The Moon Goddess

Once upon a time in ancient China, a beautiful Moon Goddess named Lingzhi lived. For many years, she resided peacefully in her heavenly palace, listening to the lulling notes of music while entertaining the gods and goddesses with her unrivalled beauty and grace. Then one night, while admiring the night sky, Lingzhi encountered an unwelcome and influential figure -- the King of Hell.

She had never seen a more magnificent or captivating creature, and they soon fell madly in love. Since the two came from different planes of existence, they were forced to keep their love a secret. But after two decades, the gods of the heavens inevitably discovered their union.

Enraged, they declared that such a union was forbidden and that Lingzhi must be exiled from the heavens for eternity. A broken-hearted Lingzhi departed from her home, ending up in a faraway land known as Qingyang. Desperate to stay connected with her beloved, she lived beneath the night sky, conversing with the stars.

Despite all that fate threw her way, Lingzhi never stopped believing she would one day be reunited with her lover. Through hard work and devotion, she eventually triumphed over the odds, re-entering the heavens just as she had long promised. Though time and distance created a seemingly insurmountable barrier between the two lovers, the King of Hell was determined to reunite with his beloved and keep her safe from all harm.

So he summoned his three most menacing and powerful spirits, the Guardians, to watch over and protect the Moon Goddess. Known as the Three Spirits, these underworld gods kept Lingzhi safe from any danger that may come her way. From then on, the Three spirits were Lingzhi's constant and eternally loyal protectors, both in Heaven and on Earth. In this way, the King of Hell ensured that his beloved lover remained safe and happy for the rest of her days.

The Windswept Willow sect received the news of Jiang Xicheng being spotted near the graves of his late family with Wei Liuxian. The sect leader Wang Yuling and Jiang Guangyi were the first ones to receive this news.

Jiang Xudong paced back and forth in the room like a pendulum. His nervous movements seemed almost desperate. While Jiang Guanyi was sitting with his brow furrowed as he tried to think of how Jiang Xicheng got the nerve to come back.

Wang Yuling smiled as she looked at her elder son, ''Jiang Guanyi, how could you be so irresponsible that you couldn't track the whereabouts of Jiang Xicheng?''

''The people of Kunlun mountains have something to do with all this matter''. Jiang Guanyi said.

Wang Yuling shook her head. ''The leader of Kunlun mountains is ill, his younger brother died, and his nephew and niece are too young to do anything''.

''Mother Wei Liuxian is far more clever than we think. He's...''

Jiang Xudong was cut off by his mother. ''I know you personally don't like Wei Liuxian but I believe whatever those kids suffered, they are not capable to go to such lengths''.

Jiang Xudong huffed in anger. ''Mother, Wei Liuxian insulted and mocked me today. It's my birthday celebration, so he won't be invited''.

''Sorry, the invitation has already been sent''. Jiang Guanyi informed him.

''Xudong, Wei Liuxian is not our problem. Jiang Xicheng is our core problem. I know very well how to deal with someone who mocked my son''. Wang Yuling assured her son as she pressed her hand on his shoulder.

She then turned toward her elder son who was equally nervous but composed, ''Jiang Guanyi, now that Jiang Xicheng has arrived in the sect. Tell me what are you going to do about it?''

''I made him leave the sect once and I can do that again''. Jiang Guanyi replied.

''He came back now and he can do that again as well so this time you play better with him. He is not aware of the real murderer and to him, we are his only family here''. Wang Yuling was not calm.

''He never liked us''. Jiang Xudong was tired of this conversation and went to sit next to the window.

''So it's better that he doesn't keep any hatred towards us. Because now he would try to find out who was behind all that murder five years ago''.

"I am handling everything, Mother," Jiang Guangyi declared forcefully. "Everything we did back then was to protect our family. I will do anything to ensure their safety, no matter the cost. It is not a crime to be protective of one's family. Had I not cut ties with Jiang Yuan, our lives would have been ruined by the amount of information he had against us. His wife was aware of our secrets and wanted to expose us. That girl, Jiang Xicheng's fiancée--if I had not killed her, then I could not call it an 'honour killing'. I sympathise with her, but I had no other choice. Somebody had to pay the price for her murder. I also sympathise with Jiang Xicheng--five years of his life were wasted. Still, he is a clever man with connections to those in office and would have hunted down the murderer himself if I had not set him up for this trap. To protect my family, I had to keep him occupied. How can this be wrong? He survived. Loss is a fact of life--we have suffered our losses, such as the death of our father. Even if it was natural, we can still feel the pain and sorrow of it. I let Wei Guanyu live to give testimony. He's alright. Life can't be perfect''.

Jiang Guanyi raised his shoulders.

''With two or four sacrifices, if many lives are saved, then there's nothing wrong with that. I will handle Jiang Xicheng. Let him come, Mother. He can't do anything. He has been branded as a murderer once and he's hot-headed. He stayed away for five years, no one knows where. How much would have he changed? Still foolish. Such an enemy can be killed by fooling him around''.

Jiang Guanyi sat straight and look at his younger brother. ''Now we will talk about the work that I assigned you''.

Jiang Xudong sighed heavily. ''Wei Liuxian and his traders are throwing rocks and hurdles in my work''.

Wang Yuling and Jiang Guangyi smiled at once. ''Is there a woman that you both adore and are fighting over?'' Jiang Guanyi asked him.

Jiang Xudong quietly shook his head and immersed himself in his work.