001
Chapter-1
The bride, groom and fairy
The red paper lanterns lined the courtyard walls, bathing the space in auspicious light. Villagers of the Crouching Fish Village, dressed in their finest garments, laughed and chatted happily as they drank the wedding wine.
"Didn't I tell you? They were fated to be together," An old man boasted.
"Oh, shut up, Old Lao! You were always trying to set up Mie'ren with your youngest" another elder retorted.
"I wish Old Jiu were here to see his son on this day."Old Lao sighed. "He'd be shouting from joy."
"Heavens above! They look perfect together. Childhood sweethearts becoming husband and wife—their story is straight out of a fairy tale."
The courtyard gradually fell silent as the bride and groom entered.
A young man dressed in embroidered red robes walked beside a beautiful woman in a phoenix-stitched wedding dress. Though her face was hidden beneath a veil, her beauty could not be concealed. Her deep blue eyes shone with happiness.
As they stepped onto the raised platform, the young men looked on with envy while the women fought back tears.
"Bow to your parents" the priest called.
The couple bowed, their eyes holding a tinge of sadness at the mention of their parents.
"Bow to your ancestors"
The couple bowed again.
"Bow to Heaven and Earth."
They bowed a third time.
"As witnesses under the Heaven and the Earth, you both will become husband and wi—"
The priest, about to complete the sacred ceremony suddenly stopped, as a sudden flash of bright light shone strongly above the courtyard.
"Oh my!! What talent!! Girl, you are blessed by the Heavens. Do you want to come with me to my sect to become an immortal and soar to through the Heavens?"
As the bright light dispersed, a woman with white hair and light blue eyes, wearing a white veil and classy robe appeared, floating in the air above the wedding stage. Her presence was like that of a goddess descended from the Heavens, demanding the attention of everyone present.
The shocked villagers, realising what had just happened, gasped as they collectively took in a breath of cold air and bowed down towards the woman hovering in the air.
"" Immortal Goddess! We pay our respects to the Immortal""
The fairy in floating in the air ignored them and continued to stare towards the girl in the wedding dress.
"Y—y—you m—mean me?" Bing Mie'ren, put on the spot, pointed her fingers towards herself and asked stuttering
"Yes my child, I'm talking to you." The woman answered, her ethereal voice ringing throughout the yard.
"W—w—will I have to follow you, if I say yes?" Bing Mie'ren asked, utterly confused and carried along in the flow of the immortal woman.
"Yes child. The Qi here is very poor and my sect can provide you with resources that one cannot even dream of. Your spiritual roots are of Heaven-Grade and your fate is far beyond what these mortals comprehension." she said calmly, her voice betraying a hint of greed and obsession.
"I don't want to follow you. I love my husband very much. If becoming an immortal means separating from my beloved, then I don't want such immortality." Finally recollecting herself, Bing Mie'ren answered without stuttering, her voice strong and confident.
Upon hearing the girl mention her beloved, the fairy finally glanced at the man standing beside her future disciple.
"Child, while this boy here has some potential to cultivate, he can never keep up with you. Even if you both cultivate, you will leave him in the dust.
"Moreover with your talent it's a miracle that no one has noticed you yet. If people with bad intentions find out about you, your fate will be worse than death." She stated, frowning at the boy.
"Can you protect her from the other cultivators? Can you provide for her cultivation needs? Even if she refuses to cultivate, someone will definitely notice her talent and take her away from you.
"Tell me boy can you protect her?" She asked, her eyes shooting an accusatory gaze at the boy.
Jiu Xian clenched his fists until his knuckles whitened.
'While I can fight back mortals, I cannot defend against cultivators,
I can keep her happy, but I cannot provide her with the resources required to cultivate.'
Jiu Xian took a deep breath to calm down and glanced at his beloved.
"Immortal fairy, can I talk to Mie'ren in private?" He asked the fairy.
"Hmm" the woman nodded.
He held Mie'ren's hand and led her inside the house to the inner room.
The red candles lit the room with dim light and the various flowers arranged in beautiful patterns diffused a sweet aroma in the air.
"What do you want, Mie'ren?"
"I... I don't know Xian. I love you and I want to stay with you, but I also want to explore the world—to become like the heroines in the books I read."
Jiu Xian crossed his arms, closed his eyes and thought hard.
"Xian'er, do you think immortals are real? I want to travel the world and see all its wonders. " he recalled the young Bing Mei'ren asking him, holding a thin picture book in her hands.
"Brother! Aunty Pu scolded me, saying that I am a big girl now and I should focus on learning how to be a good wife... She said I need to stop day dreaming..." He remembered the teenage Bing Mei'ren becoming gloomier day by day as the villagers tried to force her to fit the archetype of a virtuous wife.
"Son, when you love someone, you must support them with all your heart. And if you cannot support them, at least do not become the shackle that binds them." His mind flashed back to his father, advising him with tears in his eyes.
He opened his eyes turning to Mie'ren with an affectionate gaze.
"Mie'ren, I also love you very much. And as much as I love you, I don't want to be the shackle that holds you back. You have always wanted to get out of this well, known as Crouching Fish Village." He said holding back his tears.
"Xian..." Mie'ren hugged him while tears streamed out of her eyes.
"Don't cry Mie'ren. It's not our final goodbye; we are only parting to meet again. You can even write me letters and maybe you could even visit me sometimes, if the immortal fairy allows it."
They both hugged for a long time. Their hearts holding thousands of words left unsaid between them.
"Come on Mie'ren, let's go to the immortal fairy." Jiu Xian held Bing Mie'ren's hand and started to head back to the courtyard when the fairy suddenly materialised in front of them.
"No need to seek me. I am already here." The fairy said looking at the Jiu Xian with an astonished look.
"I have to admit. I have travelled far and long, but rarely have I seen a youth as calm and collected as you. I wish I could take you with me, but my sect only accepts female disciples. Here, take this jade and ring. This might help you in starting your cultivation journey.
"If you have the fate and reach Golden Core Realm before 100 years, you can find Mie'ren at Ice Jade Palace."
The immortal waved her hand and a gust of wind Bing Mie'ren brought her over towards the fairy. With another flick of her hand, they both disappeared.
Jiu Xian now stood alone in the bridal chamber. The earlier gust of wind had scattered the flowers across the floor and extinguished the candles leaving the once bright room in darkness—just like his heart.
Though he had spoken bravely and supported her, the pain remained.
He stared at the spot where his beloved and the immortal had vanished. Forcing his tears back, he composed himself and walked toward the courtyard where the villagers waited.
"PEOPLE!! My Mie'ren is going to become an immortal. It calls for celebration. Today we drink till we can't no more! A TOAST TO MIE'REN "
Jiu Xian addressed the people at the wedding and poured himself a drink from the ceramic bottle.
The elders of the village looked at him with pity. The young men of the village were gloating and the single women' eyes were filled with some hope?
A love that should have been a fairy tale—broken by a fairy's arrival
...
At a long distance from the village.
"Child, don't cry. You are lucky to have someone who loves you and understands you like this... It's just that he doesn't have the strength to protect you.
"Hmm... How about this? You become so strong that you can protect him and yourself from this chaotic world." Bai ruexue tried to placate Bing Mie'ren, fully aware that they are going to be part of different worlds... that time is a cruel mistress.
"Hmm..." Bing Mie'ren nodded holding back her tears.
"Let's go to the sect and perform the initiation ceremony."
They both flew off to the distant horizon.
Meanwhile at the village Jiu Xian kept on drinking. Each glass of wine helped him drown his sorrow, numbing the pain as his eyes started losing their clarity.