The Librarian and the Fox Princess: a Donghua Dijun and Bai Fengjiu story, V.I

Chapter 22 - A Stone Cold Fox

A/N: stone cold fox often refers to someone who is gorgeous and extremely good-looking :)

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As Feng Jiu carried the big food basket to the Moonlight Garden in the Nine Heavens, she was hoping Gugu and Uncle Ye Hua would like the pastries she made for the banquet. She had roped in all her Kun Lun Uncles to help her bake these delightful treats. 

They were actually the same recipe of the vanilla almond shortbread cookies with sweet potato jam filling she had made for Dijun for their picnic. She liked the recipe so much she decided she would keep it in her repertoire.

Some guests had already arrived and were taking their seats. Her aunt wanted to break tradition with the individual tables and had big tables set out where everyone could sit and talk, and eat family style. The guest list was primarily the "who's who" of the Nine Heavens and the Royal Fox Clan. Bai Qian had said the celebration was more of Hao De's idea as an excuse for him to feel important.

She and Ye Hua had been keeping their relationship more low-key, preferring to spend time with just themselves or a tight-knit group of people. They had gone through so much during their turbulent courtship and wanted to stay out of the public eye. The Nine Heaven's Tianjun, the Heavenly Lord, however, was a narcissist and was determined to show off the Heaven/fox union he wanted to take credit for.

As she walked towards Gugu and Ye Hua who were seated across the room, suddenly the basket of pastries she was carrying disappeared from her arms. It then magically reappeared on a table next to her aunt. The little highness stood there and was confused wondering how that had happened. 

She looked at Uncle Ye Hua, the expression on her face was a question mark as she pointed to the pastries. He simply shrugged and then started to move his eyebrows in a weird way. He kept using his eyebrows to try to emphatically gesture at something seemingly behind her. She spun around and towering over was Dong Hua Dijun, the former ruler of everything. His eyes looked they like were burning holes through her.

"That looked heavy," was all he said without any expression on his face.

She then looked down, curtsied and gave her greeting, "Bai Feng Jiu of Qing Qiu greets Dong Hua Dijun." She then looked up to meet his gaze.

He said nothing and continued staring at her.

She then smiled politely. "Thank you for your help, Your Majesty. I have to go sit with my Gugu now but I hope you enjoy the festivities." She curtsied again and turned to leave.

Dong Hua had spotted her walking into the banquet area holding a large white box. Her hair was styled differently and she wore a robe in a color he'd never seen her wear before. She had matured over the last 150 years and had become even more beautiful to him.

He immediately conjured what she was holding onto a table and he materialized behind her. As she turned around, he stood over and gazed down at her just like all the times he had in the past.

He studied every aspect of her face, taking in every delicate feature, as if he were seeing her for the first time. Her red phoenix flower birthmark was as brilliant as ever and it brought out the crimson on her lips. She greeted and addressed him with poise and grace before turning to leave. She had treated him like no more than an acquaintance. 

He had told himself he needed to be open to all possible outcomes of their first encounter.

As he watched her walk away, he remembered her comment about people in the Nine Heavens using magic for everything, unlike in Qing Qiu where people still knew how to do things. He should have materialized to carry the basket of food for her, instead of using magic, he thought. It was too late for that now. He had already shown her that he was just like them, "a bunch of lazybones." He sighed with regret.