Chapter Sixty-Four: A Fleeting Bloom

"I wish to arrange a marriage between Bai Zhen, the adopted daughter of the High Deity Yunxiao, and Tian Sheng, the Second Prince of the Celestial Palace. What say you, High Deity, and Heavenly Emperor?" Wu Xiang asked.

I was stunned for a moment, staring at Wu Xiang, inwardly exclaiming, "Who with whom? Could you repeat that, please!"

"It is indeed a bit abrupt—Bai Zhen, the adopted daughter of Chongming Deity Yunxiao, and Tian Sheng, Second Prince of the Celestial Palace!" Wu Xiang repeated, emphasizing the word "adopted daughter."

The gathered immortals immediately broke into lively discussion.

I looked blankly at Tian Sheng, then at Zi Zhen; the two gazed at each other affectionately. My master, meanwhile, sat calmly sipping tea as always...

The Heavenly Emperor burst into laughter, "Wu Xiang is the most skilled at reading faces; if he recommends a match, it will surely be a good one! Equal in status! Excellent! This is a fine marriage—I approve!"

"My opinion is much the same," my master said with a gentle smile.

Not only was my face flushed, but my entire body felt heated... I bowed my head, torn between laughter and tears—so it was them! It was them all along! All those remarks about lofty status, unmatchable honor, marrying a princess... they were all referring to Tian Sheng! Zi Zhen's beloved was Tian Sheng!

"Fei'er, you really are something!" My eleventh senior brother slapped my shoulder, startling me and making me feel even more guilty.

"Master is so busy, and you just dumped Zi Zhen on him and ran off. After the court matters, he had to stay up to speed on the situation. The match is made, but after being single for tens of thousands of years, Master ended up a father first. When are you going to give him a wife?" he joked.

My face was crimson.

Seeing my embarrassment, he chuckled, "So you do feel guilty. Master says you've been a great help to him. No matter what you do, he thinks highly of it."

With Wu Xiang's prestige, and with Zi Zhen transformed to the adopted daughter of the esteemed Chongming Deity, the Heavenly Emperor had no choice but to consent to this marriage, despite the difference in status.

I was filled with guilt, not daring to look at my master. He was so busy, yet still cleaned up my mess and became an adoptive father. His poor complexion—it turned out he'd spent the whole night preparing for this!

Zi Zhen and Tian Sheng received the Emperor's decree. Everyone congratulated the Emperor and my master, praising Wu Xiang's discerning eye.

I smiled awkwardly, my face burning—how could I have thought my master was a frivolous, flower-chasing rake?

My eleventh senior brother leaned in, grinning, "The Second Prince used to serve as Master’s vanguard; it makes sense for Master to facilitate a marriage for him. But what about you and the First Prince? What happened after you two got drunk?"

I quickly shook my head and wrote, "Just rumors."

Master glanced over at me and Eleventh Brother. I hurriedly showed him my writing.

"Troublemakers are hard to raise! Women too!" he said, sipping tea with a sigh.

"Those troublemakers and women aren't strangers—they're me..." I wished I could crawl under the table.

I was annoyed with Tian Sheng for being so clueless—he gave a token of camaraderie the same way as a token of love! What a blockhead!

"Yu Fei! Be my disciple!" Wu Xiang suddenly said to me.

I was taken aback.

"We both know how to let go of appearances. What do you think, Yunxiao?" Wu Xiang smiled.

"Let go of appearances? What do I let go of?" I wondered.

Master smiled faintly. "Very well, take him. My Jade Pure Realm will save plenty on food."

"Little disciple, your master gives you away so easily. Seems he’s not fond of you," Wu Xiang said.

The Heavenly Emperor laughed, "Wu Xiang speaks true! Yu Fei, in pursuit of an assassin, even disguised himself as a woman—such a righteous disciple is worth fighting over. How could Yunxiao bear to part with you?"

The immortals chimed in, offering praise.

"My little brother disguised himself when capturing the Underworld’s Ming Zhong too, and that was especially dangerous," Eleventh Brother added.

I bowed my head, thinking, "Now that Wu Xiang has pegged me as someone who cross-dresses, I can't ever be a proper woman..."

"Oh, is that so? A heroic youth indeed!" The Heavenly Emperor laughed. "Since we've arranged one good match, why not two? My Seventh Princess is waiting to marry—Yu Fei, would you consider wedding her?"

I stared, wide-eyed—"They’re matchmaking for me, wanting me to marry the Seventh Princess? I can't do it!" I glanced at my master, who was calmly drinking tea.

"Oh, I am quite forgetful! Yu Fei is injured—High Deity, may I ask...?" the Emperor pressed my master.

"No," my master set down his cup, his tone resolute.

"Oh?" The Emperor was puzzled.

"If Master refuses the Emperor so bluntly, giving him no face, how should he explain? Announce I’m a female immortal?" I fretted.

Wu Xiang interjected, "Just now it was the Celestial Palace marrying off a son; now, it’s a daughter. Don’t forget, Jade Pure Realm’s disciples go to battle. War is unpredictable; blades are blind. If vows are made now, and the girl becomes devoted, she may wait a day, a year, centuries, even forty thousand years if necessary—the suffering is..."

Wu Xiang turned to my master.

Master glanced at him.

"Oh, very well, let’s proceed with Tian Sheng’s match; the rest can wait, can wait. Carry on, everyone, carry on," the Emperor hurriedly continued.

I laughed inwardly, "Wu Xiang’s reasoning is quite something—already preparing for my heroic death on the battlefield before I’ve even set out. The Emperor would never dare marry his daughter to me now."

The festivities resumed, with wine flowing and lively conversation.

The gentle-faced female immortal who’d been watching me closely approached my master.

"Yunxiao High Deity... your disciple..." She spoke to him but stared at me, leaving me at a loss, so I bowed politely. She hurriedly held my hand, looking at me with maternal affection.

"Fei'er, this is the Sacred Mother Danxia of Penglai," my master introduced.

So she was Danxia, master of the immortal Lord Biyou. If I hadn’t stubbornly insisted on visiting Jade Pure Realm, she might have been my master.

Feeling a kinship, I smiled at her. She teared up, choking, "How did you suffer such injury you can’t even speak? If only I could hear you call me 'Master'..."

"Danxia, all is fate; we cannot force it," my master said.

"High Deity... I understand... but... the Divine Lord..." Danxia clung to my hand, looking at my master.

He shook his head.

Danxia sighed, released me, and looked crestfallen. "Forgive my presumption..."

I bowed again. She returned to her table, occasionally glancing my way.

"Why does she treat me so? Like a loving elder seeing her child after many years... yet her affection is different from my master's..." I wondered.

As Wu Xiang and the Southern Mountain Emperor conversed with my master, the latter complained to Wu Xiang, "You, the face-reader! Always say my little princess would suit a feminine-looking boy, but never recommend Yu Fei for her. We aren’t afraid of war. I, the Southern Mountain Emperor, could surely protect a son-in-law."

Wu Xiang waved a hand mysteriously. "Ah, the little disciple’s wounds are severe. Needs care. Not suitable for marriage now—you understand."

The Southern Emperor nodded, "Oh! I see. Drink, drink!... Such a fine child... a pity."

Thus ended the perilous 'Feast of Prosperity' amidst laughter and harmony.

On the way back to Jade Pure Realm, Eleventh Brother asked me repeatedly, "Little brother, just where are you hurt?"

"I’m just unable to speak, what else could be wrong?" I thought.

By the time we returned, the evening bell had sounded. Fifteenth Brother, on night duty, welcomed us into the quiet Jade Void Palace. Master and Fifteenth Brother went to the study.

"Wait here, little brother—I have a gift for you," Eleventh Brother dashed to his room and returned with a bottle of pills from his family, patting my shoulder. "No wonder you look so good in women’s clothes. Cheer up, these pills are very invigorating. With Master and Uncle around, you’ll be cured. A true man aims for achievement—marriage can wait."

I held the 'invigorating pills' and could only laugh and cry.

It’s truly maddening to be falsely accused—labeled a 'flower thief,' an unknown woman, rumored to have a murky affair with Tiande. I was already furious. And yet, I even suspected my master and Zi Zhen... How absurd. If master knew I thought that, would he be angry? I’d even left the mountain before to avoid interfering with him and the fake Lu Xue, so how did I become so petty and irrational now... Lost in thought, I wandered to Immortal Memory Valley, sitting by the Quiet Reflection Lake...

That night, in Immortal Memory Valley, the stars shone, the lake was clear. One bright moon hung in the sky, another was reflected in the water. It felt like a dream—impossible to tell which was above, which below.

By the Quiet Reflection Lake, beneath the pear trees, I stood facing my master.

"So unhappy—has someone offended you?" he asked.

I shook my head.

"Craving pears?" he asked.

I shook my head.

"Fei'er may eat as she pleases. I planted them for the little birds," he said.

I nodded. His generosity and affection made my own pettiness shameful—I’d believed rumors, mistaken his romantic fate, gotten angry at him, dumped Zi Zhen on him, and caused a scene at the Peach Banquet. How could I apologize?

"Thinking of setting fires, releasing wild beasts?" he teased.

I shook my head quickly, thinking, "I never did those things—I certainly don’t want to!"

"Fei'er can’t speak, and feels unhappy," he said gently.

I wrote, "Rumors, hard to explain."

"Hmm... the Crown Prince Tiande..." he mused.

I waved my hand, thinking, "Please, don’t listen to those two and their nonsense."

"Keep your distance, be wary," he advised.

I nodded vigorously.

"The Celestial Palace is rife with gossip and intrigue. Don’t pay attention to rumors about me," he said with a smile.

I bowed my head, staring at the black crystal bracelet on my wrist, guilt overwhelming me. "He’s actually explaining things to me..." I wanted to write an apology, but words escaped me. I tugged at the bracelet, my mind blank...

"Fei'er..." he called softly.

I looked up at him.

"Fei'er’s Prosperity Dance was beautiful," he said.

My face burned as I lowered my head further, thinking—I was really venting my nameless anger with that dance.

"From now on, no more sneaking drinks when I’m not around. Or you’ll overturn the Celestial Palace," he smiled.

Blushing, I nodded.

We stood together in silence...

My heart thudded wildly—"He heard the drumbeat of my dance? Why is my heart so restless?"

"Fei'er has been wronged..." his voice trembled.

I looked up, and saw tears in his eyes. I panicked—was he reminded of that moment on the cliff, with my eyes wide open in death?

I hurriedly looked away.

"This war may delay your marriage..." he continued.

The reins pulled tight, cold water poured over me—my anxious heart seized. I stared at him in astonishment, thinking, "You want me to marry?"

"Fei'er deserves happiness like Zi Zhen," he said softly.

"So after the war, you’ll marry me off like you did Zi Zhen? Didn’t you say Jade Pure Realm is my home?" I gazed into his eyes... Clearly... Clearly... I saw my reflection in those wet eyes...

"Who will I marry?" I wrote, tears welling up in my eyes...

Silence all around—just the wind, the trees, falling petals, flowing water... and the inaudible voice of the heart...

"I can’t always be by your side... I’ll have Spring Breeze take away the woman who harmed you. Fei'er, why not stay a while at Hundred Flowers Island? Your elder brother will protect you. I’ll feel at ease," he said.

"Do you think I’m close with Spring Breeze?" I thought.

"You’re sending me away," I wrote.

"No," he said quickly.

After a moment, he continued, "I fear I won’t be able to protect you..."

"There are things you, the Chongming Deity, fear? Excuses!" Tears streamed down, sparkling like crystals, falling into the grass and raising tiny stars...

He held my shoulder, wiping the tears from my face. "Don’t cry."

But the tears only flowed faster... "I’ve decided never to leave again, and now you’re sending me away—why again?"

"Don’t cry. If you like living here, you can stay," he said, wiping my tears.

"Always."

"Good!"

"Watch the snow fly on Kunlun!"

"Yes, watch the snow fly on Kunlun!"

In Immortal Memory Valley, by the Quiet Reflection Lake, pear blossoms drifted like snow...

He held me tightly...

"Fei'er... take good care of yourself..."