087 Loud Reproach

The first time she had ever been rebuked to her face, she had been taken by surprise, though the man did not know her true identity and though, deep in her heart, she had already borne all responsibility herself.

Almost everyone had risen to their feet. They hurried toward the doorway, as if driven by panic. If gods truly existed, would they be punished?

The serving boy had wanted nothing more than to rush over and clamp a hand over that man’s mouth. To insult the Princess so recklessly—did the fool not value his own life? Everyone else still had to live! He had not yet acted when the innkeeper stopped him with a look.

Then, in that very instant, everyone in the inn was horrified to discover that the atmosphere had changed in the blink of an eye. Where before there had been the warmth of summer, now there was the cruelty of winter. No—something even more dreadful than winter. There truly was a god, and the Earth Goddess was enraged!

Black filaments drifted through the air, strand after strand winding around people’s throats. Breathing became difficult. Especially for the man who had shouted his accusations at her—he was on the verge of losing even the right to breathe.

He clawed frantically at his own throat, trying to tear away the force that had been imposed upon him, but it was useless.

Terror-stricken, everyone looked at one another. So the gods truly were near, and even Death had never truly left their side. Did that mean all the rumors in the city had been true after all? Perhaps Bai Li City would become the next Fengdu City.

The serving boy struggled to suppress the fear in his heart. He did not know why things had suddenly turned this way. Then a hand quietly closed over his own, and the long-absent air returned to his lungs. At last he was freed from that indescribable suffocation.

The innkeeper held his hand, but signaled him not to make a sound. The boy nodded.

Li Tian watched everything before him. He had already shown restraint. If this had been in the Underworld, these people would already have died without burial. To speak so recklessly of a god’s fault—did they truly wish to die?

Nuo Luo looked at Li Tian in astonishment. Why was he even angrier than she was? Why had he suddenly acted? Did he not realize that such behavior would reveal his identity?

To be fair, Nuo Luo would also have felt wronged upon hearing such accusations. People would never understand what she had sacrificed to rekindle the Sacred Flame of the Earth’s Core, nor what the Earth God’s line had given up so that it might burn forever. All the suffering could only be borne by her alone, and even the reasons behind it she could explain to no one.

But she did not vent her anger on these people. From the day she became the Earth Goddess, she had been destined to shoulder such a burden. And this time, it was indeed her own negligence that had caused matters to erupt so suddenly. Even now, Nuo Luo still did not understand what the mysterious dormant state that had once fallen upon her truly meant.

Besides, these people did not know her real identity. They might have lost relatives in the disaster; the ones they loved might never again see this world. They were merely pouring out the anger in their hearts. Their thoughtless words were not unforgivable. Yet such words had actually provoked Li Tian’s wrath!

Someone was already close to collapse.

Li Tian gave a cold laugh, lifting his fingertips slightly. One more motion, and everyone there would die.

Nuo Luo seized his hand at once, stopping him.

Her fingers were like a warm ray of light that soothed Li Tian’s fury. He looked at her in confusion. Why should she endure such blame?

Nuo Luo only shook her head faintly. She truly did not mind.

Li Tian released his hand, and once again everyone was pulled back from the brink of death by Nuo Luo.

But Nuo Luo erased their memories of the incident. Their final recollection remained fixed on the accusations they had leveled at her.

The guests in the inn changed constantly, and the only things that did not change were Nuo Luo and Li Tian. Neither of them said another word, as though each were lost in deep thought.

Nuo Luo gazed down at the cup before her. The water within had long since gone cold, and in its clear surface only a faint, illusory reflection remained. Li Tian, too, lowered his head slightly. No one knew what he was thinking.

The serving boy had forgotten everything that had happened before. He busied himself warmly attending to the guests who came and went, while from time to time he glanced at that mysterious pair.

The innkeeper was still studying the account book before him, but the smile at the corner of his mouth had grown all the more profound. Though his eyes did not rest on Nuo Luo and the others, every one of their movements remained under his control.

At last, Nuo Luo stood up. She had already obtained all the information she had wanted; there was no further value in staying.

After Nuo Luo and Li Tian left the inn, they slowly made their way to the Earth Goddess Temple.

The solemn temple glowed with a holy radiance beneath the sunlight, gentle and warm, much like its mistress herself.

Nuo Luo raised her eyes toward her home. She did not enter at once, but instead imagined what her reaction would have been if she were merely an ordinary person encountering the temple.

Li Tian looked at the Earth Goddess Temple before him. It was not as grand as the Main God Temple, yet it shared the same basic layout. Around the temple still lingered the inescapable influence of Nuo Luo. He found the aura somewhat familiar, yet also felt that each time he saw Nuo Luo, there was something new to discover.

Night once again descended over Bai Li City. Nuo Luo sat atop the temple, looking up at the star-filled sky for a long time without speaking. Li Tian did not appear. Since night had fallen, he had not shown himself once.

Nuo Luo could not control any of Li Tian’s actions. She could not even order him to leave the human world at once. Fortunately, Li Tian had brought no slaughter, and had not even lightly invoked the power of death.

She did not know where he had gone, nor did she wish to know. Her thoughts were utterly dominated by what had happened that day. A heaviness she could not put into words clung to her heart, an unprecedented sensation.

Then Li Tian’s silhouette appeared beside her, and he sat down as well.

Beneath the night sky, Nuo Luo and Li Tian sat upon the temple, watching Bai Li City sink into dreams and gazing up at the stars unchanged through the ages.

Li Tian looked into the night sky. It was the first time he had seen Nuo Luo so despondent. She seemed troubled by something, submerged in a vast and crushing sorrow.

“Don’t you want to know where I went?” Li Tian asked softly.

Nuo Luo’s gaze remained fixed on the heavens. From the moment Li Tian appeared, she had known he was there, but she did not turn her head. At this moment, sorrow seemed to enshroud her. “If Your Majesty thinks it necessary, you will tell me, won’t you?”

“I would rather you call me by my name.” For the first time, Li Tian did not wish for his identity to put distance between them.

“As for my earlier way of addressing you, please forgive my discourtesy, Your Majesty.” Nuo Luo shook her head. Now that no human beings were present, they had returned to their former identities.

“Even now, we are still in the human world. Why be so formal? Call me by my name. That way, I can forget my identity. Otherwise, if anything unforeseen happens, it will be the one thing neither of us wishes to see.” Li Tian insisted.

Nuo Luo, however, only felt more bewildered. She did not understand what his insistence meant. In any case, it seemed unusual.

“Do you regret what you have given?” Li Tian asked the question that had been on his mind.

Nuo Luo shook her head. “No. I have responsibilities I must bear. Whatever I have given, I have never regretted it.”

“They are questioning your sacrifice. Their words deny what you have given and are an insult to you. Think of what you gave on Sunset Mountain, think of everything you suffered in the Underworld. These foolish humans know nothing. All they know is how to complain.” Li Tian gave a cold laugh. If it were up to him, he would turn them all into restless dead and condemn them to eternal punishment in the waters of the River of Three Crossings.

“Yes. It is precisely because these humans know nothing. They only know that their lives have been affected, only know that their loved ones have lost their lives. As the supreme ruler of the human world, I naturally have to bear all blame. In their eyes, since I enjoy the highest honor, I ought to protect their safety.” Nuo Luo also let out a bitter smile. Should she defend herself? In the face of such great loss, all words were pale and powerless.

Li Tian turned to look into Nuo Luo’s eyes. In those deep pupils there glimmered a brilliance more mysterious than the night itself, and he watched her without blinking.

Nuo Luo felt as though she were being drawn in by some immense force. She was caught helplessly in that gaze. Li Tian’s eyes were like a vortex, binding her so tightly that escape was impossible.

Time stretched so long it seemed to have entered eternity. Nuo Luo chose to flee. She lowered her head slightly and avoided his gaze.

Li Tian continued to look at her. He watched her lower her head, watched her avoidance, watched her silky hair drift past before him, watched her appear so clearly in his sight. He could not describe what he felt at that moment. He only wished that time would stop right there.

Nuo Luo was the strangest goddess he had ever seen. She did not care for power, did not care what she herself had gained, and was even indifferent when her authority was challenged. She protected everyone around her, yet allowed herself to be wounded. She cared for everything, yet neglected herself alone.

“Nuo Luo, what is it that you truly want?” Li Tian suddenly called her by name, that name he had always known yet never had the chance to speak aloud.

Nuo Luo heard her name. That name, called countless times by Niao Niao, was spoken by Li Tian’s lips and seemed to carry a new meaning.

His voice struck through her heart like a bolt of lightning, splitting it open in an instant. Her entire chest trembled uncontrollably.

Li Tian noticed her abnormal reaction. It was the same shock she had felt the first time she heard Nuo Luo call his name.

It was a long while before Nuo Luo managed to steady herself. She was trying to think how to answer his question. What was it that she truly wanted? She did not care for power, and yet she had to possess it, for only then could she better protect this land. But what it was that her heart truly longed for—who could know?