Chapter 31: Visiting the Mortal Realm |
[June 16, 2019] . . .
Shěn Lí was called to the Demon emperor’s palace early the next morning.
Upon entering the meeting hall she saw the emperor seated in his usual spot. Mò Fāng stood to his side while many other soldiers lined up in the hall.
The Demon emperor dismissed the soldiers with a wave of his hand and quickly got to the point. “Last night Lord Fú Róng ran to the Mortal realm using the Demon realm entrance.”
Shěn Lí glanced in surprise at Mò Fāng. He swiftly bowed his head and knelt on his knee.
“This is all my fault. I shall bear the full responsibility of bringing Lord Fú Róng back. Once back, I will accept whatever punishment is necessary.”
“Why did he suddenly run away?” Shěn Lí asked. There was a distinct silence in the hall. “Did you beat him up?”
She wasn’t serious about the question so was surprised when Mò Fāng nodded.
“I was drunk last night.” He rubbed at the space between his brows helplessly as though he had a headache. “I wasn’t paying attention and . . . I kicked him . . . a few times.”
Shěn Lí thought about Fú Róng’s baby soft, tender skin and realized the silly immortal must have really felt it. “So, he was beat up a little.” Shěn Lí continued disdainfully. “What is he? A baby? He was beat a little and he ran away? Who does he think he’s threatening with this silly ploy? There’s nothing in the Mortal realm that can harm him. Just let him come back when he feels like it.”
“That won’t do.” The emperor handed Shěn Lí a letter. “Because of an urgent matter, the Immortal emperor has decreed that Lord Fú Róng must return to the Immortal realm in three days.”
Shěn Lí thought of the letter from the bar maid a few days ago and her stomach did a somersault. She had asked Xíng Zhǐ to send it to the Immortal emperor on her behalf, but he had been so unenthusiastic about it she thought it would take some time to see any results. Xíng Zhǐ must have sent the letter right away. Not only that, he must have added something else to it. Why else would the Immortal emperor react so quickly?
Shěn Lí cast her eyes down. She wasn’t sure what this feeling in her heart was.
“Lord Fú Róng must be found within the next three days,” repeated the emperor. “Fortunately, we have time on our side. Time in the mortal world is faster so three days here is the equivalent to many years there.”
Shěn Lí nodded. She looked at the remorseful Mò Fāng then at the emperor and said, “So you want me to find him?”
“Your Majesty! This is my fault. Please don’t involve Her Highness.”
The Demon emperor waved his hand at Mò Fāng’s outcry. “This delegation isn’t just to bring Lord Fú Róng back, but also to give the children time to get to know each other. Remember time proceeds faster in the mortal world. Li-er, do you understand?”
There was no way to avoid the marriage so of course she understood. She needed to consider his feelings more.
“I will get everything in order and set out immediately.”
Mò Fāng wanted to argue, but the emperor’s words echoed in his ears. He felt like a fishbone was stuck in his throat. Although he wanted to say something, he couldn’t.
“As for General Mò’s punishment for offending a superior . . .”
“Don’t punish him. I told him he could beat Lord Fú Róng. If anyone is to blame it would be me. I shall accept punishment once I return with Lord Fú Róng.” Shěn Lí saluted, turned, and left the hall immediately after saying this.
Mò Fāng, still kneeling on the ground, clenched his fist.
. . .The only person Shěn Lí spoke to regarding her departure was Ròu Yā. Since the matter had nothing to do with Xíng Zhǐ, she saw no reason to inform him of her actions.
When Shěn Lí entered the Mortal realm, the skies were a clear blue and the breeze gentle. She drifted through the capital towards her tiny nook of the world on her cloud.
She took a deep breath of the clean air and stretched out. She suddenly wanted to find some shade under the grape trellis that a certain guy planted. It would be nice to fall asleep to the creaking sound of the rocking chair.
She exhaled and opened her eyes. In front of her was a strange alley. Everything looked different.
Although she was told Fú Róng had run in the direction of Yáng Zhōu, she hadn’t made it her destination, instead she steered her cloud to the capital. She wanted to stretch and enjoy herself first.
The last time she was here, she had been busy running from the emperor’s men and had no time to play tourist, so this time around she wanted to take it leisurely. She went to the market and meandered between the stalls. Nostalgia hit her, and she made her way to Xíng Yún’s courtyard.
Everything had changed. The alley way that led to his house was different. The house he lived in, that burned down, had been rebuilt in a slightly different style. It was inevitable, so many decades had passed since she left.
She stood there in front of the gates for a while, watching the children run around. They were playing and laughing, making a general ruckus and disturbing the peace. This was certainly not a scene she would have ever seen in his courtyard. He had always preferred peace and quiet.
So much had changed.
Next stop, Ruì palace.
It was opulent and majestic with more pavilions and such, but otherwise it was the same palace. The only difference was the change in ownership.
Shěn Lí felt the sudden urge to see the lotus plant and the pond; she wanted to know what happened to Prince Ruì and his consort.
She teleported there with a twirl of her fingers. The pond had been filled in and a house was built on top. Oh. It’s gone. Shěn Lí silently studied her surroundings. The décor had changed to suit the new owners, and there were no traces of Prince Ruì left.
Things and people fade with time, but Shěn Lí was unwilling to accept it. There was nothing left of what she remembered. For her, everything had only happened months ago. It felt like she was being abandoned as the world moved on. What was more, there was no Xíng Yún in this world. He felt like an illusion. It was a frightening feeling, so she sought to confirm his existence.
With a twirl of her fingers, she appeared inside the imperial records building.
Reading through the records, she saw that Prince Ruì successfully assassinated his brother and took the throne. But his princess refused to accept the empress title, and instead chose to follow the solitary path of Buddhism. King Ruì knew she wouldn’t accept the title.
There was nothing else written about him. Perhaps because there was nothing distinguishing about his rule for the scholars to record.
Shěn Lí stared at the ink strokes on the pages. There was no record of Xiǎo Hé.[notes] It was like she never existed. Perhaps the king had forgotten about her, after all, many people died for him, what was one silly demon girl.
Shěn Lí slid her fingers across the words until they stopped at the title, National Teacher, Xíng Yún.
Xíng Yún had guided King Ruì, becoming his most trusted advisor, and yet he had no official title or rank. It was only after his death that Prince Ruì conferred the title of National Teacher upon him.
The two words were the only traces left of him in the world. Flipping to the next page didn’t give her anymore information as it was about those that came after.
Shěn Lí laughed. What was she even looking for? Even if the whole world forgot, what did it have to do with her?
She only knew him because he was a part of her life, a part of her memories. Whether others remembered him, whether he really existed, didn’t matter because he was gone now. It wasn’t like she could get the past back.
Shěn Lí touched her forehead, then shook her head and laughed. How could she have lost her head like that? Such an action was unworthy of the Azure Sky king.
Shěn Lí left the palace and headed to Gong Cheng. After a few steps she paused and did an about face. She walked to the market and picked up two bottles of wine and leisurely walked out of the capital.
She stopped at the outskirts by a river and sat down. “How long does Immortal High God intend on following me?”
A person clad in white billowy robes emerged from behind a tree. In embarrassment, he sat down next to Shěn Lí. “How long have you known?”
“If I wasn’t aware of my surroundings, I would have been struck down ages ago on the battlefield.” Shěn Lí held the other bottle out to him.
Xíng Zhǐ laughed and took the offered wine.
The silence between was broken when they both spoke.
”Yesterday --” - “High god --”
Xíng Zhǐ laughed at that. “I wanted to apologize about yesterday, but you had already left for the Mortal realm by the time I woke up this morning, so I followed you here.”
The river they were sitting by was a rapid one with white bubbles and foam. It twinkled and sparkled under the light of the sun. He looked at it and sighed. In a tone he was unaccustomed to using he said. “I am sorry.” He wasn’t one to apologize, so it came out a little rusty.
Shěn Lí had always been more susceptible to coaxing than coercion, so Xíng Zhǐ’s apology took her by surprise. After a moment of stunned silence she said, “It is fine. I was bullying Lord Fú Róng too much; it was fair he got angry. The emperor reprimanded me about I, and I know I was also in the wrong.”
This time the silence between them wasn’t so awkward.
Shěn Lí suddenly pointed to a spot in front of them. She spoke with renewed determination. “See that spot? Once, not long ago, I was sprawled over there completely helpless in my demon form. I was exhausted and couldn't move a single muscle. I have never been in a more difficult or embarrassing situation in my life.”
Despite her words, Shěn Lí’s tyes shined with happiness. She turned to Xíng Zhǐ and her heart turned a little sour.
“I never told anyone this, but when I was taken back to the Demon realm, I felt like I was renewed, like I had met a legendary hero. How about that? The first hero I meet turned out to be an ordinary mortal that I could have easily choked and killed. That was probably when I set my heart on him.”
It was the first time she had been so calm and clear-headed in front of him. She waited for him to say something, but when he didn’t she continued. “Immortal High God, Xíng Yún, I’m not stupid.”
For a while the only sounds between them was the gurgle of the river as it rushed downstream. The stalemate was broken with Xíng Zhǐ’s laughter.
“So you saw through it hm?”
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