The Fox Princess And Her White Dog

35: Carp Leaping Over Dragon Gate

After downing his bowl of milk tea, Chow Chow left to shepherd Qara's sheep as usual, and Snow flopped back into bed to catch up on sleep.

Over the rest of the day, she tried to recall her mother's every single feature, the sound of her soft voice, and her beautiful smile, until Chow Chow came home in time for dinner. She thought he would go easy on her with her training, considering what they had undergone together the night before. However, he had a mischievous gleam in his eye, like he couldn't wait for what was in store.

"Come on, Princess! Punch through it!"

Grunting, she boxed the padded board he was holding in front of her. "Ouch, that hurts!"

"Of course it'll hurt."

"Why do I have to learn this?"

"So that you can throw a proper punch without injuring yourself. Imagine punching your worst enemy in the face. Right here." His fingertips drummed the sides of the board. A frowning face was hastily drawn in the center.

My worst enemy? Master Li! No, I cannot bear to hit that old man. The Crown Prince! I wonder where he's run off to. Wait. . .

The Fifth Prince's sneering face to mind, and Snow swung her fist as hard as she could.

֎֎֎֎֎

As always, Chow Chow brought her to a serene, forested place with nary a soul insight. This time, they landed beside a babbling brook that cascaded into a small pool. He bent to dip his hand into the water. Small chunks of ice formed beneath his fingers, while fish swam away, sending ripples across the surface. 

 "I never figured you could do that," Snow said beside him. "So far I've seen you conjure up fire, wind, water, and now this."

"I'm full of surprises, aren't I?" He held his sleeve as he scooped up the bobbing pieces of ice.

"Was that why you were the Heavenly Mother's personal guard?" she said in jest.

"Mmhmm."

Oh. The ice, wrapped in a handkerchief, felt cold against her knuckles. "I had imagined the Heavenly Mother's personal guards to be somewhat. . . bigger?"

He gave a low chuckle. "I was her most diminutive guard, yes. You should have seen everyone's faces when I first walked into the throne room, ahead of her entourage. Many of them didn't think I could qualify, but I proved them wrong."

He looked boyish and innocent when he smiled at her, but she did not forget his darker persona in his black uniform with a blood-red sash. Lieutenant Zhao. A Heixing. Whatever that means.

"If the Heavenly Mother is the most powerful goddess in celestial realms, why does she even need bodyguards?" she blurted.

"Are you implying I'm merely a pretty face accompanying Her Majesty?" he said teasingly.

"Don't flatter yourself, I never said you were pretty."

"Princess, you're so cruel!" Chow Chow mimed a melodramatic stab to the heart. "First, you say that I'm small, then useless, and now you insult my beauty."

Snow sucked her breath through her teeth. "Fine, I take it back. Let me rephrase my question." Why did I say that in the first place, of course a ruler would always have guards around. "Surely it is peaceful in the Heavenly Realm? I imagined there are no threats, unlike here on Earth."

"That's what humans would like to think, that everyone in the celestial realms is a benevolent being without a modicum of malice. Only the Goddess of Mercy and your mother were truly beyond reproach. Everyone else. . ." He had been holding her hand up while pressing the ice on her knuckles, but he let go to rearrange his robes on the grass around him.