Treasure the blue skies, treasure the green horizons.
"sei3man1 gau2sap1gau1.""Four dollars, ninety-nine cents."
Daji's eye twitched. "aa3 ji4, hai6m4hai6 faat3din1 aa3? to1haai2 dim2 wui5 gam3 gwai3?""Auntie, are you crazy? How can slippers be so expensive?"
"ai1jaa1 leng3neoi2, ngo5 jiu3 wai3 ngo5 uk1kei2 jan4, maa3? nei5 si3 haa5—""Pretty girl, I have to feed my family, ya know? You try to—"
"hou2laa1, hou2 laa1，ngo5 wui5 bei2cin2"Okay, okay, I'll pay."," she interrupted. "Here."
It felt weird for her to refer to someone less than a century old as her auntie, but Daji was keenly aware of how young she looked in relation to humans. She supposed she should take pride in looking as young as she liked.
But she had no use for her beauty anymore. There were no more kings to seduce, no more reason to be the most beautiful woman in the land.
"leng3neoi2, maai5 gam3 siu2 gau3, maa3? seoi1 m4 seoi1 do1di1 aa3?"Pretty girl, buying so little? Do you need more?""
Daji shook her head. "do1ze6 aa3 ji4, m4sai2 m4sai2.""Thank you, auntie. But no need, no need."
"ai1jaa1," sighed the seller. "leng3neoi2, nei5 hai6 hau6saang1."Pretty girl, you're young." nei5 m4 seoi1 haan1 cin2 aa3."You don't need to save money." "gam3 leng3, jing1goi1 nei5 giu3 naam4pang4jau5 maai5 bei2 nei5.""So pretty, you should be making boyfriend buy for you."
The foxqueen laughed, handing over the cash. The auntie shook her head, muttering something about how men didn't know how good they had it, and gave her the change and slippers.
Boyfriend. Daji dryly noted the word as she walked out of the store. A strange concept to her.
She was not unfamiliar with romance. She remembered being Dì Xīn's concubine, and how he showered her with love. She remembered hearing Dì Xīn and Xǐmèi making love for hours upon hours, how her sister had developed true love for the king, how her sister dreamed of Nüwa granting their wishes and allowing them to live forever in Heaven.
But Daji herself did not feel that love. To her, concubinage was always a step in her mission. Her beauty was an asset, something she could use. Perhaps it was the centuries and centuries that had passed before she was given her task, watching mortals grow and die, watching xiānimmortals rise and fall. Maybe had she been millennia younger, she too could have loved, could have lusted like her sisters.
She closed her eyes. Su Dájǐ's limp body came to mind, an eternal memory of the only woman she killed who did not deserve it. The only human she ate and regretted.
A sin that she punished herself for.
She walked up to a street stall and ordered a lamb skewer. Daji stared unblinkingly as the vendor grilled the meat, layering paprika, cumin, and other assorted spices as the flames flicked and colored the meat.
She turned around after getting her food, only to come face to face with a woman in a suit standing behind her.
Daji didn't need to be a detective to know that this woman was following her.
"Duìbùqǐ," she murmured, biting into her lamb skewer and brushing past the woman. She felt an uneasy tingling on the back of her neck, and she readjusted her cap.
As she feared, the woman followed her path — not too close, just within her periphery.
Daji wordlessly cast a simple search spell, and cursed under her breath. Every alleyway around her, her preferred method of escape, had at least one presence in it, no doubt someone lying in wait. Whoever this woman belonged to - and she had a suspicion it was the Jailors again — they were clearly targeting her.
It seemed she would have to make do with a more public area.
Daji walked into a local fast food restaurant and got in line. As expected, the Suited Woman entered shortly after, making sure to stand directly behind her.
"I never know what to get before I stand in line," sighed the Suited Woman. "I really should correct this."
Daji did not respond, and the woman did not bother her again.
Soon it was her turn. "Welcome to Five Guys, how may I help you?"
"Yeah, uh, can I just get a hot dog?" asked Daji.
"Absolutely. Will that be all? Any toppings or-"
"Nah, just a hotdog."
"Alright, ma'am, your total will be $7.29."
Daji nearly choked on her own spit hearing that. Seven dollars for a hotdog? That was a full rice box that could keep her happy for an entire day.
With a heavy heart, she reached into her wallet. She hesitated for a brief moment before reluctantly pulling out a five and three singles.
"Also," she said, as she collected her change. "May I use your restroom?"
"Sure, no problem."
Daji gave the employee a forced smile before slipping away into the restroom. Already, she could hear the Suited Woman getting her order taken as quickly as possible. There was little time left.
She locked the door behind her. With a deep breath, Daji shed her human shell, doing her best to avoid making any noise.
"What a pain," she muttered. "Waters of Penglai, cleanse my soul."
The uneasy feeling from before disappeared as the spell worked its way through her body, confirming her suspicions that the Suited Woman and her peers had cast something on her body — and now that she had removed it, they would likely converge on her position.
Teleportation was out of the question — the Jailors had some device that suppressed the powers she had gained. But those that she owned, those a core component of her very existence, she could still use, even with a little nausea.
She was not the Thousand-Year-Vixen for nothing.
"Damn you mortals," Daji sighed, lifting the toilet cover. "I decide when I will confront you. Don't rush me."
She clenched her teeth before transforming into a smaller fox, just enough to fit through the toilet, and began swimming.
"You look… awful, my Lady."
Daji snarled, splashing another bucket of water on herself. "I am not in the mood, Once-Was."
"Why did you not kill her or the other humans? I have not known you to be shy from violence."
"Should I have?"
"Perhaps. The tools of the Jailors bind the brilliance of your ethereal existence. Magic stops working near them. You would just be a very angry fox. And perhaps I would be gone for good."
Another bucket of water. Daji had lost count by now of how many she'd dumped on herself. In her heart, she knew no amount could ever wash away the humiliation of the sewer escape.
"What do you want from me, then?" asked the foxqueen. "My death?"
"Unsure. I did not think I could ever come back — with all due respects, due to you, my Lady. But at least in this era, I no longer have to worry about marriage to a man I do not care for."
"You're not exactly alive either," pointed out Daji. "For all I know, you're just a hallucination, Once-Was. One who shares my voice. Or perhaps I'm just talking to myself."
"Maybe. Would that help your conscience?"
Daji shook her head. "No. I'd rather think you were real. It's… comforting. To know some sins can still be undone."
"Undone sins were still committed," pointed out the Once-Was. "And my apologies in advance, but I am in no hurry to forgive you immediately, my Lady."
"Good enough." With a sigh, Daji put down the bucket and stepped into her makeshift shower. "Is that why I've been less aggressive? Because of your thoughts? Your feelings"
"Maybe. Maybe not. I can see you are fractured, my lady. Léizhènzǐ's staff could rend both Heaven and hell with a swipe. It is a miracle that enough of you was left to return."
"And you?"
"As far as I am concerned, I am you, my Lady." The Once-Was sighed. "Or rather, inseparable from you. My legacy is yours. My face is yours. My name is yours. To the world and everyone else, we are one and the same."
Daji nodded. "I'm sorry, Once-Was. Truly."
A scoff in response. "I know. Lady Nüwa's orders. You showed me, as you showed me your claws."
"I tried to make it quick and painless."
"My lady, you are a fox spirit, not a deliverer of miracles. You do not know how to kill painlessly. You are an animal, and I absolutely felt the force of your tails."
Daji winced, but resumed applying her shampoo.
Seconds of silence turned to minutes. It would not be until the foxqueen had put on her clothes - clean ones, this time — before the Once-Was spoke again.
"Thank you. For doing as you did."
"You don't need to thank me, Once-Was."
"Were it not for you, I would not have seen a world filled with all these marvels. It is because of you that I can see a world beyond my family's dreams. I was doomed to be a concubine to a cursed empire's harem. Perhaps being devoured was the best moment of my life."
Daji could say nothing in response.
How could she, to the Once-Was of Su Dájǐ?
A fist shot towards Daji's face. She twisted her head in response, allowing the attacker's momentum to trip him up for her.
Not one to let an opportunity pass, Daji kicked the man in the crotch, causing him to fall over and groan.
"What the fuck are you doing?" she asked, knocking him back down with a thrown bike as he tried to get up. "Why are you here?"
"I could say the same thing about you!" yelled the man. "Why are you here of all places?"
"I buy food in this place, idiot, and the damn Jailors aren't here to bother me," she hissed, too quietly for the onlookers to hear. "I can see that not even millennia could change that bayface of yours, Nézhā."
"Still looking down on me, fox bitch? I'll rip that pretty face of yours off with half my arms."
He tried to get up again, but Daji swept her legs, tripping him yet again. A kick to the head dropped the god.
She prepared to kick him again, but Nézhā held up a hand. "Wait, demon, hold on."
He groaned as he pushed himself up before raising his hands in defeat. "Look, can we continue this after I finish my delivery? The boss said if I'm late for another delivery, I'm getting fired."
Daji rolled her eyes. "I'm not here to fight, you idiot brat. You struck first. I'm just here to buy some vegetables."
"Sick, can you get some ginger too? I'm running out at my apartment."
Without letting Daji protest, Nézhā got up on his bike and began pedaling off, checking midtravel to make sure the food hadn't fallen apart.
The foxqueen rolled her eyes and entered the supermarket, ignoring the stares from the bystanders. She walked up to an employee.
"m4hou2 ji3si1, goeng1 gei2 cin2 aa3?""Excuse me, how much for the ginger?"
"deoi3 m4 zyu6, ngo5dei6 mou5 saai3 goeng1 laa3.""Sorry, we have no more."
"The godling won't be pleased, my Lady," giggled the Once-Was.
Daji's eyebrow twitched. With a sigh, she gave the man a forced smile before continuing with her groceries.
She would deal with the god's rage later.
Sure enough…
"How does a supermarket run out of ginger?" Nézhā demanded. He swung his bike at her with one arm, as though he was holding a sword. "Liar!"
"Why are you asking me?" asked Daji. She blocked the bike with one arm, then kicked the god away.
"Ask the supermarket!"
Nézhā snarled, pulling the bike apart into two and attacking her with them. They shimmered in appearance, and Daji could see the resemblance between them and the familiar wheels the babyfaced god once used.
Some things never changed.
A thrust of her palm shattered Nézhā's stance. A follow-up kick knocked one of the wheels aside. She went for a third strike, but Nézhā was ready, his leg matching hers in the air. With a grunt, he twisted his leg, catching Daji by surprise. He tossed aside the bike halves and leaped at her.
Fists rained down on her, mostly blocked by her mortal shell's clothes, but irritating nonetheless. She leaned forward, and as was tradition, bit his nose.
"Damnit woman," howled Nézhā, clutching his face. "Why is it always the face?"
"Because you're stupid enough to get close to my teeth." Daji took one of the discarded bike halves and put them together. Almost instantly, they snapped back into place as one, as though never broken.
Without giving the god a chance to thank her, Daji slammed the bike down on his face. She glanced at the sun and squinted.
"Aren't you still working? It's early in the afternoon, godling."
Nézhā blinked and looked at his phone before turning pale. "Shit, I thought it was still my lunch break." Immediately after, he swung his bike back and pedaled off as quickly as he had come.
"The godling is a quick one," noted the Once-Was. "I could scarcely keep up with both your movements."
Daji shook her head. "He's an idiot, wasting so much time on us. Any xiān that needs to do delivery work has bigger matters than a rogue spirit."
"On the topic of time, when you are done with your supper, I would like to watch the sunset with you, my Lady. Together, for once."
"So be it."
The Once-Was remained quiet for most of the afternoon. Were Daji not familiar with the overwhelming silence of loneliness, she might have been unnerved.
But the Once-Was's lack of a physical body meant it was as though nothing had changed.
As promised, Daji finished her dinner early — just a small bowl rice. The loss of the hotdog still stung. Better to make up for it with a low-budget meal.
After washing the dishes, she sat outside and watched the yellow star fall on the green horizon.
"How is it?" she asked the Once-Was, as the blue sky began to give way to more vibrant colors. "This sunset?"
"It is a strange feeling. I know hundreds of years, thousands of years, have passed since I last saw the sun set, yet it seems just yesterday I was able to see something so beautiful."
"That…"
"Yes, the first and last time I met you. You granted my wish to die facing the sun, so that I would not have my back turned to the end of an era. You made sure I died not ignorant."
Daji could say nothing in response.
"I am happy, my Lady. Truly. My family used me to save the Su clan. Lord Jī Chāng saw me as an acceptable sacrifice. To marry a king of a declining empire, to bind me forever to the end of Shāng. You freed me from that."
"You deserved better, Once-Was," sighed Daji. "You were young, scarcely a woman when your life was stolen away from you."
"We all deserve better, my lady. But life is not kind, and the sun sets on us all eventually."
The last hints of the blue sky gave way to a brilliant orange sunset. The Once-Was sighed.
"What will you do after eating the Jailor's gumiho, my Lady?"
"Unsure. Find fragments of myself, maybe. Topple the Primeval Lord of Heaven himself. Discover what really happened to Jiāng Zǐyá. Perhaps live in human society. Too many options to choose from."
"May I offer a suggestion, Lady Daji?" asked the Once-Was. Daji tensed up at that. The name felt wrong, coming from the Once-Was of Su Dájǐ.
"Go on."
"Let her be. Few of your kind are alive. Is killing one more worth what you gain yourself?"
"Awfully sentimental for a Once-Was."
The Once-Was sighed. "I was once mortal. Even if I'm not sure what I am now."
Daji could offer no response to that, and the two watched quietly as the sunset gave way to the purple hues of nightfall.
