Following them for quite a while, the two boys turned out to be carefree, chatting, laughing, eating, and drinking all the way. As noon approached, she finally watched them enter a large residence in the city, above whose front gate hung a plaque inscribed with the characters "Yang Residence."
Standing before the main gate, Weining carefully scrutinized the compound.
Compared to the magnificent towers and jade pavilions of the Heavenly Court, it was utterly unremarkable, yet in this town, it was already a premier mansion.
At first glance, it was no different from any other courtyard, but anyone with even slightly elevated cultivation could perceive a faint aura of immortality spilling out. It was extremely faint, almost imperceptible, as though it had been sealed; indeed, there was something peculiar about it!
After a moment of thought, Weining made up her mind and, with a flick of her sleeve, revealed her true form. As a high-ranking immortal, naturally she had no fear of being seen through by the occasional passing mortal.
Using telepathy, she spoke aloud into the courtyard: "Which immortal is practicing cultivation here? Please reveal yourself."
After waiting for a long time, the front gate creaked open. A man and a woman dressed in plain robes walked out. The man was handsome and scholarly, while the woman possessed a striking and heroic beauty. Both wore smiles, and their movements showed a profound mutual understanding.
What a fine couple; truly a match made in heaven, as mortals would say. Looking at the two approaching, Weining could not help but praise them inwardly.
The pair stopped before Weining, and the man bowed with cupped hands: "Greetings, Fairy. I am Yang Tianyou. Please come into my humble home for tea, and we can speak at length afterward."
The woman also nodded in greeting: "Please." The husband and wife stepped apart, each extending an arm in invitation.
Seeing that they were kind and courteous, Weining smiled, returned the bow, and said, "I am intruding. Please." With that, she followed them into the Yang Residence.
The courtyard was spacious, with murmuring streams, red flowers, and green trees arranged very elegantly. Passing through the courtyard, the group entered the main hall.
After inviting Weining to sit and having tea served, the woman smiled and asked her husband to go read his books first.
Her husband gave her a gentle smile: "Very well, then look after our guest properly. I am going to the study." He then turned to Weining with a smile: "Please sit at ease, Fairy. I shall take my leave first."
Following the custom of the guest yielding to the host, Weining smiled, nodded, and told him to make himself at home. He walked out with a free and easy grace.
The woman watched with a smile as her husband's figure vanished outside the hall, then sat down beside Weining.
Being this close, the rich immortal aura surging around her was difficult to ignore. It seemed this immortal's magical power was not weak, nor was she a nobody; Weining grew even more curious.
"You were the one who saved Jiaoer and Erlang, weren't you?" she asked gently.
Weining nodded. "They were injured by a tiger spirit in the mountain, provoked into a fury and harming them. I happened to be passing by and rescued them. Actually, it wasn't quite my doing—that tiger spirit was rather sensible and did not deal a fatal blow. Even if I hadn't gone, they would have been fine."
"You are truly an earnest person, Fairy. Try the floral dew prepared in our home; I brewed it myself with seasonal fresh flowers. I do not yet know how I should address you?" she smiled, urging her to drink.
Weining picked up her cup to taste it, replying as she did, "My name is Weining. And you?"
Hearing Weining ask her name, she smiled meaningfully, gazing steadily at her without answering directly: "With immortal aura surrounding your whole body, righteousness shining on your face, a red glow between your brows, and no low level of cultivation, you must be a fairy from the heavens, right?"
Instead of answering, she countered with a question, instantly seeing through Weining's origins.
Weining met change with constancy, holding her cup and smilingly nodding.
Her smile remained unchanged, but her expression gained a hint of mischief: "Since Fairy comes from the Heavenly Court, you must surely know this name. My name is—Yaoji."
Yaoji. Such a familiar name, as if she had heard it somewhere before.
Suddenly, realization dawned on Weining: "You are the Jade Emperor's sister, the Heavenly Court's foremost female war god, Yaoji?"
Yaoji smiled and nodded. "I haven't seen you in the Heavenly Court before. I suppose you must have recently attained immortality. Your innate talent is truly extraordinary to possess such cultivation!"
Weining shook her head in explanation: "I recently came to the Three Realms from Nuwa Palace Beyond the Heavens. When I arrived at the Heavenly Court, you were not there, and His Majesty said you had come to the Mortal Realm to pursue a demon dragon. Well, did you catch it?"
Yaoji was startled. "No, I didn't catch him. He got what he deserved and was suppressed by Yuanshi Tianzun." Then she smiled: "So you are a prized disciple of Goddess Nuwa! Forgive me for not recognizing you sooner."
Weining had originally wanted to ask about the demon dragon, but seeing that she seemed reluctant to dwell on it, she followed her lead and changed the subject: "Don't stand on ceremony with me. I converse on equal terms with Great Golden Crow, and since you are his aunt, by rights you are still my senior. Surely you don't expect me to call you Aunt, do you?"
Yaoji burst out laughing, a look of surprise in her eyes: "A friend of Great Golden Crow? That really is... quite a bond. Since we have this connection, I won't stand on ceremony with you either. Let's just address each other as peers. If such a lovely fairy suddenly became my junior, wouldn't people think I've grown old?"
Weining laughed and readily agreed.
The lifespans of immortals are everlasting and their generations tangled. If everyone insisted on seniority, it would be impossible to get along. Seeing Yaoji's beautiful face and the spirited heroism between her brows, Weining found herself quite drawn to her. The friend one makes oneself is naturally closer than a friend's senior; this much she understood.
The two exchanged some idle chatter about Great Golden Crow, which actually gave Weining a deeper understanding of her good friend.
After a moment, Yaoji smiled and reminded her: "You came to my house today to find me, didn't you?"
Only then did Weining remember her purpose for coming. "That's right. Today, when I was treating Yang Jian's injuries, my magical power was bounced back by the immortal aura inside his body. I found it strange that a mortal youth would have protective immortal aura, and that it was even sealed away. Therefore, I followed the two brothers all the way to your home. Seeing a faint immortal aura spilling from your house without knowing the reason, I decided to ask."
Yaoji listened quietly as Weining finished, pondering in silence. She stared into Weining's eyes for a long time, her expression shifting through various shades.
Although surprised, Weining felt no aversions in her heart and met her gaze calmly.
Suddenly, Yaoji let out a relaxed smile. "They are both my sons, and they inherited my divine bloodline, but only Erlang inherited my magical power as well. That is why he has protective immortal aura. Because his body could not bear this mighty power, and also... that is why I forcibly sealed it."
Weining listened and nodded, understanding at last. Yet something in her words seemed not quite right; Weining furrowed her brows in deep thought.
Yaoji was also quite considerate; she sat quietly with a relieved smile, not disturbing Weining as she meditated.
Abruptly, Weining raised her head and said in disbelief: "You mean to say that you—Fairy Yaoji, married a mortal in private and even had two children?"
Because of her utter disbelief, Weining's volume rose slightly.
Yaoji, however, did not mind at all. Sitting serenely against the armrest, her face wreathed in smiles as she was about to drink her dew, she said, "Incorrect."
Weining did not know whether she should breathe a sigh of relief. Perhaps she had been overthinking things. After all, marriage between immortals and mortals violated the Heavenly Statutes; as the Eldest Princess of the heavenly realm, how could she knowingly commit such an offense? But then, what about the sons she had mentioned earlier?
"I hope the Eldest Princess will clear up my confusion." Weining raised her cup in a toast.
Yaoji took a sip of the floral dew, blinked playfully at her, and replied in a light tone: "I also have a daughter. They also have a younger sister named Yang Chan. We have three children."
Hearing her casual tone, as if she were commenting on the weather, and her unhurried, leisurely movements, Weining froze on the spot. Could it be... that the Heavenly Statutes were so complex that she had remembered them wrong?
Before she knew it, Weining blurted out her thoughts.
Seeing her dazed appearance and hearing her words, Yaoji was stunned for a moment, then covered her mouth and laughed heartily—laughing so much that Weining was left completely baffled.
After quite a while, Yaoji finally stopped, though the smile remained on her face. She took another sip of the floral dew to calm herself before saying, "No, you didn't remember wrong. Marriage between immortals and mortals is indeed a violation of the Heavenly Statutes."
As soon as the words left her mouth, she couldn't help laughing again.
Weining's face felt somewhat warm, knowing she was being laughed at. "The Eldest Princess must be amused. Since I am new here, I am not yet well-acquainted with the rules and laws of every place."
Yaoji waved her hand with a smile. "I'm not making fun of you. I just didn't expect the Heavenly Court to have such a lovely fairy like you. It's simply too interesting!" As she spoke, she gave Weining a mischievous wink.
Was she thinking that her innocent and lively nature was completely at odds with the solemn and stern Heavenly Court? Weining guessed to herself. The Eldest Princess and Great Golden Crow really were alike—both liked to tease her.
Weining sighed. Breaking the Heavenly Statutes and yet having the mood to tease her here—was she really that harmless-looking, or was Yaoji simply too arrogant? Probably because she hadn't introduced her official title yet, Weining thought of an excuse for her.
"Although I am new to the Three Realms, I have been favored by His Majesty and the Goddess, and hold the post of Law Enforcement Deity." Weining gave Yaoji a calm, respectful bow with cupped hands.
Yaoji was startled upon hearing this, lowering her gaze without a word.
Weining continued: "Since you have violated the Heavenly Statutes, and I am the Law Enforcement Deity, I must now take you back to the Heavenly Court to account for your actions. Please!" She stood up, made an inviting gesture, and stared fixedly at Yaoji.
Yaoji remained seated, simply picking up the teapot to refill Weining's cup. "All things in this world have a cause. Does Aning not want to know the reason why I transgressed the Heavenly Statutes? A day in heaven is a year on earth; for the heavens, it is merely the blink of an eye, yet it concerns the life and death of our family of five. Can you give me a moment to explain the whole story? When I am done, however the deity chooses to deal with me, Yaoji will not dare disobey."
Hearing the solemnity in her tone, Weining thought for a moment, then sat back down to await her words.