To the Sky Kingdom

by Tang Qi

  Dumpling walked slowly over and stood on tiptoes so that he could wrap his arms around his father’s lifeless right arm. He wrinkled his nose, and two teardrops splashed down his cheeks. “Isn’t Father’s arm better yet?” he asked through his tears. “When will Father be able to hug Ali again?”

  I tried to hold back my own tears. Zhe Yan had said that Ye Hua’s new arm would take at least ten thousand years before it gained function. Ye Hua had hidden this from Dumpling, and from me, acting as if everything were fine and it were nothing important. I had been playing along with his story by pretending that I was not that bothered with it either.

  He had lost his right arm for me, so from now on I would be his right arm. Ye Hua put down his pen and scooped up Dumpling with his left arm. “I can hug you just as well with one arm, see? Crying at the drop of a hat like that is not a good way for a boy to behave, is it?”

  He glanced over me, and with a faint smile he said, “I always thought there was something sweet about having a beautiful woman worrying about you, but your worry has a bitter flavor. I’ve felt a bit of sensation in this arm over the last few days. You mustn’t worry so.”

  I sighed to myself while pretending to look overjoyed. “I know your arm will be better in no time, but will it ever be as nimble as before? You’re so good at drawing portraits, it would be a real pity if you could no longer draw them because of this and Dumpling and I had to go and get ours drawn by someone else.”

  He lowered his head and gave a laugh and placed Dumpling back down on the floor. “I’ve always been better with my left hand anyway. Even if my right hand doesn’t fully recover, it won’t stop me from doing anything. Why don’t I sketch a portrait of you both now to prove it?”

  My mouth flattened in surprise. He was exceptional enough to have been chosen by the Sky Emperor as his heir. Even more amazing than his military prowess was the fact that he could draw with his left hand!

  Cheng Yu, who had been sitting to the side, looking docile and dejected this whole time, now waltzed over saying, “Empress, you are so extraordinarily elegant, no ordinary painter would dare to lower his pen and paint you. Only His Majesty Prince Ye Hua is talented enough to capture your fine goddess’s bearing. I shall bring out some paper, a pen, and a drawing table.”

  Cheng Yu was good with her words and knew how to use them to make people happy. Her compliments about me obviously pleased Ye Hua, who lifted his hand to grant her permission.

  Cheng Yu rushed back and forth like a gust of wind, bringing back ink, paper, a pen, an ink stone, a pot to rinse the brush, and a drawing table. I took Dumpling in my arms as instructed by Ye Hua and sat at the pavilion bench. I saw Cheng Yu sitting at the side with nothing to do and so I beckoned her over with a smile. I invited her to sit down beside me and told Ye Hua to draw her with us.

  Dumpling wriggled in my arms.

  Ye Hua gave a slight raise of his eyebrows, but said nothing. As he lowered his brush, he looked at me and gave a faint smile. The jet-black sky behind him was reflected in this smile, and under the soft candlelight, it seemed to radiate with the brilliance of the whole universe. My heart trembled, and warmth spread out from my ears.

  Despite having no movement whatsoever in his right arm, Ye Hua moved with ease and elegance as he spread his ink. I felt pleased with myself for choosing such an excellent future husband.

  After what felt like a very short time, Ye Hua finished his picture.

  Dumpling had fallen asleep in my arms by then. Cheng Yu went over to Ye Hua to have a look at what he had drawn. She was not bold enough to express her anger, but her voice carried a strong sense of disappointment. “I’ve been sitting here all this time, and the only part of me this enlightened sage prince has drawn is my sleeve,” she wailed.

  I carried Dumpling over to take a look too. Ye Hua’s left-handed capabilities were indeed not far behind those of his right. Once I told Second Brother about this, he was certain to want to befriend Ye Hua.

  My walking back and forth disturbed Dumpling, who started to wake up. He looked at me through blinking eyes before slipping down from my knees. He looked at the painting and said, “Wow! Wow!” a couple of times, and then, “But why aren’t you in the picture, Cheng Yu?”

  Cheng Yu gave him a sorrowful glance. She looked so pitiful that I felt compelled to go over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. “Ye Hua has been a bit physically useless recently,” I said to comfort her. “His hand must have become tired after all that sketching. You must forgive him.”

  Cheng Yu covered her mouth and gave a cough. “Ye Hua is physically useless?” Ye Hua had been just about to rinse his brush, but now it froze in midair, and I saw the carved white jade pen with the purple plume in his hand snap in two.

  Oh dear, I have said more than I should have.

  Dumpling gave Cheng Yu a silly, naive look. “What does physically useless mean?” he asked. “Does it mean Father can carry Ali, but not Mother?”

  I gave a chuckle and took a step back. It was not a very steady step, and suddenly sky and earth turned upside down for me. By the time I had regained my balance, I found I had been hoisted up onto Ye Hua’s shoulders.

  I was in shock. “Put away the drawing table and take Ali to bed in his chamber,” Ye Hua breezily instructed Cheng Yu. Cheng Yu nodded as she gathered up her sleeves. Dumpling covered his eyes with his hands and shouted out, “Pervert! Pervert!” over and over again until Cheng Yu, looking mortified, reached out a hand and covered Dumpling’s mouth.

  When we had been in the Western Sea Water Crystal Palace, Ye Hua had been very attentive and gentle with me, but for some reason he was rougher this time.

  He put me down on the bed, my head resting against his unstable right arm, while he held me firmly with his left. He searched out my mouth, gave a quiet laugh, and then bit me. He did not bite me hard, but I did not feel he should be allowed to take advantage like that, and I was about to bite him back, but his lips had moved over to my ear by then . . .

  He took my earlobe in his mouth and sucked it with such fervor that it began to ache. He bit it gently, and my whole body suddenly started to tingle. I heard myself humming like a mosquito.

  When he heard me, his lips slipped off my ear. He came across an obstacle: my red skirt. This skirt had been given to me by Second Brother’s wife when she had stayed in the foxhole. She had told me that it was a very special skirt because of the kind of silk it was made from.

  I knew very little about clothing and fabric, all I knew was that this skirt was very difficult to put on and even more difficult to take off. But despite the fact that he had only one functioning hand, Ye Hua still managed to slip my skirt off me with the greatest of ease. In the blink of an eye, it was in his hand, being waved around and cast to the floor.

  He removed the rest of my clothing with the same ease and fluidity, but when it came to undressing himself, he was extremely clumsy. I could not bear to watch him attempt it all by himself and sat up to help. He gave a laugh. He leaned over as I was taking off his robe and ran his lips down my neck. I lost control of my body. The strength drained out of my hands, and the most I could do was give his clothing an aimless yank to the side.

  I was impressed with my ability, however, because a couple of tugs and I had managed to remove all his clothes too.

  He buried his head in my chest, sucking the area around my knife scar, sometimes softly, sometimes hard. That knife wound had healed five hundred years ago, and I no longer had sensation in the area, but for some reason, by kissing me delicately there, he brought me out in head-to-toe pins and needles. It felt as if a cat were scratching my heart.

  I put my arms around his neck, and his loose, silky black hair slipped over my skin. As I moved, his hair swept over me. I lifted my head and panted. He put his lips to my ear and asked, “Are you uncomfortable?” His voice was full of gentle affection, completely different from the action of his hands, which were applying strong pressure as they worked their way down my spine.r />
  His hands, usually so cold, were exceptionally hot today. The parts of me he touched felt like sizzling cakes just out of the wok, crunchy enough to snap to bits with one bite. He moved his lips to my jaw, nipping at it gently. I pursed my lips and held my breath to stop myself from panting. I felt as if something inside me was rapidly growing roots and sprouting shoots and might suddenly burst up into a towering tree. And all this tree wanted to do was to hold Ye Hua, to wrap itself tightly around him.

  His lips moved around my jaw and to my mouth. He kissed me softly for a while before biting my lower lip, which caused my teeth to part. I was too overcome with desire to restrain myself. I kissed him back passionately and preemptively slipped my tongue into his mouth. He seemed surprised at first, but then the hand caressing my lower back started to rub deeper. I was so filled with desire I was trembling and completely forgot to move my tongue. By the time I had recovered my wits, he had pushed his tongue into my mouth.

  I felt overwhelmed with excitement and wondered how much longer I could handle this teasing buildup of his. When he next withdrew his tongue from my mouth, I could not stop myself. “I want you now!” I murmured. Hearing these slow and sultry words coming from my own mouth gave me a jolt.

  He gave a surprised laugh and said, “My hands aren’t very steady, Qian Qian. You’ll need to move farther up the bed.”

  I loved how deep his voice was. It felt as if I had fallen into a trance. My head was chaotic as I did as he had said and moved farther up the bed.

  When he entered me, I lost control of what my hands were doing, and my fingernails dug into his back. He gave a muffled groan and then moved his mouth next to my ear. “Tomorrow I’m going to trim your nails,” he panted.

  Afterward, I lay back in Ye Hua’s arms. He was on his side, playing with my hair, looking lost in thought. I still felt as if my head were full of rice porridge being stirred around, and my brain felt as confused as ever.

  I lay there in confusion for a moment before suddenly remembering something very important.

  Fourth Brother was not completely wrong in his assessment of me: every ten thousand years or so, I could be very unaware. I had come to the Ninth Sky to look after Ye Hua, and despite spending all this time with him, I had completely forgotten the important thing I had to tell him.

  I turned around to face him, pressing myself against his chest. I looked straight into his eyes and said, “Do you still remember what I told you in the Western Sea about wanting to cancel our engagement?”

  His body stiffened. He lowered his eyes and said, “Yes, I remember that.”

  I leaned over and kissed him, the tip of my nose touching his. “I wasn’t aware of what I really felt back then. Please don’t take what I said to heart. We are in love—of course we shouldn’t call off the marriage. When I was sitting in the Western Sea with nothing to do, I started to think of a suitable day and came up with the second of Lunar September. It is a good day to build, a good day to slaughter livestock, a good day to hold a ceremony, an all-around suitable day, really. Would you like me to meet with your grandfather to ask if we could organize our wedding for that date?”

  He raised his eyes sharply, his jet-black pupils reflecting half of my face back at me. He looked at me for a while before speaking in a hoarse voice. “What did you just say?” he asked.

  I thought back over everything I had just said but did not think I had in any way overstepped the mark. I wondered whether Sky Palace regulations dictated that Ye Hua should be the one to meet with the Sky Emperor and decide on a date for the wedding. Perhaps it had been improper of me to suggest being the one to meet with him?

  I stroked his face and said, “I didn’t think it through properly. It would obviously be much more suitable coming from you. Or if you’d rather not, I could talk to Father and Mother and ask them to approach the Sky Emperor. After all, our marriage is going to be a big affair. Perhaps it would be better to let them be the ones to discuss it.”

  As soon as I finished what I was saying, I gasped, finding it hard to breathe, and realized he was smothering me in a ferocious hug. He realized he was being too forceful and held me to his chest more gently. “Tell me again what you would like us to do.” he said.

  I was slightly taken aback. Had I not just explained that very clearly? I was just about to repeat myself when I suddenly wondered if Ye Hua was doing what I thought he was doing and deliberately trying to make me tell him words of endearment.

  His loose jet-black hair was all mixed up with mine. His eyes were the same jet black as his hair, and as deep as ponds. Within the bed curtain, I could smell the faint fragrance of peach blossoms. I felt my face redden as expressions of love rose up through my throat. I was biting them back when I fell under some enchanted spell, and before I knew what was happening, out popped the words “I love you. I want to be with you forever.”

  He said nothing.

  Qingqiu women are always very direct and sincere: we call a spade a spade. But Ye Hua had grown up in the constrained and conservative atmosphere of the Ninth Sky, and I wondered if he might have found my words too frivolous and brazen?

  While I was getting into a spin about this, he remained silent, but then he suddenly turned and pinned me down and moved his body on top of mine. I moved my arms out of the way and threaded them around his smooth back. He was holding me so tightly that I could no longer tell where my body ended and his began. As he bit my earlobe, he quietly said, “Qian Qian, let’s have another baby.”

  I heard a deafening rumble as all the blood rushed to my ears. My ears were burning as if they had just been dipped in fresh chili oil. I knew that there was something incongruous about this sentence, but I could not for the moment work out what.

  We kept each other awake all night, and it was only when Mao the Sun Prince came on duty that we finally fell into a deep sleep.

  When I woke up, the bedchamber was dark and Ye Hua still deeply asleep. I was happy because waking up before him gave me a chance to have a proper look at him.

  I got a little closer and put my face up to his so that I could see him clearly. His face was like that of my master, Mo Yuan, but I had never thought of him as Mo Yuan. Looking at him now, I saw subtle differences between their appearances. Mo Yuan’s eyes were not as dark as Ye Hua’s, which were like ancient pools of deep, calm water.

  I had always felt reverence for Mo Yuan’s solemn and dignified face, but recently, looking at Ye Hua’s face had shown me elements that gave me a feeling of excitement.

  I spent a while gazing at his face from close up like this before finally dozing off again. When I awoke, I thought he was still fast asleep, and turned around to have another look at him. He stretched out a hand and dragged me back into his arms, making me jump. “You’re welcome to carry on looking at me,” he said, his eyes still closed. “But once you’re finished, lie back into my arms for a while. It’s not as warm against the wall as it is in my arms.”

  My ears turned red. I gave an awkward laugh and said, “You had a mosquito on your face. Um, I was just about to get it for you, but you scared it away when you started speaking.”

  “You still have the energy to swat mosquitos off me, that’s impressive,” he said, and pulled me forcefully to him. “Shall we get up or sleep more?”

  One of my hands was next to his shoulder, and I made sure not to press too hard against it while I stroked his nose with my other hand. “I want to sleep some more, but I’m feeling too sticky. Can we get an attendant to bring us a couple of pails of water and have a wash before going back to sleep?”

  He got up, threw on some clothes, and left the bed to request the water. After our passionate night, it looked as if Ye Hua’s injuries were more or less better. I felt extremely reassured and wondered if I should reduce the dose of health recovery and energy supplement pills I had been sneaking into his tea.

  My engagement to Ye Hua had been set out in writing by the Sky Emperor, who had sent us a few small gifts, but we were not ye
t officially betrothed. I started to plan it in my head. I had chosen a suitable day. Now I needed Father to meet quietly with the Sky Emperor and try to move things forward, ask him to make our betrothal official, and choose a day. Of course, it was the second of September I had my heart set on.

  Ye Hua’s lack of cultivated energy concerned me. I worried that he would be unable to handle the great tradition of the nine thunders and eighty-one wildfires when he succeeded as Sky Emperor. This had been the traditional way that a Sky Emperor and Sky Empress succeeded to the throne since ancient times. My intention was to marry him soon and suffer the thunders and wildfires on his behalf.

  Although my run-in with Qing Cang had considerably reduced my own supply of cultivated energy, I was certain I could cope with the sky thunder and wildfires. The only problem that needed addressing was how I could fool Ye Hua into staying inside; he was less naive and easy to deceive than I had been at his age.

  After bathing I thought about this a lot, and then gradually drifted back off to sleep.

  I had been thinking that these matters would all just naturally fall into place, and I should just go along with them. I had no idea what Ye Hua was about to reveal, that his words when he woke up would turn my whole plan on its head.

  He gathered me up in his arms and told me glumly that the second of September would not work. We would have to wait for another two months until we got married.

  This was because he was required to go down to the mortal world for two months to experience a calamity.

  This calamity was his penalty for slaying the four ferocious beasts in Yingzhou.

  Although it had been under the command of the Sky Emperor that Ye Hua had gone down to Yingzhou to destroy the immortal grass growing there, the Sky Emperor had not given him instruction to slay the four ferocious beasts left behind by Father of the Universe. Since Father of the Universe had returned to the primal chaos, everything he had ever used, all his crockery, and even his chipped cups had been taken up to the Ninth Sky by members of the Sky Clan, where they were treated as sacred objects. And these were just bits of pottery he had eaten and drunk from, they could not be compared with four ferocious beasts that had been endowed with half of his godly powers.