Chapter Text
Feng Jiu entered His Lordship's parlour to find him reading reports, a small mountain of scrolls on one side of his dais. She carried in her hands a tray with a pot of peppermint tea and three dishes with rose shape pastries. She dutifully curtsied at him and approached him, kneeling by one side of his dais. The little girl had courage after she had embarrassed herself when declaring her feelings for him in front of Hao De. Dijun thought she would not show her face to him for weeks and would promptly abandon the Nine Heavens.
"Feng Jiu greets Dijun." She said, and he hummed in his throat, doing his best to ignore her. "Feng Jiu begs Your Lordship to please try my pastries."
"I do not like sweets," Dijun said, still not looking at her.
"I implored Your Lordship to give them a taste. I have cook one of every possible flavour, they are flaky and light. I made one with peaches and ginger, another with pears and white wine, also one with custard and strawberries. I have made one of each, in hopes Your Lordship tells me the one you most like. I shall bake that one again." Feng Jiu continued as though she had not heard him. "If none pleases Dijun, I shall bake one in the flavour most desire."
Feng Jiu swallowed, Dijun was still ignoring her, but she would not be deterred. She had worked hard in each pastry, he would eat them, she promised herself.
"Please, Feng Jiu begs Dijun to try the one with peaches in sweet sugar cane with ginger." Feng Jiu said and, picking up the dish with the two pastries, placed it in the way of his reading a scroll. She did not cringe when he glared at her. Instead, she beamed.
Deciding she was not about to give up, His Lordship picked up one delicate, rose-shaped pastry and bit down. Feng Jiu nodded and ready herself with a cup of tea in her hands, expectantly looking at his face. His Lordship did not know what to say next as he swallowed, instead he finished the pastry and accepted the tea she offered him.
"Does the pastry please Your Lordship?" She asked with a sparkle in her eyes.
Dijun looked at her. It did not matter what he said, his love fate would take hold with this girl as well, and she would soon begin to hate him… it was just taking longer than most other times. "You bake very well." He finally allowed and saw her smiled with such happiness he wanted to turn away. Looking at her face was dangerous, speaking to her was lethal, and her radiant smile was pure poison.
Feng Jiu felt encouraged and picked up the plate with strawberry and custard-filled flower pastry. Dijun relented and tried this one as well as she looked at his face with anticipation. "This one is also good," Dijun said in a low voice and was promptly offered the pears with wine one. "They are all good." He said rather curtly and accepted the cup of peppermint tea.
"Feng Jiu is happy Your Lordship has enjoyed the pastries. Would Dijun be amenable to tell me which one most pleased you?" She asked him with such happiness in her eyes that Dijun was uncomfortable.
"You have proven yourself an excellent pastry cook. However, if all you do to repay the life debt is bake, you might as well bake for me for three hundred thousand years." Dijun said, hoping to anger her enough that his love fate would take hold and she would resent him.
"Feng Jiu… wishes to stay with Your Lordship for… all lifetimes." Feng Jiu whispered, faltering, and Dijun inhaled slowly, trying to contain the sudden emotion rising in him. "Tomorrow, Feng Jiu hopes to cook for Your Lordship dinner. I am very skilled in this womanly art as well. What would most please Your Lordship?"
This girl… she would be the death of him. Feng Jiu was stretching him to his outermost limits emotionally as he tried to resist her. "It will not be necessary." He said and turned his eyes away from her coldly.
Finally feeling as though she was becoming a nuisance, Feng Jiu picked up her tray and said. "Please allow me to wash your cup, Your Lordship." And walked away from him while he swallowed his regret.
Putting down the scroll in his hand, Dijun looked at her retreating form. She did not need to repay him, for she owed him nothing. The moment she had fallen in love with him, she had repaid him for the life debt twice over. If it were not for his cursed love fate, His Lordship would have made Feng Jiu his wife because she was only the woman to have ever love him.