Chapter Fifty-Six: Blossoms of Peach Flowers

What could have driven her to seek death so desperately? My curiosity grew, and I disguised myself as a minor immortal maiden, approaching her and tugging lightly at her sleeve. She looked at me through a blur of tears.

“Oh, it’s you. Go on, get back to your duties. The others are jealous because the Crown Prince favors you. They’ve already conspired to frame you, hoping the ruthless old Imperial Aunt will deal with you. You must be careful.” She wiped her tears as she spoke.

I thought to myself, this little immortal is truly a kind and earnest soul.

“Why do you want to die?” I wrote.

“It’s nothing. Don’t concern yourself with me,” she replied, resuming her task of tying the Immortal-Binding Rope.

I cast a spell and made the rope disappear.

She looked at me in astonishment. “You know how to use it! Your magic is powerful!”

“If you really want to die, I can teach you how to use it,” I wrote.

“Will you teach me?” she asked, tears still gleaming on her face, her tone sincere.

“If you answer my questions, I’ll answer yours,” I wrote.

“I’ll tell you everything I know.”

“What’s your name?” I wrote.

“My name is Zizhen,” she replied.

“Fei’er,” I wrote.

“Oh, hello, Fei’er,” Zizhen said.

“Why do you seek death?” I wrote again.

She lowered her head and remained silent.

“Are they bullying you?” I wrote.

She shook her head.

“I don’t want to talk about it. Just tell me how to die, alright? I’ll give you all my wages!” Zizhen said, fishing a small pouch from her bosom. Inside were several gold leaves and the jade pendant she had been clutching. She handed me the gold leaves and carefully wrapped the jade pendant before tucking it back into her clothes.

I had no interest in the money, but that jade pendant—! The quality, the design, the craftsmanship… My master had one identical to it! It was the very one he’d used as a wager for me back then. Later, my master sent someone to buy it back with gold leaves, and I’d made a tidy profit from the bet. The pendant had hung from his neck ever since. How could this little immortal maiden have one just like it? What was her connection to my master? If she truly wished to die, why was she so attached to this pendant?

“I want that jade pendant,” I wrote.

“I can’t give it to you,” Zizhen replied.

“Why not?” I wrote.

“He gave it to me. I want to take it with me when I die,” she said, her eyes full of longing.

My curiosity only deepened.

“If you die, what about him?” I wrote.

“He doesn’t remember me anymore,” Zizhen sobbed.

“Perhaps he’s just busy,” I wrote.

“It’s me who has wronged him,” she said, tears streaming down her face.

“How did you wrong him?” I pressed.

Zizhen was heartbroken. “Please, don’t ask…”

Was it something unspeakable? Had she betrayed him out of loneliness? But she didn’t look the type—her devotion was clear.

Suddenly, I remembered the case of the flower thief years ago, when Eleventh Senior Brother had indignantly recounted a secret he’d uncovered: a little immortal maiden from the Heavenly Peach Orchard had been punished for a mistake and sent to the mortal world as a princess. There, she’d been assaulted and killed by the flower thief, returning prematurely to Heaven. Caught up in the affair, I’d later learned the flower thief was none other than Ming Zhong of the Netherworld. Could she be that same little immortal maiden?

I wrote, “The flower thief.”

At the sight of those words, Zizhen broke down, inconsolable.

So it was her. But after so long, why now? Was it my false identity as the “flower thief” that had provoked her? I was puzzled.

“Why seek death now?” I wrote.

“I haven’t wanted to live for a long time. But he said he didn’t care, that it was all mortal dust, in the past, and had nothing to do with who I am now. But I can’t forget. I care,” she said.

I thought, If he were truly passionate, he’d have avenged his beloved! But that was Ming Zhong—my master couldn’t even catch him. For her lover to remain by her side was already something.

“Don’t blame him for not taking revenge immediately. His power is limited,” I wrote.

“That’s not it. He said he’d never forgive that villain. It’s me—I feel unworthy of him. He stands so high above; I am insignificant. He said that once the war is over, he’ll overcome all obstacles and marry me. But now the High God Kaiyuan wants to arrange a marriage for him—with a princess. I’m only lying to myself. So many princesses and immortals adore him, and the gap between us is so vast—how could he ever truly marry me…” Zizhen sobbed.

The more I listened, the more this “he” sounded like my master. The jade pendant, his lofty status, his devotion, the ongoing war, the admiration of many, the matchmaking by the High God Kaiyuan, a beautiful princess… Every detail fit! Could Zizhen be that fabled first love everyone whispered about? But wasn’t that just a rumor?

“Let me see the jade pendant,” I wrote.

Zizhen, ever guileless, handed it to me.

It was identical to my master’s. I turned it over, and on the back were the words: “Twin Fish, Intertwined Branches”—a lover’s inscription. No mistake. But did my master’s pendant have an inscription on the back? In two thousand years, I’d never checked!

“Who is he?” I wrote.

“I can’t say. Someone as lowly as I would tarnish his reputation. He says he doesn’t care, but I do,” Zizhen replied.

Reputation… My mind was in turmoil.

“There you are!” called a voice from afar, sending a chill down my spine.

Tiande came running over.

I frowned, internally seething, Why can’t I shake him off?

“Zizhen, you’re here too. Have you finished your tasks? Careful, or you’ll be punished if you’re found out,” Tiande said with a genial smile.

Zizhen bowed to Tiande, then turned to me. “Remember to tell me—I’ll wait for you,” she said before hurrying away.

Don’t go! Tell me who he is! I wanted to chase after her, but Tiande blocked my path.

He gave a sly smile. “I asked the Immortal Official. You’re not a palace maiden from the Peach Orchard! No such assignment for flower dew collection—it’s only Lady Yu Fei.”

I nodded, thinking, so he knows I’m Yu Fei.

“That jade vial is Lord Wuxiang’s. You’re an immortal from the Palace of Myriad Appearances, collecting flower dew for Lady Yu Fei,” Tiande said.

I felt awkward. I was about to write, “I am Yu Fei,” when Tiande suddenly grabbed my arms.

“Beloved, the moment I first saw you in the Peach Orchard, I knew it was you. You’ve returned…” Tiande gazed into my eyes.

I was so startled I felt every feather bristle. I screamed internally, I am not your beloved! I am Yu Fei!

I wanted to use magic to break free from Tiande and perhaps teach him a lesson in the process. As I hesitated, I noticed a beehive on the tree behind him. A wicked grin crept onto my face. Well, don’t blame me for being ruthless—since you’re the Crown Prince, it wouldn’t do to fight you outright. But this…

I quietly cast a spell, knocking the beehive down. Instantly, a swarm of jade bees erupted.

Sensing something behind him, Tiande turned around, only to be met by a furious cloud of bees. He released my arms to fend off the swarm, and I seized the chance to slip behind the tree and transform, flying away.

Freed from the ever-persistent Tiande, I searched the Peach Orchard for Zizhen but could not find her. She’d said she’d wait for my answer. The Immortal-Binding Rope was in my possession; she must have resigned herself, waiting for me to teach her how to use it to end her life.

That night, I flew to the immortal maidens’ quarters and, sure enough, found Zizhen. She slept with furrowed brows, tears still on her cheeks… Such sorrow. If she refuses to speak, I’ll ask directly! I’ll find out if it’s truly him!

At dawn, I took my true form as a cold crow and left the Peach Orchard to search for my master. I scoured every hall, large and small, but he was nowhere to be found. Thinking that a tryst would more likely happen in a garden, I searched the various gardens.

It turned out the Peach Orchard was just one of many celestial gardens in Heaven—there was also the Jade Pool, Plum Garden, Apricot Garden, Loquat Grove… Flowers in all seasons, mountains, waters, scenes from every realm and the four seas, each with its own charm. Exhausted from flying, I finally chose a secluded, quiet garden and hid in a grotto on an artificial hill to rest, drifting off to sleep without realizing it.

In my sleep, a beautiful voice called out, “Yunxiao!”

Startled, I opened my eyes and saw two figures by the pond below the hill. One was my master; the other, an exceptionally beautiful immortal maiden. Her looks and grace were unmatched in all Heaven and earth, but it was her large, luminous eyes—like autumn waters, like silver stars, like pearls in dew—that could stir the heart of any woman with a single glance.

Could this be Yuheng? I cast a body-freezing spell on myself to avoid being discovered by my master.

“From the moment I met you, Yunxiao, there has been no one else in my dreams. Fate must have bound us,” Yuheng declared ardently.

“There is no fate between us,” my master replied coldly.

“Do you reject me because your heart belongs to another?” Princess Yuheng asked, sorrowful.

Who doesn’t know my master’s heart is never unclaimed, perhaps by more than one, I thought.

“Yes,” my master answered.

“Who is she? Is she younger than I? Am I not beautiful enough for you?”

If you are not beautiful enough, then all other women in Heaven and earth must be ugly, I thought.

“Please seek another match, Princess. The war is pressing, and I cannot linger. I take my leave,” my master said, turning away.

“Yunxiao!” Yuheng tried to grab his arm, but he dodged. In her haste, she accidentally pulled down his jade pendant.

My master frowned.

Yuheng examined the pendant carefully. “Is there something special about this? ‘Clear Breeze and Bright Moon…’” She turned the jade over and read the words on the back.

“‘Clear breeze and bright moon, twin fish, intertwined branches.’ This pendant matches Zizhen’s perfectly. So they really are…” My head spun; my heart was in chaos.

My master ignored Yuheng and started to leave.

“If you take another step, I’ll shatter this pendant!” Yuheng threatened.

He kept walking.

Furious, Yuheng hurled the pendant away!

Not only is he devoted, but he is also much sought after… I was thinking, not noticing that the pendant was flying straight towards the rock where I was hiding. Before I could undo my own spell, a shard struck me squarely on the head and I tumbled down from the artificial hill.

Seeing a cold crow spirit bird fall from the rock, Yuheng seized me as if grasping a lifeline, holding me tightly. “Yunxiao! If you take another step, I’ll crush this bird!”