“Your Highness. I’ve heard so much about you.”
This martial god looked to be about twenty-six or twenty-seven years old, graceful in his demeanor but resolute in his actions. Looking at his face, Xie Lian thought he was even more attractive than that statue he’d seen at Mount Yujun. It was the kind of handsomeness that could steal hearts, very much the charming type. Xie Lian didn’t respond.
He continued, “Our Little Pei has certainly been in your care.”
I’ve definitely offended him, Xie Lian thought. He returned the greeting.
“You flatter me. I’ve heard more about you, General Pei.”
The words “I’ve heard more about you” were certainly not a lie. In the past few days, Xie Lian had skimmed through his scroll and briefly read the legends of some of the more famous heavenly officials. Among them was General Ming Guang, Pei Ming.
This Martial God of the North was skilled in battle, but the subject the mortals talked of with the most relish was his many amorous intrigues: the beautiful and the ugly, the stories left behind in wanton alleys. “Beautiful” stories had Pei Ming spend extravagant amounts of gold to save a famed yet pitiful escort from the brothels, prompting her to fall in love with him and henceforth remain pure and true to await his return. “Ugly” stories had Pei Ming travel a thousand miles for a one-night stand with a married woman, etcetera, and so on. On some level, Pei Ming was an awe-inspiring man. After reading through his stories, Xie Lian thought it was quite unbelievable that after so many years, only one Xuan Ji had been created from this way of life.
Because Pei Ming was accomplished in both battle and in love, his rivals and peers alike took great pleasure in cursing him to die, even better if he’d die from syphilis. But his fate was tough and relentless, and he never caught anything from the many flowers he’d plucked. He wouldn’t die, and he’d even live longer than most of his peers. Until finally, one day, he lost a battle. Everyone laughed, thinking, At last, he’s met his end! But then lightning crashed and thunder roared, and in that moment of imminent peril, he ascended to the heavens.
Those who hadn’t already died by his hand probably all died of outrage.
After ascension, Pei Ming didn’t change his way of life, and the scale of his tales of promiscuity only grew. From fairies and lady heavenly officials to female ghosts and demons: as long as they were beautiful, he would not hold back. Nonetheless, the charming ladies of the Mortal Realm still remained his favorite type. Many indecent love stories had him starring as the main male lead, and if it wasn’t for Xie Lian’s method of cultivation that demanded purity of body and of mind, he probably would have read a few of those books just out of curiosity.
Thus, in addition to his role as the martial god that ruled the north, the Mortal Realm also worshipped him as the God of Love. Even a number of heavenly officials would turn around and secretly pray to him should they bump into him in the heavens, hoping for some fortune in love. It had to be said that, although similar in sentiment, such a title was definitely more fortunate than Feng Xin’s unwarranted title of “Tremendous Masculinity.”
All the heavenly officials present in the hall were well aware of what both of those “I’ve heard so much about you” comments meant, and many roared with laughter in their heads.
After such pleasantries, Xie Lian said, “What does General Pei mean by ‘hard to say’？”
Pei Ming snapped his fingers, and a corpse suddenly appeared in the middle of the great hall, floating in midair.
Strictly speaking, this floating body was just a shell. It had no primordial spirit, completely empty on the inside. But it was covered in blood from head to toe, so by any practical measure, it was no different from a corpse. It had a handsome face, but its eyes were firmly shut. It was indeed A-Zhao…or rather, General Pei Junior’s clone.
To have such a thing appear so suddenly before an elegant crowd of heavenly officials inside the Palace of Divine Might was startling. A moment later, Pei Xiu was also brought in, but he still looked indifferent and apathetic even with shackles binding him. His head was bowed low, and he was silent.
“General Pei, what’s the meaning of this?” Xie Lian asked.
Pei Xiu knelt down within the Palace of Divine Might, and Pei Ming replied, “During Little Pei’s interrogation, he mentioned something I found quite curious.”
Pei Ming paced halfway around Xie Lian and smiled. “I’m quite familiar with Little Pei’s ability. Even if his clone’s powers are reduced and nowhere near the level of his true self, it’s still quite competent and capable of fighting evenly with a wrath ghost. However, he told me that he was surprised to meet a mortal who was so strong that Little Pei was unable to even withstand his attacks. Now, isn’t that curious?”