Nine: A Favour

"Morning," Cheng Yu said to the bored fox. Apparently, Fengjiu was lying in bed with books strewn all over the blankets and having confused emotions drawn over her face. She had called for Cheng Yu to visit first thing in the morning. Cheng Yu understood her friend, and blinked over immediately. So, Donghua had been gone for about five days now, presumably to the mortal world to follow up on the news that he had just received regarding his mission in the mortal realm. Fengjiu didn't know about it exactly, and as a guest, neither was it her place to ask. But today, she had a different matter to share with her good friend.

She cleared her throat and made her sorriest face. "Actually, I saw the woman two days ago," Fengjiu said to Cheng Yu. "I feel really bad for her. But worst.. She looked like exactly like my aunt. I can't really make myself hate her now or do anything bad to her." She put her head in her hands, looking downcast. "Tell me what I should do, Cheng Yu. I didn't expect all this, I thought I was just doing a good deed by talking some sense into her to leave, but when I saw her, I couldn't say a single word." Cheng Yu cuddled the little fox, understanding how she had a good heart. "Do you think... there's a way we could liberate her? I know, I shouldn't be saying this... But I just feel she's so pitiful. Just sometime ago, she got blamed for some fairy losing her hairpin, just because the fairy bumped into her at the pavilion! Can we help her escape or something?"

"Perhaps it's best to let your aunt settle it herself. She'll come around. Trust me, she's probably only hiding right now because she isn't ready. But when she's ready, she will," Cheng Yu stated in a consoling tone. Feeling emotional, Fengjiu hugged her friend back. She knewhow Cheng Yu's words would often make sense. Time after time, she had been upset over different scenarios, though mostly Kdrama sad endings, and thanks to Cheng Yu, she was able to recover from those depressing moments of her life. Fengjiu watched over 400 such dramas, and much of her tears had gone to 'why did she get cancer' or 'why did they have to die'. Maybe she was overreacting again. Keeping calm or not jumping to conclusions wasn't one of Fengjiu's strengths.

Cheng Yu began thinking of a happy moment to calm Fengjiu down, but all of a sudden, both of them were interrupted by sudden cries, and Cheng Yu recognised the Third Prince Liansong's voice calling out her name. Hastily the two immortals opened the door to allow the Prince to enter. They wasted no time in demanding what was the commotion about.

"Yehua's mortal chick, somehow she committed suicide," Liansong burst out in shock, panting as if he had been running a marathon. "She's gone now. I don't know what to do about my nephew." Fengjiu stared at them. She knew what was about to happen next. Out of the blue, Liansong started bawling, and put his head on Cheng Yu's shoulder. Fengjiu sighed and left the room in an instant. Liansong, you're just hopeless, she thought. Now, he was gaining her sympathy, but the next brawl between them would involve just more than a broken fan. This couple had been fighting for thousands of years. When would they ever settle down?

She engrossed herself in walking around the palace, until she found herself at the Immortal Punishment Platform. She found a crowd assembled at the platform, and an unconscious, mortally wounded Yehua. Recognising a few faces including that of Zheyan, she knew Yehua would survive. Her first thought was 'serves him right, he deserves it' but she had a second thought about the baby who had been born a few days ago. Had the woman jumped down the platform, and Yehua tried to jump in after her? She felt torn apart between her aunt and the other woman. As she walked distractedly trying to figure things out, she bumped hard into someone, jumping at the impact.

"Si Ming?" she exclaimed in surprise. "What are you doing here? Since Dijun went to the mortal world, shouldn't you be there too?"

The Star Lord straightened his outfit. "I have a favour to ask from you, Little Princess."

"I would be most glad to help," she offered wholeheartedly. Just in a period of a few months at the Nine Heavens, she had forged an unexpected friendship with the Star Lord of Destiny. What could be so important that required her help, that even the Star Lord couldn't handle it on his own?

"Come with me," he said, and Fengjiu stepped on the teleportation pad. In just a blink, they reappeared in Taichen Palace. Si Ming started by explaining that Dijun had returned to the mortal world as there were clues that required investigating in his mission, but due to magic backfiring in the mortal realm, he had to carry out his investigation the mortal way, with minimal use of magic. Also, the use of magic might trigger the awareness of the 'enemy' that Dijun or the Sky Kingdom was after him or her. It appeared to Fengjiu that Si Ming was unable to divulge the details of the actual mission, seemingly highly classified. So how could she be of assistance?

She took a few minutes to catch her breath, and accepted the cup of tea that had materialised in Si Ming's hands, downing the fluid in an instant. She listened intensely as he began talking about a problem they had at hand, and having to apprehend a particular someone who had escaped from the Nine Heavens. "I need you to work with Dijun," he said. "This is how the world works nowadays. A female around Dijun would make him less suspicious to the 'enemy' rather than a single man accompanied by a legal advisor or a bodyguard." Fengjiu assumed he was referring to him and Chong Lin, and smiled. "What is my identity then?"

"Dijun's girlfriend," Si Ming pronounced, and Fengjiu gawked. "I can't do that," she protested. "I don't know him that well, I don't know what he likes and dislikes." Si Ming smiled, and handed Fengjiu a hardcover book. "I've compiled this handbook, Donghua Dijun 101 by Xing Si Ming."

Trust Dijun to inform everyone I love reading books, Fengjiu grumbled.

"I also have another piece of good news for you," Si Ming told her, and Fengjiu's eyes widened with curiosity and delight.

"What is it?" she danced around gleefully.

"Your aunt has returned to Qingqiu, according to Zheyan. However, she's in seclusion." Fengjiu breathed a sigh of relief. "So, are you able to focus on this mission?"

"I don't know," Fengjiu said. "What's in it for me?" She recalled how Dijun had previously bullied her into reading and working out, and shuddered. Although this god was too ethereal for anyone to even look at, she feared that he would just torment her again with his strange interests in mortal instruments and habits, and integrating them into immortal day to day life. Normally, she would have just chose to ignore, but this god seemed to have developed a bizarre fondness for bothering her with his obsessions. Perhaps it was because there was no other person to bother?

"Debt repayment," Si Ming answered. "I recall you had that intention when you were in the mortal realm and I offered you to take on the event hosting? Dijun did after all, save your life again." She sighed. "Okay then. But why me?"

"It's very hard for me to explain this," Si Ming said, "But it's who you are. Dijun thinks you are capable enough to perform the task without your heart wavering and um, falling for him. Previously there were a few candidates for the mission, but they began ogling at Dijun when they saw him, so he eliminated their candidature."

Falling for him? She almost giggled. He was so aggravating, how could she even think of herself falling for him? She beamed from ear to ear. "Yes, Mr Xing," she teased him by the name of his mortal identity. "You are right that you have the right person, I won't fall for this cold and emotionless god. A free and single life is what I need."

Si Ming almost laughed. "Little Princess, you're just too young. Wait till you're hundred of thousands of years old like I am. Then you would probably change your mind. But that's all I can tell you for now. You need to get to the Jiuchongtian Group now for the next step of the mission."

Fengjiu shrugged, and then calmed down, counted from one to ten, taking a deep breath before she entered the portal that Si Ming had created leading to the mortal world. She braced herself for what was about to happen, and hopefully she would survive this time.

When she stepped out of the portal, she was aghast to see a sleeping Donghua with black hair, lying at his desk. As she approached him confusedly without the least bit of a clue on what to do for her mission, he woke up instantaneously and without warning, gently pulled her to face him. His pull had been so abrupt, that her eyes were locked to his due to their sudden proximity, and for a minute, she stood there petrified by his endearing smile.



"They're coming," he whispered. "Do your part."

"Who are they?" she inquired, discovering herself to be still in a trance due to her transition from the immortal realm to the mortal realm in just a blink. Was that the legendary time lag she had heard about in the mortal realm?

"Close your eyes," he whispered in an alluring voice, and without realising it, she did as he instructed. She sensed something wet touch her lips, followed by rapid and intense flashes of light that caused her eyes to sting. She cracked open an eye to realise what was going on. Paparazzi. They were all around them.

And she was the fake girlfriend who Dijun still had his lips on.

But why had he kissed her?