Chapter 310: with translation of chapter title

Qi looked at Nüwa before him and said with a light smile:

"Look at you like this, Di Jun's heavenly marriage probably poses no problem; I also have no objection to taking another dao partner, but you seem not to have considered whether Daoist friend Gouhui will agree or not."

"In this wilderness, few are worthy of my goddess; besides Daoist friend Gouhui, only you remain. If Gouhui does not agree, what then?"

"Daoist friend Gouhui is the very picture of purity; even Dong Wanggong, who initially united with the Great Dao, did not agree, otherwise his yin-yang union would have made the Heavenly Court's acquisition far from easy."

"My association with him is merely reluctant; given his devotion to the Dao, what you have in mind is likely difficult."

"Nüwa was startled; she had only been thinking of merit, overlooking Gouhui's character, and it seems what Qi said may indeed have some plausibility."

Looking at Qi before her, full of teasing intent, Nüwa, somewhat annoyed and embarrassed, said:

"I am doing this for your own good, yet you act like this, utterly indifferent—how could anyone bring you a marriage prospect like that?"

"Qi, however, wore a full smile and spoke frankly: 'My acquaintance with Daoist friend Gouhui is merely casual; if we were to form a marriage bond, it would be solely for merit, the Great Dao, the female immortal's fortune, and heavenly dao blessings.'"

"I am indifferent, naturally because I do not care; success or failure makes no difference to me—if Gouhui is unwilling, I can simply find another."

"However, I have set my heart on this earthly marriage; since you have come seeking it, we must see it through properly—if we cannot find a marriage partner, then you shall take their place."

Qi said, his smile deepening, his eyes full of teasing: 'I think Fuxi would not object either; he would likely be even happier to become kin through us.'

"It is difficult for the offspring of primordial gods to be born; for one who bears their own dao lineage, how could an outsider's disciple be more suitable than one's own child?"

"With the blessings of the heavenly dao, the birth of offspring is basically assured; though I pursue the Great Dao, the dao lineage is paramount—if we could have an heir to inherit it, that would naturally be splendid."

Nüwa, hearing this, showed a hint of strangeness on her face, though her expression remained utterly calm; yet when she spoke she spat: 'What you wish for is a fine thing, but if your elder brother heard, he would surely kick you out of heaven—how could he be pleased by this?'

"It's only because we are familiar; otherwise I would not let you know the dignity of future sages."

"Though there is nothing wrong between us, and I bear you no ill will, being overly familiar makes switching roles inevitably somewhat awkward."

"But since the one chosen for the earthly marriage is you, I will naturally not change my stance; allow me first to persuade Daoist friend Gouhui—if that truly fails, then our marriage bond would also be acceptable."

"There is no love between Nüwa and Qi; her agreement is exactly as Qi said, for the sake of dao lineage transmission—how could an outsider surpass one's own offspring?"

"As for Qi's choice of marriage partner, compared to Gouhui, he actually leans more toward Nüwa, after all, offspring conceived under Nüwa's way of creation would possess talents and foundations rivaling the best in the world."

"As the inheritor of the dao lineage, there is no doubt this is the best choice, bearing the bloodlines of two top primordial gods; one could almost say that from birth onward, they have already surpassed the vast majority of cultivators in the wilderness."

Qi pondered, then spoke to Nüwa again:

"Actually, whether Daoist friend Gouhui goes or not makes no difference; compared to him, you and I are undoubtedly the more suitable choice."

"Both being deities of the serpent sign, you are one of the future sages of heaven and earth, while I too am among those in the wilderness who have proven the Dao and attained the status of Mixed Yuan Supreme Luo Heavenly God, one of the most promising."

"One could even say we are the most promising; if we unite, the offspring born would take my purity and your creation, under the blessings of the heavenly dao, and their talents would not necessarily fall short of those top primordial gods."

"Only thus can they be the sole candidates to bear our dao lineage; the way of creation is arduous in cultivation—you know this yourself—aside from offspring, do you see any mortals?"

"Nüwa fell silent at once; Qi's Yunmeng Ze dao lineage, if lacking heirs, still has Pingyi as a successor, and though the purification of the Great Dao is difficult, there remains some chance to find a transmitter."

"But she cultivates the Great Dao of Creation; up to now, aside from that freak of the River of Darkness, not even mortals, let alone added primordial gods, have few who enter the path."

"As for the River of Darkness, it itself is one of the few top primordial gods in the wilderness, with hopes of proving the Great Dao and attaining the status of Mixed Yuan Supreme Luo Heavenly God—how could it possibly transmit her dao lineage?"

After repeated hesitation, Nüwa finally spoke:

"Let us wait awhile; after I first try the matters of Di Jun and Taiyi, Xihe and Changxi, and confirm the heavenly marriage, then we can discuss the earthly marriage."

"After all, the heavenly, earthly, and human marriages have their own order; planning now would be premature, and as for what you said, let me consider it further."

Qi nodded, without any urge to rush; as seekers of the Dao, we weigh the Dao and transmission above all, love being merely a garnish—since Nüwa has spoken thus, she will surely agree.

At this moment, urging serves only to show one's own impatience and is otherwise useless; as for how long Nüwa wishes to ponder, Qi is not worried.

For primordial gods, time is the most useless thing; without offspring, Qi still has Pingyi and Ao Xing as backups—what is there to rush about?

"It's fine; after all, marriage ties are of great significance, needing some time for consideration is normal—I shall simply await good news."

"However, regarding the reasoning, you might as well ask Fuxi; as an elder brother, he ought to have the right to know."

Nüwa nodded, turned and went to seek Di Jun and Taiyi; the earthly marriage is still far off, for now the most important thing is to settle the heavenly marriage, and she also hopes to use the merit of the heavenly marriage to cut away her second corpse.

Di Jun gazed at Nüwa before him; hearing her words about himself and Changxi, he almost thought he had inadvertently exposed himself.

Fortunately, upon hearing that Nüwa spoke of the heavenly marriage, Di Jun gradually calmed, let out a long sigh of relief in his heart, and said: 'Since you have a plan, and the chosen parties are quite suitable, then let it be as you wish—I have no objection; however, you still need to consult Xihe and Taiyi.'

Nüwa, hearing Di Jun's agreement, felt somewhat relieved, turned and first went to seek Changxi, after all, one must proceed in pairs.

When Nüwa went to seek Changxi, she happened to find Xihe accompanying Changxi, so she simply spoke with both of them together.

Upon hearing Nüwa discuss the marriage between herself and Di Jun, Changxi was nearly overcome with joy; they had loved each other for a long time, and he promptly agreed.

Xihe also had no objection, for Di Jun and Changxi are truly a perfect match of the Great Dao, whether in cultivation or status.

As for herself and Taiyi, Xihe also did not object, since on the Great Dao there is no conflict between them; though yin and yang with the sun are not an ideal pairing, they at least have some relation.

Furthermore, with Changxi's encouragement nearby, Xihe naturally also wished to try a bit; after all, heavenly dao blessings bring fortune and merit, beneficial to cultivation, and the appeal is considerable.

Seeing both agree, Nüwa seemed already to behold the imminent merit, and eagerly went to seek Taiyi.

"Marriage? Nüwa, you know me; aside from the Great Dao, the only things I care about are my elder brother and you few friends." "You are like me pursuing the Way of the Sun—aside from the Sun, I accept no external ways, and likewise for outsiders; there's no need to discuss marriage, I have no interest in it."

Taiyi's expression remained calm as he looked at Nüwa before him, gave a slight shake of the head, and said: 'I devote my heart to the Dao, pursue the ultimate yang, and pay no heed to external things.'

As for Nüwa's words about marriage, he merely sneered; the merit, fortune, and dao lineage she spoke of meant nothing to him.

Nüwa, rejected by Taiyi, felt a bit clearer in heart, but soon began to struggle again.

After all, Xihe and Changxi had both agreed, and she had previously sworn to guarantee it, yet now a problem arose at Taiyi's side, leaving Nüwa momentarily unsure how to explain to Xihe.

But Nüwa is not one who shirks responsibility; since things have come to this, she too must bear the burden, and after bidding farewell to Taiyi, she spoke softly:

"'Since Taiyi has refused, I have fallen short in Xihe's regard; I ought to go apologize now. The outcome cannot be changed, but fortunately there is no loss.'"

"'For future conduct, I shall take this as a warning: words should not be spoken in excess, for overflow comes when water is full, waning when the moon is full, and reversal when things reach extremes.'"

After composing her feelings, Nüwa returned to the palace where Xihe and Changxi resided; just as she entered, she said with a sense of indebtedness: 'This is my fault; my words were too presumptuous. Xihe, Daoist friend, on this visit I did not consider Taiyi's nature—his single-minded devotion to the Dao, with nothing else.'

"'Now having suffered refusal, it runs contrary to my earlier words, yet it has damaged the Daoist friend's reputation; I truly feel remiss toward them. This is my fault; if the Daoist friend has any demands, they may freely state them, and I will do my utmost to make amends.'"

Nüwa's face was full of regret and apology, while Xihe and Changxi were somewhat taken aback; Xihe hurriedly said:

"'What does this have to do with Your Majesty, the Empress Nüwa? You need not act thus; since no loss was suffered, what talk is there of compensation?'"

"'Your Majesty, the Eastern Emperor, is one who wholeheartedly pursues the Dao; it is normal to have no interest in marital affairs. On the contrary, it is Xihe who has overthought things, and in fact has bothered Your Majesty to come here.'"

Your Majesty favors us, willing to share with us an opportunity to gain some merit—this is a good thing, but it's merely that Xihe's fortune is thin, leaving her with no chance; Your Majesty, where does the blame lie?

Xihe and Changxi urged and persuaded several times, after which Nüwa finally relented; but having lost the opportunity, Xihe inevitably still felt a bit disappointed.

Changxi and Xihe are as close as siblings; seeing this, he also felt somewhat uneasy, but he knew this couldn't be blamed on Nüwa. Seeming to think of something, Changxi suddenly asked, 'Nüwa Your Majesty, I wonder, in this heavenly marriage's affinity, is there any limit on the number of people?'

Nüwa found it a bit strange upon hearing, but after careful thought she replied: 'I had not considered this before, but observing the hint, there is indeed no requirement on the number; precisely because of this, I had previously thought to match Taiyi with Xihe, but unexpectedly…'

Nüwa did not finish her words, but everyone knew what she meant.

Upon hearing the answer he wanted, Changxi's eyes lit up, and he asked again:

Nüwa Your Majesty, you said if I were to marry the Heavenly Emperor together with my sister, would that be possible?

Nüwa was instantly shocked; although innate deities do not care about gender or love, the idea of sisters entrusting themselves to one person was unheard of to her.

Xihe, hearing this, was even more startled and said:

Younger sister, you… this…

Xihe did not know how to continue; after a moment, she spoke dimly:

Younger sister, why have you come to this?

Changxi, however, laughed and said:

We are as close as siblings; from birth we have been together, never having been separated.

I thought that if sister could be with the Donghuang Emperor, a temporary separation would be fine; though I am happy for her, my heart inevitably feels a bit of loss.

But since sister and the Donghuang Emperor now have no possibility, it would be better to marry the Heavenly Emperor together with me; that too is a good option.

Moreover, we need not part, and can continue to be together, which is even more to my liking; how could this not be wonderful?

As for the Heavenly Emperor, I think if he knew, he would surely not oppose; gaining a Dao companion whose Dao aligns with the Great Dao would surely please him.

Nüwa Your Majesty, if this is possible, could you please make another trip for us sisters to consult with the Heavenly Emperor? If he does not mind, then we sisters will both marry him.

Xihe found it somewhat hard to accept, but facing her younger sister's wholehearted goodwill, she did not know how to refuse; after thinking, she said: 'Younger sister, are you truly thinking this? You have been in love with the Heavenly Emperor for a long time; do not, because of our feelings, wrong yourself.'

Moreover, we two sisters would serve the same person; how would outsiders view this? And where would you place your reputation?

Changxi, however, said indifferently: 'As long as we two sisters are not separated, how the mundane people of the world view it is none of my business; if sister does not disdain me, what grievance do I have?'

Xihe was speechless; besides feeling moved, she also felt somewhat chaotic and mixed; helpless, she could only look toward Nüwa beside her and say: 'That might still require another effort from Nüwa Your Majesty; but for us sisters to be like this, it would merely make Nüwa Your Majesty see a joke.'

Nüwa originally intended to compensate Xihe, and moreover the sisters' deep affection moved her greatly; she immediately responded:

Just going back and forth once more—what trouble could there be? You two are even more deeply sisterly affection; I am moved and have not yet had time, how could there be any joke?

Please wait a moment; I will go and return shortly; however, this matter ultimately still requires a letter from Dao friend Changxi, so that I may also speak with Emperor Jun then.

Changxi laughed and said:

What's wrong with a single letter? The Heavenly Emperor truly has good fortune, to have two goddesses willing to devote themselves to him.

Nüwa smiled but said nothing; in her heart she thought of Qi and Gouhui and herself; since Emperor Jun could have such fortune, what about herself?

Whether Qi also has this possibility? After thinking, Nüwa looked at Xihe and Changxi before her, her heart still shook her head, abandoning this thought.

Gouhui and I are different from Xihe and Changxi; although we have interacted, we have not reached their level of affection.

Moreover, the two are truly the top tier of innate deities in the present wilderness, all having the possibility to prove the Dao; if it were merely a simple marriage bond, that would be fine, but two women serving one husband—this should be impossible.

PS: Gouhui+Nüwa, or Nüwa alone— which do you all prefer? (End of chapter)