The Divine Office

This story is undergoing a major revision. Deleted draft material will be included in the extras.

"You are the God of Pestilence, and I am the Chief. I should be the one sending you to hell."

"But if you go to hell, I'll go with you."

Chi Yu

"The world calls me a calamity, a plague demon that crawled out of the Nine Hells.

But who knows that this world and all its people are the ones who cannot abide even the slightest impurity?

I, Qingyao, seek neither a place among the immortals nor the world's reverence.

I ask only to care for the world, answer to myself, and live without regrets."

Qingyao

*

I am Qingyao, a calamity destined to destroy the Three Realms.

Chi Yu is the sharpest blade of the Divine Office. He was ordered to change my ways, or even destroy me, before I could bring disaster upon the world.

He taught me to control fire, to love others, and to understand right and wrong.

I thought it was nothing more than the gods' despicable pity, until the day heavenly punishment came. He took the ninefold lightning tribulation meant for me, and his divine bones were shattered.

As I held his body, growing colder by the moment, I learned what love was for the first time.

Fine.

Since you all say I'm a demon,

then starting today, this demon will rule the Three Realms.

*

A god unlike any other, a demon unlike any other, and someone hiding in the shadows: bound together by fate, they meet. The mortal world rolls on, and all the dreams of fools vanish like the wind.

Lord Chi Yu × Fairy Qingyao

True love conquers all.

Reader's guide:

1. This story includes a small amount of material drawn from sources such as the Classic of Mountains and Seas, the Chart of the Ranks and Functions of the True Spirits, Buddhist sutras, and the Tao Te Ching.

2. The Law-Enforcement God was inspired by Erlang Shen. This is not the same story, nor is it a derivative work. It is a new story.

3. This story is entirely fictional, written for my own amusement. Please don't take it seriously or nitpick.

4. This is my second attempt at writing xianxia. It's an immature work, so read with caution. I'm embarrassed, I'm embarrassed.

5. The leads are not each other's first. This is a story of two men loving one woman. In life, we all have someone who remains forever out of reach, like the moonlight in our hearts, and someone who stays by our side for life, like a cinnabar mole. There are no right answers in life. No matter what you choose, there will be regrets.

Theme: Care for the world, answer to yourself, and live without regrets