Chapter 3 — The Golden Crow Reclaims Her Fate

Jiang Ninh, what sort of creature are you? I am the Great Emperor Gou Chen of the Celestial Court. You are nothing more than a vulgar, base-born spirit. Do you truly believe yourself worthy of speaking to me in such a tone?

Just then, several figures descended upon the clouds.

Jiang Ninh, have you not caused enough chaos?

These were my nine elder brothers. They swept past me without a glance, rushing directly to Jiang Rou. They began to wipe the tears from the corners of her eyes with practiced tenderness.

Little sister Rou, who has dared to bully you? Tell your brothers, and we shall exact vengeance for you this very instant!

Gou Chen pointed an accusatory finger at me. Aside from this ungrateful slug, who else would dare to torment the princess most favored by the Celestial Emperor?

Hearing this, my eldest brother strode forward and struck me across the face with a stinging slap. Jiang Ninh! I have shown you far too much leniency, have I not? We brought you to the Celestial Court so you could repay a debt of gratitude, not to terrorize Rou. Now, kneel and beg for her forgiveness this instant, or prepare to be cast down into the mortal realm by our own hands!

Watching my eldest brother condemn me without a single question, a wave of hollow disappointment washed over me. It was exactly as it had been in my past life; my brothers remained blindly infatuated with Jiang Rou. Even though I had endured this once before, his words still pierced my heart like sharpened steel. I had never understood it. I was their true blood sister, while Jiang Rou was nothing more than a plaything they had picked up. Yet, the moment I saved her and brought her to the Heavens, they seemed to fall under a demonic spell.

After discovering that all nine brothers had developed feelings for her, they had spent an entire month slaughtering one another across the thirty-third heaven. I remembered standing between them, trying to protect them from themselves, only to be struck by their stray blades—scars that still marked my skin to this day. They had even sent Jiang Rou to study under the greatest masters, bestowing upon her lavish gifts while entering a pact to compete for her affection fairly. As I nursed my wounds from their senseless brawling, they never spared a single thought for me. My father, busy with the affairs of the universe, had entrusted me to their care, yet this was how they repaid that trust. I looked at my eldest brother with a cold, mocking smile.

Apologize? I am a princess of noble status; why should I beg forgiveness from a lowly slug? Simply because she is your favorite toy? On the contrary, this little spirit claims that she is the true princess, the blood of the Celestial Emperor. Does the eldest brother have nothing to explain to the other immortals?

Upon hearing this, Jiang Rou gazed at my brother with wide, tear-filled eyes. My eldest brother, terrified to see her weep, struck me twice more.

Our family affairs require no explanation to an outsider like you. Rou is correct; she is my true sister, the youngest daughter of the Celestial Emperor and Xi He.

Hearing his blatant favoritism, I screamed in desperation: It is a waste that I ever called you brother. Father was busy with his duties and asked you to look after me. Is this how you fulfill that vow?

He did not spare me a second glance, turning instead to his brothers. Cast this wretched spirit who dares to bully our little sister out of the Heavens and into the mortal world!

Looking at his cold, unfeeling face, an immense sense of injustice surged within me. This was the man who shared my blood, the hero I had looked up to all my life. My parents could never have dreamt that their daughter would be bullied by her own brothers, all for the sake of a common spirit. I raised my head, summoning the Ten Suns Descent, my eyes icy. Father once commanded you to look after me. Since you treat me this way, you are not fit to be my brothers!

As I finished, my eldest brother erupted in fury. He whirled around and crushed my spiritual manifestation with a single motion. The backlash caused me to vomit blood, and my brothers swarmed me, pinning me down with overwhelming force.

Family? Do you truly believe a spirit from the mortal realm is fit to be our kin?

My eldest brother raised his hand, summoning the Sun-Slaying God Bow from the vault, and leveled an arrow at my chest. The Celestial Emperor governs the three realms and the four continents, the nine heavens and the ten directions. I manage the Celestial Court in his stead—why can I not decide who holds the title of princess?

I suppressed the terror rising in my throat and spoke with steady resolve. Using your bodies to seduce them—is that all it takes to become a Celestial Princess? You are all filthy! Even thinking that I share the same blood as you makes me feel nothing but shame.

Driven to the height of his rage, my eldest brother released the bowstring. Once you are dead, Rou will be the legitimate princess without contest!

I watched the tip of the Sun-Slaying Arrow hurtle toward me, and just as it was about to pierce my heart, the very fabric of the void shattered without warning. The Celestial Court trembled, and a hand brimming with divine power caught the arrow in mid-air.

Who has given you the gall to harm the daughter of this Emperor?