Over a year earlier, in Cloud-Rubbing Cave on Accumulated Thunder Mountain.
Deep within the cave abode, gold and jade paved the floor, and brocade curtains hung low. The music of strings and pipes drifted through several layers of curtains, mingling with women's laughter and lingering in the air.
Jar after jar of wine was replaced on the table. The Bull Demon King lounged on a brocade couch, swirling the jade cup in his hand.
One maid massaged his legs while another held a platter of fruit. He ate a piece, casually unfastened a gold ornament from his waist, and tossed it into her arms.
The maid delightedly thanked him for the reward. Seeing this, the dancing girls in the hall stepped all the more lightly.
These were the days the Bull Demon King enjoyed most.
If someone invited him to a feast, he went; if someone asked him to lend a hand, he had a reply sent back saying the Great King was drunk.
But tonight, as he drank, his spirits began to flag.
Wide sleeves fluttered through the hall. After watching for a while, the Bull Demon King set down his jade cup and waved a hand.
"Take a rest."
The dancing girls withdrew to either side. The Jade-Faced Fox rose from her seat beside him, took his empty cup, and filled it again.
"What's the matter today, Great King? Usually, your spirits are at their highest at this hour~"
"Nothing."
The Bull Demon King tipped his head back and drank, and Jade-Faced filled his cup again.
She sat close beside him and suddenly smiled. "Could it be that you're missing Princess Iron Fan?"
The Bull Demon King's hand paused with the wine.
Holding the wine jug, Jade-Faced looked at him with a faint, ambiguous smile. "It's only been