“Yan Dan copy the scriptures ten times, Yan Dan the stitching on my belt is too crude, Yan Dan I don’t like the turtle you sewed. PAHHH!”
Yan Dan lets out a muted screech, screws up her face and wrinkles her nose in distaste. Ever since she’d been summoned, no, not summoned… imprisoned against her will in Emperor Ying Yuan’s palace, the scowl had become a permanent expression on her delicate blossom features. Well only when she interacted with him. Vile man.
The feather duster she’s holding slams down on the table as she has one last cursory glance at Lord Ying Yuan’s petty instructions for her. Fine If he wanted to play it that way, she was not going to be a good little lotus immortal anymore. She would show him.
Her feelings of rage were abruptly interrupted when her eyes settled on a rose gold embossed notebook. Being a lotus flower herself, Yan Dan could not help but be drawn to the rose carvings on the gold cover. She picks up the book and runs her fingers along the ridges of the carvings. A quick flip open reveals empty white pages, just waiting to be written on. It was then that she decided she was going to help herself to this pretty little notebook. It was sitting on the pile of blank paper that had been set aside for her to copy scriptures on. The vile man probably intended for her to copy more tedious theories into it in order to educate her. Well she’ll show him! She’ll write something in it. Not another play. She was going to write a novel. With Lord Ying Yuan’s best notebook. Take that.
Yan Dan scoffs at nobody in particular. She grabs the notebook and stalks out of the room.
***
“Where is the Book of Punishments?”
His voice came out of nowhere as he entered her room causing Yan Dan to jump. My goodness that man was stealthy. He had a habit of suddenly appearing when you least expected him to, or in her case when she was embroiled in something she did not want him to witness.
“How would I know?” Yan Dan retorts back. For a brief moment she is tempted to add on some cutting remark designed to irritate him, however she refrains and bites her tongue when she notices that he’s simply impatient today. He was not in a mood to verbally spar with her. As much as she disliked him Yan Dan was uncannily attuned to his moods.
“Your Majesty, why would I have something called the Book of Punishments? I am but the smallest little servant here, who would I punish? Do I even look like I am the kind of person who would want to punish someone, let alone punish someone from something called the Book of Punishments?”
“I asked one question. Why are you so long winded?”
Whatever mood he was in had dissipated quickly, the corners of his lips tipped slightly upwards, suppressing his amusement.
The amusement however was short lived when his eyes spied the book sitting on her table.
“Yan Dan what have you done? Who told you, you could remove the Book of Punishments from my possession?”
He grabs her wrist. Yan Dan swallows her retort when she sees the grave expression on his face. He really thought she’d stolen the darn thing.
“It was sitting on the pile of papers you left for me to use. I thought you were being generous and left me a pretty notebook so I took it to draft out my novel.”
Yan Dan sighs loudly for dramatic effect.
“I should have known that a petty vile man like you would never give me such a nice present.”
She pouts, picks up the book and waves it at him.
“Here, you take it back. You should have kept it somewhere safe if it’s that important.”
“Yan Dan, you must tell me what you did with it.” His tone is serious, with a hint of worry.
“No need to get so worked up. I just wrote my novel in it.”
She sidles up to him and gives him a robust slap on the shoulder. “Don’t worry your majesty. If you’re worried that I’ve defaced the book, I have this spell that can wipe out all my writing. Your Majesty it is not my place to lecture you but you should really put these artifacts safely away where you won’t rouse genuine curiosity from well meaning individuals.”
Ying Yuan waits for her to finish her rant, something he’s accustomed to by now. However no sooner had she finished her little speech, Yan Dan immediately waves her hand and proceeds to attempt to cast a spell before he can get a word in edgewise.
“YAN DAN NOOOOO,” he shouts as the book flips open.
A beam of light bursts out and the last thing he recalls is Yan Dan’s panicked scream as he throws his arms around her waist and pulls her towards him.
***
“Your Majesty, why do you smell like mulch? To be honest I didn’t expect you to have this damp musty smell. You always look so clean and white. It is so strange that you smell like damp plants.”
The last thing Ying Yuan remembers was his attempt to protect Yan Dan. It seemed as though only a few seconds had passed but now here they were. Sprawled on the ground with him on top of her, their bodies melding neatly together despite the turbulent landing.
“Are you hurt?” he asks softly. Too softly it seems. His question was drowned up by Yan Dan’s musings.
Before Ying Yuan could get another word in, he finds her nose buried in his neck.
“Oh it’s the cave that smells damp! Not you! You smell…like fresh pine,” Yan Dan declares, looking almost relieved, like her world would be turned upside down if he didn't smell the way she expected him too. Ying Yuan’s face flushes bright red. He could still feel her nose nuzzled against his neck.
Not being one to stay flustered for long he decides to take charge of the situation and rolls them over so that Yan Dan is now nestled on top of him.
“Did I crush you?” he asks calmly, regaining his composure.
“I’m fine,” she replies airily, scrambling to get off him. “But what has happened to us?”
“The Book of Punishment,” Ying Yuan reponds curtly, hauling himself up and shaking his robes.
“We’re trapped in the book?” Yan Dan wastes no time examining her surroundings whilst waiting for his answer.
“The Book of Punishments is another way of punishing immortals. It is usually reserved for those we feel can benefit from a lesson rather than torture.”
“How benevolent of you all. I thought it was always the Bridge of Emptiness, thunder strikes or ice drilling.”
Her tone is mocking however he ignores it and continues.
“A scenario is written into the book and the offender is trapped in the book until they have learnt their lesson.”
“Interesting……” Yan Dan’s voice trails off as she runs her fingers along the walls of the cave.
“I hope you, all powerful, divine Majesty know of a way to get us out.” She pauses for dramatic effect before giving him a sheepish nod. “Because we are trapped in my story.”
***
“Yan Dan why would you write a story about a cave?” Ying Yuan takes a deep breath and closes his eyes, willing himself to swallow his frustration. Now that he’s had some time to take in his surroundings it had become very obvious. Of course this was all her doing.
The cave. The bright green moss. The fact that the cave was extremely well lit despite there being no source of light. The luscious fruits hanging off the walls of the cave, seemingly growing out of nowhere. Of course this all came from Yan Dan’s head. It was chaotic and made no sense.
He gives the cave another suspicious glance, half expecting to see a roasted chicken drumstick growing out of the walls.
“Your Majesty,” Yan Dan grins at him sheepishly. “Why does anyone do anything? I’m just a small, ultra imaginative little immortal. Of course I need to channel that imagination somewhere. I was able to get my hands on some mortal texts. Fascinating stuff. You should read it one day, it could lighten your mood a bit. Anyway, I digress. I was reading mortal texts and then thought I should try my hand at writing fiction myself. You know some people are good at cultivating, me not so much. I am more creative. So I….”
“Stop!” Ying Yuan presses a finger, gently but firmly against her lips. “What did you write?”
“Well your Majesty, are you sure you want to hear about it? I need to start at the beginning….”
Ying Yuan closes his eyes and takes another deep breath.
“Don’t worry about explaining. Let me think.”
***
“Your Majesty I’mmmm sooooo ccccc…ooooo…llll…ddd,” Yan Dan shivers. “It’s freezing here.”
She curls up into a little ball, her petite hands rubbing her arms vigorously in an attempt to generate heat.
“Meditate like I instructed you to and generate heat. The heat will keep you warm and the temperature of the cave will be of no consequence,” Ying Yuan instructs her. He’s straight backed, in his typical regal meditation stance. Having had time to absorb the situation he was now rather unperturbed by the whole affair. This was only Yan Dan’s imagination after all. As loud and energetic as Yan Dan was, there was no malice nor darkness in her heart. They had nothing to fear in this book other than her talking him to death.
“I can’t focus with all this cold,” Yan Dan whines at him.
“Well why did you write for the cave’s temperature to drop then?” he asks her wryly. The man had no heart and no consideration for her suffering.
Yan Dan opens her mouth to retort back but is interrupted by Ying Yuan.
“Oh I remember now. To force your characters Tang Zhou and Bai Piao Liang to cuddle.”
There is a hint of mockery in his voice at the word cuddle that makes Yan Dan bristle.
Before he knew what hit him, Ying Yuan feels a gentle thump as Yan Dan launches herself onto his back.
“Are you insane?” he demands indignantly despite making no move to shake her off.
Yan Dan throws her arms around his waist and clings onto his back like a little monkey. A mischievous, chatty little monkey that had the faint scent of lotus.
“Don’t be a vile man. We are in this together. Help keep me warm so I won’t freeze to death,” she cajoles him with a cheeky smile on her face.
It doesn’t take Ying Yuan long to gather his wits. In one deft movement, he swiftly pulls Yan Dan off his back and settles her on his lap, his arms banding around her waist.
His mouth forms a satisfied smirk as a look of confusion and then outrage crosses Yan Dan’s face.
“What… what do you think you’re doing?” she demands looking indignant and somewhat flustered as she begins to wriggle in his lap.
“Keeping you warm,” Ying Yuan replies calmly as he wrestles her into submission.
“Either meditate or stop causing a ruckus” he commands her sternly. To his surprise she obeys and stops flailing about.
“Remember you can’t fall in love with me. It’s against your crusty heavenly rules,” she pulls a face at him.
“Oh there is no danger that I will fall in love with someone as troublesome as you.”
