Shun Tao threw the scroll of fate. Before it hand time to smack against the opposing wall, he sprang up, flew over his table and caught it again. He sighed relieved and patted it, freeing it from some non-existent dust.
"Don't make it worse, Shun Tao", he told himself and cautiously carried the scroll back to his table. The scroll of fate was bound to a person's fate. Damaging it, would also have an influence on the person's life. After everything, that had happened, he couldn't risk something like that.
Shun Tao sat down, unfurled the scroll and looked at the latest gap.
Once again. Once again, someone had thwarted his plans. And in the last possible moment to boot. Neither Jing Yi's mother nor his father were dead. They weren't even injured. Of course, nothing had happened to the boy. And the bandit, that should have put the final nail in the coffin, had died himself instead.
It was a pity, that Jing Yi hadn't been there, when Qiu Ling saved his father. Otherwise, this savior might have been described in the scroll of fate and the miraculous adversary plaguing Shun Tao, would have been revealed. It wasn't a secret, that there was a man enamored with crown prince Jing He, who perfectly fit the description of being young with black hair falling to his waist, wearing black robes of high quality with silver embroidery and two silver rings. Most gods in the nine heavens — at least those with a status high enough to have seen the crown prince for themselves — would have immediately thought of the dragon king, had they heard that description.
But since Jing Yi hadn't been there, the fate's scribe could only sigh. It would probably take another day for Hong Bao to find out, if any of the young gods monitored Zhong Jing Yi and his family. Another day in the nine heavens, another year in the mortal realm. By then, Zhong Jing Yi would be eight years old already and still he would not have needed to pass even a single trial.
By then … could Shun Tao still conceal this from the heavenly emperor? Probably not. Even if the heavenly emperor hadn't sent someone to check on his son by then, waiting longer would be a threat to the crown prince. Those trials weren't for fun. A true born god had to complete them. If the mortal Zhong Jing Yi never went through a trial, then the same would be true for crown prince Jing He. The consequences … Shun Tao didn't even want to imagine them.
But he also didn't want to confess his failure, before he could provide an explanation. If he could, he might not have to lose his head. Though, there was no way he could keep his job. It was a pity. He had always loved to be the fate's scribe. But with how things stood …
Shun Tao sighed again. He knew, his lamenting wouldn't lead to anything. He took up the brush again, but hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to write. His well thought out plans hadn't succeeded even once. And as long as he hadn't found the culprit, it would most likely stay that way.
Whatever. I need to add some problems. We'll see, if that guy can counter all of them. As long as some of it succeeds, the heavenly emperor won't be as furious. I might still be able to salvage the situation.
Shun Tao started to write: Afraid, that after losing her husband, her son, too, will be harmed, Madam Zhong sends him in another direction by himself. She wants to draw the attention of the bandit and deliberately leaves traces. Mister Zhong follows them, slowly catching up to his wife, while the two of them create a longer distance between them and their son.
The bandits, who find the body of their brother, are furious and start searching all over for the culprit. They, too, notice the traces left by Madam Zhong and follow the husband and wife. Shortly after Mister Zhong catches up to his wife, the bandits find them. Still furious about their brother's death, they kill off Mister Zhong and abduct his wife, detaining her at their lair.
Thanks to his parents sacrifice, Zhong Jing Yi successfully flees the forest and waits for his parents at the nearest town. But they never come back.
Shun Tao dropped the brush, nodding slowly. This should work … For all those other incidents, Zhong Jing Yi had been with his parents. Thinking about it like that, it was fairly easy to counter these things. Only one person had to be observed, while three people could be saved. The person only had to look at Zhong Jing Yi and could automatically save his parents, too.
Wasn't that a little too easy? Why did he leave such an obvious loophole in the crown prince's fate as a mortal? And how had it taken him a whole week to figure that out? But if it was like that, he could succeed. He just had to separate them. Surely, that person couldn't send help everywhere.
He would send help to Zhong Jing Yi, neglecting his parents and thus letting fate take its course. The Zhong husband and wife would die and the boy would finally become the orphan, he was supposed to be. How would a boy his age, far from his village and without support, fare? His fate would have a chance of getting on track again.
"One trial. Let me at least succeed with one trial." Shun Tao furled the scroll of fate again and put it back inside his sleeve. Sighing, he stood up and went to the door facing his courtyard. Ah, how wonderful would it be, if things really worked out …