Chapter Text
Lord Yunzhong had been trying to ignore the change in the cultivation of the Three Realms, although if he bothered to think about it, it was quite evident that somehow, somewhere, his arch enemy Dongfang Qingcang had returned. He hoped, miraculously, he would turn out to be mistaken.
However, when a red and green embossed scroll covered in gold characters arrived at the Yunzhong Water Pavilion, he found he could no longer pretend Dongfang Qingcang was still somewhere out in the void.
He swelled up with rage as he looked at the scroll. “Get my brother!” he barked at the soldiers.
It took Changheng much longer to come than it should have done. He had been terribly disobedient and dilatory for the last five hundred years. Yunzhong resented it extremely: it reminded him of their mother. He was even more irritated when he saw his brother had not bothered to change out of mortal clothing.
“What are you doing?” he hissed, as his brother bowed and performed the correct obeisances. “What is this clothing?”
“I was in Yunmeng Lake,” said Changheng, ignoring his rage. “You wished to speak to me, Lord Yunzhong?”
“This!” said Yunzhong. “This! It cannot be.” He handed the scroll to Changheng.
Changheng unrolled it, and read it quickly.
Yunzhong caught the quick wince of discomfort. “You’re upset! See, it is unacceptable!”
His brother rolled up the scroll and handed it back to him. “I am not going to marry a woman who doesn’t love me, Lord Yunzhong. We’ve been through this numerous times.”
“You were betrothed to the Goddess for thirty thousand years!” exclaimed Yunzhong. “She should not have ended the engagement!”
“She was entirely within her rights to end the engagement,” said Changheng.
“Don’t pretend that you don’t go down to the mortal world and drown your sorrows with wine.” Yunzhong scolded him, gesturing at his brother’s flushed cheeks.
“That’s my business,” said Changheng. “Anyway, it is imperative for the dignitaries of Shuiyuntian to attend this wedding.”
“It is in Cangyan Sea,” said Yunzhong. “I do not go to Cangyan Sea.”
“It’s the obvious venue. The Goddess will be Moon Queen as well as Goddess of Xishan, and Dongfang Qingcang will no doubt wish to stage a triumphal and dramatic return in his homeland—”
“Humph,” said Yunzhong. “He will be very boastful.”
Changheng smiled. “Of course. I would expect nothing less.” He paused. “Consider freeing Lord Liyuan, so he can attend. Five hundred years is a sufficient time pay for his sins, I think, Lord Yunzhong.”
Yunzhong frowned and said bitterly, “The good news just keeps coming.”