And without another word, he disappeared into the sea of deities again.

The audience broke into a collective gasp, followed by intense buzzing. I didn’t care. I achieved my goal.

My world became a blur. The selection process continued. One by one, gods chose the rest of the candidates. Queen Vesper ended up choosing Barette, and marvelously, took Shangtian as a second disciple.

As my podium lowered, I heard whispers and buzzing. In the crowd, I saw frowns but also envy. But the best of all was Sylvestris’s face contorted by jealousy.

“I would like to congratulate his highness for gaining the winner as his disciple. I extend my congratulations to her majesty for selecting the runner up. Also, two disciples make up for the loss of one,” Chila said sweetly, bringing a goblet to her lips and draining it.

Queen Vesper’s nostrils positively flared.

Eventually, the crowd turned their attention back to Goddess of Propriety, who stood with her back pin-straight and lips quivering. I imagined that all these glitches did not comply with etiquette.

“As I was saying to Barette, I mean before… that evil, I mean, that surprises… occur. In Shenjie, courtesy is necessary, modesty is a virtue, and honor is paramount—”

“Ahahahahaha!” Chila’s silvery laughter echoed in the stadium.

Everyone looked shocked by Chila’s interruption. One drunk god was so startled he lost his hiccups. Goddess of Propriety’s lower lip quivered. Her face was as red as a monkey’s butt.

“Courtesy…. Where was I? Modesty virtue… oh yes, honor—”

“AHAHAHAHAHA!”

Being interrupted again appeared too much for the Goddess of Propriety, who collapsed into the waiting arms of her fairies.

“I don’t mean to be rude,” Chila stuck out her tongue playfully, “but I couldn’t help but laugh when I hear the words ‘Shenjie’ and ‘honor’.”

An angry buzzing like that of disturbed bees arose from the crowd.

“She is mocking us!”

“Open taunt!”

Emperor Jadeite cleared his throat. The buzzing ceased, but the blazing eyes and darkened faces could not indicate clearer how everyone felt.

“Chila, honor is the thread in the fabric of Shenjie society,” Emperor Jadeite said calmly, as though he didn’t hear the malice in Chila’s questions. “If there is a reason for you to believe otherwise, please inform me.”

“I dare not, your majesty. Your word is law,” Chila said demurely, but her up-tilted eyes were mocking. “Speaking of law, anyone seeking to disrupt the unity between Shenjie and Mojie will be subject to punishment. Am I correct?”

“You are correct. Article 46742 was written specifically for your father. After his deserving death, it has not been invoked since,” Yuanshi Tianzun said with a sneer. He had made his way through the deities to stand next to Emperor Jadeite.

A flash of anger broke through Chila’s smile before disappearing immediately.

“Then it should be invoked today, because—” Chila pursed her red lips into a pout. “—I had the misfortune of hearing one of your candidates call us demons. How can unity exist between Shenjie and Mojie when we are insulted and disrespected?”

My eyes widened. We walked right into Chila’s trap.

Clearly, Emperor Jadeite thought so as well. The polite smile left his face. He turned towards the candidates gravely. “Who made such a comment?”

There was a stir amongst us. Sylvestris shakily stepped out and dropped to the ground. “Forgive me, your highness. I, it was a moment of. I-“ Gone was her proud demeanor. Her jaw chattered so much that she couldn’t talk.

Emperor Jadeite sighed.

“My dear Chila, she had a lapse in judgement. I apologize on her behalf. Shall we start the feast? I remember you liked Shenjie’s furongsu.”

Chila did not answer him.

A Shenjie god declared loudly, “Madam Chila, you should know your limits—“

A flower flew into the god’s mouth. The Mojie dieties burst out laughing as the god coughed and sputtered.

“You have awful breath,” Chila said, fanning her nose.

Hot blood flooded my cheeks. If this were a fight in the village, I would jump in to help. But I didn’t know what a fight among gods would be like, and I suspected the end result would be worse than disparaging another’s mother and being dunked in mud.

There was an excited stir in the candidates around me.

Chila curtsied to Emperor Jadeite. “Your majesty, I can overlook the girl’s mishap.”

Everyone exchanged looks of disbelief.

Chila continued silkily, “But as your majesty said, honor is the thread in the fabric of Shenjie society. If I don’t abide by your own words, what would I make you out to be? A liar?”

A Shenjie god made a noise of anger. “Madam Chila, allow me to repeat an old proverb: like a dog with a bone—“

I gasped as something gold flashed towards the god. Just as he was to be struck, a figure in white shifted in front of him. His left hand grabbed the gold object, while his body whirled to buffer the force. Despite movements as fast as lightening, he landed lightly on ground. For a moment, everyone gaped, and almost immediately, applause erupted. I stared shamelessly at the handsome figure.

“Oh,” Chila breathed as her hairpin landed back in her coiffure.

“If you are itching to practice darts, my soldiers would happily oblige,” Huayu said. The clouds in the distance parted to reveal three armies. They fell into line with a flick of Huayu’s fingers.

Chila cleared her throat, glancing at the neat rows of Shenjie soldiers.

“These hairpins seem to have a life of their own. I have no idea what happened!”

Grumble of disapproval bubbled among the Shenjie section, but they accepted Chila’s unconvincing excuse.

My eyes followed Huayu’s powerful frame. Pride swelled in my chest until I found myself grinning. He was my shifu. I was his disciple.

“Sylvestris,” Emperor Jadeite’s voice boomed.

Sylvestris jumped as if someone struck her. I almost forgot about her.

Emperor Jadeite continued with a sigh, “You have broken the law and caused anguish to Madame Chila. She is justified in asking for your punishment. Therefore, I sentence you 100 lashes of lightening.”

Two guards flew out of the Shenjie army and began dragging a struggling Sylvestris by her arms.

“Your highness, please forgive me! I realize my mistake! Father! Mother! Save me!” cried Sylvestris hysterically. Despite my strong dislike for Sylvestris, I felt sorry for her now. I moved forward to try to explain, but a general stepped out in front of me.

He was bald and had a hunched back. He kneeled in front of Chila and said, “Your highness, my spoiled daughter was foolish, but she is also my only child. On behalf of my wife and me, please forgive her. We will make sure she never makes the same mistake again.”

“You must be General Li,” Chila said. Her eyes moved carefully over his hunched back. “The mortals have a saying ‘the child repays the father’s debts’. I think it will work vice versa. General Li, will you come with me in exchange for your daughter’s punishment?”

General Li looked taken aback.

“One cannot take the punishment for another,” Huayu interrupted.

Chila’s arched brows rushed together at a sharp angle.

“Not everyone is eager to sacrifice loved ones,” Chila said with a click of her tongue.

Something flashed in Huayu’s eyes, reminding me of the pain in his face when I first saw him. But when Huayu spoke, however, it was in his usual cold voice.

“I believe in second chances.”

He glanced at me when he said this.

“Rules apply to everyone,” Chila snapped, her dark eyes shining dangerously. “General Li, you or your daughter?”

Sylvestris was blubbering like a baby, with tears, snot, and saliva all over her face. General Li was as white as tofu. He looked pleadingly at Chila.

“General Li, I only want you to come to Mojie for a short stay,” Chila cooed, smiling sweetly again.

“After a short stay, I’m afraid all that’s left of General Li would be his bones,” came a voice in the crowd. It was Yuanshi Tianzun. His eyes blazed as he said “bones”.

Confused whispers arose around me, but having seen the earlier events, I suddenly understood. General Li’s original form was a tortoise, and Chila wanted to use him for an oracle.

Chila turned scarlet.

“Take the girl away!” She shouted to the guards, who had stopped midway since the commotion began. They didn’t heed her immediately but looked to Emperor Jadeite first. When he did not object, they began to drag Sylvestris by the arms.

General Li forcibly turned his head away from his daughter. A goddess fainted on the sidelines, and other goddesses rushed to her.

I stepped forward.

“You highness, what you overhead was a girlish bicker. Sylvestris didn’t mean cause discord between Shenjie and Mojie, much less offend your highness. Please forgive her,” I said in a rush.

There was already a shocked silence over the Sylvestris dilemma, so my voice rang loud and clear despite my limited chi. The eyes of all turned to me.

Chila’s eyes swept over me lazily.

“What has been done cannot be undone.”

I took a deep breath.

“In that case, what Luosha did cannot be forgiven as well,” I said in a low voice.

“What did you say?” Chila leaned in and demanded.

“I’m talking about the Mojie subjects I saw in Shenjie last night,” I whispered, choosing my words cautiously.

“You are speaking nonsense!”

“Am I?” I asked, feeling bolder. I tapped my chin. “They were looking for something. What was it again? Let me think...”

“I don’t know what you are getting at—”

“Oh I remember now, I remember,” I continued, staring into Chila’s face. “And said he needed the calculation to the Purple—”

“Release her,” Chila said to the guards loudly.

A tearful Sylvestris looked back.

“Chila, you are forgiving the girl?” Emperor Jadeite asked with raised brows. “How… unusual.”

Chila’s face was burning.

“Instead of 100 lashes of lightening, three cycles in the mortal world will suffice,” she said darkly.

I watched as the guards half-dragged half-carried Sylvestris away. It seemed to be a lesser punishment. I looked at Chila and didn’t know what to think. She helped me win Music to repay me for defending Mojie in front of Sylvestris. But even if she was not the mastermind, her actions today certainly showed that she was not good.

The ceremony resumed. The candidates ate the peaches of immortality. It was usually grounds for more celebration, during which the gods took the chance to consume round and rounds. But the earlier episode had dampened the mood of the festivities. The Mojie dieties left first. Then, one by one, other deities bid Shenjie farewell. When only candidates were left, the men with black and white faces checked off names from a long scroll. After the last name was called, they led away those who didn’t find shifu.

Those who remained gathered around the main stage excitedly. I set off in the other direction with my head bowed. A few people still noticed me and pointed, but I was quickly able to find Shangtian. She followed me without saying a word.

We walked towards our room. Our temporary chi had already disappeared. We wouldn’t be able to fly again until we cultivated chi ourselves.

“Shangtian, I—“

“Sh!” She glanced around to make sure we weren’t overheard.

I fell silent.

“Don’t tell me what you did. No one else knows that you can’t write poems. As for Barette, she was going to pick her majesty anyway had she won,” Shangtian finished.

My throat swelled. Shangtian knew what troubled me without making me say it.

“Thank you for understanding,” I whispered when I found my voice again.

She smiled.

“I’m so happy for you.” She said. “My sworn sister is the disciple of his highness! Now I can strut around Shenjie like a peacock.”

“And my sister is the disciple of her majesty. We can strut around like a pair of peacocks,” I replied with a laugh.

At that moment, two figures loomed over us.

“Horseface and Bullhead!” I exclaimed as they paid me a formal courtesy.

Shangtian excused herself and returned to the room. I knew she was tired.

“I didn’t see you two in the Yodu section earlier,” I said.

Bullhead scratched his ears.

“We were demoted and had to stay in the shadows. I misread a name on the life records and pulled the wrong soul—uh anyway, congratulations on the win! I will take pride in letting everyone in Yodu know that I was the one who introduced you to Shenjie.”

“Or you could tell them the truth about how we were blackmailed,” Horseface said with a side-glance at me.

I remembered the joke I pulled and shifted uncomfortably.

But Horseface cracked a toothy grin and handed me a red package. I opened it to find candy.

“Horsey married his bridge lady!” Bullhead blurted out. “By next spring, there will be little half-ponies running around.”

I shrieked in a way that would have earned me ten lashes from the old fairy.

“Enough about me,” Horseface said sheepishly. “We are here for you.”

I stumbled backwards.

“I can’t go back yet. I haven’t spoken to Boluan, I mean Huayu, I mean my shifu about the villagers—”

“Ziyan, we are not here to take you to Yodu. You were destined for Shenjie,” Bullhead said.

“What?”

Bullhead lowered his voice. “Immediately after you were taken to the cranes, Emperor Yan managed to retrieve your back up file—”

I gasped.

“I know!” Bullhead whispered. “I almost shit myself. I had no idea he could get back ups that quickly! But guess what, your back up file read: Allow transcendence to Shenjie immediately, or something along those lines.”

I stared at him in disbelief.

“And that’s why I say you are destined for Shenjie,” Bullhead finished.

“The boat straightens itself as it docks,” Horseface said.

How was that possible? Compared to the feats of my Xian classmates that I overheard, I did nothing extraordinary as a mortal. In fact, the only thing extraordinary ordeal in my past life happened on the day of my death, when the yaoguai—

I took in a sharp breath.

If the mastermind was trying to kill me, then why didn’t the yaoguai kill me first? I frowned. Even between the night soil collector and me, she went for him.

And for a scheme so secretive, why did the mastermind allow the instructions to be written on a handkerchief? It was that handkerchief that alerted me. That was what made me want to come to Shenjie. What if… the mastermind actually wanted me to be in Shenjie?

“Are you alright?” Bullhead’s voice came to me distantly. I nodded.

Who wanted me in Shenjie? And why?

Just then, a fairy landed in front of us.

“His highness, Huayu, requests the presence of Ziyan at his palace.”