Chapter 36 Part 1

Qixue’s feet were very small, clad in beaded flower-embroidered shoes that peeked out from beneath the thick, layered hem of her skirt, making them appear even more delicate and adorable. She merely ground down on Ji Yuheng once before quickly withdrawing, as if nothing had happened at all.

That stomp of hers was very light on Ji Yuheng, like a colorful butterfly alighting briefly before fluttering away, leaving a tingling itch on the back of his hand—and also making his heart tingle faintly, stirring up layer upon layer of ripples.

Was Snow Gongzi… greeting him in this way?

Ji Yuheng slightly raised his gaze and watched Qixue’s retreating figure. He discovered that Qixue hadn’t stepped on anyone else. Not only that, he had deliberately kept his distance, not even letting his skirt hem brush against others. He had only done this to Ji Yuheng.

Snow Gongzi really was greeting him. Not only did he still remember him, but he could even quickly pick him out from the crowd.

Ji Yuheng lowered his eyelashes, his emotions exceptionally complex—filled with joy, yet also sourness and disappointment.

The person he had been constantly thinking of also thought of him; that was undoubtedly delightful. But it was only that, and nothing more.

When he had first heard the news of the Emperor enfeoffing a Noble Consort, he had merely smiled it off and paid it no mind, never imagining that the Qi Noble Consort, favored boundlessly by the Emperor, was actually the little rabbit he had been searching for all along.

Now, Snow Gongzi had become the lofty Noble Consort, like an unattainable bright moon high in the sky, while he was a mere mortal gazing up at the moon. The clear, beautiful moonlight illuminated him, but it would never fall into his embrace.

Although Ji Yuheng had already known, long before setting off for Shangjing, that it would be very difficult for him to rekindle things with Qixue, seeing it with his own eyes still filled him with an indescribable disappointment.

His heart felt crumpled up and soaked in a vat of aged vinegar; even if it swelled back to its original shape, it was still filled with an indescribably sour taste.

So what if Snow Gongzi remembered him? It was impossible between them now.

Ji Yuheng hung his head even lower, no longer looking at Qixue. Meanwhile, Qixue’s mood was the complete opposite of his, filled with the pleasure of revenge.

Just now, he had used all his strength to stomp on Ji Yuheng. Ji Yuheng must have been in a lot of pain—his ears had even turned red from holding it in—but because he couldn’t cry out in pain before the hall and lose decorum, he could only endure it with gritted teeth.

Qixue smugly clung to Helan Ji’s arm and nestled against his side. Helan Ji wrapped an arm around his waist and noticed the smile on his face. “Yuan Yuan is very happy?”

He hadn’t missed Qixue suddenly darting to the side earlier, as if being playful. But he wouldn’t bind Qixue with rules—his Yuan Yuan could do whatever he wanted without minding others’ gazes.

It was just that Yuan Yuan was usually so well-behaved and always strictly adhered to palace rules in public to avoid implicating him. He had only done this because everyone else had their heads bowed and wouldn’t notice his small breach of etiquette.

“Yes, Your Majesty. I’m especially happy,” Qixue replied sweetly.

Although Qixue knew this one stomp wouldn’t accomplish much, he simply wouldn’t have felt comfortable if he hadn’t done it.

Ji Yuheng’s aura was too unique; it easily attracted the liking of small animals. Qixue had been drawn to look, only to recognize in the next moment that this captivating person was actually Ji Yuheng. He had instantly felt utterly disgusted and wanted nothing more than to beat him to death with a stick.

However, Ji Yuheng was this world’s protagonist, protected by the Heavenly Dao with immense destiny upon him. If Qixue tried to take him out, the only outcome would be backlash against himself.

Like last time when he had tried to poison Ji Yuheng—it hadn’t succeeded, and instead, he had gotten himself covered in filth. It was truly too unbearable to recall.

So Qixue thought it over and decided to test the limits with a stomp. It was not only to get revenge on Ji Yuheng but also to probe where the backlash boundary lay. If even a stomp would bring him bad luck, then he should give up on targeting Ji Yuheng sooner rather than later.

Fortunately, a stomp like that didn’t count. Even after Qixue ascended to the dais, no mishaps occurred. It seemed this fell within the Heavenly Dao’s allowable range.

In that case, he could proceed as the Holy Monarch had instructed…

Qixue pondered inwardly.

Just a few days prior, Xuan Yang had entered his dream and spoken to him about Ji Yuheng.

At that time, Qixue had only just fallen asleep when he suddenly found himself in a familiar courtyard. This was Xuan Yang’s courtyard, where he had stayed temporarily after fleeing his wedding, learning spells under Xuan Yang’s guidance.

Qixue clearly realized this wasn’t reality but his dream—he had been subjected to Xuan Yang’s Dream Entering Technique.

Sure enough, Xuan Yang soon emerged from the room. Unlike usual, the dream version of him wasn’t wearing Daoist robes but only thin undergarments. His usually neatly coiled hair was let down, cascading in black strands, as if he were about to retire for the night.

The undergarments were faintly translucent. Qixue then noticed that though Xuan Yang appeared slender, his muscle lines were actually quite solid and powerful—not overly exaggerated, but evenly proportioned and brimming with an aesthetic of strength.

Xuan Yang walked up to Qixue and gave him a slight smile. “You’ve come.”

Qixue was about to bow in salute when Xuan Yang this time insisted he not kneel. As he lowered his head, Xuan Yang lifted his arms and pulled him into an embrace. Caught off guard, Qixue’s face buried straight into Xuan Yang’s chest.

“There, that’s enough.” Xuan Yang stroked Qixue’s black hair. “This will do.”

Qixue flushed red and retreated from Xuan Yang’s arms. “Sorry, Holy Monarch! A Xue was too rude!”

“It’s fine.” Xuan Yang smiled faintly. “No need for formalities with me in the future, or I’ll have to hug A Xue every time.”

This finally tamed Qixue, who immediately decided he wouldn’t salute Xuan Yang anymore—otherwise, being hugged like this every time would be too much to bear.

Xuan Yang took Qixue’s hand and led him into the room, where they sat facing each other on cushions.

Qixue touched his still-reddened cheeks, a bit shy. “Did the Holy Monarch summon A Xue for some instruction?”

“I do have a few words of advice, but mainly, it’s to see you.”

Xuan Yang’s tender gaze fell on Qixue. “That day, because of my words, you held back your tears the whole time. How could I rest easy? I had to see you to put my mind at ease.”

Qixue’s heart warmed at his words. “Thank you for thinking of me, Holy Monarch. I’m fine now. I talked it over with His Majesty that day. He truly doesn’t want me to bear his child, but it’s out of deep love—he doesn’t wish for me to suffer the pains of childbirth—and not because he looks down on my origins.”

“Is that so?” Xuan Yang said mildly. “That’s good, then.”

Qixue touched his abdomen. Whenever this topic came up, he always rubbed it, as if doing so enough would make him pregnant. “I plan to secretly get pregnant without telling His Majesty. If I really do get pregnant, he surely won’t force me to abort it, right?”

Xuan Yang said nothing.

After fantasizing enough, Qixue asked Xuan Yang, “What advice does the Holy Monarch have for A Xue?”

Xuan Yang replied, “Ji Yuheng will soon enter the palace for an audience. His destiny is at its peak; it’s probably impossible for you to stop him from becoming Crown Prince. Just do your best without forcing it—we have other methods.”

“A Xue understands.”

Qixue nodded. He had already experienced how powerful Ji Yuheng’s destiny was during his previous assassination attempt. That was destined to be a failed kill; even preserving his own life had been fortunate.

But he was still unwilling. “Is there no way for us to destroy Ji Yuheng and Xie Shu’s destiny?”

Xuan Yang said, “That’s what I want to entrust to you. A method does exist, though it’s difficult and requires our joint effort.”

Next, Xuan Yang explained in detail to Qixue what destiny was, why it was linked to the Heavenly Dao, and how to destroy the destiny of these two protagonists, Xie Shu and Ji Yuheng.

The Heavenly Dao could be understood as this world’s natural laws. Its existence maintained the world’s normal operation; without it, the world would perish. Thus, the Heavenly Dao’s power was immense, and no one—not even gods—could oppose it.

The Heavenly Dao sheltered all things in the world, granting living beings power—that was the destiny each received.

But destiny was unequal: some had thin destiny, others immense. Ji Yuheng and Xie Shu had received the most, even surpassing that of gods like Xuan Yang.

That was why, even as a god, Xuan Yang couldn’t kill a mortal like Ji Yuheng—because his own destiny was inferior.

“But destiny isn’t eternal or unchanging,” Xuan Yang smiled. “With the right method, it can be diminished. That’s why I sent you to Shangjing.”

“I hoped you would stir the world into endless chaos to destroy Xie Shu’s destiny.”

“As the State Preceptor of Dayong Kingdom, he not only has his own destiny’s protection but also the kingdom’s national fortune and the incense offerings of its millions of people. Only by preventing him from being State Preceptor and making Dayong’s subjects spit on him can his destiny be broken.”

“Ji Yuheng’s destiny lies in himself. He is purely good and kind, with a steadfast and upright character. To destroy his destiny, he must be humiliated and trampled, his character sullied and corrupted into depravity. Once he falls into evil desires, like a pearl covered in dust, his destiny will naturally dissipate.”