A Daily Life of a Fire Dragon

2.Duān Wǔ Jié (Dragon boat festival)

Today is his favourite festival. How could he not be cheerful about a day that celebrates dragons? They are weird, the humans. On one hand, they celebrate and glorify dragons, but on the other, they are utmost afraid of them. Most would straight out die of fear if they ever saw a living dragon. Shi Lang stays in human form most of the time, but he is itching to stretch out and fly. He’s been cooped inside this temple for too long already. If he shows them a real dragon today, he might cause too much of a panic. Ruining the day for Master Ling, no matter how fun it might be for himself, is not in his best interest.

So, on the morning of the festival, Shi Lang takes his place in the garden pavilion with his book on archery. He will be good and not cause trouble for his friend. Carefully thinking about it all night, he realised that friends are not easy to come by when you’re a thousand year old dragon. Master Ling won’t be around that much longer. With all his cultivation, he is still a long way away from immortality. As a matter of fact, he’s never met any human who managed it. Entities who really are immortal, barring a deadly wound, all live in a different dimension, and rarely interact with the human world. Cultivators are somewhere in between. Human, but not really. Stronger, powerful, almost magical. But, not immortal.

The sounds of the festival don’t reach his secluded spot, but he has a way to spy on it without being seen. It’s not so much about being seen, but touched. He hates crowded places where someone will inevitably brush up against him. It makes his skin crawl, and the dragon in him itches to kill the offender. To avoid mishaps and c*****e, he avoids the crowds. It gets kind of lonely, but a good book can cure that. It’s his favourite festival. Should he take the risk and go see it? Would the food fresh from the stalls be worth it? He hasn’t had a decent warm meal since he got here.

Shi Lang conjures a small butterfly. Its almost translucent wings shimmer in the light. He can see whatever the small creature sees, so he sends it out of the garden. The butterfly is faster than real ones, so it’s good that it’s close to invisible. The main courtyard of the temple houses a huge paper dragon. The kids that are building it have a lot of fun. It’s going to take a miracle to make it fly. Or the help of some talented monk and a good dose of magic. The river bank comes into sight, and with it all the people there. The stalls are bustling with activity even with the dragon boat race going on. He admires the craftsmanship going into decorating the boats for just one day. Is every stall serving zongzi? He’s not a big fan of those rice puffs stuffed with sweet filling, but one with meat would be appreciated.

“Hello? Is anyone here?” A soft woman’s voice intrudes on his solitude. It is closely followed by the scent of a meat filled zongzi. His eyes follow the scent, only to see the village girl he’s been admiring from afar. She really is a beauty. Did Master Ling send her? Is he actually matchmaking him with a human? Being this close to her is a realisation of his daydream. But this is a relationship that is doomed to fail even before it begins. He can’t imagine the pain of losing her. Just thinking about it makes him speechless. His book hits the ground, and that is the only sound to alert her to his presence.

“Oh! Have I startled you?” The girl inquires. “I’m sorry, if I have.”

“No,” he shakes his head.

“Master Ling asked me to bring you some zongzi. I’ve added a heating stone to the basket, so that they stay warm,” she tells him.

“A wonderful idea,” Shi Lang chuckles. “I wonder why nobody else thought of that? I always get my food lukewarm.”

“Then, eat them quickly,” she smiles. It warms his cold heart to see a smile directed at him. This girl doesn’t know what he is. She’s not afraid of him, yet. “I have to go back. My father will wonder where I am.”

“Tell me your name first,” Shi Lang demands. He’s not ready to let her go. Her presence is soothing. The beast inside him is calm, almost docile. A little village girl intruding on his personal space doesn’t trigger him. She just became special to him.

“Su Dayin,” she murmurs.

“A beautiful name, just like you,” he smiles at her.

“Thank you, mister. I really have to go,” Su Dayin bows slightly. She wasn’t affected at all. He watches her turn to leave, before an idea strikes him.

“Wait! Sit down for a while. Share some zongzi with me,” Shi Lang tells her firmly.

“I really can’t,” she turns back. The girl is just as polite as she is beautiful. “My father will be suspicious of my absence. I can’t disappoint him so badly just as he is arranging my marriage contract.”

“Marriage?” Shi Lang gasps. There goes any chance of anything. He was right. This relationship can’t happen. Just the idea of it crashed, burned, and went up in smoke before he formed it completely.

“I won’t be here for your wedding day,” he smiles gently. “So, allow me to give you a good luck charm.”

The girl nods in surprise. It’s a silent yes. She agreed to take it. She watches him as he pulls a small pouch from one of his sleeves. The red velvet shines in the sunlight. Shi Lang stands up, and walks a few steps over to her. He fishes the artfully crafted jade pendant from the pouch. It’s perfectly round and it represents him. A dragon in flight. Several jade beans are stringed above the pendant and a green tassel hangs beneath it. He’s got no idea why he chose green, but it goes perfectly with her dress. This pendant was meant for her. It is fate.

“Oh!” Su Dayin exclaims. Her eyes go big and round with surprise. “I can’t accept that. It’s too expensive.”

“Of course you can. Make it a part of your dowry. You don’t have to tell anyone where you got it,” Shi Lang suggests. He conjures a hair pin in the same style. It’s on a whim, but that is all he can do for her in this life, since he decided that he won’t interfere with her fate. He will let her life take its destined course. He replaces the hair pin in her simple hairdo. The wooden twig-like pin she used before looks like an unfinished thing a child started making and just forgot to finish, but it’s hers: “I’ll be keeping this one. Consider it a trade if you wish.”

He watches her go. She took his gifts. Mixed feelings are coursing through him at lightning speed. How can he be happy and sad about her at the same moment? The way she said the words marriage contract suggests that she is looking forward to it with happiness. She must like her future husband. It fills him with sadness when he thinks about her with another man. But, he is happy that she is happy. It’s all just confusing as hell. He shakes his head and returns to his book on archery. At least that is a topic he can understand. Human emotions are too complicated for him.