Chapter 127: Meixi

Returning to the Heavenly Court, Li Tian first went to see Chang’e and offered her some consolation.

Of course, after all that had transpired, it was naturally impossible for him to entertain any other feelings toward Chang’e for the time being.

“Thank you for your concern, Heavenly Emperor,” Chang’e responded curtly to Li Tian’s comfort, barely engaging in the conversation.

During this period, her heart was still uneasy, but fortunately, Nuwa had not yet taken out her anger on her, which brought her some relief.

However, after learning of Li Tian’s true feelings toward her, she found it impossible to regain the carefree spirit she once had.

In its place was a profound sadness.

What am I?

A pet raised by the Heavenly Emperor?

Gazing at the Guanghan Palace, which felt more like a prison confining her, Chang’e couldn’t help but sigh silently in her heart.

“If you need anything, send someone to find me. I’ll come to see you after a while,” Li Tian said.

Seeing Chang’e continue to brush him off with mere words, Li Tian soon lost interest. He shook his head, turned, took a few steps outside the Guanghan Palace, and then vanished without a trace.

“Nuwa, you’re here as well.”

Suddenly appearing inside the Xuanming Hall, Li Tian saw Nuwa sitting across from Xuanming and smiled softly as he approached.

“You don’t have designs on Xuanming too, do you?” Nuwa glanced at Li Tian, her eyes narrowing slightly.

Since Li Tian hadn’t bothered to conceal his movements, his visit to Guanghan Palace had naturally not escaped Nuwa’s divine perception.

Knowing that Li Tian harbored no feelings for Chang’e, Nuwa breathed a sigh of relief, and the slight displeasure she had felt vanished in an instant. Yet, she was unwilling to let the matter rest so easily, so she showed no kindness toward Li Tian now.

Li Tian glanced at Xuanming, shaking his head, then looked at Nuwa with a helpless expression.

He truly did not know when the shadow of this matter would finally be lifted.

“The Empress Dowager jokes,” Xuanming said, caught awkwardly between the two.

“If he ever makes a move on you, just tell me,” Nuwa smiled at Xuanming, but when she turned back to Li Tian, her smile vanished instantly.

“Let’s go. Xuanming has promised not to spread the scandal you caused.”

With a light snort, Nuwa stood and walked out of the hall.

“All right,” Li Tian smiled slightly.

Glancing at Xuanming, he followed her out of the hall.

The two walked forward step by step, soon entering the Palace of Nuwa. When Nuwa stopped, Li Tian took two steps forward and naturally wrapped his arms around her from behind, burying his face deeply in her flowing hair.

Nuwa’s face remained expressionless, but her body subconsciously leaned into Li Tian’s embrace.

After all, having been husband and wife for countless years, such gestures had become habitual.

“After being married for so many years, shouldn’t we have a child?” Li Tian’s face pressed against Nuwa’s ear, he inhaled her fragrance deeply and spoke softly.

In truth, he did not want a child—at least not now.

But to divert Nuwa’s attention, he had no choice but to say this.

Nuwa was momentarily taken aback, feeling a stir in her heart.

However, she was unprepared for this matter, so she found it hard to make a firm decision immediately.

“If you don’t say anything, I’ll take that as your consent.”

Li Tian smiled and gently kissed Nuwa’s cheek, making her heart melt.

Under Li Tian’s coaxing, before they realized it, they had arrived at the bedchamber.

By the time Nuwa registered what was happening, Li Tian had already pressed her beneath him.

“Don’t fool around!” she said, frowning slightly but closing her eyes, allowing Li Tian to proceed.

“Do you want a son or a daughter?”

“I like both. What about you?”

“Daughters are adorable. Let’s have a daughter.”

After speaking, Li Tian lowered his head and kissed Nuwa fully, leaving no space between them.

Their long hair intertwined like silken threads of passion.

Time passed, and without them noticing, the Xia Dynasty had seen more than a dozen rulers pass, until the throne ultimately landed in the hands of Jie.

Although Jie was naturally cruel, he was a man of both culture and martial prowess. Early in his reign, he trained the army and decisively defeated Shaohao, who had troubled the Xia kings for generations.

Of course, Shaohao’s defeat was largely due to internal troubles.

Over a thousand years prior, the Yin Shang had allied with the Dongyi coalition under Qi’s leadership. By now, the Yin Shang had firmly established itself within the Dongyi.

Moreover, this generation of Yin Shang produced an extraordinary figure—Shang Tang.

Leaning on the forces cultivated over many years by the Yin Shang, coupled with Shang Tang’s exceptional talents, he easily gained a pivotal position within the Dongyi coalition.

Yet, he was not content. What he truly desired was to replace Shaohao and become the new leader of the Dongyi!

So, during the war between Shaohao and the Xia Dynasty, he abused his position and Shaohao’s trust, sabotaging the weapons of Dongyi soldiers and tampering with their horses.

As a result, when battle broke out, Shaohao was decisively defeated and fled. Fortunately, at the crucial moment, Xuanyuan sent people to escort him to the sacred land of the human race. Otherwise, Shaohao might have perished in that war.

With Shaohao gone, Shang Tang employed a series of measures and easily became the new leader of the Dongyi coalition.

At the same time, he relinquished most of Yangzhou territory, barely holding onto half of the Dongyi lands in the face of Jie’s aggression.

After defeating Shaohao, Jie, believing he had accomplished what all previous Xia kings could not, grew complacent. He left only a general to mop up the remnants of the Dongyi forces, then led the main army back to the capital.

Shang Tang, seeing this, secretly breathed a sigh of relief and began to consolidate his forces while establishing contact with the Three Teachings.

The Three Pure Ones’ desire to see the Xia fall had never died, but since Shaohao refused to cooperate with them and they could not intervene directly, they had been powerless against the Xia.

Thus, Shang Tang’s arrival was a godsend for them.

After several interactions and confirming Shang Tang’s outstanding abilities, the Three Pure Ones generously allocated various resources to him.

Under Shang Tang’s leadership, the Dongyi coalition quickly grew stronger.

Meanwhile, back in the Xia capital, Jie, believing himself invincible, began to indulge in debauchery.

Stubborn and arrogant, one year he was displeased with the tribute offered by the vassals. Ignoring the ministers’ objections, he ruthlessly slaughtered four hundred vassal lords.

The news sent chills through the other lords, but under the shadow of Jie’s recent victory over Shaohao, they had no choice but to submit and supply him as demanded.

The Three Pure Ones, seeing this, recognized the Xia Dynasty’s fate was near and increased their investment in Shang Tang.

To further weaken Jie’s resolve and hasten the dynasty’s downfall, they collaborated to create a stunningly beautiful woman named Mei Xi and had Shang Tang send her to Jie as a gift.

After receiving Mei Xi, Jie sank even deeper into lustful indulgence. Under her influence, he perpetrated widespread cruelty against loyal officials and intensified the exploitation of the common people.

In no time, the entire Xia Dynasty was shrouded in chaos and corruption. Widespread resentment erupted among the populace, and the various lords were openly dissatisfied.