Chapter 11: Chapter 11

When in doubt, Qiwan would pray.

Even though they were immortals, in the Nine Heavens, the immortals were separated by ranks. There were the lowly immortals, the immortals, then the senior immortals and higher-ups, the gods and goddesses. Qiwan’s Lord Father, God Wen Chang was a devout believer of the Taoist faith even before he was immortalised. When he attained immortality, his entire family accompanied him.

Qiwan had been the youngest of all his children. She shared her father’s belief in worship, and today was no exception. As soon as they had passed out of the Midlands in ‘Journey’, waves instantaneously raged below them. She knew that the boat was synchronising itself to take them to their destination. Such a magical boat was adapted for such situations.

But how could they know, other than taking the chances as they were, that they were on the right route to the Cave of the Lost Gods? None of the trio knew as few gods had taken this path. Qiwan decided on taking a route many others had not, to see a person that would likely never return to her.

All they could do was to wait and see, and accept the fate that awaited them.

In the Cave, an exiled goddess, the Witch of the West, resided. This witch, only known by the name Honglie, was a woman feared by all immortals, and even the mere mention of her name during court displeased the Jade Emperor. Qiwan fathomed that it was probably only her, who could track the whereabouts of Yingshang, but on a condition. Honglie was known for her greed, but what did Qiwan have that Honglie wanted?

The sky thundered. Qiwan had yet to experience such a tremendous storm in the Nine Heavens. Even the only instance she had ever seen lightning flash was the time she was with Yingshang and he had mentioned a celestial being, related to her, reborn in the mortal realms. She had never given it much thought after that, but today was the fateful day she would experience a storm. Maybe because they were out of the Midlands, and heading towards the threatening boundaries of the demonic realms.

Originally, she had thought the Midlands only separated the celestial realms and the mortal realms, but it was more than that. The presence of many, inferior demonic realms instilled fear in her, but she persevered. Holding hands with Tang Jing and Min Yang to steady themselves, they formed a small circle. Qiwan closed her eyes and ignoring the turbulences, she prayed devoutly to the Goddess of Mercy to bless them on their journey.

For hours, the boat rocked wildly as it floated mystically past the dangerous rocks in the Seas and was pulled right through a magical current. Waves shook the boat so hard that the three of them were separated, dangling riskily from the sides of the boat as they clung to the strong wooden parts of the boat for dear life.

However, no sooner had they encountered a feeling of entering ‘some strange land’ when the storm cleared and the boat straightened itself, devoid of any damage.

“We’re alive?” Min Yang gasped but Tang Jing only smiled. Qiwan calmly picked herself up and ended her prayers by putting her palms together.

“Guess the prayers worked?” Qiwan muttered in a soft tone.

Min Yang and Tang Jing could only glance at each other confusedly. On a close look, it was as if nothing had happened at all. Water seeped out of their clothing, dissipating into nothingness. Everything on the boat was intact, and there was not a single tear in the boat’s excellent workmanship. Qiwan knew it was because the boat was magical, and infused with Yingshang’s godly energy, although it seemed pointless for her to mention it. Her companions did not query the origins of the boat, either.

‘Journey’ automatically navigated itself towards the other end of the seas, switching directions swiftly that appalled Min Yang. He had long heard of such lost technology among the gods, but it was the first and probably last time he would ever experience such a phenomenon. The only explanation he could see fit was that the owner of the boat had a connection with it, so it was reacting strongly as how the owner wanted it to. Since Qiwan had the boat with her, it was extremely reasonable that the boat was acting according to her desire.

Beyond the perils earlier, it was now smooth sailing. Days passed long enough for the skies to turn dark, indicating it was nightfall. Qiwan stood at the deck, staring aimlessly at the sky while deeply absorbed in her thoughts.

It was not until Tang Jing approached her with a handful of berries that she had saved up earlier, that Qiwan realised she had not eaten for seven days and nights. Out of the mortal realm, it would take days for a change in the sky from day to night, which in this case, it had taken seven days for the sky to turn completely dark.

She hadn’t been entirely truthful with her companions, but they believed her anyway. Qiwan had her reasons for going down this route, and even when they understood how precarious the journey was, they insisted on risking their immortal lives in going down this path with her. She was extremely grateful for this. If they all survived, she would drown them in the most magnificent of all gold, and release Tang Jing from her duties. After that, she would teach them all the knowledge they could benefit from, if they wished to learn.

A stone inscription with the words “Cave of Lost Gods” in the distance informed them that they were on the right track. Qiwan could only relax when she saw the cave from the distance, not dark like a typical cavern but made of reddish-brown stone. Other than Honglie, many other, darker and scarier gods resided. But to get what she wanted, she had to brave the circumstances.

The boat came to a halt just outside the mystical cavern. Without wasting any time, the trio disembarked, taking nothing but their weapons. The eeriness of their surroundings muted Min Yang, keeping him from even smiling. Wisely, Qiwan headed to the door of the cave, and to the surprise of her companions, she knelt and touched her forehead on the sandy grounds.

Eventually, a whiff of dark smoke materialised, followed by the appearance of a woman in bright red garments. Her skin was as pale as snow and her lips as red as blood. Without introducing herself, all that were present knew she was the very person that Qiwan was looking for: Honglie.

Qiwan presented herself as humbly as possible, continuing to kneel before the exiled goddess and begging for her help. Honglie smiled deeply, an indescribable look playing over her beautiful face. She had a tempting figure with incredibly attractive sculpted mounds, but she was such a cold person that frightened the three of them.

Her red lips slowly parted and she breathed, “To have come so far from the Nine Heavens, surely you must have something worth praying for. Come, young one, follow me inside.”

Facing the duo slowly, she exhaled a cloud of dark, crimson-shrouded smoke, which put them to sleep almost immediately. Then she led the unsuspecting Qiwan into the cavern, gently taking her through a series of never-ending spiral steps, until she finally found herself in a circular room. Just like Honglie’s garments, the room was a deep red.

Honglie gestured for her to take a seat, before pointing towards a huge golden mirror behind her. In it, she watched the memories between her and Yingshang play out, from the time they had seemingly ‘first met’, her infatuation for him and finally, the day she had last seen him.

“Young one, are you keen on knowing what happened to Yingshang and his whereabouts?”

She nodded fervently. “Yes, my Lady. Please help me.”

Honglie’s eyes suddenly turned dark, as if she was angered by Qiwan’s words.