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Xuan Ji has been around for centuries. She has survived the gauntlet of Mount Tonglu, beating all the ghosts that sought to destroy her, and became a Calamity. The one thing that has kept her soul present on the mortal realm is, as it appears to be, an idiotic, aloof goddess of agriculture who couldn’t seem to care less about Xuan Ji.
This is Yushi Huang, who is also her wife. Not that the Lord Rain Master seems to recall that.
She’s the true stupid one for falling for such a woman. This seems to be Xuan Ji’s curse; she loves and loves and loves, but for what? Pei Ming cut her as neatly and sharply as the swinging of a sword. Xuan Ji first thought Yushi Huang was her punishment, her burden, her shame. Then, things changed. They both died, but Yushi Huang ascended while Xuan Ji fell.
A millennium is a long time to wait for someone.
Still, it’s not like Xuan Ji is someone to be halfhearted once she’s committed to something. It’s not like Yushi Huang and her ever did anything to annul their marriage. Their kingdom might be gone, but they held the ceremony, there were witnesses. Yushi Huang is hers, whether she acknowledges it or not!
It would feel better if her wife could answer back her devotion and affection. Even scorn would be something to feel. But Yushi Huang only ever seems to care about her fucking vegetables! That woman puts more care and attention to her soil and watering habits than she does her sexy, super powerful Calamity wife who is pining after her!! Many men would kill to be in Yushi Huang’s position!
It was a choice to linger. When Xuan Ji fell on the battlefield, she had chosen to draw her sword and defend Yushi against Xuli. She knew they were doomed and she held no affection for her country, but her wife died from them all. Xuan Ji had to try. And as she lay bleeding out, her soul protested. It couldn’t end like this. Yushi Huang had ascended as the illustrious Rain Master but hasn’t been seen since, allegedly because of her grievous wounds. Xuan Ji needed to be around to see her again, she had to.
It’s a choice even now to stay. Xuan Ji could let it all go, move on and enter the cycle once more, hopefully to reincarnate into a better life. But that’s not what she wants… she wants to spend the next thousand years by her wife’s side. Sometimes it seems like all Xuan Ji can do is love until she’s bursting at the seams, overwhelming and destroying that what she seeks. She wishes Yushi Huang could burn with the same type of love, all for her.
Yushi Huang is always so aloof. Xuan Ji wishes she'd show any emotion, any emotion at all. The princess hadn’t even looked scared as she was bleeding out from her throat, all those years ago.
Xuan Ji wants to make her feel something, even if it can’t be the same love that consumes her.
So of course, she starts planning.
She endeavours to visit Yushi Huang’s farm as much as she can. Since their strange reunion, Xuan Ji has travelled out to the rural area she calls home. She tries to relentlessly pester Yushi Huang and tries to make herself a nuisance. Annoyance would be better than apathy, after all. But Yushi Huang doesn’t seem to care about her appearances, neither inviting her closer nor telling her to leave.
It’s embarrassing, but Xuan Ji scorns how her wife gives more attention to her radishes than to her. She wishes she could be a radish and be touched by the slender hands… Agh, how silly, how silly! Clear your mind, Xuan Ji, come back to your senses!
When her efforts alone don’t work, Xuan Ji employs the help of some other ghosts, trying to scare Yushi Huang with screams and scary sights. She brings along ghosts with distorted faces and imposing frames.
But Yushi Huang does not frighten easily though, and doesn’t react to any of their attempts to spook her.
The ghosts apologise to Xuan Ji, but she dismisses them. Yushi Huang is still the Rain Master, even if all she does is farm all day; she’s a strong, impressive god in her own right, so why would a few measly ghosts scare her?
Xuan Ji picks out the handsomest men and the prettiest women she can find in ghost city, coming by every other week or so with a peerless beauty on her arm trying to see if she can make Yushi Huang jealous. Look, see how Xuan Ji can have anyone fawn over her, and she’s decided to stay with you!
All Yushi Huang comments is that she’s happy Xuan Ji is making so many new friends.
Ugh!
It feels impossible to move that woman’s heart!
Finally, Xuan Ji tells a fib. She mentions Pei Ming, because it was an open secret that Xuan Ji was punished with marrying Yushi Huang because of her affair with the Xuli general. If anything will make her wife jealous, it’ll be word of spending time with an old lover.
Xuan Ji has long gotten over her fancy for Pei Ming, less than hatred she simply doesn’t care about him anymore. But she spins a tale of how he came to visit her at one of his temples and they chatted for a long time.
She doubts Yushi Huang spends enough time in heaven to go fact-check this with him, so Xuan Ji talks and talks.
Instead of jealousy, Yushi Huang’s face remains impassive. Then, her brow slightly tilts upward as she asks who Xuan Ji is talking about.
Xuan Ji blinks. She’s speechless.
Then, Yushi Huang corrects herself, exclaiming she knows who General Ming Guang is, his name just slipped her mind for a moment- she swears she knows who her coworkers are!
Xuan Ji watches as Yushi Huang becomes more and more flustered, blushing from embarrassment. Yushi Huang works herself up, turning redder by the moment as she promises she’s not that ignorant, he’s the martial god of the north!
Xuan Ji sighs, laughing slightly to herself. It's not exactly what she wanted, but she got Yushi Huang to blush- from embarrassment rather than jealousy or rage or love, but it's something.