“Excuse this one for intruding, Lady XianYi,” the young servant gave a deep bow, “Lord JiNing has requested an audience with you.”
There was a long silence between the two immortals. The servant could hear the footsteps of the white haired woman approaching, stopping mere feet before him. The boy tried to hide a shiver as he could feel how Tian Su towered over him,
“At ease. What brings Lord JiNing to my realm?”
“Lord JiNing believes you may be familiar with a spirit he has brought with him, his majesty did not reveal this spirit’s name.”
Tian Su’s gaze burned right through her servant, eyes devoid of life and aura suffocating,
“Alright. I will see to this matter immediately, you are dismissed.”
The servant gave another bow and scampered away, almost tripping as he left the room. Tian Su sighed, head pounding as she had just finished several reports that the upper realm king assigned her. She wasn’t in the mood to deal with others but decided that it was best to get this interaction out of the way. Lord JiNing had never been one to pester her with idiotic problems, the young king of the lower realm rarely asked for the help of others.
Tian Su walked towards the back wall of her study. Her finger dragged across the wall as she spelled out a name she refused to dwell on for more than a second. A passageway opened and she quickly slipped inside, immediately sent into darkness as it closed behind her. Her pace quickened as she made her way through the winding hallway, nerves starting to consume her as she began to think more about why Lord JiNing would want to speak with her.
There were only three times that Lord JiNing had been to her residence. His second most recent visit was of his own accord, but that had been over 800 years ago. The young god had stood before her, his once charming face was covered with a smiling white mask. He could barely speak, each word was etched with pain from what she assumed to be a newly sustained injury. The boy’s voice trembled as he inquired about the fate of a recently banished god. Tian Su felt her heart clench as the boy dug his nails into his arms. He desperately held in his sobs as he asked if the god was dead.
Silence filled the hall. Tian Su remained seated for a moment, rapidly sorting through her thoughts. After a few seconds, she stood up and quickly made her way towards the god, bringing him into a tight embrace. His body violently shaking as he sobbed into her chest.
“I’m sorry...if I could tell you, I would...”
Tian Su shook her head, refocusing her attention on the task at hand. She finally reached the door that led to the main hall. Her eyes slowly adjusted after she entered the dimly lit hall, instantly recognizing the familiar figure of the king. In his hand was a soul-capturing pouch.
Lord JiNing noticed Tian Su’s arrival and turned to face her, giving a deep bow. Tian Su took her seat, straightening out her robes before speaking,
“At ease. It’s been quite a while since you’ve requested an audience with me. What troubles you, your majesty?”
The god relaxed, standing up straighter before speaking,
“Lady XianYi, over the past few months, I’ve been attending to matters that involved a... friend of mine within the mortal realm.”
Lord JiNing’s voice was strong as always, yet Tian Su noted his hesitation. Nonetheless, she nodded her head in understanding,
“It was unexpected but we came across a spirit who claims to have known you in its past life. It was found in an abandoned home that harboured a single painting of a young woman. I may have been wrong, but it looked very similar to you, Lady XianYi. We confined the spirit to this soul-capturing pouch and, if you so wish, I will release the spirit for you to inspect.”
After a few moments of consideration, Tian Su nodded her head and the god reversed the seal on the pouch. A sigil appeared before Lord JiNing, the spirit beginning to manifest as the room grew dark and cold. The spirit was looking down when it finished forming, its face obscured by choppy white hair. Tian Su was about to call out to the spirit when it suddenly spoke,
“Xiao...Su….”
She froze, her blood running cold.
It can’t be.
She abruptly stood up and stumbled towards the spirit. Lord JiNing was taken aback but said nothing as the goddess stood before the spirit. She took its face into her hands, the spirit letting out a pitiful groan as it nuzzled into her touch.
For the first time in two thousand years, she uttered a name she had promised to never say aloud,
“Tian Hao…?”
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