Chapter 140: Do I Look Like Trash to You?

After finishing her boiled egg, Lian fell asleep early.

In the middle of the night, noises suddenly echoed through the room. She initially assumed it was rats; after all, living in the mountains meant rodents were common, and even incense couldn't drive them away. Lian used her spiritual power to manifest a flame, the faint light illuminating the room.

"Master!? You're back!?"

Seeing that cloaked figure, Lian was overcome with excitement. She scrambled out from under her quilt. She thought to herself that she should have been more persistent back then—if she had just thrown her arms around Chong Li, perhaps their destiny might have arrived sooner.

"My apologies, I have returned late."

"Not late! Not late at all! As long as you could return, I am overjoyed, Master!"

She had never truly dared to hope that her master would return in time for her birthday.

Chong Li took a bowl of noodles from his Sumeru space; it was still steaming, retaining its warmth. "Eat your longevity noodles while they are hot."

Back then, Chong Li’s tone was far from the gentleness he showed now; the words that left his lips had held no warmth at all. Yet, little Lian was still ecstatic. She cradled the bowl of longevity noodles, picked up her chopsticks, and began to eat heartily. "It's so delicious! It’s just... if only there could be many, many people to celebrate my birthday with me next time, I would be even happier!"

...

That remark made back then was merely a whim; she had never truly expected a grand celebration. Chong Li was quite meticulous, however, and he had remembered something from so long ago.

The kitchen was buzzing with activity. Fu Lai and the other burly men, having nowhere to put their hands, simply crouched to the side pretending to pack radishes. Their presence was rather conspicuous.

"Your Highness, your skills are truly impressive! The Princess Consort is truly blessed!"

Xiao Ya’s exclamation instantly drew Chu Ge’s attention. Chong Li’s noodles were ready, and they were emitting a fragrant aroma—a scent far more enticing than that bowl from years ago!

Chu Ge greedily inhaled the fragrance in the air. The four men packing radishes outside also followed the scent, standing at the doorway and peering in with longing eyes.

Chong Li smiled softly. "Come over and have a taste."

Chu Ge moved her feet quickly, taking two large steps to stand before Chong Li. She picked up her chopsticks, and the scene mirrored that year long ago as she ate with gusto.

"Thank you, my husband."

*It is I who should thank you, thank you for letting me meet you...*

...

Deep within the chaos, lightning flashed and thunder roared. A man radiated strands of golden light, his pupils also a piercing gold.

Chong Ye had undergone too many changes. Half of his being had returned to the Heavenly Dao, yet he could not issue any commands as the Heavenly Dao; he was merely a vessel, bearing the immense power of the heavens.

"Little Zi'er..."

Accepting the power of the Heavenly Dao meant knowing the trajectory of the world. Chong Zi was destined to walk the path of a fallen god, and it all originated from Chong Ye's disappearance. Of the four gods born with the heavens, only Chong Lian and Chong Ye had vanished, and it was hard for Chong Zi not to suspect it was related to Chong Lian.

Chong Zi’s divination skills were unrivaled in the Divine Realm, but unfortunately, she could not use them to divine anything regarding herself or her loved ones. To find Chong Ye, she had sacrificed half of her cultivation to calculate Chong Lian’s whereabouts, eventually finding the only opportunity linked to him: the Abyss of Resentful Souls.

Chong Zi offered a lock of her own hair to weaken the seal of the Abyss. Mo Ye agreed to guard it to prevent catastrophe, on the condition that if a war between gods and demons broke out again, Chong Zi must stand on the side of the Demon Realm.

But Chong Zi had miscalculated one thing: her current cultivation was inferior to the High Gods of the Nine Heavens. She had overestimated her abilities. The thing Chong Ye feared most was happening, and he lacked the power to stop it.

Fortunately, Chong Hua had brought a turning point—a glimmer of hope for the future of the six realms—and the key lay with Chong Lian...

...

The autumn wind blew, and the war drums thundered. The annual hunting tournament had officially begun.

Seated at the very center was the Emperor, his majesty softened by a faint smile.

"Chang Xi, read the list of participants quickly. Let me see who has signed up!"

Chang Xi, the Emperor’s personal eunuch and the Chief of the Inner Palace, possessed a high-pitched, piercing voice that could snap anyone to attention even in an open field.

"Participating in this hunting tournament are His Highness the Crown Prince, Qi Ming! The Prince of Night, Qi Jin! Prince Ming, Qi Rui... Lord Liu Fufeng, the Prime Minister's son, and... Prince Qi, Qi Xiu!?"

Upon reaching that name, Eunuch Chang Xi instinctively glanced at Qi Xiu, who sat below the dais, then looked toward the Emperor before continuing with the remaining names.

"Will those whose names have been called please step forward!"

Crown Prince Qi Ming took the lead, occupying the center spot. The others stepped up one by one, but Qi Xiu remained perfectly still in his wheelchair.

"What is the meaning of this, Prince Qi?" Eunuch Chang Xi couldn't help but prompt.

Qi Xiu offered a faint smile, his expression unchanging, as steady as a rock.

The Emperor’s gaze was also filled with confusion, as if to ask: *Why are you signing up when you have no use of your limbs?*

Chu Ge stood up, her expression calm. "Your Majesty, I am Chu Ge, and I wish to represent Prince Qi in this hunting tournament."

Beside her, Chu You was stunned: *Is this Chu Ge? How could she look so beautiful!? She doesn't look like the fool she used to be at all!*

The Emperor was also puzzled. "And who is this?"

Chang Xi leaned in to whisper the clarification: "Your Majesty, this is the wife of the Second Prince, Chu Ge..."

*Hmm?*

She didn't seem as foolish as Nanny Huang had described. "I see. Very well, I shall grant—"

"Wait! Your Majesty! She is not Chu Ge!"

The Emperor smiled and looked at Chang Xi again.

Chang Xi understood: "This is the Consort of the Crown Prince..."

The Emperor was even more confused; she didn't seem as gentle and proper as Nanny Huang had claimed. "What do you mean by this?"

Chu You hurriedly stepped forward and knelt. "Your Majesty! Chu Ge is my younger sister, but my sister did not look like this, and she, she!"

"Is a fool?" Chu Ge finished for her.

"Yes! She is clearly a fool!" Chu You wanted to thank the person who had said it for her, but when she turned around, she saw it was Chu Ge herself.

The Emperor suddenly felt a whim. "Oh? But she does not seem to be what you describe."

"That is why she is not my sister, Chu Ge!" Chu You insisted firmly.

Chu Ge smiled faintly and stepped forward. "Indeed, I was once a fool, and I was not skilled with cosmetics. However, thanks to the meticulous care of Prince Qi these past few days, I have been fortunate enough to recover from my foolishness. I have also received guidance from a master and now possess a slight knowledge of martial arts."

In her every word and action, the way Chu Ge met Chong Li’s gaze drew envy from many present.

The Emperor was somewhat moved by this display of affection. "I see. Does Consort Chu have anything else to say?"

When the Emperor looked at Chu You, his heart felt significantly more annoyed and repulsed. She couldn't even recognize her own sister; the Emperor had seen that look in Chu You’s eyes many times before, and it displeased him, leaving him feeling dissatisfied with the Crown Prince as well.

The Empress, watching from the side, saw it all clearly and frowned at Qi Ming.

Qi Ming pulled back the embarrassing Chu You, feeling displeased but showing nothing on his face. A woman who acted on impulse was destined to go nowhere.