Chapter 14: Li Hanguang Pins Xi Jiuge

 

With Ji Shaoyu absent, Ji Gaoxin planned to slowly advance his relationship with Xi Jiuge. He was racking his brains for topics to discuss when suddenly a sharp knife materialized at Xi Jiuge's fingertips, which she flicked and threw into the shadows.

The change was too swift—Ji Gaoxin was stunned and unable to react. An assassin on the ship? But this was a ship arranged by Ji Ningsi. Everyone on board knew each other well. How could there be an assassin hiding there?

After the knife was thrown, there was no movement in that corner. Xi Jiuge remained expressionless and quickly walked toward the shadows.

There was no one in the shadows, only a sharp knife embedded in the cabin wall. Ji Gaoxin followed and breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this. "I knew it. How could there be an assassin on the ship? Goddess Mingjing, you might be too nervous."

Xi Jiuge stared silently at the hilt of the knife deeply embedded in the wood. With Xi Jiuge's attack, how could the knife merely be embedded in the pillar? The force on the blade was enough to slice the entire ship in two.

Now it was ridiculously nailed to the wood, which only meant someone caught it, deliberately stuck it there, and then swaggered away. They hadn't heard a sound from such close range, showing this person's extraordinary skill.

Just as Xi Jiuge finished thinking this, distinct footsteps came from behind. Li Hanguang walked through the cabin and saw Xi Jiuge and Ji Gaoxin standing in the darkness. He asked in surprise, "Goddess, Prince Jintian, what are you doing standing here?"

Then, he noticed the blade on the pillar and exclaimed in shock, "What's going on?"

Xi Jiuge looked at him quietly. Pretending, pretending even more.

Ji Gaoxin also felt that Xi Jiuge was being too paranoid. He shrugged and said, "It's nothing, just a false alarm, a misunderstanding."

Li Hanguang breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing Ji Gaoxin's words and laughed, "So it was a misunderstanding. I thought there was an assassin."

Xi Jiuge smiled, reached for the hilt of the knife, and suddenly drew it out. "Yes, I thought there was an assassin too."

The knife was sharp and slender, looking extremely sharp, and seemed disproportionate to Xi Jiuge's delicate fingers, making one worry that she might cut herself. However, Xi Jiuge showed no awareness of handling a dangerous object. She carefully wiped the knife clean with a handkerchief, not even sparing the hilt, and then calmly put it into her sleeve.

Li Hanguang noticed that Xi Jiuge had deliberately wiped the hilt, and his smile deepened.

Ji Gaoxin watched Xi Jiuge wiping the knife up close and belatedly felt a sense of fear.

This knife was clearly a famous and deadly weapon, probably capable of killing even a god of war. When Xi Jiuge threw the dagger, he hadn't reacted at all. If Xi Jiuge hadn't thrown it toward the assassin, but toward him, could he have dodged it?

The thought sent a chill down Ji Gaoxin's spine.

---

The commotion alerted others. Ji Shaoyu and Chang Ju emerged from the other side. Both groups paused, startled to see each other.

Xi Jiuge's eyes turned cold when she saw Ji Shaoyu alone with Chang Ju. Chang Ju, caught off guard by Li Hanguang, avoided his gaze like a child caught doing something wrong. Ji Shaoyu's expression also darkened when he saw Xi Jiuge and Li Hanguang.

He didn't suspect Ji Gaoxin. In his eyes, Ji Gaoxin was his cousin, family after all, and wouldn't do anything to betray him. But that demon prince was a different story.

Ji Gaoxin, feeling guilty, became extremely cautious after being caught by Ji Shaoyu, refusing to speak easily. For a moment, none of the five spoke.

When Ji Ningsi arrived with her entourage, she saw the five of them standing facing each other and asked curiously, "What are you doing?"

Ji Gaoxin, seeing it was Ji Ningsi, breathed a sigh of relief. "Ningsi, have you finished your game of chess?"

"My brother isn't here, and Xiling Sang wouldn't let me win, so it's pointless to continue." Ji Ningsi, fanning herself, leaned against Ji Gaoxin, her eyes casually sweeping over Li Hanguang, and covered her face with a smile. "Let's find something else fun to do."

Li Hanguang smiled on the surface, but inwardly he was extremely annoyed. He subtly avoided Ji Ningsi's gaze and casually remarked, "It seems the Moonlit Night is blooming."

"What?" Ji Ningsi's attention was immediately drawn away, and she could no longer focus on Li Hanguang.

Hearing the sound, the others also came over. "The Moonlit Night is blooming?"

The deck became lively with people coming and going. Li Hanguang deliberately lagged behind, using the shadows to observe the crowd.

At times like these, who follows whom, who gets close to whom, is truly fascinating. Many major events that could sway the Heavenly Realm's situation reveal themselves in these seemingly minor incidents.

For example, Ji Shaoyu, under the guise of admiring the flowers, naturally walked to Xi Jiuge's side, while Ji Gaoxin, with so many empty seats, insisted on sidling up to Xi Jiuge. Xiling Sang, already in position, followed Ji Gaoxin after he left. Subsequently, Jiang Yuwang also unintentionally arrived, with Zhu Ying standing behind her like a door god.

Li Hanguang chuckled softly. In his previous life, he was busy cultivating and hadn't paid attention to the relationships between men and women in Yongtian Palace. Today, however, he found it quite fascinating.

Li Hanguang seemed lost in thought when Chang Ju slunk up behind him, sticking out her tongue at him. "Brother Hanguang."

Chang Ju appeared carefree, but was actually carefully observing Li Hanguang's expression. Li Hanguang remained gentle and smiling, showing no sign of ferocity. He asked softly, "You seemed to have spent a long time alone with the Crown Prince of Xuandi tonight. What did you talk about?"

"Nothing." The gentler Li Hanguang was, the more uneasy Chang Ju felt. Her eyes darted away, and she said vaguely, "We were just talking about the origin of this place. Brother Hanguang, do you know that it is said that this place was formed from the lungs and viscera of Pangu? There has never been a plant in the Three Realms that blooms only once every ten thousand years. So there is a rumor that the Moonlit Night is a spiritual creature born from the essence of the sun and moon and the blood of Pangu. If you see the Moonlit Night bloom, you will receive the blessing of Pangu's remaining divine consciousness, and you can be with your beloved forever, never to be separated for all eternity!"

Chang Ju's tricks were child's play to Li Hanguang. He didn't care about her little schemes, but was instead attracted by the last sentence.

Never to be separated for all eternity... Li Hanguang chuckled and said, "I see."

Was this the reason she had endured her impatience to attend Ji Ningsi's banquet? Is she really that concerned about Ji Shaoyu, not just in this life, but even hoping for eternity?

Chang Ju inexplicably felt that Li Hanguang was terrifying now, even though his handsome features were captivating with a smile. Chang Ju whispered, "Brother Hanguang, what are you saying?"

"Nothing." Li Hanguang smiled at Chang Ju, looking down, and said, "The flowers are blooming, let's go see them."

---

Chang Ju breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly ran to the side of the boat. Under the moonlight, the green waves swayed in the wind, making it impossible to distinguish which flower bloomed first. Only a layer of silver light surged from the darkness, and wherever it touched, the flowers vied to unfold their petals, and in the blink of an eye, the mountains and fields were covered in a hazy white.

The Moonlit Night had slender stems and pure white petals, layer upon layer, pristine like a dream. Under the moonlight, the grass was as dark as a deep sea, with clusters of moonflowers floating on the azure waves, swaying gently in the wind, blending with the shimmering light on the lake, making it impossible to distinguish where water ended and flowers began.

Those on the boat, accustomed to grand scenes, were speechless at the sight. After a while, Xiling Sang, as if unwilling to disturb this dream, softly spoke, "Truly beautiful."

This banquet was hosted by Ji Ningsi, who felt quite proud, and said with a smug smile, "Moonflowers bloom only once every ten thousand years, and we've arrived just as this vast sea of flowers is in full bloom. Perhaps one of our lovers has been approved by the God Pangu, hence this extraordinary blessing."

Hearing this, Xi Jiuge felt that Ji Ningsi was overthinking things. It was clearly the Moonlit Night-blooming flower that thrived in shade, and now that the moonlight was at its strongest, it had bloomed. However, she unintentionally turned around and noticed the other women looking shy, while the remaining men seemed indifferent, their expressions intriguing.

Xi Jiuge took a deep breath. Seriously? They actually believed it?

Sometimes she wondered if she was the one who was abnormal, or if everyone else in the world was.

Unable to understand, Xi Jiuge could only turn her head and continue looking at the flowers on the shore. As Xi Jiuge admired the lake scenery, Ji Shaoyu quietly turned to look at her.

She leaned against the railing, the night breeze ruffling her long hair. She casually pressed down the stray strands, her gaze fixed on the sea of flowers, serene and peaceful.

Ji Shaoyu knew Ji Ningsi's words were pure fantasy, but he couldn't help but hope. What if the legend of the Moonlit Night was true? If they had seen the flowers bloom, could they be together for life?

If only time could stop at this moment.

---

Except for Xi Jiuge, everyone else felt that the romantic evening shouldn't be wasted. Someone suggested going ashore to admire the flowers, and soon everyone agreed. The boat turned and slowly made its way to the shore.

As the painted boat docked, everyone disembarked with great enthusiasm, but Xi Jiuge lagged behind. Her dress was very elaborate today, dignified and grand when she stood, but it was a bit of a hassle going down the stairs.

She was focused on her steps, unaware that the hem of her dress was drooping on the steps. Even though the boats of the Golden Heavenly King's Mansion were well-maintained, dust was still present on the wooden planks.

Suddenly, Xi Jiuge felt a release behind her. She turned around and found Li Hanguang standing behind her. He lifted her dress and slowly walked behind her, saying, "Goddess, you look extremely beautiful today. Such a beautiful dress mustn't be dirtied."

Xi Jiuge had deliberately lagged behind and walked slowly, resulting in only the two of them remaining on the stairs. Li Hanguang wasn't in a hurry either. The two walked in unison, their footsteps echoing on the wooden steps as if they were one person.

For a moment, Xi Jiuge felt the words sounded familiar. Not afraid of being overheard, she spoke freely. "Shao Siyou has such thoughts—he must know how to please women. Princess Shangjin was just looking for you up ahead. How did you end up here?"

After descending a flight of stairs, Xi Jiuge turned the corner first. The moonlight flashed through the skylight, illuminating her profile, making her appear as white as snow. Li Hanguang lagged behind, his body remaining in the darkness, only his hands holding her skirt, his knuckles clearly visible in the moonlight. "Goddess, what are you saying? I don't understand."

Xi Jiuge stepped down a flight of stairs, turned back, her cheek slightly tilted, her eyes sparkling, a smile both innocent and cruel. "Really don't understand?"

Li Hanguang knew that if he pretended to be tough with Xi Jiuge, she would truly dare to attack. He immediately dropped his innocent act and said honestly, "Goddess, please don't mock me. Princess Shangjin... her status is so noble, such an honor is probably not for me."

After Li Hanguang finished speaking, he paused, "Of course, if Goddess likes it, I would gladly die for it."

Xi Jiuge walked in front, her slender white neck stunningly beautiful from behind. "You just said Princess Shangjin's status is noble, you dare not offend her, but you dare to offend me. Do you think my status is inferior to hers?"

Li Hanguang was speechless for a moment. He paused and said sincerely, "Goddess, sometimes, I really can't understand your logic."

"You still think I'm talking nonsense, absurd and stupid?"

Li Hanguang raised an eyebrow, following behind, staring at her back without any hesitation. "Goddess, you seem to have a deep prejudice against me."

"Prince Jintian and I were standing just ten steps away, yet someone could come and go freely right under our noses. If you were in that situation, wouldn't you have a prejudice against that person?"

"Goddess, are you referring to today's assassin? Wasn't it clarified that it was just a misunderstanding?"

"A misunderstanding?" They had already stepped off the stairs, and ahead lay the clear, still moonlight, like pooled water, with the moonflower scattering its silvery glow. Xi Jiuge lowered her skirt and turned to look at Li Hanguang. "But I trust my intuition more."

---

Li Hanguang was only one step behind Xi Jiuge, and now they were suddenly face to face, their distance abruptly closing until their clothes overlapped. Li Hanguang was taller than Xi Jiuge, and now, still standing on the stairs, his shadow could easily cover her. However, even if she had to look up at him, even if her body stopped in front of Li Hanguang, her arms able to completely encircle him, her eyes remained cold and domineering.

Her brows were composed, as if it were perfectly natural for her to hold him in interrogation. It was as if she was certain he wouldn't dare to defy her.

Li Hanguang stared intently into her eyes. For the past thousand years, she had always been like this, aloof and indifferent, even when he stood before her, calling her "the Pure Goddess" countless times, his gaze had never entered her eyes.

Suddenly, Li Hanguang grabbed her arm, doing what he had wanted to do for a long time, pulling her into his arms. He watched as her eyes widened in surprise, then her face turned cold, as if she wanted to burn him alive. Li Hanguang didn't let go, but instead pressed her against the wall, his hand on her shoulder, preventing her from moving away.

Xi Jiuge was probably experiencing such an offense for the first time. She curled her fingers, gritted her teeth, and glared at him. "Do you want to die?"

Li Hanguang thought that since she was going to kill him anyway, doing something he had long coveted before dying would be a fitting end. Li Hanguang leaned close to her cheek, his voice barely audible. "Goddess, haven't you noticed? We've entered an illusion, and we can no longer use our divine power."

Thoughts on Chapter 14

The Moonlit Night flower blooming provides romantic backdrop and legend (couples who see it bloom will be together eternally), which everyone believes except the pragmatic Xi Jiuge. Li Hanguang's observations reveal the tangled web: Ji Shaoyu loves Xi Jiuge, Ji Gaoxin pursues Xi Jiuge, Chang Ju schemes for Ji Shaoyu. The staircase scene is electric—Li Hanguang holding Xi Jiuge's dress hem as they descend creates forced intimacy, their verbal sparring revealing Xi Jiuge's suspicion and Li Hanguang's barely-controlled desire. 

His reincarnation backstory explains his obsession: "For the past thousand years, she had always been like this, aloof and indifferent... his gaze had never entered her eyes." The chapter climaxes with Li Hanguang finally acting on his millennium of longing—grabbing Xi Jiuge, pinning her to the wall, knowing she'll probably kill him but unable to resist. His revelation that they've entered an illusion where divine powers don't work is both practical warning and calculated move—he's created circumstances where she can't immediately smite him for his audacity.