Becoming Husband and Wife

The land of Yinghuo was vast and boundless. Between heaven and earth, only endless desolation and silence seemed to remain.

In such an environment, an ancient temple abruptly appeared. The ruins known as the Great Thunderclap Temple stood quietly in place.

It radiated an aura that did not belong to this era.

Before the temple gates, the Bodhi Ancient Tree was as old as a dragon, its mottled bark seeming to recount legends from antiquity.

Inside the temple, Ye Fan sensed a strange Buddha Light. It was pure and ancient, seemingly containing a power that transcended time.

Chang'e was immersed in the wondrous sensation brought by the Buddha Light when the sudden crack of a storytelling block rang beside her ears like thunder, jolting her back to reality.

Her heart tightened. Could this part of the story be ending abruptly again?

Sure enough, after Su Yang delivered his final line, the story was interrupted once more.

Chang'e hurriedly searched through her memories, hoping to continue pursuing the unfinished narrative, but found that she had retained nothing.

An anxious expression surfaced on her face. Unable to hold back, she complained, "Why does this person always stop halfway through? Can't he finish it in one go? Leaving people hanging like this is unbearably frustrating!"

"No, when Jade Rabbit comes back, I must ask her exactly where she heard this story. I have to go listen to it myself!"

A trace of urgency showed on her face. The curiosity in her heart had already become impossible to suppress.

Deep within the Lunar Divine Hall, two women who possessed even more ethereal bearing than Chang'e were equally anxious.

They were the rulers of the Lunar Star, Xi He and Changxi.

"It's unbearable! Sister, I absolutely have to go to the Earthly Immortal Realm!" Changxi spoke hurriedly, her eyes full of longing, as if the unfinished story were tugging at her soul.

The two had been secretly watching everything that happened in the Lunar Divine Hall. Earlier, they had grown interested in the item Jade Rabbit had given to Chang'e.

They had quietly eavesdropped, never expecting to become so utterly captivated by the story that they could no longer pull themselves away.

Xi He gazed at her younger sister with a complicated expression and said helplessly, "It's not that I won't let you leave. It's that every time you go out, you cause quite a commotion."

"Back during the Witch-Demon War, you secretly ran into the Primordial World, only to be watched by the two Golden Crows on the Sun Star.

"Now you want to go to the Primordial World again. What if you cause trouble once more? How am I supposed to answer for it?"

Changxi's expression dimmed. The past was like smoke, and during those years, both sisters had found themselves trapped in difficult circumstances.

If Xi He had not fought to the death in the name of the Lunar Goddess, Changxi would likely have already become another Demon Empress of Demon Emperor Di Jun.

Later, when the Witch-Demon Calamity descended, Xi He had nearly perished along with the Demon race. Fortunately, she had left a contingency on the Lunar Star and managed to preserve her life.

Suddenly, a spark of inspiration flashed through Changxi's eyes. Looking at Xi He, she said softly, "Sister, why don't you come with me?"

"It's no longer the Primordial World of the past. We have both reached the Quasi-Saint realm. There shouldn't be any danger."

Xi He froze slightly and thought it over carefully. That was indeed true.

She still hesitated, however. Only after a moment did she slowly say, "If you promise to discuss everything with me before making any decisions, I'll agree to let you go to the Earthly Immortal Realm."

Changxi immediately beamed with delight and hurriedly agreed, "Don't worry, Sister. I'll be good!"

Seeing her like this, Xi He felt somewhat helpless, but she had indeed developed a strong interest in what came next in the story.

Changxi was not the only one eager to visit the Earthly Immortal Realm and investigate. Xi He had developed the same impulse.

They seemed to have forgotten that they had no idea where the storyteller currently was.

The two of them then left the Lunar Divine Hall directly and headed for the Earthly Immortal Realm.

At the same time, inside the Lingxiao Treasure Hall of the Heavenly Court—

Enchanting immortal music drifted through the hall, one piece following another.

Several palace maids danced gracefully in the hall while the Jade Emperor Great Heavenly Venerate sat at the head of the hall, holding a crystal cup and preparing to take a small drink.

At that moment, Taibai Jinxing slowly entered the great hall.

When the Jade Emperor saw him arrive, a trace of surprise appeared on his face. Normally, unless summoned, Taibai Jinxing rarely appeared of his own accord.

Taibai Jinxing walked to the center of the hall and bowed. "Taibai pays his respects to the Great Heavenly Venerate."

The Jade Emperor nodded slightly, then waved his hand, signaling all the palace maids to withdraw.

Only after everyone had left did Taibai Jinxing speak. "Great Heavenly Venerate, Jade Rabbit has returned."

"So soon?"

Surprise colored the Jade Emperor's voice. Only ten days had passed in Heaven, yet Jade Rabbit had already returned.

Then he remembered that one day in Heaven was equivalent to one year on Earth. Ten years had passed, so she should indeed have uncovered the Seventh Princess's whereabouts.

He said, "Have her come in."

"Yes."

Taibai Jinxing acknowledged the order and left. With a wave of his hand, he summoned Jade Rabbit, who slowly entered through the hall doors.

The moment she stepped inside, she felt an indescribable pressure bearing down on her, as if even breathing had become difficult.

Although she was also an immortal, she had not devoted herself to cultivation after taking human form. She was now only at the Celestial Immortal realm.

The Jade Emperor's cultivation was unfathomably deep. In the Three Realms, no one dared claim to know his true strength.

Jade Rabbit hurriedly knelt and saluted respectfully. "Jade Rabbit, disciple of the Lunar Goddess, pays her respects to the Jade Emperor Great Heavenly Venerate!"

"Rise."

The Jade Emperor's gaze fell upon her as he said indifferently, "Ten days have passed in the Heavenly Court. Have you discovered the Seventh Princess's whereabouts?"

"Reporting to the Great Heavenly Venerate, this subordinate has found them."

The moment Jade Rabbit finished speaking, her expression became slightly uneasy. She knew very well that the Seventh Princess's actions in the Earthly Immortal Realm had violated the Heavenly Rules!

It was an incident serious enough to cause the Heavenly Court to lose all face!

Seeing her expression change, the Jade Emperor's eyes turned slightly cold as he continued, "Since you found her whereabouts, why did you not bring the Seventh Princess back to the Heavenly Court?"

Although Jade Rabbit's cultivation was only at the Celestial Immortal realm, taking the Seventh Princess back to the Heavenly Court would not actually have been difficult.

The Seventh Princess had only just crossed the threshold into the Celestial Immortal realm, whereas Jade Rabbit had already cultivated to the ninth level of that realm!

As soon as the Jade Emperor finished speaking, Jade Rabbit quietly glanced around. None of the immortal officials were present in the Lingxiao Treasure Hall.

Only the Jade Emperor, Taibai Jinxing, and Jade Rabbit were in the hall.

Seeing Jade Rabbit look around, Taibai Jinxing immediately frowned and barked, "Jade Rabbit, the Great Heavenly Venerate asked you a question. Why are you not answering and instead looking around?"

The Jade Emperor also silently watched Jade Rabbit, waiting for her response.

Jade Rabbit took a deep breath, then respectfully said to the Jade Emperor, "Reporting to the Great Heavenly Venerate, I fear this is something the Great Heavenly Venerate would not wish outsiders to know."

The Jade Emperor's brows drew together slightly. "What do you mean?"

Jade Rabbit cast a meaningful glance at Taibai Jinxing. The implication in her eyes was self-evident.

The Jade Emperor pondered briefly before saying, "Taibai, if you have no urgent business, withdraw for now."

Although Taibai Jinxing was unwilling, he did not dare defy the Jade Emperor's order. He could only bow and say, "This subject understands."

With that, he turned and left the great hall. As he passed Jade Rabbit, he snorted coldly and shot her a displeased look.

After Taibai Jinxing left, Jade Rabbit stepped forward several paces and solemnly reported, "Reporting to the Jade Emperor, the Seventh Princess has violated the Heavenly Rules and secretly become husband and wife with a mortal!"

"According to this subordinate's investigation, that mortal is named Dong Yong. He is a farmer in Qingshan City. His family owns no land, so he makes a living by working as a servant for the city's landowners."