Leaving the immortal marketplace, Qiwan’s small feet took her into the grassy meadow located a few thousand li away. In the immortal realm, the celestials didn’t sweat, neither were they bothered by the torture of hot sunlight streaming over their heads. Light rays illuminated their heads, taking different colours to indicate different hours of the day.
Before she headed further, she used her powers to change her clothing. Earlier this morning she was wearing a yellow robe, with a dark blue undergarment. She decided to go with a pink robe this time. Almost immediately, a swirling core of magic formed, that followed with the transformation of her robes into the pink robe from her wardrobe in her abode. It was a colour Yingshang had never seen her wear. Such colours were prominent by the mortals in their realm, but less commonly worn by even the deities of the lower ranks.
It didn’t matter. He probably wouldn’t have a chance to see her again. It felt like forever that she had last stepped into Yingshang’s abode, she thought.
She figured how it would have all turned out differently had she not had a past with the mortal. Despite then, how would she even be with the God of Mischief, when everyone was against it?
Casting aside the thoughts fluttering in her mind, she calmed herself and focused her thoughts, calling upon her immortal powers to slowly conjure a magical portal.
As her heart willed it, a multitude of colours sparkled before her eyes, creating the path to the Fool’s Chase. If her voyage to the Cave of the Lost Gods succeeded, it probably would be the last time they ever met before she fulfilled her father’s intention for her to marry Di Qing.
The Fool’s Chase
When Qiwan stepped out of the portal, she was in a forest as dark as ever. It was eerie-sounding, with crow-like black birds flapping their wings. She wondered if this was the consequence of Yingshang abandoning his habitat for goodness knows where.
She purged any negative thoughts from her mind and mustered her strength to walk to the middle of the forest, calling to her Brother Shang silently.
Now, where was the spot she had remembered the tree house?
She circled for hours, before she eventually came to a spot without any birds, that seemed a lot safer in her mind. At her call, the treehouse evolved into Yingshang’s abode. A place that only she and Yingshang knew.
“Brother Shang, it’s me,” she muttered softly, repeating her words in a melodious tone. There was no answer, but seconds later, she heard a creaking sound coming from the distance. She laid her hands on the door, praying softly that it wouldn’t explode on her.
Then she lifted the circular handle up and pushed against the red door.
“I’m in?” she gasped in the solitude of the Fool’s Chase, laying her fingers on the familiar bookcases of his abode. Contrary to what she had expected, everything was just as how she had recalled them to be.
The only thing missing was Yingshang’s presence. Qiwan stroked the furniture in Yingshang’s home, allowing her tears to spill down her cheeks.
Brother Shang, where are you?
Her pain only strengthened the desire in her to find the answers and a conclusion to her infatuation in her Brother Shang, the man she would never ever be with. Only by ending things with them and getting the answers she desired, would she be willing to accept Di Qing and surrender her fate to him. She would gladly accept any punishment her father administered on her.
The boat…. She needed to find it… Her mind wavered, thinking of the first kiss between them. His body had felt so warm against hers, and his lips had claimed her like she had never ever experienced before. She closed her eyes and focused on that memory, wishing hard to know where he had kept the boat.
Just before she could take a step further, she tripped against some loose stone bricks, sending her flying into a hard bed. The velvet of the blanket pulled her in, and a strong immortal essence lingered. It was invigorating. On a closer look, she saw a brown envelope jutting out from under a pillow, seemingly still in a perfect condition.
She noticed that the envelope had bore her name and without a second thought, she brashly opened the envelope. The writing on the parchment paper was unruly, scrawled in a difficult-to-read script. The writer had appeared to be in a hurry. She leaned back on the bed and read the letter nervously, her fingers trembling.
“Wan-er, if you are reading this, then it has been a long time.
I don’t have much time to explain what happened, but my Lord Father punished me, for whatever reason he had. It was the fifty-seven millionth time I had made a mistake, as he says, and while I am not afraid of punishment, I worry about you.
The lords say that your father has named Di Qing, the fool, as his son-in-law, and I know that you would rather accept him than be with me. Wan-er, believe me that I have never tried to force you, only tried to make you mine. If being with me is so painful, then I can only wish, one day, that fate brings us together.
Don’t look for me, Qiwan. I have been sentenced for a very long time, and even if we do meet again, I may not be the man you are looking for.
And forget the past, whether it is with us or in the mortal realm.
- Yingshang”
Yingshang’s letter only left her with more unanswered questions rather than resolving her curiosity about his disappearance. Why had he chosen this method instead of sending a messenger to her? Could it be linked to her past in the mortal realm, the one that she had never recovered when she woke up in the snowy forest?
She was determined to find out. Arising from the bed, which creaked despite her feather-like weight, she slipped the letter safely into her deep sleeve and eyed the strange chest that had made her trip. It was a plain wooden box, without even a lock, but two characters were engraved deep on its surface, appearing to be done with magic. The characters had been painted with a dark blood-red, suggesting Yingshang had used his celestial blood on the box.
Taking a deep breath, Qiwan opened the box. It was the first time she had ever been so panicky. She feared that the worst was stored there, but then it turned out to be the item she was looking for, along with a blood-smeared dagger.
Yingshang’s boat, Love Odyssey, magically shrunk proportionally to fit inside the box. Had he anticipated that one day, she would need the boat? Picking up the boat encased inside a crystalline capsule, she kept it inside her sleeve and then diverted her attention to the dagger.
It was named Journey. All these names, including that of his abode, seemed to point towards her visit to this lonely place today. She didn’t know why it had taken her so long to guess it all.
Her journey to the Cave of Lost Gods would be on the boat, Love Odyssey. It was a risky adventure in the name of love. She would need the dagger for her journey, to survive at all costs. And her trip here was called the ‘Fool’s Chase’, the exact name of his abode, because she was a fool in his eyes.
It all made sense to her now. She cried for a very long time before she was able to stand on her feet, shaking emotionally as she gripped a pillar in his home.
“Brother Shang, no matter what, I will do it to see you one last time,” she vowed deeply, while her tears continued to stream from her eyes. Again, there had been no response.
Two more days, and she would bravely embark on the voyage. Be it success or disaster, she would survive. She had to.