Heaven Official’s Blessing
chapter-32

Chapter 32 : The Palace Hall of the Supreme Martial God, Crown Prince meets Crown Prince (I)

The Two Crown Princes

Xie Lian knew this ring must have been left behind by Hua Cheng . He weighed it in his hand wonderingly . What is this?

As a former Crown Prince, Xie Lian had grown up within the imperial palace of the Kingdom of Xian Le . The people of Xian Le had a fondness for rare and beautiful things, and often sought out treasures from far and wide . The imperial palace was even more extravagantly rich and beautiful; with golden pillars and stairs inlaid with precious stones, it had been a veritable treasure trove . The children of nobles and aristocrats frequently played with precious stones as if they were common marbles . Xie Lian was used to seeing all sorts of precious things, and this ring resembled polished diamond .

However, the ring was exceedingly beautiful and shapely, the skill that went into its making far exceeded that of any talented craftsman’s . The purity of its glitter and sparkle was more beautiful than any other diamond than Xie Lian had ever seen . It was brightly resplendent and so utterly captivating, that he could not quite figure out what exactly it was made of .

But, even if he couldn’t make out what it was, it must definitely be something precious and important . Moreover, since it had been fastened around his neck, it couldn’t have been something Hua Cheng had accidentally left behind . That would mean that it was a token for him before Hua Cheng left .

Xie Lian was a little surprised by this token . His lips curled in a slight smile as he determined to take good care of it . The next time he sees the youth again, he will ask him the meaning behind this token . For now, he only has this small, ramshackle excuse of a shrine to his name, there was no suitably safe place to store it . After deliberating for a moment, he decided that the best way to keep it safe was to hide it on him . And so, he slipped the slender chain back around his neck again .

After having had to run around in Mount Yu Jun and Ban Yue Pass back to back, when he got back, Xie Lian lay listlessly within Pu Qi Shrine for several days . If it wasn’t for some overly enthusiastic villagers dropping by every now and then to make some modest offerings of their unfinished steam buns and congee, he would probably have remained completely paralyzed during this period . In this way, several days passed until one day, he received an urgent summons from Ling Wen to return to Heaven .

From her tone, the situation was far from good . Xie Lian could guess at the heart of the matter, and mentally prepared himself . He asked, “Does this pertain to Ban Yue Pass?”

Ling Wen said, “Correct . Please come directly to the Palace Hall of the Supreme Martial God once you’re back in Immortal City . ”

{T/N: The Palace Hall dedicated to the Heavenly Emperor . Refer bottom of page for lengthy footnote}

Xie Lian paused for a moment . The Palace Hall of the Supreme Martial God . This means Jun Wu has returned .

Since his third ascension, he has yet to see Jun Wu . As the pre-eminent martial god, day in day out, Jun Wu was either in closed seclusion, on inspection patrols around the three realms, or roaming over the mountains and seas . Clearly, this meeting could not longer be avoided . And so, before Xie Lian had managed to rest for more than a few days, he once again made his way to the Immortal City .

The shrines of the gods from all walks of life were congregated within the Immortal City, thousands and thousands of them spread out like a grand exhibit, each extolling their own strengths and virtues . Everywhere he looked, there were delicately carved beams, exquisite bridges arching over running streams, and richly painted buildings . Immortals drifted around on floating clouds of mist .

There was a street within the Immortal City, known as the Main Street of the Supreme Martial God . Similar streets could be found in the mortal realm, built in commemoration of Jun Wu, but they were pale imitations, mere visualizations by the mortals of what Heaven looked like . Thus this street in the Immortal City was the genuine Main Street of the Supreme Martial God .

{T/N: A street dedicated to the Heavenly Emperor . Xian Le Kingdom had one as well . Refer bottom of page for lengthy footnote}

Xie Lian headed for the Palace Hall of the Supreme Martial God on this broad strip of street . Along the way, he saw a number of Heavenly Officials in a hurry, but none of them dared to greet him .

In the past, when Xie Lian had walked within the halls of the Heavenly Palace, there were few people who acknowledged his presence, but this simply meant that his Heavenly Official colleagues would not deliberately seek him out for a discourse or a chat . The basic courtesies such as a nod of the head or a simple greeting would nonetheless still be there . Now however, they were busily pretending that Xie Lian was all but invisible, as if a second glance would invite trouble on themselves . Those in front of him sped up, those behind him dragged their heels . It was as if they were trying very hard to leave him an 8 foot bubble to himself .

{T/N: The Heavenly Palace (aka the Temple in Heaven) is generally the palace where the Jade Emperor (emperor of deities) resides, based on Chinese folklore and religion . }

Xie Lian had long grown accustomed to this, and paid it no mind . After all, he had just dragged down the newly ascended, lofty young Heavenly Official they had admired . It would be stranger if others weren’t giving him a wide berth . As he was walking along, he heard someone behind him call out, “Your Royal Highness!”

Surprised that there would still be someone who dared to approach him, Xie Lian turned to look . The little Heavenly Official who called out ‘Your Royal Highness’ hurried past him instead, speeding towards another person . “Aiyo, Your Royal Highness!” he puffed . “How can you go to the Palace Hall of the Supreme Martial God without your identity pass? How were you planning to get in! ”

{T/N: The ‘little’ Heavenly Official means that he is of low rank, not that he’s tiny or young . The identity pass is a tablet worn from the waist, which signifies one’s identity and privileges . Some can be very ornate . Pic . ‘Aiyo’ is a word to express exasperation or dismay . }

Xie Lian finally reacted . So, the call had not been directed at him . In the Upper Court of Heaven, there were several officials who used to be Crown Princes, so this type of confusion was actually a fairly common scenario .

However, when he swept his glance over and spotted the other Crown Prince ahead of him, he went still .

The young man had sword-like brows and large, bright eyes . He wore a sunny smile on his face, pure and guileless, far different from those worn by the other Heavenly Officials of the Upper Court . It gave his handsome face a sense of childishness . If he was to be scrutinized by a less kindly Heavenly Official such as Mu Qing, he would likely be pegged as an idiot .

{T/N: Sword brows are thicker and slant upwards, like these, pic, it’s usually meant to depict those who have a heroic countenance}

He was dressed in military garb, looking extremely gallant and heroic . But his armor did not lend him the murderous air typically possessed by soldiers and officers weathered by the battlefield . On him, it exuded an air of regal nobility instead .

Xie Lian came to a halt, studying the young man in front of him . The two ahead of him sensed his gaze and stopped as well, turning to look back at him . When the little Heavenly Official caught sight of Xie Lian, his expression immediately turned discomfited . Xie Lian nodded his head lightly, gave the young man a small smile and said, “Your Royal Highness, how do you do . ”

The Crown Prince was clearly someone who rarely concerned himself with daily affairs and current news, for he failed to recognize Xie Lian . He broke into a wide smile at Xie Lian’s polite greeting . “How do you do!” he replied spiritedly .

The little Heavenly Official by his side gave him a stealthy nudge . “Let’s go let’s go Your Highness, you have official matters to attend to at the Palace Hall of the Supreme Martial God . ”

The young man was completely oblivious, and could not understand why his subordinate was suddenly jabbing at him . He looked at him strangely . “Why are you pushing me???”

A soft burst of laughter escaped from Xie Lian’s lips which he quickly tried to smother . The little Heavenly Official began shoving even more earnestly . “The Emperor may have arrived early and is already waiting, Your Highness let’s go!” The Crown Prince looked back doubtfully at Xie Lian before giving in to his subordinate’s urging and continued moving forward .

After they had left, Xie Lian remained standing on the same spot . Then, the soft, furtive whispers of a few lower-ranked Heavenly Officials in the distance drifted to his ears .

“……how terribly awkward, the world is truly small . ”

“They’re all Officials of the Upper Court, it was bound to happen someday . Personally, I think it was a great deal more entertaining when he bumped into General Nan Yang and General Xuan Zhen . ”

{T/N: Reminder . Nan Yang is Feng Xin, Xuan Zhen is Mu Qing . Previously in chapter 2, Xie Lian introduced himself in the spirit communication array shortly after his third ascension . Feng Xin and Mu Qing were not amused . }

“Haha, well you’ll have your wish fulfilled soon enough . They’re going to be meeting real soon right? They’re all waiting for him at the Palace Hall of the Supreme Martial God now . ”

Suddenly, someone said, “It doesn’t matter how big or small the world is, it’s not like they can escape being compared . If we look at the both of them, they’re both Crown Princes . But His Royal Highness Tai Hua has the air of a true royal . If it were him, even if he was in dire and desperate straits, he wouldn’t have done something so embarrassing . ”

“Then again, the Kingdom of Yong’an was more formidable than the Kingdom of Xian Le . It stands to reason that the Crown Prince of Yong’an is more powerful that the one from Xian Le . It’s all traced back to the roots, you know . ”

The Martial God of the North is Ming Guang Palace Hall’s Pei Ming . The Martial God of the West is Qi Ying Palace Hall’s Quan Yi Zhen . The Martial God of the Southeast is Nan Yang Palace Hall’s Feng Xin . The Martial God of the Southwest is Xuan Zhen Palace Hall’s Mu Qing . And the Martial God in charge of the East is no other than Tai Hua Palace Hall’s Lang Qian Qiu .

{T/N: Quick reminder . Pei Ming is General Pei . Quan Yi Zhen is the guy Pei Su (Jnr Pei) was hoping to topple . Feng Xin and Mu Qing were Xie Lian’s ex-buddies . }

Lang Qian Qiu, as they said, was a Crown Prince just like Xie Lian . Moreover, he was the Crown Prince of Yong’an, the nation that rose after the fall of Xian Le . The founding ancestor of Yong’an had been the leader of rebels who broke through to the imperial city of Xian Le .

When Xie Lian had been roaming about in the mortal realm, he had been to the East . Naturally, he had known about the Crown Prince of Yong’an ascending to Heaven . As Heavenly Officials, he had long expected that they would eventually bump into each other in the Upper Court of Heaven, so he had not given it much thought .

Though those gossiping little Heavenly Officials were supposedly whispering, they seemed to be making little effort to lower their voices . If it were anyone else standing there, they may have been wary of being overheard . But since it was Xie Lian, they weren’t too worried about it, and even seemed to be deliberately goading him to observe his reaction . Xie Lian feigned deafness and continued on his way . At this moment, behind him someone called out again, “Your Royal Highness!”

Xie Lian thought, No, really? Again? When he turned his head around, he spotted Ling Wen walking briskly towards him . She had dark circles under her eyes, and was balancing several scrolls in her arms . As she neared him, she lowered her voice, “Everyone who has returned has already made their way to the Palace Hall of the Supreme Martial God . Be careful once you reach there . ”

Naturally, Xie Lian knew what was happening . “What is General Pei Junior’s punishment likely to be?”

“Exile, probably,” Ling Wen replied briefly .

Xie Lian thought, That’s not too bad actually, it’s not too heavy .

Exile was considered a form of “temporary demotion” . It meant that the Heavenly Official had committed an offense, but wasn’t completely irredeemable, and there was still a chance they could be reinstated . If they performed well, they can very well be fished back up again . It could take thirty or fifty years, or even two hundred years .

However, his assessment of exile being “not too bad” was obviously based on his own standards . General Pei was likely to violently disagree with him .

Xie Lian recalled another thing . “Ah yes, Ling Wen . About the young boy from Mount Yu Jun who had suffered from the Human Face Plague which I’d told you about previously, has there been any news about him? Has your investigations managed to turn anything up?”

{T/N: He’s referring to the boy who had bandages over his face . }

“I’m very sorry, Your Highness,” Ling Wen said . “There hasn’t been any news yet . We will step up our efforts . ”

The task of locating a single individual among the sea of humanity was not easy, even for a Heavenly Official . It would undoubtedly be faster than employing mortals but the speed was such that, say, if locating the boy requires ten years in the secular world, then Heaven would still need at least one year . “Thank you,” Xie Lian sighed . At this moment, they had reached the end of the street and stood before a grand, majestic palace hall .

The palace has been polished by the years, reflecting only the sharpened beauty of its architecture and none of the weathering of age . Layers and layers of roof tiles glazed in gold dazzled the eye with their brilliance . Xie Lian raised his head and looked at it briefly . Under the golden arches, powerful strokes sketched out the words ‘The Palace Hall of the Supreme Martial God’ . It looked the same as it did hundreds of years ago, without the slightest bit of change . He lowered his head again, lifted a foot, and stepped inside .

Within the main hall, there were several Heavenly Officials who had been assembled for quite some time, either standing in twos and threes, or on their own . No one spoke .

Those who can stand within these palace halls were all Heavenly Officials who had ascended directly to the Upper Court of Heaven . Not one of them was not a proud child of Heaven, all were powerful lords in their own right, their gazes haughtily sizing up each other, surrounded by a golden halo of divine light . Xie Lian was dazzled by the sight . At this very moment, they were quiet as they stood in rapt attention, not yet daring to make any sound . On the throne at the far end of the palace hall, a Martial God sat bedecked in pure white armor .

The Martial God had clear cut, handsome features . His eyes were closed serenely, looking solemn and dignified in his silence . Behind him was the magnificent Palace Hall of the Supreme Martial God, and white, misty clouds swirled at his feet . When Xie Lian entered the palace hall, he seemed to sense his presence and opened his eyes .

Those eyes were dark but clear, like deep, icy pools frozen for ten thousand years . The Martial God smiled gently . “Xian Le, you’ve arrived . ”

{T/N: Yes, he called Xie Lian ‘Xian Le’, as in the kingdom Xian Le, and it won’t be the only time he does so . }

Xie Lian lowered his head slightly and said nothing .

Jun Wu’s voice was low and soft, but the sound resounded heavily throughout the entire Palace Hall of the Supreme Martial God . It drew the gazes of all the Heavenly Officials congregated there to Xie Lian . He understood immediately .

The current meeting was not held to discuss General Pei Junior’s antics in the Ban Yue Pass . Rather, it would seem that he was to be the focus for the day .