Chapter 10: Chapter 10

“Okay, are we ready?”

The two of them hadn’t expected the young Min Yang to be the one who would break the silence in the room. As celestial beings, Tang Jing and Min Yang had both merely a bundle of personal possessions between them, and unlike the common mortals, they didn’t need to carry additional garments or daily necessities. They didn’t sweat or need to constantly apply makeup or lipstick for the ladies.

As for Qiwan, she carried a small pouch containing her precious belongings that could be enlarged or shrunk at will. She brought with her a small dagger that the two didn’t recognise, but who were they to question her choices? Everything from that day had happened very quickly: Min Yang’s leave was approved and not a soul said a word about where he was going with Tang Jing as they didn’t want to get involved.

Tang Jing was beautiful. If Min Yang had a crush on her, it was nothing unsurprising. She would need her mistress’ consent for her to marry Min Yang. Min Yang, on the other hand, was a promising underling of the God of Knowledge. Qiwan pondered as she watched them bicker, smiling tenderly at the thought of securing Tang Jing’s happiness. But now was not the time for her to be thinking about such trivial matters. Their voyage could claim their very lives, yet the duo were risking their lives for her.

“Mistress, Min Yang is going to recite the incantation now. You’ll feel a little dizzy, but it will only last a few hours, and then it will wear off,” Tang Jing explained softly. Her eyes were gentle as she humbly bowed to Qiwan. “Don’t worry, my mistress.”

Qiwan just nodded, before she closed her eyes. At Tang Jing’s signal, Min Yang brought forward his magical brush, said a few strong-sounding words, like a mantra, and it was done. The ground revolved around Qiwan’s feet for a few long seconds, before she fell into a trance. Tang Jing placed her palms together in prayer, producing a yellow ray of light. Her mistress vanished instantly, replaced by a pink-coloured hairpin which fell neatly into her palm.

“It’s done,” she whispered enthusiastically. Qiwan had given her instructions. The boat which they would need to sail through the Seas of Indefiniteness was on her person. Once they were at a safe spot out of Qiwan’s father’s radar, they would dispel Tang Jing’s polymorph spell on Qiwan, and wait for Min Yang’s incantation to wear off.

When they passed the gates of heaven, they would be in the Midlands. The Midlands were the regions in between heaven and earth. While they could still employ their magical abilities, none of them were sure if magic would work impeccably outside the heavens. Apart from Qiwan, none of them had ample cultivation to use in the Midlands. They would have to live like mortals for a bit, relying on their physical abilities instead of magic.

………………………………………………………………

After three hours, Qiwan gradually came to. She found herself lying by a creek while her companions were attempting to scour for fruits from the trees nearby to replenish their energy. Watching them just made her giggle, but at the same time, her lost memories were getting back to her.

It turned out it wasn’t the only rendezvous she had with Fang Yiqi. He had once snuck, with her, into a field to steal fruits for their consumption. It wasn’t all that happened. They had shamelessly performed the act under the moonlight in the exact spot where he had plucked an apple for her.

“Fang Yiqi, will you always be so loving to me?”

He didn’t answer, but instead kissed her mercilessly.

“Why don’t you find out?” He suddenly asked as he pulled away.

She bashfully turned away from him and pulled on her clothing. Under her thin robes, every part of her was yearning to taste him again, to be his.

But she did remember Fang Yiqi’s change of heart, which made her reluctant to look into the past again.

Tang Jing paused as she neared Qiwan, handing her one of the berries which she had just collected from a bush nearby. When she saw that Qiwan’s eyes looked red and puffy, she almost retreated.

“I was just carried away. Don’t mind me,” Qiwan wore a false yet convincing smile.

“Sure, it’s okay.”

Qiwan rubbed the berry against her robe before taking a deep bite into it. The berry was sour, and it left a deep taste in her mouth. She accepted another berry from Tang Jing, but it shared the same outcome.

“We should probably leave soon,” she shuffled in her sleeve for the boat. “But where should we board the boat?”

Min Yang, with his profound knowledge in geographical locations even in the Midlands, answered meticulously. “Within 500 li, there is a harbour. But entering the Seas is not just about luck or timing. The boat should be able to lead us there.”

“The boat? Why?” Even if Qiwan was the daughter of the God of Knowledge, she had to bow to Min Yang’s superior knowledge that made her sound like a rookie.

“My assumption is that the boat is imbued with unexplainable magic power if it used to belong to the Superior God-ranked God of Mischief. Since the boat is named ‘Journey’, maybe God Yingshang had anticipated that one day, this will happen. Perhaps he had foreseen all this coming, and that the boat would take us on a journey.”

Qiwan remained quiet although she supported Min Yang’s theory about Yingshang. In the few times they had met, he hadn’t displayed his superior side of himself. She mulled over how many more secrets he had kept from her. What was that about her past that he didn’t want to tell her about? Was it because he feared her past with Fang Yiqi would keep her from beginning their relationship?

But it was him who had disappeared without a trace, without even writing a letter to her or saying goodbye.

Min Yang soon returned with two horses, which she assumed to be from the farm due to the absence of a bridle or saddle on these beauties. Tang Jing took over, making small gestures with her fingers. Neither Qiwan nor Min Yang understood what she was conversing with but the horses immediately stopped neighing and fell to their feet in what looked like prostration.

“We should be able to continue now,” she informed them warmly. Without giving it much thought, Qiwan clambered up her sturdy mount, watching the duo share the other. Would these beautiful creatures know how to get to the harbour? She questioned in her mind but the horses moved, as if someone was puppeting them to do according to their bidding. Finally the horses stopped galloping and halted outside a majestic place she had never seen before.

“We’re here,” Min Yang gasped. The night view was surreal. Waves thrashed gently against the stone walls of the platforms they were standing at. Tang Jing gestured for Qiwan and Min Yang to move out of the way, before she lifted her arm seemingly to release the horses from her charm spell. The creatures neighed loudly before making insane gallops away from them. In just a matter of minutes, they were gone.

Tang Jing turned out to be a charmer.

Qiwan had not expected this from her maid, but she focused on the task at hand, drawing out the miniature magical boat from her inner dress pocket and placing it into the water. Now, what was the mantra to turn it back to its normal size?

Please, Brother Shang, help me, she implored in her mind, but no sooner had her tears left her eyes when she noticed the boat slowly enlarging in size, growing larger by the minute. In ten minutes after that, the boat was restored to its normal size. The ladies exchanged looks excitedly while Min Yang hurriedly loaded their belongings onto the boat.

What are you waiting for? This is the right time, the only opportunity you might get to see him again, her inner voice appealed to her.

She looked about her before taking Tang Jing’s extended arm and accepting it, she climbed up the boat. Like with the Fool’s Chase, everything on the boat was just as it was before. Nothing was out of place. She didn’t know if Yingshang had hidden any letters or secret items on the boat like how he did with the house, but she disregarded those distracting thoughts and followed her companions into the cabin.

The boat held memories of her and Yingshang, yet unfinished business still remained between them. An almost sexual encounter that had ended with her leaving.

Her heart felt like it was being sliced into pieces, she thought as she fell backwards on a reclining chair due to the abrupt force of a magical current when the boat’s magic jolted to life.

Brother Shang, just where are you?