The End Times as a Song

Chapter 8 I Have No Home

"Master, stop hitting him, stop hitting him..."

"Hua Yan, let me go! Are you asking for a beating too?"

"Master, if you keep hitting him, you'll kill Zheng Shang... I beg you, for the sake of the God of the Apocalypse, spare Zheng Shang, Hua Yan begs you...!"

Hua Yan clung desperately to the legs of the girl in pink gauze and white, but the girl, relentless, turned and raised her long whip to lash Hua Yan. After striking her twice, she suddenly stopped and turned to Zheng Shang, demanding an explanation.

"Zheng Shang, you should know by now what mistake you made..."

The willful and capricious girl in pink gauze and white dress pressed the zither merchant relentlessly, and no one could persuade her otherwise.

"Zheng Shang, I don't know what mistake I've made... Please enlighten me, Goddess..."

The zither merchant, pale-faced, knelt with Qiaoyu in his arms, his body covered in wounds, yet he remained neither humble nor arrogant, refusing to bow his head in submission.

"Zheng Shang, you... since you have the audacity to touch my things... why don't you have the audacity to admit it...?"

"Zheng Shang, he hasn't touched anything belonging to the Goddess..."

"Still daring to argue? Looks like you haven't had enough of the whipping..."

"Zheng Shang... has not touched anything belonging to the Goddess. Please investigate, Goddess..."

"Hmph... You still dare to say you didn't... They saw all the rumors, but they dare to do it but not admit it..."

The girl in pink gauze and white was enraged again, and immediately raised the whip in her hand towards Zheng Shang.

"Clap clap..."

Two more lashes.

Zheng Shang remained silent, enduring the situation. She knew that if she bowed her head and admitted to this mess, it would affect her Nan'er Lin's world. She couldn't accept this unfounded accusation.

"Zheng Shang, he hasn't touched anything belonging to the Goddess..."

"Zheng Shang, don't think that just because you are my brother's foster mother, you can do whatever you want in my palace... This lady has a way to deal with you."

"Look at what I have in my hand. This whip was specially made for you. You are human; if it were the Divine Whip, you would have been annihilated long ago. If you died, how would I explain it to my brother who lived through the apocalypse? This is an ordinary whip for humans, perfect for you... It will only cause you excruciating pain, but it won't kill you..."

"Goddess, this is an attempt to extract a confession through torture..."

"So what if it is... You're just a human, who are you trying to impress by putting on this aloof act in my Jade Void Palace all day... My brother isn't in the Jade Void Palace right now."

"You were instrumental in finding my brother. The Divine Emperor Yuan Shun allowed you, a human woman, to accompany him to the Heavenly Realm, which was already a great act of mercy. What immense good fortune you must have accumulated to be allowed to remain in this Jade Void Palace? Don't be ungrateful for your blessings. You always think you're something special just because you're my foster mother, acting all high and mighty all the time. You're nothing more than a celestial servant. You really think you can replace my brother's biological mother? You're truly ignorant of your own limitations..."

"This matter has nothing to do with the God of the End Times. Please be careful with your words, Goddess Zheyu, and do not involve the God of the End Times..."

"You dare talk back? I'll teach you a lesson you won't forget..."

"Clap clap..."

Two more lashes followed, and Zheng Shang's fair and delicate face instantly blossomed with bruises.

"You're quite tolerant. Even in this state, I haven't seen you beg for mercy, cry out in pain, or shed a tear. Are you even human? I've never seen any human being so tolerant..."

Wu Zheyu spoke passionately and eloquently, expressing his dissatisfaction over the years with a chilling and ruthless tone, before leaning down and mockingly pinching Zheng Shang's chin.

"What a pity, such a pretty face, it looks like it's going to be disfigured today. Let's see how you seduce my brother then..."

"Please, Goddess Zheyu, watch your words! I am the foster mother of the God of the End Times... Please, Goddess, refrain from speaking disrespectfully and insulting this servant..."

"Oh... so you know you're a servant girl, then admit your mistake now..."

"Zheng Shang didn't touch Goddess Zheyu's clothes, or anything else belonging to her... Goddess, how can Zheng Shang possibly acknowledge this..."

"You shameless zither player, unrepentant... Today, I, the divine lord, will teach you how to behave in the celestial realm..."

Wu Zheyu forcefully slapped Zheng Shang's face away, raising her long whip to strike him. Zheng Shang met the whip head-on without dodging. At the same time, a jade folding fan flew in from outside the Jade Void Palace, catching Wu Zheyu's attention. Wu Zheyu swung her whip, catching the jade fan and flinging it out of the Jade Void Palace.

"Who... dares to meddle in my business..."

Outside the gates of Jade Void Palace, Chengfeng landed with a somersault, turned gracefully to receive the jade folding fan, and appeared inside the main hall of Jade Void Palace. He raised his head, revealing his bright and spirited eyes, smiled slightly, opened the jade folding fan in his hand, and with a refined and polite demeanor, awkwardly called out.

“Ayu…”

"Chengfeng...it's you! What are you doing at Jade Void Palace..."

"Ah Yu, you've already hit him and vented your anger. Shouldn't you give me some face, show some mercy, and let Zheng Shang go..."

"You... you expect me, the Empress, to give you face..."

"Ayu, don't be like this..."

"Get out of my way..."

“Ayu…”

Seeing that Chengfeng had interrupted her punishment, Wu Zheyu was furious and swung her long whip, intending to continue lashing Zheng Shang. Chengfeng, the Divine Lord, stepped forward to stop Wu Zheyu, who thoughtfully stroked the whip. Suddenly, her eyes sharpened, and she rebuked Chengfeng sternly, her tone revealing various threats.

"Lord Chengfeng, are you trying to meddle again...?"

"Chengfeng, I wouldn't dare, how could I..."

Wu Zheyu approached Chengfeng step by step with her whip in hand. Chengfeng raised his hands to show weakness and refuse, his eyes darting around as he helplessly apologized.

"I knew Chengfeng, you coward, that's why you wouldn't dare meddle in my business..."

“That’s right, that’s right… A-Yu is always right…”

Seeing Chengfeng's cowardly appearance, Wu Zheyu stopped bullying him and turned to walk towards Zheng Shang, wanting to continue torturing Zheng Shang for amusement.

Suddenly, a golden light flashed from Lin Moshi, and he stormed into Yuxu Palace. He grabbed Wu Zheyu's hand forcefully and pushed him forward, causing Wu Zheyu to stagger back a few steps.

"Stop... Ah Yu... Haven't you caused enough trouble yet?"

"Brother Apocalypse...you've finally arrived..."

Wu Zheyu blurted out in a sarcastic tone, seemingly implying something deeper.

"What? Is it that I can't come to your Jade Void Palace...?"

Lin Moshi frowned, his eyes widened, and he shouted sharply, his expression becoming extremely terrifying. Wu Zheyu's hand, which had been grabbed, instantly became red and swollen, and she couldn't help but cry out in pain.

"Brother, let me go! Brother, you're hurting me..."

"Ashi, calm down... don't be like this..."

"It hurts, you know what pain is... If I had arrived a moment later, would Zheng Shang have been dead...?"

"Brother, what nonsense are you talking about? Look carefully, I'm your sister. Are you going to treat your sister like this for an outsider...?"

"Outsider...? Sister...?"

As Lin Moshi got excited, his veins bulged, and he exerted force again, causing Wu Zheyu to scream in pain.

"It hurts, it hurts so much... Brother..."

"Ah Shi, calm down. This commotion isn't good for anyone..."

“Brother, Zheng Shang is just a fairy servant. I was just teasing her…”

"Immortal Slave, you're just joking. You know she's different from us. She's just an ordinary human woman. As a noble princess of the divine race, why bother arguing with a human woman like her..."

"Brother...it hurts..."

"Ah Shi, calm down, calm down. Let's talk this out... Let go of Ah Yu first..."

Chengfeng looked at Lin Moshi with a flustered expression, speaking gently and trying his best to persuade him.