“You mean that Heaven is helpless? I am terribly sorry to bother you then,” you say flatly, your eyebrows arched.
“No!” Perhaps you are imagining it, but a dark, terrible void passes behind Nuwa’s eyes for an instant. The goddess shakes her pretty head. “I mean, no, not at all,” she says, her eyes now shining with even more compassion for your predicament. “Heaven has its ways. The rise of a new dynasty, with the favour of Heaven… that is a way of averting a catastrophe. In fact, I do believe that you are the best candidate for the job.”
“You mean… that I become the new Emperor.”
Nuwa nods happily. “Yes, Jing. If you would seek to rule, I can grant you Heaven’s blessing. All I ask is that you whole-heartedly acknowledge me as your one and only goddess, in gratitude for this favour.” After pausing for a while, she frowns, “Of course, the blood of the previous dynasty must be expunged for their crimes against the order of Heaven. You would have to end your friend’s life with your own hands to show that you deserve the right to rule. I am sorry, but that is the way it works.”
You glance at Shun. Your fists tighten reflexively. “Is that the only way?”
“Well…” Nuwa steps closer to you, close enough that you can smell her enthralling fragrance. “There is one other way. If you are willing to join me in Heaven, I might be able to help the Tang Emperor maintain his domain for a few more generations yet.”
“Do you mean that you want me to become your ally?” you ask, slightly suspicious.
Nuwa fidgets a little, and you swear that you can see a faint blush on her cheeks. “No, not exactly. I… I need a consort to work with. I think you are a very interesting and talented mortal, Jing. As a deity, you would be very capable in assisting me to reshape the world into a better one. And of course… we could…” Her voice trails off and she looks away shyly.
You breath in deeply. This is all too new to you. “Are these the only options I have?”
“Yes. These are the only twochoices that you have.” There seems to be a slight flicker of annoyance in her voice, though you cannot be sure.