Fresh Embers of Love

Chapter 40

Phoenix Tangyue, the Fire Immortal, hugged his Mother, standing at the front door of the small wooden house that she shared with his Father. The house that Tangyue had grown up in.

Uncle Fox made noises of exasperation behind him, wanting him to hurry it up, so that the servants could get by with his luggage. Tangyue was not sure why Uncle had insisted that they bring every servant with them on this trip. He was getting crotchety in his old age.

At least his Mother wouldn't have to do all the work of cooking and cleaning. Tangyue wondered how long it had been since she had been waited on by servants. Longer than he had been alive, definitely. It should have occurred to him to bring her servants sooner.

Mother released him from the hug, and peered around him.

"Uncle? What are you doing here?" she asked the Fox Spirit.

"Is it surprising that I should want to visit my nephew?" he asked in a quarrelsome manner. "Give me a hug!" he demanded, grabbing ahold of Mother by the waist and pushing his body up against hers.

She craned her neck away to avoid being stabbed in the eye by Uncle's sharp hairpin, patting him twice on the shoulder, and then trying to move away. He clutched at her more firmly, rubbing his cheek against her chest.

"I remember when you were just a cute little grape!" he cooed at her. "So juicy and sweet and plump. If I wasn't saving you for my little Xu Feng, I would have eaten you up."

Tangyue looked sharply at his Great Uncle. That was a little disturbing. Mother laughed awkwardly, pushing at Uncle hands to try and break his grip. Tangyue cleared his throat.

"Uncle?" he tried to get his attention. "Uncle!" he said louder.

Uncle glared at him, putting his hands on his hips. "What?" he demanded.

Mother backed away hurriedly, disappearing into the kitchen.

"We have to figure out where to put all of these servants" Tangyue pointed out. "This dwelling isn't large enough to house them all."

"Relax! Relax" Uncle admonished him. He pointed to one of the servants. "You there!" He accosted him. "Grab this crate" he ordered, pointing to one of the pieces he had brought with him. "Go set up the tent inside it." He waved him away.

"You're putting them in a tent?" Tangyue asked.

"It's not monsoon season yet" he argued. "They'll be fine."

Tangyue shrugged. He didn't have a better idea. Mother came back out of the kitchen with a bewildered expression on her face.

"They've taken over my kitchen!" she complained.

"Mother, please, let them do the work" Tangyue requested. "That way I get to spend more time with you."

He grabbed her hand, and placed it on his forearm, patting it reassuringly. "Let's go for a walk" he suggested, grimacing at the sight of Uncle bossing around the servants.

They escaped the hubbub at the house, walking along the shore of the river that ran by. The peaceful scene was calming to him, the water shallow enough that he was not afraid of it. Birds of every type thrived in this area. He felt at home here.

Not like in the Heavenly Realm, where he always had to be on guard. You never knew if someone might be watching. He sighed longingly. If it wasn't for Nuwa, he would never go back there.

"Bailu" Mother asked him hesitantly.

"What is it Mother?" Tangyue replied.

She took a deep breath. "You don't have to live in the Heavenly Realm" she told him. "Now that you are Fire Immortal, you have the rank to live wherever you choose. You only have to go back if summoned." She gave him a hopeful smile.

Tangyue rolled his eyes. "Mother, we've been over this" he said. "I won't give up on Nuwa. I love her."

She frowned. "You're just like your Father" she told him irritatedly. "Stubborn!"

She pulled away from him and turned back towards the house. "She can't be that pretty" he heard his Mother mutter under her breath.

Tangyue laughed. He picked up a flat stone and flung it at the water. It skipped over the surface three times, landing at the opposite bank, before sliding back down into the water. Then he turned and followed his Mother home.

The servants were setting up a table outside, placing fine linens over the rough wooden planks, and plump pillows of red silk over the benches. Father was watching them with a frown on his face.

"Father!" Tangyue yelled, waving.

Father walked over to him, clasping his hand and pulling him into a hug. "The Fire Immortal has honored my humble house with his presence" he said smoothly.

Tangyue scoffed. "I'm glad to see you too, Father" he replied.

Father handed him a red packet. "This is a mortal custom here, at the New Year."

Tangyue looked inside the envelope to find some small bronze coins. He shook them out into the palm of his hand.

"Ugh!" He exclaimed. "Qintian's son is always eating these."

"It's considered good luck to give your children money at the New Year" Father said, "but our kind of money is different."

He placed two fingers on Tangyue's forehead, which felt Iike they were burning into his skin. "There now, I've given you 5,000 years of magical prowess. Gongxi Fa Cai!"

"Thank you, Father!" Tangyue said, very surprised. His Father's affection was touching.

The servants soon asked them to sit down at the table, and started bringing out food. They ate together comfortably, except for his Father, who kept casting worried glances at Uncle. He seemed troubled by his presence. Uncle appeared not to notice. He looked at Tangyue.

"So, Tangyue my boy, have you noticed any differences since you became Fire Immortal?" Uncle asked him.

"Well, yes... and no" Tangyue replied honestly. "Everyone addresses me with that title now. Perhaps I get treated with a bit more respect. Other than that, I couldn't say."

Uncle eyed him thoughtfully. "And the Emperor?" he asked skeptically. "He treats you the exact same way?"

"Uh, well, that was just a special circumstance. I'm sure he didn't mean anything by it" Tangyue replied awkwardly, thinking of his last encounter with the Emperor at the gate of Zifangyun Palace.

Mother and Father gave him worried looks. He shrugged at them.

"Mmm-hmmm" Uncle made a noise in his throat indicating suspicion. "That's how Runyu is" he said sagely. "Anyone with power is a threat to him. He will grow colder, and more distant, the more powerful you get" he predicted.

He shook his head morosely, making tutting noises with his tongue against his teeth. "It's a pity that he's so power mad."

Tangyue stared at his Uncle, who was exchanging meaningful glances with his parents. He gulped nervously. If what Uncle was saying was true, his chances of getting a marriage contract with Nuwa were even slimmer than he imagined. He had thought that being promoted to Fire Immortal would help his case, but from what Uncle was saying, it would be a detriment.