Heavy Sweetness Ash-Like Frost

6

Chapter 6: The Mortal World in a Flash

I looked around, the grave of that old lady, the previous Flower Deity was still as low-key as it had been in the past. I have left the Flower World for a hundred years, but I still did not see a few blooming flowers to decorate her funeral mound. The past four thousand years, when I lived in Shui Jing, the season I looked forward to most was "Shuang Jiang [1]", because that was the anniversary of the previous Flower Deity's death. Every year, during Shuang Jiang, the First Flower Lady would open Shui Jing up and allow us little immortals and little fairies to leave the boundary. She would allow us to go in front of the old fellow, the previous Flower Deity's grave to hold a memorial service, respectfully fulfilling us younger generation's filial duty. Even though it did not take more that the time to burn one joss stick to fly from Shui Jing the grave, to us fairies who had been imprisoned in Shui Jing for many years, this was as precious as the mortals treated their New Year. Even though it seemed like we needed to accompany the twenty-four Flower Ladies and put on the appearance of grievously profound pain, we were actually jumping for joy in our hearts.

But, I kneeled in front of the grave and counted on my fingers. Right now, it wasn't even the summer solstice, so Shuang Jiang was little too far away, and the Tomb Sweeping Festival had already passed...

"Our previous master's ghost in heaven knows. In front of her burial mound, I'll ask and you answer, do not dare to even speak half a lie!" The First Flower Lady opened her mouth commandingly.

After scrutinizing the First Flower Lady's expression, I obediently placed my palms together and bowed three times to the burial mound, my entire face full of devotion.

"Where is the hairpin that was on your head?"

"I lost it." Why does everyone care so much about the Spirit-Sealing Hairpin?

"Besides the Fire Deity, how many other people have seen your true appearance?"

"There's also Yue Xia Xian Ren, Le Ting, Fei Xu, the Night Deity, Lao Hu, Ji Dou Xing Jun..." I counted using my fingers, doing my best to remember, but a murderous look seethed out of the First Flower Lady's eyes. It scalded me and I shivered a little, unable to continue speaking.

"Was the Fire Deity the one who brought you out of Shui Jing?" The First Flower Lady's gaze pieced me.

"Yes." I timidly replied.

"During the hundred years you've left Shui Jing, you have been staying at the Heavenly World's Palace of the Parasol Tree Perch?"

"Yes."

"After the Fire Deity was wounded by the fever needles, were you the one who grew the Ling Zhi Xian Cao and saved his life?"

"Yes."

"Finally, let me ask you..." The First Flower Lady clenched her teeth, and determinedly opened her mouth: "Do you have romantic feelings for the Fire Deity?"

"Yes." Since I had answered her previous questions so smoothly, I did not even think before that escaped my lips.

"What evil! This is really a sin!" The First Flower Lady's reason cracked, and she closed her eyes: "Previous Master! Mu Dan was useless! I do not deserve your great trust! Today, I am willing to destroy half of my immortal powers myself as punishment!" While she said this, she solemnly knelt in front of the burial mound with a 'pu-tong' and raised her hand to strike herself on the forehead.

Eh?

"No, no, it's not that at all!" I quickly refuted. Why does everyone become so agitated when they hear that the Phoenix and I have some kind of relationship? Lao Hu was like that and the First Flower Lady is also like that right now. Oh, half of her immortal powers. Isn't the First Flower Lady is being a bit too ostentatious and wasteful?