While the divine realm trembled over the return of the Goddess of Reincarnation, two ancient gods were locked in a battle that could shake heaven itself.
At least, that was how they behaved.
In the Pavilion of Fortune, the God of Destruction and the God of Wealth sat across from each other before a polished jade table. Between them lay a star-tile board carved with constellations, fate lines, and tiny golden pieces worth more than most minor realms.
Their auras filled the room.
One burned like a mountain about to split.
The other flowed like a river hiding knives beneath its surface.
Behind them, the servants stood in two neat rows with blank expressions.
None of them were impressed.
They had seen this before.
To an outsider, the pressure in the room might have looked like the beginning of a war. To the servants, it was merely another childish game between two old men with too much power and not enough shame.
The God of Wealth, Ye Tianxin, leaned back in his chair and opened his fan with a soft snap.
"Four wins," he said calmly. "Zero losses."
Across from him, the God of Destruction, Jin Qiang, crushed the teacup in his hand.
Porcelain turned to powder.
Ye Tianxin smiled. "If you keep destroying cups, I will add them to your debt."
Jin Qiang glared at him. "You money-hoarding fox, did you invite me here to play tiles or to show off your talent for being annoying?"
"To play tiles," Ye Tianxin said. "Your temper simply makes the second part unavoidable."
A few servants lowered their heads.
Not out of respect.
To hide their smiles.
Jin Qiang's eye twitched. "Say one more word."
"One more word."
The table cracked.
Ye Tianxin's fan covered his mouth, but not his laughter.
For thousands of years, the two gods had worked side by side. Jin Qiang destroyed what heaven ordered him to destroy — corrupted lands, broken artifacts, cursed battlefields, and occasionally fools who mistook mercy for weakness. Ye Tianxin restored balance afterward, sending fortune, resources, and new prosperity into the ruins.
Their work should have made them dignified partners.
Instead, it had turned them into gambling companions with increasingly ridiculous bets.
At first, the loser merely handled the other's unfinished duties.
Then the bets became personal.
Childish.
Embarrassing.
Last month, Jin Qiang had lost three rounds and was forced to praise Ye Tianxin's latest poetry collection in front of the court. The poetry had been terrible. Everyone knew it. Ye Tianxin knew it too.
That was why he had enjoyed it.
This time, Ye Tianxin tapped his fan against the tiles and said, "If I win this round, you must attend the next martial competition and praise my son for a full incense stick of time."
Jin Qiang stared at him.
"Your son is a scholar."
"He has arms."
"He reads military theory for fun."
"Then he should understand combat in theory."
"He once fainted because a sword spirit sneezed near him."
"An exaggerated rumor."
"You were the one who spread it."
Ye Tianxin paused.
Then smiled. "A good rumor should never be wasted."
Jin Qiang pointed at him. "You heartless old fox. Why do you keep forcing that child into martial competitions?"
Ye Tianxin's expression did not change, but his eyes warmed slightly.
"Because if I do not push him, he will hide in a study until mushrooms grow on his robes."
Jin Qiang snorted. "You are just jealous my sons know how to fight."
"Your eldest son knows how to fight," Ye Tianxin corrected. "Your second son knows how to make trouble beautifully."
Jin Qiang opened his mouth.
Then closed it.
He could not argue with that.
Ye Tianxin's smile deepened. "Do not worry. If my son loses, I will simply say he inherited his mother's gentleness."
"If he wins?"
"Then he inherited my brilliance."
Jin Qiang slapped the table. "Shameless!"
"Accurate."
Before Jin Qiang could unleash a proper stream of divine insults, a servant hurried into the room and bowed.
"My lord."
Jin Qiang did not look away from the board. "If the pavilion is not burning, wait."
The servant's face stiffened. "Madam Huan Mei sent an order."
Jin Qiang froze.
Ye Tianxin slowly lowered his fan.
The room became very quiet.
The servant swallowed. "Madam said… the lord is to return immediately."
Jin Qiang sat straighter. "Immediately as in after this round?"
The servant lowered his voice. "Immediately as in before she comes here herself."
Jin Qiang stood.
The movement was so fast his chair fell backward.
Ye Tianxin's eyes curved with amusement. "Leaving already?"
Jin Qiang grabbed his sword. "We pause the game."
"You always say that when you are losing."
"This is different."
"Of course. This time, your wife is angry."
Jin Qiang shot him a look. "If you value your treasury, do not provoke me today."
Ye Tianxin waved his fan lazily. "Go, go. This old man will remember your debt."
"You remember every debt."
"That is why I am the God of Wealth."
Jin Qiang vanished in a burst of destructive energy.
The servant stared at the cracked floor, the broken table, and the powdered teacup.
Then he looked at Ye Tianxin.
Ye Tianxin calmly lifted his tea.
"Put the damages on his account."
By the time Jin Qiang returned to his own pavilion, the servants had already cleared the front courtyard.
That was never a good sign.
Inside the main hall, the Goddess of Disaster, Huan Mei, paced back and forth in long blue robes. Her hair drifted around her like storm clouds, and with every step, the lamps along the wall flickered in fear.
Jin Qiang entered and immediately raised both hands.
"Wife, I was wrong."
Huan Mei stopped.
Her anger paused with her.
"You do not even know what happened."
"I will know after I apologize."
For one breath, Huan Mei stared at him.
Then the corner of her mouth twitched.
The servants behind her silently relaxed.
Jin Qiang saw it and felt proud of himself.
Thousands of years of marriage had taught him many things. Battle strategy. Patience. The proper way to survive his wife's temper.
Most importantly: apologize first, ask later.
Huan Mei turned away, but some of the sharpness in her aura faded.
"It is not about you."
Jin Qiang lowered his hands.
"Oh."
A short silence passed.
Then his expression changed.
"If it is not about me, then which blind fool angered you?"
Huan Mei's eyes turned cold.
"The reincarnation seat awakened."
Jin Qiang went still.
The softness between them vanished.
"What did you say?"
"The Heavenly Pact rang nine bells." Huan Mei's voice dropped. "Yan has returned."
For a moment, Jin Qiang said nothing.
Then the air around him cracked.
The floor beneath his feet trembled. A dark pressure spread outward, heavy enough to force the nearby servants to their knees.
Huan Mei stepped closer and placed one hand on his arm.
"Control yourself."
Jin Qiang closed his eyes.
His aura withdrew, but only slightly.
"Where is Liwei?"
"With her."
Relief passed over his face, followed immediately by worry.
"Does she remember?"
"Not fully."
"That may be worse."
"I know."
Huan Mei looked toward the direction of the Official Palace. Her face hardened.
"The officials have already sent a summons."
Jin Qiang's eyes sharpened.
"So soon?"
"So shamelessly."
A dangerous smile touched his mouth. "Good. I have not stretched my hands properly in years."
"Do not start a war before we know what they want."
"They want what they have always wanted."
Huan Mei did not deny it.
For a long moment, husband and wife stood in silence.
The earlier comedy had disappeared, replaced by something older and colder. They both remembered the last time Yan had been dragged before the officials. They remembered the curse. The excuses. The way the divine court had looked at a suffering child and calculated benefit.
Jin Qiang's hands curled into fists.
"If those old vultures dare speak of her pain as a resource again…"
Huan Mei gently straightened the edge of his robe.
It was such a small, ordinary action that it made the servants lower their heads even further.
"They will not leave with all their bones intact," she finished for him.
Jin Qiang looked at her.
The rage in his eyes softened.
"You are more terrifying than me."
"I know."
"That is why I married you."
"You married me because you chased me for three hundred years and refused to understand rejection."
"I understood it. I simply disagreed."
Huan Mei gave him a flat look.
Jin Qiang smiled.
For one brief moment, they were not ancient gods standing before another heavenly disaster. They were husband and wife, old enough to have survived wars, grief, children, enemies, and each other.
Then another messenger rushed into the hall and dropped to his knees.
"My lord, my lady. The God of Wealth requests permission to accompany you to the Official Palace."
Jin Qiang frowned. "That old fox wants to come?"
The messenger hesitated. "He said, and I quote, 'If the court intends to discuss Yan's curse, someone with a working brain should be present.'"
Huan Mei's lips curved.
Jin Qiang's face darkened.
"He said that?"
"Yes, my lord."
"Tell him if his brain works so well, he can use it to calculate how many teeth he has left after I arrive."
The messenger bowed lower, wisely choosing not to repeat that.
Huan Mei walked past Jin Qiang toward the door.
"Come. We should not keep the court waiting."
Jin Qiang followed her, his expression turning grim.
Behind them, the servants hurried to prepare the carriage, weapons, and formal robes. None dared to speak loudly.
Only when the two gods reached the courtyard did Huan Mei pause.
"Qiang."
He looked at her.
Her voice softened. "This time, we protect her properly."
Jin Qiang's jaw tightened.
"Yes."
Above them, the nine bells of the Heavenly Pact continued to echo across the realm.
And in the distance, the Official Palace opened its doors.