Chapter 37 Love Tribulation

In the evening, LiHua wore a veil to the banquet, not using the Amulet of Disguise to hide her features and tried her best to look dignified and reserved, upkeeping the good image for her clan. She did not put on any cosmetics and any accessories to enhance herself but those within her vicinity could feel her innate beauty radiating from her. Just looking at her warm golden eyes could entrance any immortals, males and females alike.

However, Heavens did not lack incomparable beauties and even though all would want to catch sight of a Gold Peach fairy, Fairy LiHua was still considerably a very young maiden. One who was not matured yet to be that of the legendary beauties such as Gold Peach fairy MiYue, spouse clan leader of Dragon God of Water, or the other Gold Peach Fairy Rexi, spouse of clan leader of Celestial Tortoise clan. There were secret paintings in some private collection of certain titled immortals and those who had seen Gold Peach Fairy MiYue and Rexi, would acknowledge their beauties surpassed those called incomparable beauties in Celestial realm.

The evening‪ highlight was for the crowning of the new God of War, Yuan LeiFeng, there was a myriad of colorful gowns in the hall.  The celestial females, married and unmarried, were chatting politely with each other, discreetly looking towards the entrance for a certain God to enter. ‬

When he finally walked in, in his full glory wearing his white gold armor, there was a slight pause in the air, and soon there was a burst of joviality. It was like an act just started and seeking the main character's attention ploys was obviously in play. Some of the fairies were satisfied with just looking at the handsome god from afar, some smiled and laughed a little wider and louder and some of the confident ones sauntered towards the God of Lighting and greeted him.

LiHua was contented to be a wallflower and watching how the females were throwing themselves at Yuan LeiFeng's feet. She found it interesting that some elegant ladies such as the cool and collected butterfly fairy jiejie from the island had also turned to a blushing maiden when she looked at Yuan LeiFeng.

Then LiHua had to muffle her laughter when she saw Yuan LeiFeng being ambushed by ladies. It was not long ago that she had seen him fighting off demons, now he was fighting a delicate battle, by brushing off the female's attention. LiHua was glad she did not introduce herself and asked to become his friend, else she would be just like the other females here.

Sigh, where was the bird when she needed entertainment?

Looking very disinterested, only politely returning civilities, Yuan LeiFeng walked towards his friends.

"Feng, maybe you could give us brothers more chances to score dates if you could just pick one of these lovely ladies." A white-robed Lu DingYi sighed.

Not only was his comment ignored, but Yuan LeiFeng also walked away, seeming like he was searching for someone.

"You mean yourself, I'm still waiting for Qing-er to return back to heavens." A burly and bearded Ren YuanChang walked towards a table, and casually sat and drank his wine.

"You fool, SongQing still have to go through one more mortal lifetime after this one for her to be forgiven and accepted back. Why don't you just have a casual dalliance while waiting? She won't know and we won't tell." Lu DingYi seated himself and poured himself a cup of wine.

"I wouldn't want to do anything unforgivable or unfair towards her. What is one more mortal lifetime? I can wait."

Sigh, the foolish romantic. Lu DingYi had heard what happened during Ren YuanChang and Yuan LeiFeng's last mortal trip. It had turned from some soapy star-crossed lover play to a comedic one, with a series of funny anecdotes from LeiFeng's first time to pleasure houses, his stoic and reluctant face was so hilarious, especially when the MaMa was flirting, touching and groping him.

Ren YuanChang had found Gong SongQing's second mortal fate, an orphan, sold to the HuaLou by her heartless relatives. With a pained heart, Ren YuanChang wanted to take her out of the HuaLou as soon as possible, not wanting to taint her innocence.

Ever since Qing-er had caused a problem and was punished by the courts to descent to the mortal world and suffer for 4 lifetimes, her every incarnation was challenging and Ren YuanChang could only try to help her as best as he could.

Not able to find Lu DingYi, Ren YuanChang hastily requested Yuan LeiFeng to accompany him to save Gong SongQing. They went to the HuaLou discreetly, not attracting any attention.

The agenda was simple. It was to distract and snatch tactic, with Yuan LeiFeng to distract while Ren YuanChang went to snatch the slave bond papers. The Ren YuanChang would do the hero save the damsel by grabbing his love to leave and put her in one of their safehouses they kept in the mortal realm.

Who knew suddenly some silly demon came to challenge Yuan LeiFeng out of the blue? When Yuan LeiFeng chased the demon, Ren YuanChang struck Qing-er unconscious and stole her away, leaving enough money to free her from bondage papers. Thinking about it, as to now, Ren YuanChang was still perplexed how the demon knew their location?

Lu DingYi was shaking his head, looking at both his childhood friends. One was drinking his worries away due to a woman, the other was walking away from women. No females had shaken LeiFeng's heart before and none had walked into his heart.

Growing up, Lu DingYi and Ren YuanChang had always discussed what type of partners they wanted, Lu DingYi even tried to sneak in YueXia LaoRen's manor to find his nameplate, to which he was punished by his mother with hits on his backside and unable to get off the bed for many months. Then Ren YuanChang fell for that fiery hot-tempered Gong SongQing. As for Lu DingYi, he had no problems attracting females and befriending them.

Thus, towards this love dense friend of theirs, who would not even speak past 3 sentences to a female, both Lu DingYi and Ren YuanChang wondered what kind of female would match Yuan LeiFeng.

Meanwhile, Yuan LeiFeng was distracted by a familiar faint fragrance, the same one that had hooked him when he fell into some unknown island. He scanned around the hall for the fragrance that seemed to call out to him. Just as he was trailing the scent, a courtier respectfully bowed and requested his presence at the palace, to which he regretfully look back and left the banquet.

Standing inside the palace hall, Yuan LeiFeng waited for the Jade Emperor and respectfully stood straighter and saluted when a courtier announced the Jade Emperor's arrival.

The emperor briskly walked in, he had just adjourned another meeting and just remembered regarding tonight's banquet. Once seated on his throne, he called out, "LeiFeng, we thank you for all your efforts protecting mortal and celestial realms, fighting valiantly against evil," informally addressing Yuan LeiFeng by his first name. Before Yuan LeiFeng could thank the emperor, his liege continued, "It has come to our knowledge that of all the multitudes of challenges you had faced, you have not had experienced love."

This time Yuan LeiFeng was caught unprepared at the direction of this conversation, pondering why the emperor was questioning about his love life while looking down the polished green stone floor.

"To become a High God comes with a big responsibility, and since you went through many hardships of battle, we have decided to let you go through human trials so you could face the challenges of love. Romantic love has been throughout the ages to be the most difficult trial to go through and once you have completed this difficult trial, you will return to Heavens afterward."

The Jade Emperor was widely known as a wise emperor, did not let any beauties to conflict his leadership, and as to now, the empress seat was still empty, so why was the Jade Emperor asking him to experience love?

 (Somewhere in a military tent)

A certain lord who had a slight curve on the sides of his lips during their morning meeting, making everyone in the room turned their head away.

My lord, image ah! SheLin cried internally, NiuBa seemed happy while looking to the ceiling, and the clueless TaoWu tilted his head and kept looking at the lord, to whom SheLin had to push the big tiger's head down to look at the ground instead.

The men tried to continue as if nothing unusual had happened, even so, when their lord hesitated during their battle strategy exercise. The lord frowned when his source of delight had thought about what she had been trying to find out. He was worried it triggered her old memories, which was locked for her own good, but as fast as she thought of it, she thought about other random things, and he let loose his breath. It is too early for her to regain her memories.