“What’s this?”

Taking the rolled-up scroll from her, Bing Wen furrowed his brows and opened the message for him to briefly scan through. Quickly, his face softened at the sight of a vermillion seal, freshly stamped. A deep sigh escaped from his lips. He closed the scroll and sat there, thinking of what to say.

Foolish.

“B-Bing Wen, Mei Ying must have gone through a lot to get you the palace invitation…” Chong Lin remarked, leaning away from the warrior. The timid one had been glancing over the other’s shoulder to read the calligraphy. “Even though you’re the new God of War, ah…”

Sitting across from Bing Wen and Chong Lin was none other than Mei Ying, smiling as though she had not a care in the realm. A gentle, temperate breeze fluttered through her crimson robe and the matching ribbon in her half-bun. The tail of the ribbon twirled between her long, black hair which was as sleek as silk itself. She leaned forward, resting her elbows against the marble tabletop of the outdoor furniture set. In front of each person was a white jade cup of steaming red tea, topped with a few crimson petals.

“Well, you should go!” Mei Ying beamed. “I worked my magic and convinced my father to snag you an invitation to the upcoming banquet.”

Bing Wen’s expression went frigid again, stiff as stone. Though the tree foliage overhead was thick and shady, with warm sunlight peeking in, the warrior exuded a wintry presence. Gold dust settled against the bright emerald scales of his armor.

“You are a prince too.” Mei Ying was right. “It is wrong for them to treat you this way, especially since you are the Second Heavenly Prince Bing Wen. If the main celestial royal family ever loses loses support of the public, then, you would be the people’s next pick for the Heavenly Emperor--”

“Mei Ying.” Surprisingly, the young woman was cut off. “Are you not working on a project for His Highness? As much as I appreciate what you have done for me, remember your place. You’re already in a bind.” Bing Wen paused, massaging the area between his brows. “Not only that, you are about to inherit the position of the Spring God from Prince Qing Di… It is not wise to speak ill of a greater power than your own.”

“Bing Wen…” uttered Chong Lin.

“Ever since you first met me, you always went out of your way to either hand me your invitation or find an extra one to ensure my presence in the Heavenly Court.” The warrior casted his golden eyes to the scroll. “I am the illegitimate son of an affair between a mortal woman and His Highness…” At an instance, his icy gaze moistened. His hard voice then grew low and soft. “Mei Ying, you have a habit of following your intuition as well as your fierce morals. That is admirable, but…”

The red-cladded maiden did not stir, watching every syllable leave Bing Wen’s lips. She listened carefully to her solemn friend. Not a hint of anger arose in that gaze.

It had always been like this.

Mei Ying always understood Bing Wen best without asking. Though she appeared like a wild child in contrast to the calm young general, they were like two sides of a coin. Inside, Bing Wen consistently kept a frozen lid over his heart. Inside, Mei Ying allowed the emotions to run through like water.

The young man placed his hand down on the stone tabletop. “...But you should restrain yourself more if it puts your life at risk.”

To this, Mei Ying smiled. “Still, we outsiders ought to stick together, ah. If this foolish one does not comply, what will you do, Bing Wen?”

Crimson petals rained down from above, permeating the peaceful area in a light sweet aroma of autumn and flowers. Every once in a while, there floated down a crimson chrysanthemum at its blooming peak. Dazzling. Ethereal.

“Aiya…” Chong Lin whispered out. He could not bear to listen to this anymore.

Bing Wen stilled himself. He stared at the young woman, unfolding her white fan and waved the air to cool her lovely face. Sure enough, the celestial’s image reflected itself in the golden pools of his irises.

The young man’s lips moved before he could stop it. “Then, I will do everything that I can to stop you.”

❁❁❁

Rain sighed as thunder roared once more in the near distance. Steel-black clouds continued to roll around the high mountain top as raindrops poured down, soaking everyone but the Heavenly Emperor and Empress. A bright flash filled the skies again, revealing the thin, tall gold and silver pillars that pointed toward Heaven.

Mei Ying’s chest tightened. Everything hurt inside as though the past seven-hundred-seventy-seven years of pain, agony, suffering, and unimaginable backlash of betrayal was the result of a once-lush friendship between five friends with sweet dreams and ignorance of their diverging paths. Xi Feng, Chong Lin… It was like a serrated dagger had dug its way to her pulsating heart. Wei Sheng, Bing Wen...

As the huntress and the others scanned around, everyone was quickly surrounded by countless other armored warriors. The enemies flashed out their swords. Then, from behind the clattering weapons, Mei Ying caught Xi Feng watching her from afar.

The purple-robed woman’s lips quivered. She closed her eyes.

This left the huntress feeling quite useless. Why...does this feel so familiar?

Like with the Song clan, did her ideals and fierce sense of morals and justice lead her far away from Xi Feng?

To be frank, Mei Ying’s memory fragments, the veiled stranger, the tales of the Ghost War, and Jian Yu himself all seem to share a single connection. But she did not quite understand what else could be missing at the moment. Before the old shaman’s death, Shaman Hua had tried telling her something important...

‘Stop…’ Lifting her bloody hand into the air, the elder shook her head. ‘You have not mastered…The…Flower of Longevity…’ Sure enough, she closed her eyes. ‘Save your strength…’

Given by First Judge's blabber and what Mei Ying recently recalled, the Flower of Longevity and the elixir could also be at the center of the web.

There was a long sigh from Hua. ‘I saw…the demon…’ Her voice was so soft, that the veiled maiden had to lean in closely. Yet, some words could not be formed, wisping into air. ‘The Heaven… My vision… Beware… It seems…’

“Mei Ying.”

The young woman glanced down at her trembling hand as rainwater trickled down her skin, her lengthy, black hair, and white robe. Covering her icy palm was Jian Yu’s warm hand. She looked up at the red-cladded young man’s earnest face.

A rueful smile, one that was almost broken, formed in Jian Yu’s red lips. He then poked at the crimson floral mark on Mei Ying’s forehead. “I’m here.”

No sooner did the other speak those words, Jian Yu faced the warrior god's direction.

“Now!” At his word, Bing Wen charged forward while the Heavenly Emperor and Express stepped into a gleaming rift.

Just as Xi Feng stepped into the portal, she glanced back at the white-robed huntress. Mei Ying swallowed, meeting the other’s empty gaze. She lifted a hand.

“Xi Feng...” uttered the mortal.

The woman, wrapped in purple, turned away. She followed the Heavenly Emperor into the white space, and they both vanished.

Meanwhile, burning red swallowed up Bing Wen’s entire span of vision. Luckily, the man halted before the blaze singed his billowing cape.

“AHHHHHHH!” A few of the soldiers, who had preemptively flew toward the enemies, engulfed into screaming fire that twisted and ravaged in ruby, gold, and ashes. “GENERAL!”

“Jian Yu!” Bing Wen could not contain his fury and yelled out, “Do you think you deserve to do whatever you want now?! You, a person who was once hailed as the Mortal realm’s hero, gave up kingship for Immortality--which was gifted by His Highness!”

As the god unleashed the words that he had kept inside, the fearsome echoes carried on from peak to peak, combing through thick green forests and shaking birds from their sleep. Rain continued to pelt down from above.

Still, at the center of everything, a wrathful fire tornado had woven itself around Jian Yu, Mei Ying, and the demons who had accompanied the pair. It was so vicious that no one could approach the group at all.

From inside the storm, Mei Ying watched her friend exhale a ribbon of fire from his red lips as an effortless task. It was as easy as breathing for the Demon King, after all. But the scene that unfolded before her was nostalgic. It felt like the huntress had done this before from a time so long ago…

Jian Yu paused the fire-breathing. Gold embers flitted over the Demon King, who raised his chin toward the three who stood across from him. From nearby, Mei Ying watched his eyes soften before embedding into hundreds of years’ worth of pain. His bottom lip quivered.

But instead of a frown, the young man forced a smile.

“You know that is not true.” His response was eerily calm. “The one who granted me Immortality...now lives on, along with the memories that I have left and a promise that I need to keep.”

A promise...to keep? The huntress repeated to herself.

“Besides, Mei Ying can go wherever she wishes once her Soul Bargain contract ends.” Jian Yu’s smile widened. “And you know that it is not true about who was kidnapping who, don’t you...Big Brother?”

As the wind flapped against the young man’s scarlet robe, Mei Ying watched in awe of the gorgeous, scintillating fire that Jian Yu had emitted. He had even casted his spiritual energy over Mei Ying’s figure to protect her from his flames. The young woman looked down at her hands, trying to remember...when was the last time she herself was veiled in someone’s spiritual energy. It was so red, her white outer robe came to match the intense hue. His aura was gentle and warm…

“Sen lin ruyu!” Despite being water-drenched from head to toe, Bing Wen temporarily withdrew the magical spear. Swiftly, he formed the hand seal in a crushing motion, clasping the palms together. “Seal!”

While the two gods shared a history together that hinted at a brotherhood, one could clearly see that not a shred of it remained. Both were torn apart by what was righteous and what was not. Both could not see eye to eye.

“Get in formation, men!” The warrior god added, “This is Jian Yu we are facing, a despicable person with dirty tricks hidden in his sleeves!”

Right away, the other celestial soldiers flew to their designed spots and created a large perfect circle around the mountain peak. They swiftly re-created the hand seal as their general had. No sooner did the men succeed with this, a substantial magical formation circle emerged from above and crashed into the earth.

As soon as the green seal made contact with the ferocious blaze, wet wood roots manifested, curled, elongated, and twisted itself into an enormous prison with no way out. This was it. The targets were captured.

Or, perhaps, that was too soon.

Just as the slippery roots aligned themselves neatly--a single green sprig pushed out between two branches, along with the familiar sleeping red flower.

“Hong Hua.” The soft, sweet voice ordered.

All of a sudden, the wooden cage burst open--and ramblers of greenery and crimson chrysanthemums came crawling forth, spraying stone shell pieces and gold pollen everywhere!

Just before the formation circle touched Jian Yu, Mei Ying, and the others--the huntress had formed an impenetrable barrier with stone and earth, layered with a garden underneath as the cushioned skeleton! When did she…?!

“Shit!” Due to the rainwater, the pollen found its way anyway and stuck to Bing Wen’s armor and face. He shook his head, fighting against the wave of drunk fatigue. “Ready your swords, men!”

Before the god could blink, more pollen, branches, and rubble came soaring toward him and the many soldiers that still surrounded the mountain top. By numbers, the armored men were pummeled back by the fleeting stones and wood pieces in the air.

Bing Wen changed his hand motions, aligning his palms with the fingers pressed together. “Heavenly Sword Dance!”

Seeing their general’s action, the remaining celestial soldiers performed the same spell.

In a breath, the dragon spear, followed by a hundred swords, zipped around the airspace and cut everything up into a million pieces. The raining skies were swiftly engulfed by a kaleidoscope of sword lights, leaving rainbow streaks everywhere in what looked like a game of cat’s cradle.

Then, following the god’s roaring spear, the swords blitzed through the fire tornado that continued to rage on. Metal clashed against metal. The song of sharp blades rang throughout the vicinity. The spiraling flames only burned more brilliantly than before, making it difficult for Bing Wen and the soldiers to see what was happening inside the calm center.

Gradually, the blaze faded away. However, everyone stiffened when the golden cloud of pollen cleared before their eyes.

Ah, where the group should have been...was met with a gigantic hole in the ground.

Unexpectedly, their weapons were neatly arranged around the deep pit's rim.

“F*CK!” Bing Wen’s face flushed.

He reached out to the skies to recall his dragon spear and stopped to calm himself. But it was futile. The warrior god trembled all over, enraged by losing face in front of so many celestial soldiers.

“Look! There’s a message down there!” Someone yelled out.

Landing on the outer edge of the pit, several celestial soldiers raced toward the golden scroll. One of them, the fastest person, snatched it up and squinted at the note, hurriedly scribbled in cinnabar-red characters. He cocked his head and turned to the god, who then approached him.

“General...what does this mean?” asked the ignorant person.

The man’s eyes grew large. “MEI. YING!” He swiped the scroll from the soldier’s grip and, while the drawing was not bad, Bing Wen could not help but snap, “JIAN. YU! THOSE TWO...!”

When the god tossed it to the ground and stormed off, a few other celestial soldiers ran over to see what the doodle looked like. On top of the talisman was a red line drawing of a man, who was on his knees to pull out bamboo roots. Then, at the bottom, the same man was fishing. It was so strange because the muse looked just like their general, given by the shape of his brows and scowl on his face…

❁❁❁

“Where are we going?” Xiao Li asked, following the white-robed woman and his king. “Young Miss, are you sure that we should just leave like that?” His questions echoed throughout the tunnel. Fortunately, the ceiling was high enough for everyone to walk comfortably in the ink-black abyss. “Having us fall like that was actually our chance to teleport.”

“Tch.” Disapproving her twin’s comment, the white-haired sister punched the other’s arm.

“What?!” hissed the brother.

Water could be heard nearby, dripping from the stalagmites that hung overhead. The stench of liquid and sulfur carried throughout the area of unknown territorial size.

In response to Xiao Li’s complaint, the playful Yong Nian whistled a low tune and said, “Using magic at that distance was too risky, you know…”

“Besides, that god looks stubborn.” Shao Qing chimed in, “He could detect the magic source and capture us at our most vulnerable positions. We can hide in here for a bit since he would not bring so many soldiers to a small place.”

The two Netherworld officials strolled behind the group, one with his scythe and the other with his sword.

Guided by the glowing red fireflies, Mei Ying was able to see in the dark and kept moving forward. “I had sensed the auras of cultivators in this mountain too…” She whispered, feeling along the cave wall. “If we can find a nice spot here that is concentrated in spiritual energy, Xiao Li can draw us a magical formation circle and open a rift for us to return home.”

The person behind Mei Ying nearly stopped in his tracks. “...‘Home’?”

Glancing back, the young woman nodded. “The Netherworld, ah.” Mei Ying faced forward once more. She did not think there was anything wrong with what was said. “Isn’t that...‘home’?”

Jian Yu wore a strange expression, pressing his red lips together. He trailed after the huntress and replied, “I just didn’t think you liked the Netherworld that much.” As the young man finished the sentence, his voice lowered itself into a whisper, “Home…”

Just then, something small grabbed onto his hand.

Without looking back, Mei Ying’s hand had taken Jian Yu’s. It was firm but not tight. Gently, she intertwined their fingers together like vines being braided into one. Her hair drifted into the darkness, kissed by the beaming red orbs and dancing maple leaves. Her white robe fluttered back like a flower’s petals swooning with the autumn breeze. In the dark, the maiden’s petite figure glowed immensely like the sun giving light to a moonless night.

Looking at the path ahead, Mei Ying asked, “Jian Jian, what promise are you sworn to keep?”

His lips curled up into a small smile. “Long ago, I had someone promise me that when I cultivate and become an Immortal…” Jian Yu lowered his eyes. As the two ambled on, the young man added, “...we would go find ju feng together.”

“Ju...feng?”

Ju means ‘chrysanthemum.’ But it also sounds like ‘to be whole.’ Mei Ying thought, turning the phrase over and over in her mind. Feng...means ‘maple’ and ‘abundant’ too. Ah, it could be the idiom, ‘abundant whole’... To live and work in peace and contentment… Is that what Jian Jian means?

Or it could be just as plain as day--chrysanthemums under maple trees.

The huntress continued to walk and feel the cave wall with her other hand. “Since it is not the Heavenly Emperor who has granted you Immortality…” Ah, she did not know how else to ask this. “...was it the same person who introduced you to cultivation when you were a mortal?”

It was strange. The itchiness of Mei Ying’s heart was irritating. The pieces of Jian Yu’s story of how he came to be...bothered her more than it should have.

“You could say that.” There was a cheeky smile in his reply. Jian Yu laughed, one that Mei Ying could clearly hear from behind her. “Are you jealous?”

“I...”

Suddenly, Jian Yu stopped walking and pulled the other person back. He swiped two fingers in the air. One. Two. Three.

When Mei Ying looked down at her robe, it had turned all-crimson. At the bottom half of her face was a matching veil. She turned to glance at her friend’s way. Instead of his usual attire, Jian Yu donned a night-black outer robe with leather wrist guards. He made a solemn gesture for everyone to be quiet.

The young woman stared at the handsome person. Ah, Jian Jian looks like...

A few seconds later, Mei Ying heard footsteps approaching around the corner. She brought out a gleaming scroll from her red sleeve and watched the shadowy figure reveal itself.

“Oh, you’re just cultivators!”

Standing before Mei Ying was a wide-eyed boy, dressed in a sky-blue robe. Around his neck was a silver crescent-shaped necklace, engraved with dragons, butterflies, tigers, and fireflies. Flowers decorated the bottom edge, cut deeply to reveal its lifelike details. His waist was wrapped with a familiar belt of bells to ward off evil spirits. He too was holding up a brilliant golden scroll, one that had been lighting up his way in the dark.

Mei Ying went rigid.

Ai Guo...?

What is her brother doing all the way out here from Cheng Xiu Village?!