Jing Feize looked up when he heard that. He saw his fifth brother walking towards him with a kind smile. He was not surprised and said with a smile, “Why are you coming to my place in the middle of the night?”
“Today is the Lantern Festival. I came out to play and brought you some delicious foods.” Jing Feirong sat down at the table and put the osmanthus cake on the table. “It smells really good.”
Jing Feize reached out and took it, glanced at Jing Feirong, and said, “No need to beat around the bush with me, just tell me what you want to say.”
Jing Feirong slowly stopped smiling: “It is still big brother who’s straightforward.”
“I want to ask about father1It was their other father, not the Heavenly Emperor, so to prevent confusion, I’ll use italics font to refer to their other father..”
Jing Feize paused, then smiled and said, “You’ve asked me this before.”
“But you never gave me an answer, big brother.” Jing Feirong calmly said, “Second sister is practicing Daoism under Emperor Qinghua, so I can’t disturb her. Third brother and fourth sister are still young, so I don’t think they know more than I do. I was curious before, but no one was willing to tell me, as if everyone was sealed on this matter and couldn’t utter a word.”
“So what? Are you planning to pry my mouth open today?”
Jing Feirong held his chin and smiled brightly, looking very obedient: “I dare not, I dare not. I just hope that big brother can help me solve some of my doubts. Otherwise, after thinking about it, I can only dare to ask father again.”
Jing Feize looked up at him. His fifth brother still didn’t know that the reason why the Heavenly Emperor didn’t send troops to rescue him when he was trapped by the evil array in the Demon Realm and his arm was broken was because Jing Feirong asked the Heavenly Emperor about his father a few days before the battle. After returning to heaven, Jing Feirong was punished to kneel and whipped, and Jing Feiyun was also suspended from his post. That’s why Jing Feize returned to heaven and slammed the table in front of the Heavenly Emperor in the study, asking him why he was so fierce and guilty and had no demeanor of a Heavenly Emperor.
Forget it, this father of his was originally not worthy of the position of Heavenly Emperor.
“I checked various books in the Department of Divine History but couldn’t find any information about father. It seemed like it was deliberately erased. I’m afraid that father is the only one in the entire heaven who can do this.” Jing Feirong tapped the table with his index finger and softly said, “I also checked the records about the Demon Seal in the Withered Swamp. The seal was set up by our ancient ancestors at the beginning of the creation of the world to suppress the most powerful demon at that time. More than 7,000 years ago, this seal was shaken, and the evil demon was ready to break. The Heavenly Book records that the suppression was completed by Dijun and father.”
“I was born not long ago, and father also died at that time, so the problem lies with the Demon Seal, right?”
Jing Feize laughed: “How did you suddenly connect these things?”
“Because of Dijun.”
When Jing Feirong mentioned Dijun, his expression became gentle, revealing some innocent shyness. He tugged at his sleeves and said, “Dijun gave me his totem and asked me to take over the Withered Swamp.”
Jing Feize suppressed his laughter and asked him, “So what does this have to do with Father?”
Jing Feirong put away his shyness and cleared his throat. “That day, the Lord of the Underworld said that father wanted me to go to the Northern Region, and then Dijun handed the barrier to me. But later, third brother told me that father did not give the order. But no matter what, father would soon know that the barrier had changed hands, but he never mentioned it to me, which means he has acquiesced.”
“In such a major event, Dijun went ahead with the will of Heaven and was unwilling to even give father this little face, but father had no reaction. After much thought, I could only start with the Demon Seal. After a search, I found that the seal was sealed more than 7,000 years ago. Then I thought of father. The timeline is too coincidental.”
“I once again thought, big brother, you also left heaven and came here at that time too, didn’t you?”
Jing Feize took a bite of the sweet-scented osmanthus crisp and slowly saud, “Our fifth brother has grown up.”
Jing Feirong frowned immediately. “Why do you older people always say this?”
“Do you know, when father left, you were only two months old?” Jing Feize smiled faintly. “Two months is too insignificant to the gods in heaven. Thousands of years are just a blink of an eye, let alone two months.”
“At that time, you cried and made a fuss every day and refused to be held by anyone except father. In the end, Dijun wrapped you in father’s clothes and held you in his arms. He coaxed you for a long time, and you finally had a good sleep.”
Jing Feirong was stunned for a moment, his lips slightly parted and his eyes dull.
“He also only held you that one time. At that time, Dijun’s cultivation was greatly damaged due to the seal, and his soul was about to break. Later, he retired from the world to recuperate. However, because his divine veins were connected to the barrier, his totem was still pressed on the Demon Seal. It is called rest, but it is just to focus more on stabilizing the state of Withered Swamp.”
“During that Sealing Rebellion, Dijun was seriously injured, and father—” The floating Golden Immortal Book above cast a light. Jing Feize lowered his eyelashes, his expression hidden in the dark shadow, and said word by word, “He sacrificed himself, his soul was shattered, and he turned into ashes.”
Jing Feirong unconsciously clenched his fingertips. He knew that the death of a god was nothing more than the result of a fierce battle between gods and demons or a heavenly calamity. He knew nothing about his father, and it was precisely because of this that the doubts in his heart continued to grow—the God of Heaven sacrificed his life to seal and quell the demonic rebellion, so why is it that in the end, not even a single word is left in the Heavenly Book?
All the deities have witnessed how gossipy the old historian in heaven is, so why did he not just reveal the whole matter?
“So…” Jing Feirong’s mind was in a mess. He frowned and exhaled before asking, “Why is there no relevant record left? If it was done intentionally by father, what was the reason? Where did the grudge between Dijun and father come from? What was the reason for you to leave heaven?”
“Feirong, instead of getting to the bottom of it, it’s better to take care of the present.” Jing Feize said slowly, “Dijun handed over the Withered Swamp to you ahead of time because he suffered too much loss back then, guarding the barrier for more than 7,000 years, and his soul became increasingly tired and unstable. Now that the evil has taken shape, if you neglect to stabilize it, the six realms will surely be in danger.”
He picked up the folding fan on the table and tapped Jing Feirong’s head gently. “Just trust Dijun.”
“I never doubted him.” Jing Feirong said this with his head down.
“That’s why I said you have grown up and know how to take responsibility.”
“No.” Jing Feirong suddenly raised her head, looked at Jing Feize, and said seriously and firmly, “Because I like him.”
Jing Feize was slightly stunned.
“I like Dijun, and I trust him.” Jing Feirong repeated, with a somewhat stubborn tone, “So I want to know about the past and about father. Even if you refuse to tell me, I still have to check.”
Jing Feize chuckled and finally sighed: “Just remember, in heaven, the only two people who are worthy of the title of God are Father and Dijun. The Heavenly Emperor… is just the power.”
After saying this, Jing Feize laughed at himself and said, “But the Heavenly Emperor has power over all six realms after all. You cannot go against him on many matters.”
Jing Feirong said, “Since you are a deity, you should only respect Daoism and not power. If you, big brother, had never disobeyed the power, you would not have confronted father and would not have come to the Immortal Realm.”
“I respect the Daoism, my heart, and Dijun.” Jing Feirong stood up and bowed to Jing Feize. When he raised his eyes again, they were clear and bright, like stars in the sky. “There are so many role models in the dragon clan, so I must do better.”
His eldest brother respected the Daoism and fled to the Immortal Realm to escape from the power, his second sister respected the heart and entered the Buddhist sect to practice meditation, and his fourth sister respected the love and chased for her lover in every life. Even if there were pearls and jade in front of him, Jing Feirong would never treat them as waste.
The young deity left in the night wind. Jing Feize sat at the table, looking at the package of osmanthus cake, and did not move for a long time. It was not until someone stepped out from behind the bookshelf by the window that he raised his head, looked at the cold and snowy god, and smiled slightly. “Dijun heard everything.”
Chu Yanchuan stood in front of the desk, lightly gathered his sleeves, and said nothing.
The smile on Jing Feize’s face faded. “Feirong, he…”
“A young man’s admiration comes and goes quickly, and it won’t be long before he forgets it.” Chu Yanchuan looked out the window at the distant and quiet mountain scenery and said lightly, “His Highness the Fifth Prince still has more important things to do in the future.”
Jing Feize suddenly stood up, walked to Chu Yanchuan, lifted his robe, kneeled down, bowed his head, and saluted, “Dijun…”
His voice trembled, and he could not say the rest of the words. Chu Yanchuan looked down at him and calmly said, “Your Highness, there is no need to kneel before me. Success or failure is still uncertain. If I can really gain something, it will not be in vain for me to guard the Withered Swamp for seven thousand years.”
“No matter what the outcome is, we five brothers and sisters owe Dijun.”
“It’s not a debt, it’s just a gamble of luck.” Chu Yanchuan’s voice became softer, “I’m sleepy, and I plan to meditate for a while. If there is any situation in the Withered Swamp, His Highness the Fifth Prince and the Lord of the Underworld will deal with it, and Your Highness should also rest early.”
Jing Feize bowed again: “Yes.”
