Shortly after the arrival of the ashen-haired woman, several other notable figures began appearing one after another. This included an effeminate youth, who, contrasting nearly everyone else in the hall, appeared in relatively modern clothes that consisted of a black and white windbreaker, a white undershirt, green shorts, black leggings, and tennis shoes that had flames embossed on their sides. Their hair was done up in strange, almost horn-like twin-tails, and, were it not for the fact they had an open shirt, most people would readily mistake the youth as female.
Though he wasn’t sure what he had expected, Vahn was moderately surprised when he heard one of the youth’s companions, another effeminate youth with snowy-blue hair and diminutive dragon horns, refer to them as Nezha. They were trying to tell Nezha not to cause any trouble, but, almost as soon as these words left their mouth, the androgynous teen’s crimson eyes settled on the ashen-haired woman seated at a higher position than he was.
“Who the hell are you?”
As everyone in the hall had been wondering the same thing, none of the Gods that would normally rein in Nezha bothered to say anything. In response, the ashen-haired woman gazed at him with an impassive, clearly false smile as she answered, “My name is Vor Valkyria. It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Nezha.”
Hearing the woman refer to Nezha as ‘Lady’, Vahn, for the first time in centuries, had to question his eyesight. He became even more confused when Nezha adopted a scowl before kicking the table in front of the woman and exclaiming, “I’m the Third Lotus Prince! How dare you refer to me as Lady!” with a visible flush on their cheeks. This caused the pale-haired youth standing behind him to palm his forehead while everyone else watched on with visible amusement in their eyes.
Despite having a table kicked into her face, completely ruining the neatly organized spread of tea and entrees, Vor hardly reacted to Nezha’s provocative actions. She didn’t even blink when a bit of oyster sauce got in her eye. Instead, she just stared impassively at Nezha as she stated, “I apologize if my words have offended you. However, I must ask that you cease your hostility. There is no glory awaiting you at the end of this path.”
Rather than staring into Vor’s eyes, Nezha’s crimson gems were focused on the noodles and liquid pooling in the ashen-haired woman’s rather ample cleavage. Her white bodysuit only covered the lower half of her chest. As a result, there was a rather deep line dividing the two sizeable mounds on her chest. A line that was now garnished with egg noodles and pork broth.
With his/her left brow twitching, Nezha appeared as if they were moments away from trashing the entire venue. Before s/he could, a fiery pagoda manifested above them before slamming down and pinning Nezha to the floor. At the same time, a paradoxically heroic yet diabolical-looking man in obsidian-black armor reminiscent of a Chinese warlord appeared within the banquet hall, saying, “I take my eyes off you for ten minutes and you’re already trying to start a fight…”
As there were very few people that used a pagoda as their primary weapon, Vahn wasn’t surprised when one of the servants cried out, “It’s the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King, Lord Li Jing…!”
While numerous stories dedicated Li Jing as a mortal man who had cultivated his way to godhood, others depicted him as one of the Four Heavenly Kings, specifically Vaisravana. Said God shared an origin with Bishamonten, so, while he had later learned all about Chinese Folklore, Vahn had been aware of the existence of Li Jing since before his encounter with Kenshin…
With flames appearing from their feet, Nezha thrashed about beneath the fiery pagoda, shouting, “You damned geezer! If you don’t let me go this instant, I’ll…I’ll…I’ll tell Sister Wu to beat you up…!”
Hearing Nezha’s threat, Li Jing could be seen visibly paling beneath their horned, multi-tiered war helmet. Despite this, his expression remained stern as he increased the sealing effect of the pagoda and said, “You are mistaken if you think you can threaten me in such a manner. Even if I must suffer a beating, I will do what I must to ensure you behave properly…”
Though Nezha was legendary for their speed and power, the pagoda wielded by his father was one of the greatest sealing artifacts in the Heavenly Domain. It could capture any spirit, demon, or god within its walls, and, so long as the wielder possessed no ill will towards the imprisoned, it was nigh-impossible to escape without achieving enlightenment or vowing to change your ways.
Having spent hundreds of years within the aforementioned pagoda, Nezha’s expression darkened as they gradually ceased their struggling. They were far from calm, but, understanding they had no choice but to capitulate, they glared at the ashen-haired Vor and growled, “We’ll settle this during the ranking competition…”
Hearing Nezha’s words, Vor ceased staring at the pale-haired youth who was standing a few meters away. She didn’t really understand why the youthful-looking god/dess was antagonistic toward her, but, as a Valkyrie, she never shied away from a battle. Thus, with a hint of a smile, she stated, “Very well.” in an indifferent-sounding yet audibly expectant tone.
Snorting through their nose, Nezha waited until the fiery pagoda weighing them down disappeared before rising to their feet and dusting off their clothes. The pagoda was wholly incapable of causing harm, so, despite feeling as though it weighed more than a planet while active, it hadn’t even left an indentation on the carpet.
After flaring the collar of their windbreaker, Nezha turned towards their horned companion before pausing when they noticed how pale the latter had become.
“What’s your problem? Need to take a shit…?”
With a rather fierce blush, the blue-haired youth shouted, “Nezha!” with a fretful and remarkably embarrassed expression on their face. This caused a toothy grin to spread across Nezha’s face, and, though they were missing one of their canines, they managed to appear friendly and approachable as they teased, “What? It’s nothing to be ashamed of~”
Balling their hand into a fist, the blue-haired youth, who Vahn assumed to be Ao Bing, appeared as though they were about to knock Nezha upside the head. Instead, they briefly cast their cerulean eyes towards Vor before promptly turning away and saying, “I’m going…” in a markedly cold tone.
Realizing they may have gone too far, Nezha immediately barred Ao Bing’s passage, saying, “Oh, come on, Bing-Bing! You know I was just playing around! Please don’t pout…!”
Huffing in response to Nezha’s words, Ao Bing attempted to walk around them but Nezha kept blocking the way. Fortunately, just as the temperature around them began to decrease, yet another notable figure appeared in the hall. Ao Bing was among the first to notice their presence, but, soon after, nearly every person in the hall had shifted their attention to the ethereal beauty that had just entered alongside a veritable horde of fair-skinned maidens with hairstyles reminiscent of rabbits…
With luminescent skin reminiscent of moonlight, golden eyes that seemed to draw in everything, and silvery-white hair fashioned into a hybrid style between an Empress cut and rabbit ears, even people unfamiliar with her would be able to identify this particular Goddess. She was considered to be the most beautiful woman in the Heavenly Domain, and, according to many, a candidate for the most beautiful in the entire Little Garden.
“Wow, she really is quite something, isn’t she…?”
Hearing Vahn’s words, Mikoto was liberated from the momentary reverie she, and nearly everyone in the hall had fallen into. Then, despite knowing exactly who the Goddess was, she asked, “Is that supposed to be Chang’e? What’s she doing here…?”
Nodding his head in response to her first question, a smile spread across Vahn’s face as he lightly mused, “I would think that’s pretty obvious considering the people in her escort…”
As if she had only just noticed the presence of others, Mikoto stared at the group surrounding Chang’e before palming her head and muttering, “Of course…”
While most people in the hall were focused exclusively on Chang’e, one of the young girls standing next to her was searching around the hall. When she noticed Vahn, her face practically lit up as she tugged on Chang’e’s sleeve before whispering something into the silvery-haired Goddess’s ear. In response, Chang’e immediately looked over, a faint smile developing across her face as she and her entourage made a slow and graceful beeline towards the wryly smiling Vahn.
Seeing the Goddess of their hearts approaching the man they were already envious of, nearly every male God in the hall radiated a not-so-subtle bloodlust. They seemed to have completely forgotten about Nezha, so, as could be expected, the boyish yet apparently female God immediately blocked Chang’e’s path, asking, “What are you doing here, Chang’e? You aren’t even ranked. This is no place for pacifists and children.”
As if only just noticing Nezha’s presence, Chang’e briefly shifted her attention from Vahn to look down at the slightly shorter tomboy and answer, “Though I have never used it, the Most Revered and August Matriarch has given me the option to attend Lord Zao’s banquet at my leisure. If Lord Nezha would be so kind as to step aside, this little one would greatly appreciate it…”
Though they glared at Chang’e with an expression that resembled someone who had swallowed a bug, Nezha was well aware of the fact their father was currently glaring dagger at them. Thus, after a moment of hesitation, they muttered, “Whatever.” before placing their hands in their pocket and walking past the group of rabbit-like girls. Ao Bing quickly followed suit, but, before stepping past the group of Goddesses, they politely cupped their hands and mouthed an apology.
Returning a smile, Chang’e performed a simple curtsy that was emulated by each of the girls in her group before promptly continuing on her way. This caused the hatred of everyone God the room to immediately shift back to Vahn, who, in response to the approaching group, rose to his feet before casually cupping his hands and saying, “This is quite the pleasant surprise. It’s a pleasure to see you again, Xiao Yue. And, if I’m not mistaken, I believe you are Chang’e? You are even more elegant and beautiful than the legends dictate.”
Having heard similar praises countless times, Chang’e offered a faint smile in response to Vahn’s compliment while Xiao Yue, happy to be acknowledged before her mother, adopted a delighted smile as she politely cupped her hands and said, “I am pleased to see you again, Senior. I pray the fates have been kind to you since our last encounter.”
Resisting the urge to point out she was likely much older than him, Vahn offered a curt nod and a polite smile in response to Xiao Yue’s words. This earned him an inquisitive look from Chang’e, who, even prior to her ascension as a Goddess, had been the center of everyone’s attention. She found it odd that he was able to focus on other people when she was less than two meters away from him…
Noticing the subtle change in Chang’e’s countenance, Vahn’s smile became noticeably wry as he asked, “To what do I owe the pleasure of this meeting…?”
Raising her brows ever so slightly, the curiosity in Chang’e’s eyes increased as she remarked, “How peculiar…your words make it seem as though you’re in a hurry to be through with this conversation. Does my presence…inconvenience you…?”
Shifting her attention to Fenrir and Mikoto, a hint of surprise manifested within Chang’e’s golden, moon-like eyes. She had already sensed Fenrir’s Yin constitution, but, now that they were standing less than two meters apart, she could also sense the terrifyingly powerful aura hidden deep within Mikoto’s body. It was so potent that, for a brief moment, she felt as though a bolt of lightning had struck her body…
Noticing the shudder that ran through Chang’e’s body the moment she made eye contact with Mikoto, Vahn’s wry smile eased into one of amusement as he answered, “I would never say your presence is an inconvenience. It’s just, this isn’t exactly the best venue for a polite conversation…”
Coming back to her senses in response to Vahn’s words, Chang’e offered an appreciative smile, stating, “Perhaps not…” before soldering her hands over the center of her chest. A luminescent golden light immediately emerged from her bosom, and, moments later, a pristine white rabbit emitting a similar glow appeared in her embrace as she explained, “This is my beloved pet, Xiao Yu…please take her with you. Once you are available, you need not send anyone to inform us. We will come to you.”
As if it wasn’t up for discussion, Chang’e handed over the little white rabbit whose name, despite sounding similar to Yue’s, meant Jade. Then, without a single additional word, she smiled toward Fenrir and Mikoto before promptly departing the banquet hall with her entourage of rabbit-like girls following close behind…
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(A/N: Alternate Titles: ‘Nezha is that sporty girl at an all-girls high school that everyone refers to as Prince xD…’,’Vor is going to fuck you up…’,’Now that I think about it, Vahn has a remarkable affinity with moon goddesses and rabbits…’)
