The Bride Of The Water God Wang Su

Chapter 5

When the horizon in the east brightened, turning a soft pink, Kooi entered the young lady's bedroom quietly.

"Mistress, get up, rays of the sun..." she began, opening the transparent canopy of the bed.

"...have touched the clouds. Dawn will come soon," Lee Soo finished the common phrase in a sleepy voice. She peeked out from under the blanket and rubbed her eyes. "Is it really morning?"

"Yes, my lady, morning has arrived."

"Can it be? Have I slept so long?" Lee Soo exclaimed in surprise.

"You fell asleep while the Lord was playing the guzheng, and you didn't wake up even when the maids undressed you and put you to bed," Kooi replied calmly, laying out the mistress's clothes.

Lee Soo recalled the previous day's events. How could she have fallen asleep during the performance? Such carelessness was unacceptable!

"It's all the Supreme Overlord's fault! He must have bewitched me," the young lady reasoned in an attempt to justify herself.

"Miss, you should feel fortunate. Not everyone gets the opportunity to hear the Supreme Overlord play. Even the inhabitants of the Heavenly Kingdom find it hard to resist his unparalleled skills, let alone mortals," the maid shared her thoughts and did not notice how Lee Soo skeptically rolled her eyes, listening to the maid's praises to the arrogant deity.

The clear morning delighted the guest of the Heavenly Kingdom with the aroma of blooming wisteria, the gentle rays of the sun, and the cheerful songs of maids collecting ripe fruits in the garden. Lee Soo was in an excellent mood. She enjoyed an airy, crispy flatbread, a couple of juicy peaches, and savored a cup of sweet nectar. Feeling unusually cheerful, she prepared for a walk.

As she stepped outside the gate of the house, unfolding a paper umbrella adorned with dancing herons, she unexpectedly ran into Wei An. Today the Supreme Overlord was without his retinue. He seemed confused by the sudden encounter. For a moment, they both stood silently, looking at each other. It was Lee Soo who first regained her composure and spoke.

"What are you doing here?" Lee Soo asked, more in confusion than as a salutation.

Puzzled by the guest's lack of tact, the Supreme Overlord raised an eyebrow in surprise. "In the Heavenly Kingdom, I can be wherever I wish," he replied calmly.

"Sorry," Lee Soo quickly realized her mistake and bowed in greeting.

Tiny gilded fish swayed on the thin chains adorning her hair. Noticing the hairpins marked with the symbols of the Water Kingdom, Wei An winced slightly.

"I hope you slept well," he said politely, yet with a cold tone, his gaze fixed on the golden scales shimmering on the sides of the fish.

"Your wonderful music had an extremely favorable effect on me, much better than any sleeping medicin," Lee Soo replied, masking her true opinion about the previous day's events with polite words.

"Yesterday, the young lady snored too loudly in my ear. It seemed to me that a drunken were-badger had fallen onto my shoulder," Wei An remarked indifferently.

"Is snoring forbidden in the Heavenly Kingdom?" Hurt by the offensive words, Lee Soo momentarily forgot all known rules of decency.

"I forgive you," the Supreme Overlord said graciously, making an imperceptible gesture. The long-tailed fish in her hair transformed into golden-winged, openwork butterflies.

Wei An gestured towards the garden path, inviting his guest for a walk. Although Lee Soo preferred to avoid further conversation with the arrogant deity, she did not dare refuse and followed him.

After some silence, Wei An spoke up again, "Tomorrow, we celebrate a big holiday in the world of the gods, and you will accompany me."

"Sounds like an order," Lee Soo, still offended, found it difficult to mask her true feelings with feigned politeness.

"This is a manifestation of my mercy towards you," the Supreme Overlord said, shaking his head disapprovingly as he looked at his guest. "Once a year, the evening Dawn meets the morning one. Goddesses Mei and Ming will enter the waters of the Sacred Lake and perform a dance. Not many are fortunate enough to witness such an event. Only superior beings are allowed to participate in the celebration."

"Then... I shouldn't presume to..." Lee Soo began, but against her will, her gaze was drawn to the scarlet rubies of the decoration on the Supreme Overlord's chest, which flashed in the sun's rays.

"You are my guest, and besides, you are the bride of the water god, Wang Su, unknown to anyone here," Wei An said, suddenly grinning. "I've always wanted to ask: why do people, when sacrificing young maidens to the Water God, call them brides?"

"In the human world, families arrange marriages as a promise of living in peace. Is it different for the gods?" Lee Soo asked.

"Gods do not marry. Trying to mix elements like fire and water, air and earth, light and darkness is perilous. Maintaining the balance of the worlds is crucial; otherwise, everything would plunge into chaos," Wei An explained.

"How are you born? Why do gods and goddesses exist?" A spark of interest flashed in the guest's eyes.

"Even for a human, you are too inquisitive. I can only say this: we are not bound by the base passions that control people," Wei An responded.

"And gods never... Oh!" Lee Soo suddenly fell silent, realizing her excessive curiosity was leading the conversation in an unsuitable direction with the Supreme Overlord.

"What? Go on, speak," Wei An said, turning to his guest. However, his view was obstructed by the herons painted on the young lady's umbrella.

"Look at the flowers! I've never seen anything quite like them before," Lee Soo's voice rang out, filled with feigned enthusiasm.

The Supreme Overlord walked around Lee Soo, who was admiring the exotic beauties, and looked under the umbrella.

"How dare you avoid answering! Look into my eyes," he said sternly.

Contrary to his demand, the young lady closed her eyes and, additionally, covered her face with her palm.

"If you persist, I will turn you into a lizard," the Supreme Overlord said, struggling to restrain his laughter.

"Never! I'd rather be a lizard," Lee Soo declared, clenching her fingers even tighter.

"Look, your tail is growing."

"Where?" the young lady asked, immediately turning to look. Then she heard a cheerful laugh.

Indignantly, Lee Soo looked at the deity. Taking advantage of the moment, Wei An leaned so close to Lee Soo's face that she involuntarily stepped back.

"What did you want to ask?" the Supreme Overlord asked curiously, studying the gentle oval of her face before peering into her wide eyes. However, he soon straightened up, stepped aside, and rubbed the bridge of his nose in puzzlement. "Hm! I thought only men on Earth pondered such things."

Overwhelmed with shame, Lee Soo felt as if she were about to fall from heaven back to Earth.

Acting as if nothing had happened, the Supreme Overlord continued along the path.

"Let's go. If you enjoy looking at different flowers, I will show you a truly magnificent plant—a pomegranate tree with golden leaves," he said.

The young lady hesitated briefly before reluctantly following him. She held her umbrella cautiously, making sure he saw not her face, but the long beaks of herons depicted on it.

"You know, I would never turn you into a lizard," Wei An remarked conciliatorily after a while.

"Really?" the young lady peered out from under the umbrella, delighted.

"Yes. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to read your thoughts. They would become like sand in the stormy waters of the sea surf," the Supreme Overlord stopped. "By the way, stop thinking about my naked chest so often. It confuses me."

Lee Soo suddenly felt a strong desire to hit the unceremoniously grinning young man with an umbrella, even if this young man was the almighty Lord of the Worlds.