Disrespecting the Gods

Blurb:

The little phoenix had enjoyed nine thousand years of smooth sailing, until one day she accidentally shattered a glass lamp. Its flame broke through the heavens and fell into the mortal realm.

The good news was that it had only set fire to a ruined temple.

The bad news was that the temple was home to Emperor Chenxu, who had descended to the mortal realm to undergo a trial.

Emperor Chenxu was the one who had contributed ten of Heaven's most terrifying tales all on his own.

For instance, he often went to the Ghost Realm and returned wrapped in resentment, nearly making the soldiers guarding Heaven's Gate think a demon lord had forced his way in.

For instance, when one of his disciples made a mistake, he had personally ripped out the disciple's immortal bones without a word.

And so on...

In short, ever since the Emperor descended to the mortal realm, even the auspicious clouds above the celestial palace seemed to float more lightly.

The little phoenix saw black. She was only nine thousand years old. Was she really going to become the shortest-lived phoenix in the Three Realms?

She went to seek advice from the Heavenly Fate Official that very night.

The Heavenly Fate Official said, entirely unruffled, "There may still be some room to negotiate. The Emperor is still mortal, and mortals tend to be more softhearted. Your Highness, go and get on his good side while you can. Perhaps one day, when the Emperor remembers your kindness, he won't be too hard on you. Besides... you have one small advantage."

Little Phoenix: What advantage?

Heavenly Fate Official: You look very much like his dead disciple.

Little Phoenix: ...You don't mean the Third Prince of the Phoenix Clan, who nearly became a demon and had his immortal bones ripped out by the Emperor at the last moment before being... snapped? Is my advantage supposed to be that I'll bring out the Emperor's bloodlust?

*

To get on his good side, the little phoenix accompanied the Emperor as he vanquished demons, cut through three thousand illusions, and traveled ten thousand miles across mountains and rivers, leaving her footprints in the Immortal, Mortal, and Ghost Realms.

Along the way, she flattered him without being rude, and showed warmth without crossing any boundaries. She nearly became the Three Realms' most famous motivational companion.

Then one day, gossip spread throughout the Three Realms.

"The Phoenix Clan has another little phoenix who's hopelessly in love with the Emperor."

"She followed him from the Celestial Realm to the Mortal Realm, then all the way to the Ghost Realm!"

"Won't she end up having her skin peeled off and her bones ripped out, too?"

Under all that pressure, she secretly sent a message: "Could it be that the Emperor has a one-sided crush on me, rather than the other way around? Love is hard to explain. We're all immortals. If you have so much free time, why not think about how to save the world?"

Everyone turned to look at Emperor Chenxu, who had suddenly appeared.

The Emperor said "Mm" with a cold expression.

Everyone was stunned. ...Did the Emperor agree with the first half or the second half?

*

It was many years later that the little phoenix learned that the ten thousand miles of mountains and rivers they had traveled together had once been walked alone by both her and Li Qingran.

She had once felt an echo of every voice in the three thousand illusions.

Even the lamp she had shattered had been lit because of her, and extinguished because of her.

What she thought was their first meeting was, to Li Qingran, a reunion he had waited centuries upon centuries for.

Reader's Guide:

Happy ending. Traditional xianxia, not cultivation fantasy.

The story includes flashbacks, so don't skip chapters in the main text or you may have trouble following it.

Some familiarity with the genre is helpful.

Buy one chapter at a time. Everyone has different tastes, so don't impulsively subscribe to the whole novel.

The blurb doesn't cover everything. This is a series of interconnected stories.

No stand-ins, tragic romance, or melodramatic misunderstandings.

It's a gentle story.

Coming next: Seduced by My Sister-in-Law (Uncle and Sister-in-Law)

Rival suitors / A forced marriage can be sweet / Star addiction / A war widow

[Lonely, delicate flower X gloomy general entrusted with a child]

In the thirteenth year of the Chun era, Great Xia won a bloody battle outside Changting, suffering heavy casualties.

The border general Jiang Zhi returned covered in blood in his black armor. Defying the imperial decree, he personally escorted his elder brother's coffin home.

He kept vigil for seven days.

Jiang Zhi sat alone before the coffin, drinking. His reputation as a bloodthirsty god of war kept every maid in the residence from daring to serve him, let alone urge him to leave.

Deep in the night, someone came to the mourning hall.

With her footsteps came the delicate fragrance of spring begonias.

The young woman wore no hair ornaments, and her plain white mourning clothes could not hide her beautiful, delicate features. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying as she called out "Brother" again and again before the coffin, like a begonia petal that would crumble at the slightest touch.

In the imperial study, the Emperor was delighted as he handed out rewards.

The Wei family had been loyal for generations, but their once-glorious household now had no men left.

In the former dynasty, they were as vulnerable as fish on a chopping board.

Jiang Zhi narrowed his eyes, then stepped forward leisurely. "Your subject fell in love at first sight with Marshal Wei's younger sister. If Your Majesty grants us permission to marry, I will cherish her."

The moment he finished speaking, silence fell over the room.

After a long while, the eunuch glanced up and gave a light cough. "General, you've been away from court for a long time, so perhaps you don't know. Marshal Wei has no younger sister. The young woman in the mourning hall... she is Marshal Wei's betrothed."

*

Later, people said that Jiang Zhi had used the pretext of providing consolation to force his widowed sister-in-law into marriage, disregarding all propriety. It was a pity that the youngest daughter of the Su family had come so close to enjoying the splendor of the imperial household.

But no one knew that on the night they first met, Su Wanli had been pressed against a begonia tree.

She was the one who had first caught the hem of the man who was about to leave.

*

Jiang Zhi was born beneath a blood moon, a murderous fiend who, according to legend, cared nothing for killing.

In public, he was a young general with a handsome face, a god of death on the battlefield.

In private, he was cold and ruthless, taking pleasure in bloodshed. His hands snapped people's necks and crushed their lives.

Only when she nestled in his arms and he touched her slender, trembling back did he realize that killing wasn't the only way to dispel the bloodlust that stirred within him.

"Sister-in-law."

Jiang Zhi lowered his eyes, looking at the hand clutching his clothes, taking in the panic and tears in her eyes.

His fingers slowly slipped beneath her skirt and brushed her trembling skin. With a long, languid sigh, he said, "I've taught you so many times. Why still haven't you learned?"

"When you beg, what should you use?"

Theme: Walk together and treat one another with sincerity.