The following morning Mei Mei came to wake Er'Xi up so that she could go see Tian Qi off. Her teacher had decided to leave the phoenix palace and go back to where he was residing before he came to stay with them 10 years ago
"Tian Qi!" Er'Xi called out to him as she stood by the palace gates, he was surprised to see her all dressed up for the first time since he had taught her for over 10 years. He was stun
"Tian Qi?" Tian Qi asked her, Er'Xi clenched her skirt as she stared at him. Today was the day that she was going to confess her love to him, not as a grandmaster or a true god but as Tian Qi.
"I've fallen in love with you, and since you are no longer my master. I'll address you by name. Will you stay and marry me?" Er'xi asked him, Tian Qi
"You shouldn't talk about marriage like a game. Also, keep in mind that I am a true god." Tian Qi said to her and Er'Xi dropped her smile
"Of course, that's true. I...Er'xi, shall keep that in mind. I am sorry to have taken the grand master's time, please have a safe return." Er'xi said to him, Er'Xi said nothing more to him nor did she wait for his reply before she made her way back to her palace
Since the time Tian Qi left, it has been exactly a month and a month since the day that she confessed her love to him yet there was no contact from her at all.
It wasn't long before news of her marriage reached his ears, when he first heard of it he thought that it was just rumored but it was soon proven to him that it was indeed true when he received an invitation from the king and queen of the phoenix clan.
When he first received the invitation, he wasn't going to go but he wanted to see her so very much that he decided to go, thinking that he could at least watch her till his heart was content.
"Thank you for coming, true god Tian Qi." the king and queen said to him as they raised their cups.
Just as they were all getting started Er'xi walked into the room hand in hand with another man that Tian Qi has not seen in the palace while he was teaching, she didn't look at him at all.
Er'Xi later came to greet her parents and Tian Qi with the man that came in with her. Her face shows him no emotion or even a hint of what she used to be like when he was her master, she was formal toward him
"Er'xi greet the true god." Er'xi just greeted him by his title which she never cared for and he felt strangely hurt by it but when the young man greeted him he felt nothing.
"Su Ming greet the true god." Su Ming said, Tian Qi only nodded at him
"Be at ease." Tian Qi said to Su Ming, the two of them got up but seeing that they were about to leave, Tian Qi called out to her
"Er'xi, how had you been?" Tian Qi asked her, the couple stop in their track
"..." Er'xi didn't know what to say to him but she knew that she would have to reply to him. Er'Xi made an X with her arms in front of her chest and lowered her head; the formal etiquette to reply to a higher status than their own.
"Er'xi is doing well. Thank you for the concern, true god." Er'xi said to him and he downed another cup of wine, she has never called him as such before.
"Why not call me teacher like you used to?" Tian Qi asked her. Er'Xi finally looked up at him, her face was not one that he remember. Er'Xi looked like someone else, her eyes no longer sparkle when she look at him instead, it was clouded as if she feels nothing looking at him at all
"Er'xi dare not, I am no longer a student studying under the true god." Er'xi said to him and he downed another cup of his wine
"Is that so? But once a master, always a master, and thus-" Tian Qi said but Er'xi cut in
"I am but a low-level goddess, I dare not think of myself as worthy of being your student." Er'xi said to him and he downed another cup of wine
"You may go back to your seat." Tian Qi said to her and she bow to him and walked away from him hand in hand with Su Ming.
Tian Qi's eyes never left her as she walked to her seat, she was mature and changed so much in just one month that he didn't see her almost as if she was a different person.
"We've all heard that the young princess had locked herself in for the past month, as we're all worried. We also want to know if the princess is alright?" one of the ministers asked her father and mother, they looked at each other and back at Er'xi.
This Tian Qi didn't know, as Tian Qi was looking at her full of concern and worry she got up from her seat with a smile plaster on her face. Er'Xi got up with a cup of wine and walked to the middle of the room
"Please excuse my behavior in the past, I was behaving and being childish, but from today on. As the only princess of the Phoenix clan, I shall not bring shame to our clan. Thank you all for your concerns. I'll drink as an apology to all of you." Er'xi said to them and downed her wine. They all drank a cup with her as well, seeing her mature made them all so happy.
"But we still want to know about what happened to make you-" a young goddess asked her with a voice that didn't seem to mean well to Er'Xi at all but she smiles
"I've always been weak since I was a child, unlike my brothers. That is not news to anyone in the spirit realm, so why are you concerned now all of a sudden?" Er'xi asked the young goddess with a voice that made the young goddess shrink back in her seat
"It seems like this had ruined your mood, shall we return to your palace?" Su Ming asked her and Er'Xi sighs as she nodded
"I shall retire back to my palace, thank you all for your concern but I am just preparing to take my cultivation to the next level and thus needed to retreat. I hope that this will answer all of your questions." Er'xi said to them as she turned to her parents and Tian Qi but she didn't look at them
"Er'xi shall retire to my palace, thank you for the celebration." Er'xi said to her parents
"May the true god enjoy the celebration." Er'xi said and bowed, she left before Su Ming
"Su Ming looks forward to the wedding and thank you all for congratulating my wedding. Many thanks to the true god for honoring my celebration and please, attend the wedding in three days." Su Ming said and bowed, walking out of the room as well.
"The wedding is in three days?" Tian Qi asked her parents and they nodded
"Yes, the children have been in love and talked about marriage for a while now." her mother said to him but he refused to believe since she had just confessed her love to him not too long ago.
"Everyone enjoy, I will return in a moment." Tian Qi said to them and left the room.
Su Ming walked after Er'xi whose mood worsened after already being in a bad mood, he came to marry her older brother Lixin. Su Ming heard that she was heartbroken and had locked herself inside her palace, refusing to let anyone in and she that she refuse to leave her palace.
When Su Ming arrive at Er'Xi's palace, she let him in the moment that he arrived at her palace but still refused to talk to him about what happened.
"Why are you upset?!" Su Ming asked her, her mature side was nowhere to be seen as she walk with her arms swinging from side to side as if she wanted to hit the branch of every tree
"It's nothing!" Er'xi said but Su Ming took hold of her hand
"It doesn't look like nothing, this has something to do with the true god that came today, right?" Su Ming asked her and Er'Xi looked at her best friend with tears welling in her eyes, Er'Xi hugged Su Ming
"He...He said he doesn't like me...that I should remember that he is a true god...telling me that, is the same as telling me to know my place!" Er'xi said to Su Ming, Su Ming looked around and scared that others will hear this he pulled away from Er'xi and wiped her tears
"Let's talk about this inside your room, come." Su Ming said to her and the two of them walked to Er'Xi's room, as they were about to arrive at her room a voice stopped the two of them
"May I have some of your time?" Tian Qi asked from behind them
"Go on in." Su Ming said to her and Er'Xi nodded
"Er'xi." Tian Qi called out to her but Su Ming stood in front of him
"If you have any questions, you can ask me." Su Ming said to Tian Qi, Tian Qi felt a feeling he had never felt before; anger rising inside of him
"I've nothing to ask you but I want to talk to my student." Tian Qi said but Su Ming smile
"Er'xi said that you are no longer her master, thus she is no longer your student. Unless you have another student around here, I suggest that you go look elsewhere." Su Ming said but Tian Qi clenched his teeth and glared at Su Ming
"If there is nothing else, I'll be going now." Su Ming said to him, Tian Qi thought for a moment that Su Ming would leave the courtyard but instead, he went into Er'xi room.
"I think that you are going in the wrong direction, the gate is this way." Tian Qi said to him but Su Ming smile to himself as he turned to look at Tian Qi
"Of course, I know my way around. I've been visiting the palace since I was just a mere hundred years old. Thus I would never get the direction wrong, I rest with Er'xi, we even sleep in the same bed." Su Ming said to Tian Qi and before he knew it, he was seized by his collar, and glaring at him was the golden eyes of an angry true gods that was only heard of in legends.
"Oh my, my, my. It seems that my Er'xi is not just a student to the true god." Su Ming said to Tian Qi with a smile and Tian Qi tighten his grip
"If I were you, I wouldn't do what you're thinking." Su Ming said to Tian Qi
"You see, to Er'xi I am very important. You can throw me around like nothing since you are a powerful true god but you will forever be hated by Er'xi." Su Ming continue
"Are you sure you want that? Forever for us; it's a long time don't you know?" Su Ming said to Tian Qi and he could feel Tian Qi loosen his grip, he was pushed away from Tian Qi.
"Don't forget to attend the wedding in three day!" Su Ming said, the mad true god disappear from the palace and Su Ming sighs loudly.
"Man was I brave or was I brave?" he asked himself and walked to Er'xi room
Tian Qi came back to his own place, pacing back and forth in frustration about the emotion he was feeling. He knew what he was feeling but he didn't know how he was going to deal with it. He became frustrated because he didn't want to be hated by Er'xi since all he can think about was wanting to see Su Ming dead.
"How dare he touch what I couldn't dare to." Tian Qi thought that he had cut off his worldly desires but now he had to face it that he didn't want to cut off this desire.