Dong Hua used his magic to suppress Qing Cang. Afterwards, he felt extremely exhausted. Si Ming was beside him looking concerned.
"Qing Cang is suddenly acting up. It must be connected to the person who sealed him back," Dong Hua informed him.
Si Ming felt nervous. "Dijun, by saving her young Highness, you lost half of your power. I'm worried about you."
"It's right for you to worry. I'm going into seclusion to recuperate. " He turned to face Si Ming. "While I am doing that, help me to write something on the book of fate," he ordered.
"Book of fate? I can control the fate of mortals. I'm unable to do anything about the fate of immortals," Si Ming explained, feeling confused.
"After I leave my seclusion, I am going to the mortal realm," Dong Hua claimed.
"What are you going to do there?" Si Ming asked him.
Dong Hua turned away from Si Ming. "My fate is not affected by the red comet. Once I go in the mortal realm, you can write some predestined marriages in your book of fate." Dong Hua felt a loss from not being around Fengjiu, almost like he was missing a piece of himself. He had never felt this way before. Then he continued, "She was with me in the Heavenly palace for a long time. I must fulfill her wish of staying with me for a lifetime."
He thought to himself, 'Having a long lifetime with her. It should be enough to hold us forever. Right?'
Though Si Ming was shocked, though he should have known from how different Dijun treated Little Highness from anyone else. He thought to himself, 'Dijun truly liked her, and maybe even loved her. Not that he would admit it to anyone.' Si Ming inquired out loud, "If Heavenly Monarch were to ask, what should I say?"
Dong Hua looked into the distance at the bell that trapped Qing Cang. He instructed, "Just say that...I want to experience the six sufferings of life."
(Btw the six sufferings are: Life, old age, illness, death, love, and unfulfilled wishes.)
*300 years later, in Qing Qiu*
"Little Princess, remember when I said I have a way for you to pay back your debt to Dijun?" Si Ming told Fengjiu.
"Yes! I am ready Si Ming." Fengjiu felt super excited. She thought to herself, 'Finally, I can repay my debt and maybe I will feel better. I have missed Dijun very much, even after all this time and I hope, by doing this, that it will help me move forward.'
"You will be gone for a couple weeks," Si Ming confessed to her.
She nodded, she didn't care about how long it would be. She also didn't know what she would be doing, but she really did want to do something good for Dijun to repay him.
Fengjiu saw the look on Mi Gu's face. She pulled him aside and said, "I'm afraid if the family hears about this they won't let me go. Wait a few days after I leave before telling them okay?"
She decided not to have him lie to her family, because she didn't want him to get in trouble.
Though Mi Gu seemed upset, he nodded and let her go.
Si Ming and Fengjiu materialized into the mortal realm, and they used an invisibility spell so that no one could see them or hear them. She wondered to herself, 'Why are we in the Mortal Realm?'
They were in a giant palace, and she saw Dijun along with a lot of other boys of all ages bowing before an Emperor on his lavish throne.
"It's Dijun!" Fengjiu exclaimed. She turned and looked at Si Ming. "Did he do something wrong to offend Heavenly Monarch, and got demoted to the mortal realm?"
Si Ming laughed at her comment. "How is that possible? He requested to undergo tribulations."
Fengjiu was stunned. "Tribulations?" She wondered to herself, 'Why would Dijun need to do that? He was one of the most powerful beings in all the realms and had lived over 500,000 years.'
"Dijun wants to go through 60 years of tribulations here in the mortal realm. I thought that if you want to repay his kindness, this is the best time," Si Ming explained to her.
"How do I do that?" Fengjiu asked, feeling excited again. She thought to herself, 'Dijun had been so kind to me. When I think about how he acted towards me compared to others... it made me feel special. He even gave some of his cultivation to me and I am so grateful to him.' She sighed to herself. 'Though I do love him, wanting to repay him was not just because of my feelings, and not even because I owe him. It was also because I fully appreciate him.'
"I already have a plan." Si Ming admitted with a smile, and then he teleported them to another location outside the palace, where they saw women in chains and in cages. He continued, "In the mortal realm things have been strained, because mortals are now against anyone who uses magic, magic users become slaves or are killed." He looked at her, so that she would know how serious he was being. "So do NOT use any magic in front of others Little Princess, for your own safety."
Fengjiu was shocked at how barbaric the mortal realm had become. She looked at the poor women in cages. They looked so worn and beaten down. She wondered, 'How could this happen?' Si Ming saw the look on her face, and explained sadly, "This is happening because the current Emperor hates magic users and he is actively trying to get rid of them."
"Wait! what about Dijun? I know he is mortal but does he have any powers now?" Fengjiu asked, feeling afraid for him.
"No, I made sure that he didn't. We can't let him die before experiencing his tribulations. If his mortal self dies before his 60 years are up, he will wake up with little to no power," Si Ming informed her.
She let out a sigh of relief. "Okay, so what is the plan? How do I pay back Dijun? How do I protect him?" Fengjiu inquired anxiously. She thought to herself, 'I would make sure he made it through the 60 years, even if it kills me.'
"Dijun is known as Prince Ling in the mortal realm. He is not a magic user, he does sympathize with them and he secretly helps as many escape as he can. You have to be by his side to help him with his goals," Si Ming explained.
"Alright, how do I get myself by his side?" she asked.
"Though you are not to use magic. You need to get caught looking like you are trying to escape, near that group of women in chains. Once you get caught, Prince Ling will see you and set you free. When you are free you can show him how you can be of help to him," Si Ming told her smiling. "Also, make sure to tell Prince Ling that after he picks you up, that he will have bandits trying to kill him and steal from him. This will make you appear even more useful to him."
"Okay, Si Ming, I can do this!" Fengjiu declared, feeling determined to help Dijun through this. She thought to herself, 'Even if he didn't love me back, I still want him to be safe, no matter what form he is in.'
Si Ming was glad she was taking this so well, and he didn't have to resort to other means to get her to cooperate.
Fengjiu remembered something. "Oh yea! Si Ming, what about my clothing and my birth mark?"
Si Ming then waved his fingers and she was dressed in a dark shapeless dress like the women who were captured. He told her, "You can keep your birthmark, It will help you stand out to Dijun."
Si Ming looked at her and explained, "Okay I will teleport you on their road and you have to run, they will think you are an escaped slave. Also, I will come and visit you. If you need me just say my name and I'll hear you."
Fengjiu nodded and felt herself materializing on the road where the slaves were chained and walking down. When they saw her standing alone, she start to run away. They chased her and someone yelled, "Grab her!"
She was grabbed. One of the men on their horse asked, "How did you escape?"
When she didn't answer, one of the men commented, "She must have drank the concoction to take away their powers, because she didn't use magic to try and get away."
Fengjiu was stunned by his words. She wondered, 'In the mortal realm they had such a thing? To take away powers? Surely it wouldn't work on me as an immortal right? The women around me weren't immortal. They are probably children of immortals. I know that sometimes male Immortals come here and accidentally impregnate woman, leaving behind children. These children have not cultivated enough to ascend to the Nine Heavens.' She continued thinking, 'My magic is significantly more powerful than theirs.'
In the end, they didn't force her to drink the concoction, and she was relieved. When she was pushed and then chained with the other woman they were dragged and along the way. She heard comments in the village outside the palace.
A man who was a part of the royal army spoke to the towns people. "From today on, whoever reports on the remnants of the magic users, they will be rewarded with 100 silver coins!" Villagers gasped. He continued," Should anyone who harbors a magic user be discovered they will be banished from the kingdom and never again be allowed back."
Fengjiu was shocked with all this cruelty. She wondered, 'Didn't the Nine Heavens hear about this? Though they rarely involve themselves in the affairs of the mortal realms, they do interfere with mass slavery and genocide. Was that another reason Dijun was at this location?' Once they were outside of the palace they were put in a couple big cages. She turned to look at the women in the cages, some looked so sick she wanted to help heal them, but she stopped herself. She couldn't expose herself.
"Who are you?" A magic users asked curiously. Then everyone looked at her.
"My name is..." She decided to be honest. "Fengjiu."
Another one asked, "Are you from around here?"
"No, I was shocked at how barbaric it is here," Fengjiu said to them. They all nodded, agreeing with her. She asked, "Do you know what will happen to us?"
"We will be sold off to whoever will buy us, if no one will buy us, they sell us to whore houses." A little girl said tearfully, who looked to be only 15 years old. This devastated Fengjiu, she always knew the mortal realm was harsh, but this was evil. Feeling determined, she told them, "We will get out of here. We won't be hurt or end up in a whore house." She would not let anything happen to them. They seemed sad after she said that and they went back to resting. The whole group of women were beaten down and tired.
After a few hours, Fengjiu was starting to become afraid. She wondered, 'Would Dijun really save me?'
As if her thoughts had manifested him, he was walking towards the palace and looked at their cages. His hair was black, instead of the pure white that she was used to. Even now, he was STILL the most handsome man she had ever met. Dijun who was now called Prince Ling walked by them and he looked at her for a moment.
Fengjiu wanted to touch him. She thought to herself, 'After years away from him, I missed him so terribly.' She held onto the bars of her cage and wondered what he saw when he looked at her.
Dong Hua Dijun: Now known as a Prince named Yuan Ling/Fourth Prince.
Prince Ling was walking to go into the main palace when he saw cages filled with women who looked dirty and worn. He sighed, and hated that his father was doing this. He secretly helped release as many magic users as he dared without being caught. He saw one lady who had a phoenix flower on her head that seemed to grab his attention. He thought to himself, 'She is absolutely gorgeous.' He wondered why he had noticed. Tons of beautiful women tried to get him but he never felt anything. 'Why am I moved by her? Was it simply that she is the most beautiful woman I had never seen in my life?' She didn't look as beaten down as the other. Her eyes seemed to beg for help.
"I'm buying all the sorceresses," Prince Ling stated, with a voice full of authority. The soldier trying to sell them bowed to the princes when he noticed that they were royalty.
Fengjiu felt relieved, he was a good man even in this life, and even though his father was such a terrible man. She had been so absorbed by him that she hadn't noticed that there was man beside Dijun.
"My brother and I would like to buy some people to serve us at home," said the man, who was apparently Prince Ling's brother.
The seller replied, "These are all sinner slaves who are held in detention. I wonder which one you fancy?"
Prince Ling was already annoyed with this awful soldier. He spoke with a harsh tone, "Didn't I already say that I want all of them?"
The soldier looked a bit shocked and seemed to struggle, he had a tremor in his voice. "Alright..."
"I said I'll buy them, I won't take them from you," Prince Ling pointed out, feeling tired of this already. Though he could just take the women from him without paying, he decided he would rather pay him off for his silence. Prince Ling knew it was better to be friends with these kinds of people than enemies.
"Let's have a word in private," the soldier insisted.
Prince Ling gestured with his head for his brother to go and do the negotiating. Prince Ling then went to see the slaves and was going to inquire about their health.
Fengjiu felt him come close and she couldn't stop herself, she reached through and grabbed his arm.
"Young Lady?" Prince Ling asked hesitantly. He thought, 'Why had she grabbed me?' He wasn't interested in buying her for sex.
Fengjiu quickly let go of his arm. "Your Highness, I overheard that you're going to buy these women and I. If you could save us from such suffering, we'll be deeply grateful," she pleaded.
Prince Ling was shocked at how bold this lady was, but then again, she was suffering and trying to get out of there.
"Fourth Brother, I bought them. We can take them away now," Seventh brother replied. Prince Ling nodded and they opened the cages, letting the women out.
They quickly put them in one of the carriages and took them away.
An hour later, they woke up and were let out of the carriages. Fengjiu was shocked to see that they were in what seemed like an isolated village with many houses.
Prince Ling looked at them and explained, "This is my sanctuary for magic users. I know you guys don't have your powers anymore, but this community comes together and takes care of each other. I come by once a month with clothing and other essentials. You are no longer slaves."
She had thought he was taking them to the palace, but to her this was even better. He really did care about the magic users. The women were so happy and they seemed to forget to thank him as they looked around. She did not forget to thank Prince Ling, and quickly got to her knees.
Prince Ling saw the beautiful lady who grabbed him earlier get to her knees. She said, "Thank you, Prince Ling, for saving us."
He quickly tugged her up. "There is no need for all of that. You are suffering because of my Father. I want to help in anyway that I can. Please ask the others around here to find you a home to live in. I will take my leave."
She couldn't let him leave, not only because of her vision, but because she had to be at his side. "Prince Ling, the road ahead is perilous and holds an ambush waiting to kill you!" she exclaimed.
"Why do you say that?" Prince Ling asked as he turned around. He wondered, 'Who was this lady and why would she think someone was going to kill me?'
"Your Highness, you should know that some magic users have the gift of foresight. I saw a vision of you," Fengjiu explained to him.
"A vision?" Prince Ling asked, that sparked his interest. 'I didn't know that much about magic users, as they don't speak of their magic much. I did consider them just as important as everyone else in the world. I had no idea about their powers.'
"Yes." Fengjiu claimed to him, "In this vision I saw you and your brother falling into danger on the road."
Prince Ling's seventh brother laughed. "Miss, your way of flirting is quite original."
"Your Highness, I meant every word that I said." Fengjiu then got to her knees once again. "I would like to request to go along with you Prince Ling. You saved me and these woman and I'd like if I can repay the debt for all magic users. Let me use my magic discretely to protect you and help save other magic users."
Prince Ling was stunned, she was so beautiful, even all dirty and in rags. He wondered, 'Is that really the only thing what she wanted? I had many women throwing themselves at me for protection and wanting to marry me, but someone wanted to protect him? I had never heard such a thing.' He asked, "You want to repay a debt to me?"
"Yes, where I come from we always repay our debts, though these women aren't from where I am. I want to repay you on behalf of all of us. I can stay by your side the rest of my life and help you," Fengjiu claimed. She was proud where she came from and would always repay her debts.
"Where are you from?" he asked curiously.
She couldn't tell him that so she fibbed. "It's up North, Your Highness, A small village that you wouldn't know the name of."
Prince Ling asked suspiciously, "You want to stay by my side? Unmarried forever? That seems like a big commitment."
"Yes Prince Ling, I am very willing. I can show myself as your personal maid, so that no one suspects you of anything." Fengjiu looked at him and pleaded. "Please let me do this."
Prince Ling walks over to her and looked at her for a long moment. "Alright."
"Are you sure about this brother?" Seventh Prince asked, and looked at Fengjiu like he was suspicious of her.
"Yes, If things don't work out I shall send her back here," Prince Ling claimed as he stroked his horse.
"Thank you, Your Highness," Fengjiu said, bowing again.
"What is your name?" Prince Ling asked, looking at her curiously.
"My name is Fengjiu," she replied smiling, feeling happy that he was willing to take her.
"Let's be on our way, hop in the carriage and we will go," Prince Ling ordered and hopped onto his horse.
"Wait!" Fengjiu exclaimed. "Before I go, may I give these women their powers back?"
"Can you do that?" Prince asked, feeling doubtful. He had always heard that when they took away magic with the concoction, that they would never again be able to use magic.
"Yes, it won't be long," Fengjiu assured him with confidence that Prince Ling rarely saw in women.
She told all the women in the village to stand in one area and she sat down on the ground with them and used her magic. She took a deep breath, and knew that this would hurt her a bit, but it was worth it if they could live their lives with magic. 'I can't imagine a life without magic.'
Prince Ling watched her do movements with her arms, it was the most graceful things he had ever seen, almost like a dance. Her magic took on different colors: pink, purple and then red. He was amazed. Both brothers watched with interest.
The women felt their magic come back. Fengjiu suddenly coughed up blood and felt exhausted. They saw that she was hurt and surrounded her.
Prince Ling jumped off his horse and ran over to her. He pushed his way through them and lifted her into his arms.
She spoke to all the women, "You have your magic back, go forth and do good in the world. Don't let your hate turn you into a bad person. Do not take revenge. I promise heavens wrath is coming for them." The women nodded and bowed respectfully to her, as if she was an Empress.
Prince Ling stood up with her in his arms. "Do you need a doctor?" He had never dealt with a hurt magic user.
"No, I am fine. I just overexerted myself. I used too much magic all at once. I am just tired," Fengjiu assured him, wiping the blood off her lips.
"Don't do that again. I know you want to help, but you have to take care of yourself. Like you said, you work for me now," Prince Ling ordered, and put her in the carriage.
Fengjiu nodded at him, glad that he seemed to care about her. Things would work out, she believed that. She informed him on which road that she saw the attack, so that they could avoid it.
She decided while they were on their way back to the palace she would cultivate in meditation form. Even though she wasn't supposed to use her magic, she wanted to be as powerful as possible in case she needed it to help Prince Ling.
Once they made it to the palace, it was dark outside and Fengjiu made sure to stay close to Prince Ling. She was scared of going out at night because of snakes.
Prince Ling led them through the gates. She saw that all around where separate manors surrounding the biggest Palace, which she knew belonged to the Emperor. Prince Ling led her to his personal palace and saw she was looking all around. She exclaimed joyfully, "You have a garden!"
"Thank you, I don't have time to attend them, so I have maids, at the very least water them. They are nice to look at," Prince Ling confessed and shrugged. "I also have a section for fruits because they are my favorite."
"I will help look after them too, I am very good with flowers and fruits," Fengjiu declared smiling, she had taken care of flowers in Qing Qiu all the time and knew she could make his garden much better.
Prince Ling looked at her and agreed. "Alright, if that is what you wish." He then lead her to a room and said that his room was next to hers.
Once she got into her room, she immediately pulled the covers back was about to sleep. A few moments later Fengjiu heard maids.
One walked up to her. "Excuse me miss, Prince Ling said you would be staying here and we are here to prepare you for bed and from now on we will get you clothes and anything else you need."
Fengjiu felt this was excessive to have more than one maid, but she nodded. Once they had helped her take off her dirty dress, they made a hot bath for her and mixed different things in it. She leaned back enjoying the heat and they started to wash her. She had fallen asleep in the bath, and then they woke her up. When they were done drying her off, they put a sleeping gown on her and gently combed her hair before putting it in a long single braid.
"You hair is the most beautiful I have ever seen, my lady," one of the maids admitted.
"Thank you, what is your name?" Fengjiu asked, and then turned to look at her. She thought 'This maid was very kind.'
"My name is Mu Yun," the maid answered with a bow.
Fengjiu stopped her and smiled. "I think we are going to be good friends," she declared happily.
Once they all left, Fengjiu was exhausted and wondered what the next couple days would bring. She hoped she would be successful in helping Dijun. She also hoped that if he did remember her in the trial that he won't be angry with her. She couldn't bear it if he hated her.
(Hey guys! I am reworking this story. Originally this was my 2nd fanfiction that I ever wrote!)