Heaven Official's Affliction | TGCF

003

The Crown Prince did his rounds to his fellow Heavenly Officials. With no real gifts to offer, he made quick introductions and had some nice small talk. Though, some conversations were far from pleasant. Word travels fast in the Heavenly Capital and although some gods were respective of boundaries, some were too nosy for their own good. Of course, those nosy officials asked Xie Lian about the White Calamity. This made the Crown Prince uncomfortable - rightfully so. He'd always have to politely decline the topic or try to shift it elsewhere since he has never been comfortable with lying. Some of these questions included:

"What was he like in his last moments?"

"What happened to him when you scattered his ashes?"

And some more direct questions, like:

"How'd you find the ashes anyhow?"

"Do you feel like you've avenged your people?"

That last one hurt more than it probably should have, but he was able to dance around them fine. It didn't seem like anyone was overly suspicious for the time being.

However there were some Heavenly Officials he avoided completely, such as Mu Qing and Feng Xin. The reasons were the same as before - he just didn't feel ready. Nonetheless, they weren't the only ones he was steering clear of. Before his second ascension, he was mocked out of a cultivation ground by a group of Heavenly Officials. He couldn't exactly remember all of them, but for the ones he did he avoided like the plague.

That was just too awkward.

After finishing his introductions and pleasantries, the Crown Prince made his way back to the Grand Martial Hall as he promised he would. The doors were wide open, so Xie Lian thought it would be safe to enter without warning. It wasn't as if this was completely out of the blue - Jun Wu should have been expecting the Prince of Xianle to be finished soon. This thought helped to reason out Xie Lian's doubt, at least enough to take his first steps through the doors.

"My Lord." Kneeling down, he raised his head towards the Heavenly Emperor. As expected, he had just been sitting in his throne as he removed his fingers from his forehead. It seems he just got out of a call. Was this a bad time to walk in after all?

But rather than a response, Jun Wu stood. This caught the Crown Prince off guard. The Heavenly Emperor didn't look mad, so why did he feel the need to stand? Was Xie Lian doing something incorrectly?

Xie Lian slightly lowered his head.

"Xianle, you have no need to kneel to me," Jun Wu closed his eyes as he took a few steps down from his throne. "Didn't I ask you to come?"

Well, he did ask for an update. If that's what he means, then...

"Yes, my lord." Xie Lian agreed as he lowered his head further into a bow.

Jun Wu walked towards the Crown Prince, tilting his head back up. Then he helped Xie Lian to his feet. Every move around the Prince of Xianle was gentle but friendly. It was a side of Jun Wu familiar to Xie Lian before his first banishment when he first ascended.

"My lord-"

"That's enough with the formalities," the heavenly emperor let off a soft chuckle, "I want to know how introducing yourself to everyone went. How are you adjusting to Heaven?"

Xie Lian didn't quite know how to respond, so he stiffened for a moment. But after taking a second to think, he tried to relax. It was just Jun Wu trying to be friendly, that's all. He should respect his efforts by doing the same.

"Introductions went well," Xie Lian nervously chuckled. "Though some gods did ask about the White Calamity. That was expected of course, but..."

"I trust you navigated it properly," Jun Wu smiled. "If it all went well, I have nothing more to ask of you. I'm glad you've spoken to the others, and I'm glad you came to visit me without having to call you here myself. While you were out, did you by chance have an opportunity to walk around?"