Chapter 18 018 My Appearance: The wine I poured for His Highness will only make him drunk…
When they returned to Chang Le Palace, it was already past midnight.
Perhaps because he had ridden in the rain, Yun Tianjiao was refreshed by the cold wind. After taking a bath, he lay on the couch, but still tossed and turned and couldn't fall asleep.
She heard a noise outside the bed curtains, sat up, and pulled back the curtains.
"Why did you get up? I told you to rest properly."
Zhiwei, holding a jade pot, sat down beside Yun Tianjiao's phoenix couch. Her eyebrows and eyes were like a painting, her lips were red and her teeth were white. She was nowhere to be seen as sickly as before.
“Your Highness, I am a celestial being. Having consumed the offerings of mortals, I am already mostly recovered and do not need to rest in bed like a mortal.”
Yun Tianjiao carefully examined his face and even suspected that his lifeless appearance in the rain was an act.
"What is this?" Her gaze was drawn to the jade pot in his hand.
"Seeing that Your Highness could not fall asleep for a long time, I went and fetched a pot of peach blossom wine."
Yun Tianjiao lay on his side on the couch, propping his head up with one hand. He saw the stunningly beautiful goddess with her eyes lowered as she poured wine. It was truly a feast for the eyes, as beautiful as a poem or a painting.
"If you get drunk instead of sleeping, your head will hurt the next day."
"The wine I pour for Your Highness will only make you drunk, not give you a headache."
Zhiwei brought the jade-white wine glass close to her lips, her gaze meeting hers slightly as she watched her lips part slightly, revealing her pearly white teeth, and slowly drink down the crimson nectar without leaving a single drop.
Yun Tianjiao was completely unaware of Zhiwei's gaze. He had just finished drinking a cup of wine when he felt drowsy. In a daze, he looked up and met Zhiwei's gaze.
Those eyes were like abysses, as if they wanted to drag people down and sink with them.
Zhiwei calmly withdrew her gaze and set the wine set down. "Well, Your Highness, are you feeling sleepy?"
Yun Tianjiao yawned and lay down flat on the jade pillow.
Zhiwei got up and helped her tidy up the bed curtains. The celestial being, wearing only a white undergarment, was shrouded in mist through the gauze curtains, her figure indistinct and her features unclear.
Yun Tianjiao felt dizzy, and in his half-asleep state, he remembered something else: "Have you decided what kind of divine power you will display in the first round of the Ascension Tournament?"
Zhiwei paused slightly, and after a moment, instead of answering, asked, "Has Your Highness ever had anything you longed for?"
The topic shifted abruptly. Yun Tianjiao, intoxicated by the peach blossom wine, didn't realize anything was amiss. Following Zhiwei's words, she slowly pondered: "A thing I've always dreamed of? As the eldest princess of a nation, what could I possibly dream of..."
Zhiwei was not in a hurry and waited patiently to the side.
Inside the Chang Le Palace, the water clock dripped, and the firelight flickered. Yun Tianjiao felt his body growing heavier and heavier, and he didn't even realize what he had said.
"My dream... then... let's become immortals..."
With a laugh in her voice, Zhiwei opened the bed curtains again, sat down on the floor beside the couch, and leisurely watched the girl drift off to sleep.
"Your Highness wants to be an immortal..."
He was guiding the conversation in a way that was almost coaxing.
"What's the difference between being a god and being a human?"
"Immortals..." Yun Tianjiao said softly, his eyes closed, "Immortals... can fly, right..."
The celestial being, his black hair half-draped, rested his arm on the edge of the couch, one hand supporting his chin, exuding a languid ease. He seemed pleased by the answer, chuckling softly for a long time, until the candle wick was worn thin and the flame dimmed, before finally letting out a very soft sigh—
"So it turns out that our Princess likes to fly."
...
At the exact hour of Mao (5-7 AM) on this day, the highly anticipated Ascension Ceremony officially began.
The thirty-two finalists on the God Ranking, along with their chosen pilgrims, waited in place for the Heavenly Venerable to activate the teleportation array and transport them to the Boundless Secret Realm specially created for the competition.
At this moment, standing in front of the Sima Gate of the Imperial Palace, Yun Tianqi, along with his ministers, saw Yun Tianjiao and Zhiwei off.
After all, she would be watched by all the people of the world, and she had to maintain the dignity of the royal family. Yun Tianjiao wore a pearl hairpin, rouge on her lips, and painted her eyebrows with black ink. She was dressed in a bright red cloak with colorful phoenixes, making her look stunning and otherworldly.
She felt the cloak straps were tied too tightly and wanted to untie them and re-tie them. Seeing this, Zhiwei naturally took over and helped her fix them.
"Zhiwei, what kind of divine power will you display in the first round of the competition? I think I fell asleep last night without getting an answer from you."
"Your Highness will know when the time comes." Zhiwei's lips curled slightly, deliberately keeping everyone in suspense.
Yun Tianqi found their intimate interaction extremely displeasing.
He walked over and pulled Yun Tianjiao aside, saying unhappily, "Royal sister, this pretty boy looks like he can't be beaten up. In my opinion, if you two go to exorcise demons, you might have to protect him."
Yun Tianjiao had never left Yun Tianqi alone before, and was somewhat worried about him. He instructed, "Stop joking. Don't be willful when I'm not around. If you encounter any trouble, discuss it with Shen Hengzhen. And one more thing, remember, never deliberately sabotage his career just so that I and Zhiwei can win."
She alone bears the infamy of being arrogant, extravagant, and licentious; but if the reigning emperor loses the support of the people, it will be a matter of great importance that shakes the very foundation of the nation.
Yun Tianjiao had said these words to Yun Tianqi many times before, and Yun Tianqi was so tired of hearing them that he wanted to seize the last opportunity to say a few more sweet words to his sister, but the opportunity was gone.
Suddenly, a huge circular magic array appeared on the open ground in front of the palace gate, shining with divine light.
"Your Highness, it's time to set off." Zhiwei extended her hand to Yun Tianjiao.
She placed her hand in Zhiwei's palm, and the two stepped into the teleportation array together.
The officials bowed and kowtowed in respect, saying, "Your subjects await Your Highness's triumphant return."
Almost at the same time, a similar magic array appeared in front of Shen Qiongzhi at the main gate of the Prime Minister's residence.
At this moment, a young man stood next to Shen Qiongzhi. He was dressed in a light blue Taoist robe, with clear and bright features, and his hair was tied up with a jade crown. He was half a head taller than Shen Qiongzhi. The two of them standing together truly looked like a golden couple, extremely pleasing to the eye.
"Zhi'er, let's go." Prime Minister Shen's wife had passed away early and disliked being ostentatious, so he was the only one seeing her off at the door, which made him seem rather lonely and desolate.
Shen Qiongzhi, with her face adorned with exquisite makeup, frequently turned back to look at the main gate of the Shen residence.
"Brother, are you really not going to see me off?"
Prime Minister Shen sighed, "You know your brother's temper. Never mind, go."
Shen Qiongzhi stared at the gate of the mansion for a moment, and finally a look of disappointment flashed across her face. She bit her lip, stomped her foot, and rushed into the teleportation array.
"Hmph, tell him I'm never speaking to him again!"
Prime Minister Shen shook his head helplessly, then bowed deeply to the man beside him, saying, "Immortal Lord Zhu Jing, my daughter is spoiled rotten by me. I would be grateful if you could take good care of her and protect her so she can return safely."
Zhu Jingxian nodded slightly, appearing to be a man of few words, and followed Shen Qiongzhi into the teleportation array.
Once both of them had entered, the shimmering magic array immediately disappeared.
Prime Minister Shen then heard footsteps behind him and knew who it was without turning around.
"Why are you so stubborn? If you can't let go, why hide and refuse to see her? You're just letting Zhi'er leave with a belly full of grievances."
Shen Hengzhen stood with his hands behind his back at the entrance of the Shen residence, his face cold and stern. Looking in the direction where the magic array disappeared, he finally couldn't help but curse, "You heartless brat."
She even considered never speaking to him again, wanting to see if she could hold back when she returned.
...
Upon emerging from the magic array, Yun Tianjiao was stunned by the sight before him.
The sky shimmered with light, the earth shimmered with color, clouds rose from the southeast, and mist swirled in the northwest. As far as the eye could see, there were celestial flowers and exotic herbs never before seen in the mortal world, exuding a rich fragrance. Not far away, an endless stone staircase rose step by step, leading straight to the clouds.
"Wow, is this the immortal realm?!"
"My God, have I ascended to heaven...?"
"This is so beautiful... Am I dreaming?!"
At this time, the other gods and their worshippers who participated in the competition were also teleported over one after another. They all exclaimed in amazement and looked around with curiosity.
Among the crowd, only Shen Qiongzhi looked sullen.
"This place is really nice," Yun Tianjiao couldn't help but praise Zhiwei.
"Yes, it's definitely much better than that dark and sunless ghost realm."
Yun Tianjiao turned around and inexplicably detected a sarcastic tone in those words.
"The Ghost Realm isn't bad either. It has more of the everyday life and vibrancy of the city. I actually like it more."
Zhiwei didn't say anything, but she was clearly in a good mood, with a faint smile even appearing at the corners of her eyes and eyebrows.
Suddenly, the zithers and lutes sounded in unison, and a burst of celestial music descended from the sky. The wind and clouds on the stone steps changed, revealing a group of figures.
Leading the group was a young-looking celestial being dressed in a black robe with gilded gold, surrounded by three divine venerables: Mo Bei, Yu Li, and Gong Xin. His appearance was majestic, noble, and handsome; he was none other than the current head of the celestial realm, the Celestial Venerable Lin Shen.
Lin Shen said, "The purpose of the Ascension Ceremony is to select new gods to join us in protecting the human world. You may not have prominent divine titles or many worshippers, but that is not a problem. As long as you demonstrate your divine power in these three rounds of competition and pass through smoothly, you will surely gain the trust of the worshippers, and your path to immortality will become smooth. I hope that you will work together with the chosen worshippers. I await your good news."
Whether they were deities or pilgrims attending the Ascension Ceremony, they all knelt down and agreed.
Yun Tianjiao looked up and his eyes met those of Qing Yuan, one of the group of immortal lords.
Qingyuan stood in the line of immortal lords behind the three divine lords. When he saw Zhiwei next to Yun Tianjiao, his expression darkened, but in this situation, there was nothing he could do.
After a motivational speech, the gods faded away, and the clouds swirling around the stone steps also disappeared, replaced by a huge screen of light that reflected the participating gods and pilgrims below the steps. Above each god's head floated their divine title.
This scene appeared almost simultaneously in the temples of the three deities in various locations.
The worshippers waiting in the various temples were startled by the sudden appearance of the light screens inside. When they realized that the Ascension Ceremony had officially begun, they cheered.
"As expected of the Heavenly Venerable Lin Shen, he knew we were not familiar with the divine titles of these newly promoted gods, so he specially marked them out."
"Yes, it's much clearer this way. Let me find out which one is the Zhiwei God who built a thousand temples overnight..."
Suddenly, someone in the crowd mentioned Zhiwei, and they all started searching for him on the light screen.
"Here! It's this person!"
"My goodness, this Zhiwei Heavenly God... she's so beautiful! Wait, who's the worshipper next to her? Isn't this... isn't this..."
"Your Highness the Eldest Princess!!"
"Who else could it be but Her Highness the Eldest Princess? He doesn't have any other worshippers..."
"I suddenly understand Her Highness the Princess. If I could be served by such a peerless beauty, and I were asked to spend all my wealth to burn incense and build palaces for him, I would be willing..."
"They're all talk and no action. Can you worship a god just by looking at his face? Without real ability, even if you're elevated to the status of a deity, you're still a useless piece of trash, unable to protect your followers..."
In the various temples of the Three Gods, Zhiwei quickly became the focus of discussion, with male worshippers criticizing her vehemently. They all transformed into defenders of the Qingyuan Immortal, expressing their deep sorrow and indignation at the princess's shallowness and frivolity.
However, they don't usually show much respect or admiration for Qingyuan Immortal Venerable.
No matter how much the men denigrated Zhiwei, her ranking on the list of goddesses quietly rose a few places. After all, people are drawn to beauty, and the incense and candles held by women are only for those who wish to see them.
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