Chapter 21 - An Unexpected Alliance

Sky Kingdom
Dijun retired to his room, but before he could disappear from public appearances for an extended period of time, he needed to take care of a critical task. He reached out to the Third Prince telepathically and invited him for a game of go.

"What's the matter, Dijun? Usually, I seek you out for a match of go, but today you invited me. I can't help but think there's more to this request," a visibly excited Third Prince told Dijun when they were seated in the pavilion.

Dijun remained quiet for some time, took a sip of his tea, and then answered him, "Your guess is correct, Third Prince. I want to discuss something important with you," he paused briefly to put a privacy barrier around them and continued, "and I need your help with something."

The Third Prince was puzzled, "Sure, Dijun. What can I do for you?" he inquired.

"I want you to invite the Demon Lord and his queen to your place for a small banquet and also invite me. Keep it a low-key, among-friends affair," Dijun explained. But his explanation only seemed to add to the Third Prince's confusion.

"Dijun, could you please tell me what is going on? It is the weirdest request you have ever made. What is the real reason behind this?" he asked, not attempting to hide his perplexity.

"When we were in the Demon realm, we saw a fake Dong Hua and a fake Bai Feng Jiu trying to enter our chambers at night. I have reason to believe that wasn't just a harmless prank. Someone out there is trying to harm my family deliberately, and I intend to get to the bottom of it. Despite knowing there would be tight security and that I am powerful enough to singlehandedly destroy the whole Demon army by myself, someone tried to act this way. That tells me it isn't a low-level player. Before I start a thorough investigation, I want to make sure the Demon Lord is aware of this and agrees with our idea," Dijun succinctly summarized his thoughts for the Third Prince.

"Ah, that makes sense. But Dijun, why not invite him to Tai Chen palace yourself?" Lian Song asked.

"Xiao Bai has gone into seclusion, and just me inviting people over will raise doubts in everyone's minds because it is so out of character for me. I want to avoid that and keep it as lowkey as possible. It's best to avoid attention to this matter, lest we alert the perpetrator," Dijun explained calmly.

"You have thought of everything. By the way, are you sure you would want to invite his wife?" Third Prince wondered out loud. Somehow the new Demon Queen gave him weird vibes.

"Well, the reason to invite him would be to have a banquet in honor of his wedding. It'd be weird if we don't invite his wife to the celebration, isn't it?" Dong Hua chuckled.

"Oh right...," Third Prince agreed, nodding his head, "Alright, I will send the missive to the demon lord right away. If it is alright with you, I'd like to enlist the help of Lord Cheng Yu," he asked almost tentatively.

"Of course, I knew you would do that when I decided to enlist your help. But please insist that she keeps the details to herself. You know what is at stake here," Dong Hua said with his characteristic smirk.

"Of course, Dijun. I will do that. I am sure she will agree because Dihou has always been so close to her. Now, if you will excuse me, I will get started on the preparation," the Third prince replied and walked away, seemingly lost in thought.

As promised, he sent a missive to the demon realm and went in search of his beloved Cheng Yu. He found her reading a book near the lotus pond and smiled. She looked so peaceful, but he knew a minor teasing from him, and she would be breathing fire in no time. He loved that feisty side of her.

He tapped her on her left shoulder and moved to her right. As she moved to her left first and then right, he smiled a naughty smile as he greeted her, "Hi, Sweetheart!" 

"So childish!" she scrunched up her nose and retorted with a mock glare.

"Hmm. Only for you. But today, I need your help with something significant," Lian Song linked their hands together and told her about Diju's request, insisting that she had to be highly discreet about the reasons. Since this was related to her friend Feng Jiu and her family's safety, Cheng Yu readily agreed. 

-----

A few days later

The Third Prince's palace was bustling with activity. The host was organizing a banquet for his friend, the Demon Lord. Fortunately or unfortunately, his new bride had politely declined the invitation, as she was not feeling too well to travel. Yan Chi Wu had apologized on her behalf and had presented them with several valuable tokens from her. There were gifts for the Third Prince, Lord Cheng Yu, and, surprisingly, for Dijun and Dihou. 

"I was hoping to meet Xiao Jiu here too, Third Prince?" the Demon Lord enquired while enjoying fine wine.

Although Yan Chi Wu's question was directed at the Third Prince, Dong Hua answered him. "Xiao Bai is in seclusion as she is training for her upcoming ascension trial. It would not be wise for her to take a break", Dijun explained. Yan Chi Wu only shook his head and made a face. They continued eating and making small talk.

After enjoying the delicious meal and wine, Lian Song took the time to acknowledge the effort put in by Cheng Yu. "Thank you, Lord Cheng Yu, for this amazing spread. I am so grateful to you for your help in organizing all this", he said, making her blush. 

"Yes, fēi cháng gǎn xiè nǐ! I appreciate it!!" Dijun surprised her by slightly bowing his head as he joined in. 

"You are too kind, Dijun. The Demon Lord is a very good friend of my friend Feng Jiu. It is the least I could do to make sure he is treated well when he visits here." Cheng Yu replied graciously. "I would like to take my leave now. I have something I need to attend to", she added and excused herself, bowing at everyone.

The men moved to an inside chamber, and to Yan Chi Wu's amazement, Dong Hua placed a privacy barrier around them. 

"Demon Lord, there is something significant I need to discuss with you. It concerns the safety of my family as well as law and order in the Demon realm", Dijun began solemnly.

"Dong Hua, what's the matter? Are you trying to ambush me? Was this all a setup to capture me?" the Demon Lord was puzzled.

"No, my friend. At least have some faith in me. I would never intentionally be part of something that harms you without giving you a chance to speak for yourself", Lian Song exclaimed. He was hurt that his friend thought so little of him.

"Relax, Demon Lord. I would never harm someone who is my Dihou's friend. I know you don't think too highly of me, but you are almost like a brother to my wife. How would I be able to answer her if I did something bad to you? I put the privacy barrier because I truly want to discuss something serious with you and do not wish for anyone else to be privy to our conversation", Dijun said, bringing back the conversation to what he needed to discuss. He patiently explained the events that happened in the demon realm. He also elaborated on his thought process and reasoning why he thought the investigations should be conducted with extreme caution.

At the end of it, Yan Chi Wu was perplexed. "Who could it be, Dijun? I agree with your reasoning. It won't be any common lower-level demon. Also, most officials in my government and army are finally happy that there is peace. I can't think of someone who would want to disrupt things by incurring the wrath of the Sky Kingdom. What should we do now?" he said with a frown.

"I have my methods to find things out. All I need from you is to know that I will use some of my trusted immortals to do some investigation in the demon realm. Please cover for them if needed. Also, do keep your eyes and ears sharp for anything unusual. I will share a secret messaging method with you both. If you sense any suspicious use of magic or unexpected presence anywhere, please use it to inform both of us immediately. The safety of your friend, her son, and that of your people might all be at stake here", Dong Hua responded to him.

Lian Song and Yan Chi Wu spent the next several hours learning the secret messaging method from the former emperor of heaven and earth. It was something he had developed during the great war, and only the top officials in his army were aware of it. To seal the connection, Lian Song and Yan Chi Wu performed the ritual of blood oath with the ancient god. 

Finally, Lian Song and Dong Hua both sent Yan Chi Wu off with gifts from the Sky Kingdom. The two high gods also parted ways as one went in search of his lady friend while the other returned to Tai Chen Palace.

Tai Chen Palace

Dijun's bedroom felt different today. The room didn't have the lingering scent of peach blossoms. The warmth of its mistress was gone. It felt cold and empty. Dijun did not like it one bit.

Why did doing the right thing feel anything but right to him? And why did the apathetic deity feel so distraught? "How did I live before? I can't bear to be like this anymore..." he thought to himself with anguish.

He tried taking a nap, but the thoughts of his little fox plagued all his dreams. After trying for some time, he gave up. Sitting in a lotus position, he began meditating. 

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