While He FeiQuan was thanking all his lucky stars, and promising to Buddha to do more good deeds so he could gain good karma in repayment for today's luck. The peach fairy from the corner of his wings was trembling like a leaf except her round shape could only project her trembles as jitters. She could not find her voice, shocked and close to tears, completely losing her bearings. She knew she was cowardly but she could not help it especially when her friend, PiXiu, a winged fox, told her she had to be wary of strangers as she looked like a pretty juicy potential food snack for them.
"What is your name, little peach?" He FeiQuan asked the trembling roly poly peach under his wing with his charming voice, that never fail to make the young fairies blush.
"Eh?" Is this what predators do? To know their victims' names to savor their taste later? Mama! So scary! TaoHua dull yellow paled at his sinister voice and she lowered her head more towards the ground and tried hard not to let her tears fall.
"I'm not about to harm you, I just want to know you and make your acquaintance. Look, I'm stepping back." He FeiQuan hurriedly stepped back and put his wings down, trying to give off the harmless look.
No words from the timid peach and He FeiQuan let her took her time to calm down and lowered her defense.
"I am He FeiQuan (鹤飞泉), prince of the Celestial Crane Clan, I was flying around, when I smelled...Uh, I mean I saw this wondrous little island." It was true about the flying around, he was aimlessly flying further and lower from his usual course of flight, taking a leisurely break from his work.
He got a little tired and wanted to come down for a drink when he caught a glimpse of shininess reflected by the sun. Their bird clan was well known to like shiny things, and even though the island looked foreign and the shiny thing could be just trick of the eye, he flew to the direction and was pleasantly smelt the fruity smell, making his mouth watered. Ah! He thanked his luck again, of not making this sweet peach his meal, else he would meet a calamitous death for endangering a highly protected and covetous specie.
"Celestial? Does that mean you are from up there? The Heavens?" TaoHua brought her head up and looked at He FeiQuan, almost blinding his eyes with her bright eyes. Then he noticed the peach, shone even brighter like gold leaves had been stuck on her, all her dirt and mud, could not mask her true self.
"Yes, I'm from there and where are you from a young miss?" His own curiosity also peeked out.
"Here, I'm from around here." She ducked her head a little, having her hesitations not pointing where ChaGuan was, worrying he had ill intentions.
He FeiQuan cry and laughing in his heart at the peach expressive eyes, easily showing her emotions, and tried to calm her, "I came in peace, words from a Celestial prince" using his right wings pointing upwards, like he was swearing, which in truth he was, he could not afford to be in the bad side of this ancestor.
"Here, how about I switch my form so you could rest assured?" With this, He FeiQuan, closed his wings around himself and transformed into a man, like a magician, closing his cape, and appeared wearing white robes with red and black embroideries.
"Wow! That is awesome! Can you do that again?" Hands clapping, eyes sparkling and body shining, and He FeiQuan again felt her to be little blinding.
A little disappointed that the peach gal actually preferred his showmanship instead of his looks but he decided to be a gentleman about this and overlook her level of not appreciating his looks. She probably been here so long and never seen good looking men before.
"You know, I never saw another man or a Celestial before on this island." She helpfully affirmed his thoughts. "All of us here are cultivating and few have ascended but before I could take a good look their new 5 limbs forms, they quickly flew up"
He FeiQuan nodded at her words as if he understood her, but feeling perplexed inside. 5 limbs? The head was considered a limb? He didn't want to be a starfish in her eyes. All of us? Did she really come from here but all gold peaches could only be born from Tree of Life not anywhere else? Probably the clan lost her as a child, she accidentally fell and floated into this out of nowhere island, lost her memories from the falling or maybe she was born defective, thus the clan did not acknowledge her and recorded her missing. He FeiQuan nodded again.
TaoHua looked at this scholarly looking man, nodding like DaShu, when he wanted to pretend to know but know nothing. Hehehe, she laughed inside. She felt more confident, "Hello, my name is TaoHua", she offhandedly said without honorifics, since on the island, they had no use for mannerisms.
