I took a step back from the man and in my head, I already slapped myself close to death.
"I'm sorry, sir. I didn't mean to offend you. Please forgive me for my rudeness," I gave him a bow. I looked up to see him looking at me with a confused expression.
"Y-you don't know... me?" he asked. I looked him up and down and shook my head.
"I'm sorry, sir. You must've mistaken me for someone else. I've never met you before," I answered.
"What? Bu-"
"What's wrong?" I heard a voice call out. I looked behind the man to see another man walking towards us. This man was wearing peach-colored robes and holding a wine bottle in his hand. His pink hair was tied up into a ponytail as his purple eyes looked at us with concern. I smiled as I waved my hand.
"Hua Mi!" I cheered as I ran past the stranger as I ran to Hua Mi with my arms opened. He paused in his tracks as his jaw dropped.
"Y-y-you yo-," he stammered as I pulled him into a hug.
"Hua Mi, it's me! Que Hei Bin! I'm back! Did you miss me?" I asked as I squeezed him. Wow, he's grown some muscle. Before he was just a slender man.. and mmm... he smelt just like peach blossoms... what a pleasant smell. I pulled myself away as I looked at him and he looked down at me with surprised eyes.
"W-what? Que Hei Bin?" he furrowed his brows for a moment before his eyes widened, "Xiao Bin?!" he exclaimed. I nodded my head and smiled.
"That's right! I'm Xiao Bin! Did you miss me?" I giggled and he pulled me in for a hug.
"Xiao Bin!" he cried out, "Xiao Bin where have you been all these years?! I thought you died already! Waaahh!" I patted his back to comfort.
"Alright, alright! Don't cry anymore! I'm not dead. I'm right here!" I said as I pulled him back. His bottom lip overlapped his top one and I smiled as I wiped his tears away. He's always been like a little brother to me despite being older than me. "Don't cry," I comforted, "if you have time to cry then you should be giving me some wine. Master gave me a limit of three bottles so give me your best and strongest alcohol, alright?" I tapped his nose and he grinned.
"Alright! I will give you the best wine I have brewed in these 120,000 years you've been gone!" he patted my head.
"Lord Hua Mi," I heard the stranger said and I turned around. Crap, I was too happy to see Hua Mi that I forgot he was here!
"Ahhh, greetings, Prince Jing Shi," I watched as Hua Mi gave the stranger a bow. Prince Jing Shi? I looked at the stranger and frowned. It took me a couple seconds to realize who he was before I also gave him a bow. If Hua Mi referred to him as Prince then he must be of the Celestial Realm.
"Greetings, Prince Jing Shi," I said, "I'm sorry. I have been recuperating for so long that I don't know what has been happening in these realms. Please forgive me for my rudeness," I hoped I didn't get into trouble.
"You... who are you?" I heard him ask. I bit my lip before taking in a deep breath.
"I'm the fifteenth disciple of Great Heavenly Warlord Guang Yuan, Que Hei Bin," I introduced myself.
"Que Hei Bin... the warrior who wiped out half of the Dark Arts Tribe troops by herself, stopped the Dark Arts Lord, Sun Feng Quan, from annihilating all the Three Realms, and then disappeared?! You are that Que Hei Bin?!"
"Uh, y-yes. I am that Que Hei Bin," I let out a nervous laugh.
"Ohhh... I thought... nevermind... tell me, what is your status right now?" what? Why did he want to know that?
"Status? Why?"
"I can feel that you are not of Immortal status, but I want to make sure."
"Uhh..." I glanced at Hua Mi who nodded his head toward the Prince and I let out a sigh, "uhh... that's right... I am a High Immortal right now."
"High Immortal?!" they both blurt out and I flinched. I looked up to see the both of them getting down on their knees to bow to me.
"W-w-wh-what are you doing? Ss-stop. Quickly, get up!" I stammered out. These people and their etiquette!
"Immortal Hua Mi greets High Immortal, Que Hei Bin," Hua Mi said before bowing.
"Alright, Hua Mi! Rise! Prince Jing Shi, please rise! Hua Mi may have to bow out of etiquette but you don't have to bow. Please stand!" I urged.
"No," Prince Jing Shi shook his head, "during the battle against the Dark Arts Tribe my mother was saved by you while she was pregnant with me. I still have to bow out of respect for my life's savior," he bowed.
"Alright, alright! You guys have already bowed already, quickly rise!" I pulled them up and started to pat the dirt off their clothes, "Please don't do this to me," I pleaded, "although I am a High Immortal right now, I still feel like an Immortal. I cultivated while I was asleep and that's why it only felt like yesterday when we fought against the Dark Arts Tribe. I'm still uncomfortable with these etiquettes, please treat me as you would normally," I requested.
"But Xiao Bin," Hua Mi tried to retaliate but I shook my head.
"Stop it, Hua Mi. If you keep acting like this, I'm going to go back to sleep!" I pouted and he let out a sigh.
"Alright. I'll stop," he complied. I smiled and grabbed his arm.
"Thank you... but you're still an Immortal?" I asked and he nodded.
"That's right."
"120,000 years passed already... didn't you go through a trial?" I asked. Hua Mi's face went white as he looked at the ground.
"Trial..." he breathed out. I furrowed my brows.
"What's wrong?" I asked before hearing Prince Jing Shi clear his throat. I turned my head and nodded as I let go of Hua Mi. "I'm sorry. You probably have something to say to Hua Mi. I will leave to give you two privacy,"I took a step back.
"No need to," Prince Jing Shi held his hand out to stop me, "this will be quick and then I will be leaving," he turned back to Hua Mi, "Lord Hua Mi, do you remember what tomorrow is?"
"Tomorrow? Ah... it's the day Crown Prince was born..."
"That's right... it's been 30,000 years... but he finally decided to hold a banquet for his birthday... gift him some of your best wine. It might help him relieve a little bit of pain from then," Prince Jing Shi said.
"Gift him some of my wine?" I observed Hua Mi's conflicted expression. Why did he look so guilty? "I understand... does your highness wish for some too?"
"Me? Hmm... I will have to decline... I promised her not to drink until I finished harvesting the fifteen fruit trees she left me. This year will be the last year I can harvest them... after that, I will come for a drink," the prince had a distant look in his eyes.
"Ahh... I see... I understand."
"Then that's good. I will be leaving now," the prince gave each of us a bow before he vanished as a trail of glitter swirled where he stood before dissipating, indicating he had used teleportation magic. I looked back at Hua Mi who also had a distant look in his eyes.
"Hua Mi," I gave him a gentle shake and his eyes turned to look at me. He smiled as he wrapped his arms around me.
"I'm glad you're back, Xiao Bin," he gave me a squeeze. I smiled as I rubbed his back.
"It's good to be back too."
-
Hua Mi sat across from me as he placed wine bottles on the table.
"This one is made from peaches, this one is made from a variety of sour berries, and this is made from a variety of roots," he informed as he pointed to each one. I wonder why he even gave me choices... he knew my favorite fruit was peach. I picked up the peach wine and pulled the cap off.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
"I will drink this one today," I said as I tipped the bottle into my mouth. Hmm... the taste of peach with alcohol... it's so heavenly... I put the bottle down and smiled. "Hua Mi," I looked into his purple eyes, "you didn't answer me from before. Did you go through a trial?" I asked again. He froze for a second before pulling the cap off the wine made from a variety of sour berries. He took a sip before looking at me and sighing.
"I did... and when I did I made a terrible choice... so I failed my trial and as punishment, I lost a lot of my cultivation..."
"Hmm... what happened?"
"I... I don't want to speak of it," he murmured before taking another sip. I took a sip of my drink too.
"Alright, if you don't want to speak about it, then you don't have to. A trial is hard for everyone to go through. I remember my trial for being a Low Immortal was to take three hits of lightning during the rain. I understand it's tough and you may not want to talk about your trial but if you do need to talk to someone, then I'm back Hua Mi. You know, you can talk to me about everything right?" I smiled and he gave me a smile too as he nodded his head.
"Of course. 120,000 years may have passed for me but for you, it was just a waking up to another day. Many things have happened since you fell asleep... do you know that almost everyone has forgotten who you are except for Cui Yun Mountain and a couple individuals?"
"Hmm?"
"120,000 years is a long time. Many have already forgotten the battle against the Dark Arts Tribe and those who do remember thinks you're dead. Now that you've shown back up alive and well, you're going to surprise a lot of people."
"Hehe... you should have seen Eleventh's face when he saw me... it's was as if he had seen a ghost! Haha!" I knew Hua Mi's wine was good as I was already feeling tipsy and I didn't get halfway through this bottle yet. Those wine in the Mortal Realm were really just like water.
"Ahh... Eleventh... is he still gardening every day?"
"Hmm... from what I've heard, yes. He's still gardening every day. Why?"
"I asked him to help me with my garden here but he refused, saying that he must work at Cui Yun Mountain's garden. What a waste... I could've got a servant helping me here with my garden..." I choked on my wine as I started laughing.
"What? Servant? Hua Mi! You've changed since the last time I saw you. You have become bolder! Haha!"
"I just aged and you haven't yet. Wait for your years to pass and you will soon be bold just like me."
"Haha! Wait until I tell Eleventh what you said!"
"Hmph! Tell him all you want, maybe he might change his mind and come work here for me."
"Haha! Alright! You gave me permission, don't say I didn't warn you."
"Of course! Go and do it, you naughty girl!"
"Haha! You're too funny... that's right, how's Seventh doing?" I asked.
"Seventh? Ahh..." he shook his head, "give up on him, Xiao Bin."
"Huh?"
"He's married now... it's been 110,000 years now."
"Huh?! 110,000 years?" That bastard! I worked so hard to trap him! Although he may not be the most handsome he was so patient and kind... how could he do this to me?
"Mhmm."
"But he said he would wait for me to return if I ever went missing!"
"Xiao Bin," Hua Mi spoke in his lecturing tone, "No matter how much someone loves you, waiting for 120,000 is still expecting too much of someone. Don't give him a hard time when you see him next time."
"Hmm... alright... I understand..." Hua Mi was correct... but what a waste. Seventh was so fine! "Xiao Bin," Hua Mi looked at me with careful eyes, "what about..." he didn't have to speak anymore as I knew who he was talking about. I balled my fist and I shook my head.
"I don't want to talk about him," I blurted out as I took another sip of the wine. He gave me a nod.
"That's right! Did you know that Seventh is the fourth son of the Celestial Emperor?"
"What?!" I yelled.
"That's right! Everyone was surprised when we all found out. Not only that, but his firstborn son is now the Crown Prince."
"Wah!" I gasped. Maybe it was a good thing I didn't marry him... the Celestial Palace seems like a scary place... I shuddered as I thought about all the palace dramas I've seen in the past. "So many things happened when I was sleeping."
"That's right! So you should stop sleeping and just stay awake now. I have a lot of things to tell you since you've been gone for so long!"
"Alright! You have three days before I have to return to Cui Yun Mountain. Tell me everything I've missed."
"Good! We can drink and eat food while we're at it too! Haha!"
"Hehe!" I raised my wine bottle towards him, "Cheers!" I said and he smiled as he tapped his bottle to mine.
"Cheers!" he laughed. We continued to chatter and talk for hours.
-
Wine... I want more wine... huh? I opened my eyes to find myself lying on a bed... hmm... how did I get here? Whatever... I want more wine. I pushed myself off the bed and opened the door. Woah, what a cute little house Hua Mi has here... hehe... hmm? Where does he keep his wine? Better yet, where is he?
"Hua Mi?" I whispered but he was nowhere to be found. Hmm... that guy... where would he be at this time? The moon is still high in the sky and the night is still long. We should drink more! Forget it! I will go look for him.
"Hua Mi?" I whispered as I continued to stroll around his garden. Where could he be? Woah... look at all these fruits... Hua Mi wouldn't be angry if I took one right? Wow! This one is so pretty. I picked a pink one off a tree and brought it to my nose. Mmm... it smelt so good... what fruit is this? I rubbed the fruit on my robe to get rid of the dirt. It looks so good. I brought it to my mouth and took a bite. Wow! Mmmm... so flavorful... so good... hmm... why am I feeling so hot now... hmm... why are my cheeks so warm? What was this tingling feeling? Did I eat a bad fruit? I should keep looking for Hua Mi. I threw the fruit to the ground.
"If you give me a stomachache, I won't let you off easy!" I scolded. I walked away. I felt my temperature rise and I let out an uncomfortable grunt. Need to look for Hua Mi. He'll know what to do to stop this feeling. "Hua Mi?" I whispered but still, no answer. Hmm... what's that over there? Why can I see the moonlight peeking through? I'm going to follow it! I'm here! Huh? It's a cliff. Huh? Is that Hua Mi? I saw a guy wearing red robes standing at the edge of the cliff. Hmm... did Hua Mi change clothes?
I observed the man and saw he was holding onto a jade hairpin. I smiled as I recognized the hairpin. It was the hairpin that Hua Mi wanted to give to me for my birthday present after the battle with the Dark Arts Tribe. I wasn't supposed to find out but Second can't ever keep a secret. Hehe... it's so pretty. Hua Mi probably sneaked away so he could surprise me with it when he came back.
"Hua Mi, I can't believe you are still holding on to such a present after all this time. Since I'm here it's only right that you gift it to the owner!" I whispered as I crept my way towards the figure. When I was close enough I wrapped my arms around him.
"I found you!" I giggled as I felt him freeze. Wah! I felt myself getting twirled around. "Ah!" I let out a yelp as I felt myself falling backward I felt a hand on the curve of my back and I felt myself getting pulled forward. I reached out to grab onto someone's shoulders and looked up to see light brown eyes meeting mine. His eyes widened as he looked at me. His olive skin glowed in the moonlight and I was stunned by his beauty. How can a man look like this? It's unfair! Hmm... where have I seen his face before?
"Cu Xing?" his low voice was calming to hear. Cu Xing? Huh? Oh, that's right.
"Su Hai!" I giggled as I said his name. I brought my arms up and wrapped it around his neck. I felt his cool hand on my cheek. Mmmm... somehow... it feels so good to be touched right now... does he have a magic touch? His hand moved from my cheek upward as he touched the center of my forehead. I closed my eyes to enjoy his coolness against my warmth.
"What happened to your birthmark?" he asked. Birthmark? Hmm? I opened my eyes.
"I don't know..." I answered. Did I have a birthmark? I felt his hand slide down as he tilted my chin up so I was looking at him.
"Is it really you?" his eyes looked alert. I frowned.
"Of course it's really me. If it's not me, then who is it?"
"Then where have you been all this time?" I watch his lips move. So sexy... hmm... I want to kiss them again...
"Sleeping, my dear," I touched the tip of his nose. Hehe... he's so handsome.
"Sleeping?"
"Mhmm... did you miss me?" I asked. He cupped my cheeks and slowly nodded. Wah... his cold hands felt so nice against my cheeks.
"I... I really... really, really miss you," a tear trailed down his cheek. Wow... he looks beautiful even while crying. I wiped his tear away feeling his soft cheek and I smiled.
"Here's a prize for missing me," I said as I closed my eyes and leaned into him. I felt my lips touch his and smiled. It feels so nice! He pulled my body closer to his as our chests touch each other. Woah! Too hot for me! I backed away and looked up at him. "Y-yo-" before I could finish he pulled me in for another kiss. Woah! So... so hot! Hehe... I close my eyes as I felt his lips move above mine. His hand trailed up my neck to my chin as he pulled it down. My mouth opened and I felt his warm tongue slip inside. Woah! I was not expectin... mmm... oh... oh wow. It was only my second time kissing someone but damn... he's good.
I felt his hand travel up my back and I felt my hair standing on my neck. I backed away from him to catch my breath... woah... he's a little too fierce for me... although I do kind of like it. He pressed his forehead against mine as he looked into my eyes as one of his hand cupped my cheek.
"You're back..." he whispered and I felt his hot breath on my face. I nodded.
"I'm back..." I said... damn if only Hua Mi knew how fast I got over Seventh... wait! I can't be here right now! I have to look for Hua Mi! I moved back from the man and blinked my eyes to stay focus.
"What's wrong?" he asked and I shook my head.
"No... I can't be here," I raised my arm up, "I'm leaving."
"No!" he pulled me closer to him as another tear trail down his face, "don't leave me!" Why was he saying that? I wiped his tear away.
"What's wrong?"
"I was wrong, Cu Xing! I'm sorry! Please... don't leave me..." his voice was barely audible in the second half of his sentence. For some reason I felt my heart clench as I looked at his disheartened espression.
"Don't cry... I will be back... I promise you," I cupped his cheek, "but I have to leave now. I have to be somewhere right now. I don't break promises," I planted a kiss on his cheek, "do you understand?" He looked at me, his eyes contemplating something and then he nodded his head.
"Then take this with you," he grabbed my hand and I looked as he slipped a silver ring down my pointer finger on my right hand.
"What is this?"
"I know you don't break promises, but just in case you forget this can remind you. Give this ring back to me when we see each other again," he said. I smiled. I nodded my head as I leaned in and kissed him again.
"See you again," I whispered and I saw him smile as I started to teleport away. That man was so beautiful in the moonlight... Su Hai... hehe, he gives good kisses too... I can't wait to see him again!