The tale of Chu Qie

Chapter 3

CHU QIE

My teeth gnashed and lifted the bag, "It's powder."

He nonchalantly waved his hands, "A demon fish has a lot of uses, but  it's bone is the most perfect to create a water spell orbs."

With every words that he spits sends violent waves of anger in my system, and before he knew it I was standing beside him with a grimace on my face.

"Qil, we have only known each other for hours and with each second I wonder why my hand always itches to whack you to death!"

After beating Qil I sat in the outer room and watch the garden absentminded. Whilst muttering...

"The fish, the fish," I continued muttering and I didn't know how I am going to fix such problem.

However I was surprised to see a smoke in the whole room.

Fire?

Fire!

I suddenly remembered Qil and I hurriedly rushed to find him, but strangely why is the main source in this room.

I opened the room and saw a big cauldron sitting in front of him, it was quiet strange because the fire used wasn't consuming anything but it was burning brightly but it didn't scorch the floor.

Whilst Qil was busy throwing different types of herbs.

"...." What is this i***t up to?

"What are you cooking?" he looked at me and then continued with what he was busy.

"Fish powdered bones,"  he replied and once again I closed the door in anger.

I decided to take a walk and explore General Mai's manor.

As I ventured I ended up getting  lost.

I sighed was I really this bad at directions, I was  in a beautiful garden which I could guess the main garden of the manor, it is where gatherings could be arranged if they want to have a relaxing tea party, but in the noble's world there is no such thing as relaxing tea party.

I sat on the bridge and stared at the shallow river, small fishes were swimming around and my face turned black upon recalling Bai.

"Miss Chu," I looked up.

"General Mai," my feelings were both delight and anguish.

I stood and gave the basic greeting, but I didn't know how to tell him about his beloved fish.

"General Mai, that fish-" before I could continue a big explosion happened.

General Mai got alarmed and hurriedly head to the area of the explosion, upon seeing that it was the designated courtyard I was staying, my heart wailed and mourned at my embarassment.

"Qil!" I angrily muttered as I rushed to check on the warrior, I should've stayed behind and placed him on that big cauldron and cook him myself!

I was out of breath only to find out there were clashes and surge of mana. I was but a weak chicken compared to the individuals in front of me.

Thus, I hurriedly hid but then I remember how Qil was injured, exhausted and has only combat  compared to whoever he was facing.

I quickly walked out of where I was hiding and to find him.

My eyes wandered only to find General Mai is battling a devil, the same devil we had encountered back in the heaven realm.

I was shocked because the devil was able to find us easily.

The arrow wound he gave me gave a burst of pain, and I knew that he embedded his mana on me so he could easily track me.

I bit my lips to hold my anger, what does this devil want from me!

Crash!

A figure came flying and crashing on the wall just near me.

"Qil," I called upon seeing me he grit his teeth.

"Go, run! I'll buy you some time," he instructed.

As a big black hound appeared, its body was oozing with too much dark mana, and its eyes were gleaming orange.

I hurriedly pulled his arm.

"Are you crazy! If you rush to that thing you would be a ground piece of meat on its mouth!" I hurriedly reminded.

"Here," he pushed five orbs on my hand and I recalled one was a teleportation bead and the rest were unknown.

"Qil-"

He then pulled out his medallion, "This medallion will help you."

I looked at him in disbelief, he was really going to waste his life on me, I bit my cheeks in annoyance.

After all I felt like I wasn't worth it.

He hurriedly rushed to buy me time.

General Mai knew the devil in front of him was stronger than him, as they exchange blows he didn't have the time to relax.

He barely could kept toe to toe with the devil, who seems to be enjoying his moment of weakness.

However with a single missed step, the devil grinned and sent him flying right in the direction of the devil hound.

When the devil saw Chu Qie he grinned in happiness.

Upon General Mai's sudden appearance being thrown in front of the hound, my wary eyes saw the devil with a playful smile on his lips.

I shuddered and continued with the plan I had.

I rushed towards Qil and gave him a  tight hug, he was surprised but I hurriedly crushed a gray bead and threw it on the ground we were standing.

The ground opened  and we direactly fell into the dark abyss.

I held tightly on his waist, all I could kept on muttering inside my head is 'anywhere but safe'.

Splash!

I was furious upon feeling the same sensation, it was a river!

What is wrong with rivers, why does it seem they like me this much!

I hurriedly struggled and I saw Qil pushing me and fixing our posture, he held my waist and swam to the shore.

"Whew~" I sighed, "We finally got out."

I smiled but strangely he was very silent and replied with 'En', what happened to him.

"Are you alright?" I hurriedly stood and checked on him.

"En."

He once again replied and ignored me.

What is going on? He looked around to try and find out where we are.

"You can rest assure, we are in the mortal realm," I hurriedly implied.

"However I don't know which mortal realm did we fall into. There are thousand types of mortal realms similar to where we are now, the devil would comb thousand of realms before he could find us," I informed.

He nodded once again and finally got the impression that maybe he was tired.

He lead the way out of the river and I was surprised to see a strange type of road. It looks cemented, I sat down and tried to poke it.

"This looks like a flattened stone," I implied.

Beep!

I jumped behind Qil upon hearing such strange sound. A strange vehicle stopped before us.

I watched in awe as this glass covering the vehicle was slowly pulled down and a mortal woman appeared before us.

"Why are  you two still in here? The shooting is about to start, what did you do?! Those costumes cost thousands of money, you better get inside so we could fix those clothes!"

The woman angrily reprimanded and then its door made from metal was pulled.

It's a carriage!  A carriage with no horses!

I excitingly went inside and there were other mortals, I gave a smile and looked for an empty chair.

I looked behind only to find Qil standing outside, my eyebrows met and I hurriedly called for him.

"Qil, come on in, it's a carriage without horses and has a lot of chairs!"

I could hear giggles but I brushed it of maybe because they might be laughing at other things and not me.

He knitted his eyebrows and hurriedly followed.

As I went at the very back of the carriage, I blanked upon seeing a familiar face.

"Ge-" I hurriedly recalled there were other people so I sat and whispered, "General Mai, why are you here?"

General Mai looked at me and frowned, "I was pulled by the teleportation orb you threw, during your escape."

-----------

Qil sighed upon realizing how they pulled an innocent passerby in their troubles. Thus he silently sat beside Chu Qie, and tried to think on how to contact the King of Hell.

He gave five orbs to Chu Qie, the first one is a teleportation beads and the rest were water orbs so she could protect herself if she were attacked.

His plan was for her to teleport near the river of forgetfulness, as there is a huge possibility of meeting the king of hell or his Lord's soldiers. And with the medallion he gave surely they would easily be able to discern her identity.

It was a flawless plan but he didn't take into account the stubborness and recklessness of the Lady.

---------

The metal carriage stopped and upon getting off I notice we are at a temple. There were a lot of mortals roaming around some were wearing hanfus whilst some were wearing  strange clothings.

The woman earlier walked before us, "I am the director, Mei Rou. Explain to me how did you get the costumes wet?"

I looked at Qil, "Err, I tried to check the river but ended up falling into the river. And he saved me because I actually don't know how to swim."

Mei Rou pinched her temples and hurriedly ushered some of the staff to get them to change whilst their clothes would be dried.

A woman pulled me into a tent and I stood waiting for them to untie my robes, it was a habit, when I had servants.

As the mortals were trying to remove my clothes, one woman examined my clothes.

"Yi~ your clothes are tailored much better than the clothes of the main casts," she muttered.

I wanted to boast that it was actually made by the fairies using the finest silk in the heavens, it  may look thin but it is warm inside if winter, and during summer it is very cool. When cleaned it can easily dry, well it was the best quality of cloth my mother had been able to give me.

Besides, due to mother's scheming personality the main wife was always harsh on our budget, compared to other concubines who uses the finest and best quality, we settled for secondhands, but it was fine.

I know they wouldn't believe me if I told them the truth.

"You don't have any underwears?"

I look at them weirdly, didn't they all remove it?

The female staff hurriedly give me weird clothes and the call it a 'b*a' and 'panty'. How should I wear this?

I held the panty it has three holes, is this like a dudu (A/n: Is this the right spelling?), I hurriedly put the panty on- my head and left arm were in the same hole and the other whole to my right arm.

But it was weird because I felt that it fitted me wrong.

"Are you done?"

A lady suddenly entered the room I was changing and had bulging eyes.

In the end she was laughing, I suspect that she might be needing a healer since she couldn't stop.

"You- Are you trying to pull a gag or something," she mumbled and helped me.

After series of instruction, I was able to change into what they call 'T-shirt' and 'short pants', I got out of the tent with red face. I was so embarass on the underwear incident.

I hurriedly covered my face and walked straight,  not caring about anything but I was surprised to bump on someone.

I look up only to see General Mai.

"General Mai," I smiled sweetly, ah even with those weird clothes he looks dashing, he was even able to steal the attention of every mortals.

I could even hear female staff muttering, "Ah, what an eyecandy!"

"Don't touch my hair, you mortal!"

The nice atmosphere was destroyed by the complaining Qil, he really likes to ruin everything!

I hurriedy walked towards the fussy Qil, his back was turned against me and he was glaring at the a mortal male.

I angrily walked to him and pinched his ears in anger, "What are you doing?!"

I pulled him out of the tent whilst pinching his ears, "You really like to grab the attention of everyone with your stinky attitude. Besides they were probably helping you, why are you rude?"

He harrumphed and folded his arms like an arrogant young master.

This warrior is really hopeless.

"The other really looks like an ancient handsome warrior, so tough!"

"Whilst the other looks scholary handsome!"

"Are they the main cast?"

"Eh, the lady looks pretty," I always hear praises from other fairies so I am immuned, but hearing a praise from a mortal actually made me happy inside.

I couldn't help but give a smile.

"Tss, that guy who said that must have a damaged eyesight," the hateful Qil whispered.

"General, do I look pretty?" still drunk at their praises I ask General Mai.

He looked at me for a minute and replied, "Not bad."

I looked smugly at Qil but he just rolled his eyes, however I noticed that his hair looks wet and messy.

The women earlier help me dry my hair with a weird machine called 'hair blower', my eyes travelled to General Mai and I knew that he must have dried his hair using his powers.

"Come, let's fix your hair," somehow I felt like a mother taking care of her child.

"Can I use that thing to dry his hair?" I asked a one of the female staff whose eyes are glowed at his face.

She gave a nod.

"I won't!" He angrily rejected the idea.

"This is an order, let me dry your hair!" I pinched his waist and he reluctantly sat on the chair.

I undo his hairpin and his silky black hair fell, but it was weird because it turned red.

"Yi!" I was surprised, I hurriedly look around to find if anyone saw the sudden change of his hair and I was relieved when no one notice it.

I hurriedly used  the device, since it was my first time, it was very difficult and my patience was always being tested.

"Too hot!"

"I'm eating my hair!"

"I smell something burning!"

"I can't feel the hot air!"

"It's burning my scalp!"

I secretly held threads of his hair and give them a tug which earned a glare from Qil which I also did.

After the painstaking drying I comb his silky bright red hair, since I learned hair styling from a fairy, my hands couldn't help but braid his hair and started fixing it.

I then remembered what the lady I asked earlier about her hairstyle, ponytail.

I tied it in a tight ponytail and secured it with his hair pin. Shock, his hair returned to a dark color, I suppose he was trying to hide the color of his hair.

I noticed the tips of his ears red, is he perhaps shy?

This abnormal warrior has an unexpected side.

However a poke on my left made me look only to see General Mai, his face was all red and I notice that the staffs were all looking at him with preying eyes.

"Is something wrong?"

……………………

Mai Cui came from a noble family, which meant at his every beck there were servants, he feels uncomfortable wearing the strange clothes so he decided to sneakily dry his clothes.

However he thought his clothes were the same simple ones he usually use at the battlefield.

"....."

He ended up tangling and fighting with his clothes.

Staffs tried to help him but somehow their hands linger on his abdomen and back. He tries to call help from to the male staff but they looked at him in disdain and envy.

………………

I looked at them and couldn't help but realize I was like a mother catering to her children.

The fairies back at home were approachable thus they even help educate me on how males and females clothing differentiate.

And how they would be assembled, mother didn't mind as she knew that I would be serving my husband.

Thus with nimble and familiar hands I hurriedly fix his clothes.

Mei Rou looked at her and then notice how she easily fix the two.

"Miss, what's your name?"

She approached me and although curious I replied, "My name is Chu Qie."

"Would you like to work as a props staff?"

Although unsure I hurriedly gave a nod.

I approached a lady who introduced herself as Feng Miao, and with a few pointers I startes to catch up.

I was placed as the one responsible in fixing hairstyle and clothes.

The 'actors' and 'actresses' came, and I was shock to see a lot of them.

In the end I hurriedly started fixing their hairstyles and clothes.

Meanwhile whilst I was busy, they started the 'shooting'. It seems Qil was casted as a minion and guard who stays beside the male lead and General Mai, was casted as a minion of the villain.

However Mei Rou kept on frowning, because even though Qil and Mai Cui weren't doing anything, their presence suppresses the main casts!

When the fighting scene came it became chaotic!

Qil really did hit all the extras and fought brave with a hint of killing intent and it was also the same for Mai Cui.

When the two faced each other the whole scene turned to a whole chaos!

The main casts were all really forgotten, and a lot of the people gained minor injuries.

"…"  I didn't know but stand stiffly like all the mortals.

"Cut!" Mei Rou shouted but the two were immersed in their fighting.

The director threw me a pitiful gaze.

"…" I am a rock I don't know those rabid dogs!

Let them bite each others throats!