Love Better Than Immortality Fan Fiction – Chapter 12: Bamboozled

Characters appearing in this chapter:

Zhao Lusi 赵露思 — Chunhua 春花

Cheng Yi 成毅 — Wu Tiankai 吴天凱

SUMMIT OF SHIFTING ILLUSIONS

Oblivious to the presence of unexpected guests, Chunhua snacked on the cakes as she headed toward the guest cabin.  Suddenly, she stopped, her intuition alerting her that something was behind her.  Initially, excitement washed over her, as she assumed Shangguan Qiuyue had returned earlier than expected.  She swung around, a smile beginning to form on her lips.

“Gege!”  She cried out jubilantly.  

Just as the words left her mouth, her smile froze as she saw who approached her.  Even though the intruders were still some distance away, she could make out the outline of two figures, one tall and the other slightly shorter.  The shorter one struggled to walk in the deep snow, as he limped forward with the aid of a walking stick and the support of his taller companion.  The wind roared at that moment, spraying snow and wetness everywhere, creating a hazy effect.  Even with the low visibility, Chunhua knew neither of them were her gege.  She could tell their body builds were different from Shangguan Qiuyue’s, even from some distance away. 

Alarmed, she backed up a few steps, her heart pounding, even as the men continued to advance toward her.  As they approached a few paces closer, she gasped, recognizing one of the strangers. 

The limping man with the walking stick was the same one who had held a knife to her throat while taking her hostage in Little Star Town a couple of days ago.  She recalled her gege referring to him as  Hu Shenlong.  Whoever he was, he was definitely foe, not friend.  She knew she would be in grave danger if he were to capture her.  The taller person next to Hu Shenlong exuded a distinguished aura.  About seventy years of age, he still appeared dashing and attractive.  Noting that the older man shared similar facial features with Hu Shenlong, Chunhua guessed that the older man was Hu Shenlong’s father.

Panicking, she turned around and ran as fast as she could through the heavy snow.  Her legs kept sinking into the deep white powder, impeding her escape.  She slipped and tripped, before scrambling up and running again.

“Stop!”  A voice behind her shouted.

Love Better Than Immortality Fan Fiction – Chapter 11: Unexpected Guests

Characters appearing in this chapter:

Cheng Yi 成毅 — Wu Tiankai 吴天凱

Li Hongyi 李宏毅 — Shangguan Qiuyue 上官秋月

Zhao Lusi 赵露思 — Chunhua 春花

WU MANOR

WU TIANKAI’S CHAMBER

Wu Tiankai did not sleep as well as Shangguan Qiuyue did.  Ever since confronting Shangguan Qiuyue in Little Star Town, he had been unable to rest well.  In the past, when Aunt Mei had teased him about resembling Shangguan Qiuyue, he had brushed it off, assuming the sketch of the former demon sect leader circulating around wulin was inaccurate.  However, after meeting him in person in Little Star Town, Wu Tiankai could not deny the striking resemblance he shared with Shangguan Qiuyue.  If the other man did not have silver hair, they could have both been mistaken for the same person by the casual bystander.  

How could two unrelated people look so similar that they were almost identical?  

This question plagued Wu Tiankai relentlessly.  In addition, the former demon sect leader’s warning about leaving the past alone disturbed Wu Tiankai.  Shangguan Qiuyue clearly said Wu Tiankai may not like what he will find if he continued prying into past events.  

Wu Tiankai was not a dumb person.  His uncanny resemblance to Shangguan Qiuyue may very likely indicate a family relation.  The former demon sect leader and he may even be half brothers, given their near-identical looks.  If that were true, then his father may have not been the upstanding hero Tiankai had always believed him to be.  The thought that the Wu family, one of wulin’s oldest and most respected clans, could be related to such a ruthless, conniving demon as Shangguan Qiuyue made him laugh with irony.  

Love Better Than Immortality Fan Fiction – Chapter 10: Expecting Immortality

Characters appearing in this chapter:

Li Hongyi 李宏毅 — Shangguan Qiuyue 上官秋月

Zhao Lusi 赵露思 — Chunhua 春花

There is some adult content in the latter part of this chapter.

NIGHT

SUMMIT OF SHIFTING ILLUSIONS

YIN YANG COTTAGE

“What baby?”  Shangguan Qiuyue demanded, his back as straight as a metal rod.

The old woman raised her eyebrows at the silver-haired young man.  “You don’t know your little wife is pregnant?”

“Pregnant?”  Chunhua breathed in disbelief.  “I’m pregnant?”  Her round, wide eyes stared at the elderly healer, as she asked innocently, “How did I get pregnant?”  She was so shocked at the revelation that she didn’t even realize the silliness of her question.    

Yin Xue raised her eyebrows even higher as her eyes shifted toward Shangguan Qiuyue’s direction.  “Little girl, you should ask him how you got pregnant.”  Her voice contained a tinge of laughter.  

Love Better Than Immortality Fan Fiction – Chapter 9: Poison Master, Noble Healer

Source: https://www.123rf.com/photo_128931939_snow-scene-traditional-chinese-painting.html

Characters appearing in this chapter:

Li Hongyi 李宏毅 — Shangguan Qiuyue 上官秋月

Zhao Lusi 赵露思 — Chunhua 春花

SUMMIT OF SHIFTING ILLUSIONS

Shangguan Qiuyue glanced around frantically, trying to find Chunhua, but only swirling snow against a pitch black backdrop greeted him.  Suddenly, a gleeful voice echoed through the howling wind.  

“My good disciple, if you want your girl back, come and catch me.  I, your awesome teacher, will be waiting for you in the cottage at the top of the mountain.  Hehehe!”

Shangguan Qiuyue swung around and stared up at the high mountain, toward the direction of the old man’s echoing voice.  “Old man!  Old man, give her back to me!”

However, only the wailing of the wind greeted his demand.  The silver-haired young man swore under his breath.  Immediately, he scaled the mountain as quickly as he could manage, following the direction of the old man’s voice, but the slick snow and low visibility hindered his progress greatly, and he kept slipping.  Cursing, he switched tactics.  He backflipped and landed back down at the base of the mountain.  Channeling his qi toward his palms, he directed his hands at the snow-covered mountainside.  A wave of internal energy flowed from his palms and pierced though the layers of snow all the way to the rocky formations underneath.  Within seconds, all the snow from a large section of the cliffside melted and sloughed off, exposing the jagged rocks beneath, which were much easier to grasp onto.  Without wasting further time, he scaled the mountain, this time easily holding onto the jutting rocks. 

The moment he reached the summit, Shangguan Qiuyue glimpsed the hazy outline of a small cottage surrounded by a sea of winterberry.  A warm yellow light from the cottage windows illuminated the night, casting a golden glow upon the stark white snow.  Even in the relative darkness of night, the red berry-laden branches popped against the white landscape, as lacy flakes twirled in a silent dance before landing onto the winterberry branches.  Up here, on the very peak of the mountain, the air was strangely calm, the howling wind no more than a gentle tinkle, lending a fairytale atmosphere to the land.  

Princess Consort is No-Pushover – Part 7: A Former Girlfriend

Happy New Year! https://www.pinterest.com/pin/945967096701942320/

(Chapter 95-97)

At this moment, the eunuch’s voice suddenly resounded outside the door, “His imperial majesty, the emperor has arrived.” 

Not a second after that, a large group of people walked at a fast pace into Ronghua Palace and the man at the front was the imperial ruler of the Chu dynasty, Emperor Hongyuan. 

Nangong Rou immediately raised her head; she saw Emperor Hongyuan leading the way and followed by Chu Xuanchen, Prince Jin, Prince Zhao, other princes and several ministers as well. 

Princess Consort is No Pushover! – Part 6: Princess Consort Zhao

https://www.pinterest.com
/pin/945967096701822812/

(Chapter 90-94)

Soon, the sedan chair arrived at Ronghua Palace. 

Yun Ruoyue and Nangong Rou got off the sedan chair, led by the palace eunuch and walked into the inner hall. When she stepped into the hall, she was surprised to see a room full of beautiful women. Each of them were dressed up luxuriously and elegantly, adorned with dazzling gold and silver jewelry that almost blinded her eyes. 

In the center of the room among the beautiful women, there was a dignified and calm noble woman sitting on the golden chair with hand carved flowers design. Yun Rouyue had a sudden thought, the woman who sits in the center and surrounded by everyone should be the empress of the Chu dynasty. 

While the rest of the people and it’s because of the original owner’s memories, she could recognize some of them.    

The Golden Hairpin – Chapter 15: Enthralled by The Golden Sun and Purple Wisteria (Part 3)

As the time passed, Huang Zixia very quickly became close with Madam Chen Nian. And for no particular reason, she suddenly asked her a question, “Madam Chen Nian, if I really want to learn zither, which songs should I begin with?”

https://www.pinterest.com
/pin/945967096700319530/

“Well, songs such as “Reminisce”; “Longing”; “Chrysanthemum of the East” are good for beginners. The melody is liked by most people yet simple and easy to get started with.

Huang Zixia suddenly thought of something, and then she asked, “How about the song called “Flowing Waters”, is it a good song for beginners?”

“Young Sir Eunuch, you must be joking. “Flowing Waters” (流水-Liu shui）is a very difficult song to play. Even my master, who used to practice it, often lamented that he had not reached the level of perfection and he couldn’t play it well.”

“So, is there any song for early learners that had the title with the character of ‘Liu’ in it?”

Madam Chen Nian thought for a moment and said, “I have been in Jiangnan for a long time, and I have taught countless songs and tunes, but I don’t remember one which starts with the character ‘Liu’.”

The Golden Hairpin – Chapter 14: Enthralled by the Golden Sun and Purple Wisteria (Part 2)

https://twistedsifter.com/2011/03/picture-of-the-day-giant-wisteria-vines-in-japan/

Today, Wang Ruo was dressed in a light blue skirt with embroidered blooming flowers patterned on her sleeves and lapels. Her black hair was in a loose bun on the top of her head, and there were only two or three pink begonias worn underneath the hair bun, which looked so charming.

Her eyes lit up when she saw Huang Zixia coming; she was smiling broadly as she lifted her skirt and quickly walked to the door to receive the coming guest. The smile on her face was pretty like a flower. Even Huang Zixia also found her smile was compelling and it’s infectious, naturally the two became close with each other like friends for many years.

Love Better Than Immortality Fan Fiction – Chapter 8: The Old Man

Source: https://www.artisoo.com/snow-chinese-painting-p-5275.html

Characters appearing in this chapter:

Liu Yitong 刘怡潼 —- Qin Liufeng 秦流风

Li Hongyi 李宏毅 — Shangguan Qiuyue 上官秋月

Zhao Lusi 赵露思 — Chunhua 春花

LITTLE STAR TOWN

MARKET SQUARE

The storm had finally stopped in the pre-dawn hours.  The dark clouds separated to reveal the splendor of the twilight sky.  The sun remained coquettishly below the horizon, but its rays, scattered by the atmosphere, painted the heavens with dainty hues of diffuse pink and purple.  Even though the howling wind had calmed down, a chill still lingered in the air.  Silence reigned over Little Star Town’s market square, the quiet only broken by the rhythmic drip drip of residual rain droplets from the trees onto large puddles on the ground.

Into this scene, footsteps intruded, splashing loudly through the muddy puddles, disrupting the calm.  The green-robed man looked around, his eyes landing on the numerous bodies of orthodox clan members sprawled like rag dolls across the town square.  A draft snaked its way through the streets, and the newcomer shivered involuntarily as he stared at the dead’s lifeless, empty eyes peering out from faces that had started to appear bloated from the night’s persistent rain.  

The Golden Hairpin – Chapter 13: Enthralled by the Golden Sun and Purple Wisteria (Part 1)

Wang Yun wore a Jiang sha (round collar robe) https://www.pinterest.com/pin/945967096701484184/

Wang Ruo of the Langxie family was from the Wang family branch and became the prospective princess consort of the Prince of Kui.

The news soon spread all over the capital. People in the capital said that the Wang family had two empresses and a princess consort in recent years, which brought honor to the family.

In the eunuch’s clothes, Huang Zixia bearing the name as Yang Chonggu followed the grand ceremony procession and she walked half-way across the busiest part of Chang’an city, quietly listening to discussions of the people on the street.

She touched her face. Before going out today, she found that her complexion was looking good. It seemed that she had had a good rest recently. Hence, she had to go to the palace maids to swindle some yellow powder and put it on her face to give off a lackluster and dull skin appearance. It’s because today, where she was going to was the residence of the Wang family in the capital city. And it was very likely that she would meet her ex-fiance, Wang Yun. Actually from the beginning until now, she hasn’t officially withdrawn from the marriage agreement.