THE PLANS
"So what is the first thing that I need to do in order to get selected, do you have any idea?" Wei Lian asked Xiao Hei. He was sitting at the little table eating aggressively away at the food.
He shook his head in reply.
"How about something that will make me look normal like a real Moiying Valley's fairy?" She inquired again.
He shook his head without a word.
"Is there a need to stand out or should I blend in?"
Xiao Hei wanted to shake his head again. Her hand landed on the table banging it loudly. The food bowls on it danced in frenzy.
"Don't you dare shake your head at me again or I will make sure that you don't eat anything ever again." Her voice was threatening. She watched as he flinched to the sound of her voice and then recalled slyly.
"Good." Wei Lian muttered. "Now speak." She ordered.
"Standing out will look suspicious, blend in but in a weird way." He tactically drew the bowl of fish on the table to himself.
Lian caught him. She pulled it back before giving him the stern eyes. "Weird? How do I do that?"
"Just be yourself. You are already weird as you are." He muttered the last sentence to himself but she still heard him loud and clear. "How dare you!" She yelled.
She pursued him around trying to catch him.
…..
Wei Lian and Xiao Hei sat together at the table staring at the clothes on it in amazement. Purple robes and garlands for the hair. Xiao Hei had purchased it from the market in an attempt for Lian to look like every other maiden in the Valley.
"Did you really think that purple was necessary?" She took one long look at the material and sighed in frustration.
"Purple is one of Moiying Valley's signature colour for the maidens and fairies. You'll need to dress like they do."
"They didn't see anything more shouty and irritable." She used her index finger to pick up the clothes. She looked at it in pure horror.
"So we have got the blending characteristics. What's left?"
"You being you. The fact that you don't like their colours is weird already."
Lian sighed.
…..
That evening, the city of Moiying Valley was still alive with activity. Wei Lian stood from the balcony of the inn staring at the buzzing market in front of her.
"Let's go." She muttered to Xiao Hei. She was dressed in the purple robe and her hair had been beautifully decked with the garlands.
Her messenger bell rang. They both looked at each other. She removed the bell immediately, and Xiao Hei opened the message with his power.
It was from Mei Lin.
THINGS ARE NOT GOOD AT HOME. HAVE YOU FOUND A WAY TO GET CLOSE TO THE DRAGON KING YET?
That was the message. She quickly replied, THERE IS A BANQUET COMING UP. I WANT TO GET IN THERE. COME QUICKLY LET'S TALK.
"I miss her." Wei Lian muttered. Xiao Hei grunted "Me too."
"Really? I thought you hated her? You were always bickering." Wei Lian laughed.
"Let's go." The animal companion said and left her there.
Wei Lian skipped excitedly through the market streets. Xiao Hei followed close behind in his natural fox form, darting through the shadows of the market stalls as they made their way to the location he scouted yesterday: a popular tea house and relaxation center where the Head Housekeeper conducted her business.
"So what is the plan?" Xiao Hei asked.
"Get in her good grace first." Lian grinned.
"Eh?"
The tea house was buzzing with all sorts of activities. There were a lot of women serving the guests and there were some women dancing at the centre of the stage to entertain the guests.
"Are you sure that we are in the right place?" Lian muttered.
Xiao Hei muttered an hmm. Already grinning at a lady who was giving him flirty looks.
"I thought you said that it is a tea house? There is like a hundred possibilities that you were wrong."
"I was not wrong. I was told that it is a tea house."
"Okay. So who is the Madam Chen?" Her eyes were already darting everywhere in search of the woman.
They both sat down at a table.
"What do you care for?" A fair maiden asked, casting flirty looks in Xiao Hei's direction.
Wei Lian slammed her hand on the desk. The lady looked at her immediately shocked by her sudden act. "Just tea please. For two." She said in between her teeth.
Her eyes were glaring and shooting daggers to the poor woman. She immediately left after nodding.
"Seriously? You want to try hooking up now?" She asked the fox who just gave her an 'I don't care' look.
"It's not my fault that I am handsome." He shrugged making her scoff loudly.
A few minutes later, their tea arrived. Wei Lian's eyes were everywhere while drinking. She was still looking for the madam Chen.
"Where is she you stupid cunning fox?" She asked when she was frustrated of looking by herself.
"There she is." Xiao Hei pointed to a young maiden who was giving orders to another. Lian choked spitting some of her drink on the poor Fox's face.
"Ahh, that's so disgusting." He grimaced as he wiped it off. "What is the reason why you are shocked?"
"That's Madam Chen?" She asked and he nodded.
She was younger than she had expected. She was dressed in a white robe that had shadows of purple thrown all over it. Lian sighed. They were really obsessed with this purple thing. She wore flower earrings that dropped to her shoulders. It looked like garlands.
Her hair had different flowers and garlands stuck in them. She wore rings on three of her right finger and four on the left. She wore ornaments on every visible part of her body. Lian spotted a gold chain on her leg when she moved. She looked like a young woman who was in her prime.
She was drooling before she could stop herself. "Can you stop this?" Xiao Hei crunched his nose up in disgust.
"Okay, now the plan." She grinned…
"What plan?".
"Go fox." She ordered.
"What?" He was shocked.
"I said go fox." And he turned to his fox self.
"Good. You're going to go over there and create a mess."
He looked up at her immediately. She pushed his head down and rubbed his head gingerly. "Go." She ordered and he did.
He went to where Madam Chen was and kicked a bowl of fish down and proceeded to start eating. Everybody screamed as they saw the fox. Madam Chen was shocked for a while. The ladies brought out their palms to kill the Fox but she raised a hand.
"Stop." She said and squatted down beside the fox. She rubbed his head slowly. "Are you that hungry?" She asked.
He didn't say anything. "Now where is your guardian?" She asked again.
"Hei hei." Lian's voice came. "Please have you seen a fox…." Her voice trailed off as she spotted him.
"Hei. What are you doing? Oh my God. Look at the mess you made." She exclaimed in shock.
"Let's get you home." She scooped up the fox. "I am sorry. My fox was hungry and then ran in here. I am very sorry."
Her face was down.
"It is okay. He is cute." She said. Her aura was great and she spoke coldly.
She turned to leave after giving the maidens instructions to clean up the mess.
Lian smiled as she finally got her opportunity. "Madam Chen. I heard that you are a good person who hires people to work. Please I want to work in your tea house. Please I need the money." She pleaded.
"Hmm." She took a long glance at her from head to toe.
"My tea house is filled up. But…" She opened her palm and a small scroll appeared in it. "You can check this out. You might want to give it a try."