Even a number of heavenly officials would turn around and secretly pray to him should they bump into him in the heavens, hoping for some fortune in love. It had to be said that, although similar in sentiment, such a title was definitely more fortunate than Feng Xin’s unwarranted title of “Tremendous Masculinity.”
All the heavenly officials present in the hall were well aware of what both of those “I’ve heard so much about you” comments meant, and many roared with laughter in their heads.
After such pleasantries, Xie Lian said, “What does General Pei mean by ‘hard to say’?”
Pei Ming snapped his fingers, and a corpse suddenly appeared in the middle of the great hall, floating in midair.
Strictly speaking, this floating body was just a shell. It had no primordial spirit, completely empty on the inside. But it was covered in blood from head to toe, so by any practical measure, it was no different from a corpse. It had a handsome face, but its eyes were firmly shut. It was indeed A-Zhao…or rather, General Pei Junior’s clone.
To have such a thing appear so suddenly before an elegant crowd of heavenly officials inside the Palace of Divine Might was startling. A moment later, Pei Xiu was also brought in, but he still looked indifferent and apathetic even with shackles binding him. His head was bowed low, and he was silent.
“General Pei, what’s the meaning of this?” Xie Lian asked.
Pei Xiu knelt down within the Palace of Divine Might, and Pei Ming replied, “During Little Pei’s interrogation, he mentioned something I found quite curious.”
Pei Ming paced halfway around Xie Lian and smiled. “I’m quite familiar with Little Pei’s ability. Even if his clone’s powers are reduced and nowhere near the level of his true self, it’s still quite competent and capable of fighting evenly with a wrath ghost. However, he told me that he was surprised to meet a mortal who was so strong that Little Pei was unable to even withstand his attacks. Now, isn’t that curious?”
Pei Ming continued, “And so I pressed for answers. It turns out, at the time, there was a red-clothed young man beside Your Highness while you were at Banyue Pass.”
Hearing the words “red-clothed” made all the officials present shift expressions, and they all appeared uncomfortable. But Pei Ming’s next statement made them completely agitated.
“And this young man, in the dark, was able to eradicate every Banyue-soldier-turned-wrath in a flash.
“Now, Your Highness, might you enlighten us as to who this red-clothed young man might be?”
If it wasn’t a wrath, then it must be a supreme! A supreme that could kill hundreds of wraths in a flash. A supreme dressed all in red.
Anyone could guess who that young man probably was, yet no one wanted to be the first to say the name. Xie Lian cast a glance at the silent Pei Xiu and replied a little unnaturally.
“Ahem, really? Uh, I don’t remember it very well. There was a caravan trapped in Banyue Pass at the time, and we spent a few days together. Maybe it was someone from the caravan.”
“That can’t be right, Your Highness,” Pei Ming said. “According to Little Pei, you and that young man were unusually close. Not like someone you’d only just met or had only known for a few days. How can you not recall such a thing?”
No, you’re wrong, that was the truth. It really was only a few days, Xie Lian thought. Nevertheless, his face gave nothing away.
Just then, from the sidelines, a white-clad cultivator casually waved his whisk and spoke up.
“General Pei, you’ve only heard Little Pei’s side of the story. Little Pei has committed a crime, and he’s currently in detention, soon to be exiled. Whether his words are believable is still hard to say, no?”
“Then we shall see if General Nan Yang and General Xuan Zhen can assist us,” Pei Ming replied.
Following his line of sight, Xie Lian found Feng Xin and Mu Qing standing separately in the southwest and southeast corners of the hall.
Feng Xin still looked the same as in his memories—tall as always, standing extremely straight, his eyes determined, and his brows forever slightly furrowed. It made it seem that there was always something irritating him, but really he wasn’t irritated at all.
Mu Qing, on the other hand, was somewhat different from what he remembered. His face was still pale without much redness, and his lips still thin and pursed, his eyes half-lidded. However, there was an aloof air surrounding him, one that clearly indicated he was interested in neither conversation nor the dispensing of compliments. He stood with his arms crossed, a finger on his right hand tapping his left elbow softly. It was hard to tell if he was at ease or if he was scheming something.
While the two were considered good-looking men, each had their own flaws. Hearing Pei Ming call them out, they both looked toward Jun Wu at the same time. It was only when Jun Wu gave a slight nod that they reluctantly stepped forward.
This was the first time since Xie Lian’s third ascension that he’d come face-to-face with the two of them. He could sense all the eyes upon them going wild with excitement.
Wild was inevitable. It must be known that the Palace of Divine Might was the number one martial palace of heaven, and those without the title of heavenly official had no right to enter or attend court. The first time the Crown Prince of Xianle ascended, Feng Xin and Mu Qing were his deputy generals. At the time, they were only low-ranking officials from the Middle Court without even the right to scrub the floors of the Palace of Divine Might. And now, not only could these former junior officials stand openly in the palace’s hall, but their ranks were even higher than that of their former master. What a turn of fate, how times had changed.