Volume One: Chaos in Yan and Yun Chapter Sixty-Four: Clouds Stir on All Sides (Part Two)

At that very moment, in Wuyang, ten thousand miles away from Bohai.

Within the Purple Heaven Palace, apart from the Divine Emperor, not a soul could be found—not a single minister, not even a eunuch in attendance.

Emptiness, more often than not, signifies solitude.

An emperor, after all, is always alone.

Today, the court enjoyed a rare day of respite, and the Divine Emperor, forsaking the usual elaborate rituals, wore only a simple robe of bright yellow, his long hair loose, without so much as a hairpin.

He had stood in the great hall for quite some time, hands clasped behind his back. Not even ten paces before him sat a birdcage woven of mulberry wood, within which sprawled a small bird covered in crimson feathers, its head tucked beneath one wing, as if deep in sleep.

The Divine Emperor gazed at it calmly, his eyes as still and deep as an ancient well.

“In days past, humans and demons stood together against the demonic clan, sworn friends to the last. When the demonic clan retreated, humans and demons coexisted for a generation—a golden age. Even in the solitary reign, when my ancestor founded the dynasty, dragons and phoenixes still danced in harmony. But ambition in the demon race grew ever fiercer, nearly impossible to restrain. The Martial Emperor himself journeyed to the Southern Sea, where countless demons bent the knee. He ascended Coiled Dragon Isle, silencing the dragons... It sounds grand and indomitable, but from then on, the dragons returned to the heavens, the phoenixes to their nests, and these two races—both once persecuted by the demons—went their separate ways. Now, they have become checks upon one another.”

The little red-feathered bird in the cage seemed not to hear a word the Divine Emperor spoke.

“But every living being must have its own pursuits—strength, longevity, wealth... and power.” The Divine Emperor was not bothered by the bird’s indifference, and went on, “Back then, many among the demon race wished to follow the Martial Emperor, but the decree to limit the demons was his own. He could not simply rescind it, nor could he be the first to break it. Yet among those who wished to follow were many powerful beings; to let them run free would invite disaster. Better, then, to bring them into the fold and share in the peace.”

At the mention of the decree, the bird drew its wing away from its head, opened one eye to look at the Divine Emperor, then slowly rolled its eyes, thinking, Why is this idiot disturbing my dreams now?

The Divine Emperor was not angered by its rudeness, though he could more or less guess what the foolish bird was thinking.

But such a state of affairs could not last.

News from the Carefree Pavilion had arrived: the Palace of Moving Flowers had, in the end, made contact with the Pavilion of Weeping Blood.

To set aside past enmities for the sake of Bohai alone struck the Divine Emperor as somewhat laughable.

“Zhetian, though I do not know why you once followed the old emperor, you have never truly left this place. I imagine you do not wish to see the Divine Dynasty thrown into chaos. Yet from the way things stand now, that moment may soon arrive.” The Divine Emperor sighed. “Much as I hate to admit it, Bohai’s strength on paper is now enough to shake the very foundations of the Divine Dynasty.”

So this unimpressive bird’s name was Zhetian.

Zhetian stared at him for several heartbeats, then rolled its eyes again.

You always looked down on him, wanting to see how far he could push this game. Only now do you begin to worry, to think of precautions—might it not already be too late?

“It is not too late,” the Divine Emperor replied with a smile. “In terms of strategy, yes, the enemy is hidden, we are exposed. But in terms of strength, it is the opposite—the enemy is known, we are hidden.”

So you were planning to use me all along, Zhetian thought.

“Not just you. There’s also Night Devourer.”

Zhetian looked surprised—surely, that one wasn’t easy to talk to.

The Divine Emperor laughed softly. “And you—are you so easy to talk to?”

Zhetian let out two sharp chirps, meaning, At least I’m willing to listen. Not just you—even if some lowly palace maid or eunuch talks to me, I’ll listen.

“So I want to know your answer,” the Divine Emperor said.

Zhetian thought for a moment, then shook its head.

The Divine Emperor looked a little regretful. “So be it. I won’t force you.”

After a pause, he added, “Let’s hope Night Devourer is willing to act.”

Zhetian widened its eyes—was he really going to seek out that stubborn black tiger?

The Divine Emperor sighed and said nothing more.

The wind swept through Purple Heaven.

That figure in bright yellow vanished.

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Wuyang City, Lower District, East City, Chaoyang East Street, Xixiang Alley, Shi’s Donkey Meat Restaurant.

They say dragon meat is the finest in the heavens, but on earth, nothing beats donkey meat. The dragon clan is stingy, but donkeys have no such say in their fate.

Dusk was falling, half the sky awash in rosy clouds, half in night. People, weary from the day, trickled into the donkey meat restaurant in twos and threes. Calls, laughter, and chatter quickly filled the place with warmth and noise.

The owner’s surname was Shi—no one knew his given name. But everyone knew he was forthright and never cared for petty profits, which is why folks from all the nearby alleys loved his donkey meat.

Who doesn’t love something delicious and cheap?

Just as the diners were about to order as usual, they suddenly heard the sharp bang of a cleaver slamming onto the chopping board. Looking up, they saw Boss Shi’s face, dark as thunder.

“We’re closed for today. Come back early tomorrow,” he barked, then brandished the cleaver and drove everyone out.

Once the door was shut, a soft chuckle came from behind.

“Night Devourer, you’ve been idling in this lower district for a hundred years, opened more restaurants than you can count—yet you still make such a foolish move as turning away customers.” The voice laughed. “Merchants are supposed to be profit-seekers. No wonder the Astronomical Bureau has to give you a fat subsidy every year just to keep you afloat.”

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“What do you want?” the owner surnamed Shi asked.

The Divine Emperor smiled nonchalantly. “Can’t I just come for a meal?”

Shi frowned. “Aren’t you afraid I’ll poison you?”

The Divine Emperor laughed. “That’s more Zhetian’s style. Even if you wanted to kill your emperor, you’d drag me to the Outer Heavens for a proper battle—not stoop to such low tricks.”

Shi nodded. “Fair enough. Shall we go to the Outer Heavens now?”

The Divine Emperor smiled. “No need to rush. I haven’t yet tasted your cooking. Let me try it today, will you?”

Though his words ended as a question, he clearly wasn’t asking for permission. He picked a chair and sat down. “A serving of donkey meat in flatbread, and a bowl of rice.”

Shi was silent for a moment. “The rice is free. The flatbread is eight coins.”

The food was swiftly served.

The Divine Emperor poked at the flatbread with his chopsticks, looking displeased. “Did you slack off because you’re itching for a fight?”

“First, don’t insult my craft,” Shi said.

“Second, if you want to enjoy your meal, keep your mouth shut. I don’t want to hear anything before we fight.”

The Divine Emperor could only smile wryly. “When the Wind Guard was here, you never challenged him, but you pick a fight with me?”

“I’m no match for him,” Shi replied. “Besides, he’s too fast. I can’t catch him. Fighting him is pointless.”

“How do you know fighting me won’t be pointless too?” asked the Divine Emperor.

“I’ve fought Du Gu Feiyun many times. I know what kind of technique the world’s top martial art is. Fighting you will be interesting.” Shi said, “If you agree, I’ll travel east and help you deal with that octopus.”

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