Oh. My. Fate?! (BL, Volume #1)

22 Too Unsightly

Meanwhile, in the Nine Heavens, another person also used a shrub to hide. It was just that this person wasn't crouching inside the shrub like Zhong Jing Yi. Instead, this person squatted behind it, peeking through the branches. It was a man who was normally described as dignified and was even favorably looked upon by a lot of women. Well, that might not be the case anymore if they saw him like this.

That man was the Fate's Scribe, Shun Tao, and at this moment his eyes were glued to a group of young gods in a courtyard. The shrub Shun Tao used as his hiding place stood close to the entrance to said courtyard so that he could monitor nearly every nook and cranny of the place.

Slowly, he examined the gods one by one. Some of them read books, others practiced an instrument and at the far corner, some were even absorbed in a sword fight. Shun Tao's gaze lingered at the former a little longer since those who wanted to become scribes at his palace would often need to consult the books to craft the best trials for the gods and also the fates of the humans. Unfortunately, Shun Tao couldn't see what exactly they were reading but judging from the casual manner in which they sifted through the pages none of them should be the culprit he was searching for.

Shun Tao looked around again and finally spotted another three younglings. They were quite inconspicuous, each of them seated in a corner that was aloof from the other tables. These were definitely seats where you could commit a crime!

Shun Tao eyes narrowed. One of the men was writing in a hurried manner. Maybe he was already crafting a possible course of Zhong Jing Yi's fate? The other two concentrated on a round object each. Looking from his place behind the shrub one seemed to be a bowl while the other might be a mirror. Was one of them observing Zhong Jing Yi's life in the mortal realm to find an opportunity to mess up his fate again?

It had to be one of them! Reading was something that could improve the abilities of a future scribe but someone able to mess with the crown prince's fate this accurately shouldn't be at merely this level. Monitoring how a fate unfurled and practicing your writing were advanced skills for a scribe. So one of those three should be the one he was searching for.

Shun Tao craned his neck but, of course, he couldn't see anything from such a distance. What to do? He couldn't just stroll over if he wanted to find out. Maybe he could send someone? But that wouldn't be as reliable as he himself taking a look. Was there an artifact that could be used?

The scribe's palace didn't have anything but he might be able to borrow something from another palace. But that should only be a last resort. The people from the other palaces would ask too many questions if he borrowed something like that. No, it was still better to first send someone over to have a look in his stead. He might glimpse a clue from this so that he wouldn't need to borrow an artifact. And if he couldn't, it still wouldn't be too late to borrow one. Now, all he needed was someone to take a look for him. Who would be acceptable for this task and could start to execute it as soon as possible? Was there somebody around who would do?

So, at this moment, the dignified Fate's Scribe Shun Tao, in his long silk robe with his hair tied up with a fashionable crown on top squatted behind a shrub like a thief and twisted from one side to the other, craning his neck.

Watching from behind this looked quite ... queer.

And of course, as luck would have it two people walked down the path outside the walls, looked through the gate and happened to see this scene. The two men halted and watched a moment longer.

"Isn't that ... Fate's Scribe, Shun Tao?" asked one of them, his brows raising by a finger's width.

The other nodded, unsure of what else to say. This was obviously the Fate's Scribe. There was nothing to argue there even though he really wanted to pretend they were seeing somebody else. This was just too unsightly!

The first man continued to watch and finally motioned over again. "I'd like to know what exactly he is doing there."

The other man nodded once more and the two of them made their way over.

Their shadows loomed over Shun Tao who only noticed them now. With a bad feeling in his gut, he slowly turned around, still remaining squatted on the ground. The first thing to enter his eyes was the hem of a pristine white robe that was embroidered with auspicious clouds shimmering golden in the sunlight.

Shun Tao gulped.

How many people were there in the Nine Heavens who wear pristine white robes with golden clouds? The answer to that was quite easy. Even a three-year-old could probably tell you: Exactly one.

And who was this person who wears such robes? The answer to that was even easier since that person was known by all: Tianjun Rong Su. The incumbent Heavenly Emperor.

Of all the people to come it just had to be the one who definitely couldn't find out about the blunder with the crown prince's scroll of fate. At the sight of this great god, only one thought remained in Shun Tao's head: Oh. Shit.