"Princess!" Old Man Mo shouted when he saw Ying Hua's body slumped in the courtyard of the hut. The grass around her was instantly scorched, but at the same time water gushed from the ground so that it flooded her body.
Old Man Mo was confused. "Princess, why did you faint but use an emergency protective move? How am I going to save you?"
A shady tree grew in front of their hut, which was made of wood. The tree dropped its leaves and buried her like a mummy.
Then a wind appeared from a direction, following Skeleton Crow who landed after turning into a human. "Did she faint again?"
"I guess it's because of our latest fight," Old Man Mo nodded. "Can you do something? She did an emergency defensive move. I won't be able to get through this puddle. But if she doesn't get transferred to the meditation room soon then her body will get weaker."
"Tsk, troublesome!" Skeleton Crow made several moves. From his hand emerged a golden whistle. On the edges were engraved wings that expanded. Then he blew it. There was a loud, snaking sound as if it had color. Scattered gold sprinkles, like having a life. Then the gold penetrated the ground, plunged through the pores of the soil, and penetrated to the core of the earth.
It was then that an ancient dragon awoke from his slumber. His eyes were like huge marbles, and his beard was long and snaking. His head lifted when he saw the gold powder in front of him.
Before long he roared, spitting fire from under his body. In an instant he was filled with fire, becoming a very powerful fire dragon.
His tail fluttered and kicked every inch of the ground, making it look like it had been hit by an earthquake. At one point he saw a light, and there he directed the fire that was coming from his mouth.
"Back off!" Skeleton Crow ordered Old Man Mo when he saw gold powder rising from the ground. "Zen Dragon is spouting fire. I've managed to wake him up from sleep."
"Why did you have to wake him up? What if he is furious?" Old Man Mo asked, his voice drowned out by the loud underground rumbling, like a mighty earthquake.
The humans screamed hearing that. The ground beneath their feet shook though not too loudly. But the sound the Zen Dragon made was terrifying.
"Only he can help us," said Skeleton Crow. "Because he has the blood of a god."
"Then how did you get the whistle to summon him?"
Skeleton Crow grinned arrogantly. "I'm the one who knows."
The ground around them exploded, releasing flames. It was what finally drained the water that had flooded Ying Hua's body.
Just as Zen Dragon was about to emerge from the ground, Skeleton Crow blew the whistle again, but upside down. Finally, Zen Dragon was paralyzed and fell asleep in an instant.
"Move her body now!" Skeleton Crow ordered Old Man Mo. In an instant, Ying Hua's body was transferred to the meditation room inside the hut. It was not much different from the other rooms, except it had a very strong universal energy.
There were wooden stakes around Ying Hua's stand, so she would not sway or collapse.
"Now we have to wait until Princess Ying recovers her strength," Old Man Mo whispered.
Skeleton Crow was leaning on the edge of the door, looking at her with a complicated but innocent face. "How long will she push herself? And when will Emperor Heng realize his mistake? If I were the strongest god, then I would punish him."
"Shut up!" Old Man Mo warned. "Demons like us don't have the right to say things like that to the gods. We don't have the same high status as them. After all, Princess Ying loves Emperor Heng very much, even though she is always hurt."
Ying Hua focused on closing her eyes, starting to draw more energy from the universe. All the kindness she had done seemed to have accumulated and became a panacea for her.
Meditation was something she loved, but one that hurt.
Because then she would see her past, especially when she was still in the seventh wing of the heavenly palace.
And it happened again. Everything appeared before her eyes, like a series of events that felt very real. She remembered the pain when Emperor Heng killed her before she was born. Then she remembered she was crying in a dying condition. And she remembered how Emperor Liang had saved her and provided her with various advice.
And for sure, she remembered when Emperor Heng refused to acknowledge her as a child.
'I was innocent of being born with a disability. But I will be sinning if I make my holy heart blemish with hatred. I will still love you, Father, Mother. Because I am your daughter.'
Ying Hua slowly opened her eyes to find her in a familiar room. After downing the drink provided by Old Man Mo, she immediately came out, still slightly wobbly.
"Princess!" called Old Man Mo, who instantly approached her and helped her to sit with them. "You are still weak. Why did you stop meditating?"
"My strength is full. But the effects of my father's torture are too long. I'll be better soon." She grabbed the sacred fruit that grew around the shrine of worship. It can help her to recover energy.
"What else happened?" asked Skeleton Crow casually. "What have you seen?"
"Same as usual. I was locked up in prison and tortured by my family. They were all involved. My siblings, my father, and my mother."
"They can still call themselves gods? You barbarians!" cursed Old Man Mo. "They don't recognize you as family, even intend to kill you. But after you survived, you were tortured like this."
"I don't want to respond to this with emotion, Old Man Mo," Ying Hua replied wisely. "But I did steal the most precious treasure in the seventh sky wing. I took the White Qin Stone, which is the main soul so that the seventh wing sky is not shaken by the bad energies of the universe. Maybe that's what made Father angry."
"He should know that the White Qin Stone can only be taken by someone who is worthy, or someone very powerful. If you manage to get it then that means you deserve it. I've even heard that it can choose its owner. This could be a sign that you are the ruler of the seventh wing of the heavens after this," said Skeleton Crow at length, downed some wine in front of him, then belched.
"I'm not sure about that. If I become the ruler there then this torment will be eternal. I will fail to reincarnate."
"If you become the ruler then you don't need to be reincarnated," Skeleton Crow snapped. "Because no one dares to go against you. Maybe this is another way for you besides reincarnation. But if you're really afraid of bad karma, then just do it."
"You have to understand what Princess Ying wants. She just wants to end this suffering. She just wants to start a new peaceful life," Old Man Mo said.
"There is one other thing that can free you from suffering." Skeleton Crow tilted his face while his eyes were already getting drunk. "Find a man, and love him. People say love is a pain reliever, and I think that's true. If you can find a man you love, then maybe you won't suffer. And you can live in peace and happiness. And then make up for your bad karma by continuing to do good while living happily with him."
"Princess Ying is a goddess, so can she fall in love while living on earth? I don't think so. Moreover, her soul is still very pure. I've also heard that the feelings of some gods are governed by the universe. They can't fall in love except with their soulmate. So I thought this would be very difficult for Princess Ying."
But Skeleton Crow kept his head forward as if giving a knock. "If you start dreaming of men, if you start thinking about them, then tell me! I'll help you get them!"
A wave of thoughts emerged from Skeleton Crow's head. Ying Hua didn't want to steal it. But it moved and suddenly just entered her head.
As Skeleton Crow thought waves entered her brain, she was able to see several images. Everything was random and blurry, except for one complete and sequential shadow.
There she saw her hugging and kissing without clothes with a man. And that man was Prince Dwei!
Ying Hua was wide and panting, clutching her aching chest and trembling. At that time Old Man Mo was busy inquiring about her condition, while she was sure to see Skeleton Crow grinning.
'Impossible!' Ying Hua whispered.
***