Chapter 2: Chapter 2

They hadn't spoken much after when she felt the seal on her wrist turn red. On her return to the immortal realm after waking up in the snowy forest, her Lord Father had bestowed her with the said seal, with the purposes of communication between father and daughter. Should he know of how she had made her escape with Yingshang instead of fitly attending the banquet, there was a high possibility that he might now be infuriated with her despicable behaviour, and punish her again.

"I take my leave, God of Mischief."

"Call me Yingshang," the god said with a naughty sneer. "It won't be long before we meet again, Qiwan."

She immediately teleported away by focusing on her immortal magic. Unlike how Yingshang had blinked her to his abode earlier, she was unable to utilise her magic to travel in an instant. Her magic was shallow right now, and it would take her months to recover her lost magic. Yingshang was also much older than her in immortal years and his cultivation was far beyond hers.

Qiwan resided in a scholarly cottage which had been designed in the nature of her father, the God of Knowledge, otherwise known as Lord Wen Chang. Lord Wen had hundreds of disciples under him, ranging from the lesser deities to higher immortals. He was serious and traditional, and Qiwan respected him greatly. It hadn't occurred to her that she would do something beyond what was considered acceptable in his terms. Yingshang had stolen her heart, and she didn't understand what was happening, but she was being led like a bull with a noose into doing things that didn't adhere with her father's perception of how an immortal maiden should act like. It was a matter of time before the God of Mischief would corrupt her soul and disrupt her innocence.

She materialised at the winding path just outside her cottage, where she had to walk a short distance before reaching her residence. Before she could make a step further, she heard a soft voice beckon to her.

"My mistress..."

Qiwan peered around but noticed nobody. Keenly she followed the source of the voice to find a small wood sprite standing upon the small rounded bushes located in the vicinity of her home. She picked up the sprite easily and placed it in her palm. The sprite turned out to be female, and dressed in red.

"Who are you?" Qiwan asked kindly. "What are you doing outside my home?"

"Mistress, I was sent here to protect you from any harm."

"By whom?" She wasn't convinced that Yingshang was behind this, given the mischievous god he was.

"By fate," she said. "Do you remember what happened several years ago?"

The sprite gave Qiwan an account of how she had saved the sprite apparently before entering her deep sleep. Qiwan had been asleep for two thousand years, but before that, they had a fateful meeting where she had freed the sprite from endangerment in the wild. After thousands of years, she now had achieved a human-like look, but was extremely tiny.

Her benevolence would not allow her to ignore the presence of this little being. Qiwan transferred some of her divine essence to the sprite to assist her in reaching a comparable size, although she still appeared to be taller than the sprite.

"Do you have a name?"

"Xiaojingjing."

"I will call you Tang Jing."

"Thank you Mistress, for the name."

Tang Jing would go on to accompany Qiwan everywhere and keep her company. Because Qiwan had in the past parted with some of her essences while rescuing the sprite from impending harm then, the sprite had absorbed some of her essences and this allowed her to locate Qiwan in the immortal realm. In addition, Qiwan had gained a loyal companion and ally. But one question remained unanswered in Qiwan's memory: why had her memories been partially wiped, and what had happened two thousand years ago that had ended in her going into hibernation? Even the sprite had no knowledge of what had happened afterwards as she was still in her natural form during that period of time.

Her father welcomed her at the door. Tall and sturdy like an old oak, she often found it amusing how he would tend to be mad with her for a while, and then revert to being the loving father he was. She heaved a sigh of relief that there were no visible signs of anger, and then she broke the silence between them.

"What brings Lord Father to the cottage today?"

"I have something to discuss with you, my beloved daughter." His attention was distracted by the petite damsel beside her. "And this is?"

"This is Tang Jing. She will be my personal attendant in the future," Qiwan said, introducing her father to the sprite. Tang Jing bowed politely, and the three entered the cottage.

After Tang Jing had left them to talk in private, father and daughter bonded over a pot of tea that Qiwan's father had brewed mystically with his immortal tea-making skills.

"It's been a long time since we talked like this," Lord Wen said sincerely. In the heavens, once an immortal reached the age of 20,000 years old, he or she would be considered on his or her own and would be presented with a place to stay away from the intervention of parents. This was provided the immortal was born in a family of celestials. Qiwan had it easy, in contrast with immortals that had cultivated to attain godhood. A different set of rules would apply to how these cultivated immortals co-existed with the other immortals. It was said to be much more arduous for immortals who had ascended, having cultivated for a much longer period.

They spoke on the affairs of the immortal realm, and how she would be given her role when the time comes. Lord Wen headed the Imperial Academy, and maintained the Registry of the Heavens. Through him, it was decided which scholars would pass the academic examinations in the mortal world. In addition, the immortals also had examinations to ensure appropriate career progression in the celestial ranks. Learning and education continued to be a part of their very lives.

"What would you like to do?" Lord Wen asked Qiwan. She knew her own heart, and that she was not interested in the life of an academic scholar, nor did she enjoy reading her father's knowledge scrolls.

Realizing her hesitation in answering him, Lord Wen gave up and instead changed the topic.

"Actually, it's not a bad time for you to get married soon, daughter."

She swallowed hard and contemplated her father's words.

Lord Wen continued with a grave voice, "There have been a few immortals who have sent betrothal gifts to me as a way of proposing. Among them, I particularly like this young immortal, Di Qing. Though he has only ascended recently, he seems a truly honest person, and I see a lot of potential in him. Compared to the others who had splurged on lavish gifts to impress me, Young Immortal Di touched me with his enthusiasm and good heart."

Qiwan's eyes broadened in astonishment. She firmly understood that there were few people who piqued her father's interest, and that Di Qing had to be someone extraordinary. Though her heart wished for Yingshang to be her suitor, she was overwhelmed by curiosity to uncover for herself who this Di Qing person was.