At first glance, there wasn't anything too special about the place.
It was just tranquil like something was lulled into a much-needed sleep and the viridescent thickets rose covering the bottom of the structure. Even bits and pieces along the edges were corroded and weathered away. A heavy moss had already begun to form on the roof like a dewy blanket in the morning air; the dense, green clumps started even spreading below in between the crevices of letters carved deep within the stone.
The bamboo whistled from the salubrious wind, causing its leaves to quiver and sway. They rustled faintly in protest at the disturbance of the peace. Golden rays slipped through the thin plants protruding upwards and danced across the surface of the structure. Rabbits, squirrels, pheasants often stopped and glanced curiously in its direction with stoic, round eyes only to deftly turn away almost as if they didn't want to disturb what lay resting there.
The bell-like tinkling of a stream of water, mere meters away, smelled barely like iron. The clear liquid followed the downhill path and within it, little fishes were happily swept by the light current.
From this emerged this specific entity.
The small creature suddenly pokes its head just above the surface of the grass, its slick scales wet, a pure and pearly shade of white. Its pink tongue had a proneness to flick inwards and outwards repetitively as it stares at the characters with humanely wide, optics. Ducking its head at level with the ground once again, the reptile started to slowly slither its way to the moss-covered structure. It gracefully hiked up to the stone base, circling and examining almost like a custom. Its tail caressed the wording lightly as if thinking about something. The rest of the world, above and below, seemed oblivious as it coiled around the structure in a longing manner.
It stayed there for a while, hours perhaps before finally uncoiling itself, shimmering brightly in the dancing rays.
Descending itself to ground level, the water snake steals one last loving glance at the shrine. It honestly did not want to leave, it loved this place. But it had to. The tiny creature seemed to smile sadly- if that was even possible- before slipping under the surface of a nearby creek.
The wind whistled once again.
Oh, Jin Xiu. I wished you would not weep for me.
He could not hear her.
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"Jin Xiu, do you realize what you have done?" The Jade Emperor folded his hands into his large sleeves and glanced down at the young deity on his knees. His aged-eyes merely ignored the other immortals who bent with their head lowered in respect, not daring to look up at his angered face as he reprimanded the son of the moon goddess. Never have they seen him so distraught about a topic. "You slaughtered thousands. Thousands of humans because you couldn't control your emotions."
Jin Xiu winced, knowing better than to interrupt or talk back to the Jade Emperor when in such a foul mood; he glued his mouth shut and bit the inside of his cheek so hard that he could taste the iron-filled liquid that spilled from the flesh.
The tension in the Jade Palace was unbelievably dense. The bright hues reflected off the gold and green in the room glimmered upon the pale skin of Jin Xiu's face when at the steps of the altar. He did not need to look at them to imagine the emotions which would flicker in the eyes of his family; disappointment on his uncle's face, the grief of his mother, the worry on cousin's face.
"I am sure that from the 1,000 years of your life, you have witnessed the punishment for heinous crimes, the very same ones you have previously committed, in the human realm." The Jade Emperor continued further, placing one foot after another to approach Jin Xiu's shrunken form. Each step echoed almost eerily in the perimeters of the room.
"Tell me." He stopped at the knees of the lesser deity. "Do you have remorse for what you have done?"
Yes. Say yes, so you may receive less harsh a punishment. The voice embedded in his conscious whispered pleadingly in his ear. Yes, he saw what would happen to those who disrupt the peace of the beloved mortal world (地). Execution, exilation, shunning, shame. It is just one word. Say it. Jin Xiu swallowed thickly, he wanted to believe that voice. To act upon it without a thought to spare and impulsively.
But this time, he couldn't.
"I'm not sure I can have remorse for those savages." His normal, silky voice croaked out weakly, almost like an unintentional hiss. "I apologize for my harsh language, but how could I after what they mercilessly did to her?"
The Jade Emperor irked and raised a long eyebrow. "I see."
Chang'e* suddenly shuffled over to the two and hastily dropped on her knees next to her son. "Your highness, please I beg of you…"
He elegantly raised a single hand to silence her, eyes still locked onto Jin Xiu. The moon goddess pursed her lips and knitted her eyebrows together, taking a worried glance at her son.
"I can understand your anger. It is only natural to hold a grudge against those you take someone precious away from you to an unreachable place. That is why I empathize and pity you." Bewildered, Jin Xiu lifted his head slightly to meet the gaze of the old immortal who's expression was more gentle than before. He could see unsurety whether to be upset or sympathetic flicker through his eyes. "However, you still acted upon the situation wrongly so punishment is inevitable. Bai Li, who was that girl you mentioned in 地 at the last meeting?"
The lead oracle he turned to, still clasping her hands together at him as a sign of respect, thought for a moment. "We do not yet know her name, she isn't born yet but we do have an estimate of when her importance will come into play."
"And when will that be?"
"It is hard to pick an exact date but we know for sure somewhere in early-autumn of the Han dynasty, something… rather unfortunate due to her will occur due to her. So approximately 250 years later from tomorrow."
"I see."
"Might I ask why you are curious, your Majesty?"
"I think that is an appropriate punishment." The Jade Emperor mumbled quietly to himself.
Bai Li blinked confusedly. "I beg your pardon?"
"I've made a suitable penance for your crimes, Jin Xiu." He spoke clearer with a nod as Jin Xiu timidly made eye contact with the old immortal. "I can understand your hate for humans. However, it is our responsibility to care and cherish those creatures. It is not tolerated to think otherwise. When the time arrives, I declare that it is now your duty to monitor this girl in the mortal realm (地)."
"Preposterous!" The hot-blooded god of war, Guan Gong blurted out in a brusque manner. The iron and gold armor resting upon his shoulders, belly, and knees clanked lightly as he protested. His hands balled up into fists by either side of his body and his chest puffed out with such boldness it towered over the others in the room. "Such an unlawful act should not be punished by the responsibility of being a mere sentinel to some mortal girl!"
"Guan Gong, please! Lower your head!" Xi He* (goddess of the sun) pleaded, her expression dimmed covertly. He twisted his head to shoot her a menacing glance before turning his expression back to the Jade Emperor.
"How are we to be so sure he will not continue his genocide upon returning to the mortal realm? Are we to so blindly believe he will once again be able to control his lust for human blood?"
Turning his attention to the god of war, Jin Xiu narrowed his eyes fiercely and scowled at him. "You dare challenge my word, uncle?"
"Yes, I do, nephew." Guan Gong's lips twitched upwards into a sinister smile. "Afterall, you did sneak out yesterday evening to visit your deceased dear's grave, did you not?"
The young deity's expression hardened and he stood up abruptly. "Why you-"
"That's enough." The voice of the Jade Emperor boomed with such sternness, the two immediately silenced. "Although I don't appreciate your outburst, you do raise an interesting point, Guan Gong. Very well, in addition to your previous punishment Jin Xiu, you are hereby banned from using your divine gifts except for your ability to conceal yourself. I believe that is fair."
From behind him, Jin Xiu could hear his scornful uncle click his tongue quietly under his breath.
"However, failing this task given or taking the life of any human will result in your exaltation. And unfortunately, lose your eligibility to become a full-fledged immortal at following meetings."
His breath became caught in his throat. As a little child, Jin Xiu had painstakingly, day and night, trained to join the gods and goddesses as a respected individual. He was a mere second-generation deity, and from birth, a rightful sense to prove himself to the others was placed upon his shoulders. He hated this burden and yearned to wipe the scowl off of Guan Gong's face as an equal- no- a more important immortal.
He couldn't possibly fail.
Jin Xiu lowered his head once more to the Jade Emperor and leaned forward in a respectful bow. The corners of his lips turned upwards as he smiled confidently.
"Your Highness, I accept your proposal."
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Chang'e*: Chinese goddess of the moon.
Guan Gong*: Aka Guan Yu. Chinese god of war.
Xi He*: Chinese goddess of the sun.
地 (Di)*: The mortal world.