A Love Supreme: The Story of Donghua Dijun and Bai Fengjiu

Shades of the Past, Questions for the Future

As he sipped his tea, Dong Hua recalled the day he finally told her the truth about his feelings at Heavens Gate. He realized several things.
Although he had great foresight and relied on logic and occasional brute force to settle political conflicts within the realms, he was caught off guard when it came to matters of the heart... his heart especially.  Because of his fated encounters with Fengjiu and her persistence, he wouldn't have experienced the love or bitterness mortals experience. The time he spent with Fengjiu culminated in a process of self discovery and unforeseen challenges. For the first time in his life he felt conflicted.

Dong Hua never imagined that he'd come to regret his decision to omit his name from the Rock of Three Incarnations. He also never imagined that he'd ever feel the way he did about Jiuer. He always thought love and the emotional entanglements associated with it, were burdensome and often fleeting. As a child, Dong Hua observed the actions of the people around him, and concluded that it was far easier to deal with people when one possessed firm leverage and the upper hand, since relationships are mostly transactional. He also learned sacrifices must be made for the greater good of all concerned, and those principles, prompted his decision to omit his name from the Rock. Since then, he has seen himself as duty bound to protect the peace and unity he fought so hard for. For him, his reward consisted of  taking pleasure in simple things, until Bai Fengjiu came along. Back then, when he saved her from being attacked by the Golden Lion Beast, he just saw it as coincidence, and was skeptical about her intentions and sincerity to repay him for saving her life. Over time, Jiuer's sincerity and boldness to make sacrifices for causes she deemed worthy, won his admiration.

The time he spent with Jiuer in the Mortal Realm, further illustrated her beauty and character. Her warmth, devotion and fierce passion when it came to protecting the people she loved, caught Dijun's attention. He found her companionship and simple acts of kindness refreshing. Her innocence and appreciation for simple things, made him smile. She was playful and there was something delightful about teasing her when she did silly things. He loved to take advantage of her clumsiness, and loved her facial expressions when he left her scrambling to deliver a witty reply to his remarks. She brought out his sense of humor.
When he thought about it, they had similar temperaments.  Fengjiu was more than just a suitable companion to be his queen. She was so different. She treated him better than anyone he knew. She was the woman who dared to explore beneath the surface of his icy exterior and, it turned him on.

Despite this, it bothered Dong Hua that he had to abide by his decision on the Rock, even if all evidence points to the contrary. It didn't make sense to him. It also didn't make sense that he lost his powers after the love trial he had with Fengjiu. Si Ming told him the Book of Destiny couldn't keep up with him, and he and Fengjiu's fate merged during the trial. None of this made sense, and left him wondering about the reason he was able to override Destiny in such a manner, and the existence of possible loopholes that would allow him to permanently be with his beloved.

He went to the his palace at the Holy Blue Sea whenever he needed to regroup. The weather was perfect, and he wanted to think about his next move. Donghua was an avid fisher. When he wasn't thinking about Buddhist scriptures or sutras, he strategized and pondered on many things. Although the palace was huge, Donghua liked the serene setting of the water, and decided to go fishing. The weather was indeed pleasant, and the waters were calm today. He cast his rod into the water and picked up a scroll to read while he waited. After an hour of waiting, the rod bent, indicating that the catch was a big one. Donghua retrieved the rod and saw two plump golden carps hooked together. How unusual he thought. He pulled the fish off the reel and noticed one of the fish appeared to have something in its mouth. He opened it and looked inside to find a tarnished ring with strange writing he'd only seen in a place he visited some thousands of years ago. He wrapped the ring in a handkerchief and placed the fish in a basket. After thinking about the writing on the ring, he returned to Taichen Palace and summoned Si Ming.