Chapter 935: Hearing the Change in Qing Color

In the grand hall, the melodious sound of the pipa drifted like a boundless sea.

The performer was a renowned master musician from the imperial capital. She was young, dressed in a long white gown, with a translucent veil covering her face. Her pretty features had a hazy quality, adding to her simple elegance.

Not only was she beautiful, but her musical skill was also profound and highly accomplished. Therefore, those who invited her on a daily basis were all high-ranking officials and nobles. For ordinary people to hear her play, it would take more than worldly possessions to impress her.

Today, she was here at the invitation of the Third Princess and Fourth Prince to perform. Her beautiful eyes swept across the hall, instantly discerning who the main guests were. Although the main guests were esteemed, she remained unperturbed. Over the years, many had listened to her music, but true connoisseurs were few and far between—perhaps, to be precise, only one person. Most others only understood her music superficially. She knew full well that her role was merely that of an embellishment, a backdrop.

So, as always, she closed her eyes, centered her heart, and let her hands settle on the pipa. As her delicate hands danced lightly over the pipa, the sound flowed like a gentle stream, soft and emotional, as if narrating ancient tales, echoing throughout the grand hall. The timbre was deep and profound, seemingly able to deeply touch people's hearts. Coupled with the dances performed by the surrounding maids, it made most of the people present appear entranced.

But that was only on the surface. At any other time, the people here might have genuinely become intoxicated by the music. But now… their minds were almost entirely focused on Fan Shishuang, who sat at the place of honor, accompanied by both the Third Princess and the Fourth Prince.

Their thoughts varied. Some harbored thoughts of currying favor, some secretly pondered how to leverage his influence, while others observed meticulously, contemplating ulterior motives. Their ideas differed according to their status and position. Even the Third Princess and Fourth Prince were no exception. The Third Princess was more concerned with avoiding antagonism. The Fourth Prince, on the other hand, clearly harbored more thoughts. Although the human imperial power could not be interfered with by foreign tribes, if such a grand prodigy from the Blazing Moon Celestial Clan were to become an ally, at least in terms of standing, he could draw away some of the First Prince's prestige. The First Prince, by virtue of his accomplishments related to the Blazing Moon, had leapt from his previously disregarded status to surpass the other princes, becoming one of the three most prominent stars currently. This matter had made almost all the princes pay extra attention.

Fan Shishuang saw through the thoughts of these people with perfect clarity. Although he had suffered a setback in front of Xu Qing and was greatly wary of him, this did not mean he was not excellent himself. On the contrary, as a prodigy of the Blazing Moon Clan, he was the focus of countless eyes, whether within the Blazing Moon Profound Celestial Clan or elsewhere. He had seen too many scenes like today's: being fawned over, having people trying to leverage his influence, or even more exaggerated flattery. He had grown accustomed to it, accustomed to the special treatment he received due to his clan's power and his own excellence. In fact, this itself was his path. His path was that of puppets, and also of sentient beings. Therefore, he needed to observe the myriad forms of life and the thoughts of hearts, whether simple or complex, good or evil—everything was helpful to him. This would allow him to go further on the path of puppetry.

While the grand world he had created was not as vast as Yan Xuanzi's, nor as mysterious as Xu Qing's, it was still unique. It was a puppet world. All living beings within that world were transformed puppets, simulating the myriad facets of life and enacting pre-arranged life journeys. When one day he reached the Nine Realms of Incipient Divinity, and all the puppets within spontaneously generated their own lives, that would be the moment he, as a creator, would achieve mastery over himself. This was his awakening dream, and his path. Although the path to mastery was broken, he believed it might not be impossible to reconnect it. Even if it was truly severed, there were other options available. "To become a god."

Fan Shishuang narrowed his eyes, gently stroking the patterns on the surface of the wine cup with his right index finger, a cold sneer forming in his heart. He could see through the thoughts of everyone in the grand hall with a single glance. This ability, to some extent, was also his invisible advantage. Otherwise, how could he still be alive after provoking Xu Qing? One must know that Tuo Shishan had not harbored too much malice towards Xu Qing, and Tian Mozi had immediately sided with Xu Qing. As for him and Ji Dongzi... The latter had died, yet he was alive and had ascended to Incipient Divinity like the others, becoming one of the Blazing Moon's many kings.

"However, today, I inexplicably feel somewhat irritable and uneasy..." Fan Shishuang murmured to himself. During his time among the human race, aside from attending negotiations with representatives from two allied clans on the first day, he had spent the rest of his time in secluded cultivation. Today was only his second time venturing out.

As Fan Shishuang mused, the music suddenly changed, becoming impassioned. The resonant chime, distant and shocking, seemed to contain the rhythm of life, settling into the hearts of everyone present. For a moment, everyone's distracting thoughts were dispelled by the sudden surge in the music, until the piece gradually reached its climax and finally faded into lingering echoes. The audience was left wanting more.

For the first time, Fan Shishuang's expression showed a trace of emotion. He looked up, his gaze falling upon the woman playing the pipa. "What is your name?"

"Su Yue." The woman, still holding her pipa, spoke softly, then said nothing more. She bowed slightly and returned to the seat prepared for her.

The Fourth Prince's eyes flickered as he watched this scene, and some ideas arose in his heart. He then smiled, raised his wine cup, and toasted Fan Shishuang. Fan Shishuang's expression remained as usual. He took a small sip.

The banquet then became lively, with many people rising to offer toasts and endless flattery. However, Fan Shishuang chose to ignore it. Even if these were the so-called prodigies, in his eyes, they were merely a flock of sparrows, a rabble before a mighty eagle. "I truly don't know how someone like Xu Qing could emerge from such an environment."

Thinking of Xu Qing, Fan Shishuang felt a sense of frustration, coupled with a rising unease. He had personally witnessed Xu Qing slay Ji Dongzi, and his spirit had been greatly shaken. Later, within the divine domain, he was further shaken, and finally, during the grand ceremony outside the divine mountain, witnessing Xu Qing overpower Yan Xuanzi, at that moment, the other's figure became an eternal obstacle in his heart.

As he pondered, thunder roared once more from the clouds outside, shaking all directions. "It is not advisable to stay here long today..." Fan Shishuang's unease rose again. As for those whose toasts he ignored, they dared not show displeasure at this moment, only forcing smiles as they successively sat down.

Yet, in this world, there are always some who, whether intentionally probing or due to their own stance, do things that seem to be clever antics. Just then, a son of a noble family spoke with a smile. "King Fan, our human race also recently gained a king, the King of Suppressing Azure, Xu Qing. He..."

The moment Xu Qing's name was uttered, it struck Fan Shishuang's heart, instantly pushing his vigilance to the extreme. So, just as this person spoke, before he could finish, Fan Shishuang suddenly looked up, a captivating gleam in his eyes, and let out a low roar. "Silence!" This voice, louder than a clap of thunder, exploded within the grand hall. The cultivator who had spoken turned pale, spat out a mouthful of blood, and stumbled back several steps, his expression filled with shock.

Fan Shishuang's face was exceedingly grim, and his hidden vigilance intensified. He did not want to provoke Xu Qing. The other person's remark was clearly ill-intentioned. If he really allowed him to say something unfavorable, and it reached Xu Qing's ears while he himself was present, he would surely be implicated. Thinking of this, he showed no trace of his thoughts on his face. He snorted coldly, stood up, and prepared to leave. He no longer intended to stay.

The others present were all shaken. Some were surprised, some had flickering gazes, and some were thoughtful. Seeing Fan Shishuang about to leave, various thoughts surfaced in the Fourth Prince's mind. He quickly stood up, just about to speak.

But just then... Outside the grand hall, the sound of heavenly thunder exploded once more. Amidst the rumbling, two figures emerged from the shattered void through the curtain of rain, stepping into the hall. Along with the two figures, mist also diffused in from outside, drawing the attention of everyone present.

The moment they clearly saw who the newcomers were, everyone's expression changed. The Third Princess immediately rose, and after a moment of hesitation, the Fourth Prince did the same. "Greetings, Grand Tutor!" Other noble sons naturally followed suit. "Greetings, King of Suppressing Azure!"

Fan Shishuang stood there, unable to advance or retreat, his heart instantly shaking. "Haha, little junior brother, it seems the people of the Bai Ze clan were right. This 'Little Fan Fan' is indeed here!" The newcomers were precisely Xu Qing and Er Niu. At this moment, Er Niu's face was filled with pleasant surprise as he spoke with a laugh. Earlier, after Xu Qing mentioned that Fan Shishuang was in the imperial capital while they were at Shangling Manor, the two had set out to find him. They first went to the encampment of the Bai Ze and Si'e clans but did not find Fan Shishuang there. So Xu Qing made some friendly inquiries and learned the answer.

Hearing this, Xu Qing's gaze swept around, ignoring the Fourth Prince. After nodding to the Third Princess, he looked at the grim-faced Fan Shishuang and spoke indifferently. "Fan Shishuang, you're coming with me!"

The moment this sentence was uttered, the gazes of everyone around instinctively fell upon Fan Shishuang. While face was very important to Fan Shishuang, it depended on the time and the person he was facing. At this moment, he couldn't even consider the issue of face. Upon hearing Xu Qing's words, his expression instantly changed. His heart dropped, and scenes of Ji Dongzi's death and Yan Xuanzi's miserable suppression instinctively flashed through his mind. Amidst the turmoil in his heart, a strong sense of grievance also spread throughout his body.

"Xu Qing, you... don't go too far." Fan Shishuang's breathing quickened, and he spoke urgently. "As a Grand Profound Celestial, you cannot humiliate me like this. We no longer have any enmity, and besides, I have no other purpose for coming to the human race this time! I'm just going through the motions... Furthermore, after I arrived in the human race, I immediately went into secluded cultivation. Earlier, when someone mentioned your name with malicious intent, I immediately stopped them. No matter how overbearing you, Xu Qing, are, you should at least... be reasonable." The grievance in Fan Shishuang's words was extremely strong and contained genuine sincerity; he truly was not lying.

Xu Qing's expression became a little strange upon hearing this. He could see the other party's grievance, and remembering that he was asking for help this time, his face relaxed, and his tone softened. "I'm asking you for a favor!"

"Really?"

"Really. Let's go!"

Xu Qing nodded, then turned and walked out. Beside him, Er Niu also nodded rapidly, looking completely sincere. Fan Shishuang was conflicted, but he knew he had no power to refuse. So, with ceaseless thoughts in his heart, he finally gritted his teeth, stepped out of the grand hall with trepidation, and disappeared into the rain with Xu Qing and the other person.

At this moment, thunder rumbled in the clouds, and as lightning flashed, the rain intensified.

Far from the grand hall, inside a civilian residence, an ancient sigh emanated from the darkness. "How could he suddenly arrive..."

"Then, should we still kill this Fan Shishuang? It's not easy for him to come out. Or perhaps... we kill them both together." Another voice, with a hint of sharpness, spoke coldly.

Silence reigned in the darkness, as if a decision was being made. After a long while, a third voice, like ice, echoed coldly. "Xu Qing cannot be touched. Act only when Fan Shishuang is alone."

"But everything is arranged. If we delay..." The sharp voice was clearly unwilling.

"I'll say it a second time: Xu Qing cannot be touched." The icy voice was resolute.