Oh. My. Fate?!

"Fate's scribe Shun Tao greets His Majesty Tianjun." Shun Tao cupped his fists, in which he held his latest creation, and bowed in front of the incumbent Tianjun, Rong Su.

Tianjun motioned impatiently for him to get up and bent forward on his throne. "Shun Tao, today, our son will descend into the human world. What awaits him?"

Shun Tao nodded, straightened up and unfurled the scroll of fate he had brought with him. What should the heavenly emperor have asked, if not for the fate of his only son? "To answer Your Majesty: Heaven's son Jing He will be reborn as the mortal Zhong Jing Yi as part of the common people. His mother dies of childbirth thereafter, causing rumors of the boy being cursed to spread in the surrounding villages. Under pressure from the villagers, Zhong Jing Yi has to escape with his father. Before they are able to find a place to stay, his father succumbs to disease. He sends the boy to relatives in the capital, but the group Zhong Jing Yi is traveling with is attacked by bandits. Zhong Jing Yi and the other children are caught and sold into slavery.

After five years of working on the construction of a temple, he is sold to an official's estate, where he stays another five years. There, he falls in love with a servant girl, who seems to reciprocate his feelings. Zhong Jing Yi saves the money to redeem their freedom, but the servant girl steals the savings and elopes with another man.

Zhong Jing Yi is left alone at the official's estate until the fight over the imperial throne intensifies three years later and his master is executed. The official's family loses its status and escapes from the capital with only a few servants.

Zhong Jing Yi remains alone once again. He isn't able to find a new master and has to eke out a living as a beggar. After the new emperor is crowned, Jing Yi is chased out of the capital with the other paupers. He tries to seek refuge at a temple, but is refused admittance and has to roam the land on his own.

In his years on the road, he contracts a disease and finally dies alone and in pain."

The fate's scribe Shun Tao coiled his creation and looked up contentedly at the heavenly emperor. With this fate, he had excelled himself! If crown prince Jing He couldn't gain experience in this mortal life, then he would never be able to. Destitution, unrequited love, betrayal, loneliness, sickness, old age, death … What more could be asked of one life?

Tianjun Rong Su nodded slowly. "This is indeed a trial worthy of his station. I trust that there won't be any problems."

"Of course." Shun Tao bowed and left the throne room at the emperor's cue. He could by no stretch of imagination picture how anything could go wrong.

Well, sometimes even fate's scribe lacks in imagination.

Dragon king Qiu Ling watched, as crown prince Jing He drank the water from the river of forgetfulness and slowly closed his eyes. Jing He's soul separated from his body and descended to the human world.

"Qiang Wei, Yi Zan. Guard his immortal body, until he returns from his trial. Nobody is allowed to approach him. If any of the demons appear …" He shook his head and stood up. There was no reason to waste words.

"As per your order, Longjun." The two men bowed and took their posts beside Jing He's bed.

Qiu Ling nodded and stepped up to Jing He. He extended his hand, brushed back his black hair and smiled. "We'll see each other again in the human world." For a moment it looked as if Jing He smiled, but of course, nothing of the like happened. His soul had already left his body.

Qiu Ling examined the familiar face for a little longer, then he followed Jing He's soul into the mortal world. His path led him to a rural village. Thatched huts crowded around a square of bare soil, in which the traces of the villagers were carved. Nobody could be seen aside from one woman, who fetched water from a well at the square's edge and returned to one of the houses.

Qiu Ling remained in the quiet darkness and smiled. The fate's scribe Shun Tao had let him restart in this world. This should be the night in which Jing He's new life began. Qiu Ling concealed his body and followed the traces of Jing He's soul to the sole illuminated window. He extended the hand to the paper, that masked the opening and applied his magic. Slowly the room behind presented itself: The young woman, who had fetched the water just now, poured it into a basin and placed it next to a bed. As expected a second woman lay inside, who was giving birth to a child. Or rather: She tried to give birth.

Qiu Ling's heart beat faster. This was definitely the body Jing He would occupy for the length of his mortal life. Nothing could happen at his birth! He looked around, but no physician or midwife could be seen.

A woman's scream broke the silence. Qiu Ling turned to the window again. He couldn't permit Jing He to be in danger. He waved his hand and the dark clothing from the nine heavens transformed into a daoist cultivator's robe. Didn't all daoists perform good deeds? Surely, the two women wouldn't find it strange, if he offered his help.

He hurried to the door and knocked, just as inside another scream rang out. He waited impatiently, but apparently, the women hadn't heard him. He knocked again, louder this time, and, sure enough, steps approached the door.

The woman — the Zhong's neighbor — could find something far better to do than opening the door at this time. Madam Zhong had been in labor for a fairly long time, but the child still wasn't born. Obviously, something was wrong. Who knocked at the door in such a moment? Mister Zhong would certainly storm right into the house, if he had brought the physician.

Disgruntled, she went and opened the door, just to freeze at once. Her incredulous gaze astonished Qiu Ling, but he didn't react to it, and instead clasped his hands and bowed.

"Miss. I was on my way to town when I heard the screams of a woman. Might you need my help?"

The young woman didn't know what to say. The man in front of the door might have worn a cultivator's robe, but he looked the part by no means at all. His face made her forget the struggle and danger of the previous hours, that still hadn't passed.

"Miss?" Qiu Ling raised his head. He couldn't understand what the woman was waiting for. "Let me help." Ignoring her, he stepped inside, closed the door and hurried to the bed. He took Madam Zhong's arm and felt for her pulse. It was weak. She had obviously lost quite a bit of blood. Something had really gone wrong.

Qiu Ling placed his hand on her abdomen and felt around for the child. His face lost all color. Jing He's mortal body had turned around. Even with a physician's aid, it would be hard for mere humans to save both lives.

Qiu Ling closed his eyes and sighed in relief. He had truly made the right decision with checking on Jing He. With his magic, it was child's play to save him and even his mother still had a chance at living. Qiu Ling looked at the other woman, who stood behind him and waited for an opportunity to see his face again. He needed to get rid of her.

"Please, be so kind and fetch a little more water, Miss." He bowed again and pointed at the door when she didn't react.

The woman eyed him entranced until his motion pulled her out of her thoughts. Only then and just reluctantly did she disengage herself from his sight and went outside. Qiu Ling didn't waste any time. He turned around, sat at the bedside and placed his hand on the woman's body again. His magic penetrated her, found the child's form and slowly turned it around. Hardly had he withdrawn his hand, did the other woman return with another bucket of water.

Qiu Ling turned to look at her and nodded. "Please, be so kind and heat it up." He only waited until she nodded, then turned back towards Jing He's human mother. He couldn't do more for her. Everything else would depend on —

Before he had time to finish the thought, the woman took his arm, her grip surprisingly firm. "Daoist immortal … Are you here because of the child?"

Qiu Ling froze but then nodded. She was the woman, who had conceived and carried Jing He for ten months. She would do as much as him for the life of her child.

"Then save him. Whatever happens to me —"

"You'll live, too." He placed his hand above hers, that still gripped his arm, and smiled. "Your son needs you. You'll have to live for him."

Madam Zhong nodded and without another word she bore the suffering until her son saw the light of day.

Qiu Ling picked up the child and gently washed him with the water, the neighbor had heated up. Jing He, Jing He … Wherever your mortal life will lead you, I'll stay at your side and guard you. He looked at the extraneous woman, who didn't have any reason to wait further at the Zhong's house, but still stood next to the bed and stole a glance at him again and again. Madam Zhong also watched him, but it rather seemed as if she was afraid he'd take her newborn son away if she didn't look for even a second.

Qiu Ling passed the neighbor and bent down toward Madam Zhong. He silently put the child into her arms. His gaze lingered at the face, that didn't have much in common with Jing He's immortal form. What would he look like, when he had grown up?

Qiu Ling only hesitated for a moment, then he touched the newborn's forehead. Golden light spread from his fingertip and the image of a dragon appeared on the child's brow. Qiu Ling retracted his hand, smiled and looked into Madam Zhong's eyes. The woman didn't seem surprised, as if she had had a premonition the moment the daoist entered her hut, that he wasn't the person he pretended to be.

Madam Zhong was quite perceptive regarding this matter. Not many people would have been able to tell, that something about this supposed daoist was off. As the dragon race's king Qiu Ling's magic was strong. Nothing could be gleaned from his transformed appearance itself. It was rather his bearing, that had given him away.

Qiu Ling didn't care if she knew or not. Considering that he intended to guard Jing He for the length of his mortal life, there might be future instances when he had to appear in front of his mortal mother. Wasn't it better if she knew from the beginning just how special her child was? "I have to go now. Take care of your son."

The woman nodded. She watched him turn around, but then looked at her child instead. The golden marking gradually faded. As the door closed behind the daoist and her neighbor, who had followed him, nothing could be seen of it anymore.

"My son, how lucky you are. You're blessed by the gods. Your life will surely be free of worries."

Hardly had she spoken the words, when the door opened again and her husband rushed in with the physician, whom he had brought from the city, hot on his heels. "Daifu, Daifu, please have a —" He stopped as he saw his wife with the child in her arms. Both were healthy, but nothing could be seen of the neighbor or any other help.

The physician looked just as astounded. Mister Zhong had called on him late that evening, completely hysterical. He couldn't believe, that everything had just been a bad joke. He silently went over and took the woman's pulse. Everything was alright. She wasn't in any danger, just a little weak. He took the child's pulse, too, but still couldn't find any problems.

"What happened? Is something wrong?" Mister Zhong waited agitated for the examination results.

"Everything is alright. Mother and child are both well." The physician stood up and let his gaze roam over the two of them again. It could even be said, that they were too well. How had they survived the childbirth without any help?

Mister Zhong sighed relieved. "Thank you. Thank you, Daifu."

The physician nodded and with a last glance at the mother and child he went home. He could only suppose, that the two of them must have had unbelievable luck.

Mister Zhong sat at the edge of the bed and grabbed his wife's hand. "I can't believe, that everything went well even without the physician."

Madam Zhong smiled. "A daoist came by and offered his help."

"A daoist?" Mister Zhong raised his brows. There was no daoist sect in the vicinity of their village.

"He said, he is a daoist." Madam Zhong's smile intensified and she touched the place on her son's forehead, where the mark of the dragon had glowed before. "He also said, that he was on his way into town. The gods must have blessed our boy."

The next town was many miles away. Nobody would be on their way there that late at night. One would halt at a village and continue on the next morning. Apart from that, the way from the next sect to town didn't lead through their village or one of the surrounding ones. Whoever the man was, who had saved mother and child, the Zhongs knew, he wasn't a daoist like he had pretended.

"Let us name him Jing Yi. Jing as in spirit and Yi as in righteousness, because he was born through the help of a friendly spirit and he should repay this favor to the people of our empire one day."

Mister Zhong nodded. "Zhong Jing Yi. A good name. Our son shall be named thus." He extended his hand and caressed his child's head. Jing Yi would have a good life and he would one day see to it, that others could also lead a good life.