Feng Jiu woke up that morning with a painful headache and a quivering stomach. Luckily, Cheng Jiao had already known his mistress for over tens of thousands of years, so he himself had a sobering elixir with him for Feng Jiu to take before she emptied the contents of her stomach.

"Is he there already?" Feng Jiu asked, holding her head, gulping down the tea to wash down the alcohol that polluted her mouth.

Cheng Jiao nodded. "Since day broke, My Lady. He's very excited about receiving that 'white spiritual fox'. I've sent for someone to play with him for the meantime so you can prepare," he gave her a lotus hairpin which she placed on her hair and stood up, dusting her dress and strode towards the door.

"Let's go."

They found the Little Dough making kites in the garden. Upon seeing her, he immediately let go of his kite and ran towards her. "Feng Jiu jiejie, Feng Jiu jiejie!" he greeted, then grabbed her hand. "You promised A-Li yesterday you'd give me a white spiritual fox."

Feng Jiu smiled and bent down to his level. "Really?" She held her head then winced. "I think I drank quite a lot yesterday. I... can't seem to remember well," she told him softly. The smile on the Little Dough's face lessened, until Feng Jiu spoke again. "But I did remember you wanted a white spiritual fox. Let me see the rune on your hand," she held out her palm.

A-Li brightened and gave the palm that Feng Jiu drew on the other day. Sure enough, a rune glowed as soon as Feng Jiu slid a finger over it. "But it's still injured. Are you sure you want to take care of it?" just in time as Cheng Jiao brought out Fenrir, who was now an injured spiritual white fox with a bandage on its leg. To make it believable, Feng Jiu actually broke one of his legs.

"Since Feng Jiu jiejie gave it to me, I'll definitely treasure it forever," the Little Dough said as he took the fox into his arms.

"You promise?" Feng Jiu asks him. He nods eagerly. "Because if you break it, then jiejie will feel very sad."

"A-Li promises."

"My Lady, I heard that the 13th level of heaven is a great place to heal and help one grow..." when Cheng Jiao finished speaking, A-Li was already out of sight.

::

"I heard that she gave A-Li a white spiritual fox," Lian Song casually said as he moved a black stone across the board. Leisurely waving his fan, he added. "Oh, and Demon Lord Gu and Bai Feng Jiu seem to have a special relationship," he observed Dong Hua's expression. "Imagine, many deities have been trying hard to win a favor from her, and suddenly, when Lord Gu arrived into the entrance of her courtyard, it was her right-hand himself who personally welcomed him..." he then turned his attention to Chong Lin. "Chong Lin. You were there. He didn't have a letter of request, did he?"

Chong Lin blinked in resignation. If His Majesty's patience was a millimeter shorter, he would have already lashed at Lian Song. Luckily, Dijun was a level-headed god and did not take his words too seriously.

"You lost. Again," Dijun remarked. "If you spent more time practicing than gossipping..." the rest was left unsaid as Lian Song looked at the board in distaste.

"That reminds me," Lian Song chuckled as he closed his fan and stood up. "I still have to fetch A-Li in the Pundarika Pond. If my guess is right, he should still be playing with that little fox of his," he smiled suspiciously. "He is very fond of it, after all, his big sister gave it to him."

He gave a polite bow to Dijun. "I'll take my leave then, Dijun."

As soon as Lian Song was out of sight, Dong Hua beckoned Chong Lin closer. "Yes, Dijun?"

"Clear out everything in the Hexagonal Pavilion," Chong Lin widened his eyes at the request. It had been millenias since the Pavilion became desolated. Why would His Lordship want to visit it now?

But Chong Lin knew it was not his place to ask, so he accepted the order and left Dong Hua to his own devices.

::

57 years later, after Feng Jiu gave A-Li Fenrir who was disguised as a fox, there was an urgent summons from heaven to all rulers.

Feng Jiu took her time arriving, but was still early, nonetheless. Upon her arrival, she was immediately led to the Grand Hall, where the other rulers were waiting.

Surprisingly, all her uncles were there, even her father, Zhe Yan, and some rulers' spouses. Her Aunt was also there, and even High God Mo Yuan, who was skulking his time away in Kunlun Mountain was there too.

It seemed that all clan leaders were there.

What could warrant such a gathering?

"Let the gathering commence," spoke Tianjun, seated on his throne. Stress was evident on his features. "Water King of the South, give your report."

An aged man stood and bowed to Tianjun. "Yes, Tianjun. As everyone knows, Lian Ling Cove is the burial site of the demons, situated at a fair distance from the South Sea. Just a few days ago, there was a disturbance. I sent a few of my men to check it, and..." the aged king's face turned fearful.

Tianjun grew impatient with his silence. "What is it?"

"Wen Chang Dijun has returned!" there is an absolute silence afterwards. Tianjun's expression leaned more on fear than surprise. "Tianjun, I saw the Demon Lord himself. It seemed that he was already awake for some time."

Feng Jiu's movements stopped as she heard the name. Dijun, too, stopped.

How could she forget that name? It was the very same name she saw which was next to hers in the Rock of Three Incarnations some thirteen thousand years ago when she had been stubborn about Dong Hua's fate.

"Wen Chang Dijun?" Zhe Yan asked, baffled. "Are you sure it was him? And not someone else?" he reiterated.

On the corner of his peripheral vision, Dong Hua sees Feng Jiu return her grape and leaned forward, resting her cheeks on her knuckles, looking interested.

The South Water King nodded vigorously. "Yes, High God Zhe Yan. He also ordered me to pass on a message in this gathering," there were more murmurs now. Tianjun gave him permission to speak. Curious, curious, Feng Jiu thought as she caught of the way the Water King took a peek at her with fear. "The message he wanted to pass on is his proposal of marriage to Eastern Qing Qiu's Queen, Bai Feng Jiu, and if we don't comply, he will wage war."

Even Dong Hua could not help but to turn his gaze to Feng Jiu in an instant.

"Don't move," she told Cheng Jiao in a low voice when she sensed his essence wavering. She turned her gaze to the Southern Water King, now filled with amusement and bit on her apple.

"Outrageous!" it was her father who yelled, full of fury. Her fourth uncle looks a second away from summoning his sword too, as was her aunt. "Even if he has the title of Dijun, how can he be so shameless?!"

"This is clearly insulting our Bai clan!" added her normally very easygoing and carefree fourth uncle. "How dare he force a marriage to the Queen of Qing Qiu?!"

Dong Hua was looking at her, Si Ming noticed. There was a trace of desperation in his eyes as he looked at the queen who looked too calm and carefree for someone who is in the process of getting thrusted into an unwanted marriage.

Tianjun was looking at Feng Jiu too.

Bai Qian, who'd seen her niece's demeanor, could not help but get agitated. "Xiao Jiu, did you not hear what the Water King had said? The Demon Lord is to force an arranged marriage between the two of you."

"How interesting," was what Feng Jiu had remarked. Si Ming could see the veins of His Lordship's hands making itself visible. Everyone in the Hall almost had the same identical stupefied expression as soon as they heard their remark. "Peaceful times such as this, do not need to be disturbed because of one little marriage proposal."

"A war will just waste manpower and resources. It's better to get over this as quickly as we can," she nonchalantly added. "The smell of blood sickens me sometimes. Who knows how long the war will last? The scent of decaying corpses will invade my nose even if I seal Qing Qiu's borders."

Cheng Jiao honestly wanted to hide himself at that moment.

He hadn't seen what his Lady was like before he came to this place with her. But from her uncles' expressions, it must've been opposite to her uncaring and apathetic demeanor. Although he has a hard time believing that His Lady could be one happy and carefree child, it was the only logical thing.

"Your Highness," Mo Yuan cleared his throat, being one of the first to overcome his shock. "This matter... shouldn't you give it more thought?"

"High God Mo Yuan, I've already made my decision," she paused to take a sip from her tea.

"Feng Jiu!" both her Aunt and Fourth Uncle exclaimed at the same time. Bai Yi looked close to having a vein in his temple explode.

Feng Jiu cupped her hands in front of them and bowed. "Father, Fourth Uncle, Aunt. I know you are worried, but I am not a child anymore."

Dong Hua clenched his fists. They say Fate works in funny ways.

'Indeed, indeed. It does.'

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

Don't worry, as far as the plot in my mind goes, Wen Chang is merely a troublesome cannon fodder. 

I don't really understand what the Rock of Three Incarnations is all about, but I've decided that in this story, it will record a future marriage. No one said anything about a future divorce either. *shrugs*

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