Chapter 455: Chang'e

In the pavilion by the water in Guanghan Gong, Heng'e's words suddenly halted, and the eyes that had once held a bit of luster instantly dimmed.

Li Changshou responded without missing a beat:"Does the immortal usually live like this? Guanghan Gong is so cold and desolate—why not invite some female immortals to keep you company?"

A faint light flickered in Heng'e's eyes, a detail that only Li Changshou noticed; even Lingzhuzi remained oblivious.

Heng'e let out a soft sigh and murmured, "Who would want to stay in this cold and lonely place?"

Li Changshou chuckled:"The immortal speaks too humbly about herself."

The group of immortals and gods in front of the bronze mirror all nodded in agreement.

At that moment, they had yet to realize that in the conversation at Guanghan Gong, Li Changshou had taken the lead, turning it into a back-and-forth where he asked questions and Heng'e answered.

Heng'e began to show hints of helplessness and frustration on her face, subtle expressions that made many male immortals feel a pang in their hearts.

In truth, Heng'e's beauty did not surpass that of the top female great powers in the world;

Women who had reached the peak of Daluo realm and taken half a step toward the saintly realm had their appearance, demeanor, and aura shaped by their Dao, achieving a state of perfection.

Yet Heng'e naturally evoked a sense of fragility in others.

She was born of the human race, not a great power, and in the eyes of all male immortals, she was someone they instinctively wanted to protect.

Of course, these were just the ingrained impressions circulating in the Honghuang and Tianting.

As for Heng'e's cultivation level, Li Changshou had just verified it...

Extremely high.

And her combat skills were formidable!

Deep beneath Guanghan Gong, in a hidden pavilion protected by over a dozen layers of formations,

Li Changshou's paper effigy looked down at his left hand, severed at the wrist, and the shattered recording orb nearby, feeling utterly speechless.

She had struck with such ruthlessness!

Still, Li Changshou could understand—if someone sneaked up behind him in his pill room, anyone short of a Daluo Jinxian would likely be reduced to ashes in an instant.

The underground pavilion was now in complete disarray, with clothes racks toppled, shoes and socks scattered everywhere, and the inner formations breached.

Clearly, a fierce battle had just taken place.

At that moment, Li Changshou could hardly describe the female immortal kneeling before him...

She was stunningly beautiful, and the "puppet" avatar outside was an exact replica of her true form; now, with her light gown, thin skirt, and slightly disheveled long hair, she exuded an even more captivating charm.

Had Li Changshou not relied on the Hundred Beauties Diagram to steady his Dao heart, he might have embarrassed himself.

Yet this Heng'e was completely unlike the one from the legends.

Li Changshou closed his eyes, and all he could see was the fierce glint that had flashed in her eyes when she suddenly turned around the moment he spoke earlier...

He had confirmed it with a glance—she was a ruthless one.

If he hadn't quickly said, "This place is merely one of my avatars, and I've been here for a while," Heng'e would likely have erased his late Tianxian realm paper effigy on the spot.

As soon as Li Changshou said that, Heng'e's expression shifted six times in an instant!

First came furious anger, swiftly turning to astonishment, then her eyes welled with tears as she adopted a look of deep sorrow, followed by one of pitiful vulnerability, then feigned strength, and finally, she sighed and slumped down weakly, as if the sky had fallen.

Amid all that, she even threw in a roll of her eyes.

This was the mark of a true veteran actress of the Honghuang!

Li Changshou shook his head, pulled out another paper effigy from his sleeve, transformed it into the same elderly immortal appearance, and stored away the damaged one.

"Impressive cultivation, immortal."

"Hmph," Heng'e responded with a hint of irritation, turning her head away.

She used no charm techniques at all—just her natural allure caused Li Changshou's Dao heart to waver by about three-thousandths.

That was quite remarkable.

But then, Heng'e turned back, her eyes reddening slightly as she gently bit her lip, speaking in a resigned tone:"Not bad for the Tianting Water God. I've carefully planned this scheme for so long, yet you saw through it so quickly and found my true body."

Li Changshou cupped his hands in salute and turned slightly aside, saying with a smile:"With the immortal saying that, I'm starting to wonder if leading me here was part of your scheme too."

Heng'e gave a light laugh and replied casually:"Why won't the Water God look at me?"

"It's because the immortal's attire is disheveled."

Li Changshou said calmly:"I've realized the immortal is no ordinary female immortal, and I have no desire for deeper entanglements. If the immortal wishes for an honest discussion, please make yourself presentable first."

Heng'e laughed:"You brought so many 'eyes' into my Guanghan Gong—how can I be honest with you?I'll have the puppet upstairs withdraw so we can talk face-to-face without splitting my focus... You're quite the oddity. Do you have two yuan spirits in your body, allowing you to speak to me simultaneously?"

Li Changshou chuckled but said no more.

He turned his back, and Heng'e rose to go behind the screen, where the rustling of clothes soon followed;

Meanwhile, in the pavilion of Guanghan Gong, Heng'e spoke:"I'll fetch some immortal brew for the Water God and prepare a few dishes, so our conversation isn't so dull."

With that, she bowed slightly and excused herself.

Li Changshou glanced at Lingzhuzi in the corner, who was now examining the lotuses in the pond...

Without even checking the situation at the Water God Residence, he knew that many elderly immortals and young heavenly generals were practically pressing their faces to the bronze mirror.

Yet there was an ironic truth: among the male immortals of Tianting—excluding the Jade Emperor and Doushuai Gong—none of them were likely a match for this daughter of the human emperor.

Ingrained impressions could be misleading.

"Please, Water God."

A call came from behind, and Li Changshou turned to see that Heng'e had changed into a loose dress, her three thousand strands of hair cascading like a waterfall, simply tied into a cloud chignon.

Now, she suddenly had an air of a chivalrous heroine.

She paid no mind to the mess around them and invited Li Changshou behind the screen to sit at the jade table.

Heng'e fixed her gaze on Li Changshou and suddenly asked:"What have you heard?"

"The man above Mu Gong."

Heng'e's forehead creased with frustration, her slender hand pressing against it, looking just like a beautiful older sister regretting her mistakes after sobering up.

She whispered:"What would it take for you not to spread this around?"

Li Changshou replied frankly:"I won't speak of it to anyone—it does me no good."

Heng'e smirked and retorted:"Hmph, coming from a man who can deceive innate great powers, I'd be a fool to believe you completely."

"Whether to believe or not is up to the immortal's judgment," Li Changshou said with a cupped-hand salute."I've intruded into the immortal's private chambers, so I offer my apologies here.The immortal mentioned having a matter to entrust to me—what is it? If it's just to summon me to Guanghan Gong for some teasing, there's no need."

Heng'e said softly:"You go first with your demands."

Li Changshou frowned:"How can I state demands before hearing the request? Without basic trust, why entrust me with this at all?"

Heng'e's eyes filled with hesitation:"Let me think about it for a moment."

"Very well."

Li Changshou closed his eyes in concentration, quietly observing Heng'e's reactions.

At that moment, Heng'e gave him a strange feeling...

It wasn't the unreal quality of her avatar; on the contrary, she felt too real.

A few details stood out:

When she sat on the stool, she positioned herself as far back as possible for stability, unlike most female immortals who sat lightly to emphasize their grace.

Her hands were restless, occasionally twirling her hair or threading fingers through it, as if anxious.

Until her eyes began to redden, and she suddenly buried her face on the table and burst into tears...

Li Changshou opened his eyes and frowned, suddenly feeling as though he wasn't facing a female immortal from the Honghuang.

Of course, Li Changshou wouldn't be swayed by this—whether her breakdown was genuine or an act, his principles of "helping only if it's effortless," "self-preservation first," and "think twice" remained firm.

A while later...

The immortals and gods waiting at the Water God Residence were getting anxious, seeing only Li Changshou's paper effigy slowly sipping tea.

In the grand formation beneath Guanghan Gong, Heng'e sat huddled with her knees drawn up, her eyes vacant as she murmured:"I hope you can help me find someone. I can agree to any of your requests."

"Da Yi?" Li Changshou asked in response.

Heng'e's words caught in her throat, and she smiled helplessly:"If I say it's not, how would the Water God see me?"

Before Li Changshou could reply, Heng'e self-mockingly uttered a few harsh words.

"Let me hear a simple version of your story with Da Yi," Li Changshou said."I need to weigh whether I can help."

Heng'e asked:"What do you know about my story?"

Li Changshou recalled the accounts from ancient texts...

Heng'e and Da Yi fell in love and married; after Da Yi shot down the nine suns, the Yao queen sought revenge by tempting Heng'e with an elixir of immortality, leading her to fly to Guanghan Gong, forever separating her from the flightless witch Da Yi.

Li Changshou paused and said calmly:"In my view, this story has quite a few flaws."

Heng'e sighed softly:"That's just the version those officials spun for posterity, to put a positive spin on it."

"Oh?"

"Let me explain what happened back then. At the time, I had awakened from a slumber of ten thousand years..."

"A slumber of ten thousand years?"

"Yes, just listen."

"Sorry," Li Changshou nodded, becoming a suitable listener.

After Heng'e awoke, the allied forces of humans and witches had gained a decisive advantage over the Yao clan and were about to launch a final assault on the Yao court.

Rumors spread through the armies, claiming that once the Yao were defeated, the humans would attack the witches, or vice versa.

In reality, both sides had such plans.

To stabilize the troops, the human emperor and the remaining ancestral witches arranged a marriage alliance.

The prominent great witch Yi married the human emperor's daughter, Heng'e.

After the Yao court's fall, the two armies clashed, and the humans emerged victorious.

"At that point, my position among the humans had become extremely awkward."

Heng'e gave a wry smile, as if recounting someone else's story:"To avoid being a burden, I came to Guanghan Gong and swore not to leave Taiyin Star until the laurel tree falls.I even considered following the witches as a witch's wife, but Da Yi had already died at the hands of the Yao, and he had his own wives and children among the witches.They fabricated this story without considering the witches' preferences—they favor women with arms as thick as legs, while human women are mostly slender.The Yao queen, Xi He, was one of the most admirable women of that era; she was noble and never involved herself in Yao court affairs, and she even secretly spared many mortals..."

Li Changshou smoothly changed the subject:"So, who is it you want to find? Some ancient figure from the human race?"

"I..."

Heng'e's beautiful eyes were full of bewilderment as she whispered:"I don't know."

Li Changshou raised an eyebrow, already suspecting something, but he didn't press:"Why not?"

Heng'e pointed a slender finger to her chest, her eyes reddening as she looked as beautiful as a painting:"It's like a puzzle piece has been taken from here;I don't know why it was taken or what was lost.I only remember someone whispering in my ear:Fight back, break your fate—will you be locked in this cold palace, alone for endless years, or roam freely as a carefree female immortal..."

Li Changshou quietly sensed the changes in the Heavenly Dao and asked softly:"Then?"

"It's gone."

Heng'e took a light breath:"When I awoke, everything was erased."

Li Changshou sighed inwardly— no wonder Heng'e's behavior felt so familiar to him.

In his mind, he jotted down a potential lead...

The time when Senior Lang was erased was likely around ten thousand years before the Yao court's fall.

Li Changshou asked:"In the immortal's feeling, what would this person be to you?"

"A master, or perhaps a brother," Heng'e murmured."It seems more like a master."

Li Changshou: ...

This senior was quite something, choosing the most beautiful woman in the Three Realms as his disciple!

He couldn't possibly believe there were no other motives!

Li Changshou sighed and said:"With just this information, I'm afraid it's hard for me to help."

Heng'e frowned:"But that's all I remember."

"Any keepsakes or the like?"

"None..."

Li Changshou furrowed his brow and paced beside the table.

He was pondering whether his encounter with Heng'e was mere coincidence or the work of some hidden force.

The person Heng'e sought was almost certainly Senior Lang, as mentioned by the Holy Mother—this would lead nowhere...

Looking at the female immortal before him, Li Changshou felt a touch of helplessness.

He said:"I can help you. If I ever learn who this person is, find traces of him, or hear his story, I'll come to Guanghan Gong to inform you."

"Really!?"

Heng'e stood up instinctively, staring at Li Changshou.

Li Changshou nodded with a smile:"It's just a small effort. As the Tianting Water God, I often travel through the Honghuang—if even I can't uncover this, no one else could."

"Yes, yes!"

Heng'e circled around the table, overcome with excitement, taking a couple of steps toward him.

Li Changshou raised his hand to stop her approach and said with a laugh:"There's a proper distance between men and women, as per human etiquette. Please don't overstep, Your Highness."

Heng'e quickly added:"Thank you so much, Water God. What can I do for you?"

"No need for anything trivial—just think of it as us becoming friends."

Li Changshou bowed in salute and said:"Please continue the performance upstairs, immortal. The immortals and gods of Tianting are all watching—don't disappoint the title of the Three Realms' top beauty."

"Understood!"

Heng'e nodded solemnly, but before she could say more, Li Changshou smiled faintly, and his figure, along with the paper effigy in his sleeve, was enveloped in a gentle flame and vanished in an instant.

In the pavilion of Guanghan Gong, Li Changshou stood up, clasped his hands behind his back, and walked to the lotus pond, lost in thought for a moment.

The immortals, gods, and heavenly generals of Tianting all assumed Li Changshou was growing impatient, just like them.

Yet Lingzhuzi blinked and sensed that his Uncle Changgen was unusually profound at that moment, as if deep in contemplation.

Li Changshou suddenly realized...

His visit to Guanghan Gong was more than just offering Heng'e a vague hope...

The deeper his understanding of the Heavenly Dao, the more he sensed its intricate deceptions.

"I've kept the Water God waiting."

A soft call came from behind, and Li Changshou turned to see Heng'e in new attire, appearing completely transformed and radiant.

Her cool and exquisite face was nearly mesmerizing.

At the Water God Residence:

"How does it feel like Heng'e has changed since before?"

"This... such a beauty, dwelling in Guanghan for so long—every frown and smile is utterly captivating."

Qin Tianzhu, however, furrowed his brow, thinking to himself that her cultivation was extraordinarily strong.

What followed could truly be called a treat for the male immortals of Tianting.

Heng'e chatted with the Water God for a while, and as he expressed his intent to leave, she proactively offered to perform a dance, asking the Water God, as the head instructor of the Moon Palace, to judge if she was fit to lead the Chang'e dancers.

Li Changshou naturally couldn't refuse—if he did, he'd be criticized behind his back by the male immortals upon returning.

He agreed and took his seat.

Heng'e went to the side, and accompanied by the flute played by the Jade Rabbit, she began to dance gracefully.

Indeed, the dance was exquisite, one of a kind in the world—even if Yunxiao had practiced in secret for years, one could only say that expertise lies in specialization.

But as Li Changshou watched, odd thoughts kept crossing his mind.

"In the end, it's still not as exciting as the immortal clubbing."

As he left Guanghan Gong, Li Changshou glanced back at the nearly deserted, chilly palace and sighed lightly.

He wouldn't be coming here again.

Where would he get news about Senior Lang? He had been erased by the Heavenly Dao, vanishing from all memories.

Had the Heavenly Dao arranged this to warn him not to stir up trouble, or else face the same fate?

Li Changshou shook his head and chuckled.

His path was entirely different from Senior Lang's.

He sought stability and balance, not timid retreat—every road and Dao must be walked to the end to know if it's a sea of flames or a paradise of birdsong and flowers.

Rather than letting this affect his Dao heart, it only fueled his determination.

He didn't want Ling'e to end up like Heng'e.

Fate was nothing but a false proposition—they believed in dialectical development.

Meanwhile, in the pavilion of Guanghan Gong, Heng'e leaned against the curtain, gazing far into the distance where Li Changshou and Lingzhuzi had departed.

"Ah..."

Endless worldly attachments reduced to a mere sigh.

"What a good person he is."

The Jade Rabbit girl behind her trembled, nearly bursting into tears.