Xiaobai was put down by Sun Wukong, scurried directly behind Wang Zhaojun, and then poked his little head out to look at Sun Wukong.
"You really know how to stir up trouble." Wang Zhaojun frowned slightly, tilting her head to shoot him a sidelong glance.
Xiaobai instantly panicked. Did Big Sister dislike him again? Had he done something wrong, so now Big Sister hated him?
Wang Zhaojun still stood indifferently in the wind, her bright eyes slightly lowered, and she took a step back, putting more distance between herself and Xiaobai.
Then Xiaobai sidled up to her again, and Wang Zhaojun took another step back. Xiaobai stamped his feet in anxiety, hugged Wang Zhaojun directly, and muttered with a wronged air: "Does Big Sister hate me?"
Wang Zhaojun pressed her lips together slightly and broke away with a bit of force, sending Xiaobai sprawling onto the ground. She froze for a moment, not expecting her own strength to be that great.
Fairy Zixia, watching from the sidelines, couldn't stand it any longer. She helped Xiaobai up and looked at Wang Zhaojun, saying, "Xiaobai is still a child. Is it necessary to treat him like this?"
Wang Zhaojun said abruptly, "If A-Xia likes him, just take him back with you."
Before the words had even faded, and before Zixia could react, Xiaobai blurted out anxiously, "Big Sister promised she wouldn't abandon me!"
"Even though I like Zixia Big Sister, I like Big Sister even more. Big Sister cannot break her promise."
Sun Wukong's eyes narrowed slightly. What did this little thing just say? He likes his Zixia? Unacceptable!
"Zixia has this King, and that's enough! This little thing is a kept man from your estate, can Fairy Zhaojun bear to part with him?"
"You misunderstand, Demon King. He is my younger brother." Wang Zhaojun was at a loss for words for a moment, not knowing what to say.
"As the saying goes, to explain is to cover up. Han Xin keeps a fox by his side, so it's understandable that you're secretly keeping a pretty boy behind Han Xin's back." Sun Wukong remained firmly convinced that Xiaobai was a kept man raised by Wang Zhaojun.
Seeing that Wang Zhaojun's attitude had softened, Xiaobai suddenly ran over to her side, tilting his head to look up at her: "What does a kept man mean?"
The corners of Wang Zhaojun's mouth twitched slightly, giving her a headache as she wondered how to explain it to him: "It means a compliment on your good looks."
Xiaobai thought for a moment longer, then asked, "Then what does a pretty boy mean?"
Wang Zhaojun's body stiffened slightly, and she massaged her temples: "It means a compliment on how fair your skin is."
Xiaobai suddenly touched his own face. It did seem quite fair, so he said excitedly, "Does Big Sister also think I'm a pretty boy?"
Wang Zhaojun's expression darkened slightly, and she said coldly, "You'd better forget those words right now."
A flash of confusion crossed Xiaobai's eyes. Did he say the wrong thing again? Big Sister's expression seemed rather bad.
Hearing this exchange, both Sun Wukong and Zixia burst into uncharitable laughter.
Sun Wukong suddenly scrutinized Xiaobai closely, his eyes deepening: "I didn't look closely before, but now I realize this little thing looks as though he were cut from the exact same mold as our Old Bai."
Wang Zhaojun looked puzzled: "Who?"
Zixia explained to Wang Zhaojun, "He's talking about Lord Phoenix Sovereign of Zitong Immortal Palace. You couldn't possibly have never heard of him, could you?"
"I've heard of him." Wang Zhaojun raised an eyebrow slightly; she wasn't that ignorant of the world.
How was it she had never heard of the Demon King being acquainted with the Phoenix Sovereign?
Rumor had it that the Phoenix Sovereign was aloof and utterly detached, someone even the Empress treated with three parts respect. In the Heavenly Realm, no one dared show him the slightest disrespect, and many were downright terrified of him.
"Wait." Sun Wukong's eyes suddenly lit up. "Just now, you didn't hesitate to butt heads with Han Xin for his sake. Could it be that he is an illegitimate son of you and Old Bai?"
"Since when have you two been carrying on behind closed doors?"
"Will you say that again?" Wang Zhaojun couldn't suppress her anger. She had tolerated being told Xiaobai was her kept man, but now they were calling Xiaobai her illegitimate son—that she could not endure.
"I was only joking, don't mind it." Sun Wukong suddenly backed down.
Wang Zhaojun looked toward Xiaobai and said teasingly, "Don't you like Zixia Big Sister? Why don't you go back with her?"
Sun Wukong instantly cowered: "I was wrong! Please, Fairy Zhaojun, be the bigger person and don't hold it against a petty soul!"
"Zixia is my good sister, and she gets along well with Xiaobai. We might as well just give him to Zixia; I don't want him anymore anyway." Wang Zhaojun waved her hand dismissively.
"No!" Xiaobai and Sun Wukong shouted at the same time. Zixia gestured for them to stay calm.
"You can't possibly really not want Xiaobai anymore, can you?" Zixia looked at Wang Zhaojun with a probing gaze.
"He gets along well with you, and don't you like him quite a bit? I'm giving him to you." From beginning to end, Wang Zhaojun didn't even glance at Xiaobai, her expression completely at ease as if this had nothing to do with her.
Yet such a light, casual remark made Xiaobai panic, and he bit down hard on his lip.
"Liking someone doesn't mean you have to take them. Besides, I don't believe you could actually bear to part with him." Zixia refused. Judging by the way Wang Zhaojun had protected Xiaobai just moments ago, it hardly looked like there was no affection between them.
"Big Sister, I won't cause you trouble anymore. Can you please not abandon me?" Xiaobai ran over and tugged at Wang Zhaojun's sleeve.
Wang Zhaojun shook her head: "If you like someone, keep them by your side; if you don't like them, get rid of them."
Zixia poked Sun Wukong in the arm: "Kong-kong, let's go!"
Sun Wukong nodded, scooped Zixia up in his arms, and vanished right where they stood—he certainly couldn't let Zixia actually take Xiaobai back with her.
Realizing that Sun Wukong and Zixia had slipped away, Xiaobai's eyes brightened: "Zixia Big Sister doesn't want me anymore. Big Sister, let's go back."
Wang Zhaojun gave Xiaobai a sideways look, patted his head, and said, "You stay here, I'm going to look for A-Li."
"No!"
A flicker of helplessness crossed the depths of her eyes: "Why?"
"I'm afraid Big Sister will leave me behind," Xiaobai replied.
Helpless, Wang Zhaojun looked at Xiaobai's well-behaved face. Xiaobai looked back at her, reached out a soft, fair little hand, and took hold of hers.
Wang Zhaojun looked at Xiaobai with a trace of disdain, the corners of her lips twitching: "What are you doing?"
"Holding Big Sister's hand so I won't get lost." Xiaobai tilted his palm-sized face upward and smiled with dead seriousness.
"Zhaojun Big Sister, A-Li is right here!" Catching sight of Wang Zhaojun, Gongsun Li waved at her.
Gongsun Li rubbed her comfortably full belly. She had accidentally eaten a bit too much; this Heavenly Palace truly had everything imaginable.
All along the way, Wang Zhaojun didn't say a single word to Xiaobai. Xiaobai bit his lip and finally ended up telling Gongsun Li the whole story of what had happened.
Gongsun Li's eyes lit up slightly as she pinched Xiaobai's cheek: "You little fool, Zhaojun Big Sister must be jealous of Fairy Zixia."
Xiaobai was somewhat annoyed by Gongsun Li's gesture. He endured it, then suddenly tilted his head and looked at Gongsun Li with a puzzled expression: "What does being jealous mean? Is vinegar delicious?"
Gongsun Li let out a snort of laughter: "Vinegar is very sour, not delicious at all."
"Then why is Big Sister jealous?" Xiaobai scratched his head, even more bewildered.
Before the words had even faded, Gongsun Li burst into hearty laughter once more: "That's completely different! Being jealous here means that Zhaojun Big Sister saw you having fun playing with Fairy Zixia, and that's why she's ignoring you."
Xiaobai suddenly experienced a flash of enlightenment and a burst of sudden understanding: "So Juner Big Sister was unhappy because of Zixia Big Sister! In that case, I won't play with Zixia Big Sister anymore, and then Big Sister won't be angry."
Listening to Gongsun Li and Xiaobai volleying back and forth, Wang Zhaojun was utterly speechless.
"I don't want either of you anymore, go away." Wang Zhaojun walked forward without looking back, carrying a distinct air of being in a huff.
"Zhaojun Big Sister is jealous again." Gongsun Li smiled with amused restraint.
Xiaobai ran off to chase after Wang Zhaojun, not forgetting to stick his tongue out at Gongsun Li over his shoulder: "Then I don't want to play with A-Li Big Sister either."