"The Yellow Middle Plum ought to be returned by now."
In Western Kunlun, the Queen Mother of the West glanced at the gnarled Yellow Middle Plum tree in her Daoist Grounds, laden with fist-sized fruit, her expression rather complicated.
Back then, the Eastern Prince had bullied her. Had Daochen not rescued her, she would likely have perished beneath the Pangu True Form just as the Eastern Prince had.
Although she had promised Daochen the Plain-Colored Cloud-Boundary Banner and the Yellow Middle Plum if he intervened, he had ultimately taken only the banner, and even exchanged a Xiantian Spiritual Treasure of equal rank for it.
He had not taken the Yellow Middle Plum away, either, leaving it in the Daoist Grounds of Western Kunlun instead.
The Queen Mother of the West had intended to wait thirty-six thousand years, until the Yellow Middle Plum ripened, before sending it to the Heavenly Court. She had never expected this.
Daochen was already about to arrange his Heavenly Marriage.
And the woman he was marrying was actually Nüwa.
For a time, all five flavors churned in the Queen Mother of the West's heart, and she could not say quite what she felt.
"Alas."
"Fated ties, ill-fated ties."
"I should send this Yellow Middle Plum back to the Heavenly Court. It will settle this karmic bond, at least."
The Queen Mother of the West sighed softly, her expression indescribably complicated.
Meanwhile, in the Heavenly Court.
Inside Fuxi Palace.
Fuxi lay sprawled over Fuxi's Eight Trigrams like a giant toad. Around him stood Bai Ze, Ghost Chariot, Ji Meng, Eastern Emperor Taiyi, and Dijun, all top Greater Demons of the Heavenly Court, not one daring to breathe too loudly.
They watched carefully as Fuxi muttered away, divining through Fuxi's Eight Trigrams!
There was no other reason.