On a bright morning, Xing was swaying in a swing eating sweet buns in a garden of a temporary courtyard alloted to her to stay until the "Light Wind Courtyard" was readied. Only the main hall and bedchambers of the courtyard was in good shape and the servants quarters were in ruins and workers were working in it.Bai Li was sitting in a chair beside her carefully observing a bunch of black ants trying to pick up a dead beetle on the ground and was even cheering for them.
Xing advised him to use a form of older woman so that he can be a Headmaid for her which would be a much more respectful position inside the inner palace. Xing felt uncomfortable to put the crown prince of the Fox clan into some lowly maid service.
What a leisurely life they lead! Is this how they not get bored of their long lifespan? Xing thought looking at him carelessly watching ants.
"Bai Li, do you have a lover?", Xing asked him as he annoyingly clapped his thigh as a bunch of red ants came for the same beetle.
"Huh.. What a pity.. They are now at a disadvantage", he mumbled, "No", he answered Xing who was surprised to see him this invested for those black ants.
Then again humans are like this for them too with their short lifespan and weaker traits.
" Do Fox Clan people actually eat human livers?", she asked.
"Yes, they are delicious" he answered without hesitation still watching those ants fighting for the same beetle, making Xing regret allowing him to stay inside the inner palace. What if he goes on a killing spree here?
As if he read her thoughts, "I don"t prefer them though. Also I"m on a...what you call... a probation... I cannot kill anyone", he added in a soft tone. He tried to help the black ants by diverting the red ants using a stick.
"Probation?", Xing wondered what that might be. Also how is he going to protect me without killing anyone and also not using spells?
"Hmm.. Yes, I once ma.s.sacred my entire clansmen because they killed my lover and that"s why I still haven"t ascended. Also, That"s why me and my sister are the only nine tailed foxes left. Others are pretty young now in our clan. The G.o.ds prefer me to take the Demon King role, so they put a gag order on what I did and put me on probation so as long as I don"t kill anyone, no G.o.d or demon can kill me. Humans will be cursed for nine generations if they kill me. Also I am the most powerful Demon as of now. So you don"t have to worry about your safety", he said casually guiding off the red ants away from the beetle with the stick he had.
"Oh", Xing said and she didn"t know what to say as she was astonished. Ma.s.sacred his own people? He actually used the word ma.s.sacre! And if there is a gag order, why did he tell me? And what kind of attraction do I have for killers? Why is everyone around me killers? Am I weird?
Xing watched as the red ants left this place as if they never saw that beetle and the black ants picking up the beetle to their nest as if there were no red ants.
Is this how G.o.ds look at humans? Blocking their paths and making sure they follow the path they want humans to follow... Help the ones they want to and make others lose... Isn"t it what happening to me..? Using my love for my family as a means to make me stay in this place as they wish for? Blocking all my exits using various means and leaving me with no choice but to stay here... Being powerful and looking down on others with less privilege and making them do what you want them to do, just because they can... Having such power doesn"t seem that bad at all...! Being superior.. Better... Able to manipulate and control the lesser ones ... Not bad... Not bad at all... Don"t I have superior powers too...? Can I do that too?
Xing"s eyes darkened a bit with such thoughts but the thought of family made her snap out of her dark thoughts,
"Bai Li, is today the sixth?", she got down from the swing, Isn"t today father"s birthday then?
"What?",he gave a very confused look. Oh! Right... Like an immortal like him would remember the time and date...
Xing confirmed it with another maid that today is indeed her father"s birthday and she felt ashamed for not have prepared a gift for him and she had almost forgotten it.
Xing paced inside her room rubbing her forehead wondering what gift she could give her father. And then it stuck her,
I have nothing!
Her old courtyard had burned with everything inside it including the banknotes she had and she had given all her properties to Haru to look after and her secret stash of cash is in her home.
I really have nothing!
This was the first time in her entire life that she felt poor and in need of money . She had never worried till now because of lack of money and never had she felt the need to ask others for money either.
Wait! What would people usually do when they don"t have money in their pockets? Oh... No... Even if I have money, where would I get anything in here? Aren"t I in the worst prison there is? d.a.m.n you Shengli! How could you leave me here with nothing on my father"s birthday? Is your work that important when I am in this poor predicament?
Xing was in deep worry knowing not what to do. She had thought about getting something from the mountains but she felt irked by that idea. Those G.o.ds plainly said that there shouldn"t be any Huang left in this kingdom and she cannot go and ask for her father"s birthday present from them... She has that much of self-preservation.
As she was wondering, her brother"s arrival was announced and he frowned looking at her troubled expression.
But before he said anything Xing held Rijun by the shoulders, "Brother! I don"t have anything!", she blinked her eyes in deep thought.
Rijun saw his seriously panicked sister and knocked on her head, "What are you saying?", he pushed her hands aside and poured her some tea to drink.
"Today"s father"s birthday and I haven"t prepared anything for him. Also I don"t have money. Not a single coin... I"m broke... I"m poor", she sniffed her nose.
"Idiot! You are a Huang! You are never poor!", Rijun was clearly irritated. Is she of sound mind?
"What? So I ask and wave my hand and everything appears in front of me?"
"Technically, it will be brought to you... yes!", Rijun flicked her forehead and it still seemed like she didn"t understand.
Xing rubbed her forehead pouting, "I forgot father"s birthday. I don"t have a gift"
"Yeah, You were busy almost dying", he mumbled in his mouth and gave her a package he said forcing a smile. He still couldn"t get over the fact the stuff happened to her in the past days.
"Get changed, we are going out", he said softly and his lips curled up seeing her happy expression.
Oh, sister! How I wish you"d be happy forever!
Xing changed into her usual scarlet robes and her braided hairstyle happily as she followed Rijun as he brought her out of the Palace and to Seiren"s restaurant with no one stopping or bothering them.
Seems like this was the important thing Shengli had to do early today - get her one day of freedom. How thoughtful!
Xing and Rijun entered the private room, she squealed seeing Haru there and he pulled her to sit by his side. Seiren and Shengli were there too.
Xing was happy to see everyone there and Shengli told her that they are here to celebrate her father"s birthday and Xing felt bad not bringing gifts.
Rijun by her side didn"t understand her insistance on giving their father a gift. It"s not like their father had celebrated his birthday before. And he is not someone who"d expect gifts from his children. He"d give away presents to his children for any occasion.
For Xing, she wanted to do something for her father in his special day. She knew the fuzz he created when she didn"t know about her mother"s birthday before and she didn"t want her father to feel bad thinking she forgot his birthday too even though she actually did. Also she had read the letter her father wrote for her birthday and she felt her heart clench reading how much her father loves her.
He had written his struggles to accept her when he learned about her and also how he felt like a bad father and how he wished that he could change the past and get to know her from when she was a baby so that he can hug her close to his heart and teach her many things. He even wrote how jealous he was of Shengli and Haru who had watched her grow and had done the duties of a father in his place while he had no idea she existed.
Xing didn"t realise her father had such painful feelings about her as at those times, she was just happy she had Shengli back in her life and didn"t care much about whether or not others and her father accept her or not. But she now knows how much she had changed. How much she wishes her family to be well and she understood why her mother insisted on her meeting her father. Her father is the best man there is in the whole wild world, next to Shengli of course!
She wanted to tell her father on his birthday that she loves him. What"s the best way other than gifts that express your love, right?
Although this was arranged as a birthday get together, Shengli had arranged this primarily to let Xing get out and have some fun in the place she is used to as he knew she was hiding a lot deep in her heart and he felt like she needs to be free and let herself out for a while especially of the various things that had happened in the recent past. He knew she is not sleeping well as she is having nightmares and he didn"t know what to do as he knew she always slept like a baby around him but not these days.
He even thought of abandoning his plans to join s.h.i.+hong as he felt somewhat uneasy in his heart and is currently deliberating to stay by her side for some more time putting aside his thoughts of revenge.
She is much more important!