Another Life

Chapter 2

The first few weeks were frenetic, full of guests and well-wishers. Barely would one leave before another group would arrive and the foot of the mountains were filled with young immortals and other spirits hoping to get a glimpse of the high God Mo Yuan, returned from the dead.

During those days the one person markedly missing from the party was Seventeen. After he had not seen her for a few days he asked Die Fung where she was.

"Has Seventeen gone home?" He asked. It was unlikely that she would without taking formal leave but a strange doubt now plagued him every time she wasn't within his sight. It was very odd, this urge to see her at all the time. He had only caught glimpses of her here and there and once she had come to his room to give him Zhe Yan's medicine. But there were so many people about the place now, all clamouring for his attention, that there hadn't been much time to talk. He had so many questions to ask her, so many things he wanted to say.

"Seventeen?" Die Fung had apparently known who she was for some time. Unlike Sixteen who had gone quite green and nearly dropped the tea set when Bai Qian had revealed herself to be a girl. "She's still here, I saw her cleaning the cellars yesterday. I think she's tending to the gardens today. To be honest I think she's trying her best to avoid all the visitors."

"Avoid them? Why?"

"Think about it Shifu. These 70,000 years she's shut herself in Qing Qiu, all to watch over you and not seeing anyone. That's only made people all the more curious. Tales of the beauty of the Queen of Qing Qiu is quite widespread." Die Fung laughed. "It's quite strange to think about, our Seventeen being a famous beauty. But now that I've seen her true self, the accounts are not altogether completely exaggerated. Anyway I won't lie to you. Most of the guests are here to see you. But there's a fair few that wouldn't count their trip complete without seeing her, now that everyone knows she's been your disciple all these years."

"I see. No wonder the guest rooms are full and nobody wants to go home. 70,000 years and the Heaven Realm has changed little." He sighed and lifted the teacup to his lips.

"There's another reason as well, Shifu. Has Seventeen told you that she's actually engaged to the Crown Prince of Heaven?"

His grip on the teacup tightened. The sudden pressure of his power on the ceramic made the water slosh out.

"Engaged?" His voice had a barely perceptible tremor to it. Zhe Yan, had he been here, would certainly have noticed. Thankfully the other God had taken himself off somewhere with Seventeen's brother. Die Fung, much more slow in matters of the heart, didn't notice at all.

"Yes. It's an altogether very long story so I'm not sure if you want to hear it."

"Please... enlighten me."

"Well, initially she was actually engaged to the Second Prince. It was an arranged marriage, she didn't have much say in the matter so I suppose she didn't approve. In any case she had no intention of marrying while she needed to watch over you so every time the Second Prince attempted to visit her, she would put him off and pretend she was too busy to see him. Somehow through this he ended up falling love with her maid, a little snake spirit. It was a huge scandal."

"I see. Go on."

"The Heaven Emperor was greatly angered by the development. He felt both Qing Qiu and Heaven had been embarrassed by the incident. And so in order to save face and prevent Qing Qiu from bearing him any ill-will he put forward the Crown Prince as a replacement for the Second Prince. The Fox King agreed and the marriage was struck. But that was a long time ago and according to Seventeen she's never even met him and doesn't much want to." Die Fung shook his head. "At this rate Seventeen will never get married. Although I suppose I shouldn't judge." He laughed sheepishly. "I haven't gotten married either and neither has Shifu."