Chapter 6: The Mortal World in An Instant
The Flower Leader makes Jin Mi kneel before the Flower G.o.ddess"s tombstone. She warns Jin Mi not to lie. First, she asks Jin Mi where her Spirit Sealing Hairpin went and Jin Mi said she lost it. She then asks Jin Mi how many people have seen her real appearance besides Phoenix and Jin Mi starts to name many G.o.ds like the Moon G.o.d, the Night Deity, etc...
The Flower Leader gets more angry. She asks if Phoenix brought Jin Mi out of the Flower World, if she has been staying at Phoenix"s palace for the last hundred years and if she was the one who made the ling zhi (glossy ganodema) for Phoenix to cure his poison. Jin Mi says yes to all three. Jin Mi gets so used to saying yes that she also says yes to Flower Leader"s next question which is if Jin Mi has romantic feelings for Phoenix. The Flower Leader is furious and started to say she needs to give up half of her immortal essence, so Jin Mi tells the Flower Leader that she does not have feelings for Phoenix and Phoenix owes her three hundred years of cultivation for the ling zhi. The Flower Leader is relieved.
The Flower Leader reminds Jin Mi that the Flower World and Heavenly Realm are enemies and she must make an oath never to have a connection with anyone from the Heavenly Realm. So, Jin Mi makes an oath that if she has a relationship with people (人) from the Heavenly Realm - her immortal essence will be destroyed, she can never be an immortal again, she will be a human in her next life, and a carrot in her next next life! Jin Mi secretly laughs to herself because there are only G.o.ds in the Heavenly Realm and no people, so the Flower Leader has been tricked by her oath.
The Flower Leader puts her in a room with three magical amulets at the door to prevent her from escaping. Jin Mi waits for Phoenix, believing that he will come. In a dash of seven coloured lights, Phoenix makes his grand entrance in the Flower World. The Twenty Four Flower Leaders are present and asks why he has barged into the Flower World without permission again. Phoenix says he is here to fulfill his promise to Jin Mi, someone he admires.
The Flower Leader tells Phoenix to give up his hopes and to ask the Heavenly Jade Emperor himself --- everyone is ok for Phoenix, except Jin Mi. Phoenix is confused for a moment than thunderstruck... he pauses... is Jin Mi... the Flower G.o.ddess"....
Phoenix looks absolutely lost as he leaves the Flower World in confusion.
Jin Mi grows bored in her room and wonders who will free her. A few days later, she sees a meteor light and makes a wish to escape. Suddenly, an elegant figure on a deer, the Nightmare Beast, appears in her courtyard. It is Night.
Night asks if Jin Mi wants to join him? So Jin Mi eagerly follows Night, she sits on his Nightmare Beast and Night leads the Nightmare Beast as they cross the starlight and the heavenly river. Jin Mi says Night must be quite lonely since he is on duty when everyone is asleep and only has this mute Nightmare Beast for company.
Night gives a smile - only people who have experienced liveliness will be lonely. For someone like him who is destined to thousands of years of loneliness, who have never experienced liveliness, how could he be lonely?
Jin Mi tells Night that she sleeps late so he can find her or she can find him when he is lonely, and they can be lonely together**. Jin Mi asks where Night lives.
Night"s eyes sparkle. He tells her his palace is at the end of the rainbow at An (暗 - the chinese word for Dark) Forest. They had met around the boundary of An Forest previously.
Jin Mi pa.s.ses Night a seed from her pocket. She tells him this is a flower*** that blooms in the night and retracts its petals to sleep in the day - just like Night, so it can accompany him.
Night places it in his chest pocket carefully and thanks Jin Mi.
Jin Mi asks if she can go stay at Night"s palace and not return to the Flower World. Night says yes, but as the Flower Leaders will be looking for her, it will be better for her to go to the mortal world. So Night brings Jin Mi to a hut in the mortal world and changes her appearance to a man.
The local soil G.o.d appears to greet Night and says he is honoured to have the arrival of such a great G.o.d. Night asks him to take care of Jin Mi as his esteemed guest. The local soil G.o.d eagerly agrees, then says he has poor eyesight and that Night and Jin Mi can continue... and quickly leaves.
Jin Mi is confused and asks Night to continue. Night does not know whether to laugh or cry and ma.s.sages his temple.
** The literal translation is more like Jin Mi says we can accompany each other. But, I found it more lovely to translate it as lonely together.
***This flower is called tuberosa flower. Its name is particularly lovely in Chinese - meaning Beautiful Night Scent.
Comment: This chapter is for the Night fans :) and one of my favourite chapters ever. I could imagine how Night felt when Jin Mi tells him - they can look for each other, and be lonely together. One warm word in his long lonely existence --- and when he kept the seed, I"m sure it was at the bosom of his heart.