Chapter Forty-Three: The Lunar Star

"The Heavenly Court is truly beautiful!"

This was the first time Yuan Wujie wandered through the Heavenly Court so openly and confidently. In the past, he had always been cautious, staying mostly within the domains of the Eight Divisions of the Heavenly Court. Perhaps his temperament had changed; Yuan Wujie no longer felt timid—instead, he exuded an air of dominance.

Benefiting from the Enchanting Physique, Yuan Wujie no longer radiated overwhelming demonic energy or the strong scent of blood as before. The right side of his body still held a restrained demonic aura, while the left side was suffused with upright, masculine energy. As long as he didn’t deliberately release that demonic energy, no one would notice anything unusual about him.

Nevertheless, his appearance remained intimidating—clearly not that of a benevolent soul.

“Hm! That must be the Lunar Star—heh heh.”

The Lunar Star, also known as the Moon, was the domain of the Lunar Star Lord, one of the Nine Radiant Star Lords. Yuan Wujie had never seen the Lunar Star before and was eager to glimpse the legendary beauty said to reside there.

What met his eyes was a colossal osmanthus tree, beneath which a burly man was ceaselessly chopping at the trunk with an axe. Yet the tree bore not a single mark. If one hadn’t witnessed the man’s efforts firsthand, who would believe the osmanthus tree had ever been struck?

At the other end of the Lunar Star stood a lavish palace, its splendor standing in stark contrast to the desolate landscape. Within the palace, eight beautiful women and a white rabbit were gathered.

“Eight?”

Yuan Wujie stealthily approached the opulent palace, eavesdropping on the conversation within.

“Sister Chang’e, did you hear that today the Nine Radiant Star Lords are to bestow honors upon a monkey in the Jade Emperor’s presence?” The red-robed fairy, one of the eight, addressed the white-robed fairy cuddling a white rabbit.

“That must be the eldest of the Seven Fairies, and the one in white must be Chang’e,” Yuan Wujie surmised, observing the palace. The seven women wore robes of red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple—though he had never met them, Yuan Wujie had heard much about them.

His gaze lingered on the white-robed fairy holding the rabbit, drawn by her pure beauty—a beauty that outshone even the varied charms of the Seven Fairies.

Upon hearing the question, Chang’e replied swiftly:

“I have only heard the Lunar Star Lord mention it once; none of my sisters know anything about it.”

Chang’e was deeply respectful of the Lunar Star Lord; unless he spoke of something, she neither asked nor listened. In her view, this was proper reverence.

There were many tales behind Chang’e—stories the Seven Fairies, despite their seniority, knew nothing of. Yet, the Seven Fairies remained Chang’e’s only confidantes in the Heavenly Court.

“I heard the Nine Radiant Star Lords greatly praised this monkey before the Jade Emperor. I wonder whether he or Cousin Erlang is more powerful?” The purple-robed fairy, the youngest, asked with interest. By “Cousin Erlang,” she meant Erlang, the god.

“Of course Cousin Erlang is stronger,” the blue-robed fairy replied, her eyes full of admiration, as if announcing Erlang was invincible.

The purple fairy’s enthusiasm waned upon hearing this and she retorted, “You always talk about Cousin Erlang. I bet that monkey is even stronger than him.”

“You should know that everyone in the Heavenly Court fears Cousin Erlang, let alone a mere monkey.”

“…”

Outside the palace, Yuan Wujie was silently amused. Wasn’t Erlang always at odds with the Jade Emperor? Why was his daughter so devoted to him?

Erlang might be formidable, but the claim that the Heavenly Court feared him only applied to minor immortals. In the Eight Divisions Yuan Wujie knew, none feared Erlang.

The youngest and the blue fairy continued arguing, prompting the eldest, the red-robed fairy, to intervene—they were guests, after all.

“You two argue endlessly. With Sister Chang’e here, aren’t you afraid of being laughed at?”

“It doesn’t matter. I live in the palace alone with only the Jade Rabbit for company. Blue and Purple are so lively—I could never laugh at them.”

The Lunar Star Lord seldom returned to the Lunar Star, and apart from the Jade Rabbit, only Wu Gang chopped the osmanthus tree outside. The Seven Fairies alone could converse with Chang’e in the Moon Palace. She enjoyed the quarrels between Blue and Purple; only then did she feel the vitality of life.

“Sister Chang’e, do you think Cousin Erlang is powerful?” Blue fairy asked, while Purple fairy pouted unhappily.

Clearly, this was not the first such exchange. Chang’e was fond of both Blue and Purple, treating them as her own sisters.

“Why not let them compete and see?” Chang’e teased, ruffling Blue’s hair.

Of course, Erlang was not someone Blue could simply summon. Her words were meant to cheer Purple up.

“That’s right! Let’s see if Cousin Erlang will even pay you any mind,” Purple fairy responded excitedly with Chang’e’s support.

“Hmph! I may not be able to summon Cousin Erlang, but tomorrow, when that monkey is honored, I believe the mere mention of his name will scare him out of his wits.” Blue fairy stubbornly retorted.

Erlang’s reputation was strong in the Heavenly Court. Hearing Blue’s words, the youngest fairy grew anxious, worrying she might have caused trouble for Yuan Wujie—a stranger she had never met. Her pure heart was troubled; she fretted over Yuan Wujie’s fate upon returning to her own palace.

Purple’s innocence was written plainly on her face. Everyone knew what she was thinking, but none could find the words to comfort her—any defense would only provoke Blue further.

“Sister Chang’e, do you have someone you like? Surely he isn’t as powerful as Cousin Erlang, is he?” Blue fairy, triumphant over Purple, turned to Chang’e, extolling Erlang’s might.

“Someone I like?”

“Is he well now?”

“Does he still remember me?”

“Does he still resent me?”

Blue’s casual question stirred countless memories in Chang’e’s heart. In her eyes, there seemed to be only “him” and no one else.

“Sister Chang’e, what are you daydreaming about?” Blue fairy complained.

“Oh… Of course, Blue’s Cousin Erlang is the strongest,” Chang’e replied.

The eldest fairy easily saw through Chang’e’s distracted state—she was clearly only humoring Blue, though Blue was delighted. Assuming Chang’e was tired, the eldest sought to let her rest.

Having had her heartstrings tugged by Blue, Chang’e lost the mood for further conversation and bade farewell to the Seven Fairies.

Only a handful in the Heavenly Court knew the story behind Chang’e. What was it, truly?