Chapter 88 Chasing the Monk Across the Six Realms

“Is that so?” she asked with a gentle laugh, yet her gaze remained fixed on my face, her voice tinged with doubt. “I don’t know why, but I can’t shake the feeling you look familiar to me.”

“You must have mistaken me for someone else, sister,” I replied with an awkward smile, leaning away and inching closer to Zilian, putting more distance between myself and the woman in blue.

“That can’t be,” she insisted, stepping closer, her eyes never leaving my face. “I have never once mistaken anyone for another.” Her scrutiny gave me an uneasy, prickling feeling along my spine.

Just then, a soft cough broke the tension. The woman’s master—and husband—the god Gu Mo, set down his teacup and lifted his eyes to me, his expression one of clear displeasure. His eyes, black as night and utterly unruffled, sent chills down my back. But when his gaze shifted to the woman in blue, his look softened, becoming gentle as water. He spoke kindly, “There are many in the six realms who share similar features. Qing’er, why be so insistent? Since this young man says he’s never met you, perhaps you have indeed mistaken him for another.”

With that, he turned away, reaching for the teapot as if to refill his cup. The woman in blue saw this and, quick as a flash, took the pot herself and filled his cup.

Gu Mo smiled faintly, picked up the cup and took a sip, saying, “The Heavenly Emperor Yan Hua and the Celestial Lord resemble each other greatly, and Princess Bai Qi bears an eight- or nine-tenths likeness to the late Lady Yue Rou. When Lady Yue Rou passed, the Celestial Lord was inconsolable and often mistook Princess Bai Qi for her, clinging to the Emperor and refusing to let go. It caused no end of amusing incidents.”

The woman in blue’s frown relaxed, and she smiled. “Then the Celestial Lord truly was muddled—grabbing another woman and calling her by his late wife’s name.”

Zilian interjected, “Princess Bai Qi is the daughter of the Celestial Lord and Lady Yue Rou, while Emperor Yan Hua is the Celestial Lord’s grandnephew—making him Bai Qi’s nephew.”

She paused, then laughed. “There’s a joke making its rounds in the Heavenly Realm. They say that one day, Princess Bai Qi traveled to the Western Buddhist Domain for leisure, and on the road, she happened to encounter a bald monk. Perhaps she’d spent too long in the heavens and rarely saw men; after that chance meeting, she became hopelessly infatuated with the monk. Since then, she’s repeatedly escaped from the heavenly palace to wait for him in the Western Domain. Unbeknownst to her, Emperor Yan Hua was also deeply in love with her.”

Deeply in love? I blurted out in surprise, “Don’t tell me Emperor Yan Hua also fell for that bald monk?”

No sooner had I spoken than a sharp, frosty gaze darted my way. I looked up to see Gu Mo glaring at me, clearly displeased.

Alright, alright! I had simply blurted out without thinking. I quickly looked away and focused on the pastries in front of me, grabbing one and taking a bite.

Zilian laughed. “It was Emperor Yan Hua who fell for Princess Bai Qi.”

“A nephew in love with his own aunt?” I exclaimed, dropping my pastry in shock. “Doesn’t the Heavenly Realm have any rules about propriety and forbidden marriages among kin?”

At this, both the woman in blue and I turned to Zilian, perplexed.

He calmly raised his teacup, took a slow sip, and after a moment, lifted his eyes. “Of course the rules exist. If there were no such customs, the Celestial Lord would have taken Princess Bai Qi as his consort long before she ever lost her heart to that monk. Why else would he now simply watch as Princess Bai Qi chases the monk across the six realms?”

Chasing a monk across the six realms? Hearing Zilian say this, I felt a surge in my heart. I am a demon, chasing Zilian—a celestial—across the six realms. Princess Bai Qi, a divine maiden, chases a bald monk in much the same way. Say we are alike or not—either way, there’s a strange resemblance.

Princess Bai Qi has such an intriguing character, truly a person of passion. If fate allows, I would like to meet her someday. To speak with her would be a great pleasure indeed.