Love & Redemption
Chapter 249: Final Volume: I Am Liuli - 8: Divine Witch (Part 2)

Chapter 249: Final Volume: I Am Liuli Chapter 8: Divine Witch (Part 2)

At this moment, Liu Yihuan was racking his brains on how to deal with Lu Wu’s questions. Xuanji was beside him, staring awkwardly at Lu Wu—it was futile to expect anything from her, as it was already quite good that she wasn’t holding them back.

Well, how should he explain it? Maybe he should just make up an excuse and see if it would fool him. Liu Yihuan cleared his throat, ready to speak, when Xuanji suddenly said, "The accessory on your waist, I think I’ve seen it somewhere before."

She pointed to a small stone hanging at Lu Wu’s waist, about the size of half a fist, a pure moon-white color, its serene and transparent blue immediately reminding one of the ocean. She couldn’t be mistaken; Ting Nu had one exactly like it, and Zi Hu, who liked to sniff and lick it for fun, claimed it was a very spiritual stone.

Lu Wu looked down, and with an "oh," said, "This was taken from a prisoner in Heaven. Emperor Bai praised my gardening, so he rewarded it to me... How do you know it? Could it be that you are acquainted with that prisoner?"

His eyes, glittering with golden light, grew even more suspicious.

Prisoner... It indeed seemed to be Ting Nu. Even his ornaments had been taken away; had he already met with misfortune?! Xuanji’s heart suddenly chilled, and she stared straight at Lu Wu, whispering lowly, "What happened to that prisoner? Tell me quickly."

Lu Wu viewed her suspiciously for a long while, then suddenly his expression cleared, and hesitantly said, "You... wait! I recognize you! Are you perhaps that..."

Before he could finish, a rugged voice from behind interrupted, "You fool, stop blabbering and tend to your flowers!"

Startled, Lu Wu quickly turned around, only to see Tengshe with his arms crossed, standing behind him with a wild demeanor. Behind him stretched a pair of beautiful Fire Wings, tightly binding Vermilion Bird and Azure Dragon, covering their heads and faces thoroughly as they struggled forcefully. Fortunately, Tengshe had no intention to harm them; otherwise, it would have been a pity for Azure Dragon’s freshly washed, handsome face to be seen by Ying Long only to be burnt to charcoal.

"Lord Tengshe!" Lu Wu immediately panicked, his knees buckling as he nearly knelt down. Then, changing his mind upon realizing he hadn’t done anything wrong, he promptly straightened his knees and busied himself with snitching, "Lord Tengshe! Look! These two trespassed onto Kunlun Mountain! An unpardonable crime, I was merely educating them..."

"Hmmph." Tengshe snorted through his nose, arrogantly, "You may leave; I’ll handle this."

Breathing an "okay" in relief, Lu Wu was just about to step back when something felt off. He looked at Vermilion Bird and Azure Dragon, who couldn’t move, and muttered, "No... that’s not right. Lord Tengshe, you’re supposed to be under house arrest by Emperor Bai... and those two behind you..."

Before he could finish, Tengshe’s fist unceremoniously met his face, sending the flower-tending immortal flying, his nose bleeding as he lay there motionless, leaving it unclear whether he was dead or alive.

"Annoying!" With a slap of his hand and a turn of his head to gaze at the confused Xuanji and Liu Yihuan, he suddenly smiled lightly and said, "So, you’ve come to your senses and want to break the contract, eh?"

Seeing him, Xuanji felt a surge of joy, but recalling their previous encounter that afternoon reignited her anger. Seeing his nose almost flaring up to the sky exacerbated her irritation, prompting her to frown deeply and assert fiercely, "In your dreams! I’ll never break the contract! You villain!"

Tengshe, unfazed, laughed heartily for a while before saying, "You haven’t changed a bit! Still the same, but... why do you look so dirty?"

It turned out that on their journey, they had brushed against so much mud that they looked practically like mud figures. Fortunately, all the immortals they encountered were rather foolish, like the enlightened Lu Wu, allowing them to safely reach this point. Wiping her face, Xuanji retorted fiercely, "You’re the dirty one! It’s none of your business if I’m dirty to death!"

Still laughing, Tengshe walked over and put his arm around her shoulder, saying, "Oh women, whether you comb your hair in three plaits or wear two-piece dresses, be it immortal or demon, every woman is the same. Come on, have you got more to scold me for? Just let it all out so I can take it all in at once."

Yet she just glared at him, her eyes seemingly brimming with tears. Tengshe suddenly panicked, chuckling bitterly, "Hey, don’t! Are you the master or am I? Why are you crying! Alright, it’s all my fault, you can kill me if you want! Stop crying!" He could hardly stand to see women weep and wail—it was like sitting on pins.

Choking up, Xuanji said, "You... you villain are fine, but Ting Nu... he’s dead!"

Realizing she wasn’t just throwing a tantrum, Tengshe breathed a sigh of relief and secretly admired Yu Sifeng for tirelessly pursuing such a troublesome creature for so many years. He chuckled, "Who told you he’s dead? That merfolk was just a fellow prisoner; how could he possibly be dead. Isn’t he well and locked up in the Heavenly Prison?"

"But that Lu Wu had Ting Nu’s ornament!" Xuanji sniffled, watching Tengshe speak with such conviction, she also began to doubt.

Tengshe scoffed, "When have you seen a prisoner kept in luxury? They must have switched his clothes to coarse linen, and the jailers took his belongings to present as treasures! Relax, he’s definitely alright; stop worrying. By the way, what are you doing here? You seemed intent on rebellion."

Liu Yihuan spat, "Don’t talk nonsense! Who’s rebelling? Just because someone falsely accused us of rebellion, should we not come up here and defend ourselves?"

Tengshe chuckled, "Defend yourselves? Such a waste of effort. Who would listen to your defense here? If Heaven decrees you are wrong, then even if you are right, you are wrong. It’s better just to find a place to hide, rather than rashly rushing here to die. You, oh you..."

Xuanji shook her head, "There’s no such reason. You’ve been an immortal too long, you must be confused. I believe the Heavenly Emperor won’t judge without reason; I came here in earnest to talk, not wanting to kill anyone. I want to clear everything up and lay it all out."

Tengshe finally stopped talking, giving her a look of pitiful contempt as if she were an idiot, and shook his head.

Liu Yihuan, seeing his disdainful expression, grew furious, and roared, "We are all in the same boat, what are you being so smug about? Then what do you suggest? Rebellion against heaven! What kind of crime is that? If we admit it, it’s death, and after death, it’s torment in Abyss Hell. So why don’t we just fight it out and set the record straight? Do you think Abyss Hell is fun or something?"

Tengshe frowned and retorted, "Fine, you go find the Heavenly Emperor! Plead your case! Beg for mercy! I’d like to see what you can stir up!"

"Don’t you be too excessive..." Liu Yihuan was about to explode in anger when she was gently held back by Xuanji.

"No tyranny can maintain balance. This is something my father said before. If Heaven is really as you describe, the world would have been in chaos long ago. I believe the Heavenly Emperor has his reasons for acting this way, and I’m here for that reason too. Besides, you talk about us rebelling, look at what you yourself have done! Who is it that you have trapped in your Fire Wings?"

Tengshe, somewhat embarrassed, stubbornly retorted, "What... what’s it to you! I caught a few bad people, roasted them alive to eat, what’s your complaint?"

Xuanji was about to mock him when she suddenly sensed something amiss above her head. Her expression changed, she grabbed the still-distracted Liu Yihuan, and leapt backwards. They heard a ’whoosh’ several times, and the ground where they had just been standing suddenly caved in, as if smashed by a tremendous force, and the most terrifying part was that it was unknown what had caused it.

Tengshe too was stunned, and unexpectedly a great force smashed towards his head. He instinctively dodged to the side, but the force unexpectedly curved, striking directly on his left temple and immediately causing his vision to see stars and his ears to buzz, dumbfounding him instantly.

The Vermilion Bird and Azure Dragon, who were bound behind him by his Fire Wings, felt the power around them loosen slightly and seized the moment to struggle fiercely free. Vermilion Bird landed and started shouting fiercely, "Tengshe, you’ve turned traitor! Do you even know what you are doing?!" Azure Dragon, suffocated by his Fire Wings, was nearly choked to death and, being a scheming character, without even a greeting, reached out with her claws shimmering with green light and scratched at his face.

Tengshe, struck by the force on his temple, was too groggy to dodge. Xuanji, still holding Liu Yihuan, was unable to look after him for the moment and watched as Azure Dragon’s claws were about to leave him with a bloody face; then suddenly, a hand reached out from behind, grabbed his collar, and yanked him back, just avoiding Azure Dragon’s claws.

Thereafter, an ice-cold voice said, "It’s not very seemly for Divine Beasts to brawl among themselves."

Everyone present was somewhat stupefied; this person had suddenly appeared among them, and the earlier strangeness was certainly his doing. Among so many Divine Beasts, none had noticed him. He was dressed in white robes, his features stern, clearly a middle-aged man in his forties. Vermilion Bird, slightly startled, said, "Is it the Divine Witch? Are you Wuxiang? Can Divine Witches just come to Kunlun Mountain as they please?"

Wuxiang replied coldly, "Don’t talk to me with your rigid rules. If not for Emperor Bai’s orders, why would I condescend to resolve this mess of Divine Beasts. Step aside, I need to speak with the War God."

Looking for her? Xuanji was baffled, and murmured, "I... I don’t know you."

Wuxiang remained cold, "You don’t need to know me. Emperor Bai asked me to bring you a message: those who know the times should hasten back to the Lower Realm; Kunlun Mountain is not a place for you to run wild. To argue against Heaven, how pitiable and laughable."

Although Xuanji had resolved to henceforth speak nicely and openly with people, faced with such condescension, she couldn’t help but feel irritated, and said, "Emperor Bai is not the Heavenly Emperor! I wasn’t looking for him! And I’m not disputing with Heaven, why should I admit to things I haven’t done?"

Wuxiang replied coldly, "You should mind your words. Emperor Bai or the Heavenly Emperor, neither permits you to slander them at will. Denying the rebellion won’t help, Wuzhiqi is held in the Netherworld, who facilitated his release? Don’t you know that by colluding with a rebel, you are essentially conspiring in rebellion?"

Xuanji, at a loss for words, stood there full of grievances but unable to express herself. Liu Yihuan took her by the sleeve, whispering, "Everywhere we go it’s the same accusation, I think we shouldn’t argue. This matter can’t be clarified. Let’s leave!"

Leave? What a joke! Si Feng is still missing! And Ting Nu! Wuzhiqi, Zi Hu, Tengshe! With so many left unaccounted for, how could she possibly walk away with peace of mind?

Wuxiang continued, "The one who released Wuzhiqi is Yu Sifeng, Liu Yihuan. Among them, Liu Yihuan even stole a Magic Treasure from Heaven, the Heavenly Eye, committing all these misdeeds, and yet you still claim you are innocent?"

Damn it, she just knew he would bring up the Heavenly Eye! Liu Yihuan had no choice but to cough twice and said, "The Heavenly Eye was taken by the Azure Dragon miss from Heaven, it’s not with me anymore. If you want to charge me with a crime, go ahead, I am already prepared."

Wuxiang turned and glanced at Azure Dragon, whose face was somewhat pale, who whispered, "I... haven’t managed to hand the Heavenly Eye over to Emperor Bai yet."

Liu Yihuan hadn’t initially noticed this woman in green. Now, hearing her hoarse voice, like a broken gong, and knowing that she was the prime culprit who had harshly snatched away the Heavenly Eye, he couldn’t help but look over. Who knew that at the first glance, his chest would feel as if struck heavily. He stood speechless on the spot, his mouth agape, and vaguely, drool threatened to escape.

Seeing his strange expression, Xuanji asked tensely, "Brother Liu! What’s wrong?"

He seemed not to hear, staring blankly at Azure Dragon, observing her charming, lovely face, and delicate figure. After a long moment, he finally muttered, "Heaven... Never did I imagine such a beauty existed in the world. Liu Yihuan is fortunate to behold her exquisite countenance today; dying now would leave no regrets." (To be continued. To know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com; more Chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)