Chapter 36

Fiery Gluttony

“Inseparable, passionate, shadows never apart, harmonious as a lute and zither, deeply affectionate...” No words in the world could describe the sickeningly sweet affection between my second sister and Kong Shu. Every time I saw them chasing each other around the Zi Chao Palace like a pair of lovebirds, and every time I heard Kong Shu’s clear calls and my second sister’s sweet laughter, I had the illusion that this was her first experience with love.

My second sister was a person who followed her heart. Even when handling state affairs, she was easily influenced by her companions. So, at first, I was a little worried that Kong Shu would be like Kai Xuanjun and cause trouble in the country. I was prepared to eliminate another threat to the nation at any time. Later, I discovered that he was a good man who obeyed the rules and was devoted to my second sister. He never interfered with state affairs.

Thinking about this, I felt much more at ease. Seeing my second sister so happy, I was also very relieved. While she was busy with her personal life, I was busy helping her with the affairs of state.

One afternoon, my brother came to visit me. He happened to see me reviewing documents in my second sister’s chamber and said, “Weiwei, you’ve been working day and night. You’re going to wear yourself out. Why don’t you come back to Tian Shi City with me? I’ll take you to relax.”

“No, I’m busy,” I replied decisively.

“You’re quite bold now, even daring to disobey your brother?”

Actually, I missed Tian Shi City. The immortal realm had jade terraces, fairylands, exotic beasts, strange flowers, and soaring immortals, all of which were unseen in Su Zhao. Tian Shi City also had places like the Blue Water Sky, the Dharma Flower Cherry Orchard, the White Emperor Valley, and the Floating Tu Sea. Speaking of the Floating Tu Sea, my heart tightened.

I clenched my pen and said casually, “Is Master in Tian Shi City?” In truth, I didn’t want to face him.

Fu Chenzhi replied, “He’s not there these days. He seems to have returned to the Divine Realm.”

For some reason, I felt a sense of relief, but also a slight regret. I said, “Then I’ll go with you.”

“So you were afraid of Master. Don’t worry, we won’t go to the Cangying Gate.”

My brother drew his sword with a spell, and the sword spun in the air before settling beneath his feet, allowing him to ride it. He extended his hand to me, signaling me to come up. I hesitated for a moment, then smiled and threw my pen aside before flying onto his back and grabbing his waist.

Then, with a spell, he soared into the sky. The wind and mist whipped around us, blowing my hair into a mess. My jade earrings hurt my cheeks, and the speed of the flight startled me. In the blink of an eye, the vast desert and mountains had become tiny piles of stones, and Su Zhao had turned into a thin sheet of paper. After a while, everything had disappeared, and we had entered the border of the immortal realm.

Around us, there were flocks of white birds and cranes, and proud phoenixes flew past, disappearing into the sky in the blink of an eye.

I said, “Brother, your swordsmanship is extraordinary. Remember when we were young, the royal children of Su Zhao used to bully you and laugh at you for not knowing any spells? If they could see you now, they would be so embarrassed.”

Fu Chenzhi said, “I’m not interested in proving them wrong.”

“Why?”

“At that time, there was only one person in my eyes, and I didn’t care what others thought.”

He answered so easily, and I was speechless. Over the years, I had always known about his feelings for me. And I truly loved my brother, but I could never give him what he wanted.

He seemed to notice my discomfort and sped up, carrying me higher into the sky. I was startled and quickly wrapped my arms around his waist.

He said, “If I didn’t do this, you might become estranged from me.”

I couldn’t see his expression, and I couldn’t guess what he was thinking.

He continued, “Weiwei, don’t worry. No matter what happens, I’ll always be with you. Even if you inherit Su Zhao or get married, it won’t change anything for me.”

“Really? You’ll always be by my side?”

“Of course.”

“Don’t break your promise like Father did. You said you would always be with us, but you didn’t keep your word.”

“I’m an immortal, so you don’t have to worry about my lifespan.”

“Then... what if I...”

“Even if you get married, it’s okay,” my brother said, as if he could read my mind. “Just bring anyone you like to meet me. As long as they treat you well and cherish you, I’ll be happier than you and will sincerely bless you.”

When he said “I’ll be happier than you,” I felt a pang of sadness. I hugged him tightly and buried my face in his back, “Brother... thank you...”

“My little sister is old enough to get married now. Time flies so fast.”

My brother sighed, as if he wanted to say something else, but he didn’t. I wanted to say, “I haven’t found someone I like yet,” to comfort him, but I couldn’t. Thinking about how quickly I had fallen in love with Kong Shu, I realized that I might fall in love with someone else at any time.

Later, we entered the Azure Dragon Heaven and passed over the Dharma Flower Cherry Orchard. The cherry blossoms bloomed all year round, never falling. Even in winter, there was a beautiful scene of cherry blossoms and snow. I quickly patted my brother’s shoulder, signaling him to stop. Then, we sat down under a cherry tree to rest.

As soon as we sat down, I regretted it. Many years ago, my brother had kissed me here. How could I have forgotten something like that?

Feeling increasingly uncomfortable, I stood up and cleared my throat, saying, “I’ll go for a walk where there are more people and be back soon.”

“Alright,” my brother replied, his long eyelashes drooping as if he were also feeling uneasy.

As I ran through the cherry orchard, I encountered numerous strange occurrences. More and more “corpses” seemed to be fixated on me, desperately trying to convince me to take them away with various strange schemes. One even used magic to hang my hair on a flower branch.

Finally, I managed to escape these people and hid near a cloud of mist. I saw several fairies sneaking around, looking quite excited. One of them exclaimed, “Did you see those men on Star Sea Rock? They look like they’re from the divine realm...”

“Yes, yes. I’ve never seen such a big dragon before. They released it,” another one said.

They pointed towards Star Sea Rock, where the cherry blossoms were particularly lush, partially obscuring the figures standing there. Star Sea Rock was an extension of the Dharma Flower Cherry Orchard, facing a corner of the Floating Tu Sea, hence its name.

It was noon, and a warm breeze carried the scent of flowers. The stars weren’t as bright as at night, but the Milky Way still shone brightly, even in the morning sun. I could hear the sounds of flutes and boats in the distance. When I saw the figures standing there, my heart raced, and I cautiously approached, hiding behind a tree.

Then, a man’s voice, filled with awe and amusement, said, “Two years ago, a mortal got drunk in the Dharma Flower Cherry Orchard and wrote a poem: ‘I’ll trade my red cherry blossoms for wine, and be drunk among the flowers year after year.’ Since then, immortals from other cities have come to the Dharma Flower Cherry Orchard. I don’t approve of such idle behavior, but the scenery is indeed beautiful.”

This man and his companions stood behind a group, surrounding a young man in the center. The young man was sitting on a chair, facing the star sea, his eyes lowered, holding a bunch of peach blossoms.

He seemed to love flowers yet be annoyed by them, so someone was holding an umbrella to shield him from the falling petals.

The umbrella was a deep green color, and the pink petals that fell on it looked like snow falling into a deep lake, creating a silent sadness.

When I saw the familiar deep blue robe, I almost burst into tears. Pushing aside the branches, afraid that I was mistaken, I held my breath and stared intently. I saw his hand, with a jade ring, hanging loosely by his side, holding the flower branch.

Even after ten years, I could still recognize him instantly. My heart was so sensitive at that moment that I could even hear the sound of the flowers blooming.

After a long struggle, I decided not to approach him. I knew that even if I just saw his back once, I would never be able to forget him, no matter how lonely I would be for the next ten years. And I couldn’t bear to hear his voice or see his eyes.

Just as I was about to turn away, he spoke, “You’ve been gone for ten years, and you didn’t even send a message when you returned to Tian Shi City. You’re quite a good disciple of mine.”

My heart skipped a beat. I quickly walked over and knelt behind him, “Disciple would never dare. I have come to see Master.”

Yinze said, “How is Su Zhao?”

“Reporting to Master, Su Zhao has overcome its difficulties. The country is now peaceful and prosperous, but there are still many urgent matters to be dealt with.”

“Then why did you come back today?”

“I just came with my brother for a visit...” I hesitated and said softly, “I thought you weren’t here, so I didn’t prepare to greet you. Please forgive me, Master.”

Yinze snorted, “So you deliberately came when I was away.”

I quickly kowtowed, “Disciple would never dare.”

“Alright, get up.”

I dared not disobey and stood up immediately. There was an awkward silence between us.

Ling Yin Shenjun, who was standing behind him, seemed to have something to say. Seeing this opportunity, he looked at me intently and said, “Luo Wei, how could you grow up to be so beautiful?”

“Ah?” I looked up in confusion, “What do you mean?”

Yinze waved to the person holding the umbrella and glanced at me casually, but he was also startled. I met his gaze. He was standing against the light, and when the person holding the umbrella stepped aside, the cherry blossoms fell like snow, covering our shoulders.

I never thought that such a simple encounter, such a casual glance, would break my heart. He looked so young and beautiful. If I had met him for the first time, I would have fallen in love with him instantly.

But if I looked at him for a moment longer and saw the arrogance in his eyes, I would quickly be brought back to reality.

He was someone I could never reach, no matter how hard I tried.

Ling Yin Shenjun sighed, “I’m not kidding. You should look at yourself in the mirror. There are few fairies in Tian Shi City who are as beautiful as you. If you didn’t know your master, you would definitely be taken in by him today.”

“Nonsense!”

Scolding Ling Yin Shenjun, Yinze turned his gaze back to me. “You’ve gotten so thin in ten years,” he said, his tone indifferent but the underlying concern made my heart ache.

The wind howled, carrying the sound of a phoenix’s cry, shaking the branches and scattering the flowers. My master’s robe fluttered in the wind, a mix of blue and black like the sea. But the falling flowers only stained the robe, leaving no trace. My heart was filled with sorrow and joy, and I realized that I had fallen in love with him too late.

“I haven’t lost weight, but Master has,” I said.

He scoffed, “How would you know if I’ve lost weight or gained weight ten years ago? Spare me the flattery.”

“Then how would Master remember what I looked like ten years ago?”

His eyes widened slightly, and he said coldly, “You’re still as glib as ever.”

“I apologize for that, Master.”

In truth, a lot had changed between us in the past ten years. If it were in the past, I would have followed him around, calling him “Master” and showering him with compliments, saying silly things like, “I want to be with you forever.” But now, even if you killed me, I wouldn’t say a word.

What hadn’t changed was the vast cherry orchard and the boundless star sea.

We chatted for a while, and my brother came to find me. He bowed to my master and said, “Weiwei, I thought I’d lost you. So you were with Master.”

“I just happened to run into Master,” I replied, tugging on my brother’s sleeve. “Master must have something else to do, so let’s go.”

“Does Master have any other orders?”

Master looked at my hand holding Fu Chenzhi’s sleeve and then looked away, saying, “No. You two can go.” Then, he turned around with his right hand behind his back.

My brother and I left. As I looked back at Master, he was as indifferent as ever and didn’t look back at us. It seemed that the deep look in his eyes earlier was just my own delusion.

I held onto my brother’s clothes tightly, feeling like I was about to burst. Even so, I still loved my master. Even though he had no feelings for me, I still wanted to be with him. But I couldn’t stay with him for too long. I was afraid that I would lose control and confess my feelings, or even throw myself at him. If that happened, I would never have the chance to see him again.

I didn’t know when I would see him next.

We flew for a while, and when we passed the Bagua Peak, I said, “Brother, can we stay a little longer? I want to go down and take a look.”

“Okay, but don’t stay too long. I’ll come back for you in an hour.”

“Okay.”

After leaving my brother, I flew over the Bagua Peak on my own. There were some immortals practicing their spells and swordsmanship, which brought back many old memories. After reminiscing for a long time, I suddenly felt an urge to go back to my master. I had told him I would come back, but after I left, I was increasingly reluctant to face him.

Finally, I realized what I had been avoiding. I was afraid that if I spent too much time with him, I would fall deeply in love with him, only to find out that he was getting married to a goddess. The thought of them being as affectionate as my second sister and Kong Shu, and even having children, made me feel like I was going crazy with jealousy. What was even scarier was that their children might not even be grown up by the time I passed away. By then, would my master even remember my name? Perhaps he would forget me in less than a thousand years.

No, I couldn’t be so foolish. I was the little princess of Su Zhao, the younger sister of the Emperor of Flowing Fire. As the beloved princess of the Su Zhao people, I could do whatever I wanted in Su Zhao. I could bully anyone, marry anyone, and have a hundred handsome men to serve me, and no one would dare say no. Why should I come back and be a lowly “little water spirit”?

With this realization, I felt much more relaxed. I sat down by the roadside, humming a tune, and waited for the sunset.

Not long after I sat down, I smelled smoke. I frowned and sniffed the air. Something was wrong. I stood up and looked around, but I couldn’t see anything except for the grass, flowers, mountains, and rocks. As I turned around, I saw a large red mass approaching, like a burning cloud driven by a strong wind.

I squinted my eyes and realized that it was indeed a ball of fire! And as it got closer, the choking smell of smoke became stronger. Compared to the nearby cliffs, it was enormous. What was this thing? I had a very bad feeling. Subconsciously, I wanted to retreat, but before I could fly away, a ball of fire shot out from the red mass and turned the nearby spring into steam. I ran, but before I could take two steps, the smoke descended from the sky, along with a huge ball of fire that landed right in front of me!

Finally, I saw what it was: a beast roaring in the flames! It had the horns of a bull, the claws of a tiger, and it spewed out flames from its mouth. It was so fast that I didn’t even have a chance to cast a spell. I rolled on the ground and hit a rock.

Looking at it spewing fire everywhere, I realized that it couldn’t be an ordinary beast. That’s right, I was on Bagua Peak! It must be the fiery glutton that my master had raised! I remembered that it had been trapped in a deep pit, but why did it escape?

As one of the ancient ferocious beasts, like Qiongqi, the fiery glutton was known for eating people. And since it was raised by Yinze Shenjun, it must be much more powerful than ordinary beasts. What was my master thinking? He was the Cangying God, why would he raise such a creature?

If Xuan Yue were here, it would be fine. Why did I leave it in Su Zhao?

As I regretted my carelessness, the fiery glutton roared and spewed another ball of fire at me. I rolled to the side, and it burned a huge hole in the mountain. Another ball of fire shot towards me, and I was cornered at the edge of the cliff. I had no choice but to push out a shield of water to try to block the attack.

However, the fire easily penetrated my spell and exploded on me. The flames were so intense that I couldn’t even scream. I was covered in flames and fell off the cliff.

Just as I thought I was going to die, the fiery glutton caught me in its mouth and carried me back to the mountain peak. Its teeth were as hot as fire, and it burned me terribly. No matter how hard I struggled, it pressed me down with its claws and continued to breathe fire on me.

The glutton was quite picky. It didn’t like raw meat and insisted on roasting me before taking a bite. As its food, I was in a terrible situation. No matter what spells I cast, they were like a drop in the ocean against its power. My spellcasting hand grew increasingly tired and eventually fell to the ground.

By the end, I couldn’t even feel my heart beating. My mind was still functioning, telling me that I was about to die... Before I lost consciousness, I heard a voice from afar, “Luo Wei! Luo Wei!” My consciousness was fading, and it seemed like the voice was coming from the sky. I couldn’t respond.

“Ling Yin, quickly! Heal her!” It sounded like my Master’s voice, and I had never heard him sound so anxious...

“She’s all burnt up... If she were an earth spirit instead of a water spirit, there would be no way to save her... Hey, you guys, quickly support her arm... Your Highness, please hold her tight.” It was Ling Yin Shenjun’s voice, broken and fragmented...

I don’t know how long it passed before I heard other voices, “It’s strange. Her body has completely healed, but she’s still unconscious...”

“Your Highness, this is bad. She was injured too badly, and her spiritual essence has been damaged. If this continues, she might...” It was another voice.

“Silence!” my Master roared.

“Your Highness, the situation is really bad. Of course, there is a way to treat her, but... well... there’s only one way now... You all should leave.” It was Ling Yin Shenjun.

After a while, Ling Yin Shenjun said, “Your Highness, don’t worry about whether she wants it or not. If she wakes up, she should be grateful. In the Six Realms, there are only a few people who can save her... Fortunately, she’s a water spirit, just like you. If you weren’t the Water God, even with your powerful body, you wouldn’t be able to do anything...”

Yinze didn’t reply. Ling Yin Shenjun continued, “Why are you hesitating? At this moment, life is more important than chastity.

“For Weiwei, it might be worse than death.”

“Is that so? I think she would be begging for it. Didn’t you see how she looked at you in the Dharma Flower Cherry Orchard? I swear on heaven, if she didn’t like you, I would chop off my head a hundred times and put it in front of you.”

“Then chop off your head,” Yinze said coldly. “She said before she left that she would come back to me, but she disappeared for ten years. Don’t say that she has feelings for me, even if she had a teacher-student relationship, she wouldn’t do something so unjust.”

“...That’s new. You’ve always avoided mentioning her, is that why? You... you don’t like her, do you?”

“I don’t like her.”

“If you don’t like her, then don’t say so much. Fine, even if she doesn’t want to live, do you want her to die?”

“...Forget it, you can go.” After a while, Yinze ordered, “Close the door and don’t let anyone in.”