PROLOGUE

A dark and dreary mood overwhelmed the garden of fairies. Five figures sat nearby each other, all staring worriedly at the smallest one of them all. It wasn't until one began to cry that the leader among them broke the silence.

"Huiqing, please rethink your decision," The older fairy cooed. Her eyes reddened at the sight of the stubborn girl angrily biting her lips. "You truly are clueless as to what you put yourself into! Going through a heavenly trial when you have yet to become of age is extremely dangerous!"

A few days ago, a young fairy had snuck off from her designated palace to appear at the court of the Heavenly Emperor, with the request that he allow her to go through the trial of becoming a goddess. Upon seeing the tiny figure standing bravely in front of him, the Emperor burst into laughter. Such boldness hadn't been witnessed in several years. He admired the courage and determination in her eyes, but he blatantly refused the girl's request. Though he ruled the heavens with a carefree attitude, he was not reckless enough to put such a young child in danger.

However, the little fairy had somehow convinced the Emperor into letting her take the trial. No one knew why, but after a few days, the Emperor suddenly approved her request. The others at court criticized him for his thoughtless actions, but they dared not speak ill of him to his face, and so they could only prepare for the upcoming trial.

The older fairy's words were meant to convince the girl to withdraw her request to the Emperor.

"Huiqing, don't do this.." Another fairy cried.

"Sisters, let me go. I must do this in order to save our master." Huiqing's voice was small but firm. She pushed aside the hands reaching out to her, turning her head away so that they would not see the tears welling in her eyes. Despite the tears threatening to spill, she continued, "The rightful heir should be sister Yanyu, but her spiritual powers are far too weak to inherit master's divinity. Among all of us, I am the only one fit to do so."

"But you are far too young!" The fairy called Yanyu shouted. She had raised this one since infancy, how could she allow her to sacrifice herself so easily?

At last, Huiqing sighed and grabbed hold of Yanyu's delicate hands. These soft hands had fed and taken care of her all her life, she wasn't willing to cause them to suffer. She squeezed gently.

"Huiqing is grateful to her sisters; sister Yanyu, sister Lan, sister Yue, sister Jia–thank you very much. You've raised me all these years despite the difficulty, and I was even able to become a fairy and learn under our master's wings because of your kindness. Once I become a goddess that can save the master, Huiqing will definitely repay you all!"

Her speech was genuine to the point none of the fairies could say anything against her wishes. They all sobbed and hugged each other instead, mourning the upcoming journey of their youngest. The path to becoming a goddess wasn't so easy, and they feared that Huiqing was oblivious to the dangers because of her young age. Even the Emperor himself could not decide what kind of trial a fairy faced. The heavenly trials were always complicated and even resulted in souls being destroyed. The last time a fairy ascended to a god was several hundred years ago, and there hasn't been a trial since.

Yet a young and naive fairy now faced the challenge.

"A-Qing, you must go and see our master. He has been through a trial himself, so perhaps he can assist you." Yue worriedly ushered.

Huiqing smiled and nodded, but did not make the effort to leave. The truth was that her master had been avoiding her since her declaration to become a goddess. She doubted that even if she visited him, he would answer.

Yue seemed to know what she was thinking, because she quickly added, "He requested to see you."

Upon hearing this, Huiqing's face lit up and she quickly rushed to her feet.

"Then, I'll be going!" She hurriedly said before scurrying off.

The older fairies watched as she left, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

"That silly child… she fights so strongly for a god that is already dead."

The air around them turned cold as they faded.

The moment Huiqing arrived at her master's palace, the door opened for her and she was led to his broken courtyard by the single servant that worked there. It was angering, but the heavens looked down on her master and he wasn't even allowed to live in luxury like all the other gods. His palace was plain and empty. Once she ascends, she would be sure to change her master's lifestyle.

"Master, you called?" She caught a glimpse of him and happily ran towards the lone figure standing near the fish pond.

Luo Yongnian was a tranquil and soft hearted god. When he spaced out, he had the characteristics of a noble and upstanding being. His tall and graceful figure could make any woman's heart flutter, including Huiqing. However, his eyes always seemed to be searching for something he could not obtain. He was staring into a pond that had no fish, and he did not even notice Huiqing's presence until she carefully tugged at his sleeves from behind him.

"Oh.. little Qing, you're here." Once he was brought out of his dreamland, his face looked a bit foolish.

"Uh huh! Sister Yue said you wanted to see me!" Huiqing responded.

"I haven't seen you in so long, why haven't you come to see me? Such an unfilial child! You break my heart..." Luo Yongnian began to sob.

Huiqing was speechless. It was him who angrily told her not to see her just a few days ago!

"Master, you were the one who said not to come see you after hearing news about my trial…" Huiqing reminded him. He had a habit of forgetting things easily.

"Ah, really?" Luo Yongnian seemed surprised and had a blank expression. Then, it quickly turned into anger. "You naughty child!" He scolded, but his expression changed again to sadness as he weeped, "Such a young and talented little fairy, and you're throwing away your future for such a useless one like me…"

"Master, stop saying that!" It was Huiqing's turn to be angry now. "Master is the greatest god in my heart. I will succeed in your title and become the goddess of fortune! When that time comes, master should not cry in front of me again."

Luo Yongnian was stunned by her determination, and at last sighed. His childish demeanor disappeared in an instant as he asked, "Do you know the consequences of being blessed with fortune?"

"Uhn.. no, but if it's for master's sake, Huiqing will do anything." She didn't hesitate to reply.

Luo Yongnian bent down to reach her height and took her into his arms.

"Our little Qing is a good girl." He whispered, "but I cannot let another person shoulder my curse, let alone a child such as yourself."

"Curse…?" Huiqing wanted to probe a bit more, but the sadness in her master's eyes made her unable to speak. Luo Yongnian smiled bitterly.

"My naive child, my little Qing. All the other gods look down on those that rely on luck. They say that being a god of fortune is essentially being useless… and I can't help but to agree. Luck cannot change a person's life–it is already decided by fate. My status as a god is worthless."

"How…" Huiqing frowned, "How could you say that! It is because I was fortunate enough that I met such a lovely and benevolent god! It is because of fortune that I was raised by the kindest and most caring sisters! How can you call yourself worthless, when it is you that allowed me to live so happily?!" Her fragile voice choked up in sobs.

"Fortune always comes with a price. Huiqing.. I'm sure you know already. Your master is dy–"

"Don't say it!" Huiqing shouted to stop him before he could complete his sentence. "Don't… don't say such scary words. Master, I will save you. So please, just be a bit more patient."

Luo Yongnian's eyes softened when he looked at the young girl who was trying to endure everything for his sake. Despite her tiny body trembling so much, she was still courageously looking up at him, as if daring him to go against her. He didn't have the heart to ruin her hopeless dreams..

But still, he couldn't allow her to share the same fate as he did.

"Huiqing, whether you complete the trial or not, I will still die. This is the outcome of my own actions," He lightly patted her back, closing his eyes as though he were at peace. "But, if it's Huiqing, then you may truly be able to save me."

Huiqing's gloomy expression was replaced by a bright one.

"However, you must be prepared to face the consequences of being a goddess of fortune. For each person whose misfortune you cast away, that affliction comes back to you. Are you willing to bear that curse?"

When Huiqing was silent for a while, Luo Yongnian thought that this was her refusal, and so he stood to leave. It wasn't until she grabbed his hand and let him see her face that he understood her intentions: such a beaming smile, and a gaze full of brilliance. How could this be a rejection? He lifted his lips despondently. He should have known her character by now. She was kind to her bones, she would never let up a chance to save her beloved ones.

If there was no way to change her mind, then the only course of action he could take was to tell her how to survive the trial.

"Little Qing, you…"