131. A Fated Encounter
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Zhurong Fen wanted Yin Xiaolong to be hers!
This private and one-sided desire led Zhurong Fen to stay longer and longer in Sky Palace, and in that time, she effortlessly won the hearts of everyone, weaving her brother, her father, and most of the core deities around her finger.
But try as she might, there was simply no leaping over the proverbial ice wall surrounding Yin Xiaolong.
Yin Xiaolong was warm and caring towards Zhurong Fen, boldly proclaiming her as his 'little sister', despite her being older, and even pampering her with gifts.
But he steadily kept a distance and never crossed even the tiniest of lines!
If she ever cornered him alone, he instantly patted her head, praised her for being immensely talented and so adorable, and maybe even gave her a precious-yet-insignificant gift. But he himself never lingered and would swiftly vanish.
She sent him love letters, but he simply pretended not to see them, never even opening one!
And even the few times she boldly appeared in his chambers under the pretext of having drunk too much fox wine or berry wine, that would be the one night Yin Xiaolong would somehow be absent!
"Aiya, A-Bai, you certainly cannot say you've not noticed A-Fen's affections for you. Won't you put her out of her misery?" Tianlong shook his head, passing a gourd of wine to Bailong who accepted it with a sigh.
The three friends sat on a nearby roof, watching a 'drunk' Zhurong Fen stumble into Bailong's bedchamber yet again.
"I don't want to encourage her... You and I are closer than brothers, so A-Fen isn't a bad match for me. Our cores even align as we both revolve around ice and water." He took a swig of wine before continuing.
"But you know full well I'm not one to settle. I don't like A-Fen enough to give up my adventures and wandering, but she's destined to rule the Floral realm, so I can't exactly take her with me.
"And besides, who knows who I might meet later on? I'm confident that I can ignore love for loyalty's sake, because I don't want a similar tale as my parents... But A-Fen might still discover that my heart is with someone else, and that will hurt her deeply.
"It's better if she wakes up now, rather than getting hurt later."
Tianlong could only sigh and shake his head.
In truth, he couldn't blame his little sister.
Apart from having looks that might make time stop and bow, Bailong had a royal background, was immensely powerful and talented, and somehow managed all of that with an open and friendly countenance, missing the usual arrogance most young and talented immortals wore.
In addition, every passing year brought something new to desire about Bailong.
His garden, Four-Petal Garden, had begun making waves as the most precious garden in all three realms, full of the rarest herbs and flowers.
Lord Medicine had recently acknowledged that Bailong was somehow better than him, and Bailong was already set to become the next Medicine Deity.
Then Bailong's inventions of Seals, Talismans, and formations earned him a profitable deal with the War Deity who constantly tried poaching him to War Hall.
All of this, combined with his looks, wealth, and family background, made a horde of determined fairies flock to Sky Palace, leaving Bailong precious gifts and hoping he would look in their direction.
Which only added to Zhurong Fen's frustration!
And this was why both Tianlong and the Sky Emperor breathed sighs of immense relief when Zhurong Fen suddenly turned her attention to Fei Yun...
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Zhurong Fen had always been in Fei Yun's line of sight.
Fei Yun always thought Zhurong Fen was the most beautiful person he had ever met...
With a petite and willowy frame, long and luscious light blue hair, frost blue irises, and a crisp and fragrant scent of ice and flowers surrounded her, Zhurong Fen was one of the most beautiful fairies in all of Sky Realm.
One of the most notable things about her was a natural tattoo of the most beautiful crystal flowers which spiralled around her right forearm, blooming along frosty white vines.
But despite such a compelling beauty, Fei Yun never dared approach... She was after all, interested in Bailong, and Fei Yun often wondered what else Bailong could possibly want in a mate.
And besides, Zhurong Fen was a talented, ethereal princess who was destined to rule the Floral realm.
Whereas Fei Yun considered himself a discarded illegitimate prince, practically a nobody. And with Tianlong's healing, Fei Yun was now the weakest among his three friends.
Someone on Zhurong Fen's level was completely out of his reach.
But then, he had run into her again and again in the Floral realm, and one day, she literally ran into him!
"Help me!" She begged, then grabbed his hand, pulling him into a corner.
She used him to shield herself from a group of Floral maidens looking for her, and as they approached, she tugged him closer and leaned up, pretending to kiss him.
"Ei! In such a public place?!" One of the maidens gasped at the sight, not recognizing Zhurong Fen who was blocked by Fei Yun's back.
"Utterly shameless!"
"Ignore them! High Lady Qin (Qin Yuelian) says we must find her!" And the maidens all hurried away.
Meanwhile, Fei Yun was suddenly filled with Zhurong Fen's immaculate scent, and he found himself staring into the clearest frost-blue irises he had ever seen.
Her silky blue hair fell over his hands, enchanting him completely, and it was all he could do to keep from actually leaning forward and kissing her lips...
But he freed himself and hastily turned away.
"Ahem! *Little sister! Forgive me for overstepping!"
(*As in- Younger female that is close.)
Zhurong Fen giggled at him. "I'm the one who overstepped... Why are you the one apologizing?" She leaned over his shoulder and whispered in his ear. "I like this serious side of you...!"
Fei Yun's ears turned a deep red and he swivelled to face her, but she vanished in the most beautiful flurry of silks and floral scents, leaving frost-blue petals and snowflakes in her wake.
Years passed and the two grew closer, running into themselves both in Sky Palace and the Floral Realm.
Zhurong Fen eventually confided in him about her grandaunt's (Qin Yuelian) jealousy over her position as successor, and how she bullied her at every opportunity.
Fei Yun believed every word Zhurong Fen spoke, making him glare at Qin Yuelian with annoyance, and he thought he would die of disgust when Qin Yuelian took an odd interest in him.
'How irritating!' He often thought, wondering how anyone could view Qin Yuelian as the pure lotus she pretended to be!
But simultaneously, somewhere else beyond Sky Palace, the Floral realm, and even Sky Realm altogether, the hands of Fate were orchestrating another fated encounter...
The fateful encounter which led to the most famous and notorious couple Sky Realm had ever seen...
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Mortal Realm...
A mild breeze teased an aged pine, and little creatures ran along its enormous trunk, diving in and out of the shrubs in a playful chase, the scent of autumn flowers in the air.
'Today is perfect!' Yan Liwei thought, her leg swinging delicately from a branch, with ornate vines crawling around her foot to form a lovely sandal.
Yan Liwei was immensely beautiful, with a small perfectly oval face and a set of pink lips which currently curved into a slight smirk.
Her lustrous black hair was styled into two ringlets on either side, forming the heart-shaped appearance popular among young fairies, and she was poised daintily on the large branch, two fingers held up, eyes shut in concentration.
A tiny red robin landed beside her, transforming into another fairy- her young maid who bowed.
"1st Princess, I worry... Must it be today? It's your engagement, and the Yan King must be tracking us already!"
Liwei's eyes opened. "Rourou, don't worry. He won't find us... I found and plucked the feather he has always used to find me. It will lead him somewhere else."
"My Princess! How could you-?"
But Liwei, simply let out a sigh. She leaned against the central trunk of the pine, and in a swift move, glided along it up to a much higher branch.
"The sea is so beautiful!" She exclaimed, and rare pink splotches lit up her cheek as she stared at the brilliant blue East Sea over a great distance.
The sky was a bit clear on this day with a few wispy clouds, and the sea's waves were restful, the bluish green resembling a large blanket covering the sandy white shores.
"My Princess, you saw it yesterday." Rourou answered tartly. "More importantly, Yan King might pop a vein if we don't retur-!"
"Rourou, relax and enjoy the view. When have I ever let him peck at you?"
Rourou shook her head, gliding up to join her. "If the view is so nice, why don't we move closer?"
"This is the best and oldest pine tree for miles." Liwei replied, settling and reclining against the trunk. "I don't know why, but pine trees are the only mortal trees that divine swallows feel comfortable in, and the older ones are best. They seem to have spirit...
"I don't want to leave here till it's necessary!!"
'Necessary' came that night, under the blanket of darkness and stars.
Liwei and Rourou fluttered down from the pine and moved swiftly to the shoreline, standing just beyond the sweeping waves' reach.
"A week ago, the Eastern Sea King named his first son as successor and they're throwing a banquet at Eastern Sea Palace today..." Yan Liwei said, toeing the edge of the relentless waves.
"As his brother, High Immortal Yin Xiaolong should be in attendance, so Four-Petal Garden will be less guarded!"
Yan Liwei had carried out her threat and the Sky Emperor had demanded an explanation over the Bird Clan's ledgers.
This indeed made the Bird King, Queen, and Feng Yuexia bleed out a ton of wealth as they scrambled to fill up the treasury's deficit.
Which bought Liwei some time...
She had spent several years seeking information on Four-Petal garden, and learning all she could about Yin Xiaolong himself, so now she held up two fingers, writing an elaborate gold air talisman, and the characters peeled away, moving to surround her and Rourou,
embedding them in gold lettering which soon vanished.
A spell which would channel their internal qi, letting them breath under water and remain dry.
"Come! It's time!" Liwei said, and leapt into the sea.
Rourou sighed in resignation and leapt in after her.
The two barreled through the water in two streaks of light- one golden, one a faint red, and after some time, their feet landed on the sea floor.
Liwei held out a hand and a silver talisman appeared in her palm. She was about to activate it, but Rourou caught her hand.
"My Princess, are you sure about this?!" She asked with some worry. "What if it was a lie?!"
No matter how much they had tried to find the location of Four-Petal garden, no one seemed to know... Even the High Immortals who had visited it seemed befuddled when asked where it was, and didn't know how to find their way back!
Fortunately, Yan Liwei recently rescued a young carp one day. He had recently come to Sky Realm to work, and was beaten badly by a few bullies for being a 'ground immortal'.
Liwei had spotted them from afar and yelled, "Ah! Grand Immortal, it's this way!"
The bullies had only heard 'Grand Immortal', which was enough to spell punishment for their actions, and they ran off quickly, leaving an unconscious victim behind.
Liwei had carried the young immortal to Yan Palace, and after awakening from a short coma, he had bowed to the veiled curtain behind which she sat, softly playing a pipa.
"Thank you kind fairy!" He had said. "I have no way to repay you, but in my coma I heard a few things... You're looking for Four-Petal Garden...?"
After that, he gave them the silver talisman. "The rumours are true. Four-Petal Garden is indeed somewhere beneath the East Sea! This talisman should guide you there, but if you're not a sea dweller, you have to go deep under the sea first. Ehehe, but please do me a favor..."
He bowed. "Never tell the owner I gave this to you.....!!!"
Back under the sea, Yan Liwei scowled. "This talisman is the only lead we have. Now my aunt and cousin are under fire for the deficit in the Bird treasury, so they are a bit distracted.
"But Linfeng is still in their hands and this hurdle can only buy us time." Liwei sighed.
"Once they overcome it, I won't be able to protect anyone the way I am... Four-Petal Garden holds herbs and pills one simply cannot find elsewhere.
"I must find a way to heal my core and reclaim my identity!"
And with that, she decisively activated the silver talisman, which dissolved into a swirl of bubbles.
The swirl exploded around them, and they were suddenly in a strange place.
It was a large aquamarine banquet hall under the sea, but a feast was going on.
At the head of the hall sat two distinguished individuals, both princely looking, but one a bit carefree in his appearance.
~"My Princess..."~ Rourou nervously began with telepathy. ~"I don't think this is Four-Petal Garden!"~
~"M- my girl, don't you think I've noticed?!"~
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