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“Queen Yushi! Queen Yushi”
Yushi Huang slowed Black Ox down and turned around. Pei Ming was running at full speed towards her, a speck in the horizon growing in size.
She slowed Black Ox down further to allow Pei Ming to catch up to her; they can’t stop lest the Corpse rats catch up to them and nip at Black Ox. Luckily, Pei Ming is a martial god and he caught up to them.
He looked a sorry sight, with blood stained armor and his hair coming undone from the ponytail.
She extended her arm and pulled him up behind her. Black Ox gave an indignant grunt.
“Why have you come, General Pei?” Yushi Huang asked as she threw another handful of rice, the wind scattering then in their wake as Black Ox gathered speed. The hoard of Corpse Rats continued chasing them, but Black Ox kept a steady pace. Yushi Huang wasn’t worried; Black Ox could run at this pace for three days and still go to the fields at dawn.
Pei Ming swallowed. “This is a dangerous place, Queen Yushi. It probably isn’t wise for any of us to venture out alone.”
There was a tiny - infinitesimal - note of reproach in his voice.
Yushi Huang gave a low chuckle. “I’m not a martial god, General, I do not believe in engaging in fights that I can’t win.” She stroked Black Ox’s neck, “Black Ox and I know when to walk away.”
Black Ox gave a snort in agreement.
Pei Ming bit back the urge to respond. There was something about Yushi Huang’s presence that unbalanced him.. She made him uncomfortable, because in Pei Ming’s well ordered world, women either loved him or hated him (sometimes they loved and hated him at the same time), and Pei Ming isn’t sure where she stood.
She probably hated him. After all, he caused her to kill herself at her city gates.
But she also saved him from Xuanji, and offered to let him use her personal sword.
To a martial god, there was nothing more intimate than offering your own sword to another person.
But her reasoning that it would probably do more good with him was so pragmatic, reasonable and entirely above reproach.
Pei Ming ignored the uncomfortable feeling in the pit of his stomach that came with the dawning realisation, that he may have to create a new category for Yushi Huang alone - a woman who is entirely indifferent to him.
***
“General Pei. General Pei!”
Pei MIng startled out of his reverie to find that they had slowed down considerably and the chattering sounds of the Corpse Rats had died down. Only the Rain Master would have enough supplies to keep a marauding horde of hungry Corpse Rats at bay.
Black Ox stopped under the shade of a mountainous outcrop, and Yushi Huang nimbly slid off its back. Pei Ming followed, stumbling on his landing and wincing as pain lanced through his wound.
Yushi Huang gently helped him settle down on the ground and inspected his wound. She reached into her sleeve to retrieve a small stoppered bottle, which she then handed to him.
“I’m fine,” Pei Ming said through gritted teeth. “I just need to rest for a little while.”
Yushi Huang raised her eyes skyward and sighed, “General Pei, if you have come because you think that it is safer for us to be together, I would suggest you tend to your wound so that you will be of use when danger strikes. Otherwise you’re just dead weight to us.”
Pei Ming winced at her words. His wound didn’t hurt as much as his battered ego.
She definitely hated him.
“Drink it,” she coaxed him again.
Maybe not… Pei Ming mused internally as he pulled the stopper off with his teeth, spat it out and drained the bottle in a single swallow. It burned like fire down his throat and he gasped as it hit his core, before transforming into an icy coolness that spread through his meridiens. He instantly felt light… refreshed. Even his wound didn’t hurt as much.
The wind lifted her veil and he could see a faint smile playing on the edge of her lips.
“Thank you.”
***
The sky darkened quickly into nightfall - the passing of time seemed to work mysteriously on Mount Tonglu. Pei Ming frowned… the suppression of his powers made it impossible for him to relax.
By comparison, the Rain Master sitting next to him could only be described as serene.
They had found a cave and stopped for the night. Maybe it was too generous to call it a cave; it was like a small hole hollowed out into the side of a cliff that could barely fit two people let alone three.
Black Ox had looked toward his master with big sad bovine eyes, as if asking, are you really going to choose him over me? Pei Ming seethed at the sight. He was a martial god, as if he had fallen so low that he needed to fight with an animal for shelter. Before he could turn to walk away, he felt someone tug his sleeve.
He looked up at Yushi Huang and saw her eyes dancing behind her veil, her lips pressed into a small smile. “Don’t be troublesome now,” she told him, a tinge of laughter coloring her low raspy voice. She pushed him gently towards the cave’s entrance. “Go on in.”
“And you, who do you think you’re fooling” she teased Black Ox in a scolding manner while stroking his beck, “Even on normal days you like to sleep out in the open. Even if I let you in, you will just leave to sleep outside later.”
She turned and entered the cave. Black Ox settled his large bulk in front of the entrance, hiding them from view.
Pei Ming managed to get a fire going without tapping dwindling reserves of spiritual power. It’s been a long time since he had to do things the mortal way. They had encountered a couple of ghosts, which Pei Ming efficiently dealt with even without using a sword. He had cast a glance to see if she was impressed by his display of mortal prowess, but her face was inscrutable as always.
Indifference . He let out a sigh without even realising.
“Is everything alright, General Pei?” Yushi Huang asked politely.
Pei Ming cleared his throat, “I just wanted to express my apologies… for what happened… back then.”
She gave him a puzzled look, a small furrow between the delicate arches of her brows. “Back then…?”
Pei Ming thought, with another woman, he would have leaned over to kiss away the frown.
“Ahh... “ she finally said, “you mean, when we were both mortals…”
She turned her head around again, “Truly, General Pei, you owe me no apologies. We were just on opposing sides, serving different rulers.”
“But… I indirectly caused your death.”
“I didn’t die. I ascended. Perhaps I should be thanking you instead.”
But you could have , he thought. He remembers her gold hair ornaments glinting in the sun, the graceful arc of her blade catching the light as it sliced through her pale neck, the redness of her blood spilling on green silk. The shock and awe that she inspired in him, that vibrated through every bone and nerve in his body.
He remembered thinking, here is a woman before all others.
“After all,” she threw him a secret smile, “I won that battle, didn’t I. My life in exchange for a city. A bargain.”
“I’m not sure if you knew, but they didn’t much appreciate your sacrifice.”
“That is their business. And what I did is my business alone.”
This woman is really hard-hearted… even more so towards herself, Pei Ming thought as he studied her expressions intently, searching for a hint of anger, sadness, or regret.
He raised his arms before him in a small bow, “Queen Yushi, leaves Pei Ming, in awe.”
She smiled and bowed back solemnly, “General Pei is too generous with his praise. I should thank General Pei.I trusted General Pei to honour his word. General Pei did not let me down.”
“I wish we had met under different circumstances,” Pei Ming told her sincerely. “It would have been an honour to be Queen Yushi’s friend.”
Yushi Huang tilted her head to study him, “Why can’t we be friends now?”
Pei Ming looked at her in surprise, “You… would want to be friends with me?”
“I don’t see any impediment against us being friends.”
“But…” Pei Ming was rendered speechless. I led the armies who conquered your country. Friendship with one of the Three Tumours will taint your good reputation. There were so many reasons why they shouldn’t be friends, couldn’t be friends.
I ignored your existence for 800 years so that I will not have to face my shame.
“Unless General Pei thinks I am unworthy of being your friend. Qingxuan did say you never liked me very much.”
“Of course not,” Pei Ming blurted out without thinking. “If you were to speak of being unworthy, it is I…”
Yushi Huang stopped him with a hand in front of her. “General Pei. You are a renowned hero, the General Who Broke His Sword to keep his loyalty to his king. Perhaps you are not perfect and your love life is…,” she coughed delicately there, “but I have always respected how you are willing to live and die by your own code of honour. It would be my honour to call you a friend..”
“You were not responsible for my country’s demise, or for my own choices,” she continued firmly. “If you continue to insist that it is your fault, I will find that disrespectful. Do you understand?”
She had taken off her veiled hat and set it down beside her earlier. Pei Ming looked into her clear eyes, noted the firm set of her jaw and the stern line of her lips. He nodded, “Of course, Queen Yushi.”
“You shouldn’t call me Queen Yushi anymore. The Kingdom of Yushi fell a long time ago. It was literally 800 years ago.”
Pei Ming looked deeply into her eyes, as if to validate the honesty of her words. He nodded slowly.
“Good,” she said. “Come visit Mount Yulong anytime. Our doors are always open to our friends.”
***
Being Yushi Huang’s friend is both the absolute best thing, and the absolute worst thing, that has happened to Pei Ming.
Because being friends means that he actually can go and see her without needing a work reason. But it also means he can’t flirt with her. And Pei Ming really wants to flirt with her, because he is Pei Ming and it feels sacrilegious not to flirt with a pretty lady like Yushi Huang, especially since hers seems to be the only female company he has regularly kept in the last few years.
Pei Ming stared morosely at his empty wine cup.
Ling Wen chuckled as she leaned over to refill his cup and then hers. “Old Pei, why so glum?”
Pei Ming emptied his cup again with a toss of his head.
“Lord Rain Master should be returning from her travels soon. Tomorrow, if I recall correctly.” Rhetorical of course; Ling Wen always recalled correctly.
“You shouldn’t have put me on duty last month,” Pei Ming grumbled as he refilled their wine cups. “I couldn’t join her on her trip this year because of that.”
“May I remind you that you are a martial god and it is your duty to protect the peace.”
“I am protecting the peace when I accompany Yushi.”
“How so?”
“I protect her so that she can focus on doing her work without being interrupted by otherworldly creatures. Besides, without me, she only has that smelly and boring Black Ox for company.”
Ling Wen rolled her eyes at him, “Have you forgotten that Lord Rain Master has always performed her role admirably before you decided you needed a starring role in her life?”
“Just because a process worked before doesn’t mean it can’t be improved.”
Ling Wen leaned forward and looked at him thoughtfully. “Say - Old Pei, when was the last time you were with a woman?”
Pei Ming scratched his chin absently. “Hmm… she was gone for the summer… so it’s been 3 months?”
“I don’t mean when you last saw a woman,” Ling Wen said in exasperation, “I meant, when did you last have carnal relations with a woman.”
Pei Ming stared blankly back at her.
Ling Wen gave him a withering side-eye before sipping her wine, “You’re such an idiot.”
***
Pei Ming woke up in his bed the next morning, with a hangover to end all hangovers. He used to be able to drink for three days and three nights and still go to battle the next morning. Is this aging? He thought gods didn’t age.
Someone slid a cool hand under his neck and helped him into a sitting position. Without opening his eyes, he leaned into the soft body next to him and let his head loll on her shoulder. “Yushi… my head hurts…”
He let her maneuver him into an upright position and drank obediently from a cup pressed against his lips. Cool water washed away the ashy taste in his mouth and soothed his parched throat.
When she removed the cup from his lips, he finally cracked one bleary eye to look at Yushi Huang. “What are you doing here?”
She turned to place the cup on the stool next to the bed. “I had to submit a report to Ling Wen about some abnormal activities I observed on my last trip. She told me that you were… unwell.” Pei Ming did not appreciate the amusement in her voice.
“It’s the wine Xie Lian sent,” Pei Ming muttered. “You know I can usually drink for three days..”
“And three nights and go to battle the next morning….” Yushi finished. “Well luckily, we have no wars to fight this morning so you can sleep your headache off.”
She helped him lie back down before standing up. He reached out and tugged at her skirt, “Stay.”
She smiled at him, all pretty and gentle, “Alright.”
***
Pei Ming woke up to the scent of spring grass in the rain. His eyes flew open to the ceiling of his bed and his ears registered the soft sounds of turning pages of a book.
He turned to see Yushi Huang seated at the low table in the outer chamber. He studied her profile through the fine silk screen separating them, his eyes tracing down her forehead, the dark fan of lashes against her smooth cheeks, the line of her nose, the slight curve of her lips and the tilt of her chin. The scar that marred her throat.
Something caught in his throat and he tried hard to stifle a cough.
Yushi Huang was at his bedside again by the time he looked up. He sat up and fidgeted with his bedclothes before meeting her eyes sheepishly, “I’m sorry to have troubled you.”
“You shouldn’t drink so much,” she admonished him gently.
“You weren’t around to keep me out of trouble.”
Yushi Huang gave a low raspy huff of laughter that Pei Ming found absolutely enchanting . “You shouldn’t flirt when you don’t mean it.”
Before Pei Ming could open his mouth to argue that it isn’t flirting if it is the truth, she had already turned away. “Where are you going?” he called out.
“Home.”
“Oh.” Pei Ming didn’t understand why he sounded… deflated.
She paused at the doorway. “Well. Are you coming?”
***
Of course, he went with her.
For more than 800 years, home wasn’t a concept Pei Ming thought much about. Sure, he had houses, mansions, villas, palaces and garrisons. He had friends, and men, and women, but no home - a place where someone would keep a light burning in the night for him.
Home - such a dangerous, addictive, idea , Pei Ming thought as they trudged along the paddy fields. Once you realised you didn’t have one, that you wanted one, it becomes an inconvenience that seems to occupy every waking thought.
All of the farmers they passed welcomed the Rain Master home warmly, calling out greetings as they passed along. Some (women mostly - Pei Ming preened a little inside) gave him warm smiles, and a few nodded at him.
Pei Su and Banyue met them on the path to Yushi Huang’s bamboo cottage. Pei Ming found himself frowning at the younger pair; they were positively glowing with something that irritated Pei Ming’s eyes.
“General, Rain Master,” Pei Su executed a sharp formal bow a few feet from them. Banyue imitated Pei Su as best as she could. Pei Ming resisted the itch to ruffle Banyue’s hair. Yushi Huang mentioned something about personal boundaries, and how that was what got him into trouble with Xuanji in Mount Tonglu in the first place.
Pei Ming sighed. It’s not like he saw Banyue that way. It’s more just out of habit. Now, if he truly wanted to give people something to talk about...
He snuck a glance at Yushi Huang.
The pair led them to the stone table and stools sitting in the middle of a clearing between three similar bamboo cottages - the largest is Yushi Huang’s, the second being Pei Su and Banyue’s, and the third was his, that he built with his own two hands.
When he first started visiting Mount Yulong, he would room in Pei Su’s cottage. However, that cottage was small even for one strapping man, let alone two. And he felt uncomfortable, like he was intruding into Pei Su’s love nest, even though the younger god swore Banyue only sleeps in her earthen jar and that…
Pei Ming stopped Pei Su right there, because he wasn’t sure if he wanted to know if something was actually going on, or just be embarrassed for his descendant if absolutely nothing was going on.
Yushi Huang offered to let him stay at hers, but Black Ox gave him a look that if he dared darken her doorway, Black Ox will personally sit on him.
Not that he didn’t think he could take on the Ox in a fight, but he was pretty sure the Rain Master would disapprove if he thrashed her steed.
When it became apparent that Pei Ming would be around a lot more often that Black Ox would like, Black Ox took Pei MIng to a bamboo grove a little further away to harvest enough bamboo to build his own cottage. Pei Ming supposed that was as much a truce the two of them could ever hope to have between them.
A meal has been laid out on the table as they took their seats. Pei Ming looked at the food, glanced at Banyue and then at Pei Su, who was seated next to him. Pei Su gave him an imperceptible nod, and then a quick thumbs-up gesture under the table. Pei Ming breathed a sigh of relief before picking up his chopsticks and digging in.
***
Pei Ming came back from his bath in the cold creek behind their cottages to find Yushi Huang asleep on the recliner on her veranda. Her face was covered by one of those silly mortal romances, while her long hair spilled over the back of her chair. Pei Ming padded up to her softly and threaded his fingers through the silky strands; as expected, it was still slightly damp from her own bath.
He sat down on the floor behind her, pulled the cotton towel hanging off the nearby drying rack and gently dried her hair with it, his palms warmed by frissons of spiritual power, until the last of the moisture evaporated into the night.
When he was done, Pei Ming ran his fingers through the silky curtain before deftly weaving them into a loose braid. He pulled his own hair tie down from his head with practiced ease, and knotted her braid with it. Gently, he removed the book covering her face, setting it on the table next to her, before sliding his arms around her shoulders and under her knees.
She turned and buried her face against his chest as he carried her into her bedroom. After he tucked her into her bedclothes, he sat on her bed and stared at her sleeping visage.
***
Yushi Huang opened her eyes slowly, letting them adjust to the moonlit darkness. She lifted the end of her braid up to study it, her long fingers stroking the hemp ribbon binding it together.
Her lips curled upward involuntarily, before being dispelled by a soft sigh.
She closed her eyes again and willed for sleep to overcome her, her fingers still curled around the ribbon in her hair.