Chapter 124: Xihe's Instruction to the Younger Sister

On the Sun Star, true fire filled the air; people moved through the Fusang Tree, storing the knocked-down mulberry fruits in spiritual bamboo for later use.

"You all keep picking some more; I and Taiyi will go first to suppress the fire poison, then come back."

Di Jun's voice came from afar; Qi raised his head to look, but was blocked by the Fusang Tree's branches and leaves, and from the side came Nüwa's voice, only hearing her shout:

"Alright, you go; this side will likely need to stay a while longer, the Fusang Tree is too dense and also blocks divine sense, making it hard to find."

Qi pushed aside a few mulberry leaves, only to see Nüwa's silhouette not far from him—just a few leaves between them—yet Qi did not notice.

When Qi appeared, Nüwa was also somewhat startled, and said:

"Qi? How did you come here? I thought we were in different directions."

Nüwa hadn't expected the distance between them to be so close; she hadn't noticed at all before being easily approached.

"If the Fusang Tree is used properly, it can also be a weapon against enemies; it is indestructible in itself and has vast karmic entanglements, making people dare not damage it lightly."

"As long as you dodge properly, it is indeed a natural geographical advantage."

Qi sighed beside her, while Nüwa gave him a white-eyed look and said:

"Why do you always think of using it for combat? As I say, the Fusang Tree, such a heaven-earth spiritual treasure located above the sun and not easily moved, how could it be used for battle?"

"Speaking of geographical advantage, on the Sun Star the all-encompassing solar true fire cannot even protect itself; what use is placing the battlefield on the Fusang Tree?"

Qi was momentarily speechless; Nüwa's words were indeed reasonable—those whom even the Sun Star cannot protect would likewise gain little from the Fusang Tree, merely buying a bit of time.

"Don't be lazy, the Fusang Tree covers nearly one-tenth of the entire Sun Star, and the mulberry fruits are extremely small, making them hard to pick; if you keep delaying, even exhausting this eon we won't be able to finish picking them."

Nüwa didn't care about Qi's thoughts, merely urging him constantly not to waste time.

Qi could only change direction and continue picking mulberry fruits; after persisting for ten thousand years, he felt his vision blur and couldn't help but complain:

"Just how many fruits does this Fusang Tree have, why does it seem never to end?"

Someone below pushed aside the leaves; Qi looked down and unexpectedly bumped into Nüwa again.

Seeing that the harvest was not inferior to his own, Qi asked:

"Which direction did you come from? I remember this nearby area should have been completely picked clean."

Nüwa was also somewhat puzzled; seeing her confused, she said:

"I don't know; I've just been picking normally, although I've seen traces of picking before, the harvest is still normal."

The two faced each other in silence, silently turned back, and went again along the path they had previously taken, indeed discovering many omissions.

Qi flew into the air, focused his senses, and discovered that he and Nüwa had actually been on the same small branch all along, and that branch still had many unpicked mulberry fruits; his mindset suddenly shattered, and he said:

"What kind of heaven-defying spiritual root is this, that picking it can torment so much!"

Know that this is merely a small branch called 'small'; given the Fusang Tree's magnitude, what the two have picked is only a drop in the ocean.

Nüwa likewise flew into the air, up to Qi's side, after a detailed examination, her mindset also became somewhat unstable, and she said:

"How did Di Jun and Taiyi used to pick? With such a massive spiritual root, the mulberry fruits are fine and dense; I fear even daily focused picking couldn't finish them."

Qi had no mind to reply, merely constantly thinking about how to increase efficiency.

After a while, Fuxi flew out from a nearby small branch, his face filled with confusion.

Only hearing him say:

"Qi, have you noticed the peculiarity of this mulberry tree? Many places I clearly remember having been picked clean, yet looking back I always find many mulberry fruits."

The three gazed at the Fusang Tree, sinking into contemplation.

"How about we first return to the palace to rest a bit? After Di Jun and Taiyi return, we can discuss how to pick."

"Good!" x2

In response to Qi's proposal, Nüwa and Fuxi voiced their approval in unison.

The Fusang Tree is simply too vast; although picking is not difficult, under the shielding of divine sense, amidst the lush branches and leaves, too many mulberry fruits are missed; continuing to toil would be unwise.

The three returned to the palace where Taiyi and Di Jun formerly resided on the Sun Star; after resting for a thousand years, they saw Taiyi and the two return.

Qi walked into the main hall to greet them; seeing they had no abnormality, he then said:

"Taiyi, Di Jun, you returned so quickly; this trip must have gone smoothly."

Di Jun laughed and said:

"This is natural; since I and Taiyi were born, this matter has never ceased, also counting as a familiar route; now that our cultivation has advanced, if it weren't for casually adjusting yin and yang, we would have returned even earlier by several thousand years."

"I just don't know why; previously yin and yang had never been mixed, yet now they have undergone some change; although it's not a major trouble, it's also our first experience, lacking experience, wasting much time."

"If there is a next time, it will surely be much easier."

Regarding the change in yin and yang, Di Jun and Taiyi still have some doubts; after all, they previously focused on suppressing fire poison, and yin and yang had never erred, yet they don't know why this return brought a problem.

But they don't know that in the past, adjusting yin and yang was always done by Xihe and Changxi; they only needed to focus on suppressing the Sun Star's fire poison.

Now they too have gone to the Wilderness to travel; although the time was short, some imbalance is also normal, especially since the Sun Star back then was extremely active, with huge fluctuations in yang energy.

Mount Buzhou.

Xihe and Changxi also finally completed their cultivation under Pangu's awe-inspiring pressure; now their breaths are full, their bodily Dao solid, suggesting a considerable gain.

"Changxi, we have been away from the Moon Star for a long time; it's time to return, since it's been nearly thirty thousand years since we last adjusted yin and yang, the impact must be significant."

Xihe looked at the evidently still-unsettled Changxi before her, her tone grave as she urged him not to forget his self-reproach.

Changxi, however, smiled somewhat smugly and said:

"Elder sister overthinks; do you still remember the outbreak cycle of the Sun Star's fire poison? I have been timing it."

Upon hearing this, Xihe froze, thought carefully, then suddenly spoke angrily:

"How can you do this! Actually pushing your responsibility onto others to be completed for you!"

"You calculated that the Sun Star's fire poison outbreak cycle is approaching, the Sun Star deity returns, letting him suppress the fire poison while discovering yin-yang imbalance, and having them take over your duty to adjust yin and yang."

"Have you considered that those two have never experienced adjusting yin and yang; if something goes wrong, how would it be resolved?"

"Have you also considered that, after they suppress the Sun Star's fire poison and lack the strength to continue adjusting yin and yang, what then?"

"How can you do this! You and I must quickly return to the Moon Star: first to check for gaps and make up for them, second to accompany me to the Sun Star to apologize!"

Changxi had never seen her sister like this before, feeling somewhat regretful, she could only timidly shout from the side:

"Older sister."

Xihe saw this, knowing that she herself had frightened her, her attitude softened somewhat, but she still insisted on her view, saying:

"Changxi, you must know, regulating yin and yang is our responsibility as innate divine sages."

"Born in the Yin Star, we are only the Heavenly God Star Lords; all this is nurtured by heaven and earth, bearing the mandate of heaven and earth, these are the duties we ought to perform—how could they be left to human hands?"

"Moreover, we are not familiar with them, and they have no responsibility to complete our work; heaven and earth operate, each attending to its own duties—this is the fundamental principle that keeps heaven and earth from falling into chaos and allows them to run normally."

Xihe's earnest advice was only hoping that Changxi could correctly recognize her own responsibility.

Faced with these words, Changxi's eyes reddened, feeling somewhat ashamed and unable to bear it.

Xihe saw this, also knowing that Changxi had taken her words to heart, her attitude then softened, and she tried to make her tone as gentle as possible, saying:

"Little sister, I know you too find it hard to endure the loneliness of the starry sky, but as heavenly gods, isn't the very meaning of our existence just this?"

"Longing for the lively and extraordinary primordial wilderness is human nature, but we must ultimately not forget our responsibility!"

"(End of chapter)"