Western Desert

Zui He was living her worst nightmare.

When she was in Tai Chen palace there were people who would be at her beck and call. They would do all the hard work that came with being the water deity and report to her. Several immortals would vie for her attention and favor. And now in the western desert she was reduced to... this. Being like one of 'those' immortals. The ones that had to do the work. Yes, she still had maids and servants, but nothing compared to the luxurious life in the Sky Kingdom. Nothing ever would.

Where her days were spent with ruling over several fairy maids, getting them to do her bidding, now she had to spend long hours doing the work and supervising a handful of other water immortals. She had to provide a report of her work to her superior. Some people who had fawned on her in her older life, were now her colleagues. She could not stand their half-pity, half-snobbish behaviors with herself. Yes, no one resorted to openly offending her because she was still the great Dijun's half sister, but she could totally feel it in their passive aggressiveness. They were out to dish her the same treatment she had given them earlier. All because everyone had either seen or heard of how Dijun had cast her away and supported the decision to send her away as a punishment.

How did things turn up to be this bad?

She had grown up loving an iceberg of a man. Confident in the knowledge that if not her, nothing would melt that cold rock. Secure in her own beauty and prowess. Basking in the understanding that all thanks to her parents helping Dong Hua when he was little, Dong Hua would be hers sooner or later. Whether it was out of love or out of obligation, she did not really care.

She had always loved him, his power. Wanted all that power and respect to herself. She knew Dong Hua would prefer strong women, so she had made it a point to rule the Tai Chen palace with an iron fist. She knew Dong Hua valued cultivation, so she had worked on it and earned the right to be the water deity for the Sky Kingdom. So what if she did not have to work as hard as others thanks to her family ties? So what if she had become complacent over the years? When Dong Hua became her husband and she herself became the Dihou of Tai Chen palace, no one would dare challenge her anyways, right? She had earned her complacency.

And then a scheming little mammal queen had waltzed in to the Sky Kingdom and taken all that away, ruined all her plans of ever being the Dihou she deserved to be. And to think that the vixen had been pretending to be her maid! How could Zui He ever forgive that?!

Where had she gone so wrong? How could she erase that sly fox's very existence and take her rightful place as the supreme mistress of Tai Chen palace?

She was lost in her thoughts as usual when her maid, Yu Ru, came in with a message. "Who would have wanted to send her a message?" she wondered and was all the more confused on reading the contents of the parchment.

"Let's go," was all she said and they both left.

-----

"Princess Zui He, you have lost weight. Are you wallowing in self pity? I had thought you would be more of a fighter than that....", Ji Heng chuckled mockingly. Zui He noted how the demon queen did not even bother with pleasantries.

Zui He's eyes shot up, "Demon Princess, what is the meaning of all this? How dare you come to the Sky Kingdom and insult me like this?" she demanded to know, taking petty pleasure in not acknowledging the other as a queen.

"Oh my, you are feisty! But all that temper best be used for some worthwhile effort, don't you think? I am too powerful for your little tantrums, so don't waste them on me. Also, I am really an enemy of your enemy so it will only be smart of you if you are friends with me. I would actually like to help you achieve your deepest desire", Ji Heng spoke mysteriously.

"Help me achieve my desire? How do you know what I desire and why do you think I need you to help me? What is in it for you?" Zui He found herself asking even before thinking it through.

"I know you want the queen of Quing Qui dead because of how she stole your foster brother from you", Ji Heng leaned in and whispered next to Zui He's ears making her gasp.

"Do I have your attention now? I have the perfect way to achieve that goal, but you need to act decisively now. This time won't ever come again. Once you get what you want, you and I can discuss in detail about why I want to help you? What is it to me? Blah blah blah.... What do you say?" the demon queen smirked.

"And without knowing why you are helping me why would I agree? Do you take me for a dimwit?", Zui He argued back.

"Oh ok, alright. I have a bone to pick with the little nine-tailed-red fox. She humiliated me in front my now husband when we were in Fanyin Valley. I cannot get over it. I cannot forgive her. Also, I wanted to marry Dijun, tried to get him to do it. But she stole him from me. Now although I have married an equally important figure, I cannot stand that Dijun married that weakling. I would rather see someone else be the Dihou of Tai Chen palace. If I am not mistaken, you also desire the same outcome, do you not", Ji Heng did not even attempt to hide her hatred towards Bai Feng Jiu.  

Ji Heng's calculating gaze unnerved Zui He, "Let's assume for a moment that I agree. What would I have to do? Right now I am not even residing at Tai Chen palace myself and that vixen has become the Dihou there. With Dijun's impregnable wards it's impossible to even reach her, much less cause her any harm. I am not sure you have thought things through...", Zui He replied defensively.

"I am very much aware that she is the Dihou and she lives in Tai Chen palace or Quing Qui. Both these places have Dijun's own protection and we cannot make any moves while she is there. But, a little bird told me that her ascension trial is coming up and she won't be under Dijun's protection for a while. She will be forced to go to the mortal realm and there.... Ha ha.. everything is fair game there, isn't it?" Ji Heng laughed maliciously.

Zui He gave it some thought and decided to relent. If they were caught she could probably pretend that she was forced or possessed by the Demon Queen. A little bit of acting skills and she would have a fall back plan. In fact it would be definitely in her favor if she destroyed the Fox Queen's spirit and then the Immortals discovered that the Demon Queen forced her to do so. The Demon Queen would be punished and with Feng Jiu gone, the sympathy Zui He would garner could get her back at Tai Chen palace. 

"Fine, I will assist you in your plan. What did you have in mind?", she asked her guest arrogantly. The rest of the time was spent sizing each other up and planning next steps. It was a while when the Demon Queen returned to her realm. Obviously, the Water Deity had not bothered to offer any further hospitality.

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{Author's notes}

Hope you all have been doing well. 

First and foremost, I sincerely want to thank each of you who read, voted, commented or asked for updates. Your encouragement means so much to me!

While I was resting after surgery, Wattpad was often my sole companion. I love getting lost in a good story and this community is bursting with talent. So grateful to all the authors here who generously share their talents. As for me, I am learning from several of them and slowly making my way. 

As of now, I have recovered enough to continue this story. If nothing else props up, hopefully this time I will be able to publish consistently and complete this project. I also took the time to re-read this story myself and can notice a couple places I would like to make edits.  The changes are not significant plot-wise, so my plan is to take it to completion first and then do editing. Let me know what you all recommend. My aim is to create something that you all can love. I can be persuaded to do editing first and then continuation. 

So much love and huge hugs!
~PAM