The new palace maids at Jade Pool have replaced the old ones. These new girls are even more attentive and accommodating than Annie, all smiles and gentle manners, quick to serve and ready to fulfill any request.
Quinn knew these maids had witnessed the fate of their predecessors and now feared for their own lives, so they served with extra care. At present, he lacked the power to change Heavenly Court.
Despite last night's earth-shaking incident, Heavenly Court remained outwardly peaceful and calm. The disturbance had been enormous, yet no one in Heaven dared discuss it, as if nothing had happened at all.
The Jade Pool incident was too huge to hide completely; people kept silent not because they didn't know, but because they didn't dare speak.
Still, the sharp-eyed within Heavenly Court could read the situation for what it was.
Heavenly Court seemed unbreakable, but the Jade Pool incident last night revealed that this massive entity was already riddled with cracks, on the verge of splitting apart at any moment.
The arrival of Shepherd Heavenly Venerable merely accelerated the process, forcing hidden contradictions into the open—sharp and irreconcilable.
Most attention remained fixed on the Jade Pool incident—Shepherd Heavenly Venerable's arrival had caused the first major upheaval, and his very first act had split Heavenly Court!
Last night's Jade Pool incident marked the first eruption of the dark undercurrents in Heavenly Court.
Where there's a first time, there will be a second and a third—the internal conflicts in Heavenly Court will only grow sharper, until they spiral completely out of control!
Jade Pool quieted down until, two days later, Lady Skye Cloud—the Cloud Clan's senior matriarch—arrived with a troop of Cloud widows, officially to visit Liam Cloud.
Lady Skye Cloud was Cloud-Venerable's beloved wife and Empress of the Sky-River Court during the Dragon-Han Era. After Sky-River Court's defeat, most perished, surrendered, or fled; only Lady Skye Cloud escaped, pregnant with a son.
Because of Cloud-Venerable's status, the Dragon-Han Heavenly Court did not trouble her. The Heavenly Emperor brought her and her child to Heaven, granted them Cloud Manor, and formally titled her Lady Yunxiao.
But then the Cloud bloodline curse appeared—generation after generation, the Cloud Clan's eldest sons died suddenly on reaching adulthood, leaving behind a household full of widows.
Though many widows remarried, plenty remained. As a result, Cloud Manor was full of strong-willed women, fiercely protective of their own—no one in Heavenly Court dared provoke a Cloud Clan man.
Accompanying Lady Skye Cloud and her group was a Heavenly Court historian, tasked with recording the meeting. Shepherd Heavenly Venerable personally received Lady Skye Cloud, and they held a 'cordial exchange' in the winding gallery, sharing views on Heavenly Court's flourishing era.
In reality, Lady Skye Cloud arrived in a fury, demanding justice—she tried to seize Liam Cloud for confinement, blamed Shepherd Heavenly Venerable for endangering him, and even had Liam's wife step up, intending to beat Quinn as a warning.
So much for the historian's 'cordial exchange.'
The historian, driven half-mad by the uproar, was dragged off by Young Master Cyrus Qi for drinks, and in the end barely recorded anything at all.
Once these formidable women heard Quinn had completely lifted the Cloud Clan's ancestral blood curse, their anger flipped to joy—they apologized to him again and again.
As for exchanging views on Heavenly Court's glorious era: in truth, Quinn used the opportunity to ask Lady Skye Cloud about Heaven's major factions, and the Cloud widows all chimed in, spilling every bit of palace gossip and old scandal they knew.
The historian, plied with wine by Young Master Cyrus Qi and Dragon-Qilin, grew hopelessly drunk and had to resort to vague, roundabout records.
Lady Skye Cloud then led the Cloud grandmothers and matriarchs back to Cloud Manor, bringing Liam Cloud's son along. Quinn removed the bloodline curse from the boy as well, and the whole Cloud Clan rejoiced.
This time, however, the hidden Creator lurking in Heavenly Court did not appear.
"Shepherd Heavenly Venerable, my husband always wished he could meet you again."
Lady Skye Cloud looked quite young, though she deliberately disguised herself as elderly—phoenix-tail gold crown, dragon-head cane, hair at her temples dyed white. She gave a signal, and the Cloud widows promptly surrounded the historian.
The historian tried to approach, eager to overhear Lady Skye Cloud's conversation with Quinn, but the Cloud widows blocked his way, leaving him anxious and trapped.
Lady Skye Cloud strolled with Quinn, saying, "My husband spent his life waiting for Shepherd Heavenly Venerable to return. He often said the Heaven Alliance needed a code: never be too kind to the wicked, nor too harsh to the good. Treat good people better, treat bad people worse. But this, he said, was something he never managed to do. Near the end, he realized the Heaven Alliance had become just the opposite—too kind to the wicked, too harsh to the good."
Quinn lowered his gaze, then looked up. "It's a simple idea, but hard to live by. People always judge the good too harshly and forgive the wicked too easily."
"He actually left something for me to pass on to you."
Lady Skye Cloud said, "But at the time, I was pregnant and barely managed to escape from Sky-River Heavenly Court with my life. Even if I survived, I couldn't have kept that item safe. So I entrusted it to Dao Ancestor, my husband's closest friend. It was safest with him."
"Dao Ancestor?"
Quinn Shepherd stopped in his tracks, puzzled. "So you gave it to Dao Ancestor? What exactly did Cloud-Venerable leave behind?"
Lady Skye Cloud replied, "It was a box. As for what was inside, I don't know—I never opened it."
Quinn nodded lightly. "Cloud-Venerable was brilliant—far beyond me. Whatever he left must have deeper meaning. It's a pity that when I visited the Dragon-Han Heavenly Court, I came and went so quickly that we never had a real conversation. Who would've thought that would be our last farewell."
Lady Skye Cloud said, "Just now, Liam said he wants to go down to the lower world. I don't agree—it's far too dangerous, pure nonsense! He finally escaped the blood-curse, and now he wants to throw his life away? That would end the Cloud Clan's bloodline for good. Shepherd Heavenly Venerable, you're close to him—talk some sense into him!"
Quinn smiled. "Do you think Heavenly Court is safer, or the lower world?"
"Of course Heaven—"
Lady Skye Cloud froze, then suddenly understood and smiled. "Serving the ruler is like serving a tiger—let alone serving under ten Heavenly Venerables. The danger is tenfold. Still, the lower world is full of peril too, and there's no future there. If Heavenly Court sends another calamity, he'll just get caught in the crossfire."
Quinn shot her a glance. "If you overthrow Heavenly Court, wouldn't the world be safe? Chicks always have to leave the nest. But in my view, Liam isn't some fledgling—he has real ambition. He handled the Empress with remarkable tact and showed great skill. I don't think you should hold him back."
"You know Elaina Cloud is the Empress?"
Lady Skye Cloud's scalp tingled. Suddenly, she bowed deeply. "I truly don't want Liam to repeat his ancestor's tragic path. The Cloud Clan finally has a child who might live long. But since you're the benefactor of our family, I'll entrust Liam's life to you!"
Quinn hurriedly returned the bow. "Please, Lady, don't do this! You'll put me in an early grave!"
They both stood up. Quinn laughed. "Liam is a true talent of this era. Once he descends, he'll soar higher than you can imagine. There's no need to worry about him."
Lady Skye Cloud said, "I hope he'll restore the Cloud Clan's greatness, but I don't want him to throw his life away. Shepherd Heavenly Venerable, you men always have ideals and ambitions I can't understand. All I can do is quietly support you from behind. Farewell."
Quinn saw them off.
The Cloud women departed, leaving Liam and Elaina at Jade Pool.
Quinn fell into thought. "Cloud-Venerable left me a box? And it's with Dao Ancestor? Is Dao Ancestor still the same ragged old Daoist from the Jade Pool conference? Is he still Cloud-Venerable's true friend—or has he been corrupted by Heavenly Court's power and luxury?"
He pondered for a long time before finally making up his mind.
No matter what, he had to meet that ragged old Daoist!
"But if I go straight to Daoist Gate in Heavenly Court to see Dao Ancestor, it'll leave obvious traces and bring him trouble." Quinn pondered, then settled on a plan.
"After the Jade Pool incident, you still dare step outside? Aren't you afraid you'll get killed?"
Cyrus Qi was clearly displeased, barking at Quinn, "If you want to go out, do it yourself! Second Brother and Annie and I are staying here—let's see you go die alone!"
Dragon-Qilin walked up behind Quinn, while Annie turned into a plump little bird and perched on Dragon-Qilin's forehead, glancing back at Cyrus Qi.
Cyrus Qi stormed over, face dark and silent with fury.
Liam watched curiously, thinking, "Is Cyrus Qi not the Venerable's attendant? How dare he talk to him like that?"
He didn't realize that Cyrus Qi and Quinn have always had a rocky relationship—it's only for Dragon-Qilin's sake that they haven't come to blows.
Elaina Cloud coaxed, "Brother Nine, it's good to get out for a walk. Jade Pool's scenery is beautiful, but it gets dull after a while. Come stroll with me."
One 'Brother Nine' from her and Cyrus Qi went weak in the knees, his soul practically flying out of his body. "This witch is too much—my Dao-heart... Ah, who cares about Dao-heart!"
Liam followed, asking, "Where does the Venerable plan to go?"
Quinn's eyes gleamed. "After the Jade Pool incident, so many powerful figures came to 'visit' me. If I don't pay my respects in return, won't people say I'm rude?"
Liam jumped in shock; Cyrus Qi and Annie shuddered. Quinn was actually planning to visit those who'd tried to assassinate him—truly reckless!
Only Elaina Cloud was delighted, eager for chaos.
"Of all the attackers that night, which one lives closest to Jade Pool?" Quinn asked.
Liam and Cyrus exchanged glances and said nothing. Elaina Cloud piped up, "I know! The closest is Venerable Jadecrest—God-Emperor Jadecrest's Jadecrest Divine Palace! Jadecrest has disciples everywhere, and his palace is a major stronghold—it's spectacular!"
Cyrus Qi's face changed dramatically. "We can't go to Jadecrest Divine Palace—"
"Brother Nine..." Elaina Cloud looked at him with big, shining eyes.
Cyrus Qi's mind went blank. Before he knew it, he blurted out, "Then let's go to Jadecrest Divine Palace."
They left Jade Pool and soon reached Heavenly Avenue—a bustling market street in Heavenly Court. Though Heavenly Court is lofty, the gods can't live off themselves; they need to support whole families, so the market is vital.
Most of those on Heavenly Avenue are demigods of various races, with a few humans—their numbers far fewer than the demigods.
The street was wide, packed with carts and horses, business booming. But as Quinn and his group arrived, the bustling crowd seemed to freeze—everyone stopped and turned to stare.
The next moment, chaos erupted—wheels thundered, horses screamed, divine lights shot off in every direction. The street emptied in seconds; not a soul remained!
Quinn looked around in astonishment. The shops lining both sides had slammed their doors shut, windows locked tight.
A short, stocky god had been too slow and was left outside, pounding desperately on a shop door, wailing in terror.
Quinn approached him with concern. "Brother..."
"Save me—!"
The little god saw Quinn approach and burst into tears, kicking frantically at the door. "I don't want to die here!"
Quinn was even more surprised. Suddenly, a door swung open—the little god tumbled inside, and the door slammed shut, bolts locking tight.
"Thank you for saving me!"
From inside came the little god's voice: "You saved my life—it's like being reborn. I'll never forget it!"
Someone inside scolded, "You really have guts—standing outside crying when the Plague God comes, nearly dragging us all down with you!"
The little god replied, "I was scared stiff, my legs wouldn't move..."
"Shh, keep your voice down! If anyone tries to assassinate the Plague God, everyone on this street will be silenced!"
—Third update! Another chapter coming tonight at midnight!