Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Siyuan brought me up to the Ninth Heaven and gave me a Marriage Veil that could disguise my identity, telling me to pose as a Celestial Maiden from his palace.

I followed cautiously behind Siyuan, terrified of being discovered.

The heavens were filled with drifting celestial energy. The sight of the Celestial Maidens and Heavenly Maidens, their ribbons trailing behind them in a fragrant breeze, was enough to dazzle a little demon like me.

Wearing the Moon-white Flowing Immortal Dress that Cangyu had given me long ago, I sat nervously behind Siyuan.

The assembly of immortals exchanged polite pleasantries until the noble and magnificent Heavenly Empress took her seat in the distance.

As the music began, the assembly of immortals held their breath, turning their gazes toward the one empty seat.

That seat should have belonged to Cangyu.

The Empress of Heaven frowned, looking displeased.

The scene was deathly silent until one person spoke up nonchalantly:

“I wonder what piece this Celestial Maiden is playing? It is far more pleasant to the ear than those heard at previous banquets.”

The expression on the Empress of Heaven’s face softened slightly.

“It was newly composed by Immortal Siyin. If Immortal Sihun likes it, he may seek some guidance from him.”

So that was Immortal Sihun, the one in charge of the reincarnation of souls across the Three Realms.

I couldn’t help but hide behind Siyuan and steal a glance at him.

He was leaning his chin on his hand lazily. As if sensing my gaze, he raised a wine cup toward me. His narrow, deep peach-blossom eyes were full of playfulness as he mouthed to me silently:

*Drinking, are we, Peach Blossom Demon?*

Even though Siyuan had given me a Marriage Veil meant for a Celestial Page under his command, Immortal Sihun had recognized me at a single glance.

My body went stiff. Awkwardly, I picked up my wine cup. Sihun continued to stare at me with a half-smile:

*If you don’t drink, I might just tell on you.*

I was afraid of dying, so I tilted my head back and swallowed the wine.

“Immortal Sihun has refined taste,” the Celestial Maiden beside him said with a faint smile.

Only then did I realize that the moon-white flowing immortal dress she wore was exactly like mine, only the craftsmanship was more magnificent and intricate.

It seemed he probably only remembered the dress she wore, which was why he had given one to me when we first met.

This was Choulu, the one Cangyu could never forget. True to her name, she was as delicate as a hibiscus in the morning dew; every frown and smile could evoke pity. With just a few words, she drew a smile from the assembly of immortals.

“Fairy Choulu must be joking. I have never had much taste,” Sihun said, calmly draining a cup of wine.

Choulu’s expression faltered slightly.

“You all are still too formal. You are about to be engaged, yet you still call each other ‘Immortal’ and ‘Fairy’,” the Empress of Heaven finally showed a hint of a smile. “Though, being dignified and self-restrained is exactly how a Fairy should carry herself.”

Sihun neither agreed nor disagreed, pouring himself another drink without lifting his head. Just when I thought he was going to let me go…

“Little Demon, why have you come here?”

A telepathic message echoed in my mind, nearly making me drop my cup. I looked tremblingly at the distant Sihun, who appeared perfectly composed.

“Is this a place where you belong?”

“…I, I’m here to find someone,” I stammered back.

“Oh? Find who? Could it be me? You know I already have a marriage contract, yet you still insist on this?” His voice carried a hint of deliberate helplessness.

“I don’t know you. I’m here to find Cangyu.”

“…”

I saw his face darken.

“What is so good about that dull man…”

Before Sihun could finish, the sound of familiar footsteps approached from outside the hall.

“Cangyu has returned from suppressing the rebellion. I am late.”

I saw Cangyu clad in armor, walking in against the light.

My heart skipped a beat.

Five hundred years had passed, and his features had become deeper and more steady. His long hair was held up by that Pangu Wood Hairpin, making his face look cold and stern, almost heartless.

He… seemed different from the Cangyu I used to know…

The Empress of Heaven seemed displeased, yet she maintained her outward composure.

“No matter.”

Cangyu cupped his hands in greeting and took his seat, lowering his head to drink without saying a word.

He looked so cold and detached that if I hadn’t been watching him constantly, I would have missed the single glance he spared for Choulu.

He really loved Fairy Choulu.

They were the matching High God and Immortal. As I sat here, Cangyu wouldn’t even give me a single look.

My heart sank into gloom.
“I don’t care about the difference between demons and immortals. Little Peach Blossom, why don’t you consider me instead?” Sihun’s voice rang in my head again, haunting and persistent.

I ignored him, keeping my head down as I drank, looking utterly despondent.

“Why is a Little Peach Blossom like you acting like some tragic lover? If you keep drinking like this, you’ll get drunk enough to revert to your true form. Tsk, tsk, tsk…”

Terrified of dying, I was jolted awake instantly.

I stopped drinking immediately. It wasn’t worth it for a man.

“Ah, so your feelings for Cangyu, the War God, only amount to this much,” Sihun said, looking disappointed.

I continued to ignore him.

I wasn’t sure if it was because of his Apotheosis, but he had changed a lot.

Throughout the banquet, Cangyu hadn’t looked at anyone, let alone spared a single glance for me.

“After he became a god, he sealed away a part of his true form’s emotions,” Sihun explained lazily.

“Sealed his emotions?” I was stunned. “Why?”

“Because of you, of course,” Sihun chuckled. “During the Demon Tide five hundred years ago, Cangyu didn’t bring back a single demon core-especially that demon core of the Hundred-Demon King. The Heavenly Empress had her heart set on giving that to her niece.”

“Cangyu claimed it was lost, but the Heavenly Empress didn’t believe him. She used his Apotheosis to suppress him, and knowing he liked Choulu, she betrothed Choulu to me.”

“Tell me, how did an immortal as law-abiding as I end up in the predicament of an arranged marriage?”

Sihun sighed.

So it was because he gave me the demon core.

“You don’t need to blame yourself. Even without you, Cangyu would have still undergone Apotheosis.”

“You’re just a Little Demon. You can’t change anything.”

My heart sank.

As the banquet’s momentum gradually faded, the assembly of immortals began to disperse in small groups.

I kept my head down, following behind Siyuan Shangxian.

“It seems he has forgotten you,” Siyuan sighed. “You don’t need to work for me for five hundred years anymore. I’ll cut your sentence in half.”

I shook my head.

“Go say your goodbyes to him, then come to my Siyuan Hall.”

Cangyu had already left his seat. I chased after his departing figure.

While the residences of other immortals were bustling, his home was secluded, shrouded in eternal night.

In front of the palace stood a lush ancient tree entwined with old vines. Sparse stars hung in the night sky. He had placed his sword on the table and was drinking alone.

Having achieved Apotheosis, his cultivation appeared higher than before, yet he looked like a man who had forgotten how to smile.

The candlelight illuminated his sharp profile; he seemed even lonelier than he used to be.

My heart ached-it was all because of me.

It was hard to imagine that this Cangyu was the same one who used to stare at me playfully, who could manifest a flowing immortal dress for me, who told me to follow him to scavenge for demon cores, and who would drunkenly pour his heart out to me all night long.

“Cangyu…” I softly called his name.

“Who is it?” He looked up guardedly.

He saw me leaning over the terrace railing, standing on my tiptoes and tilting my head up, looking at him timidly.

“…Do you still remember me?”

“Choulu?”

His golden eyes were hazy with intoxication, but his voice was filled with joy.

I felt my body grow light as Cangyu reached out, pulling me from the terrace into his arms and holding me tightly.

“I am…” I wanted to tell him that I was Ruogui, because when I was born, the Peach Blossom Spring West of Weak Water had bloomed like a sea of rosy clouds, just like a ‘Ruogui’.

I had forgotten to tell him five hundred years ago, and this time, I had to let him know.

But before I could finish the sentence, he lowered his head and kissed me.

He passed the warmth of the wine to me; his breath was filled with the scent of celestial brew. This must have been the wine Choulu brewed. He used to be stingy with it and refused to give me any, but now, I was finally tasting it.

It was so delicious it made me feel a bit dazed, yet also a bit pained.

I suddenly remembered what he had said to me by the cliff that day:

“You look a lot like her.”

I reached out to push him away. It was fine if he didn’t remember me, but he shouldn’t mistake me for someone else.

He refused to let me go and wouldn’t let me speak. He pressed me down onto the table, sweeping the utensils to the floor.

He kissed me obsessively, from my forehead to my eyes, then down to my neck and fingertips.

The flowing immortal dress I wore was a gift from him, and it obeyed him, blooming obediently beneath us-cradling a version of me whose heart and eyes were filled only with him, and a version of him lost in a fit of passion.