In the Royal Chamber, we are waiting before the Crown Prince as he rubs his temples, eyes closed. He slumps on his ornate chair by the guest table.
I glance at my master. He nods. I pluck out the two special items of the day from my mystical satchel.
"Your Highness, this is for the broken teacup the other day."
I carefully place the Jade Teacup next to him on his tea table.
"And this is from the actual quest."
I hand him the jewel-encrusted belt, retrieved with the inadvertent help of the Phoenix Princess.
He sighs and gives a curt nod, eyes still closed as he accepts the belt and floats it to his shelf of artifacts, resting it in an empty slot. These immortals can do everything without looking.
"I think the quest list is broken. There are no active quests after I finished the previous one."
I was hoping for a better reaction. Something must be troubling him.
His eyes snap open and he looks at me with contempt. I instantly step back. This is the first time I've seen such a look.
"Long Fei, what did she do this time?"
"Your Highness, she got Zhen Hua to melt the Mirror Lake."
"She did what?!"
This is not the glowing praise I was expecting. I'm in trouble again.
My master clenches his fists, his jaw tight.
I've never seen him falter like this. Did I go too far to get the Crown Prince's belt?
"Ling Yue, wait outside while we discuss some matters."
Before I can retort, the Crown Prince flicks his wrist and I float out of the chamber against my will. The door slams shut behind me, making me flinch.
Okay, that was intense.
I press my ear to the door.
"Ling Yue."
I turn toward the voice and am surprised to see Long Yan. He curls his fingers towards himself, gesturing me to step away from the door.
"I thought you would have learned your lesson after spending time in prison. Do you want to spend the night there again?"
I shudder at the thought of the electric bars and the filthy cell, straw scattered everywhere.
"But I didn't know what I did wrong this time. Same as last time."
"Let's get out of here for a bit while they finish their private conversation."
"Okay, where are we going?"
"Let's go fishing. There's a mountain nearby. Try to catch up to me."
He transforms into a beam of red light and speeds off. I quickly follow him through the sea of clouds to the nearest mountain. As we arrive at a serene lake, he shifts back into his human guise, and I land beside him.
"Would you like to select a fish for a snack?"
My stomach rumbles. Well, I might as well. I am getting peckish. I peer into the lake, watching for any movement. I spot a shadow of a fish and summon a water tendril to flick it out of the pond and onto the ground.
While the fish is still in mid-air, Long Yan sets it aflame. He slowly turns his hand, and the fish rotates in the flame. A delicious aroma tickles my nose. He floats the perfectly cooked fish over to me.
"Careful. It's hot."
I graciously accept it and gobble it up. It's delicious, not as good as an air-cooked krill, but better than eating it raw.
"You see my flames? It dies out. It's not as strong as the Phoenix Crimson Flame."
I pause. That was when the Crown Prince got upset when he heard the name of the Phoenix Princess.
"Is that why His Highness is upset?"
"Likely so. There's tension between the Celestial Realm and the Phoenix Clan at the moment. It was just the wrong timing for your prank."
"But you didn't say anything. My master didn't say anything either. And the Phoenix Princess was just passive-aggressive."
"It's already done. There's no point saying anything now."
"It's not his style, huh?"
"No, it's not. He likes to keep everything close to his chest and let us find things on our own."
"Is it just me, or are all immortals this complicated?"
He tips his head back and laughs, his hand resting on his belly.
"You're right. We are complicated."
"What am I supposed to do now?"
"There's nothing you can do at the moment. Elder brother will take care of it."
"He seems quite upset too. I've never seen him like that before."
Long Yan's eyes suddenly harden for a split second. Then soften as he smiles warmly.
"He's probably stressed. Don't think too much about it."
"I didn't think he gets stressed. He never seems to show it. He's always reading the book of blank pages."
"Ah yes, that wretched book of blank pages. There are times I want to burn it."
A devilish grin spreads on my face.
"Don't even go there. I'm not going to test our brotherhood over a book."
I glance down at the half-eaten fish in my hand. It feels a little weird eating the whole thing by myself.
"Would you like some?"
He chuckles and shakes his hand sideways.
"Eat up, then we'll head back. They should be finished by now."
I devour the rest. Food never taste as good when you have a guilty conscience.
"Long Yan, I need to stretch after eating. Can I spar with you for a bit?"
His eyes smile, gleaming with curiosity.
"I thought you'd never ask."
Without warning, he throws a fireball at me.
I throw an air tendril back, and it fuels the fire. My eyes widen as my hair catches on fire. He quickly relinquishes his flames, his eyes wide with alarm. My singed silver-blue hair gives off a crisp burnt scent, and the residue smoke slowly fades.
Just great. Now I have frizzy furball hair.
He covers his mouth with his fist, stifling laughter, his shoulders trembling.
"Ling Yue, are you alright? Why would you use air to counter fire? I thought you'd use water."
"You lied. Your fire is stronger than I thought."
"I never said it wasn't. I just said it's not as strong as the Phoenix Crimson Flame. Even I can't put that fire out. Perhaps it might be prudent for you to stay away from Zhen Hua for a while... since you're highly flammable."
"Does that mean you're stronger than my master? Since air won't work on fire?"
"Not once have I ever beaten my elder brother in a spar..."
"Really? Wouldn't that be frustrating?"
"Very. We should head back now."
In a flash, he transforms into a beam of red light and soars toward the Celestial Palace. I fly after him as fast as I can, barely able to keep up.
We land in front of the Royal Chamber.
Long Yan taps me on the shoulder.
"Chin up. Everything will be fine. I'll leave you to it."
Then, in a flash of flames, he disappears.
I wish I had fire elemental power now.
The doors to the Royal Chamber swing open.
That's my cue for me to enter.