When Long Wang's footsteps arrived at the bathing area, Wuer, who was standing guard, immediately bowed in respect and withdrew.
Long Wang's steps slowed. The thin red string tied to his left pinky finger was connected to the pinky of someone inside the bathing pool. He slowed his pace even further, a wave of doubt rising within him. The strange feeling and rapid heartbeat he'd felt earlier were still there. Just as he was about to enter, Lian stood right in front of him. Long Wang was startled, and when he glanced at his pinky, the thread had vanished.
What in the world? The Red String of Fate that was tied to my pinky... why has it disappeared?
Long Wang stared at Lian's face, now standing barely a foot away from him, busy putting on her robe.
"Lord Long, look! My wounds have healed," she said with a smile on her lips. "The water in this pool is truly magical. I don't think I need any ointment anymore."
Lian was only pretending. She was still looking for a way to leave the Heavenly Realm because of Long Wang's presence. In truth, she had seen him coming the moment Wuer left. Panicked, she had rushed out of the water. Catching her reflection in a mirror, she realized the Divine Mark on her forehead had appeared. Luckily, she had quickly gotten out and severed the red thread connecting her to Long Wang, hiding her true identity as the sacred fairy and the mark on her brow.
Today, she realized the words of the demon clan held some truth. She was only one step away from the antidote being complete: she needed to grow feelings of love in her heart for Long Wang.
Long Wang looked visibly disappointed, his expression darkening.
"Lord Long? Should I call you 'Your Majesty' now?"
To hide his own feelings, Long Wang pretended to be indifferent. "Call me whatever you like. Are you hungry? I'll have the servants prepare food for you!" He turned, intending to call for them.
Unexpectedly, Lian knelt behind him and made her request directly.
"Your Majesty, please grant this humble one permission to return to the mortal realm!"
Long Wang let out a bitter laugh, his heart aching. It wasn't just about the intentionally severed red thread, nor was it solely about the poison in his body. Long Wang wasn't the kind of petty person who would exploit someone's sincerity, let alone kill them and use their heart as an antidote for the monster's poison within him.
He just never expected Lian would avoid him like this.
For some reason, he felt anxious at the thought of Lian being far away from him. He felt there was something about her he couldn't simply let go of, something that felt incredibly precious, more valuable than his own life.
"Fine. If you truly don't wish to stay, I won't force you. After all, the matter between us is settled! I saved you, and then you
saved me," he said.
With that, Long Wang turned and left Lian without another word.
Lian panicked and ran after him. "Lord Long, wait! I have a question for you!"
Long Wang suppressed his annoyance. "What now? Just go! Didn't you always want to leave me? I won't hold you back anymore," he complained.
"How do I get down to the mortal realm? The Heavenly Realm is so high up; I can't just jump down, can I? I'm not a bird."
Long Wang turned and looked at her. "Just jump! You'll definitely reach the earth!"
Lian stared wide-eyed. "Won't I die if I jump down like that?"
"Fairy Lian, you have spiritual power. Do you really think you'd die from a mere jump? Besides, that forest is full of trees! At worst, you'll just get snagged on a branch," he deliberately taunted.
Long Wang walked away and sat outside his chamber, where servants had already laid out a meal with a variety of dishes. Lian, who had been following him, hesitantly sat down at the table.
The servant nearby was shocked; no one in the Heavenly Realm was allowed to share a table with Long Wang. Moreover, Long Wang seemed
completely unconcerned.
"Lord Long?" Lian called.
Still angry and a little hurt by Lian's attitude, Long Wang acted indifferent and decided not to try to make her stay in his palace any longer.
"What? Don't you like the food? Didn't you want to go home quickly? Then go, before I change my mind!"
Lian nodded slowly and stood up. As she walked away, she glanced back at Long Wang. The man was pouring tea into a cup and drinking it in frustration, seeming not to care at all.
***
Lian walked and walked, leaving the palace grounds and reaching a cliff area. Below, she could see clouds. She had no idea where the
forest where she first took human form was located.
A few soldiers, assigned by Guseng to keep an eye on Lian, watched her. The Heavenly General was worried the foolish fairy might cause new
trouble. They saw Lian standing at the cliff's edge, then stepping back. The four soldiers observed from a distance.
One of them asked his companion, "Hey, look, why did she go to the cliff?"
"Is that foolish mortal fairy trying to kill
herself?"
"I've been watching her stand there talking to herself. Is she casting some kind of spell?"
"His Majesty treated her so specially, yet she still refused to stay."
"If a Heavenly Realm resident refused like that, they'd surely be punished. His Majesty made an exception for her."
"I think her mind might not be all there."
"Wouldn't staying here be much better than living in the woods?"
They kept chatting and weren't paying close attention to Lian.
Lian stood up, ready to jump.
"Do I really have to jump? What if I die on the way down? I don't have wings; I'm not a bird!" she muttered, pacing back and forth.
Without further thought, Lian finally jumped. The soldiers who were guarding and watching from a distance stared in shock as Lian vanished from the cliff's edge.
"Sh-she... where did that foolish woman go?"
"She disappeared?"
"Did she commit suicide?"
"She must have used magic to vanish!"
The soldiers looked over and approached the edge. Below the Heavenly Realm cliff was a peach tree, and the robe Lian was wearing had snagged on a branch on its back, leaving her body dangling in mid-air.
"She's stuck!"
"You, go report this!" ordered one of the other
soldiers.
Lian heard their voices from above. "Hey! Soldiers! Can you help me? My clothes are stuck! Please cut this damned branch!" she commanded.
"What are you doing? Why did you jump? Did you think you had wings?" asked one of the soldiers.
"I just wanted to go down to the mortal realm, so I jumped."
"Foolish fairy, do you think it's that easy to return to the mortal realm? What if your body falls into the sea instead?"
Lian let out an exasperated sigh and shouted back, "That's why you should help me!" she yelled from below the cliff.
Guseng received the report and immediately went to inform Long Wang.
Long Wang was still sitting outside his chamber. He had been watching the entire time through his magical illusion mirror and had seen what happened to Lian outside the palace.
"Hahahaha! Hahaha! Sh-she actually tried to jump down? That foolish woman, isn't she afraid of dying? Hah?! Hahahaha!"
"Your Majesty!" Guseng saluted Long Wang.
"Yes, why are you here?" Long Wang quickly closed the illusion mirror.
"I have an important matter to report. The fairy Lian seems to be trying to kill herself!"
"Let her be," Long Wang replied casually.
Guseng looked very worried—not because Lian might die, but because he feared Long Wang's position as ruler of the four realms would be threatened by the scandal and ridicule.
"What if she dies falling from the Heavenly Realm? Wouldn't the people of the Heavenly Realm be blamed? This case could cause you trouble, Your Majesty!"
Long Wang, who had been holding a teacup, stared wide-eyed—not because of Guseng's words, but because the illusion mirror in his mind showed Lian's body now falling. Only one thought remained in Long Wang's mind: he could not let Lian die! He would never allow it. Long Wang, who had just been sitting and drinking tea, vanished to who-knows-where.
"Your Majesty!" Guseng panicked and ran to see.
At the cliff's edge, Guseng saw Long Wang dive down.
Lian was screaming and shouting strange words.
"Aaaaaa! I can't die! Peacocks, owls, eagles, whatever birds are flying around, please save me! I'll reward you handsomely!"
Long Wang rushed to save Lian. Swift as lightning, his body shot downward and caught her by the waist.
Lian had her eyes tightly shut, and suddenly felt an arm around her waist. Her body was no longer falling but shooting upward.
Lian was too scared to open her eyes. The sensation of initially falling had felt so strange, she thought her prayer had actually been
answered.
"W-wait! Are you an eagle? Or an owl? Wh-why does it feel like I'm floating upward? Thank you, eagle!"
Long Wang allowed a faint smile to touch his lips as he looked at Lian's face, now cradled in his embrace.
To surprise her, Long Wang whispered words into Lian's ear.
"I'm not an eagle. I am the Dragon God, Long."
Lian opened her eyes, utterly shocked to see that it was indeed Long Wang holding her.
"Wh-why did you save me?" she asked nervously.
Lian swallowed hard, gathering the courage to wrap her arms around Long Wang's neck, afraid he might change his mind and let her fall.