Chapter 39 039 Could it be that I gave birth to twins? ...
Ahem...is this...an auspicious aura?"
As the Jade Emperor finished speaking, the immortals responded: ...
After enough embarrassment, I am no longer embarrassed. Amitābha.
The corners of Nezha's mouth seemed to twitch again.
Xiao Lianhua's tense shoulders relaxed slightly, but the vigilance in her eyes remained.
The Jade Emperor seemed unwilling to dwell on this topic of "auspiciousness," perhaps even without any reason. The fluctuations of the immortal light subsided, and his voice regained its calm majesty, though his speech seemed a touch faster than before:
"Nezha, another matter concerns the stability of this world. The ministers have already discussed it. However, this matter cannot be decided immediately and requires careful investigation. In the meantime..." The Jade Emperor paused, as if weighing his words, "These two have been conferred titles and... resided as sojourners. They have just arrived in Heaven and are naive about many things. As your introducer, you will temporarily guide them to familiarize themselves with the rules of Heaven and settle them... in the Cloud Tower Palace. Once all matters are finalized, I will summon them again."
Upon hearing about the Yunlou Palace, the immortals showed expressions of "as expected" and a hint of gloating.
Nezha was visibly stunned, perhaps unprepared for the "discuss" to become "entertainment." He quickly glanced at me, curled up in a ball, then at Little Lotus, whose eyes lit up slightly at the Jade Emperor's instructions. His lips pursed into a straight line, and he finally clasped his fists and bowed, "Your Majesty... obeys your command." The words "obey your command" emanated a reluctance, a forced performance.
The decree was complete, and the golden light enveloping me completely dissipated. Though the shadow of social death still loomed, the overwhelming joy of the Heavenly Court and the Jade Emperor's words of "auspicious aura" barely served as a way out, giving me, like a fish, renewed courage. My clenched body slowly relaxed, and my heart, clinging to its rainbow tail, began to beat restlessly once again, having confirmed its temporary safety.
The atmosphere seems to have calmed down now? And the Jade Emperor doesn't seem so difficult to talk to anymore. Most importantly, I'm a righteous deity! Consulting with the Heavenly Court about beauty and skincare services should be... a legitimate right for a deity, right?
Before the Jade Emperor dismissed the court and Nezha arrived to lead his men, I mustered my courage and gently poked Little Lotus's palm with the tip of my tail, sending a frantic message: Little Lotus! Little Lotus! Quick! Help me ask! Colorful tail! This opportunity is too good to pass up!
Little Lotus received my thought and first glanced down at me, my expectant eyes within the bubble, then looked up at the Jade Emperor, seated high on his throne, shrouded in a halo of celestial light. A hint of mischief flashed in his eyes, evidently finding the scene deeply amusing. He cleared his throat and, amidst the silence as the deities prepared to bid the Jade Emperor farewell, spoke aloud. His voice was clear and melodious, tinged with just the right amount of respect and curiosity:
"Your Majesty the Jade Emperor."
At this voice, the immortals who were about to rise froze again. Even Nezha turned to look at him with a hint of surprise. The immortal light on the jade throne also moved slightly, as if to inquire about something.
Little Lotus ignored Nezha's warning glance and asked solemnly, bowing, "Your Majesty has graciously bestowed upon me the title of Cloud and Water River God. However, this River God has just ascended to the Celestial Realm, and seeing the fairies in their flowing, colorful robes and radiant glow, he feels a yearning for them. He harbors a deep desire to emulate the splendor of the Celestial Realm and adorn himself... um, a fish tail. I wonder if there are any methods within the Celestial Realm specifically designed to render colors and make scales glow with a rainbow of colors? Or... any immortals who are experts in this art? I'd appreciate Your Majesty's guidance."
I was nodding like crazy!
He asked politely, but the core meaning was clear: How could Heaven dye a fish's tail rainbow colors?
The entire Lingxiao Palace fell into a silence once again that was even more dead and eerie than when the colorful bubbles were attached to the jade tassels.
This time, even the breathing sounds of the immortals could be heard clearly.
Countless eyes were focused on the little lotus, and then fell back on me in the bubble, who was trying to straighten my body and wagging my tail excitedly.
The expressions of the immortals were wonderful. Taishang Laojun almost dropped his whisk, and Zhangzhang Tianwang looked at the colorful water vapor remaining on his shoulder armor... and those young immortal officials tried hard to suppress their laughter, with doubtful expressions on their faces, wondering "Are both this fish and Nezha a little abnormal?"
Above the Jade Throne, the hazy immortal light began to fluctuate violently as never before, as if a drop of water had been thrown into the calm surface of the water. After several breaths, the fluctuations barely subsided. The Jade Emperor's voice was filled with a suppressed smile:
"...Dyeing? Scale armor?"
"Exactly!" Little Lotus replied decisively, adding, "The best ones are those that are as brilliant as the colorful auspicious clouds and the neon glow."
Jade Emperor: “…”
The immortals: "..."
Nezha had already raised his hand to support his forehead, his shoulders slightly shaking, obviously trying hard to endure something.
The Jade Emperor seemed a little stunned by this overly down-to-earth question. After a moment of silence, his majestic voice rang out again, with a barely perceptible hint of helplessness and a smile:
"...In the Celestial Realm, the colors are mostly created by the Weaver Girl, who is in charge of the cloud-like brocade robes. However, she mostly dyes silk and clouds, so I'm afraid... she's not proficient in dyeing scales." He paused, as if searching the roster of celestial beings for anyone related to "fish scale dyeing." "...If you're discussing the seven colors created by nature, perhaps you can consult the Rainbow Fairy. She's in charge of the rainbow bridge after rain, and she's deeply versed in the art of light and color transformation. Perhaps she'll be able to gain some insights."
Rainbow fairy!
Yes, Rainbow Fairy! Although I know how rainbows come about, but! There is a fairy world, so let's not use science to reason!
The Rainbow Fairy is in charge of rainbows, so wouldn't it be easy to dye the tail a rainbow color?
marvelous!
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your guidance!" I was so excited that I did three somersaults in the bubble and spit out a string of dense colorful bubbles to show my gratitude.
Little Lotus's brows relaxed as she bowed and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for clearing up my confusion."
The Jade Emperor seemed not to want to have any further in-depth discussion on this topic. His immortal light flickered slightly, and his voice regained its usual majesty, but he spoke faster: "If there is nothing else, please leave. Nezha, please... entertain you well." The last two words seemed to carry some deep meaning.
"We shall take our leave!" Nezha responded immediately, his movements swift as if fleeing a disaster. He grabbed Little Lotus's arm, and with his other hand... he captured the bubble of water containing me, practically dragging us along. Under the complex gazes of the immortals and gods in the hall, he quickly turned and strode out of the hall.
Little Lotus staggered, but she turned back and winked at me, saying with her mind: "Did you hear that? Rainbow Fairy! It works!"
Immersed in immense joy and boundless longing for the "Rainbow Fairy," I completely ignored the low pressure emanating from Nezha and the ambiguous gazes behind me. My bubbles bounced in the air with Nezha's rapid steps, and I happily wagged my tail, already imagining how impressive it would be to possess a colorful fish tail and soar across the Tianhe River!
As soon as we exited the majestic gate of the High Heaven Palace, Nezha suddenly stopped, let go of Little Lotus, turned around, crossed his arms, a dark aura flickered between his brows, and sneered at me in the bubble and the innocent-looking Little Lotus next to him:
"You two are really capable! One of you is asking about dyeing your tail in the Lingxiao Palace," he said, his finger almost poking at my bubble, "and the other one just got deified and is already blowing bubbles at the Jade Emperor's crown. You're really capable!"
I shrank my neck and smiled weakly, "...bubbles...they popped up on their own...I can't control them..."
Little Lotus shrugged, looking matter-of-fact. "If the River God wants to beautify himself and improve the image of the waterway, why not? Didn't the Jade Emperor give us some advice? Fairy Rainbow, you sound very professional."
Nezha was almost choked by him. He took a deep breath and said through gritted teeth: "I've been keeping an eye on you guys these days. I wonder what tricks you can come up with!" After saying that, his face darkened, and the wind-fire wheels under his feet suddenly burst into flames. He rushed in one direction without looking back - Yunlou Palace, and his speed was so fast that only a red afterimage was left on the cloud road.
The little lotus chuckled, held my bubble firmly, and produced identical wind-fire wheels under her feet, and followed slowly.
I clung to the edge of the bubble, looking at Nezha's angry back in front of me, and then looking at the magnificent and fantastic Heavenly Palace in the sea of clouds below me, and I was filled with infinite longing for this journey.
From the small lotus pond to the Yunshui River in the mortal world, and then to the Jinque Cloud Palace, my life has been worth it!
…
Soon, a towering palace appeared in the sea of clouds ahead, its buildings soaring into the clouds. From the outside, it looked truly majestic. This was Yunlou Palace—the residence of Li Jing and Nezha, the Third Prince. It was also one of the most notorious "haunted houses" in Heaven. The Li family father and son had long been at odds, and ordinary immortals dared not approach.
Nezha slammed the brakes on his Wind Fire Wheel in front of the palace gate, and the flames subsided. His face darkened, and without turning back, he walked straight towards the closed palace gate. The heavenly soldiers on duty clasped their fists in awe and said, "Marshal!"
At first glance, they are obviously Nezha's personal soldiers.
Nezha nodded slightly and said coldly: "There's no need to stop the two behind."
The two looked at each other and then saw us walking slowly behind them. Especially when they saw the little lotus, a familiar expression appeared on their faces. Since we arrived at the South Heaven Gate, every immortal who saw the little lotus would show this expression on their faces.
"Thank you for your hard work." Xiao Lianhua carried me in familiarly.
“…”
Yunlou Palace is composed of various buildings. We followed Nezha to his palace.
"Come in." Nezha said sternly.
The little lotus held me up and leisurely followed me inside. As soon as I entered the bedroom, I was struck by a chilling aura. It wasn't malicious, but rather the unique aura of Nezha, shaped by years of conquest and the lingering murderous energy. Inside the palace, a massive weapons rack took center stage, displaying a variety of sharp weapons, including swords, spears, halberds, axes, halberds, hooks, and forks. The cold, icy glow of the weapon dominated this vast bedroom.
My sharp review: The hard decoration is very luxurious, but the soft decoration is not so good. No wonder I was hit by a murderous aura as soon as I walked in.
"Hmph," Nezha looked around his deserted and empty palace without any atmosphere, and seemed to become even more irritated. He pointed to a corner of the hall and said, "There's a quiet room over there, you guys... take care of it yourselves." The tone of his voice seemed to say, "Stay here if you want, or not, just don't bother me."
He looked at the bubble held by the small lotus again, his brows furrowed even tighter: "As for you..." He seemed to be thinking about how to deal with me, "There is a vat in the yard outside the door, you can live there first." As he said, he raised his hand and pointed in the air, and the vat in the yard suddenly appeared in the palace.
I looked at the plain, aesthetically unappealing jar, then at Nezha's expressionless face, and immediately nodded obediently: "Okay, okay, thank you, Third Prince!"
Little Lotus surveyed the murderous palace with interest, commenting sharply, "Not bad, it's spacious and quiet." He walked over to the weapons racks, his fingertips brushing against a gleaming spear. "It's just... a little lacking in life."
Nezha snorted coldly, not bothering to pay attention to him, turned around and walked towards the inner hall, obviously wanting to end this unpleasant reception task immediately.
However, just as Nezha took a few steps, a gentle yet anxious, yet trying to maintain her dignity, female voice came from outside the palace gate:
"Nezha? Mother heard that you brought guests back?"
Before he finished speaking, a woman dressed in simple palace attire and possessing a gentle demeanor walked in. Her face was beautiful, and her expression bore a resemblance to Nezha, though with a gentler and more loving air. It was Nezha's mother, Madam Yin. She was an exact replica of Madam Yin from Chentang Pass.
Behind her, a delicate little girl, about six or seven years old, with twin buns and a light yellow skirt, followed. Her large eyes flickered as she looked around curiously, clutching a freshly picked lotus pod. This was probably the youngest daughter of the Li family, Nezha's sister—Li Zhenying.
As soon as Madam Yin entered the room, her eyes scanned the hall eagerly, first landing on Nezha who was about to leave, with natural concern in her eyes: "Nezha, you..." Before she finished speaking, her gaze suddenly stopped, firmly locked on Xiao Lianhua, who was standing next to the weapon rack in a red robe.
Time seemed to have been paused again at this moment.
The gentleness on Madam Yin's face froze instantly, replaced by an indescribable shock and...an incredible sense of familiarity.
She looked at Little Lotus's face, which was almost identical to Nezha's. She saw the same cold yet slightly different aura of arrogance around him, and blurted out with a subtle shock in her voice:
"...Could it be that I gave birth to twins back then?"
Nezha:?
Little Lotus:?
The bubbles that were spit out suddenly burst.
Me: Nice!
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