At the thought of leaving his side, the pit of her stomach churn with a strange feeling and her chest tightens along with a sting that made her want to cry tears that she didn't even know she had. Shang Gu sat in the carriage feeling more lost than she ever was in her life but as she was sitting in the carriage lost in thoughts, she didn't realize that their carriage has come to a stop.
"Master!" Zhu Zi called out to her and opened the door, the two of them had made their way into the heart of the capital which was bustling with people and Zhu Zi has gone out, Shang Gu was supposed to follow behind but she was lost in her thought, she even realize that Zhu Zi had gotten off.
"Is something wrong?" Zhu Zi asked her and Shang Gu shook her head slowly as she snapped out of her daze and got off the carriage
"I-I don't know either but there's a churning in my stomach and a sting in my chest." Shang Gu said softly as the two of them were about to head into the inn that Zhu Zi has decided on, a voice asked the two a question from behind them.
"Is everything alright?" the voice asked and when the two of them looked towards the voice it was Yu Chen sitting on his horse in front of them, Shang Gu felt the pain in her chest and her emotions slowly settled down
"There-there is nothing wrong." Shang Gu said but Zhu Zi looked at her with concern.
"Are you sure?" Zhu Zi asked her and she quickly nodded.
"Is something wrong?" Yu Chen asked her and she could feel her heart jump inside her chest, she wants to just keep staring at him, but she gathered herself and pulled herself from her daydreaming.
"Thank you, but we are fine. Zhu Zi let's get going. We need to check into the inn before nightfall." Shang Gu said and Zhu Zi nodded, the two of them walk towards the inn that they had parked in front. Shang Gu turned around to have one last glance at him.
"Have a safe trip." Shang Gu said to him with a smile, Yu Chen nodded at her and rode away on his horse.
Shang Gu has read many stories from the mortal world and heard many things from the other gods and goddesses in love, she would've never thought that this was how she would fall in love.
Shang Gu tried to cool her feelings down, saying that she shouldn't fall in love with a mortal but as time went by she couldn't stop herself. She couldn't help wanting to just have a glance at him or wanting to hear just his voice or even just to be in his presence. So, she went to find him, but she had no clue where he would be, thus she couldn't find him anywhere.
Shang Gu felt the need to go out one night but she didn't want to travel on the ground, so she had Zhu Zi use magic to float the carriage into the night sky and the two of them looked down on the town while sipping on some hot tea. The two of them didn't know but they were hovering at the palace when Shang Gu notice a ruckus down below the carriage.
"Master, should we return?" Zhu Zi asked her as she handed a new cup of tea to Shang Gu who took it while still looking down on the city without answering Zhu Zi.
"Master-" Zhu Zi was about to ask again but then her master had already jumped off the carriage, down towards the city leaving the teacup and Zhu Zi on the carriage.
Shang Gu notice a man in black running as she was about to land, with a flick from her hand that man was tied up with a rope and she landed gracefully in front of the man in black. She looked down on the man, as she was about to question the man a sword touched her shoulder
"Who are you? If you don't want to get hurt turn around slowly." He Demanded and she flick the sword away from her shoulder as she also conjured up her own sword as she turned to faced him.
"Drop your sword." She said but once the two saw each other, the two realized who each other were and quickly put their own sword away.
"It's you." He said to her and she nodded.
"Were you chasing this person?" She asked him and he nodded, she moves over to make way for him to see the person that he was chasing. Yu Chen said nothing to her but as he was about to walk away, she stopped him.
"I like you." Shang Gu said to Yu Chen and he stopped.
".....Don't waste your time on me." he said to her and she smile
"You didn't turn me down." she said to him and he nodded without looking at her
"You should move on with your life." he said to her and left, Shang Gu smiled and turned away from him as she flew back to the carriage, Zhu Zi was sitting outside of the carriage
"Master." Zhu Zi said to her as Shang Gu approached the carriage.
"Are you alright?" Zhu Zi asked Shang Gu
"Love. I'm in love Zhu Zi!" Shang Gu said as she leaned on the carriage door with a smitten look, Zhu Zi looked at her master confused, but Shang Gu shook her head and look at Zhu Zi
"Let's return to the inn." Shang Gu said and Zhu Zi nodded as she used her power to turn the carriage back to the inn while Shang Gu hummed to herself
Yu Chen's side
He was chasing the person that broke into the palace, when he caught sight of the person that he was after there was a woman standing with her back to him. Thinking that she might be another accomplice of the intruder, he pointed the sword that was already in his hand at the woman.
Yu Chen didn't expect her to be so powerful when she flicked his sword away but when she turned around with her own sword it was Shang Gu. His heart fluttered and his stomach flips, his palm started sweating but he took deep breaths and put his sword away.
"It's you." He said to her and she nodded
"Were you chasing this person?" She asked him and he nodded, she moves over so that Yu Chen can make his way to the man on the ground. He said nothing to her, he quickly apprehended the man and started to walk away from her, but she stopped him with only three words.
"I like you." Shang Gu said to him, and he stopped, he felt that he was not worthy of her but his heartbeat faster and he couldn't help but smile. Yet she was unlike any woman that he has seen before and it even seem like she was from a rich family as well, he knew that they wouldn't agree with someone like him, plus he has never settled down; not enough to start a new family.
".....Don't waste your time on me." he said to her, not daring to look at her
"You didn't turn me down." she said to him and he nodded without looking back at her
"You should move on with your life." he said to her as he walked away from her; before he could turn back and pull her in to hug her and tell her that he was also in love. That she was also on his mind since they'd departed from each other as well.
Back to Shang Gu
Even though Shang Gu met Yu Chen inside the palace wall, he didn't report her in his report, since that day he had never met her again inside the palace wall, so he went out of the palace wall hoping to run into her by chance.
Since that night, Shang Gu would sit in her room at the inn and look outside. It was a week before she began to see Yu Chen mangling with the people in town, at first she thought that she was daydreaming but when he made his way into the inn. She went down to have a look, it turned out that he was indeed real.
He visit the inn every other day and she would go down to sit with him, Yu Chen didn't say much to her but Shang Gu still ask him questions with a smile on her face while he answer her with a blank face. Yet that was enough for her to smile.
"You should let the inn know that we will check out today." Shang Gu said to Zhu Zi and Zhu Zi looked at her with a confused look
"Why are we leaving? Are you done looking around in this town?" Zhu Zi asked her and Shang Gu smiled as she shook her head, today was one of the day that Yu Chen would visit the inn
"I've decided that I will pursue him, I will go where he go." Shang Gu announced
"Master, I do not agree. He is but a mortal and you are a high goddess, a princess of the nine-heaven realm." Zhu Zi said to her
"Even if I have to offend the true gods or abandon my work to live the rest of his life with him, I will do it all if it's for him." Shang Gu said to Zhu Zi, she has never been one to back down from her goal and since she had made up her mind, all that was left of Zhu Zi was to agree with her master. Zhu Zi sighs
"Than it shall be as you wish, master." Zhu Zi said to her and she smile
"Thank you." Shang Gu said to Zhu Zi
When lunchtime rolled around the two of them left the inn and with their carriage, the two of them made their way toward the direction of where Yu Chen was
"Yu Chen!" Shang Gu called out to him, he stopped in his tracks as she walked over to his side
"What are you doing here today?" Shang Gu asked him and he looked at her for a minute
"I am leaving the capital today, I was doing some shopping." he said to her and she smiled as she took hold of his arm
"What a coincidence, I am also leaving the capital." Shang Gu said to him and he look at her but said nothing, he started walking, Shang Gu walked right beside him as Zhu Zi follow behind.
"So where are we going?" Shang Gu asked him and he looked at Shang Gu
"I'm not taking you with me." he said to her but she chuckled
"You don't have to take me, I'm follow you." Shang Gu said to him
"Do what you want." Yu Chen said to her as he picked up his pace and walked ahead of them without waiting for Shang Gu but she was fine with that. She didn't need him to wait for her because he didn't say that she couldn't go with him. No matter how fast he walked, Shanf gu and Zhu Zi were always able to keep up with him.
Shang Gu knew that even if he doesn't say anything, he also like her as well but because of something, he rejected her love. She's a goddess and she thought that she had all the time in the world to make him fall for her just as much as she fell for him.
Yu Chen was cold to her but he was also kind and affectionate as well, giving her the hope that he also love her. The trio traveled together for over a year but Yu Chen showed no sign of accepting her and Shang Gu was reminded that her time in the mortal realm was coming to an end.