Smoke and Fire [GL] - Chapter 28

Luo Yao calmly surveyed the four individuals.

The Garuda was ranked seventh among the nine Phoenix sons, thus retaining a youthful appearance. He was currently kneeling on the ground, utterly terrified. The Fire Phoenix, having narrowly escaped death, raised his eyes and gazed deeply at her, seemingly dumbstruck.

The eldest man, dressed in profound black, his dark hair tied high, was completely calm and composed. He said, “I can explain, but please withdraw your divine power first, so as not to damage the reputation of the Celestial Realm.”

“Highness Cai Feng, who is truly damaging the Celestial Realm’s reputation?” Luo Yao curved her lips, her gaze falling upon the bl00d-stained girl on the ground, her tone light and gentle.

The man noted her focus and seemed to realize something. He smiled back at her: “Are you referring to the Snow Phoenix? —I apologize. If it is her you mean, you will likely be angered by the story. Then I truly couldn’t explain myself even if I jumped off the Glazed Terrace.”

“You!” Si Yin, who was already annoyed with him, was about to rush forward when she heard him speak to Luo Yao in such a frivolous tone, but Luo Yao, anticipating her move, stopped her.

Luo Yao also smiled: “Cai Feng, I am giving you a chance to speak only because of our friendly relationship. Otherwise, the charge of using private torture on a divine being is enough to turn your jest into reality. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” Cai Feng slightly lowered his head.

Luo Yao continued: “Now, you may remain silent. I want to hear your younger brother speak.”

The Fire Phoenix’s movement paused slightly, but he immediately realized Luo Yao was not referring to him. The others turned their attention to the young man beside them.

The youth instantly shook like a sieve.

He tried to look at Luo Yao, but was intimidated by her tranquil and condescending gaze. He then tried to beg his brother for help, but Cai Feng merely glanced at him sideways, his eyes devoid of any emotion.

No one can save you—he read this message in the eyes of everyone present.

“I’ll talk, I’ll talk… High Goddess Azure Luan, when your divine carriage passed the Glazed Terrace, my third brother, the Fire Phoenix, sincerely complimented you, but this person—” The more he spoke, the angrier he got. He simply raised his whip and pointed at the Snow Phoenix, his voice gradually rising. “She actually publicly embarrassed my third brother! She even almost rushed up and collided with your divine carriage, nearly ruining the consecration ceremony!”

Luo Yao said calmly: “Is that so?”

The youth could not discern Luo Yao’s stance. His mind was full of the widespread “Azure Luan and Fire Phoenix” gossip in the Celestial Realm. He thought that as long as he used the Fire Phoenix as a shield, what was there to fear from a lower-ranking deity?

Therefore, he nodded repeatedly, as if speaking from the bottom of his heart: “Yes, yes! High God Fire Phoenix’s deep admiration for you is known to everyone in the Celestial Realm. Only the Snow Phoenix constantly opposes my third brother. My second and third brothers punishing her privately this time was also to save you from embarrassment, please be discerning!”

Upon hearing this, Si Yin, who had been itching to tear them apart, stopped speaking. She raised an eyebrow, a blend of composure and a hint of pity in her expression.

Others didn’t understand Luo Yao, but she did. The moment the Golden-winged Dapeng brought up Luo Yao herself in an attempt to change the subject, regardless of whose fault it was this time, the Snow Phoenix could no longer be at fault.

“You just said the Fire Phoenix deeply admires me, and everyone in the Celestial Realm knows it?” Luo Yao leaned in slightly, meeting the youth’s eyes with a smile. “Did I hear that correctly?”

The youth, utterly clueless, was about to nod in confusion when the Fire Phoenix immediately pressed him down from behind, his voice strained: “Shut up at once!”

—The moment he heard the Dapeng open his mouth, he knew things were going south. Before the boy could utter more shocking words, he had to cut their losses.

“High Goddess Azure Luan, Your Highness is the Chief of all Deities, the favored deity of the Buddha. No deity is qualified to be compared with you. Therefore, please do not listen to this child’s nonsense,” he took a deep breath and bowed towards Luo Yao.

“—I admire your divinity, but I would never harbor any thought of profaning you. Please forgive my presumptuous reverence.”

Si Yin pursed her lips beside them: The Fire Phoenix’s reaction was quite quick-witted.

“Hmm,” Luo Yao smiled softly. “In that case, everything the Dapeng said before was nonsense, and I won’t pursue it. However, I believe I still have a responsibility to address the matter of you siblings fighting among yourselves.”

Cai Feng immediately said, “We accept whatever judgment you pass.”

“The Golden-winged Dapeng, having physically harmed a divine being, bears the greatest responsibility. He is to be sent to the Buddhist Land for three thousand years of solitary cultivation, and must not return without a summons. Cai Feng and Jin Feng (Golden Phoenix) for aiding and abetting, and failing to report, are penalized with three years of reciting scriptures day and night in the Buddhist Hall.”

She scanned the three individuals sequentially, finally landing on the slightly pale girl’s face. She smiled, stating meaningfully: “Highness Snow Phoenix is innocent. Please refrain from jumping off the Glazed Terrace again, alright?”

The Dapeng’s face instantly went pale.

Cai Feng quickly led the other two to bow and depart.

A fine, continuous curtain of rain fell. Looking up from here, one saw the boundless Buddhist light of the Nine Heavens, magnificent palaces piercing the clouds, and endlessly falling petals. Looking down, one saw a bottomless void.

Luo Yao accepted the umbrella from Si Yin and slowly walked to the edge of the Glazed Terrace. Layers of golden mist enveloped her, as if urging her to leave.

She gazed at the void, her long eyelashes slightly lowered, her tone gentle: “If you cannot completely demonize, descending from here would be more terrifying than the Celestial Realm.”

The girl realized Luo Yao was speaking to her.

She strained to prop up her upper body, staring at the breathtakingly beautiful back holding the oil-paper umbrella.

“I understand. In fact, once…” She opened her mouth, forcibly swallowing the rest of the sentence. “I won’t easily become a demon.”

Luo Yao suddenly turned back to look at her.

“What is your birth name?”

The girl slightly bowed her head: “Shang Min.”

“Min?” Luo Yao slightly furrowed her brow. “To be confused and lost is Min. It’s not a good name.”

“Your Highness, my given name only had the character ‘Shang.’ This name was given by folk opera, and I just adopted it.” The girl looked up at her anxiously. “I would be honored if Your Highness would bestow a name upon me.”

Luo Yao nodded, pondered with lowered eyes for a moment, and said softly: “I won’t change it too drastically. I’ll keep half of your original character structure, and take the meaning of quiet tranquility. How about Shang Mian? Do you find that acceptable?”

The girl was stunned for a long time.

As a low-ranking deity, she knew she should avoid the Fire Phoenix’s sharp edges, but when she heard the Fire Phoenix loudly proclaim his admiration for Luo Yao, she felt an unprecedented, inexplicable surge of fury.

At first, she didn’t understand, but later she realized it was the anger of her highest divine ideal being defiled.

And now.

The Divine Being was blessing her with quiet tranquility.

She struggled to look up at that person’s face, her voice trembling as she said: “…Yes.”

Luo Yao walked towards her.

In the boundless rain, Luo Yao, in her bright red gongfu robe, looked down at her with ultimate tenderness. The oil-paper umbrella in her hand tilted slightly towards her.

“Come with me,” Luo Yao said softly.

“Yes.”

Without hesitation.

Luo Yao smiled charmingly. Si Yin, stretching and yawning widely beside them, mumbled indistinctly: “Alright, alright, she said we were going for a walk, but instead she punished three and took in one… Sigh, and in the end, I’m the one to pick up the injured. Just a tool, I guess?”

Luo Yao chuckled, patting her on the shoulder: “I didn’t realize High Goddess Si Yin was so full of complaints? It’s fine this time, I’ll do it.”

At this, even Si Yin was startled, let alone Shang Mian herself.

“I… Your Highness…” she stammered, trying to say something, but Luo Yao had already put her arm around her waist, skillfully avoiding the injured area, guiding her to lean her weight onto herself.

Shang Mian recoiled instinctively as if she had been shocked, but Luo Yao said to her without room for doubt: “Relax, or I will be angry.”

That single sentence settled her down.

Soon after, gossip circulated privately throughout the Celestial Realm. One was the news of the three Phoenix sons being successively punished. The second was that the Azure Luan High God was seen personally supporting a lower-ranking deity into the Azure Luan Temple, closely attended by the Si Yin High Goddess.

Because no one could or dared to think deeply about it, everyone was secretive about the connection between the two matters.

Meanwhile, the person at the center of the event, Shang Mian, was standing awkwardly beside a beautifully and intricately designed bathing pool less than an hour later.

Well-trained maidens from the Holy Palace filed in, wearing uniform, airy sheer gauze. They silently moved past her, placing incense, fragrances, silk, and luxurious clothing on the jade platform before bowing and retiring.

Steam billowed around the bathing pool, the light soft and dim.

Just then, a very light sound of footsteps came from behind her.

“My apologies, have you been waiting long?”

Shang Mian looked over at the sound and completely froze.

—Luo Yao had changed out of that extremely complex ceremonial gongfu robe. She was now wearing only a single layer of almost transparent, soft sheer gauze. Her ink-black hair flowed down her chest like a waterfall. The neckline was so deep that Shang Mian dared not look.

Seeing Shang Mian’s lack of reaction, Luo Yao moved slightly closer and smiled apologetically: “I made a decision privately without asking your consent. But your injury cannot wait, and my magic power is water-attributed, so using the bath here is more comfortable than cold water. Do you mind?”

Shang Mian heard her own stiff reply: “N-no, I don’t mind.”

Luo Yao then curved her eyes and stepped into the pool from the edge, her head of blue-black hair spreading out in the water.

She was completely enveloped in the pervasive white mist. Her voice sounded hazy and ethereal, carrying a hint of urging: “You can come in now.”

Shang Mian…

Shang Mian was about to lose it.

Luo Yao’s garment was already negligible. Once soaked by the pool water, it clung tightly to her body, clearly revealing even the collarbone beneath the neckline.

Shang Mian moved her gaze away as if electrocuted, stammering in panic: “Y-Your Highness, I’m covered in bl00d. I’ll dirty your pool…”

Realizing what she was saying, Luo Yao chuckled helplessly and lightly pointed at her from across the water. Shang Mian immediately felt an undeniable force generate from behind, gently pushing her into the steaming water.

Luo Yao, prepared for this, supported her waist from behind and pulled her into the deeper part of the bath. This was a good thing, as almost everything was concealed by the thick white mist.

But it was also a bad thing, because with her vision obscured, Luo Yao’s scent and presence became even more pronounced.

A tranquil sandalwood scent mixed with wisps of floral fragrance.

Like a blooming tree next to an incense altar.

“Relax a little, Highness Snow Phoenix.”

Luo Yao’s voice lightly sounded from behind her: “Why are you so nervous?”

Next Step: This scene is a pivotal point in the development of Luo Yao and Shang Mian’s relationship.