Volume 2: The Path That Can Be Told, Chapter 182: The High Moon

Upon hearing Tian Peng’s voice, Chang’e showed extreme disgust on her face and snapped, “What do you want again! Wasn’t the punishment from the Jade Emperor last time enough for you?”
At the word “punishment,” Tian Peng’s eyes twitched, and he growled viciously, “Fairy Chang’e, if it weren’t for your disregard for our past feelings, how would the Jade Emperor have known?”
Chang’e replied calmly, “You are you, and I am me. What past feelings could there be?”
Tian Peng said, “Why deceive yourself? Back then, we held hands and expressed our true feelings—word for word. How could that be false?”
Hou Yi’s heart sank upon hearing Tian Peng bring up those past events. If Chang’e said “yes,” it would be as if he were thrown into the deepest depths of hell.
Chang’e sneered, “I’ve said it many times—yet you still refuse to give up! My husband left home long ago and never returned. You, a wretched thief with evil ambitions, dared to covet me. I pretended to be friendly with you only as a temporary measure to preserve my purity. If you weren’t such a beast, how could I separate from Brother Hou Yi? I would rather die with him!”
Hou Yi’s head spun at these words. I wronged her! I wronged her! His heart ached like knives cutting through him. This misunderstanding had lasted for ten thousand years!
Tian Peng said coldly, “You must be under the Jade Emperor’s coercion to say such things, right? The Jade Emperor is the supreme ruler of all heavens—how could he be interested in just a palace maid like you?”
Chang’e replied, “What nonsense are you talking? His Majesty has always kept his distance from me.”
Tian Peng laughed heartily, “Then why does the Jade Emperor visit the Guanghan Palace so often? What does that mean ‘keep his distance’?” He added, “If you nod, we can find a paradise on earth and spend our lives together. Wouldn’t that be far better than being a dancer?”
Chang’e frowned deeply. She now despised Tian Peng to the utmost and said, “What I do has nothing to do with you.”
Tian Peng replied, “How can it have nothing to do with me? I reincarnated just to find you—doesn’t that show how deep my feelings are? Don’t you care at all?”
Chang’e said softly, “There is only one person in my heart, and that hasn’t changed from the beginning. I also know he only has me in his heart.”
Hou Yi felt immense warmth in his heart and almost rushed forward to shout, “That’s right! You’re absolutely right! There’s only you in my heart too!”
Tian Peng, knowing that the person Chang’e referred to was Hou Yi, said sarcastically, “Hou Yi is already dead. What’s the use of clinging to a dead man? If you follow me, I’ll treat you a thousand times better than he ever did.”

Chang’e snapped, “Stop talking nonsense! He… he is far stronger than you. How could he die so easily?” By this point, even Chang’e herself wasn’t entirely confident, as Hou Yi had been missing for tens of thousands of years—no one knew whether he was alive or dead. So she added firmly, “Even if he’s dead, when he reincarnates, he will surely come to look for me!”

Tian Peng laughed heartily. “Do you think anyone can reincarnate? On the Bridge of Regret, one sip of Meng Po’s soup erases all memories of one’s past. I was spared that soup thanks to the favor shown to me, which is why I still remember my past life. That’s what reincarnation is. In my opinion, Hou Yi most likely reincarnated as a pig or a dog, enduring countless cycles of suffering!”

Hearing Tian Peng’s vicious words, Chang’e cursed, “You… you heartless wretch! Without my husband, how would you be here today? If the Heavenly Court hadn’t valued your archery skills, would they have summoned you to the palace? Everything you have comes from him—why hate him then?”

Tian Peng replied, “Hate him? How many men in the world don’t hate him? He’s not only highly skilled and holds a high status but also married a stunning beauty! Is that not enough?” His voice grew louder and louder, eventually turning into a roar.

“He may have taught me skills, but that’s because I have natural talent. Hou Yi’s divine archery skills—if he hadn’t passed them on to me, they would have vanished from the world! Do you know? He did it all for his own selfish desires. Don’t think he has good intentions!”

Wukong, seeing that Tian Peng couldn’t distinguish right from wrong and was clearly deeply possessed by evil, shook his head slightly. Then he noticed concern in Hou Yi’s eyes, clearly worried that Tian Peng might harm Chang’e.

Wukong sent a message, “Don’t worry. He will never harm your wife!”

Chang’e looked at Tian Peng and shook her head. “I thought you were just despicable, but now it seems you’re utterly insane. Go away! Never come back here!”

Tian Peng laughed dryly. “Hehe, once I entered the Guanghan Palace today, I had no intention of leaving.”

Chang’e was shocked. “What do you mean?”

Tian Peng said, “As Marshal Tian Peng, I probably won’t be in this position for long. Rather than waste the rest of my life, I might as well take a risky chance to fulfill my greatest wish from both of my lives.”

Chang’e doubted him. “Nonsense! You haven’t committed any serious faults. How could the Jade Emperor remove you from your position?”

Tian Peng snapped angrily, “The Jade Emperor wanted me in the Heavenly Court because of my archery skills. But who can learn such divine archery skills? The Jade Emperor ordered me to teach the archery skills to the Heavenly River Navy, but after years, there’s been no progress. Those fools are as stupid as pigs—what does that have to do with me?”

Wukong’s mind stirred. The Jade Emperor wanted control over the Four Seas? The Four Seas already belonged to the Heavenly Court—what was there to “take control” of? Could it be that the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas had turned rebellious?

Only after saying these words did Tian Peng realize he had spoken rashly, but he was already seven-tenths drunk and couldn’t care less. Seeing Chang’e’s expression turn as cold as water, clearly displeased with him, it only stirred his desires further. He stepped forward and tried to pull at her sleeves.

Chang’e quickly stepped back, exclaiming in shock, “How dare you!”

Tian Peng laughed mockingly and said, “What’s there to fear? It’s just a matter between a man and a woman. As a widow, what’s there for you to be shy about?”

Both ashamed and angry, Chang’e shouted, “Do you realize you’ve committed a capital crime?”

Tian Peng roared, “If it’s a capital crime, so be it! Do you think I fear death?” He stepped forward to embrace her.

Relying on her agile movements, Chang’e darted out of the bedroom, and Tian Peng rushed after her.

Hou Yi was naturally the most worried. He stepped forward to follow, but Wukong quickly held him back. Hou Yi glanced at Wukong, seemingly annoyed. Wukong said, “Don’t panic. Look.”

Hou Yi looked inside and saw the jade rabbit leap off the bed, moving with incredible speed as it rushed out of the room.

Tian Peng’s entire focus was on Chang’e; he had no mind for anything else. While Chang’e dodged his advances in the front hall and spotted the jade rabbit flee, she said, “Someone will be here soon. Hurry and leave!”

At that moment, the alcohol took over Tian Peng. He joked, “Fairy Chang’e, my dear wife, it doesn’t matter if we go out. How about letting me in first?”

Chang’e shouted, “I’m not scaring you. This is your own fault. Don’t blame me!”

“I won’t blame you, I won’t blame you. How could I bear to blame you…”

One moved swiftly to avoid him, while the other staggered, unsteady on his feet. After chasing her for a long time, Tian Peng failed to even touch her sleeve. Anxious and angry, he said, “If you keep running, I’ll use my supernatural powers!”

Chang’e finally stopped moving and said, “If I’m not running, then I’m not running. Now tell me, what exactly do you want to do?”

Seeing the anger fade from Chang’e’s face, Tian Peng felt both joy and regret. He was glad that she seemed to be softening, but regretted that if he had known force would work, he should have acted sooner.

Tian Peng said cheerfully, “I… naturally want to share intimate pleasures with you.”

Chang’e smiled faintly and said, “In this sacred place of the Heavenly Court, with such boldness, aren’t you afraid the Jade Emperor and Empress will blame you?”

Seeing Chang’e smile, Tian Peng was already overjoyed. Arrogantly, he said, “Even the Jade Emperor and Empress have emotions. I’m sure they can understand my feelings right now. As the saying goes, people have urgent needs. I… I can’t wait any longer—”

“Hey! Tian Peng, how bold you are!” That sharp shout sounded like thunder, ringing in Tian Peng’s ears and instantly reducing his drunkenness by nine-tenths. He turned around and saw that it was the Moon Palace’s ruler, the Lord of the Moon, holding the Jade Rabbit in her arms, with a group of heavenly generals following behind, all glaring at him angrily.

Tian Peng glared at Chang’e, “You actually deceived me!”

Chang’e said nothing, not even bothering to glance at Tian Peng. She floated over to the Lord of the Moon, bowed, and took the Jade Rabbit. Tian Peng roared, “You deceived me! You deceived me again!”

The Lord of the Moon ordered, “Tian Peng, stop acting wildly here!”

“Haha, acting wildly?” Tian Peng laughed maniacally. “Today, I’ll show you what it means to act wildly!”

With that, Tian Peng took out his precious Jin Gold Halberd and swung it around the courtyard. All the stone tables and benches, as well as the red flowers and green trees, were reduced to dust by the fierce wind. The Lord of the Moon whispered to the heavenly generals beside her, “Hurry and report to the Jade Emperor. Just say that Tian Peng, drunk, is causing trouble in the Guanghan Palace!” Although she knew Tian Peng was rebellious, she didn’t dare take action without the Jade Emperor’s orders, as Tian Peng held a high status.

Seeing the Lord of the Moon leading people to surround him, Tian Peng realized he had no chance today. He picked up his halberd and headed west. The Lord of the Moon gave a signal, and the heavenly soldiers feinted a few moves before clearing a path for Tian Peng.

There were four heavenly gates in the heavens—east, south, west, and north. The East Gate was guarded by the Eastern Extreme Qinghua Emperor, while the North Gate was under the control of the Zhenwu Emperor. Only the West Gate and South Gate had weaker guards. Given Tian Peng’s cultivation, he could penetrate the heavenly barriers and withstand the nine thunderbolts unharmed. But filled with anger, he was convinced that Chang’e must be involved with the Jade Emperor, so he carried his halberd to seek out the Jade Emperor.

As he reached the Bull and Ox Palace, seven or eight of the Twenty-Eight Constellations, who had received orders, blocked his path, and a fight ensued.

At the Peach Banquet, while the feast was in full swing, the Jade Emperor heard that Tian Peng was causing trouble while drunk and drank a few more cups for no reason.

Soon, the Thousand-Mile Eye reported, “That precious Jin Gold Halberd in Tian Peng’s hands is extremely powerful. No one can match him right now. He’s showing off over there, demanding to see Your Majesty.”

“Oh?” The Jade Emperor casually glanced at Laojun and muttered inwardly. Then he said to the Thousand-Mile Eye, “Drunk and playing tricks with palace maids—seeing me is also unforgivable. Send all four heavenly masters to capture him!” The Thousand-Mile Eye left upon receiving the order.

Laojun, however, kept his eyes closed, seemingly calculating something. The Western Extreme Emperor said, “That ancient Jin Gold Halberd… was created by Laojun back then. It’s truly incredibly powerful.”

Laojun opened his eyes and smiled. “It indeed came from my hands. Back then, the Jade Emperor ordered me to create a weapon for the new leader of the Heavenly River. How could I refuse?”

The Jade Emperor chuckled. “As expected, Laojun is highly skilled, having created such a powerful magical weapon.”

Laojun picked up his wine cup with a beaming smile: “Oh no, it’s all thanks to the blessings of the Supreme Heaven God.”