Chapter 2 Picking a Ride
The bamboo forest was foggy on this frosty morning. One could see close-up but distance blurred everything. Only when the sun rose did the white fog fade and sounds of life start.
The opening door squeaked, and inside, a woman was spread out on the bamboo bed, her head turned to the side and her brow wrinkled. Her flushed cheeks and peach-like lips posed as if in mid-conversation. A green gown covered her pale skin, showing her silky shoulders.
Qingfu turned over and her gown slid off further. Her thick lashes batted and her misty eyes looked bewildered before she reacted and sat up. She pushed Jiuxiang next to her and shouted, "We"re late!"
Jiuxiang frowned and pushed her hand away. "I"m not going. I wanna sleep. Go yourself."
Qingfu stared at her to no effect, so she carried Jiuxiang on her back and rushed toward the meeting place, waking Jiuxiang up with all the jostling.
After pa.s.sing one more barrier, they had arrived. It was still loud with everyone talking; obviously, Fairy Lord Tianhan and Lotus Fairy weren"t there yet. Qingfu relaxed. While Jiuxiang may have appeared skinny, she was heavy, and Qingfu was exhausted from the run.
She gritted her teeth and looked at the road ahead, trying to make the last dash. A dark shadow loomed in front of her, and Qingfu didn"t think before reaching out. "Dear colleague, please let me pa.s.s, I"m carrying someone and really need to move. Thank you!"
The dark shadow didn"t move an inch.
—What"s going on?
Qingfu was too tired. She kept her head lower and said again, "Please do me a favor. I"ll remember it and pay you back."
Poke.
Jiuxiang nudged her in the back and uttered awkwardly, "Qingfu..."
"You"re awake?" Qingfu breathed out in relief. "Why didn"t you say anything? I had to carry you all this time!"
Qingfu let Jiuxiang slide off her back and took a deep breath. She looked up.
Oh, my lord!
Qingfu backed up a few steps. Her face was as white as a sheet.
The person she had asked to move was none other than her beloved Fairy Lord Tianhan!
She was rushing to avoid Tianhan, knowing she was late and further ruining her image, and not only did he know, she also . . .
She had even asked him to move for her . . .
Jiuxiang coughed. "Um, I was going to tell you . . ."
Qingfu bit her lower lip and looked up. Tianhan was looking at her in a mysterious way, but then he pursed his lips and smiled. The smile was so brief, Qingfu wasn"t sure if it wasn"t an illusion.
"It"s important to be on time." He gazed at her.
Qingfu raised her hand. "I guarantee that when I become your ride, I"ll never be late."
Spoken as if she was definitely going to be his ride.
Tianhan lifted his brow, a flash of mischievousness in his eyes. "You really want to be my ride?"
Qingfu kept nodding.
Tianhan looked at her. "I never need a ride, unless it was extremely helpful to me."
"I . . ." Qingfu swallowed. "I"ll work hard."
—To work so hard that, one day, I could stand beside you, confident and respected by everyone . . . as your wife.
Watching Tianhan leave, Qingfu"s eyes filled with determination.
Jiuxiang nudged her. "Should we go in?"
The fairy leaders present included Tianhan and Lotus, as well as a dozen other well-known fairies. Tianhan was so renowned that even the Heavenly Emperor respected him, so other fairies were okay with managing a dozen rides each, while he only needed to manage one.
Tianhan"s unique status meant he got to pick first for the only ride he needed.
The selection was very arbitrary, and it was up to Tianhan to pick; whoever he wanted, he would get. Everyone"s expectant faces looked toward Tianhan.
Tianhan was expressionless as he looked over all the fairies present. When he looked at Qingfu, he didn"t even pause, which crushed her.
Tianhan looked ready to speak, but his decision didn"t seem to involve her. Qingfu"s mind went blank as she raised her hand.
Someone"s raised hand gathered everyone"s attention. Lotus Fairy noticed that it was Qingfu and it interested her. She addressed her, "Young lady, speak your mind."
"I . . ." Qingfu swallowed. The edges of her vision still revolved around Tianhan. "I wanted to say that, you know how humans would sometimes volunteer themselves. I . . . I . . . You see, now there are so many animal fairies like hedgehog fairy, rabbit fairy, etc., but they aren"t comfortable as rides. Hedgehog is too spiky to sit on, and rabbit would jostle you too much. Fairy Lord Tianhan, you"ve got to pick carefully; a ride has to be comfortable, right?"
Even Jiuxiang, who was a hedgehog fairy, instantly stared angrily at Qingfu, much less the other elves criticized. All animosity was focused on Qingfu.
Qingfu was lost in the moment and didn"t notice the tension.
Lotus Fairy seemed intrigued. "Well then, tell me, what kind of fairy are you?"
"I . . ." Qingfu paused, and felt a little sheepish. "I"m a jade fairy."
"Pfft, she"s just a rock for all her talk."
"Rock? That"s a cold ride, and hard on the b.u.t.t . . ."
……
........
The crowd broke out laughing. Qingfu blushed. She never cared about gossip as long as she reached her goals. Her eyes landed on Tianhan. "Dear Fairy Lord Tianhan, I"ll get a blanket and you"ll be comfortable riding me."
—If after all this work and she still failed, it would be such a heartbreak.
Even if he didn"t care for her, at least she knew him a little, Qingfu tried to rationalize.
Tianhan didn"t look at her for too long before moving on. He seemed oblivious to the commotion. He casually looked at everyone before almost randomly picking someone near Qingfu.
"Guess I"ll pick her."
Qingfu froze as if thunderstruck. Watching Tianhan, she felt his playful, almost joking gaze, very different from his usual above-everything demeanor. She rubbed her eyes, and his face changed back to his old expression.
Qingfu thought maybe she was mistaken. The thought Tianhan didn"t pick me occupied her mind.
Qingfu wanted to see who was the lucky winner, but everyone seemed to look toward her.
Qingfu turned her frozen neck to look, and there was only one other person who was stunned, and she was even more in disbelief. "He picked you?"
Jiuxiang was shocked, too. "He picked me?"
—Why did it feel like Tianhan did it on purpose?
No, he was such an important fairy, why would he play jokes on her?
Qingfu abandoned her freewheeling thoughts; she was lost for words.
She wanted to say more but realized Tianhan was not standing there anymore. The other major fairies were busy picking their numerous rides. Only she and Jiuxiang were still rooted in place.
Qingfu"s eyes were full of complex emotions as she looked at Jiuxiang.
Jiuxiang uttered, "What . . . What happened?"
"How am I supposed to know?"
Qingfu had to admit she wasn"t thrilled, but it was better that Jiuxiang got the job versus other fairies. At least this way, she could see Tianhan all the time when she saw Jiuxiang.
Jiuxiang could tell Qingfu was brewing a tantrum, and was annoyed at Tianhan"s random decision. She spoke up. "I swear, I didn"t do anything; plus, I"m a hedgehog fairy. I"m so spiky to sit on . . . Why did Fairy Lord Tianhan pick me?"
Qingfu looked up, her face tense. "Maybe Fairy Lord Tianhan is a m.a.s.o.c.h.i.s.t?"
Who knew.
Both Jiuxiang and Qingfu had the sensation that Tianhan had tricked them.
Especially Jiuxiang.
While things were decided, Qingfu didn"t want to give up. She vowed that she would reach her goal; she didn"t even look for another mentor. She started thinking of ways to make Tianhan accept a second ride.
It wouldn"t take too much time to take her on, too, right?
But, to make Tianhan accept a second ride and to make sure it was her, it was really pure fantasy.
Hmm...
Qingfu looked skyward and sighed.