Chapter 6: Eating Together

'Grooowl', Her belly keeps moaning. Her whole body grows weaker, she has no energy left. She hasn't eat anything yet since yesterday morning. She thought that she was going to die, so she skipped breakfast, and rushingly went to the Stone Hill.

"Ahhh.... I'm so hungry....", She is laying on her bed.

"Hmm... I see... Maybe he is going to starve me to death. That's how he kills me. How sly....", She closes her eyes.

A flashback comes to her mind. She remember that Yin Ling is an asura while Hei She is only a preta. She's wondering how could someone become an asura. 'Are there any specific requirements for a preta to be an asura?'. Ai Lie's head becomes dizzy for thinking too much. 'Hei She seems to be the kindest person here... Ah, I miss talking to him. There are many things I want to ask... But I'm going to die soon...' She is desperately tries to sleep.

"Ai Lie?", A man's voice coming from her door.

"Who is it...?", Ask Ai Lie. Her body grows weaker than before, her voice is unclear.

"It's me, Hei She. His Majesty asks you to go to the dining room."

'Hei She!?' She immediately gets up, and opens her door. The black snake is already waiting for her in front of the door.

"WAHH! I REALLY MISS YOU!", Ai Lie said that bluntly. She is kneeling, and hugging the snake. She already forgets that this is not an ordinary snake, but a human soul trapped in a snake form. Especially, inside that form is a man.

"E-eh? Why would you miss someone like me?", He is a bit flustered by what she said. In addition, this girl is hugging his body.

"The people here... Are so cruel! You are the only friend I have here...", her voice is trembling.

"F-friend?" , if Hei She was a human, his cheek will be blushed. He never hugged a girl, nor hugged by a girl before.

"I'm so afraid of them... Especially that Yin Ling!"

"Ah, the General Yin... He is always like that. You should be extra patient towards him."

She releases the snake's body from her embrace, "You.. You already know what happened between me and him?"

"Of course. The 'wind' spreads faster than you know."

"Oh...", Ai Lie's knees become hurt because she is kneeling too long, so she stands up.

"Don't worry, Ai Lie, the General is a great man. He is not cruel at all. Now, let's go to the dining room, His Majesty is waiting for you.", They both are walking out together from her bedroom.

On their way to the dining room, they both chatting to each other.

"Where is the dining room, sir?"

"It's in the Yin Pavilion, the right building you see when you first arrive here. Oh, and don't call me 'sir' or 'mister', that makes me awkward."

"Ah, I see.. Then what if I call you Ge Ge?"

"Ge Ge? But why?", Hei She, once again, confused by her actions. What he meant was to call him by his name, not with any title. They aren't siblings though, so why would she called him in a familial way?

"Because you're my friend! No, even more like a brother!", She smiles cheerfully to him. And for once again, Hei She is amazed by her beautiful smile.

"A-as you wish, then."

They both passing through the throne room, then they are walking to the right side of that hall.

"Oh, there is a door here.", Says Ai Lie.

"Yes. The room behind this door, we called it the right wing. Your bedroom is in the left wing. But they both are still in this Lotus Pavilion."

"If the main building is Lotus, and the right building is Yin, what about the left one?"

"It's Yang Pavilion. The Yin and Yang pavilions are both connected to the Lotus Pavilion. I will accompany you to travelling each of them soon. But not now, His Majesty is waiting for you."

"Ah I see...", Ai Lie suddenly remember that she doesn't know that man's name, "Ge Ge, what is His Majesty's name? I know this question is a bit impolite, but... I still don't know his name yet."

"Why don't you ask him by yourself later? You both need to know each other too."

"Oh.. O-okay.. But is it okay if I ask such question to him? He is not you after all... I'm afraid that he will get insulted."

"Hahahaha", Hei She chuckles, "You should stop your overthinking behavior, Ai Lie. Of course, he won't be angry just by a simple question like that."

"O-okay!"

They both entered the right wing, there are so many rooms there. Ai Lie is amazed with one room with huge elegant black wooden door in the corner. She is wondering what room is that.

"That's His Majesty personal's room."

"His bedroom?"

"Sort of. But, he decorated it more like a library than a bedroom. There are lots of books there. He loves to read books."

"Eh..." , She feels a bit confused. His hobby doesn't match his stunning appearance.

Across that room, there's a corridor that connecting the Lotus Pavilion to the Yin Pavilion. They pass through that corridor. In the right side of that corridor, she can see the courtyard she first encountered clearly. Because the sun shines brightly, she can see the pond-like pool clearly with a stone fancy bridge in the middle of it. It's so beautiful, there are so many plants around the pool, and some beautiful pink lotus flowers on the surface of the water, but the color of the water is really black. Then she suddenly remember something she was curious about.

"Ge Ge, how could there'd be a sun in this realm? I thought this world is covered with darkness, just like the first time I came here."

"It's not a real sun, it's just a clone. There are 5 strongest Asuras here. 2 of them are women, and each of them has their own territory, or in human's world, more like a kingdom. They become Kings and Queens, and each of them holds an elemental power. The one you see is the power of Queen Bai Wu, or we called her as The Lady of Light. She rules the nothern territory. She possess the light elemental, while His Majesty possess the dark elemental. She is the strongest asura after His Majesty."

"Oh I see... What about the other three?"

"The western territory, posses the fire power. The eastern territory, posses the water power, the ruler is also a woman. While the south-east territory, posses the earth power. The south-east and the eastern are best friends. While His Majesty's territory are the southern area, and the area where the light doesn't touch.", Hei She explains so many things to her, as they entered a gate that leads them inside the Yin Pavilion.

"Huh? What does that mean?"

"That means, the darkness is his territory. This world was supposed to be dark. But we still need a sun to grow plants for the animals and our food, so the Queen Bai Wu recreates one."

"E-eh? So that means, this whole world was actually belong to him?"

"Yes."

'What a greedy man...', She internally judges him.

"But, His Majesty is a wise man. He split the world to 5 territories, to be ruled by each of the strongest Asuras, and once he gave something, he will never asks them back. He never touches other people's territories. Because of his kindness, the asuras and pretas are highly respecting him, except... Queen Bai Wu."

"Ah I see... Maybe she doesn't really respecting him because she is also the strongest?"

"Maybe, but His Majesty is the top of the strongest, and he is also the oldest person in the demon realm. She, and the others, are far weaker than him. But still, she is on the second place from the five strongest asuras."

"Oh... I see."

"I bet you will meet the other asuras soon."

"Why?"

"The rumors are spreading as fast as wind. They soon will find out that His Majesty brought a human in his territory. Be prepared when that happens."

"O-okay..."

"We are here.", They have already in front of the dining room.

"Your Majesty, we have arrived."

"Come in.", Said a man, behind that huge crimson door.

"Ge Ge, thank you so much for letting me know about this world.", She is smiling at him, "I can't wait our next conversations, it's always fun to have a chat with you."

"You're welcome. Next time, let's explore this whole manor together. I'll accompany you, that's my promise."

"Okay!", She gives him a wink and a thumbs up. He doesn't seem to understand her body language.

After their long conversation, Ai Lie left Hei She outside the dining room. When she entered the room, the black robed man has waited for her. There are so many foods on the table and they seem to be edible. The door is now closed.

"Come, sit here.", He pats a chair that close to him.

Usually, the one who has a higher status will sit across the one with lower status. But this man asks her to sit near to him.

Ai Lie sits on the chair that he meant hesitantly, "excuse me..."

"...", He didn't reply anything. His eyes are on the foods that placed in front of them.

"...", Ai Lie sits there, awkwardly, and she doesn't know how to start a conversation. She is waiting for him to talk to her first.

"What do you like to eat?"

"U-uh, anything, I don't mind..."

"Really? I thought this morning you were fighting with the twins and Yin Ling just because of food.", He is teasing her.

"B-but, Your Majesty, the foods weren't edible for a human like me..."

"Then, anything as long as they're edible for you, yes?"

"Y-yes.. A-and..."

"And?"

"A-and... Not poisoned...", She lowers her voice.

"Hahahaha", He laughs, "What a cute girl! How old are you, Ai?"

"18 years old, Your Majesty..."

"Oh? I thought you are still twelve. You are too short for a girl at your age. You are an adult, huh?"

'What the...', Her cheek is burning red, she feels a little bit insulted but still happy in one side because he called her 'cute'.

"Why is your face red?" , He covers Ai Lie's forehead with his cold palm, "Hmm... It's not a fever."

"I-i-i-it's nothing, Your Majesty!", Her face become redder than before.

'Grooowl', Her belly is really begging for food. She feels embarassed because of the loud voice in her belly ruining this moment.

He chuckles, "Let's eat."

There are so many things on the table. A basket full of rice, a big plate of fried shrimps, a big bowl chicken soup, a big plate of fresh vegetables, a big plate of beef stir fry, and many more. She is so hungry, but she is hesitant to take those foods.

"Go on.", said the man coldly.

"Ah... Y-yes.", she still froze in her chair, not even lifting one of her finger.

"...", That man stands up, and takes an empty bowl. He fills it with rice.

"E-eh!? Your Majesty, I can take it by myself!", She finally stands from her chair, trying to stop him.

"Sit down.", That man ordered her to wait for him. Ai Lie doesn't know whether that man is actually upset or not.

He placed a bowl full of rice in front of her. Then, he took another empty bowl and filled it with soup.

"Eat this first. You haven't eat anything for so long, this soup will help you to reduce your stomach acid.", He gives her a silver spoon.

"T-thank you, Your Majesty...", she took the spoon, but she is still hesitant to eat. Actually, she is just shy. She is always this awkward, making people annoyed with her strange behavior. That's why she couldn't make friends.

"What's wrong? Afraid if it is poisoned?"

"N-no, I just-"

"The foods are safe. Even if they were poisoned, I can easily get the poison out from your body. Don't be hesitate to eat."

"O-okay, what about you, Your Majesty?"

"I'm full. Don't mind me."

"Okay... excuse me...", She starts to eat. The soup is delicious, until she increases the speed of her spoon entering her mouth.

He is smiling at her, "Slow down, or you will get choke.", Ai Lie nodded. She tries to swallow all of her food in her mouth.

He took a chopstick, and took a fried shrimp. He took the shrimp away, and brought it to her mouth, "Open your mouth."

She feels so embarassed, her cheek is blushing once again, because this man tries to feed her. But she opens her mouth anyway, "excuse me...", She bites the shrimp, and pull it in her mouth.

"Hmm! It's delicious!", She spontanly said that.

"Want some more?", He took another shrimp with the chopstick at his hand.

"N-no! I-I mean, I will take it by myself, Your Majesty.", she would feels so awkward if he keeps feeding her like she is a baby.

"... Very well then." He hands over the chopstick on his hand.

After having the breakfast, she lays her back on the chair and says, "Thank you for the food!". She feels so full, until she can't move her legs to walk.

"Do you like them?", He is pointing at those food.

"Yes, I like them! Thank you, Your Majesty!", She is smiling cheerfully at him, as if she feels grateful of the food. This man is also amazed by her beautiful smile. It's his first time seeing that girl smiling.

"Want some drink?", He pours some kind of baijiu* inside a shot that made of clay.

Baijiu = White liquor, like soju.

"N-no, I don't drink alcohol, Your Highness.", She rejects him politely.

"Why? You are mature enough to drink this."

"I have never drink one. I was so poor to buy drinks. Beside, I don't have any reason to drink that...", she is starring at his very long black nails.

"Then, next time, let's drink together. You have to try it, it doesn't taste bad. I'll accompany you in your first time. Who knows you'll get drunk.", He drinks the alcohol.

"Okay...", After that, the silent breaks the room.

Suddenly, she remembers that Hei She ordered her to ask his name by herself.

"Uh... Your Majesty...", She calls him hesitantly.

"Yeah?", He turns his head on her.

"I want to ask something to you... But..."

"Just ask."

"Um... Actually, I haven't know your name yet."

"Oh? I thought I have told you?"

"No?", Ai Lie is confused.

"Xin Suan. It's Xin Suan.", He replied coldly.

"Oh okay...", Finally, after some meetings, she got his name.

He is starring at her exposed legs, "Is that what nowadays girls usually use?"

She turns her head down to her skirt. Her skirt isn't really short, about 3 cm above her knees, but to an old fashioned person like Xin Suan, especially he is the oldest here, this kind of fashion must be weird for him.

"U-uh.. Yes.. Ahahaha", she laughs awkwardly. Beside, she doesn't have any clothes to use. These worn out mini skirt, and the jogger pants in the wardrobe, are the best that she had.

"Hmm...", He stares at her lower body sharply. She started to feel uncomfortable.

"I don't like it. It's too open. You should change that."

'Eh??', But this is the only thing she had. The jogger pants is still new, so she doesn't want to use it first.

"Ahh.. This... Actually, I only have this..", She lowers her voice.

"I know that. Tomorrow, I'll have Jiu Lan to make you some dresses."

"Eh?? You don't have to, Your Majesty! You don't have to spend anymore for me... Beside, I already have so much debt to you... so please, don't mind me.", She rejects him.

"Don't worry. I won't ask you to pay them back. The dresses and those money."

"No.", Ai Lie said it boldly, "I will pay them back, Your Majesty, a promise is a promise. I'll find a way to pay my debt."

"... Is that so?", Xin Suan smirks to her evily.

"Then, what will you do to pay me? You don't have anything worthy."

"That's true, but... I will do anything for you!"

"Anything?", His smirks become more evil.

"Yes, anything-", She suddenly paused her mouth for a while, "Anything... As long as it's still within my capability."

"Hehehe... You are very smart. Very well.", He raises from his chair, "Then you have to repay me.", He stands close to Ai Lie, and lower his face in front of hers. Their faces become closer.

"What... what do you want me to do?", She feels intimidated by his glowing red eyes.

"Hmm... I'll decide it later." , He stroke her hair softly and tuck a part of her hair behind her right ear with his long nail, "But you may not leave this realm anymore. You have to stay here, by my side. That's an order.", He pats her head a few times.

"I have to end our conversation. It seems I will have an uninvited guest.", he stops patting her head, and walks away from her.

"U-uh, okay...?", Ai Lie is confused.

"Till we meet again, Ai." He turns his back and smiling at her.

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In the central of the northern area, there lies a beautiful golden palace. The palace is fancy, and so big, almost like a heaven. The ghosts who lives in that palace, all of them wear beautiful fancy white silk robes and wear beautiful golden attributes. It's obvious that the kingdom is wealthy. The palace's name is Sheng Guang Palace. The ruler is a beautiful Queen, named Queen Bai Wu.

"Your Highness, it seems what you saw in your dream is coming true. His Majesty Lord Xin Suan has brought a human in his territory.", Said a handsome man in white silk robe. That man is talking to a beautiful woman that sits on her glimmering golden throne.

"Hmm, interesting. Then, we have to pay them a visit.", That woman smirking evily as she resting her chin on her right hand.