Bunny and the Moon

That night, Feng had the most restless sleep. It would become a night that would haunt the young man endlessly, because a deity had decided to visit him in his dreams. Unfortunately for Feng, this god was not happy with him. He noticed that little detail almost immediately.

At first, he didn't know what to make of the handsome deity. But he knew instantly when laying eyes on the immortal, that the man was not a normal human. The energy radiating from this guy shook Feng to his core. He was having a hard time keeping his head from bowing down to the deity.

The elegantly dressed god leaned up against a tree with his arms crossed over his chest. The wind blew lightly, flowing through his silver hair as he assessed Feng carefully with his green eyes. He surveyed the young man from the top of his head to the tip of his toe. There was no expression on his face what-so-ever.

Feng felt a bit nervous. Surely, if one dreamt of a god that was a good omen, right? But then, he was just an ordinary man. For what reason would a deity visit him?

"So I see you are well," the god finally said, with some familiarity. Though the tone of his voice indicated that the deity was not satisfied with what he was seeing.

The young man honestly wondered what he had done to offend a god. "My… Lord…? How may I help you…?" he inquired carefully, lowering his head.

Sky let out a very long sigh. He wanted to give Atlas a good slap on the back of his head, and was fighting the urge to do it at that moment. Over the thousands of years he had the soldier reporting to him, the god had come to see this human as a friend. Or perhaps more like a younger brother. This entire situation with him being in the Mortal Realm was beyond frustrating.

"As you are, you cannot help me with anything," Sky responded briskly. "Thousands of years worth of training and you literally washed it down the river."

Feng looked confused, not quite understanding what this god was telling him.

Sky closed his eyes and counted to ten, taming his rising annoyance. "And all your memories are gone," he grumbled to himself.

The human shifted uncomfortably. "And which memories are you referring to…?"

"The ones that would be useful to have right now," Sky snapped. He adjusted his neck tie impatiently, not quite sure about this whole situation. 

Are all gods this grumpy? Feng wondered. He was not enjoying this dream one bit.

"Look, I'm not here to give you a hard time," Sky said, softening his tone. "But you came to the Mortal Realm to protect Lady Tuzi, correct? You don't possess any of your training from before. How are you supposed to defend her? And she's to be your wife."

Feng was incredibly confused about the situation. What training? Who is this Lady Tuzi? And wife? He has a wife? Why is everyone talking to him about marriage today? 

"My uh… Lord. My Lord. I don't quite understand. I am not married. I do not have a wife and have no clue as to who you are referencing."

You're an idiot, Atlas, was what Sky wanted to tell him. Had the soldier not acted so rashly and jumped into the River Lethe, a better solution could've been planned out eventually.

"I just met with Lady Tuzi," the god responded. "She's your betrothed, it seems. Although, I fail to see what good you are to her, as you are now."

The young man tried to reason with the god. "But I do not know of a Lady Tuzi. Why would I need to protect her?"

Sky rubbed his forehead. This situation is a mess, but he can at least be thankful that both Tuzi and Atlas are together in the Mortal Realm.

 "The woman sleeping in your house for five years," he responded. "That is Lady Tuzi."

Sky's answer triggered Feng's heart to skip a few beats. His eyes were wide in surprise. How did this god know about Zhuyi? "Is she–"

"Look, I don't have time for idle chit-chat. But understand that she is important to us. She is also important to you, whether you remember her or not. Guard her with your life." Sky stated this command firmly.

Feng opened his mouth with more questions, but just as quickly as the dream started, it was over. He woke up, as the sun was beginning to rise in the early morning pink sky. So many questions left unanswered as they linger on in his mind. 

The words from the god are going to haunt him for a while to come. He laid in his bed staring up at the ceiling of the cabin, his thoughts running wild.

Why would a god visit an ordinary person like him? Was it a coincidence that the deity knew about Zhuyi? Or are gods simply all-knowing?

And what did the god say her name was? Lady Tuzi? Is that truly Zhuyi's real name? Ahhhhhhhh… So many questions, Feng moped feeling entirely unsatisfied with the situation.

However, if the young woman's name is really Tuzi, then significant progress has been made. Another step closer to discovering her identity and past. Whoever Tuzi or Zhuyi may be, she has a god watching over her. She must be a divine being. Or perhaps even a fairy!

"Her name is Tuzi," Feng mumbled to himself. "It means 'bunny.'" Is she the fairy goddess of rabbits? Did he find a rabbit goddess in the caves?

He couldn't help but smile to himself, feeling a bit giddy. Feng wanted to repeat her name a million times and shout it to the whole world. 

Skipping joyfully was his heart, as he couldn't wait to travel home today to tell his mom that Zhuyi was likely not a huli-jing.

It took a moment more before he dragged himself out of bed, folding the blankets neatly in place. His master had already left the cabin early in the morning before sunrise, likely to start the forge. 

Feng splashed some water on his face to rinse off the night's sleep. After putting on his clothes and adjusting properly, he began to head into the workshop.

The forge was already ignited but his teacher was nowhere to be seen. 

Where did he go? he wondered curiously. It wasn't like his teacher to leave the workshop so early in the morning.

The young man began to lay out the necessary tools on the table. As he was doing so, a soft voice whispered a message to him:

"Why are you so sad…?"

Feng held his breath and stopped everything he was doing. He recognized that voice, as it was one he'd never forget. Glancing down at his shirt, he saw a familiar golden glow. His hand reached into his shirt and pulled out the thin chain with a golden shell attached to it. The small object was radiating an auric light.

This was Zhuyi– No, Tuzi– who was trying to communicate with him!

I need to get to her, he thought frantically. He was barely able to catch his breath.

Grabbing his satchel, he slung it over his shoulder and was out the door in the next moment. He knew that his teacher would forgive him for leaving early today.

Feng began to make his way through the village, heading towards the edge of the forest. The townspeople were just beginning to wake up and were waving at him as the young man flew past them.

However, before he made it out of the village, from the corner of his eye he noticed that a small crowd was formed not far from the entrance of the small town. The group of people were all staring at something and whispering cryptically among themselves.

Curiosity pricked at him and he began to walk slower, changing his direction to the gathering of the townspeople. He made his way through the throng of villagers who were all entranced by what they were looking at.

Feng noted that even his teacher Chang was part of the crowd. Ping'er was also there, whispering to her mother.

When he finally reached the clearing and saw what the others were gawking at, his breath was caught in his throat. The drumming sound from his heart seemed to drown out the chattering from the bodies around him. Time became its own entity and stood still in that moment.

His eyes centered steadily on the object, or rather, person who was the cause of this commotion. She was on the ground, barely propping herself up on her knees, carrying his mother Yin on her back.

The beautiful woman was breathing hard, struggling to catch her breath. Her large hazel eyes were rapidly skimming from person to person in the crowd. So many people… Who are they…? 

Strands long blackish-brown hair was falling into her face, and she wanted to brush them aside, but couldn't as Yin was carefully propped on her back. Her eyes stopped skimming when they met with a pair of sapphire blue eyes, gazing back at her.

She recognized those blue eyes immediately, even if they were staring at her in astonishment. The familiarity of them ignited a warm feeling that spread through her heart, which began to skip happily.

Feng took a step forward into the center of the crowd. Slowly, so he wouldn't startle her, he kneeled down in the clearing directly in front of her. His hand shaking, he reached out and gently brushed a loose strand of her dark hair behind an ear.

Her eyes looked kind and crinkled a bit around the edges, as she gave him a tired but endearing smile. In that second, Feng wanted to give everything in his world to her.

"Tuzi," he said tenderly, taking in the vision before him.

"Atlas," she responded breathlessly, relief transparent on her face.

Time stood still for them, as they examined one another's face. How long have they waited for this moment…? For him, she had finally awakened from a years long slumber. He had waited so long for her, as he had loved her from the moment she was found in the cave. 

For her, she was reunited with a dear friend from a void where she had little to nothing to hold onto. This moment meant more to them than words can describe.

"Uh… Son, I know you're very happy to see our beautiful Zhuyi," his mom started with a grin on her face, still hanging onto the young woman. "But can you help her out here? I am not in this position by choice."

Right on cue, Tuzi leaned forward, collapsing from the weight and exhaustion into his arms. Feng barely reacted in time, catching both his mother and the young woman. The sudden bulk of the two bodies caused him to fall backwards. 

As if the spell was suddenly broken, the surrounding villagers rushed forth to help, with Chang lifting Yin carefully off of Tuzi's back. Feng was frantically surveying both women to make sure they were unharmed.

=========================

Author's note:

Tuzi has finally awaken in the Mortal Realm! What will happen to her now? Or rather, can the Mortal Realm handle this silly rabbit here? Please continue to follow her journey!

Thank you angels for reading! If you are enjoying the novel, please help by voting with a Power Stone, leaving a review, commenting, or gifting a Golden Ticket. Thank you so much!