Extra Chapter 15: Lotus Heart Covered in Dust
After Indra was crowned emperor, he had a lot of government affairs to deal with.
Restoring the order of the celestial race, appeasing various forces, clearing out the remaining celestial beings, establishing a new alliance with the abyss ghost clan... each one of these tasks was extremely demanding.
He is a person who is meticulous and strives for perfection. Once he devotes himself to something, he often forgets to eat and sleep, concentrating on his work. The aura around him is cool and focused, as if he has returned to the original celestial prince who was alienated from the world.
Asura initially understood. He would even stand guard outside the temple, driving away those who were disturbed, or forcibly pull Indra out of his study, forcing him to rest for a while by giving him a cup of hot dew.
But as the days passed, Indra remained busy, and even became more devoted as he gradually got the hang of it.
In contrast, the time left for Ashura is becoming less and less.
Often, after finishing his work with the ghosts, Asura would rush over excitedly, only to see Indra bent over his desk and a gentle, yet uninterrupted, voice: "Asura, wait a moment, I'll finish this file."
It was fine once or twice, but after so many times, a certain ghost king began to feel uncomfortable. Especially since he discovered that Emperor Shitian was not so "distant" from everyone.
For example, the newly promoted young priest in charge of star tracks - Chen Yao.
Chen Yao is intelligent and quick-witted, and often assists Indra in handling government affairs related to astrology and calendar. Because of his professionalism and ability, he is highly appreciated by Indra.
When the two discussed official business, Indra would listen with his ear tilted slightly, with admiration showing in his golden eyes. Occasionally, he would nod in agreement with some of Chen Yao's brilliant insights, or even smile very lightly.
All of this completely changed the meaning in the eyes of Ashura, who came occasionally and always saw them "having a good chat".
The priest Chen Yao was handsome and fair-skinned, spoke in a soft voice, and always looked at Emperor Shitian with eyes full of admiration!
And yet Indra actually smiled at him! And was so patient with him! But all he said to himself was "wait a moment", "busy", "stop making trouble"?
A seed called "jealousy" grew wildly in the Ghost King's heart and quickly grew into a towering tree.
He began to fret internally, sulking inwardly. The air pressure around him dropped lower and lower, frightening the surrounding ghosts and celestial servants so much that they took a detour.
Indra was busy with government affairs and didn't notice it at first, until he found that Ashura had been acting strangely recently.
He seemed to come to Shanjian City less often, and when he did, he would just lean against the door frame with his arms folded, looking at me with a heavy look in his eyes, but he would not come over on his own initiative. If I asked him about it, he would just reply sarcastically:
"Your Majesty is so busy, how can I bother you?" Ashura said in a cold and hard tone. "It seems someone is better than me at assisting Your Majesty in reviewing documents." He glanced in the direction Chen Yao had just left.
"Your Majesty's new 'right-hand man' is quite good at understanding His Majesty's intentions."
He deliberately focused on his "right-hand man".
Emperor Shitian: “???”
He put down his pen, rubbed his brow, and looked at Ashura, who was emitting an unhappy aura. There was genuine confusion in his golden eyes: "Ashura, have you encountered a bottleneck in your practice recently? Your mind seems a little unstable."
Ashura was almost choked by this concern that completely missed the point. He snorted coldly and turned his head away: "Your Majesty, please don't bother. Your Majesty should pay more attention to your 'Star Track'!"
He deliberately emphasized the word "star track" and was extremely angry, but Indra didn't notice it.
Emperor Shitian was even more puzzled. "There is indeed something unusual about the star's orbits, and we need to pay close attention to it. You are aware of this, so what's wrong with it?"
Asura: "..." He was so angry that he wanted to smash things, but he was afraid that he would really smash something that Indra liked, so he could only punch the jade pillar next to him hard, causing the palace to shake slightly.
Indra looked at the cracked jade pillar and frowned even more tightly: "Asura, what's wrong with you? If you have any worries, just tell me." He felt that Asura was particularly irritable recently. Could it be that something went wrong in the abyss again?
"What's wrong with me?" Ashura turned his head abruptly, staring at Indra with crimson eyes, practically gritting his teeth. "I'd like to ask, Your Majesty, do you think that pretty boy priest is more pleasing to the eye than me? Does he understand you better? Can he help you govern this celestial realm better?"
Emperor Shitian was completely stunned. "Pretty boy priest? Who? Chen Yao?" He couldn't understand the source of Ashura's sudden anger and accusations. "Chen Yao was just doing his duty. His knowledge of astrology is indeed..."
"It's really good! You like it very much! I understand!" Ashura interrupted him, his tone sour as to make vinegar. He felt aggrieved and angry in his heart. He just felt that Indra was still praising Chen Yao and didn't care about his feelings at all.
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. He blurted out, "Since Your Majesty has found someone more satisfactory, I won't be a nuisance here anymore!"
After saying that, he actually turned around, carrying a low mood, sadness and anger, and turned into a black and red stream of light, disappearing into the sky in an instant.
Indra's outstretched hand froze in mid-air, the confusion in his golden eyes reaching its peak. He sat alone in the empty hall, staring in the direction Asura had disappeared, then looking down at the mountain of documents on his desk. For the first time, he felt... at a loss.
"Satisfied?" He muttered to himself, not understanding how this word could be used on Chen Yao, and even less understanding why Asura reacted so strongly.
He's just... busy with government affairs.
Asura, who left in anger, did not go far. He just hid in the clouds and stared at the direction of Shanjian City. He hoped that Indra would catch up with him and explain immediately. He was angry at him for being unromantic, and even more jealous that he might not care at all whether he left or not.
He waited, feeling bitter and frustrated. Unbeknownst to him, Indra in the hall, after a moment of confusion, seemed to finally divert his attention from the vast sea of political affairs and intrigues, and carefully recalled the abnormal words and expressions of Asura.
Her golden eyelashes drooped slightly, and her fingertips tapped the table unconsciously.
Suddenly, he seemed to have figured out something key. He raised his head abruptly, and a very faint, almost helpless smile flashed in his golden eyes.
"I see..." Emperor Shitian sighed softly and rubbed his temples. "It's... because of this?"
He looked outside the hall and sensed the deliberately hidden but still strong aura of Asura still lingering nearby. He couldn't help but laugh and shook his head.
"What a fool Ashura."
He finally put down his pen, stood up, and decided to put these tedious government affairs aside for the time being.
After all, appeasing a giant ghost king who was angry because of an unfounded misunderstanding and was secretly heartbroken and exhausted seemed to be the most important "political matter" at the moment.
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