Chapter 13: The Moon-Tracing Banquet
Ji Shaoyu quickly followed up with a smile.
“Jiuge is focused on cultivation and sometimes doesn't control her strength when she fights. Last time, the hostage vomited a lot of blood, so his injuries must have been quite severe. If you need any medicinal herbs, just let me know.”
Li Hanguang returned the courtesy with equal grace.
“Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness, but my injuries are already healed, so there's no need for Your Highness to worry.”
Though their words were courteous, an invisible tension crept into the air once the exchange ended.
Ji Ningsi, who had been quietly observing Li Hanguang, finally spoke.
“I heard from my brother that you even sparred with Brother Shaoyu. How old are you this year, that you could actually fight Brother Shaoyu to a draw?”
The question was cleverly phrased.
Li Hanguang did not glance at Ji Shaoyu. He lowered his eyes obediently.
“Your Highness flatters me, I am unworthy of such praise. I was born in 7703, and am now nearly 1300 years old.”
Ji Ningsi gasped softly.
“Then you were born in the same year as Brother Shaoyu? What day was your birthday?”
“New Year's Day.”
The hall fell into a strange, heavy silence.
Even Xi Jiuge raised her brow slightly.
In her previous life, she had never known that he and Ji Shaoyu shared the same birthday.
Ji Shaoyu continued smiling, his expression unchanged, yet the unease around them thickened.
How could a mere demon share the same birthday as the Crown Prince?
Only Xi Jiuge remained unconcerned. She pressed on.
“When?”
Li Hanguang replied quietly,
“I'm not quite sure, it seems to be the hour of You (5–7 PM).”
Xi Jiuge nodded.
“The Crown Prince is at midday. In that case, he's older.”
The surrounding guests exchanged puzzled glances. Why was she so invested in this matter?
To them, a demon was hardly worthy of comparison with Ji Shaoyu.
But Xi Jiuge had her reasons.
On their wedding night in her previous life, when emotions had nearly torn them apart, Li Hanguang had once remarked that it was uncertain who was older between him and Ji Shaoyu. Though she had never cared about age, the words had lodged themselves firmly in her heart.
She was a perfectionist. Unanswered questions gnawed at her relentlessly.
Now, she finally had her answer.
Ji Shaoyu was older. Even if only by a few hours, the hierarchy was fixed.
Yet something still felt wrong.
Li. Demon Realm. Same birth year, same day, nearly the same time.
Had the Xuan Emperor truly never noticed anything strange?
Surely, he would have remembered.
Ji Shaoyu endured in silence for a long while. Since Li Hanguang’s arrival, his presence seemed to follow him everywhere. Though not possessive by nature, learning that they shared almost identical birth details unsettled him deeply.
At last, he spoke calmly,
“The scenery by the lake is quite nice; let's go for a walk there.”
Everyone understood the hint. The uncomfortable topic dissolved, replaced by laughter and conversation.
Li Hanguang lowered his eyes and followed quietly.
In truth, the hour of You was only a guess.
His mother had once tried to strangle him. How could he know his exact birth time?
He simply felt that someone like him should be born at sunset, when light faded.
Ji Shaoyu was born at midday, bathed in sunlight and celebration.
While gods rejoiced at Ji Shaoyu’s birth, Li Hanguang might have been struggling for breath beneath his mother’s hands.
A faint smile curved his lips.
“Same birthday, yet such different fates.”
Perhaps this was destiny.
As he walked toward the lakeside, he overheard guests discussing a boat ride.
The moon was climbing higher, Moonflowers nearing their season.
Ji Ningsi proposed a cruise across the lake. Everyone eagerly agreed.
Soon, a three-story painted boat arrived.
Though immortals could walk on water, riding such vessels symbolized status.
Neither Xi Jiuge nor Li Hanguang objected.
They boarded with the rest.
The pleasure boat was lavishly arranged. Ji Ningsi moved among the guests like a butterfly, drawing laughter and admiration wherever she went.
On the third floor, Jiang Yuwang stood alone.
Below, voices blended into distant murmurs.
When Ji Ningsi invited Xiling Qiao to play chess, he refused and pushed his sister forward instead. Amid cheers, Xiling Sang took her place—quiet, refined, and elegant.
Jiang Yuwang watched intently.
Suddenly, footsteps approached.
Annoyed, she said coldly,
“Didn't I tell you to stay downstairs and not come up?”
A gentle voice replied,
“Crown Prince Jiang, it's me.”
She turned in surprise.
“The Demon…Prince Li? It's you?”
Li Hanguang bowed slightly.
“I didn't know Crown Prince Jiang was here. I didn't mean to disturb Your Highness's peace. Please forgive me.”
“It’s alright.”
As she turned away, he asked softly,
“Princess Shangjin is entertaining everyone downstairs. Why is Your Highness here?”
Jiang Yuwang gazed at the moon’s reflection.
“I'm not well, and there are many things I can't do. I shouldn't spoil their fun.”
Li Hanguang sighed.
“Sometimes I truly envy the moon in the sky, forever alone, so it doesn't feel lonely.”
Moved by his melancholy, Jiang Yuwang asked,
“Where is the woman who traveled with you? You have her with you, how could you be alone?”
“She has her own things to do. It's too boring for her to be with me.”
Jiang Yuwang noticed Ji Shaoyu speaking with Chang Ju below.
They fell silent.
After a long pause, Jiang Yuwang said,
“You came from the same place, and no matter what happens, you will return together. There's no need to worry too much.”
Li Hanguang lowered his lashes.
“Actually, her father didn't value me much. We never traveled together, so how can we return together?”
“You're not the person her father favored?”
“No,” he said bitterly.
“She is the only young lady of the Chang family… while I am an outcast of the Jiuli Sinful Clan…”
Jiang Yuwang hesitated.
Li Hanguang apologized.
“Why am I saying these things… I shall take my leave now.”
Before he left, Jiang Yuwang asked,
“How have the Jiuli tribe been doing…?”
Li Hanguang answered calmly,
“What's good or bad about being a descendant of a sinful god?…”
After a long silence, Jiang Yuwang whispered,
“If you encounter difficulties… you can come to me.”
“Thank you, Crimson Emperor and Crown Prince.”
He left.
Hidden in moonlight, a calculating smile flickered across his eyes.
Back at the banquet, rivalries and alliances quietly shifted.
Ji Gaoxin bypassed Ji Shaoyu to seek Xi Jiuge.
Li Hanguang watched with faint amusement.
So much affection on the surface.
So much scheming underneath.
In this life, his strength was no longer hidden.
That made him dangerous.
And vulnerable.
If peace was impossible, then he would gamble.
The Heavenly Realm was cracking.
And he would strike where it hurt most.
Xi Jiuge finally found solitude at the stern.
Between cliffs and silver waves, moonlight poured down.
She cultivated quietly.
Then—
“Goddess.”
The voice was light and charming.
She turned calmly.
“Prince Jintian, what brings you here?”
“Goddess, we've known each other for a thousand years…”
“I'm not familiar with Prince Jintian…”
Ji Gaoxin laughed awkwardly.
From the shadows, Li Hanguang almost laughed.
A thousand years, yet still strangers.
As Ji Gaoxin spoke, a sudden gust swept past.
“Who?”
A blade flashed.
Li Hanguang sensed killing intent.
She had noticed him long ago.
Waiting.
Hunting.
Mistakenly killing someone would be excusable.
He felt oddly honored.
Note
Xi Jiuge’s Diary
First: Open attack in the training ground, underestimated Li Hanguang's strength, failed.
Second: Poisoning assassination, forgot to guard against this villain's sneak attack, forced to take the antidote, failed.
Third: Pretending to accidentally kill at the banquet. This bastard, I will definitely kill him!
Feeling increasingly irritable…
Thoughts on Chap 13
At the Moon-Tracing Banquet, shared birthdays expose hidden rivalries, while Li Hanguang quietly weaves sympathy and strategy. Beneath moonlight and laughter, old wounds, secret ambitions, and fragile alliances begin to collide—setting the stage for greater conflicts ahead.
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