7 Handsome Dragon

She looked at the food, then at Ao Shun, back and forth numerous times. Her face contorted with all sorts of emotions, trying to figure out what was happening. She glanced to the other two men in the room, thinking, “Why didn't they look surprised to see food floating and frozen in mid-air?”

Slowly, she circled the floating food and the dragon. Her breathing hitched, her brow wrinkled. She stopped orbiting, staring at the man in front of her. Massaging her eyes, she tried to dispel the obvious hallucination, then began giggling maniacally.

Without warning, her hand flung out, punching Ao Shun in the stomach. Quickly, she looked to the faces of the others for a reaction. They appeared shocked and entertained at the same time. She cautiously eased her head around to look at Ao Shun, his hand rubbing his stomach.

Tilting his head, he took a step closer to her. "Why did you hit me…again?"

Realizing he was real and not a figment of her imagination, she collapsed to her knees. "My Lord. I thought I must be dreaming."

She peeked at the still floating, motionless food, the confusion on her face making her look slightly psychotic.

Pointing at the hanging food, "That's not really happening. I must be dying. Something is wrong with my brain. I am hallucinating, my Lord."

Huxian suppressed his laughter, but Langshen couldn't. His loud laughter frightened Jin An. She plummeted, placing her head on the floor, scared to look around anymore.

The plates and food animated again, falling to the floor of the Hall, her small body quivering at the sound of plates and bowls shattering on the hard wooden floors. Tears welled in her eyes. Being the worst servant ever, she was sure to suffer now. She groaned in frustration.

Ao Shun glared at his friend, then at the girl groveling at his feet. He was unused to this strange emotional turmoil flipping his heart around. Langshen squeezed his lips together, trying to calm himself. Huxian seized the wolf by the collar, forcefully dragging him from the room.

Sucking in a deep breath, Ao Shun knelt to his bride. The birthmark flashed in the dim light. He extended his hand towards her head. Sensing her fear, the room grew colder. He didn’t know how to handle this weird turn of events.

He had never encountered someone who was mortal. Emotionally, he didn’t have an understanding of the things humans believed or felt. Even if he didn’t want to become attached, he felt a sense of duty and protectiveness towards Jin An. And it bugged the crap out of him.

Jin An felt his hand touch her head gently. Her closed eyes pinched tighter, waiting for the moment his hand yanked her hair, flinging her across the room. Seconds passed. His hand softly petted her head. Daring to open one eye and look at the man before her, she was met with a solemn expression.

Ao Shun watched her carefully, her hair felt soft in his hand. A soft hum reverberated around the room as if a futuristic device had been switched on. Snapping out of his daze, Ao Shun stood, turning from her.

The plates and food evaporated from the floor. With a brush of wind, Jin An opened her eyes to an empty room. Being alone in the room, she sat down on the floor, discussing with herself what just happened.

"Today has been very strange." Her nose wrinkled, and she brushed a finger across the tip.

She thought back to what he told her about the dragons. "Nah, can't be. He's pulling my leg." She nodded in agreement with her subconscious, but the images of floating bamboo and small grains of rice flashed through her mind.

She chewed on the tip of her pinky. A repeat of waking up mid-teleportation brushed through her already confused mind.

Deciding, she nodded to herself. "Jin An, you are a servant of a dragon."

Giggling at the absurdity, she kicked her feet on the floor. Gathering her wits, she wandered to the door, peeking outside. Ao Shun stood in the middle of the courtyard, flowering trees raining petals down on him as the wind blows gently through their new home.

A few stray petals get trapped in his long dark blue-black locks, billowing around him. Jin An bit her lip, resting her head against the frame of the door.

"Wow. Dragons are that handsome?" She giggled and spun, placing her back against the door. Her hand lay across her now thudding heart.

"I could fall in love with a dragon." A wide smile spread across her blushed cheeks.

THE VEIL-

Ri Il lead Yao Fu into a small room where dozens upon dozens of jars of wine were stored. The room was windowless, creating a dark aura, even with candles placed in regular intervals. With a hand movement, Ri Il invited Yao Fu to sit down at the wooden table in the center of the room.

Yao Fu was panicked. The man before him was more terrifying than the Purgatory King. Doing as instructed,  a black crystal cup gets shoved in front of him. Ri Il opened a jar of wine, pouring some into the cup, a wisp of red smoke fluttering from the wine then dissipating. He poured himself a cup and sat down across from the trembling servant.

Unseen in the corner of the room, a black mist materialized into a human form. He stood, arms crossed, watching the interaction between the cruel human and meek servant of the Purgatory King. A hooded cloak, of solid black, covered much of the mysterious man’s face, only the edge of his mouth could be seen. He listened intently to the secret conversation.

Yao Fu watched Ri Il take the first sip of wine. Even though he would just go back to Hell, Yao Fu was scared to "die". He followed suit, swallowing the wine in his cup. He gagged and choked as the salty, iron-tasting wine slid down his throat.

Ri Il laughed. "It's takes getting used to. Shall we discuss my becoming immortal?"

Yao Fu nodded, setting the cup down and wiping the remnants of scarlet wine from his lips. It reminded him of blood; very old, cold blood.

"Yanwang has decreed that he will give you immortality if you can do one thing for him for all of eternity." Curiosity peaked, Ri Il leaned forward.

Yao Fu swallowed, his fear overriding his thoughts, “Eloquence, Yao Fu, Eloquence.”  He cleared the frogs from his throat.

"The dragon god is in the Mortal Realm. His bride will be born human, and your job would be to keep the dragon from finding her." Ri Il rubs his chin, still listening.

The hidden cloaked figure stood perfectly still, listening as the deal was made. Yao Fu continued.

"You may kill her to ensure he can’t find her. This must be done in every regeneration to control the dragon. Yanwang doesn't want the dragon to retain his power. He wants him weak."

Ri Il started laughing. "So, by making sure the bride is dead for eternity and keeping them apart, I can become immortal and do whatever I want, whenever I want?"

Yao Fu nodded. "You will be informed of the era when she has been reborn. Otherwise, you are free to do anything you wish in this realm."

Ri Il stood, smashing the bottle of wine against the floor. "I will be the most powerful being in the human realm, and still a human."

Flashes of women, death, and riches sprint through his mind. He commenced cackling hysterically.

Grabbing another bottle of wine, he poured his new friend a second drink. "Here's to immortality!"

Yao Fu smiled, swallowing the wine in one gulp. He gagged again but laughed along with Ri Il. The figure in the corner smirked, dematerializing from the room in a puff of dark smoke. No one ever knew he had been there.