The Bride Of The Water God Wang Su

Chapter 18

Red swirls lay across the thin paper, setting off the gold and white stripes. Biting her lip with effort, Lee Soo painted the tail of the kite. It seemed unlikely that she could surprise the Supreme Deity with a paper toy, especially when compared to the living winged creatures of the Heavenly Kingdom. Yet, the joy of spending time together was undeniable. Lee Soo was eager to teach Wei An how to fly a kite.

As Kooi entered the room, Lee Soo placed her brush on the stand and blew on the paint to help it dry faster.

"The Supreme Overlord has sent new books for the lady," the head maid announced, displaying an impressive stack.

"Why didn't he come himself?" Lee Soo asked, surprised.

"I think the Supreme Overlord is preoccupied with many important tasks," Kooi replied, placing the books on the table.

"I wonder what they could be," Lee Soo muttered offendedly.

"The Supreme Overlord will visit my lady when he finds it necessary," Kooi responded, not understanding the young lady's discontent.

"He won't come, and there's no need. I'll spend my day having fun, riding on the swing, and..." Lee Soo began, but stopped as she met Kooi's bewildered gaze. She quickly corrected herself, "That is, I intend to study diligently. In the garden."

With a feigned eagerness to delve into the divine knowledge, she picked up the first book from the stack and, holding her head high, left the room.

As soon as the young lady left the house, she stopped in amazement, looking at the garden that had changed beyond recognition.

"Wow! Where are my favorite wisterias and roses? Where is the gazebo covered with honeysuckle? Where did the swing go?" She stared dumbfounded at the large, smooth banana leaves flaunting in clay tubs.

Young bamboo trees created a hedge separating a small lawn from the house. A winding path, lined with lush tufts of fescue and heather, led into the shade of a hazel tree. Fragile bindweeds, blooming on the ground for only one day, stubbornly reached towards the sun.

"Although... It turned out no worse than it was. After all, in the Heavenly Kingdom, they know how to create wonderful landscapes," Lee Soo mused, forgetting her earlier offense.

Clutching the book to her chest, the intrigued young lady set off to explore the unexplored corners of the garden. The walk turned out to be long. The garden had become at least several times larger, and one of the paths was laid out with free-standing flat stones rising above the ground. Lee Soo had to jump from one stone to another, carefully watching her feet. Soon, she grew bored of this activity and hurried to a young willow, which bent its thin branches to the ground. As soon as the young lady stepped into the cool shadow, the green tent carefully sheltered her from the bright midday rays.

Lee Soo sat down to the ground, reluctantly flipped through a few pages, and put the book aside. She didn't want to read it at all.

"Kooi woke up, as usual, at dawn. She doesn't understand that people sometimes want to be pampered in bed," the young lady covered her mouth with her palm and yawned sweetly. Making herself more comfortable, Lee Soo began to watch how thin willow leaves swayed in the wind and Master Odo's weightless aerial creations slowly floated across the sky.

A nightingale sang selflessly in the bushes. The melodic, gentle trills of the winged singer filled the air and, without the young lady noticing, she fell asleep.

None of the servants knew that an uninvited guest had appeared in the house. Tien Tu slowly crossed the clearing and stopped near the willow, observing the sleeping young lady. Picking up the book lying next to the careless and not very diligent student, he flipped through the works of the ancients.