Episode 2: My destiny is...

A wish? God will grant me? God never paid attention to me before, but now they will grant anything I wish for? What absurdity.

The look in her eyes had nothing but defiance, disbelief and distrust. Although she did not doubt what the man said about being a god himself.

With the expansive scape of clouds and this dreamlike place, the possibility that this is either her dream or her afterlife was very high. And the latter held more weight since she clearly remembered dying.

...****************...

Ning Ru Fei was walking along the road. She did not remember why she was there, or what she was doing. With her life as it was, her mental health was at its breaking point.

This wasn't the first time she had wandered outside without guards, reason, or even purpose. Just walking along where her legs took her.

That day, she wandered and reached a crowded main street of some market. There were a lot of people. Ning Ru Fei never liked crowded places so, she hurried to the side.

That was when she noticed. A small child was pushed out of the crowd and backed towards the middle of the road. Many vehicles were running past at that time as well.

Ning Ru Fei remembered that her legs moved on their own at a very fast pace. She pushed the child aside, but in the process, took its place.

Crash--!!

...****************...

Ning Ru Fei awoke from her daydream. The man still stood tall in front of her. He seems to be perfectly fine with her ignoring his words like this.

The so-called God smiled.

"I know it is hard for you to believe me. And I would not force you to believe me either. Just know that no one here means any harm to you."

His warm smile returned to his face and continued to walk. Ning Ru Fei again followed quietly. However, the tension from the beginning seems to have decreased.

After walking for a little while, Ning Ru Fei saw a huge gate in front of them. The view of the two sides of the gates were worlds apart.

On one side, the landscape was covered with large expanse of cloud fields as far as the eye could see. On the other side, however, was a big town, no different than that of any normal town.

They walked through the huge doors. Ning Ru Fei was in awe of the sight before her. In front of her, the God was walking faster, so she also picked up her pace.

After walking for a while, they stopped at a tea house to rest. The man ordered a fresh pot of tea along with some snacks.

Ever since they entered this town, Ning Ru Fei couldn't help but notice that the people were being overly courteous to them.

Even when they were walking along the streets, many people cleared the way from the crowd and some even bowed towards them.

The tea house owner himself delivered their tea and left with nothing but glee on his face. The man poured them both a cup and took a sip of his tea.

"You have questions, yes? I shall answer them for you."

The man told her the whole story of how the heavens worked.

Apparently, there were two kinds of heavens, the upper heavens and the lower heavens. The lower heavens consisted of those extraordinary humans, who managed to ascend and gain godly powers.

The upper heavens, on the upper hand, consisted of only seven gods. Those seven gods were known as the origin gods, and they have existed since the worlds had existed.

The origin gods were the true gods who maintained the balance in existence. They all had different abilities and responsibilities.

The seven origin gods were:

God of Martial Arts

God of Alchemy and Medicine

God of Death and Reincarnation

Goddess of Natural Elements

Goddess of Emotions

Goddess of Fate and Destiny

God of Time and Space

The origin gods ruled over all of the existence including the lower heavens. They were the supreme beings which controlled the life and fate of all the worlds in existence.

"..."

"I know. It is all hard for you to believe. No need to fret over it. By the way, I haven't introduced myself, have I?"

He cleared his throat.

"I am none other than one of the seven origin gods, the god of death and reincarnation. You may call me Ming Ye."

His smile never faded for even a moment. Ning Ru Fei had figured as much already, so she wasn't much surprised.

"Ning Ru Fei."

She felt it was only right to introduce herself, at this point. Unexpectedly, God Ming Ye chuckled.

"I know, I know. I have brought you here after all."

"I apologize. I have been rude to a supreme god."

"No need to worry. So, what have you thought of what I said before?"

What he said before? The wish?

"I-- Why is it that the gods have favored me now? I always thought I was abandoned."

"I know why you might think that, but rest assured, the gods never abandon anyone.

Ning Ru Fei gave it some serious thought, and she finally made up her mind.

"I think I know what I might want. Should I say it now?"

"No. I shall be taking you to the upper heavens. There shall be a meeting held there. You may speak your mind there."

"Alright."

Ning Ru Fei knew very well that she was in the presence of a deity. Ideally, she should be courteous to her greatest extent, but now, she was too exhausted. The gods had come too late.

"Then let us go."

Ming Ye got up and waved his hand. A white mist covered them both completely. Ning Ru Fei closed her eyes in alert, but when she opened them again, the sight before her had changed.

She was standing in a waterside pavilion. Or maybe, it was a boat? Either way, it was huge. There were fresh plants growing that she had never even seen before.

Seven thrones were aligned in line with different decorations and luxuries adoring them. There were all kinds of tea and snacks placed on the table, at the front.

"Pretty, isn't it?"

Ning Ru Fei glanced at Ming Ye. His carefree smile, she really did envy. Ming Ye moved his hand again and a chair formed out of midair.

Ming Ye gestured for her to sit, then walked to one of the thrones and seated himself. "They all should be here soon." He said.

As soon as he finished, Ning Ru Fei noticed someone passing by her. She turned her head to look, only to find six people with a heavy presence, walking past.

Ning Ru Fei was curious at first, but then she saw Ming Ye getting up and greeting them. They also greeted Ming Ye. She figured they might be the other six origin gods.

After their formal greetings, the atmosphere turned informal quickly. Ning Ru Fei noticed that the entire attention had fallen on her.

She stiffened.

"Oh, so this is that child huh?" A big burly man among the group spoke. It was easy enough to guess that he might be the god of martial arts, considering his build.

Ning Ru Fei thought it was impolite to stay silent any longer. She was nervous, but more than that, she felt confused, still unable to fully grasp her situation.

"Excuse me. Ahem. My name is Ning Ru Fei. It is my pleasure to meet all of the seniors." She bowed lightly.

"Ning Ru Fei? But wasn't your name-- Ow! H-Hey, Qing Chen! What was that for?!"

"Ahem." Bai Qing Chen cleared his throat. "Miss Ning, ignore this idiot. He is the perfect example of having all brawns but no brains."

Bai Qing Chen flashed a gentle smile, but Long Zhan Tian roared. "What does that mean?!"

"Can you be quieter? You're scaring out little friend here. How impolite to not even introduce yourself." Feng Lan turned to Ning Ru Fei.

"Hello dear, I am Feng Lan, the goddess of natural elements. Nice to finally meet you." Feng Lan raised her hand and instantly, a small plant sprouted out of the ground. It was shining too, capturing Ning Ru Fei's focus.

"That was, indeed, rude of me." Long Zhan Tian admitted. "I am Long Zhan Tian, the god of martial arts. A pleasure! And this fellow next to me is Bai Qing Chen."

"Hey. I am the god of Alchemy and Medicine."

"You can call me Liu Yao. I am the goddess of emotions." Another next to her said, "Si Yuan, I control people's fates and destinies." Si Yuan winked at her. "And believe me, you have a good one."

A good destiny? Sure.

The last one among the gods was quiet. The aloof look he gave was quite frightening, but Ning Ru Fei had seen worse faces so it didn't affect her much.

"Wu Ju, you gotta introduce yourself!" Long Zhan Tian chimed in.

The god of time and space gave him another cold and aloof look, but finally said, "Chen Wu Ji."

Well... He did introduce himself, at least.

"Don't take it wrong. It's not that he had any problems with you. He's just aloof by nature, but he's a good man inside." Ming Ye explained.

"I understand." Ning Ru Fei replied.

The eight people seated themselves. But Ning Ru Fei found this spring arrangement to be quite uncomfortable. The seven gods say in a line, and all of them, facing her. She felt like she was being stared at.

"Anyway. Child, as I said before, us gods will grant a wish for you. This is the perfect time to say your mind." Ming Ye started.

Ning Ru Fei had long made up her mind as to what to ask for. She could only think of this. If the gods did not grant her wish, then that would mean they were simply messing with her.

Ning Ru Fei was feeling quite calm despite the fact that she was sitting in the presence of the supreme gods of all existence. Probably because, she had already died once.

"I wish to..." She held her breath. "I wish to stay in the heaven realm as a ghost."

"..."

"..."

"..."

Her words pierced through their ears. All of them sat dumbfounded. They couldn't believe what they had just heard.

Ming Ye was the first to inquire. "Child, do you realize what you're saying. Stay in the heaven realm as a ghost. But we're giving you a new chance at life. Why would you want that?"

"I know what I said. I appreciate your concern for me, and even giving me the choice of a new life. But... I don't have any attachments to life anymore. It's pointless to live. So, I'd rather stay here. At the least, this place is beautiful and peaceful."

Ning Ru Fei's negative attitude towards life stupified the gods. Many of them tried to persuade her, but to no avail. Suddenly, Si Yuan, who had been quiet till now, spoke up.

"This is her destiny. Not even the good have the powers to change it."

Her words were clear. Long Zhan Tian inquired, "Do you mean, she is meant to stay in the heaven realm? But for a mortal to stay in the heaven realm, there is only one way..."

He trailed off. Thinking, it may not be appropriate to say it now.

"Yes. That is her destiny."

"If that's the will of the world. Then, we shall follow through." These words came from none other than Chen Wu Ji"

As the god with the strongest abilities out of all, his words carried some weight. After he spoke, no one else dared to rebuke.

It seems it's settled then. But... I can't believe that my destiny involves me staying in the heaven realm. I can't predict what fate might have in-store for me next.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***