Chapter 12: Bloodlines

After sunset, the indigo sky deepened, and a cool breeze brushed against their faces. Weary birds returned to their nests, and cooking smoke rose from chimneys—the most leisurely time of day.

Meanwhile, in the Northern Sea, various spirit beasts pulled cloud chariots through the air, the radiance of treasures lingering long afterward. The festivities were just beginning.

The Northern Sea was a cluster of lakes nestled among verdant mountains, boasting stunning scenery. The most expansive lake had been enclosed by a screen, with tables, chairs, and couches set up in the center. Several pleasure boats were moored along the shore, and across the water lay a vast expanse of flowers.

Here, one could see the lake and mountains at a glance. If one felt like it, they could go boating and admire the flowers. When tired, they could return to the shore, where various games awaited—archery, chess, musical instruments.

Chang Ju walked among it all, overwhelmed by everything, unsure where to look. She lived like a princess in the Demon Realm and had naturally seen many banquets. However, the Demon Realm lacked such beautiful scenery and magnificent magical artifacts. Even the grandest banquet in the Demon Realm seemed vulgar and shabby compared to this "small banquet."

This was merely casual entertainment hosted by the princes and ladies of the Celestial Realm.

Chang Ju was deeply shocked. Since arriving in the Celestial Realm, she often felt like a frog in a well. What she cherished was less than trash in the eyes of these princesses and noble ladies.

Chang Ju felt distressed. At times like this, only Li Hanguang beside her made her feel a little better. She wasn't alone—she still had her brother Hanguang.

Li Hanguang didn't notice Chang Ju's approach. He gazed at the lake and sighed. "Everyone's here today."

The Yellow Emperor pretended to treat them with the respect due to princesses and princes, ensuring they were always included in banquets. As spoils of war from the Heavenly Realm, Li Hanguang had no right to refuse in this setting. He only discovered upon arrival that the guests were all present.

Almost all the descendants of the Five Emperors were there, even Jiang Yuwang, who wasn't in good health. This scene was comparable to the once-in-a-millennium Peach Banquet.

Chang Ju noticed that Li Hanguang wasn't as sensitive as she was—he seemed much more at ease. He walked leisurely amidst the clinking of glasses, as if he were born for this place. This realization made Chang Ju uneasy, and she couldn't help but call out, "Brother Hanguang..."

Li Hanguang turned around, looking at her gently and considerately. "What's wrong?"

Meeting Li Hanguang's accommodating gaze, Chang Ju's heart slowly calmed down. She must have been too tense. Li Hanguang had always been her gentle older brother, always standing behind her, waiting for her, protecting her. How could she have such a ridiculous thought?

Chang Ju shook her head, biting her lip, and said with some difficulty, "So many people have come here, but I don't recognize any of them."

Li Hanguang understood. He stopped and, using the surrounding vegetation for cover, pointed out the people in the room to Chang Ju one by one. "It's normal that you can't remember people since you're new here. Actually, it's very easy to identify the forces in the Heavenly Realm. Those dressed in gorgeous clothes are gods, and those dressed simply are immortals. Most of the gods belong to the Five Heavenly Emperors. Among them, the Azure Emperor is associated with blue, the White Emperor with white, the Black Emperor with black, the Yellow Emperor with yellow, and the Crimson Emperor with red. Gods from these realms mostly wear clothes of the corresponding colors. For example, the man by the lake wearing a vermilion robe and looking unwell is Jiang Yuwang, the son of the Crimson Emperor and the crown prince of Shennong. The woman standing next to him, dressed entirely in fiery red, is Zhu Ying, the daughter of Zhu Rong, the Crimson Emperor's most capable general."

Chang Ju easily found the people Li Hanguang was talking about. They were all dressed in red and standing by the water—hard not to notice them. Seeing that Chang Ju understood, Li Hanguang continued, "The Azure Emperor has been in seclusion for many years and hasn't appeared in the Heavenly Realm for a long time. He is of high seniority—the Yellow Emperor, the Red Emperor, and the Black Emperor are all his descendants. Therefore, the Azure Emperor has no crown prince, and his domain only contains a few ancient divine clans, most of whom have already retired. You won't encounter them normally, so there's no need to pay attention. However, if you encounter someone wearing blue robes in a grand setting, do not offend them. Be polite and courteous."

Li Hanguang wasn't trying to scare Chang Ju. Before his transmigration, he'd already obtained three imperial seals, but his process of unifying the Heavenly Realm had only just begun. No matter how powerful the Yellow Emperor's army was, that was only what was on the surface. The remaining two—the Azure Emperor and the White Emperor—were truly hidden forces, and even Li Hanguang wouldn't dare act rashly.

Because the Azure Emperor hadn't appeared for many years, rumors circulated in the Heavenly Realm that Nuwa's divine power had been exhausted, even that the Azure Emperor was on the verge of death. Li Hanguang had been in contact with the highest levels of power—he knew best how absurd such rumors were. The Azure Emperor and Nuwa, one capable of creating new continents and the other of creating all things and mending the heavens, were the pillars of the Three Realms. As long as they remained uninvolved, even the biggest ripples were merely minor disturbances.

The White Emperor was even more mysterious. The Three Realms knew that the Azure Emperor could split the heavens with a single stroke, but no one had ever seen the White Emperor in action since records began. The White Emperor was the son of the ancient god Di Jun, the supreme god of the Primordial God Clan. When Di Jun was alive, even Fuxi, Nuwa, and the Queen Mother of the West sought his guidance. Even if the White Emperor only inherited half of Di Jun's power, his strength would not be inferior to Fuxi's.

Therefore, it wasn't a pity that Li Hanguang abandoned the three celestial realms he'd already conquered, foolishly returning to a thousand years ago with Xi Jiuge to erase everything and start over. With the Azure Emperor and White Emperor in charge, even if Li Hanguang opened up the northern, central, and southern routes and forcibly severed the passage for the combined forces of the east and west, it would ultimately be of little use. If the Azure Emperor and White Emperor wanted to restore order, they could easily destroy everything Li Hanguang had built.

If he couldn't find a way to confront the Azure Emperor and the White Emperor, even if Li Hanguang possessed the three imperial seals, it would be nothing more than a decoration, and he couldn't truly be considered an emperor. Rather than continuing to do useless work, it was better to give up decisively, go back to before everything happened, find a way to improve his strength, and seek the secrets of the Heavenly Dao.

Chang Ju nodded, seemingly understanding, while Li Hanguang pointed to the other side and said, "As for the White Emperor's people, I don't need to elaborate. Those in the Heavenly Realm who wear white are either the Kunlun Immortals or the White Emperor's people, and both are related to the Goddess Mingjing. The White Emperor has no children and is very low-key—the Goddess Mingjing is the only member of the White Emperor's clan active outside. Those who wear black are from the Northern Heavenly Realm, belonging to the Xuan Emperor. You've already met their Crown Prince, Ji Shaoyu."

Hearing these names, Chang Ju finally breathed a sigh of relief. "I recognize these people. Only the Xuan Crown Prince of Yongtian Palace wears black. Does that mean the Xuan Emperor only has this one son?"

Li Hanguang paused, then nodded flawlessly. "Perhaps."

Chang Ju sighed. "His parents must have had a very good relationship. No wonder he's so kind."

Li Hanguang smiled faintly without replying. Chang Ju, completely oblivious to the strangeness around her, continued chattering, "You just mentioned the Red Emperor, the Green Emperor, the White Emperor, the Black Emperor—what about the Yellow Emperor?"

"The Yellow Emperor," Li Hanguang said, his tone slow and drawn-out, seemingly carrying a hidden meaning that quickly vanished. "The Yellow Emperor's people are easy to recognize. Just look at the hosts of this banquet. In the Zhongtian Realm, yellow is revered, and they only wear noble, bright yellow, with large patterns embroidered in gold thread on their clothes. In any occasion, the most ornately dressed person is most likely a descendant of the Yellow Emperor."

Chang Ju nodded. The hosts of this banquet—Ji Gaoxin and Princess Shangjin Ji Ningsi—were from the Zhongtian Realm. She'd seen them when she entered. The siblings' attire was extremely luxurious, especially Ji Ningsi's, whose skirt was covered in embroidery so dazzling it hurt the eyes.

Li Hanguang seemed to know the relationships between these people with ease. Before Chang Ju could think about why Li Hanguang knew so much, she blurted out, "Brother Hanguang, you just said that Ji Gaoxin was a descendant of the Yellow Emperor, and Ji Shaoyu was the son of the Xuan Emperor. So why do they both have the surname Ji? The Red Emperor and the Yellow Emperor seem to be brothers, but the Red Emperor's surname is Jiang, while the Yellow Emperor's surname is Ji."

Li Hanguang explained, "This is a long story. In the early days, the gods didn't live in the heavens but mingled with mortals on earth. Although the Yellow Emperor and the Red Emperor were brothers, they were very different in age. The Red Emperor was enfeoffed by the Jiang River and took the surname Jiang, while the Yellow Emperor, being the younger son, was enfeoffed by the Ji River and took the surname Ji. When the Yellow Emperor was born, the Red Emperor was already a powerful ruler. They were brothers in name, but their fiefdoms were far apart, and they weren't born of the same mother, so they had little affection for each other. Later, the Red Emperor and the Yellow Emperor fought a war, and the Red Emperor was defeated, allowing the Yellow Emperor to take his place and become the ruler of the world. Afterwards, when the Yellow Emperor enfeoffed his sons, he learned from his mistakes and didn't enfeoff them too far away, placing them all around his territory. That's why his descendants all took the surname Ji."

"Since they were all one family, how come they are now divided into the Yellow Emperor and the Black Emperor?"

"The Yellow Emperor had two sons—the eldest being Xuanxiao and the second being Changyi. Changyi died young, so in his early years, the second son was far inferior to the eldest son's lineage. However, Xuanxiao, unlike Changyi, had a good son. Changyi's son, Zhuanxu, made great contributions in the Battle of Zhuolu by killing Chiyou and capturing the Jiuli tribe. Therefore, the Yellow Emperor valued Zhuanxu highly. After the Yellow Emperor ascended to the heavens with his meritorious officials, he actually bypassed Xuanxiao and bestowed the northern imperial throne upon Zhuanxu, thus creating two emperors of the same surname—the Yellow Emperor and the Xuan Emperor."

Chang Ju was surprised to hear this. "The Yellow Emperor actually bypassed his son and bestowed the throne upon his grandson?"

"Yes." Li Hanguang seemed to smile and said leisurely, "Who told the Xuan Emperor to make such great contributions?"

If Chang Ju had read more books or paid more attention to Li Hanguang's affairs, she would have discovered that the Jiuli tribe members whom the Xuan Emperor lured and killed in the Battle of Zhuolu—which enabled the Xuan Emperor to make such great contributions—happened to have the surname Li.

"Did Xuan Emperor's uncle, Xuanxiao, the eldest son of the Yellow Emperor, actually agree?"

"Does it matter whether he agrees or not?" Li Hanguang found it amusing. "Xuan Emperor's fiefdom is in the north, an independent entity, while Xuanxiao's fiefdom is in the Central Heaven Realm, still dependent on the Yellow Emperor, and he can only be called a king. After Xuanxiao's death, their lineage declined with each generation. Xuanxiao's son was only granted the title of Golden Heaven King. In the next generation, Xuan Emperor's son, Ji Shaoyu, was made Crown Prince, and Golden Heaven King's son, Ji Gaoxin, still doesn't have a formal title. Only his daughter, Ji Ningsi, was made Princess Shangjin, who is today's host."

Chang Ju nodded as she listened. "The Yellow Emperor really valued the Xuan Emperor. No wonder the Xuan Emperor received us when we first came to the Heaven Realm. Fortunately, the troubles of the previous generation didn't affect the children. Crown Prince Xuan and Ji Gaoxin still have a good relationship."

"Yes," Li Hanguang smiled. "They really are brothers working together with one heart."

Chang Ju had been pampered by her parents since childhood, and in her eyes, family was naturally warm and affectionate. She didn't think much of it and sighed, "The relationships among the gods are really complicated. The Crown Prince Xuan looks handsome and dashing, but it turns out he's already a great-grandson."

"More than that," Li Hanguang said. "Gods have long lifespans, and as long as their magical power is high, they can maintain their youthful appearance. Two people who look about the same age may actually be two or three generations apart. Do you remember the Crown Prince of the Crimson Emperor? Jiang Yuwang looks pale and weak, but he is actually Ji Shaoyu's grandfather."

Chang Ju gasped, feeling that the Heavenly Realm was too magical. "Then the Goddess Mingjing is the sister of the White Emperor. The White Emperor and the Green Emperor are of the same generation. According to this, wouldn't the Goddess Mingjing be the great-great-great-grandmother of the Crown Prince Xuan?"

Li Hanguang was strangely silent for a moment, then slowly said, "It doesn't have to be calculated that way. The gods don't value seniority."

They only care about interests.

Li Hanguang and Chang Ju were recognizing people when a commotion suddenly came from behind them, and even many of the people who'd been boating on the lake returned. Li Hanguang turned around and, seeing the unique golden light at the entrance of the banquet, replied knowingly, "No wonder. I was wondering why there were so many people today. It turns out she's coming."

Chang Ju followed suit, looking back. Being petite, she stood on tiptoe for a long time but still couldn't see anything clearly. "What's wrong?"

"The Goddess Mingjing is here."

Upon hearing this, Chang Ju was startled and exclaimed with delight, "Is the Crown Prince Xuan here too?"

Li Hanguang seemed not to hear her and didn't answer. Yes, even an outsider like Chang Ju, who'd just arrived in the Heavenly Realm, knew that Ji Shaoyu and Xi Jiuge were inseparable and always appeared together.

The person at the entrance gradually approached, and even without standing on tiptoe, Chang Ju could see them clearly. With the arrival of Xi Jiuge and Ji Shaoyu, a large crowd gathered. Chang Ju surveyed the bustling scene of elegantly dressed people and remarked, "The Lady of Shangjin has truly impressive connections. She managed to invite so many people."

Li Hanguang merely smiled upon hearing this. Ji Ningsi certainly liked grand displays, sending out invitations far and wide each time, but she couldn't always manage such a lavish affair. The large turnout today was less due to Ji Ningsi's extensive network and more to Xi Jiuge's considerable influence.

After all, Xi Jiuge was incredibly difficult to meet. Although she resided in Yongtian Palace, her daily schedule was packed with classes, making a private meeting virtually impossible. Now that Xi Jiuge was finally attending the banquet, everyone was eager to seize this opportunity to build a personal relationship with her. Almost everyone who received an invitation came, some even bringing their brothers and sisters, resulting in tonight's spectacle.

Seeing Ji Shaoyu arrive, Chang Ju became restless and said, "Brother Hanguang, let's go take a look over there too."

Chang Ju thought she'd concealed it well, but in Li Hanguang's eyes, her little thoughts were completely obvious. Even if she were to come back again, Chang Ju would still be attracted to Ji Shaoyu.

Li Hanguang found this amusing. What was so surprising? If it were him, he'd also prefer his daughter and sister to choose a successful and wealthy young master like Ji Shaoyu, rather than some penniless gambler.

Li Hanguang smiled gently, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. "Okay."

Li Hanguang and Chang Ju approached and heard the group discussing the annual examination. A woman dressed in green brocade looked up, paused when she saw Li Hanguang and Chang Ju, and smiled. "The Demon Realm hostage princess and prince have arrived."

The group stopped talking and turned around. Li Hanguang bowed and greeted everyone. "Goddess Mingjing, Crown Prince Chi, Crown Prince Xuan, Prince Jintian, Princess Shangjin."

In truth, Li Hanguang also recognized the remaining people. For example, the green-clad woman who'd just spoken was Xiling Sang, the young lady of the Xiling family.

The Yellow Emperor's principal wife came from the Xiling clan, and the current head of the Xiling family had a son, Xiling Qiao, and a daughter, Xiling Sang, both exceptionally beautiful. The Xiling family intended to solidify their alliance with the Yellow Emperor through marriage—either Xiling Qiao or Xiling Sang would be ideal if one of them could marry into the Ji family. Of course, it would be even better if their daughter married Ji Gaoxin and bore him an heir to the throne.

However, as a hostage who'd just arrived in the Heavenly Realm, Li Hanguang shouldn't know so much about the inner workings of the divine race, so he pretended not to recognize them.

Upon seeing Li Hanguang, Ji Ningsi's eyes lit up with obvious amazement. "The hostage and his daughter have arrived. I heard from my brother that the hostage displayed remarkable skill at the trial grounds a few days ago. His strength is quite extraordinary?"

Li Hanguang, under Ji Ningsi's gaze, remained expressionless, but inwardly he felt intense disgust. He'd tried his best to avoid her since returning, but just like in his past life, she still felt a surge of interest whenever she saw his face. Having spent a thousand years in the Demon Realm, the thing Li Hanguang hated most wasn't being driven away, murdered, or betrayed by his closest relatives, but being looked at with malicious eyes. Like Ji Ningsi, who looked down on his status but considered it insignificant to play with.

He truly loathed his face.

Li Hanguang lowered his eyelids slightly and said, "I dare not accept such praise. It was the Goddess Mingjing who showed mercy."

Xi Jiuge, standing in the center of the crowd, smiled upon hearing this and looked at him slowly. "Shao Siyou is far too modest. By the way, how is Shao Siyou's injury?"

Hearing her words, Li Hanguang felt genuinely comforted. Everyone else called him the hostage, regarding him only as a hostage of the Demon Realm—his surname and given name were completely unimportant. Yet she always called him Shao Siyou. Even though it was a title bestowed upon him, at least it was something he'd earned through his own strength.

Her feelings were straightforward, without any prejudice. Even her enemies were first and foremost human beings, and only secondarily enemies.

Although Li Hanguang knew that she asked this question to kill him, it would be even better if she could call him by his name before killing him.

Li Hanguang lowered his eyes and smiled. "Thank you for your concern, Goddess. I'm much better now."

Xi Jiuge nodded lightly. Much better? Then she had to act quickly. Before his injuries were fully healed, she had to take his life.

---

Thoughts:

Li Hanguang, who has transmigrated back in time with knowledge of the future, takes on the role of guide for his naive companion Chang Ju, explaining the complex political landscape of the Heavenly Realm's Five Emperors. His extensive knowledge of court politics, genealogies, and power dynamics far exceeds what a newly arrived hostage should possess, but Chang Ju doesn't notice these suspicious details.

It also shows the dark undercurrent of his situation—while Chang Ju innocently admires Ji Shaoyu, Li Hanguang endures Ji Ningsi's predatory gaze, reminding him of the worst abuses he suffered in his previous timeline. The chapter ends with Xi Jiuge and Li Hanguang's tense exchange, where she shows him basic human dignity by using his earned title, while both silently acknowledge their deadly game: she intends to kill him before he can recover from his injuries.