“Your Highness!”
Xie Lian was amazed at the call and thought whoever had dared address him truly had commendable courage. But when he turned his head to look, the junior official that called for That Highness rushed past him and ran toward someone farther ahead.
He called as he ran, “Honestly, Your Highness! How could you forget your identity medallion when heading to the Palace of Divine Might? How would you even get in?”
Only then did it dawn on Xie Lian—of course the address “Your Highness” wasn’t directed at him. There were quite a few crown princes in the heavens, so some confusion on this matter wasn’t anything unusual.
Yet when he glanced over and his eyes landed on the other crown prince, he paused.
That young man had strong brows, bright eyes, and a wide smile. This smile was vastly different from those of many other heavenly officials: it was pure and sincere, and added an air of childlike innocence to his handsome face. Although, if a less charitable official like Mu Qing provided comment, they would probably call it an air of foolishness.
The young man was dressed in armor and looked exceptionally heroic. However, it didn’t give him the air of a warrior, of blood and battle. Rather, it gave him an air of royal nobility, candid and radiant.
Xie Lian froze mid-step and stared at the young man. The two in front sensed his gaze and turned back to face him. When the junior official saw who it was, his face dropped immediately. Xie Lian lightly inclined his head and smiled at him.
“Greetings, Your Highness.”
The other crown prince was obviously the type who didn’t mind the everyday details and didn’t recognize his face, so when he saw someone greeting him, he immediately returned the sentiment with a brilliant smile. He shouted back, “Greetings!”
The junior official beside him gave him a subtle push. “Come on, Your Highness, let’s go. We still need to get to the Palace of Divine Might.”
The young man, completely oblivious, could not understand why his subordinate would shove him so suddenly. He wondered aloud, “Why are you pushing me?”
Xie Lian puffed out a laugh and that junior official pushed even harder, urging, “The Emperor is probably already waiting for us. Please, let’s go, Your Highness!”
The other crown prince could only give Xie Lian a confused look before turning to leave.
Xie Lian stayed where he was as they walked away, and soon, distant whispers from lower-ranking officials floated to his ears.
“…Well, that was awkward. The world is such a small place.”
“They’re both officials in the heavens, it was only a matter of time that they met. If you ask me, General Nan Yang bumping into General Xuan Zhen is a more exciting affair.”
“Ha ha, what’s the rush? They’ll all be coming face-to-face soon! Everyone’s gathering at the Palace of Divine Might, aren’t they?”
Suddenly, someone commented, “It’s not just a small world—take a look at those two. I don’t like to make the comparison, but even though they’re both crown princes, His Highness Tai Hua is truly noble. He would never do anything shameful like that, even if he fell from grace.”
“The Kingdom of Yong’an was more prosperous than the Kingdom of Xianle, so of course the Crown Prince of Yong’an is stronger than that of Xianle. How the grass grows depends on the land it grew on. Simple logic.”
The martial god who watched over the north was Pei Ming of the Palace of Ming Guang. The Martial God of the West was Quan Yizhen of the Palace of Qi Ying. The Martial God of the Southeast was Feng Xin of the Palace of Nan Yang, and the Martial God of the Southwest was Mu Qing of the Palace of Xuan Zhen.
And the martial god watching over the east was Lang Qianqiu of the Palace of Tai Hua.
When Lang Qianqiu was still mortal, he was a crown prince like Xie Lian. Not just that—he was the Crown Prince of Yong’an. The Kingdom of Yong’an was the country that overtook Xianle after its fall, and the founder of Yong’an was the rebel general who successfully overthrew the imperial capital of Xianle.
While Xie Lian drifted in the Mortal Realm, he had also visited the east, so naturally he knew that the Crown Prince of Yong’an had ascended. As heavenly officials, it was inevitable that they would run into each other, so he didn’t think much of it. Those gossiping junior officials, while they were supposedly whispering, weren’t particularly quiet. If their prattling had been about anyone else, they might have been more wary of being overheard, but since this was Xie Lian, they spoke without fear of him hearing. Perhaps they even found the prospect exciting. So Xie Lian pretended to have heard nothing and casually walked away.