Chapter 4:
Over the next few days, Juying settled quite comfortably into her new home in the Empyreal Cloud Palace. Master Doumu had gifted her an enchanted luminous pearl that was about the size of a rice bowl. It enabled her to communicate with Wenshao and her master as and when she liked, keeping her from missing them too much.
Her parents had also finally got wind of her new appointment. While Juying's father happily congratulated her, her mother was less pleased, chastising her through the luminous pearl for not informing them sooner. She worried and fussed over the young Light Immortal, repeatedly inquiring if she was comfortable in Heaven, if she was being treated well, if she needed anything from home.
Despite Juying's reassurances that all was well, Juying's mother remained unconvinced and sent her endless supplies of goodies from her hometown and chests of luxurious robes to wear. She claimed that she couldn't allow her beloved daughter to dress like a beggar and disgrace the whole fire qilin clan (but Juying was aware of her mother's secret intentions for her to attract a nice young man, so that she could be married off and produce some grandkids sooner).
The Light Immortal carried out her duties diligently. It wasn't long before her commendable work ethic became the epitomized embodiment of hard work which celestials referred to, to educate their children. Juying was a role model; an exemplar. She turned into somewhat of a celebrity overnight. Immortals from all corners of the Heavenly Realm would flock to Yongxia Palace, curious about the newest face in Heaven. They wanted to catch a glimpse of the girl who was rumored to have scintillating wit and unparalleled beauty.
Day after day, Juying's vivacious and endearing personality gained favour amongst the people. Her warmth and generosity won the hearts of many, much to Runyu's displeasure. With each passing hour, the Light Immortal seemed to solidify her place in Heaven, making it that much harder for Runyu to come up with an effective scheme to kick her out of the Empyreal Cloud Palace.
They barely crossed paths, neither having the desire to see the other, and they both went out of their way to avoid meeting. Whenever they did, however, Juying would make an effort to properly greet the Heavenly Emperor, sometimes even throwing in a phrase or two of well-wishes, in an effort to gain his favour and kindle some form of amicable relationship.
Alas, her efforts proved to be futile as the dragon spirit would brush past without so much as glancing her way, treating her like a column of air. Juying, not used to being ignored, would tremble slightly, feeling the sensation of heat flaring up in her chest.
When she wasn't working, she'd often visit the Matchmaker - much to his delight. The House of Marriage hadn't been that lively in hundreds of years. Juying would share her abundant supply of hometown treats with the fox spirit and play dress up, showing off her pretty gowns. Most enjoyable were the occasions when she and the Matchmaker would reenact mortal plays, reading the scripts she had gifted him in the most dramatic fashions.
He once shared, in between bursts of laughter, while they were collapsed onto the marble floor and covered in all sorts of colourful garments, that his other nephew had once gifted him a chest of... "interesting novels" from the mortal realm. Juying's present, he told her, easily ranked among some of the most precious gifts he'd ever received. He thought of them as unique, and was thankful for the abounding joy that they had brought him thus far. The Matchmaker's words very much pleased Juying.
"What kind of place do you two treat the Empyreal Cloud Palace as? Absolutely no decorum... How disgraceful," Runyu commented disdainfully, interrupting their laughter. It was the third time that week that the Heavenly Emperor had stumbled upon the Matchmaker and the Light Immortal clowning around.
"Yu'er!" The Matchmaker cried out in joy and rushed up to his nephew to usher him in. "Come, come. Join us for tea. Ying'er baked some peach blossom cakes and I've yet to try them."
Runyu stopped short. "Ying'er?" He questioned, appalled. "Since when did you start addressing her so convivally?"
"Oh, we all belong to the same court now. That basically makes us family," the fox spirit said gleefully as he led Juying and his nephew to the pavilion. "I really must thank Juying for freeing up more of your time. This is the most you've come by the House of Marriage in years!"
"That crafty qilin... She works so fast." Runyu thought, shooting a frosty look at Juying, who all but returned a damnable smile that revealed no trace of the malice that flickered behind her eyes.
"Uncle, I'll go fetch the peach blossom cakes," Juying said. To which, the Matchmaker nodded approvingly, "Alright, go ahead. Watch your step."
Runyu whipped around to glare at the fox spirit. "Uncle?" He hissed. That Juying was absolutely shameless!
The Matchmaker waved it off, "I told her to call me that." He paused for a moment, then looked at his nephew with a suggestive smirk. "Yu'er, you can't possibly be jealous, could you?"
A flash of indignance shot through the dragon spirit. Sputtering, he replied, "Jealous? Of whom?"
The Matchmaker reached out to pat his nephew's cheek, who irritably swatted his hand away. "Oh, don't fret, uncle still dotes on you the most."
"You've got it all wrong. Who would be jealous of her?" Runyu scoffed.
The Matchmaker thought for a moment. Then the conclusion struck him and he cheekily responded, "If you're not jealous of her... Then could it be that you're jealous of me?" He watched as his nephew's jaw dropped, aghast; utterly horrified. The sight filled him with uncontrollable mirth. "Don't worry, I'm not trying to steal her from you. If you've taken a liking to Juying, just tell me, and uncle will help you. They don't call me the Matchmaker for nothing-"
"What kind of nonsense are you spouting?" Runyu snarled angrily.
Just then, Juying returned with the baked treats. The two immortals regained their composure as she set the tray of intricately designed peach blossom cakes on the table. The sweet, mouth-watering fragrance permeated through the air and made the Matchmaker clap his hands in delight.
Juying offered a plate to the Matchmaker, who immediately dug in greedily, and another to the Heavenly Emperor. Runyu narrowed his eyes suspiciously at her offering. "No, thank you. I am not hungry."
With a sigh, the Light Immortal set the plate in front of him and began preparing a serving for herself. "I made these peach blossom cakes specially for the Matchmaker. They naturally wouldn't be poisoned, if that's what your majesty is afraid of."
"Exactly, Yu'er. How could you harbour such thoughts? You seriously need to taste her cooking. They are utterly delicious," the Matchmaker exclaimed through a mouthful of cake.
Smiling, Juying patted the Matchmaker's arm which rested on the stone table. "Uncle, you speak too highly of me. Since the Heavenly Emperor doesn't want to eat, then let's not force him. It just means there will be more left for you!" She raised a forkful of cake to her lips.
"Stop," Runyu said suddenly. "... Let's exchange plates."
"Ah? Didn't you just say that you weren't hungry? Yu'er! How can you take other people's food-" the Matchmaker cried out as Juying obediently set down her fork and offered her share of cake to the Heavenly Emperor.
"He actually suspects that I poisoned his cutlery!" Juying thought indignantly.
Although she maintained a facade of civility, Runyu could feel the simmering anger rolling off the Light Immortal in waves. Additionally, if it was any indication, the light illuminating the pavilion seemed to have darkened considerably.
Runyu inspected the fork closely and picked at the cake. His uncle assumed that he was admiring Juying's handiwork, when in actual fact, the silver dragon was making a big show of just how much he distrusted her. Juying felt her resentment for him grow with each passing second.
With his cake now in ruins, the Heavenly Emperor finally selected a minuscule portion and stabbed it with his fork. His gaze locked with Juying's hostile stare as he raised it, torturously slow to his lips and took a bite.
Even though he had consumed the smallest of samples, the flavour that burst forth was exquisite. The texture of the cake was airy and soft, seeming to melt delicately in his mouth. It had just the right amount of sweetness - not mild, yet not too overbearing either. The tantalizing aroma filled his senses and every nerve in his body screamed for another taste.
Juying watched as the dragon spirit's eyes widened, then narrowed as he rightened himself. Her lips curved upwards slightly in a faint smirk. The Heavenly Emperor hastily set his fork down and turned away.
"Well, what do you think? It's fantastic, isn't it?" The Matchmaker said enthusiastically.
"It's... alright," Runyu replied gruffly.
"If your majesty likes the cake," Juying began with a sugary tone, "then Juying will prepare some and send them to Xuanji Palace later."
Runyu couldn't even bring himself to decline. Angrily, he accused, "Light Immortal, you haven't touched your cake yet."
Juying sliced a huge chunk of cake off Runyu's old plate, then shoved the forkful into her mouth. A series of pleased, sarcastic, obnoxious noises escaped her throat. She held the Heavenly Emperor's gaze as she chewed, the tension between them growing so thick that you could cut it with a knife. "It's absolutely delicious!" she responded sardonically.
"Hmph." Runyu huffed and looked away when Juying didn't immediately collapse to the ground and start convulsing from alleged poison. "She could have taken the antidote beforehand." He thought stubbornly.
As though he could sense the mounting agitation, the Matchmaker quickly changed the subject. "Wow, Juying, the skies are looking especially lovely today. You did a splendid job."
Immediately, the anger melted off Juying's features. "Really? Thank you for your praise, Matchmaker!" A genuine smile stretched across the Light Immortal's face as she dreamily stared up at the sky.
Runyu realized that it was the first time he had ever seen a real smile from the Light Immortal - one that wasn't marked with hostility.
All of a sudden, he felt his throat closing up. "Beautiful... like the stars themselves," came an invasive thought. He stiffened, then promptly chased it away.
"Now that I'm in the Heavenly Realm, I'm surrounded by all sorts of beautiful things. I suppose that I've been drawing inspiration from them," Juying said, resting her chin on one palm and gently waving the other. Golden rays danced through the clouds at her subtle movements, bending and glowing according to her whims and fancies.
"It's just the sky," Runyu commented disgruntledly. "It changes every second of every hour of every day. What's the use of channeling so much effort into something that is only going to disappear?"
For some reason, Juying felt as though the Heavenly Emperor wasn't referring to just the sky with his last statement.
"Because I love it," Juying said as though it was the simplest thing in the world. "Perhaps you think it's silly to be so passionate over such a thing. But it truly brings me so much happiness." She gave that enraptured smile once again, eyes shining with wonder.
In that moment, Runyu felt as though the Light Immortal had just bared her soul to him, and along with that revealed her tremendous capacity to love. To his astonishment, he felt something in his spirit shift; the remnants of something cold and dead starting to awaken.
And if he was being honest, it frightened him.