The tale of Chu Qie

Chapter 1

CHU QIE

I stared at my mother gently caressing my cheeks, her gentle smile was plastered on her face, but I trembled inside.

Her nails slowly dug onto my cheeks and without blinking she slashed it, perfectly creating b****y lines on my face, next her shrill scream defeaned my ears.

The wounds sting and my ears bleed, she usually use her powers to injure me when I wouldn't be able to bring Father to have dinner or tea in our courtyard.

I couldn't hear, however a fairy specializing in healing hurriedly walked towards my kneeling figure and wrapped me in a sunset yellow orb, the injuries were gone, as if they didn't exist in the beginning.

"Mother, I-"

"Chu Qie," her stern tone cut me off, "I especially asked you to bring your Father back in our courtyard for a tea time, but why didn't you?"

I remained silent, it wasn't my fault if he loves the elder sister birthed by the main wife.

"I did inform him, however Madam-"

*Crash!*

Another teacup was thrown near me, she gave another annoying shrill scream, "It was always them!"

She clutched her hair and disheveled it like crazy! Her eyes looked at me filled with disappointment, she sat and sighed, "Chu Qie, I think it's time."

My heart hitched, her tone was filled with a sense of somberness, is she giving up?

"You've already start diminishing your value this past few years and now it has been totally exhausted, I think it is time for me to request a letter of selecting your marriage partner from your Father, with our status, I hope a minor deity would be able to match you, finding a major deity to marry you would be a pipe dream," mother declared.

I looked at her with a deflated expression, with trembling hands I tried to reach out of her sleeves and beg, "Mother, please don't send me away, I promise I'll be a good daughter and drag Father everyday be it dinner, breakfast or even noon breaks, to stay with you."

She stood and whisked me away like a ragged doll, her eyebrows met and her tone malicious, "You talk big, but in the end everything are just empy words! Marriage is the only thing you'll please me, so be a good listener and marry what I wish for you to marry."

After dropping those hurtful words, she skimmed pass me with a straight back and left me devastated inside the room.

What have I done to deserve to be treated as a beggar, begging for someone else's approval and affection?

I clutched my heart in pain as I bit my lips while whimpering because mother hates hearing me whine.

The fairies of the sky had pulled the blanket and covered the sky, they then threw the stars into the dark blanket they placed on.

I walked out of the room with a heavy heart, I went to the bamboo garden and hid there, with a sigh I gaze at the stars and started counting.

But amidst my count, I heard a strange tone, it was a hum, the tone was low so it was from a gentleman, I slowly got up and followed the humming delving deeper on the bamboos.

I stopped upon seeing a strange fairy before me, "Excuse me, how did you enter this place?"

He stopped and looked at me, my heart was filled in alarm upon seeing his orange eyes, a devil!

Devils are the most notorious clans on the different realms, as they were the dark forces that were always being supressed because each of their steps brings nothing but bad luck and havoc!

I hurriedly turned around to escape, but he was a step ahead of me, he hurriedly grabbed my wrist and with his free hand grabbed my waist.

"You smell familiar-" my eyes widened when he licked his lips and looked at me like I was dinner!

"Your scent is very aromatic."

"What spices can you smell?" I tried to joke around but he gave me a grin.

"A failed comedian, what are the chances of meeting you personally," his orange eyes was a shade darker when he looked at me.

I struggled and tried to use my powers, but he suddenly laughed loudly causing me to stop as I looked at him dumbly.

"You do realize you're just using your powers to make me even luckier."

I stiffened upon hearing those words, then I realized the only thing I am good at is giving luck, whilst there was even a backlash on my power, I was bound to be unlucky for the next days.

I struggled with all my might but I saw the chance when he was underestimating me, I grab my pin and without blinking I pushed it right on his heart.

But it was blunt thus the devil could only scream in pain.

He was quiet surprise because a small fairy could brandish her claws when cornered. His face turned red to green- he felt insulted.

His enemies couldn't even injure him during their battles, instead a green horned small fairy did such job. He couldn't accept it!

I felt my heart chill upon meeting his blazing gaze, I let the hairpin go and it made a clinking sound as it fell on the ground.

I didn't need to wait for his reaction, pivoting my heels I escaped, but I never thought his anger had reach to the point of breaking my soul when I felt my a cold steel plunging deeply on my back and I could see the tip of the arrow right on my chest.

Today is full of surprises, before I could kiss the floor an arm appeared out of nowhere and caught me.

"Milady!"

Whose lady is he referring?

I carefully observed his uniform, upon seeing a familiar symbol embroidered, I was even puzzled.

Why is there an army of the King of the Underworld appearing out of nowhere?

But before I could ask anything I could hear groans and I heard the soldier holding me cursing.

"Qil, this devil isn't a simple one," one of the soldier cried in alarm.

"Take Milady and escape," one urged.

The soldier named Qil, hurriedly pulled out a gray orb and casually threw it on the ground, the bead was crushed and the space before us warped opening an abyss.

"Wait-"

"Milady, please hold on tight!" He interjected and jump without a care.

I held my breath as I could feel wind gushing in the darkness, I couldn't see anything but I wasn't a dummy to not know that we are falling.

I desperately clung onto him!

Splash!

I gasped and fiercely clung onto the soldier, as he struggled to keep us afloat and I could feel the heavy pull of the rivers current dragging us away!

After tossing and swirling in the river we manage to get ashore.

"I-"

The soldier before me was panting and fatigue could be seen on his face.

"Milady, your injury!" He exclaimed frightened, and due to the heart thumping excitement, I finally felt the pain registered on my left shoulder.

My face blackened and I didn't know how to proceed, should I scream in pain or faint? I sighed and I knew that everything was too late to react so I simply stayed still.

"How about you, are you injured? You've been using yourself as a shield while the current dragged us."

He stilled, "I am fine, we should probably find a safe place to tend your wound."

He hurriedly assisted me as we look around, I am sure that we landed on a different realm, even the heavens have different realms, even the underworld and the mortal world.

"Where are we?" We're walking into a deep into a dense forest, looking for a place to rest.

"I actually don't know, teleportation beads react with the thoughts of the user, unfortunately, we were escaping wildly a moment ago so my thoughts were rather chaotic," Qil sighed worriedly, "But I can assure you we landed on one of the realms of the underworld."

"Why did that devil appeared in the heaven realm?"

Upon my query he stopped walking, "Milady, you may not remember anything but you possess a very important identity that even this lowly one cannot easily blurt out loud."

"I can't catch up, I am merely the daughter of the deity of luck, why are you implying that I have other identity besides what I've said?"

I was puzzled and I didn't know what kind of mess I entangled myself into.

"Milady, there is only the two of us," his lips thinned upon recalling the fall of his comrades, I also felt guilt on their deaths.

"I ask that you trust only me as we think of a way to return back to master's palace," he implied.

Then I remembered another mystery I needed to ask, why is the King of the Underworld sending his guard to appear in front of me?

Questions kept whirling in my mind I was so lost in my thoughts I didn't realized that Qil found a cave and he had already set the fire.

"Milady, I apologized for my harsh action," Before I could ask he pulled the arrow out of my body and due to his jolting action I bit his arm that was supporting me.

He hissed in pain but he endured for her sake. After all he had been inflicted with the worst injury in the line of his job, but she was just a simple sheltered lady.

"Qil, is your name?" He gave a nod.

"I am Chu Qie," she introduced herself with a smile.

Qil crushed a bead and a golden light wrapped her body and she felt her injury heal.

"That devil, is he the same as a demon?"

Qil gave a shrug, "Devils are entities that are unexplainable, their origins are unknown, as they were born naturally in the darkness. Unlike for the demons who are immortals of the underworld."

"Ah, are those demons can transform into different animal form?"

I was actually talking nonsensical things to alleviate the pain on my left shoulder, because I could feel that the arrow had traces of that bastard devil's mana, even if I was healed I felt some force slowly creeping unto my heart.

"It is their divine form, for the demons, but devils have no divine form. However one of the devil's mysterious power is to hop on different realms depending on their cultivation. The devil was able to open his own portal to the heaven's second highest realm without being detected."

"Qil!" I screamed in panic upon seeing a big snake emerging behind him.

He hurriedly turned and used his powers to fight the monster, but he was injured and mostly his mana seems to have strangely been drained.

Thus he was easily subdued with a whip of its big tail, his figure went flying to the cold stone wall of the cave.

The gigantic snake's tail slithered and coiled around Qil, he was struggling with all his might but his action was akin to a fly caught in a web.

Before the snake could gobble him for dinner, I needed to do what I can do best, give him luck.

He moves swiftly and was able to break free from the grasp of the snake, as I kept on pouring my powers onto him, he was moving so fast as he landed on the cave's wall he used it as a leverage to jump and use his lightness technique to attack the snake.

The battle was intense, but I am also feeling the intensity as I could feel the attack of bad luck would soon crept on me.

And I wasn't wrong, because when the snake whip it's gigantic tail against Qil who dodged it easily, 'coincidentally' the tail hit the spiky stones embedded on the cave and guess, I was just right below those pointy rocks.

I was no fool to stay in such dangerous zone, thus I quickly stopped assisting and rushed to a safer zone.

As the stones rumble loudly in the cave, the cave's floor was damaged by those sharp stone and bits of it came flying randomly.

"Qil!" I shouted to at least have a helping hand, but I could see that without my support his hands were full from the strikes of the snake.

He kept on glancing at me worriedly.

"Oh bother," I sighed and a dumb dangerous idea struck me.

With fast movements I rushed near the battling zone, and I then stood near the fleshy snake.

Since the snake was preoccupied, I then sent another wave of luck to Qil.

"Hey, cold hearted slimy beast!" I shouted to distract the snake whilst I gave a kick to its body near me.

"Milady!" Qil shouted worriedly whilst he gave me a are-you-stupid look.

The body of the snake was tough and kicking it is actually painful, but it was successful, because the snake stared at me as if it had understood me and it hissed with a menacing glare.

Qil sent his sword flying to it's eyes, but as if to show it's superior power, without looking, it's tail swiftly swat the sword away.

And I was there observing how the sword embedded deeply on one of the largest sharpest stone on the ceiling of the cave.

Due to the force it actually cracked and in just a minute it would fall directly on it's tail.

"Milady!" Qil rushed to me using his lightness technique, whilst the mouth of the snake rushed to eat me whole!

I hurriedly closed my eyes whilst I directed my powers to Qil and I hoped that my calculations were right.

And for a minute, I could feel my body being carried, whilst a loud crumbling and a snake growling in pain was heard.

I opened my eyes to find that we are safely outside and dust due to the crumbling and sealing of the cave was all that I saw.

I could hear Qil's heavy breath as I was in between his legs and his hands wrapped tightly on my waist whilst his head leaned on my shoulder.

"Qil, were you-" before I could ask if there were any injuries he sustained, I met his eyes burning in anger.

"Milady, are you trying to kill yourself?" He was raging like a bull.

"I was trying to save us both," I replied in a calm manner, because if anger is met with anger then everything would explode.

"You!" he looked at me in anger but he was trying to control himself, "I'll definitely take my vacation after this mission," he mumbled but I knew that he was openly letting me hear his complains.

I stood swiftly and patted my dress, "That beast-"

"Is a demon, which means we are in the realm of the demons," he ended as he stood and walked aimlessly in the forest.

"Then, can I return back to the heaven?" I ask excitingly because I could finally end this nightmarish day.

He stopped and glanced at me, "Why? Do you have a lover waiting?"

I stopped at his query, his scrutinizing and judging gaze actually pricked my temper thus I run my mouth without thinking, "Of course, a beauty like me has a lot of suitors willing to be my concubine and main husband."

He scoffed, "I bet they needed cure because they seem to have a problem on their heads."

Where is the gentleman earlier? I was easily angered thus I pinched his hips and asked, "Your gentleman facade is thinning, did the snake demon slapped it out of your body?"

He hissed in pain as he pulled my hands away and rolled his eyes, "My gentleness is only for those demure immortal fairies, you seem to act more reckless than a warrior so I think you don't need it."

I angrily harrumphed whilst being dragged by Qil, I notice that he treated me like a pet during our venture in finding an exit away from the forest- drag here, drag there.

I swallowed my discontent and pretended to think that I was taking a very ignorant dog who is excited to see the outside world that it can't help but drag the master around.

But during the dragging, my legs got tired, even though I was a concubine's daughter, for my mother to have a perfect image to father she didn't treat me that bad, she would give me the best, even walking for a few meters, a palaquin would be at my beckon.

Thus I was low in stamina and physically unfit.

"I think my legs are shaking, if we continue I think you would be dragging my whole body for the next li," I implied.

He stopped and looked at me with knitted eyebrows, though with his domineering look he still sat and gestured me for a piggy back ride.

I couldn't help but stare at his sturdy back. Why does it look appealing?

"Are you impressed? I could feel the intense gaze," he arrogantly said.

I just discovered that with every second this warrior opens his mouth my hand is itching to pinch his waist.

I swallowed my anger and rode on his back, but I placed a distance between us.

"What you're doing is making my job harder," he scolded.

"Yi, you really are scum, are you trying to eat my tofu!"

He met my glare and give a mocking smirk as his gaze landed on my chest, "With that size, I would probably only feel a warrior's chest and not of a fairy!"

With a few internalizing, my face turned red in rage!

"You!-"

"Are you fixing your posture or be defensive to evade the truth?"

In the end I swallowed another defeat and leaned my body on his, but I didn't forget to pinch his cheeks with all the rage I have.

"Ow! Ow!" Qil cried but I didn't let go, upon seeing a tear falling on his eyes I then stopped then arrogantly ordered, "Move!"

As the two ventured out of the dense forest accompanied by their bickering, they didn't realize someone was watching them from a thousand li away.

The devil who purposely entered the heavenly realm was watching behind a mirror with an interesting smile plastered on his face, "I wonder how this strange fate play out?"

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