GD Ch. 58 Part 2

Chapter 58: Would You Come With Me?

No wonder.

No wonder.

The mystery that had puzzled her for so long was finally unraveled.

Zhuyou remained silent for a long time, trying to convince herself to accept this truth.

Her gaze steadied, and she suddenly spoke. “You opened the Cold Eye and gave me the sacred herb—you wouldn’t have done all this just to see me, would you?”

A trace of barely perceptible confusion flickered in Changying’s icy eyes. Ever since she had reclaimed all seven po souls, her emotions had returned in full, and she was more capable of understanding others than before. Now, she could hear it—Zhuyou’s tone was distant.

Yes, distant.

Changying did not blame Zhuyou for not seeking her out. After all, how could a devil just waltz into the Heavenly Palace? But why was she so distant now?

Was it because… because she had not been honest enough?

A hundred years of seclusion had passed in what felt like the blink of an eye, yet she had never truly considered what those hundred years had meant to others.

Changying did not understand, but she knew one thing for certain—she had opened the Cold Eye and waited in the grasslands solely to see Zhuyou.

Ancient records made no mention of any spiritual resonance between those who exchanged heart’s blood, yet she stubbornly believed that they should be able to sense each other’s hearts.

She thought for a moment before finally saying, “I did come to see you, but there is something else as well.”

Zhuyou placed the sacred herb’s flowers and leaves into her storage space, immediately perking up at those words. “What is it?” she asked, feigning a calm and composed demeanor.

“The Turbid Mirror you took from the Heavenly Palace—where is it now?” Changying stared at her motionlessly.

Zhuyou raised an eyebrow, surprised that Changying knew she was the one who had taken the Turbid Mirror. Could it be that the celestial outside Moon-Watching Cliff that day was her?

She didn’t understand why Changying had hidden her aura even while in the heavens. With her level of cultivation, she could have easily dragged Zhuyou out from where she had concealed herself in the celestial wine.

“You knew I had infiltrated the Heavenly Palace for the Turbid Mirror that day?” Zhuyou narrowed her eyes slightly.

Changying’s gaze flickered toward the phoenix-shaped mark at the corner of Zhuyou’s eyes. She nodded. “Yes.”

Those eyes were truly beautiful. Nowhere in the entire Phoenix Clan could one find another pair like them—not seductive, not demonic, with slightly drooping corners that made her look so innocent that she hardly seemed like a devil at all.

Changying’s cold eyes shifted slightly, sweeping over the devil marks on Zhuyou’s shoulder and neck. Those marks had grown finer than before. Previously, they had only reached her shoulder, but now they wound around her collarbone.

Unsightly, she thought.

Her gaze paused for a moment before she suddenly lifted her eyes. “I sensed your presence that day. It was only after you took the Turbid Mirror that I awakened the guardians of the sacred relic.” Her tone was exceptionally calm, as if completely unbothered, as if she had done nothing wrong at all.

Zhuyou wondered—was this truly the Divine Venerable of the Nine Heavens? This sounded far more like someone conspiring with her from within.

She quickly composed herself, hiding her astonishment beneath lowered eyes. “Why did you do that? And now you ask about the Turbid Mirror—are you planning to take it back? Are you toying with me?”

Changying shook her head. There was no indication that she intended to reclaim the Turbid Mirror. “I’m just asking.”

Zhuyou didn’t believe for a second that the dragon was simply asking. If Changying was truly the Divine Venerable, then she had to know how important the Turbid Mirror was.

“You opened the Cold Eye without permission, and now you refuse to take back the Turbid Mirror. Aren’t you afraid of the Heavenly Emperor’s wrath?” Zhuyou sneered.

This dragon had always been more like a devil than she was. And now, looking at her—she truly was. What kind of Divine Venerable was this? One who disregarded the laws of the heavens, acting recklessly—was this the misfortune of the Heavenly Realm or the misfortune of the human world?

Changying turned slightly, lifting her chin, golden eyes half-lidded, cold and distant. She said, “Whatever you desire, I will give to you.”

If everything was truly as she believed, then the Heavenly Palace and all that lay within should rightfully belong to Zhuyou.

With those words, she turned and prepared to leave.

Zhuyou, caught off guard by this sudden declaration, felt her heart pound. She was momentarily at a loss. Was this dragon truly so willing to break the laws of heaven? Was she truly willing to favor her over an insignificant entanglement from a hundred years ago?

She did not understand. Even after all this time as a devil, even after witnessing so many bizarre devils, she still did not understand.

Her eyes narrowed slightly as she probed, “How have you spent these past hundred years?”

Changying’s steps paused, but she did not turn back. Her expression remained unreadable. She carefully considered her past century—what had she been doing? Nothing but cultivation, thinking of ways to suppress the devils. And in the rare moments she had space to think, she would wonder where the phoenix girl, who should have been by her side, had gone.

But she couldn’t afford to dwell on it. If her mind wandered, her cultivation would falter. She could not stand at the peak until she reclaimed her former strength. Only then… would she be able to do something.

“Naturally, I was cultivating,” she said.

After all, Zhuyou was a devil. She couldn’t very well tell her that she had spent each day thinking about how to subdue devils. Nor could she say that, every time she closed her eyes, she thought of her.

Zhuyou let out a quiet scoff, thinking to herself that this dragon, having ascended to the heavens, truly led a dull life.

She had thought the events of a hundred years ago had long since faded from memory, but seeing this dragon now, she vividly recalled the time she had taken her down to the Mortal Realm.

The human world was full of amusements—sugar figurines, wooden puppets, storytellers and street performers. Back then, Changying had looked around curiously, fascinated by all the worldly things.

Now, after being confined in the Heavenly Palace, she had become even colder, like a dragon encased in ice.

Zhuyou didn’t feel pity, but she couldn’t help a silent sigh. They were never meant to walk the same path—how could she expect Changying to be like her?

Changying noticed her silence, her brows furrowing slightly. She neither stepped forward nor withdrew. It was as if she was hesitating, as if she was struggling with something. After a long moment, she suddenly asked, “Do you regret keeping me by your side a hundred years ago?”

Zhuyou didn’t know how to answer. Of course, there had been regret. But at the same time, she was deeply grateful. If she had never met this dragon, she would have never exchanged heart’s blood with her—perhaps she would have never reached where she was now.

But she did not voice these thoughts. Instead, she forced a smile, the same teasing expression she used to wear a century ago.

Changying was momentarily stunned.

“If I said I don’t regret it, would you come with me?” Zhuyou asked, her tone indifferent.

She knew full well that Changying would not. And yet, she still asked. If this dragon was willing to follow her, perhaps she could use the Turbid Mirror to return to a time a thousand years past.

She spoke in the same gentle tone she had used when coaxing Changying to sleep in the human world. Her sharp edges were retracted, her gaze languid as she said, “I’ve thought of you often over these hundred years. No one reads to me anymore. No one dares stay by my side. It’s been terribly lonely—none of them are quite like you. Thinking back, there’s really nothing much to regret.” Zhuyou spoke slowly, then added with a teasing lilt, “It seems you still think of me—do you really want to come with me?”

Even as she said this, she knew the truth. Changying was the Divine Venerable of the Nine Heavens. How could she ever allow such indulgence?

A sudden heat bloomed in Changying’s chest, though she didn’t know if it was because of that drop of heart’s blood. She wanted to press a hand to her heart, to hold onto that warmth. But in the end, she clenched her fingers tightly and forced herself to endure it. When she turned back, the golden ornament on her forehead shifted slightly.

Her expression was cold, but the golden adornment softened her features. She said in an icy voice, “Not yet. I will seek you out later.”

The words were vague, carrying a deeper meaning.

Zhuyou’s heart tightened, her smile slowly fading. A hundred years… Even a blade warmed by touch would have cooled by now—let alone a dragon.

She took a step back. When Changying did not stop her, she gripped the sacred grass hidden in her storage pouch and took to the sky. In the next moment, she vanished into the dark horizon.

Changying remained standing in place, her golden eyes fixed on the distance. Only after a long while did she withdraw her gaze, turn, and ascend into the resplendent heavens.

***

The celestial towers of the Heavenly Palace stood in elegant layers, bridges of white jade arching between them.

At the sight of the Divine Venerable, the celestial soldiers immediately lowered their heads and knelt on one knee. Only when she stepped through the heavenly gates did they rise again.

Changying moved with the wind, her dark robes starkly contrasting against the palace’s crimson pillars and golden eaves. When she arrived at the Observatory Pavilion, she did not suppress her aura. In that instant, the young celestial attendants within the pavilion trembled violently, nearly collapsing to the ground.

The Fate Keeper was preoccupied with divination instruments. The moment he sensed her presence, he immediately bowed and greeted, “Divine Venerable.”

Changying cast a glance at the objects in his hands and said, “Tonight, the stars and moon align, the Azure Dragon and Golden Treasury are in harmony. I will personally cast the divination—to find the whereabouts of the other ancient god.”

Her gaze was deep and unwavering. She sought only to confirm the suspicion in her heart.

The Fate Keeper quickly responded, “I follow Your Divinity’s command.”