"Come out," Feng Jiu stopped just as she had passed by Zhuxian Terrace. Fenrir leapt out from her hold as a figure in cream colored robes emerged behind her.

"You already know I was here? I hid my essence very well," the man responded. "That aside, who are you? You're the only one whom I can sense who has a different energy than them,"

Feng Jiu raises an eyebrow as she faces him. "Who are you?" and then as if he was struck by lightning, he flinched, bowed his head with his fists clasped before him. "Apologies, I should have introduced myself first. I am Gu XiaoYu, Lord of the Purple Demon Clan."

Feng Jiu said nothing, as if she was waiting for something. "Not that name."

The man's eyes widened, and after a few moments, thumped his clasped fist in his left chest with his left arm behind him. "My given name is Canterbury, from the House of Lapuli, the Grand General of the Winter Corps from the Elven Race."

Feng Jiu turned around, just in time to hide the quirk of her lips as soon as she learned his identity. She was then vaguely aware of the man who was dressed in silver armor and had the signature gray hair of his tribesmen. "And you, Lady?"

But at that time, a figure in white was coming towards them. It was Bai Zhen, with A-Li beside him. He looked at Canterbury questioningly, whom Fenrir has been circling around then back at her who beckoned to the wolf.

Feng Jiu nodded to Canterbury as she gathered Fenrir in her arms. "If Fate is kind, he will let us meet again, Demon Lord Gu," then she walks away.

In Canterbury's mind, a memory of a distant past resurfaces. In their realm where peace was hard-earned, he was again reminded of the lady in ice blue dress.

Her voice was as melodious and enchanting as the sirens, and though her eyes were already stained with the darkness of their realm, it always shined so bright like the Polaris.

He swallowed the lump in his throat, a bead of sweat sliding down his brows as his heart hammered against his ribcage.

'Your Excellency, is that you?'

::

Somehow, news of Eastern Qing Qiu's queen, Bai Feng Jiu, having a night rendezvous with the Purple Demon Lord, Gu Xiao Yu, spread like wildfire the next morning.

"The Purple Demon Lord is meek and delicate," Bai Zhen told Bai Qian, who was cradling the Little Dough in her lap. "He is more often than not sickly. What could our Little Jiu see in such a man?"

"Fourth Brother," chided Bai Qian gently. "Love and marriage comes at the most opportune times. You have long been worrying about Xiao Jiu's love life. Shouldn't you be supporting her?" Bai Qian had let A-Li go to Nai Nai to play with him, in fear that he would hear the foul language often used by her brother when he was frustrated - which was rare.

"He's a Demon Lord!" interjected Bai Zhen, frustrated. "We all were present in her trial against the demons!" he finished his tea in one big gulp and refilled it once more. "I don't think Second Brother is too happy with this," he sighed, shaking his head.

Bai Qian took a sip from her tea. At this point, none of them had the right to interfere with Xiaojiu's business already. It was the least they could do for her.

"Ehh, where is Little Jiu?"

::

Said goddess was presently strumming her qin in the pavilion near the pond in Jing Xuan Courtyard. Because she had casted a sound proofing spell around the vicinity, no one could hear the melodious sound of the qin and the flute except for the people inside the pavilion.

Beside her, Cheng Jiao frowned as he watched his mistress leisurely strum the instrument. "My Lady, people have been slandering you these past few days, saying you seduced the Purple Demon Lord," the man complained, squatting next to Feng Jiu. "They're lucky we aren't in the Nine Realms, otherwise-"

"Otherwise you'll what?" Feng Jiu raises an eyebrow.

Cheng Jiao pumped his fist. "Or else I'll beat them up so that even their parents can't recognize them!"

Feng Jiu chuckled. "Karma exists. What goes around, comes around. No need to be mad over such a trivial thing," she nuzzled the nose of Fenrir. "Right, Fenrir?" the wolf happily yipped before jumping from her lap to run around the garden. "See? Even my student agrees."

Cheng Jiao frowned, not consoled, before he turned back to Fenrir, then to his mistress. "My Lady, don't you think that Lord Fenrir has grown a lot bigger than when he was in Qing Qiu? Before, he could fit in your arms easily, but now, he's so big I can't see your arms anymore."

"That's right. He's a lot heavier than before," she pried her hands away from the qin. "Do you think it's because of the essence here in the Nine Heavens?"

"He did spend a lot of time in the 13th Level of Heaven," Feng Jiu bit her lip. The 13th level of heaven was one of the few remaining pure sights in the universe. Like Kunlun Mountain, the spiritual essence was vast and dense. 'Dong Hua Dijun resides in the 13th level. Fenrir's recovery must've been influenced by that.'

But with their past relationship, she can't just up and decide to spend a few months in the 13th level. People's tongues will wag. The deities had already found her staying in the Nine Heavens for three weeks a miracle. What more if she extends it to a few months?

Not just that, she is the Queen of Qing Qiu, she had duties to do.

Cheng Jiao's voice broke her out of her reverie. "My Lady, what do we do?"

Feng Jiu's gaze slides behind him. "There's a guest in the entrance. Why don't you welcome him?" Feng Jiu responds, placing her fingers back to the strings of the qin.

"But My Lady, you never accept guests," refuted Cheng Jiao, puzzled.

Feng Jiu waved her hands, a sign of her dismissing him. "Just go, you silly boy."

Feng Jiu waved her hand over the qin, and watched as it morphed to a crested harp. She then conjured a chaise and sat, adjusting her body in a position she knew so well and started strumming the strings.

Magical essence poured out as a note was played, spreading over the garden. Flowers bloomed as time passed, and the scenery became greener. Koi fishes became lively at the tune and the spiritual lotuses blossomed.

This was the ethereal scene Cheng Jiao and Gu XiaoYu saw when they arrived. Cheng Jiao brightened in admiration as he watched his lady play enchantingly like the old days.

Meanwhile, for Gu XiaoYu, or Canterbury Lapuli, the memory of the lady in ice blue dress resurfaced once more and in shock, kneeled with his right knee in the ground, his left hand holding the hilt of his sword whose tip was touching the ground. He held his fisted right hand on the right side of his chest as his memory was once again refreshed.

"Demon Lord Gu?" Cheng Jiao asked in bewilderment as he saw the Demon Lord kneel. 'Does he possibly know? Is that why My Lady had a rendezvous with him?'

"Your Subject, Canterbury Lapuli, greets Her Excellency, Enchantress Freya of the Frost. Please forgive this subject for being unable to recognize Her Excellency," Canterbury, with the formal greeting of a knight, greeted Feng Jiu who had now stopped strumming the harp.

Cheng Jiao's mind was a mess. 'Lapuli? Canterbury? Grand General Lapuli who was in charge of the Winter Corps who had over five million troops?!'

In the Nine Realms, Cheng Jiao, too, was a Grand General. He knew Canterbury Lapuli, but was not able to interact with him much as he was from the Elven Race, and he, from the Fairy Race. As Grand Generals, their merits were known all throughout the Nine Realms, but with Canterbury Lapuli, there was one merit that made him be engraved so clearly within Cheng Jiao's mind, and possibly, also to his Lady.

Canterbury Lapuli would be one of the few people his Lady would feel indebted to.

"Please rise. We are not in the Nine Realms anymore. You are the Purple Demon Lord," at Feng Jiu's words, Canterbury fiercely shook his head.

"We may not be in the Nine Realms, but I have sworn in front of the Norns that I will forever be in service to Enchantress Freya of the Frost," he paused, gulping. "Or is it because of me being a demon? Your Excellency, I may be a demon, but I do not stand by them," then his face changed to one of horror. "No. It must be because I've made no accomplishments over the past 70000 years I've lived that you're hesitant. You must think that I have none of my past strength. Seeing it now, the army I use really is too weak..."

With all of his merits, there was just one thing Canterbury Lapuli needed to keep in check. When upset, he gets to be assuming and desperate.

Feng Jiu chuckled. "You've gotten me wrong, Grand General Lapuli. I just never expected that Fate would let me meet such a loyal subject again. Do not worry, I do not take your race as a problem," she ran her fingers over the strings of her crested harp. "Just that, it would be unfair of me to continue asking for your loyalty when you have another life here."

General Lapuli, after all, was one of the best in the Nine Realms in terms of warfare. It was a widely known story that the Grand General Lapuli fell in love with Enchantress Freya of the Frost at first sight. But because their statuses differ like Earth to Heaven - at least to him, and to other admirers - he settled by laying his life on the line for her.

However, only a few people knew the truth.

"Please, Your Excellency, if you need anything I could be of help with, please instruct me."

Feng Jiu smiled in gratitude, before Fenrir settled into her lap once more. "Since you sensed my essence, can you also sense whose essence this is?" she smoothed out Fenrir's fur.

Canterbury's brows crossed as he looked at the wolf pup. "Strong and majestic, but weak. It's also in the color of gold..." his expression contorted to one of shock. "This-! Lord Fenrir?!"

"This Subject greets His Highness," he looked at Cheng Jiao then to Feng Jiu. "Forgive me for being direct, but what has happened to Sire?"

Feng Jiu's expression turned solemn and grave as she continued to stroke Fenrir's fur gently. "The Prince's essence was severely damaged in his last battle. I intended to use my essence to repair his, but we were incompatible. When I went back here, I sensed his essence somewhere in the ghost realm. It was how I found him," she clenched her fists, her expression being one of fury.

"His Highness's fur was completely absent when we found him, and he had a lot of broken bones and his essence was even more damaged. Those from the Ghost Realm abused him. Those hateful tribesmen! How dare they?!" snarled Cheng Jiao. "Her Ladyship was so furious that she razed the entire palace to the ground with no remains."

"I have spent the last 10000 years using compatible spiritual essence, such as Kunlun Mountain to help him gain back his human form, and ultimately regain his powers back. When I came here, it was only then that I noticed that he had grown a lot faster than when he was in Qing Qiu. I suspect it is because of the spiritual essence in the 13th level of Heaven," Feng Jiu concluded. "I was thinking of ways to make Fenrir go to the 13th level as much as possible, but I am set to leave in a week's time."

Canterbury pursed his lips. "Your Excellency, isn't the great grandson of the Heavenly Lord, son of the Crown Prince, A-Li, your nephew?"

Feng Jiu looked at him. "Yes, he is. But after some events, we have grown distant."

"Third Prince Lian Song is one who goes to Tai Chen Palace on a daily basis to play go with Dong Hua Dijun. Third Prince Lian Song is the Third grand-uncle of the son of the Crown Prince," Feng Jiu nodded, a smile gracing her lips as she started piecing the puzzle.

"Right!" she beamed. "It won't be unusual if A-Li goes with him with Fenrir. After all, Lord Cheng Yu also looks after him sometimes!"

"But..." Cheng Jiao trailed off. "Wouldn't it be more suspicious if you give Fenrir to A-Li, My Lady? It is widely known in the Nine Heavens and in Qing Qiu that you cannot bear to part with Lord Fenrir," he then grimaced. "And then there's still your father, your mother, your grandparents, your uncles, especially your fourth uncle, then your aunts, especially High Goddess Bai Qian, your housekeeper, Mi Gu, and then High God Zhe Yan."

Canterbury turned to Cheng Jiao, ticked off. "You should not underestimate Her Excellency. She, after all, was the one who taught Prince Loki, God of Tricks and Mischief. If there's another thing Her Excellency excels in, it is in the arts of illusion."

She smiled at Cheng Jiao, her hands being enveloped by green mist. "That's right. Though it's not my best skill, I can perform this magic with ease," she directed the green mist to Fenrir which enveloped him for a while. When the green mist dissipated, it transformed into a white spiritual fox.

Feng Jiu conjured a small mirror in her hand and showed Fenrir his new appearance. Fenrir snarled and pushed the mirror away as if he was punching it. "Brat," she sternly called. Fenrir whimpered as his ears drooped. "This will only be temporary, I promise you, I only want what's best for you. Maybe, after this, not only will you regain your human form, your powers will also be restored to full capacity, so, you need to behave, and act like you're fond of that cousin of mine, until you are healed."

Fenrir whimpered, and Feng Jiu bopped his nose.

"Then who will act as Lord Fenrir, My Lady?" asked Cheng Jiao. "The nosy maids here will notice that Fenrir is gone. If you give a white spiritual fox to A-Li on the day Lord Fenrir disappears, it would be too suspicious."

"Your Excellency, I'm willing to take on this task," spoke Canterbury. "Cheng Jiao cannot do it, as they will still notice his absence, and everyone knows that Cheng Jiao follows Her Excellency wherever she goes. We cannot use a maid as they will not act like Lord Fenrir, anyone will surely notice."

"But then, they'll notice that you're gone too," Cheng Jiao pointed out. Canterbury turned quiet.

Feng Jiu smirked. "Leave that to me."

If there was one thing they were very eager to know, it was her Heavenly Trial for her ascension to High Goddess. 

::::::::::::::::::::

Okay, so just to be clear, Feng Jiu's other identity, Enchantress Freya of the Frost, does not refer to the Norse Vanir Goddess Freya. 

Freya is the Goddess of love in Norse mythology, but she is also associated with sex, lust, beauty, sorcery, fertility, gold, war and death. The name Freya (in Old Norse "Freyja") means "lady", and can also be spelled (Freya, Freija, Frejya, Freyia, Fröja, Frøya, Frøjya, Freia, Freja, Frua, and Freiya).

Fengjiu as Freya is her own person. Therefore, Vanir goddess Freya, will not be a part of this story, and also some other gods.

Also, yes, the wolf pup Fenrir whom Fengjiu is taking care of is Loki's child with the giantess Angrboda. While the Norse here is heavily inspired from Avengers Norse, I decided to just include them.

The sacred realm of Folkvang (Fólkvangr) and the great hall Sessrumnir (Room of Seats), is also present.

Happy Reading!!!

-_star_shine_2004_