Xing Xiuguang presumed on the Flame Emperor to have a comprehend study of the godly herbs. But was that a mistake though?
A tiny part of him still wondered if by attending in presence with the Flame Emperor was the biggest mistake of his life. If he had never interested in godly herbs, he might be as leisure and as carefree as he used to be? Somehow?
Guessed that he had outsmarted himself!
And now he slumped on a wooden stool, feeling giddy and regretting the lot of it.
Not only he was caged behind the walls of godly herbs, but he also became the master to teach some troublesome princess? He couldn't help feeling profoundly miserable. Since the princess had recovered from the poison, meaning the lesson was about to begin.
Xing Xiugang buried his head on his hands, feeling his breathing gradually slowed down. A split second later, he was fanning harder and harder to keep the fire requirement on boiling the medicine. It was as if he was fanning the fire inside him rather than the pot. He had never felt so terrified in his life. Of course, he had accepted disciples before, but never as appalling as this one which felt like life was pulling a massive prank.
Xing Xiuguang frowned. His inner voice chirped. What a haphazard mess he got himself into.
"Master!" The sound of a dangerous voice made he jumped out of his reverie, and he whipped around to find a place to hide. Something cold gripped his spine. He felt real fear, a shuddering fear. Every instinct in his body was telling him not to be found by her. Otherwise, who would have thought what kind of misery that bratty princess was going to bring him into?
He dropped his fan and prepared to run away. As he yanked away from his stool, another demonic screeching reached him.
"Masstteerrr!"
The waves crashed in so strong that his earthen pot vibrated and cracked a bit.
"Master!" Jingwei called, as she went into the hut. "You've made searching desperately for you. How many days have we stopped our lesson about medicine?"
"Princess." His voice was scratchy with nerves. He fought an instinct to run away from that bratty girl.
It all happened so fast. One minute she was standing there scrutinizing around the hut. The next, she was already trooping into his work place. The huge wooden table was strewn with boxes of herbs, rusty metal scale, wooden spoons, mortar and pestle.
"Oh!" She looked at the boiling pot in astonishment. "Master! You must have been working on a new medical experiment! Can I help—?"
"It's fine, Princess!" Xing Xiuguang snapped, edging her toward the door. "Just don't. Just don't touch anything... I beg you, Princess. Anything would do, just don't touch anything."
A stray of thought entered Xing Xiuguang's mind. He remembered the last time, he let the princess had her ways—roaming around his hut, didn't know how much valuable medicine she had destroyed.
He did recall how his dearest thousand-year ginseng mercilessly eaten by her without any sense of guilt. That ginseng had been nourished with his years of cultivating Qi! How could she eat it like that?! Ah! Her awareness only went like: 'Master, what awful thing is this? Uek! Not a food for a princess like I am!'
Xing Xiuguang had been covering his emerging fear and anger behind his calmness. He could only imagine how hellish he had to deal with this disciple every day. That was one thing that would happen if she kept staying here. As a determined physician, he couldn't let her destroy any more of his precious herbs!
"Um... but Master, I can help!" Jingwei found her voice. "I won't give you any trouble this time. I swear!"
"I appreciate Princess' passion in learning" he said, sounding more and more stagy, but the princess was such a roll, she wouldn't notice. He gave her with a little push. "Today's not a very auspicious time for learning how to brew medicine. Princess Jingwei could just rewrite the medical slips that I've lent to you. Five days later, you can let this master of yours to check it.
"But, Master—!"
Just gooooo! Shoooo! In reflex, he shoved Jingwei away out from his hut, every sense of alert.
Finally, the door slammed shut. And then Xing Xiuguang froze. He could hear a sound. A rustling house. Just outside the hut.
He turned in shock to see the princess stuck her head out the window as if reluctant to leave. "Master... good luck on your new experiment! I'll come by tomorrow again to start our lesson."
"Go, go, go!" He shouted in horror, barely could frame the words properly. His temper starting to fray as he made a shooing motion. "Just go!"
When Jingwei finally left, he exhaled. He realized that he was holding his breath the whole time. "Gone! At last!"
Much to Xing Xiuguang's horror, another day once again passed with ways to avoid that princess.
Sometimes the day went with a tremendous incident like the princess almost burned down the hut by merely brewing herbs. Jingwei was covered with black ashes, and her strands scorched into an Afro. She childishly pouted that she would like looked like a feathers-burnt naked chicken. Xing Xiuguang tried really hard not to laugh, he even bit his lips. But it went half-snorting with laughter. The blackened princess looked as if she was about to cry, then used her teleporting magic and vanished. It was the best day for Xing Xiuguang!
Sometimes Xing Xiuguang was content to spend his days gathering untapped divine herbs in the Empyrean Dominion, while Princess Jingwei was beside him. She would be wandering around among flowers with celestial energy flowed around her. Looking as beautiful as ever with her sparkling black eyes fit with her shiny black hair. Her rosy lips curled into a smile as she swayed her emerald robes draped with garlands of colorful feathers. Xing Xiuguang did his best to pretend like everything was normal, that his vision wasn't washed in shimmering, colorful waves from the princess. He could almost ignore her beauty. Almost. But his heart hammered in his chest, each beating was a hint of betrayal to himself.
It had been many years passed with those silly games of hide-and-seek. Instead of one was teaching and the other was learning, something else started growing inside both of them. Something unexpected yet far too frightening to admit. Sprouts of forbidden feelings succumbed in their hearts—a thing called love.
Then one day. If that day didn't come, what would have happened to both of them?
"Master, since you've saved me, I'd repay you devoting my entire life as your wife!"
Xing Xiuguang was thunderstruck. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "What? What are you talking about, Princess?"
"You've heard me, master. In any ways, I'm still a woman, it would be... inappropriate." Jingwei blushed, and turned away leaving a glimpse of shy smile caught to Xing Xiuguang's eyes.
He was too confused to describe his own feelings. "Happy" was hardly the right word, it would have been better if that word could explain the reason of his heart pounding. Obviously he knew that wasn't the case. If she wasn't born from a royal bloodline, maybe everything would have been different. Maybe, if he wasn't her teacher, and she wasn't his disciple, he would have accepted her feelings. Would he?
"Please forget about your feelings, Princess. I'm only obligated to teach you, not responding your affection."
That's right. In the princess' eyes, he would probably look different as though a new toy or a new flame. But after a few days or months, she would be bored by him. Weren't all those who came from imperial families like that? Polygamous, three wives or four concubines. As a princess, she would also be pretty close with that.
"Xing Xiuguang! As a man, you should be proud that I've had my eyes on you! But look at you. You're ungrateful of it. If you're not willing, then I, the princess, also wouldn't want you as my husband!"
See? It was like he had expected, and probably his time to go back to his leisure life as a wanderer. Being tied to a relationship wasn't on his list, the same meaning as he wouldn't do permanent living at one place. Seemed like it was time that he had to resign from decades of being the princess' teacher—or was he even suitable to be called as one?
Without meeting for the last time, Xing Xiuguang left just like that after getting his permission from the Flame Emperor. Even the emperor himself didn't ask too many questions, probably he had known his daughter's intention. This even strengthened his decision on leaving.
No. He couldn't be bothered by love between man and woman. He was a travelling healer, a princess like her wasn't suitable for joining him on a shabby journey...
Who would have known, their next meeting was three hundred years later.
As usual, he was gathering herbs up ahead in a hideous, wrecked lands of Buzhou Mountain. It was then he became aware of the fight in his midst, and rushed to see the situation. His eyes widened when he recognized that massive whirlwind blazing with green light. He remembered it was a power from a familiar weapon that Jingwei always had beside her. It was made with the mythical bird tribe's feather—the Hummingbird Folding Fan.
Jingwei surrounded by revolting creatures. Her other hand gripped something swirling with purple light in a vice. She seemed to protect that thing from them. To take from his memory, the Jingwei then wasn't anything of that extravagant headstrong princess; she wore a shabby dark-colored robe, her black hair tied into a ponytail. Visible fresh cuts and bruises were covering her pale hands and arms.
Those creatures were attacking her, their large groping hands greedy for that thing on her. One of them used their gruesome hand and grabbed at Jingwei's throat, sagged her back against the mountain walls. She was already choking, dropped on her knees. Her porcelain face contorted in pain.
Panicked, his body moved first before he could think. Using his lightness skill and flew over to where the fight was. He used his handmade smoke bombs, then rammed at those creatures, blinding them. He grabbed Jingwei from the deathly smoke, covering both of their noses and mouths using his sleeves, and dragged her out of there.
They went to a safer place where Xing Xiuguang had made a camp for his resting near the Buzhou Mountain. As a physician, he had always brought vials, herbs, and gauze for emergency purposes. He treated Jingwei; stitched her open wounds and wrapped sores and cuts in clean bandages.
Although he was clearly oblivious of the awkwardness, he couldn't help himself asking about why and how she would be chased by those creatures. It was a surprise to see that Jingwei didn't even take aback. She carefully explained her situation.
He learned that she was no longer the princess who was out of his reach. No longer that self-willed woman who always wanted everything going on her ways.
That day when he left the Flame Emperor's territory, Jingwei had cut off her relationship with her father. She knew too well their differences—an immortal with royal blood flowing in her veins, and a carefree god without anything. Train of thoughts ran on her whether she should taste what it was like to be a wanderer too, for knowing better the man she loves. And maybe one day when she met him, if she still felt the same, she would confess once again.
Despite her vagabond-like appearance, her black eyes were sharp with sparks of life when she told him the whole story. Xing Xiuguang watched her, though a part of him ached for what she had sacrificed for him, another part brimming with warmth. It was as though he found himself certain that he had always loved her. Now, or from three hundred years ago.
"Then what about now?" Xing Xiuguang asked, eyes were on hers.
"About what?"
"Your feelings. Are they still the same?"
She slowly nodded, looking away. The tips of her ears were visibly bright red.
That was how they ran away to the Human World, masking themselves as mortals. Building a family with that purple shard of soul—which needed time to transform into a human form. That shard later named after Liu Huayu.