Chapter One Hundred Twenty-One
The Hall of Imperial Cosmos fell into abrupt silence at Yuan Qi’s words. The gathered High Immortals avoided his stern gaze, their eyes shadowed with concealed guilt.
In truth, while they grieved the calamity that befell Great Marsh Mountain a thousand years ago, they cared more about their own sects’ reputations. If Great Marsh Mountain had truly been destroyed by the Demon Tribe, then their insistence on executing Hong Yi back then would have been the true catalyst for the conflict between the two tribes. Who could bear such a charge?
Moreover… several Sect Leaders and High Venerables sighed inwardly. Back then, they had been convinced that Lady Ayin of Great Marsh Mountain had colluded with the Demon Tribe, forcing Yuan Qi to inflict Divine Punishment upon her. In the end, that Lady Ayin had been struck to ashes by Heavenly Thunder in Rakshasa Land, leaving not even a speck behind…
The immortals shuddered inwardly, their unease deepening. If Lady Ayin had truly died wrongfully, how would they face Yuan Qi then?
Hua Mo naturally noticed the immortals’ expressions and felt smug. The events of a thousand years ago were intricately connected; his instigation of Jing Lei and other High Immortals to execute Hong Yi and condemn Ayin back then had been precisely for this day.
Once the events of that time were reexamined, which High Immortal in this Nine-Layered Heavenly Palace could emerge with their reputation intact?
Observing the hesitant gazes of the immortals filling the hall, Yu Feng remained clear-headed and wise. He stepped forward first from the upper seats, cupping his hands toward Yuan Qi. “Divine Lord Yuan Qi, the venerable High God Dong Hua brought benevolence to the Three Realms, and Great Marsh Mountain was a pillar of our Immortal Sects. The Heavenly Palace should indeed uncover the truth behind its destruction. Moreover, this matter involves the Demon Tribe and endangers the Three Realms, making it all the more urgent. I beseech the Divine Lord to take charge and reinvestigate the chaos at Great Marsh Mountain a thousand years ago.”
He paused, lifting his gaze toward the imperial throne, his eyes subtly resting on Feng Yin as he bent his posture slightly further. “If it truly was the Demon Tribe that secretly incited conflict between the two tribes a thousand years ago, framing the Demon Emperor, then the charges against Lady Ayin back then would also be the Heavenly Palace’s error. Regardless of what the investigation reveals, I, Yu Feng, am willing to bear full responsibility for the mistakes of that time.”
Yu Feng’s voice was solemn as he bowed deeply.
Feng Yin watched Yu Feng in the hall and sighed inwardly. With the Demon Tribe lurking in the shadows and the Demon Tribe watching covetously, Yu Feng feared that she would harbor resentment over the past injustices, ally with the Demon Tribe, and lose her protective heart toward the Immortal Tribe.
Since Lan Feng’s death, Yu Feng had been the foremost among the Heavenly Palace’s High Venerables. With his willingness to support reinvestigating this matter, no other immortal in the Heavenly Palace would oppose it.
Hearing Yu Feng’s words, Jing Lei and the other two High Venerables could no longer remain seated. They hastily rose, faces filled with remorse. “Divine Lord Yuan Qi, we…”
Before they could speak further, Yuan Qi waved his hand. “First, clarify the matter of the Demon Tribe from back then. Other matters can be discussed later.”
Seeing Yuan Qi settle the matter with a single statement, Hua Mo dared not raise further objections at this moment and could only sit back down, disgruntled.
Yuan Qi turned to Chang Yun. “Elder Chang Yun.”
“What are your orders, Divine Lord?” Chang Yun, who had been listening from the side seats, responded immediately upon being called.
“Time has passed, and a thousand years have gone since the chaos at Great Marsh Mountain. Aside from the testimonies of Princess Yan Shuang and Qing Yi, only the Demon Emperor now knows everything that happened on Great Marsh Mountain back then. Please convey what you have seen and heard in the Heavenly Palace today to the Demon Emperor. Tell him that Yuan Qi…” Yuan Qi’s voice deepened, “and the Phoenix Sovereign await his personal presence in this Nine-Layered Heavenly Palace, and we ask him to provide us with an account of the events at Great Marsh Mountain a thousand years ago.”
Chang Yun was taken aback. Divine Lord Yuan Qi said he and the Phoenix Sovereign?Before she could ponder further, she met Yuan Qi's stern gaze and bowed deeply. "Yes, Chang Yun will surely convey the Divine Lord's words to my Emperor."
Chang Yun's response finally drew the curtain on Yuan Qi's tumultuous birthday banquet. No one had expected that a single birthday celebration would dredge up the bloody chaos between two clans a millennium ago and the existence of the Demon Tribe.
Rumors that the Demon Tribe had controlled the Demon Emperor to slaughter Great Marsh Mountain and attempted to incite conflict between the Immortal and Demon clans quickly spread throughout the Three Realms, causing widespread unease.
After Chang Yun left the Immortal Realm, Yu Feng kept Yan Shuang and Qing Yi at the Heavenly Palace to await the Demon Emperor's response.
That night, in the main hall of Phoenix Roost Palace, Feng Huan reported to Feng Yin on the matters investigated at the Heavenly Palace over the past few days.
"Your Majesty, all the Immortal Attendants who served at the Hall of Imperial Cosmos on the day of High Lord Lan Feng's wedding are no longer in the Heavenly Palace."
Feng Yin frowned. "Where have they gone?"
"I checked at the Celestial Palace Personnel Office. Over the past thousand years, these individuals were either banished to the Mortal Realm for minor offenses or entered mortal reincarnation to undergo Trial Tribulations."
"Were only those from the Hall of Imperial Cosmos banished from the Heavenly Palace during this millennium?"
"Not exactly. After High Lord Lan Feng's tragic death, the Hall of Imperial Cosmos was sealed. The attendants from that hall were all reassigned to serve in other palaces. Over the years, they gradually descended to the mortal realm, and now not a single one remains in the Heavenly Palace."
"Who banished them to the mortal realm?"
"Venerable Hua Shu."
Feng Yin looked surprised. How could it be Hua Shu?
Lan Feng had gone from the Hall of Imperial Cosmos to the Hall of Imperial Cosmos on his wedding day—there must have been a reason. The attendants serving in the Hall of Imperial Cosmos were the most likely to have noticed anything unusual. She had long suspected that the mastermind behind the plot would not leave those attendants in the Heavenly Palace, but she never expected that Hua Shu would be the one to banish them.
Why would Hua Shu do this? Could she also be involved in Lan Feng's death?
"Tomorrow, go to the Ghost Realm. Take my Phoenix Decree to pay respects to the Ghost King. Retrieve the attendants from the Hall of Imperial Cosmos who descended to the mortal realm from the Book of Life and Death, release their Immortal Seals ahead of time, and bring them back to the Heavenly Palace."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Just as Feng Yin finished giving her orders, a murmuring sound drifted from the front courtyard. The voice was somewhat familiar—it was one she had heard earlier that day in the Hall of Imperial Cosmos.
Feng Huan's eyes widened, and she was about to go out and chase the intruder away, but Feng Yin waved her hand and walked out of the hall instead.
Beneath the cluster of peach trees in the front courtyard of Phoenix Roost Palace stood a small mountain of incense candles and spirit money. Qing Yi, dressed in the same Daoist robes he had worn back at Great Marsh Mountain, crouched beside the burning incense candles, clutching a cloth bundle.
Behind him stood Feng Yu, looking hesitant and blushing, clutching the hem of her sleeve as she gazed at him shyly.
That someone had managed to sneak into Phoenix Roost Palace, the residence of the Phoenix Sovereign, carrying a pile of incense candles and spirit money without a sound—it didn't take much thought to guess which little traitor was responsible.
Just as Feng Yin was about to speak, Qing Yi's eyes reddened, and he half-knelt beside the pile of incense candles and spirit money.
"Little Martial Aunt!" The hoarse cry immediately startled Feng Yin into silence.
"Little Martial Aunt Ayin, I've come to see you." Qing Yi picked up the spirit money from the ground and tossed it into the incense candles. "Walk slowly on the Yellow Spring Road."
Feng Yin's face darkened. Looking at Qing Yi, who hadn't changed a bit in a thousand years, she didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She had been dead for a millennium—even crawling, she would have finished the Yellow Spring Road by now. How could she possibly walk slowly?
"I brought your favorite mung bean cakes."Qing Yi didn't notice Feng Yin's expression at all, lost in his own sorrow. As he scattered paper money, he unwrapped the cloth bundle in his arms, and the delicate fragrance of mung bean cakes wafted through the small courtyard, unusually rich.
Feng Yu couldn't help but sniff, eyeing the mung bean cakes in Qing Yi's arms with longing. Even if she were usually thoughtless, she dared not reach for them now—these were prepared for his little martial aunt who had passed away. She couldn't possibly snatch food meant for someone who had been dead for a thousand years.
Feng Yin gazed at the mung bean cakes in Qing Yi's arms, her expression dark and inscrutable.
"Little Martial Aunt, I've listened to you. All these years, I've cultivated my Immortal Power every single day, never slacking off. But I'm useless—even after a thousand years, I'm still just a Lower Lord. I've shamed our Great Marsh Mountain. Don't worry, I've been guarding our mountain gate all this time. No Demon Tribe dares disturb Master, Martial Uncles, or my martial brothers..." Qing Yi rambled on, his voice restrained and mournful. "It's just that you left all alone. I don't know where to go to watch over you."
His voice grew softer, and his hands holding the mung bean cakes trembled slightly. "It's been a thousand years since you left, Little Martial Aunt. Do you still remember me and Little Martial Uncle? We... we've missed you terribly..."
In the quiet night, Qing Yi's choked reminiscences were especially heart-wrenching, moving even the usually oblivious Feng Yu to tears.
Footsteps suddenly echoed in the silent courtyard, and a pair of white phoenix-patterned boots stopped before the kneeling Qing Yi. Before the two could react, a pair of slender hands reached out and plucked a mung bean cake from the cloth bundle in Qing Yi's arms.
Feng Yu stared wide-eyed as Feng Yin unhesitatingly popped the mung bean cake into her mouth. Instantly, her phoenix feathers stood on end, and she shrieked, "Your Majesty! How could you... how could you... This is Immortal Lord Qing Yi's offering to his little martial aunt..."
Before Feng Yu could finish her outburst, Feng Yin smacked her lips twice and met Qing Yi's stunned, furious gaze.
"Not bad. Your skills have improved even more. I told Elder Brother back then that you had more talent as a cook than as an immortal. He just wouldn't listen, insisting on keeping you as a mediocre little immortal. If you went to the mortal realm, you'd definitely be a legendary master chef."
"You... you..." Qing Yi's face changed dramatically. He leaped up, pointing a trembling finger at Feng Yin. "You..."
Feng Yin licked her lips and tapped her little martial nephew's right forehead. "Me what? Weren't you just howling for me to walk slower on the Yellow Spring Road? Now that I'm right in front of you, you don't recognize me?"
Back on Great Marsh Mountain, when Ayin and her little martial nephew got up to mischief, she loved tapping the little Taoist priest's forehead like this—the crisp, rhythmic sound was especially satisfying.
In those days, Qing Yi would always yelp and protest, his face flushed as he argued with his little martial aunt. This time, when Feng Yin's hand tapped his head, his eyes reddened, and he was about to sweep the Phoenix Sovereign and the entire bag of mung bean cakes into his arms.
But someone moved faster. A flash of red outside the courtyard pushed Qing Yi aside and pulled Feng Yin into a tight embrace."Bastard! You damned scoundrel, you came back and didn't even tell us!" Yan Shuang shoved Feng Yin aside, pounding her shoulder twice with heavy blows, her eyes red with anger. "If Qing Yi hadn't come here crying at your grave, were you planning to never acknowledge us? Huh, Phoenix Sovereign!"
Yan Shuang practically spat out those last four words through gritted teeth. Feng Yin and Qing Yi were left speechless for a moment, their faces darkening at her blunt "crying at your grave" remark.
"Your Majesty, you... you..." Feng Yu, standing to the side, stared wide-eyed at the three people who had "met across a thousand miles by fate." She cautiously glanced outside the courtyard and whispered in an almost inaudible voice, "Are you Qing Yi's martial aunt, the Great Marsh Mountain disciple who died in Rakshasa Land a thousand years ago?"
Seeing her usually fearless little phoenix acting like a thief, Feng Yin couldn't help but roll her eyes. "I set up an Immortal Formation outside the palace. Nothing said in this courtyard will be heard outside."
Before she could finish speaking, Feng Yu was about to excitedly chime in, but Feng Yin raised a hand to stop her. "Yes, that's me. Now step aside."
Feng Yu's budding curiosity was snuffed out before it could even ignite. Pouting with a look of grievance, she shuffled over to stand beside Feng Huan.
"I haven't been awake for long and haven't had the chance to see you or Qing Yi. I didn't mean to hide it from you on purpose." Feng Yin looked at the two red-eyed figures before her. "Even if I were to hide it from anyone, it wouldn't be from the two of you."
Seeing that the two had calmed down, before Yan Shuang and Qing Yi could speak, Feng Yin narrowed her eyes. Her gaze swept over the incense, candles, and paper money scattered on the ground before finally settling on Qing Yi and Yan Shuang. She raised an eyebrow and asked, "Who told you to come see me at Phoenix Roost Palace like this?"
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