While the two of them talked, the people in the dragon realm had gotten ready to set off. With Qiu Ling not in the palace and An Bai also staying in the Nine Heavens, Fu Heng didn’t accompany the guards and instead sent one of the dragon realm’s generals over to take charge. This wasn’t just an ordinary visit, after all, it was supposed to be their show of strength, both as their king’s support and as that of the gods they were allied with.

Bai Mu and Nie Huang felt a bit odd standing in front of all these people they were unfamiliar with. Even though they were living in the dragon realm on the invitation of the dragon king himself, they were well aware that neither of them were dragons and they also weren’t that familiar with matters here. Ordinarily, this didn’t matter much but with one serious situation happening after the other, they also felt self-conscious.

Shou Quan looked at the two of them and inclined her head. Contrary to them, she didn’t think too much. Adviser Xiang Yong himself had brought them over and reminded her to pay special attention. Clearly, their identities weren’t simple. While in the Nine Heavens, maybe these two would come right after their king in terms of who they should protect. Well, apart from the Heavenly Couple, maybe. After all, those were their king’s parents-in-law.

The group which consisted of about three dozen guards apart from Shou Quan, Bai Mu, and Nie Huang, finally set off after greeting each other. As the general, Shou Quan took the lead, also pulling Bai Mu and Nie Huang closer. “Have you been informed about the content of this mission?”

Bai Mu nodded. “To support the trueborn gods after their crown prince disappeared.”

Shou Quan inclined her head. “Yes, exactly that. We are set to live in the palace and the duration of the stay hasn’t been determined yet. I am not sure if your accommodations have been decided yet?” Otherwise, she’d take charge of that as soon as they arrived. After all, making a good impression was important.

Bai Mu gave a hum. “Most likely, yes.” Anyway, they had been invited by his father and he had told Qiang Yan about their decision after Nie Huang agreed. By the time they arrived, those things should have been organized long ago.

Shou Quan wasn’t sure what else to say when she received this response. She didn’t know the couple and there also wasn’t any information she could share so she simply fell silent.

Nie Huang looked from one person to the other and finally cleared her throat. “It’s the first time for us to go to the Nine Heavens. Does General Shou Quan have any advice on what to take note of while there?” Even though — or maybe especially because — they would stay with Bai Mu’s family, they couldn’t allow themselves to make any mistakes. If they accidentally offended somebody, it wouldn’t be good.

Shou Quan paused. “Actually … I myself have only been to the Nine Heavens once.” And she really didn’t think that she had learned all that much at that time.

Nie Huang wasn’t discouraged though. Even if they couldn’t learn anything about the place, just listening to some anecdotes would be nice as well. In the worst case, they’d just get to know another person from the dragon realm. “What was it like?”

Shou Quan rubbed her neck. “Really quiet?” Back then, she and her wife had actually been dragged over by His Majesty and gone to visit the crown prince. His palace was far away from those of the titled gods and apart from the two guards in front of the main gate, there weren’t even any servants around. To her, this simply seemed maddening. How did that guy live in that kind of place?!

Nie Huang nodded slowly, imagining the Nine Heavens like the type of place cultivation sects had always been described by the storytellers. Maybe they were actually located on nine sacred mountains surrounded by glimmering mist with golden cranes flying across the sky …

Bai Mu didn’t know much about the Nine Heavens either but he had lived long enough that he wouldn’t easily have illusions about what kind of place they might be. So, hearing Shou Quan give that short statement, he figured there might be more to it. “Where exactly did you go at the time?”

“Oh, to visit His Highness. We’re not going to stay at his palace though. I’m afraid it wouldn’t be big enough to house all of these people either.”

Bai Mu hummed, feeling that this made a lot more sense. He had heard a little about the Son of Heaven, thanks to both having been in contact with Qiu Ling and staying in the dragon realm for a while. According to rumors, the crown prince was rather withdrawn so living in a quiet palace wasn’t too odd. The rest of the Nine Heavens … it might not differ too much from the dragon realm.

Nie Huang nodded and dropped the topic. “Bai Mu and I are the only ones from our family living in the dragon realm so going together, I don’t feel like it changes much. What about you? You don’t know when you’ll return. Won’t you miss your family?”

To be honest, she still missed even her family in the mortal realm but … she knew it didn’t matter. She had left that place so long ago that none of her immediate relatives should be alive any longer. Since this was the case, she usually didn’t think about it. Now that she met Shou Quan in this situation, the thought couldn’t help but resurface though.

Shou Quan could only sigh. “I will, that’s for sure. I suppose it’s not impossible for her to visit though. Anyway, His Majesty knows her and even if it’s just for a moment, it should be alright.” Thinking of her wife, she smiled even though in her heart, she indeed wasn’t looking forward to this long time of separation. But then, this was also a sign that His Majesty and his advisers trusted her. As a general of the dragon realm, how could she not be ecstatic about that? It was her honor to be allowed to support their king in a time of his greatest need. Naturally, her wife would support her in doing this so they would make the best out of this no matter how tough it was.