Side Story 5

Xuan Yue is a qiongqi, one of the four ancient fierce beasts, essentially a red tiger with wings. Being a tiger, it naturally has tiger-like habits, such as liking water and hunting at night. Moreover, as a descendant of Gonggong, rolling around in water is one of the happiest things Xuan Yue can imagine. Oh, no, the happiest thing would be for her master to take her and fly through the tropical rainforest, hunting a small rabbit or deer.

Xuan Yue has always wondered why, as the king of Su Zhao, her master, who is a Kitchen God, prefers to clean up other people’s yards. Whenever there’s any political matter that Liuyin can’t handle, she has to intervene. So, without her master’s company, Xuan Yue’s life is very boring. She wanted to sleep lazily until noon, but she would always be woken up by her master at cockcrow.

“Xuan Yue,  Xuan Yue, I’m going to Sister Wang’s place. Remember to watch the house and don’t let anyone else into my room.”

Opening her eyes, she was met with a pair of large, beautiful, deep blue eyes. With fair skin, a slender waist, a graceful figure, and a long, waist-length hair of a bluish-green color, her master was truly a beauty. Perhaps out of selfishness, looking at all of Su Zhao, Xuan Yue had never seen a girl more beautiful than her. It’s just that she never treasured her beauty. She would pinch its ears, grab its tail, and torment it every day, as boring as a three-year-old child. Xuan Yue wanted to lash out, but thinking about the long time she would not see her master, she felt very depressed. She flew up and rubbed her neck against her master’s neck, making a sticky sound. Sure enough, her master was very susceptible to this, and her beautiful eyes curved into two crescent moons: “I’ll be back soon, you stay here obediently.”

As always, she didn’t waver at all.

As an ancient fierce beasts, all she could do was be her master’s watchdog. Xuan Yue was very unhappy, but she dared not be rude to her master, so she could only curl up into a round furry ball, facing her with her round butt, silently and strongly protesting. Finally, when her master left, she began to walk sideways in the palace like a crab, bullying the black snake that the palace maid was feeding, and trampling on the tired-looking ying bird. She even lifted her hind leg and urinated and defecated, drawing a circle to mark her territory, so that no other strange beast dared to approach within ten miles. Of course, she wasn’t so domineering without reason, but because she had heard many unpleasant whispers in the palace.

“Hey, hey, hey, have you seen, His Majesty has been getting really close to Young Master Kong recently, I think the second wedding is about to happen.”

“Yeah, His Majesty is older than Young Master Kong, who would have thought they would end up together. Actually, in terms of age and appearance, he’s more suitable for the little princess.”

“Speaking of the little princess, I really don’t understand. She’s really beautiful, but she’s also really picky. All the suitors who came to her door over the years have been scared away? Why don’t you tell me, what kind of man does the little princess want to marry?”

“I’m just telling the truth as it is. Think about it, His Majesty’s first marriage was a failure, but she did marry a celestial being. The little princess also stayed in the Immortal Realm for so long, I’m afraid our Su Zhao men can’t catch her eye. But there are no celestial beings pursuing her, so it’s a bit embarrassing.”

“That’s true too. The little princess is of marriageable age, and she’s probably a little anxious herself.”

“In my opinion, Han Mo is pretty good. He grew up with the little princess, and he’s also the son of the Military Commander. The two of them would be a perfect match.”

As a loyal beast, hearing these words, Xuan Yue was almost burning with anger, so she always tripped up these bastards.

Xuan Yue had a cuter face than any other tiger or qiongqi, making her a natural beauty among the tiger-like beasts. At first, the maids and eunuchs in the Zi Chao Palace were all fascinated by her, but as time passed, her true nature was revealed, and no one could tolerate her extremely bad personality. Gradually, these people dared not approach her anymore. So, the long wait was even more heartbreaking.

In the evening, her master finally returned. She brought back a thick stack of documents, with a gold-inlaid letter on top, stamped with a green dragon seal and a symbol of Tian Shi City. Xuan Yue was a little smug. Who said her master had no one who loved her? Look, Celestial Emperor Tian Heng cherished her so much that he always wrote to her.

So, Xuan Yue turned into a small dog, rubbed against her master’s legs, and waited for her to sit at the desk and reply to her brother’s letter. Finally, after finishing writing a letter, she was also a little tired, so she stretched and hugged Xuan Yue, sitting in the courtyard where the yang flowers had all fallen, quietly staring at the moon. Over the past ten years, she had spent countless days and nights with her master, and she also knew that she was just a careless child, but every night, when she was alone, she would look at the night sky and always look a little lonely. Her gaze always stopped at the center of the stars in the eastern sky. Xuan Yue knew that her master was missing her master. Although Tian Shi City was far away, it was not so difficult to go back, especially since Celestial Emperor Tian Heng often came over. Even if it was inconvenient to go back, she could ask Celestial Emperor Tian Heng to send a message to her master. But for ten years, she had never tried once. Even when she mentioned the word “master,” she rarely did.

Whether it’s a fairy or a spirit, their thoughts are really too hard to understand. Xuan Yue couldn’t figure it out. She just opened her mouth and rubbed her teeth against her master’s arm. She heard her master laugh, and she scratched its neck.

This was the most peaceful and happy moment of Xuan Yue’s day. She enjoyed curling up in her master’s lap, and unknowingly, she was half awake and half asleep.

In the middle of the night, Xuan Yue, who was active at night, also woke up. The sky was still the same sky, and the moon was still the same moon, but the night was darker. Her master, as always, was sitting on the jade steps, leaning against the railing and falling asleep.

A streak of blue light flashed across the long sky, and Xuan Yue knew that person was coming again.

As a divine beast, Xuan Yue couldn’t understand the thoughts of gods.

She saw a young man land in the courtyard. He wore a green robe and had dark hair and cold eyes. As he approached, Xuan Yue voluntarily jumped off her master’s lap. Then, he picked up her master horizontally and carried her back to the room, gently placing her on the bed. The bed was wide and luxurious, and his long robe spread out like a stream of water. His fingers gently brushed her jaw, and when he looked up, he saw Xuan Yue staring at him with wide eyes. Then, he put his finger with the jade ring on it to his lips and made a shushing gesture. Xuan Yue nodded like a garlic clove.

Night passed, and another warm spring morning arrived.

“Xuan Yue? Why are you up so early? I actually slept through the night. Did you send me back to the room?” Her master yawned and looked at the empty bedroom with a bit of disappointment, “Last night, I dreamed of my master again.”