Oh. My. Fate?! (BL, Volume #1)

7 A Twist of Fate

Fate's Scribe Shun Tao sat on the ta in his study and relished in a cup of tea. Finally, that scroll of fate was done. He had found a compromise and the Heavenly Emperor had seemed satisfied. For now, he could take some time off.

Shun Tao sighed and picked up the scroll of fate, a small smile lifting the corners of his mouth when he looked at the white jade slips. This fate was precious. He'd better put it away and wait for the crown prince to return from his trial.

Yes, he'd do that, Shun Tao decided and stood up. He went to the cupboard next to his desk where he stored the fates important gods would experience on their trials. He searched for one of the covers he used to wrap them and opened the scroll of fate to take a last look before stowing it away.

A gap glared back at him.

Shun Tao froze. His heart beat faster and cold sweat covered his forehead. A gap in the crown prince's mortal life? At the beginning of his trial? No! Never! He hadn't left anything empty! How could he leave anything to chance?! What in Heaven's name had happened?!

He threw the cover aside and examined the characters remaining on the scroll: The birth of the human Zhong Jing Yi as the son of two mortal commoners was described, however ... Why was his mother still alive? Her death and the villagers' curses from the following years were missing!

Shun Tao staggered back, fell down next to his desk and stared at the scroll in a daze. His arduously prepared fate ... Gone! If the mother didn't die ... Shun Tao winced. If she didn't die, wouldn't that mean that Zhong Jing Yi's whole life would develop differently?!

As fast as he could, Shun Tao skimmed the rest of the fate: A better part of it had vanished or was disappearing.

Shun Tao dropped the scroll as if it had burned his hands. "This can't be happening!" He rested his elbows on the table and hid his face in his hands. How did this happen? And more importantly: How would he break it to the Heavenly Emperor? Or maybe ... Could he keep it a secret?

He closed his eyes and imagined how he would meet Tianjun the next time.

The Heavenly Emperor would say: 'Fate's Scribe, my son Jing He has already been in the mortal realm for one week. That equals seven mortal years. Shouldn't he have passed his first trial? How did he fare?'

Then he, Shun Tao, would start to sweat and firmly claim: 'To answer Your Majesty, everything is well. Crown prince Jing He has passed his first trial with flying colors. Just now, he escaped with his father.'

Then the Heavenly Emperor would say: 'As expected of my son!' And he would laugh and stroke his beard.

At least, that would happen in the best case. But it could very well be that the Heavenly Emperor already knew that his son's fate had changed. After all, would he really leave his precious son to his own devices? Wouldn't that be an invitation to the demons to locate him in the human world and rob his clueless mortal self of his immortal soul? That would be a disaster to the Nine Heavens!

No, it was probable that the Heavenly Emperor would already know what had happened to his beloved son. In that case, he'd holler: 'Shameless! Fate's Scribe, how dare you lie to me! The fate of our son has already gotten off-track! What do you have to say in your defense?!'

Then he, Shun Tao, would throw himself to the ground and beg forgiveness: 'Forgive me, Your Majesty! I didn't intend to fool you, I —'

Tianjun with his irascible temper would surely interrupt him at this point: 'Enough! You have put my beloved son in jeopardy and can't be forgiven! Guards, drag this traitor out and let him be struck by lightning!'

Shun Tao leaped to his feet, his chest heaving. No, he couldn't keep this from the Heavenly Emperor! He wanted to run to report and beg forgiveness but stopped halfway through the study. Uh ... What should he report? He needed an explanation at least.

"Aiya! Why did I have to become the Fate's Scribe? I should have taken Senior Yang Zan's job! Nobody gives him a hard time just because he ties the red thread of love for a god on their trial!"

He sat down and picked up Jing He's fate once again. Well, he couldn't claim that the crown prince would make things difficult for him. Thinking of this person's gentle temperament Shun Tao's bad mood lifted.

The problem lay with Jing He's father. But who could fault Tianjun? Disregarding that he had the right to demand every possible punishment if something happened to Jing He he had every reason to do so. The Son of Heaven was of great importance to the gods. In contrast to a Fate's Scribe who could be replaced anytime, there was nobody else to take the crown prince's position.

Shun Tao sighed, lifted his hand and willed the fate of the mortal Zhong Jing Yi to appear on the scroll as it had developed until now:

A Daoist stops at the Zhong's village and offers his help to Madam Zhong and her neighbor Miss Lian. Madam Zhong gives birth to a healthy son whom she assumes to be blessed by the gods. Her neighbor Miss Lian follows the Daoist but is unable to find him in the darkness. When Mister Zhong returns with the physician, she is still searching for the Daoist while Madam Zhong and her son are out of danger. The physician returns home after a short examination. Mister and Madam Zhong name their son Jing Yi.

A Daoist? Shun Tao lowered the scroll and stared into space. A Daoist who prompted a young woman to follow him into the darkness and let a mother believe that the gods had blessed her son? Could it be that one of the gods was the culprit behind this?

Or maybe all of this was just a coincidence. Certainly, nobody would want to mess with the crown prince's fate. As long as he adjusted it everything would be on track again.

Satisfied, Shun Tao rubbed his hands, ground the ink and picked up his writing brush. It would be laughable if he wasn't able to cope with such a small, unintended change in a mortal's life after all those years as the Fate's Scribe.

He thought for a moment, then wrote: After Madam Zhong's neighbor Miss Lian still can't find the Daoist by the next morning, she tells the other villagers about the happenings of the previous night. Rumors are afloat and soon, the villagers demand that a Daoist take a look at Jing Yi. When the Zhongs refuse, a brawl breaks out in which Madam Zhong loses her life. Now, the villagers believe more than ever that Zhong Jing Yi is cursed ...