“Tara, may I examine your ankle to see if it’s fully healed?” asked Prince Chen. She nodded.
He slightly twisted and moved her foot, “Any pain?” She shook her head.
“I guess you’re ready to go back home,” declared Prince Chen.
“Hooray!” Tara cheered.
“Not so soon; not until I give you a foot massage as a farewell gift for you,” said Prince Chen with a wink.
Tara frowned. “What? Foot massage? My ankle is already healed, why do I need a foot massage?”
“Well, you’ve been resting, instead of walking, most of the time, your blood must be stagnating. A foot massage will promote blood circulation and relaxation, which will bring you a sense of mental well-being,” said Prince Chen. “Your whole body is connected in a huge network of meridian lines and points, including your feet. Foot massages and reflexology promote your overall health and well-being.”
“Are you sure you’re qualified to do so?” Tara was skeptical about his ability. Eyeing him with suspicion, she wondered what he was really up to.
“Suspend judgment, try first,” he said, bringing along a big bucket with warm water. “First, soak your feet in the warm water.”
After Tara had finished soaking her feet in the bucket, Prince Chen helped her dry them with a towel with such tenderness that it made Tara feel loved and appreciated.
“Now, lie down on the lounge chair, prop your legs on the stool, and relax your body. Close your eyes if possible.”
Using the dragon flower essential oil, Prince Chen began massaging Tara’s feet by kneading, rubbing, and pressing her soles repeatedly in circular movements, at varying speeds and pressure.
“Have you had any foot massages in the past?” asked Prince Chen, relishing every moment of touching and massaging Tara’s feet. “It seems that your muscles are rather stiff and tight.”
“Yes, but not as frequently. I had several body massages. You know, working long hours as a lawyer was rather stressful. Regular body massages helped tremendously.”
“When you’re ready, I can help you with the body massage as well. I’m skillful in body massage and I bet you will beg for more once you’ve tried it,” said Prince Chen with his usual trademark grin.
Tara’s turned pink. “My past masseurs were all women. Unless you are a woman, I won’t allow you to touch my body, let alone become my body masseur.”
“Don’t say that too early. Things will change when you become my wife one day,” said Prince Chen cheekily, applying slightly stronger pressure.
“Who wants….Ouch, it hurts! Less pressure please,” said Tara, her eyebrows creased into a knot.
Prince Chen reduced his pressure and said, “I am sorry…is that better now?”
“Yes, better,” Tara said. Prince Chen was secretly laughing inside him.
“Foot massage and reflexology are beneficial for your health. Do you know your feet are connected to all the organs in your body? If you wish to strengthen your kidney function, you can massage the Gushing Spring (Yong Quan) acupressure point over here, in the middle of the sole. Suppose you wish to improve your liver function, you can massage the Greater Rushing (Tai Chong) acupressure point located between the big toe and the second toe. If you wish to improve your digestion and relieve stress, you can massage the Three Miles Foot (Zu San Li), which is four finger widths below the lower edge of the kneecap,” explained Prince Chen, showing her the various locations on the feet that corresponded to different organs.
“It seems that you know quite a lot about massage and reflexology. How do you learn about it?”
“Mother Queen adores foot massage as part of her health and beauty regime. I learned by observing how the Imperial Masseur perform the massage. There was one time that I helped my mother with a foot massage, and she thoroughly enjoyed it.”
“Alright…Hahaha…stop, stop,” said Tara, giggling. “It’s ticklish when you touch my little toes. Will you stop that please?”
“You like it?” chuckled Prince Chen, tickling her even more.
“No…stop…stop! Haha…I can’t stand it!”
“Alright,” laughed Prince Chen, shifting the massage to another part of her foot. “Is this better?”
“That’s better.”
“How do you feel when I massage this spot?” said Prince Chen, pressing upon the acupressure point Three Yin Meeting (San Yin Jiao) which was four-finger wide above the highest point of the inner ankle. “This is an important acupressure point especially for women.”
Tara felt a warm, tingling sensation near her ovaries, pelvis and lower back area. Goodness gracious, I didn’t know foot massage can be so erotic. I mustn’t let him know about it, lest he takes advantage of me again. “Which body part does it correspond to?”
“Three Yin Meeting is the meeting point of the three Yin channels of spleen, kidney, and liver. It’s not just a gynecological point for women, but a point that corresponds to the Sacral Chakra, an area of creativity, emotional well-being, passion, sensuality, and intimacy,” replied Prince Chen.
“Are you describing yourself? It seems to me the qualities are all pointing to you, not me.”
“Is it something of your fancy?”
“Well, it all depends on my mood,” said Tara nonchalantly.
“So, how is your mood now?” asked Prince Chen, with a little eagerness and anticipation.
“Hmmm…I think I feel so good and relaxed that I want to take forty winks,” said Tara, closing her eyes and dozing off almost immediately.
Prince Chen shook his head in resignation. His idea of making Tara more desirous of him seemed to have backfired.
CHAPTER 26
SPORTS TOURNAMENT
In the dragon kingdom, summer was a season to celebrate excellence; it was also a season to promote health and appreciation of cultures through various activities such as talent shows and sports tournaments.
The talent show was an opportunity for the dragons to recognize and showcase their talents, expertise, and skills in various arenas such as sculpting, painting, dancing, singing, calligraphy, dragon medicine, clock-making, fan-making, silk-making, sword-making and so on. The dragons cherished the paramount importance of understanding and identifying one’s true self and inherent talents so that everyone was empowered to utilize their talents to serve the dragon communities.
Young and unmarried dragons from the dragon kingdoms of eight directions looked forward to the summer to participate in the two most popular sports tournaments - Dragon Pearl Sport and Phoenix Diamond Sport - in the kingdom of the Dragon King of the East.
Tara and Prince Chen were well-seated in the private room at the Imperial Tea House waiting for the Dragon Pearl Sport tournament to begin. The tournament kicked off with much fanfare. There were lion dances on the land, sea creatures’ performances in the ocean, the dragon and phoenix dance performances in the sky.
While Dragon Pearl Sport was for male dragons, Phoenix Diamond Sport was for female dragons.
The Dragon Pearl Sport was similar to soccer in the human world. All players must have mastered the skill of transforming themselves into full-fledged dragons flying in the sky before they were allowed to play. A player needed to bring the white dragon pearl into the opened clam to score. The team that scored the most points within a stipulated time won.
As for the Phoenix Diamond Sport, female dragons did not need to master the skill of transformation; they could ride on the back of a phoenix to play the game. To win the game, a phoenix rider shoots a diamond through a vertical donut-shaped ring. The team that scored the highest points within a stipulated time won the game.
Prince Chen was a fan of the Dragon Pearl Sport and he would never miss any Dragon Pearl Sport tournaments. The VIP room in the Imperial Tea House offered him the best view of the tournament and he thoroughly enjoyed every moment.
“Have you played any sports before?” asked Prince Chen, taking a sip of the dragon flower tea.
“Well, yes. I playe
d netball in the past. As a captain, I led my team to win many tournaments,” said Tara, picking up a sushi with the shape of a lifebuoy using her chopsticks.
“You’re an achiever. I’m so proud of you,” said Prince Chen with his usual impudent smirk. “A capable and competent wife is seductively irresistible to me.”
“I’m not your wife yet. Stop fantasizing too much. It’s not healthy for your mind,” said Tara curtly, rolling her eyes. It was one of those days and she was not exactly in a rosy mood to joke around with him.
“Well, I beg to differ. You’re my greatest source of hope and happiness. You’re the missing puzzle piece that makes my life complete. I wake up every day with a big smile just thinking of you.”
“Thank you for your praise and flattery. You know, it takes time to develop feelings of affection. I’m still struggling to share the same feelings as you sometimes,” Tara said with a snap.
“Trust me, one day you will. The dragon flower’s love bond is powerful and everlasting; there’s no way you can extricate yourself from it. We’re already spiritually connected, heart-to-heart, forever,” said Prince Chen, shamelessly flashing his trademark grin.
His impertinent grin activated her pent-up resentment inside her. She detested being deceived by this imbecile who took advantage of her ignorance on the dragon customs, making her stuck in the dragon world with him.
“It wasn’t suave of you to deliberately take advantage of my ignorance on the dragon custom. Let me be honest with you, Prince Chen. You have never been my priority. My goal is to go back to the human world, and I will do absolutely everything to make sure I achieve this goal,” said Tara firmly, standing up and planning to walk out of the teahouse.
Prince Chen was taken aback by the forcefulness of what she said. She must be extremely vexed with me, he thought.
He quickly grabbed her hand to stop her and said with deep remorsefulness, “Tara, please don’t go. I’m terribly sorry. Yes, I admit I should not have done that in the first place, and I know you’re still mad at me. Please, will you have the magnanimity of heart to forgive me? I promise not to repeat my mistake.”
Tara’s heart melted immediately when he expressed himself with such sincere regret in the most authentic demeanor. She decided to let go and forgive him once more.
“Alright, apology accepted. Remember, I’m not your docile and dim-witted sheep for you to fool around with.” Though she forgave him, her resolve to go back home strengthened.
The first Dragon Pearl Sport tournament was between Team A from East Dragon and Team B from West Dragon. Both teams fought hard to snatch the white dragon pearl the size of a golf ball and place it on their respective sides of the opened clam.
The sky was like a dazzling hotch-potch of colors as the flying dragons of various hues flew around so rapidly. Only those with the dragon eyes could figure out what had actually transpired in the tournament. The competition was intense, and Prince Chen’s emotions were affected by the score outcome. Eventually, Team A had a highest score and won the tournament for the first round. Prince Chen heaved a great sigh of relief knowing that Team A from East Dragon had won.
Phoenix Diamond Sport tournament was the next to take place. Team A was from East Dragon and Team B from South Dragon. The dragon ladies rode on phoenixes of varying sizes and colors, trying to pass a ping pong-sized diamond ball into the vertical, donut-shaped ring. The phoenixes were not as fast as the dragons, and therefore, Tara was able to make out what was happening between the two teams. Suddenly, there were repeated uproars of “booo” resounding from the audiences.
“What had happened?” asked Tara.
“Some Team B members did not adhere to the game rules. They kept making fouls and hurting Team A members. Our Team A had already used two backups to replace the injured players, and the third backup was, unfortunately, not available for play.”
“So, our Team A has no more backups and we’ll lose?”
“Yes. Team A won the first round, Team B won the second round, and now it’s the final round to determine the winning team.”
A sense of injustice rose within her. It is unfair for Team B to keep making fouls, forcing Team A into losing. Shame on them. They have absolutely no integrity, no backbone, and no sportsmanship.
Indignantly, Tara stood up with her clenched fist and went over to the large balcony in front of her. Summoning her phoenix to come over, she rode on her Queenzy and flew high up to the tournament arena. She volunteered herself to become the third backup player.
“What do you think you’re doing?” cried Prince Chen, absolutely mortified by Tara’s unexpected reaction. He wanted to chase after her but decided against it. He knew she would be mad at him again if he stopped her from doing what she was determined to do.
Tara proved herself to be a skillful Phoenix Diamond player. She maneuvered Queenzy so well that she was able to move around at will, dodging devious attacks from the unscrupulous opponents. She snatched the diamond deftly and helped Team A to score precious points repeatedly. After the time was up, Team A had scored enough points to win the tournament. The audience exploded with resounding cheer and applause.
After the tournament, Tara went back to the balcony, and Prince Chen quickly came over to congratulate her. Exhilarated and proud of Tara’s superb performance, he congratulated her and gave her a peck, wrapping his arm around her waist as he walked her back to the room.
One of the Team B members saw Prince Chen give Tara a peck from above. She had been secretly harboring amorous feelings toward Prince Chen for a long time. Gripped with intense envy and jealousy once she saw the pink aura between them, she pulled out a hairpin from her tresses, cast a poisonous curse on it, and shot the hairpin at Tara’s back. She then recalled the hairpin so as not to leave a trace.
The moment the hairpin pricked her back, Tara immediately fainted and lost consciousness.
CHAPTER 27
THE CINTAMANI PEARL
“Tara, Tara, can you hear me? Are you alright?” cried Prince Chen, scrambling to stay calm in the midst of the sudden mishap.
Carrying Tara with both his hands, he quickly transformed himself into a dragon and flew out of the balcony to his Sapphire Palace. He had no idea what happened, but he knew she required medical attention. As soon as they reached their destination, he immediately summoned the Imperial Physicians.
Lying down on Prince Chen’s grand bed attached to the wall, Tara was treated by a team of five Imperial Physicians who took turns to examine her pulse and other visible bodily symptoms.
“What happened to her? Why did she faint and lose consciousness so suddenly?” asked Prince Chen anxiously.
“She was poisoned by a common dragon curse. It wouldn’t be life-threatening to a dragon, but as a human, she doesn’t have the natural resistance against such a poison. Unfortunately, we only have antidotes for dragons, not humans, and her life is in imminent danger,” replied the glum Imperial Physician. “The poison acts quickly and I’m afraid she only has less than one day to live. Prince Chen, I’m sorry. You may need to mentally prepare yourself for the worst outcome.”
What the Imperial Physician told him was a bolt from the blue for Prince Chen. He felt lifeless, as if all the energy had been sapped out of him. “You mean she is not going to survive?”
The Imperial Physician lowered his head in melancholy. Shoulders slumped, Prince Chen was crestfallen and devastated. He felt his feet give way to jelly-like wobble and he held on to the pillar bed for support.
“Is there any other way we can save her life?” asked Prince Chen, hoping for some sort of miracle elixir.
“I heard the Dragon King has one Cintamani Pearl, a magical gift given by Venerable Earth Treasury thousands of years ago. It is believed that should a Virtuous One clasp onto the Cintamani Pearl within a day of passing on, he or she has a high chance of returning to life,” said one of the Imperial Physicians.
The Cintamani Pearl is my only hope of saving Tara’s life, Prince
Chen thought. He immediately bolted out of his room to request an audience with his Father Dragon King to borrow the Cintamani Pearl. Whether Tara was a Virtuous One or not, only time would tell. But to Prince Chen, this was his last shot.
In the meantime, the poison from the common dragon curse had fully penetrated Tara’s whole body. She exhibited a medley of symptoms before her soul slowly drifted out of her body and plunged into the darkness of the Intermediary Realm.
Suddenly, Tara opened her eyes and found herself in a pitch-dark tunnel. Intrigued, she began to walk until she fell on a misty grey floor. Feeling dizzy and disoriented, she rubbed her eyes in an attempt to figure out where she was. When the misty white cloud had dispersed, a ferocious-looking, black-faced, Life-and-Death Judge wearing an ancient Chinese government official’s uniform came into view.
“Are you Tara?” barked the Life-and-Death Judge.
“Yes…where am I now?” Tara was puzzled and the black-faced Judge scared her.
“You are now in the Intermediary Realm for me to do a Life Assessment of you.”
“Life Assessment? What’s that?”
“You may not be aware, but you have left your human body, waiting to be reborn to another realm of life,” said the Judge. “Once the Life Assessment is completed using the Balancing Scale, you will know the realm of your rebirth in one of the Six Lower Paths[11].”
Petrified, Tara’s heart almost jumped out of her mouth. Am I dead? No, no, no! I must be dreaming! I still have so many things to do back home. I cannot just leave like that.
“Look at the large screen in front of you. It is a quick run-through of all the positive and negative actions you have done in your present life. The Balancing Scale will automatically calculate the sum for you,” said the Life-and-Death Judge.
Tara saw everything from the moment she was conceived in her mother’s womb until the time when she passed away on Prince Chen’s bed. She saw many long-forgotten memories with her father, mother, her friends and relatives. She also saw how she was kind and generous toward the elderly, children, animals, and how she upheld justice throughout her legal career, the time she spent volunteering to serve disadvantaged people. She also witnessed all the unwholesome actions that afflicted misery on others: slapping faces in the heat of the moment, saying nasty and sarcastic words when she was feeling frustrated and resentful, being arrogant and supercilious toward those whom she thought were not on par with her.
Tara Zenyora : and the Seven-Jeweled Lighthouse Page 19