The moment he closed his eyes, he felt free of all worries and a hint of anticipation. After seven years, he was finally able to see the woman he had been longing for. Even though seven years had passed, he believed that she was waiting for him. He was just wondering where she would be waiting for him—by the Bridge of Helplessness, on the banks of the River of Oblivion—where could he find her?
After the blinding light subsided, he slowly opened his eyes. There was no eerie ghost palace or flickering will-o'-the-wisp as he had imagined. Instead, amidst the rising clouds and mist, a dark mass of people knelt on the ground, dressed in red, blue, yellow, and green robes. They lowered their heads, obscuring their features, but their voices were all uniform and clear: "Welcome back to Emperor Taihao after his tribulation."
A celestial being in a sapphire blue robe smiled and approached, saying, "Your Majesty's journey to the mortal realm to undergo tribulation must have brought you deeper insights into the principles of law and cultivation. Congratulations!"
He recognized the figure as the Star Lord of Destiny under the Antarctic Longevity Emperor, and then he remembered his other name, or rather, his true name: Fuxi. The Azure Emperor of the East, the first of the Three Sovereigns, the Taihao Emperor.
It turns out this was just a calamity, a calamity he chose himself. He had stayed in the Heavenly Palace for too long, so long that he had forgotten how tormenting greed, anger, ignorance, and resentment were in the mortal world. So he decided to go to the mortal world to experience it again. He lost his mother at birth, his brothers turned against each other, and he could not be with the one he loved. All of these were preordained experiences. Looking back, it was like a dream. When he woke up, he was still himself, destined to return to his own world.
"Your Majesty?" Seeing his somber expression and silence, Si Ming couldn't help but wonder if the destiny she had written was too tragic, causing the Emperor to still be so heartbroken. She smiled and replied, "Your Majesty returned fifteen years earlier than the destiny book I set, which shows Your Majesty's profound affinity with the immortals and boundless immortal powers. Even if you sealed all your immortal power, you could still break my destiny." After saying this, she laughed twice, then observed his expression again. Seeing that he was still silent, she took a tea tray from the little immortal official behind her and personally served it to him. "If Your Majesty is not satisfied with my destiny book, just drink this tea, and all your troubles will naturally disappear."
He glanced down at the bowl of pale green tea, recognizing it as the celestial tea that could make one forget all desires and emotions. He then looked up at Siming and said indifferently, "No need."
Looking around at the kneeling figures, all of them were celestial officials of varying ranks from his Dongyang Palace, led by the assistant god Jumang, he ordered them to rise and led the group of immortals eastward back to the palace. Si Ming watched the departing figures of the auspiciously auspicious immortals, and couldn't help but wipe the cold sweat from his brow with his sleeve. Lately, for some reason, the ancient gods had all taken a liking to going to the mortal realm for trials. Bai Qian, Emperor Donghua, Emperor Taihao… Although there were only a handful of ancient gods, were their destinies so easily written? Writing too lightly and failing to grant the gods' wishes was a sin; writing too harshly and causing them grief was also a sin. Mortals say serving a ruler is like serving a tiger; he, Si Ming, was not just serving one tiger, but practically in a pack of tigers—none of them could be offended…
The Dongyang Palace was adorned with blooming flowers and lush green grass. Considering that he had only been gone for a few months, even if there were some changes, the only change was that the few peach trees in the courtyard that bloomed once every three thousand years and bore fruit once every three thousand years had blossomed, their vibrant colors quite beautiful.
After taking a sip of his own tea and setting down the teacup, he realized that Hua Xu, the Nine River Goddess who was also an assistant deity, was not there. "Where is Hua Xu?"
"Because the Emperor returned early, the Star Lord of Fate only hurriedly notified his subordinate celestial officials in the Heavenly Realm. The Goddess of the Nine Rivers has gone to the mortal realm due to family matters and is not in the palace," Jumang replied respectfully.
"What could be so important that she would make such a trip in person?" He was somewhat intrigued; what could possibly warrant the meticulous and rigid Goddess Huaxu's personal intervention?
"Jumang doesn't know the details either, but it's probably about succeeding the Nine Rivers Goddess." Jumang's answer was concise and to the point, not at all gossipy.
“Succession? I remember that before I left the palace, Hua Xu said that she had already found a successor. Since I was going to leave the palace for a few days, she agreed to discuss it again after I returned to the palace.”
He picked up the teacup again. "Is there anything else urgent?"
"The memorials submitted from various places have been placed in the Emperor's study; there is nothing particularly urgent."
"If that's the case, you may leave. I will handle the matter after reading the memorial."
Jumang respectfully withdrew, gazing blankly at the carved window lattice. Huaxu was one of the nine kingdoms under its rule, and it had always been governed by the Goddess of the Nine Rivers. Regardless of the goddess's original name, as long as she assumed the position of ruler of Huaxu, she would be given a register and the name Huaxu. Although that name was unrelated, it pierced his heart with pain. He couldn't help but wonder what the girl who could play Huaxu Yin would look like if she knew that there really was a kingdom called Huaxu.
The next day, he turned down all other matters and went to the underworld alone. Although all the experiences of life in the mortal world were like a dream, the dream was so real that even after waking up, it still left a faint bitter taste. Therefore, he still wanted to see if the girl he had loved all his life in the mortal world was still waiting by the Bridge of Helplessness. He thought that if she was really waiting, even if it meant sacrificing his cultivation and going against the heavens, he would find a way out for her.
The Emperor of Fengdu had gone to the Western Pure Land and was not in his palace. He was greeted by the Ghost Emperor of Luofu, Du Ziren. This was for the best, as it would save that gossipy fellow from digging deeper into his affairs. He took out a piece of paper with a name written on it from his pocket and handed it to Du Ziren. "Help me find out where the owner of this name is now?"
Du Ziren opened the white paper, on which were written two characters: "Jun Fu". He turned and handed it to the judge for review, but half an hour later the judge replied that no such person could be found.
"Then what about this name?" Fuxi pondered for a moment, walked to the desk, picked up a brush and wrote down another name, "Ye Zhen".
Another half hour passed, and he sat in the hall drinking tea without saying a word. Du Ziren clearly sensed that the usually gentle and kind Emperor Taihao seemed to be in a bad mood. After searching the two names in his mind several times, he confirmed that there was no such person in the Immortal Realm.
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