I'm flying through the Celestial Highway. No way I'm staying and watching those two play 'Go'. How boring. I've made quite a name for myself in this realm. So there's no need for me to avoid anybody anymore. They just avoid me.
As I'm twirling aimlessly, not knowing where I'm going, with a finger resting on my chin, something hits my head. Ow! Oh, I've reached the stratosphere, the highway for the shooting stars. My master once mentioned wanting one after the Crown Prince gave him a sliver as a fancy bookmark. Thought I'd grab one for him while I'm here.
With a flick of my wrist, a water tendril snaps out like a lasso, snagging a shooting star mid-streak.
I wonder if there's profit to be made from catching shooting stars, even though the Crown Prince used one as a paperweight. But if my master showed interest in it, it must be worth something.
So this shooting star is dragging me along the highway. I need to get it out of its zone. I somersault and force my weight down, treating it like a paraglider. Slowly but surely, with the added downward force, it sinks out of orbit and begins to plummet. Pieces of it break off until it becomes small enough for me to carry. Let's take it to the exchange store to see what it's worth.
I dig into my trusty mystical satchel and focus on the location of an exchange store. I pluck out a random scroll and the X lights up showing me that it's not too far from here. I consult the Celestial Compass in the sky. I veer towards the east and shortly after, I land in front of a modest stall on a small floating rock.
A sign in the window reads, "Be right back. Out for lunch."
I sit on the ledge of the rock, my head on my hand, sighing. I can't catch a break.
As usual, immortals fly by, some shriek, pointing at me and calling me "demon". This joke's getting old. I blow a lock of my silver-blue hair back, then flick my hair. They just cannot appreciate my beauty. It's not that I'm a demon; it's that you're all immortals.
I'm tempted to spit on one of them, just for the thrill.
A devilish grin spreads on my face and one passerby faints.
I drag a hand down my face. I'm probably going to get in trouble for that. Not my fault they can't handle my dashing smile.
I'm lazily kicking my feet over the ledge, wondering how long lunch takes. My stomach grumbles. Maybe I should go get something to eat. Another immortal flies by and I catch a whiff of some delicious food in his satchel. I begin to salivate. Maybe I should take up highway robbery.
My fingers start twitching, ready to summon some air magic. Then I hear something stir behind me. The window snaps open. Oh, they're back.
A male immortal, hair with a chopstick holding up his messy bun, coughs.
"Can I help you?"
I place the shooting star on the counter.
"How much is this worth?"
He takes out a magnifying glass, and studies it, his eyes widening.
"You caught this? Where did you get it from?"
I point to the stratosphere, rolling my eyes.
"Up there. Where they live. Obviously."
His brows are furrowing. He runs the beads on an abacus, calculating furiously.
"I'll give you one ingot for it."
My eyes widen. If you could see me, my pupils would show money signs. It's worth that much? And the Crown Prince used it as a paperweight? Royal immortals are a whole league of their own. Either that, or he didn't even want to tell me. If I catch a thousand of them, my debt would be paid off.
"If I bring you more, would you buy it?"
The shop owner shakes his head. That's weird.
"Why not?"
"It's only because I want one, but I can't sell it to anyone."
"You're willing to pay that much even though you can't resell it?"
He nods enthusiastically. "It's illegal to take one without the imperial approval."
Uh-oh. I have a feeling I'm going to get in trouble for this.
"So should I put it back?"
He shakes his head, then gives me an ingot.
"I technically didn't take it. Someone brought it to me, so I got it through legal means."
"You're not gonna report me, are you?"
"Of course not. That means that they would take it away from me as evidence. Why would I do that?"
I scratch my chin, my mind reeling. This could work!
I take the ingot and put it in my mystical satchel for storage.
"A pleasure doing business with you."
He nods and slams the window shut.
I knock on it. He opens up and asks, "Can I help you?"
"About that shooting star."
He looks at me, nonchalantly.
"What shooting star?" He shrugs.
Ah, I get it now. So that's how the game's played.
"Never mind. Have a good day."
He promptly shuts his window again.
I step back, taking a good look at the exchange store. I'll remember this store. I like how he does his business. I think I'll come back.
I jump off the floating rock, and poof—it disappears into stardust. I gasp, glancing around to see if anyone else notices. It wasn't me.
Glancing at the scroll that had its location, I watch the X vanish from the grid. The scroll is blank. It crumbles into dust in my hand. Alright, that definitely wasn't me.
I open my mystical satchel to see if the ingot remains. To my relief, it does. I've just discovered a way to make a lot of ingots without getting caught.
I repeat this transaction every day. Each day, I find a new pop-up exchange store, and surprisingly, each immortal has the same reaction. They accept one shooting star per store. Each time, the ingot remains, but the map crumbles and the store disappears.
One day, the sky changed color. A chill ran down my spine. I have a bad feeling about this.
I dash around the stratosphere, eagerly searching for a shooting star, but find none. The sky begins to thunder. During my frantic search, my head collides with something hard. Looking up, my face pales, despite its usual azure-hue, it whitens.
My master glares at me, nostrils flaring.
"Ling Yue, what have you done?"
I shrink like a turtle retreating in its shell.
He scans the stratosphere, noticing no shooting stars, and the thundering sky. His eyes widen, and he snaps his head towards me, his long ebony hair billowing as the air shudders around him. Summoning an air tendril, he binds and gags me, then drags me back to the Royal Chamber. As we pass through the celestial highway, immortals immediately part, gaping at us.
We enter the Royal Chamber. The Crown Prince's usual jolly demeanor darkens like the stormy sky.
My master lets go of me, and I fall to the floor. With a flick of his wrist, I'm on my knees, my head bowing towards his royal friend.
The Crown Prince points to his desk, where a mountain of scrolls lies.
"Ling Yue, you see that? I've been receiving complaints that Exchange Stores are disappearing. Based on Long Fei's reaction, you're responsible for this."
I squirm and try to get up, but my knees are firmly planted on the ground. I rub the back of my neck.
"Do you have evidence that I'm responsible?"
Long Fei drags a hand down his face.
"Your Highness. Punish her as you will."
The Crown Prince glances at his friend and nods.
"Guards!"
No, not again. I turn to Long Fei, shaking my head.
"Master. Please don't leave me in the dungeon."
He avoids my gaze. With a flick of his fingers, my mystical satchel leaves my shoulder and floats to the Crown Prince, who opens it and takes out all the ingots.
"This is evidence. You exchanged falling stars for these ingots, didn't you?"
I start to sweat profusely.
"I was going to give it to you. That's to pay off the debt."
"I'm very disappointed in you. You give me no choice but to enforce the law."
I glance back at my master, hoping he would plead my case. He meets my gaze, jaw tightening, and shakes his head before turning away, snapping his fingers. A sharp pain shoots through my neck and back, making me gasp. He has sealed my elemental powers.
Copper chains magically appear around my chest and a silk gag is stuffed in my mouth.
The guards finally arrive, each grabbing my arm, and hauling me away.
The look of disappointment from two of my favorite people is heartbreaking. It's going to be a long night in the dungeon.