Three Lives, Death Exists Not at the River of Oblivion

Bonus Story 3: The Death of Siming Xingjun

Siming was dead.

Well, not really dead. She just accidentally fell from the Suxian Terrace and went into a deep sleep.

Under the Suxian Terrace was the Jade Pond. Filled inside the Jade Pond was an extremely fragrant yet at the same time extremely intoxicating ten-thousand-year-old wine. Even a god would go to sleep for thousands of years if he happened to have too much to drink.

Not only did Siming Xingjun fall all the way inside, the entire celestial realm knew she was also a landlubber. Once she fell, unless she drank until her eyes popped white, she would never be able to float on her own. For this reason, by the time the gatekeeper found Siming 'drowning in wine' and labored to pull her ashore, Siming was already passed out from the wine foam.

After the old doctor checked Siming's pulse, he surmised her waking up would be a matter of six or seven thousand years later.

Six or seven thousand years for the undying immortals wasn't a long time. However, Siming managed fates in the three realms as the God of Fate. She was also responsible for writing tribulations for those going through trials. Hers was the most critical out of all the critical positions. The three realms couldn't have one day without Siming Xingjun, let alone six or seven thousand years.

The gods couldn't but panic and blame Siming for being careless. Amid the frenzy dismay, a maidservant quietly pointed out that she had seen Siming with Lord Moxi's new wife, Sansheng, before she fell into the pond. The two of them even appeared to have had a dispute.

Once she said this, everyone went hushed for a moment. You looked at me, I looked at you, but no one dared to stand up and say it aloud.

The God of War was generally a very fair and just god. He was, however, terribly protective of his wife, Sansheng, and no one could dream to say a bad thing about her.

The stiff atmosphere was finally broken at long last by the Crane Fairy who was sent by the Celestial Emperor.

"What are we going to do about this? Will you just let Siming Xingjun lie on the ground? Why haven't you helped bring her back?! Are the lot of you all blind?" The Crane Fairy yelled at the maidservants standing by the Jade Pond for a length before demanding: "Why is Siming this drunk? When was the last time anyone slipped and fell into the Jade Pond?"

The crowd dithered for a long while. Only the maidservant repeated what she said.

The Crane Fairy gave her words a listen and briefly fell silent. "If that is the case, why not go and confront Sansheng?"

No one moved.

The Crane Fairy growled icily: "Don't tell me you are all afraid of her?" Then he flapped his sleeves peevishly and left.

The God of War's palace was surrounded by plum trees in a ten-mile radius. Magic had been used to create a frosty winter where red plum stood proudly in the snow. Ten miles of plum blossoms scented the air with ten miles of fragrance, rendering the God of War's palace somewhat less solemn and adding some traces of elegance to it.

The Crane Fairy walked through the sea of plum blossoms to enter the God of War's home. When a maid informed him that the God of War and his wife were enjoying the plum blossoms in the back, he glowered and had the maid lead the way.

Yet to step foot into the back garden, he suddenly heard a woman's voice speaking: "Moxi, don't move. I'm almost finished with the drawing. Just let me place a bit of color onto your lips."

A sigh preceded a man's deep voice: "Sansheng, what you're drawing is my back."

"Yes, that's right."