Tara’s heart was softened when she heard his apology that appeared sincere to her. “Apology accepted but I hope you can be more respectful to me next time.”
“Alright, your wish is my command,” said Prince Chen, feigning a serious response. “If you really wish to see the dragon babies, you can join the Baby Blessing Ceremony later at the Dragon Flower Dome. Does that sound good to you?” Tara nodded.
Many couples entered the Dragon Flower Dome in anticipation of the birth of their babies. The Dragon Symphony Orchestra was playing lively and uplifting music for all the parents.
Each father was holding a dragon egg in front of him. A huge drum was played spontaneously, signaling the arrival of the auspicious hour. All the dragon eggshells cracked open at the same time and the mothers joyously received the dragon babies from the eggshells.
Once the parents had received the babies, they were called upon to walk up the stage to receive the blessings of Venerable Smile, who was forever smiling and laughing. He blessed the baby by placing his right palm on the baby’s head, muttering some blessed words, and giving the parents a mini drawstring bag filled with gifts: wheel pendant, sweets, crystals, and dragon flowers.
At the end of the event, Prince Chen brought Tara back to her chamber.
“Thank you for your presence. It was lovely to have you accompany me in celebrating the Spring Equinox today,” said Prince Chen.
“My pleasure. I enjoyed the Spring Equinox celebration as much as you did. It was a fun and enriching experience for me. Many thanks for a wonderful day.”
“Tara, I have something to tell you…” said Prince Chen hesitantly, peering into Tara’s green eyes with mixed emotions.
“Yes?” Tara looked at him expectantly.
As Tara had already accepted the dragon flower, she was already Prince Chen’s girlfriend, even though she was unaware of that. Prince Chen wanted to be honest with her and he wanted to ask if she would be happy to be his girlfriend. However, he decided against it because he knew Tara might not be ready to accept it.
“Oh, never mind, it’s not that important,” said Prince Chen, averting his gaze. “If you need any help, just speak to the conch shell and I will be there for you. Have a lovely evening.”
Having said so, he transformed into a turquoise-white dragon and went back home.
CHAPTER 18
DRAGON TEA PLANTATION
A week had gone by like a breeze. Through the power and connection of Prince Chen, Tara’s father and the rest of her friends and family were transferred from the Dung Department to the Dragon Tea Plantation.
As usual, Prince Chen fetched Tara from the Dragon Library after her shift. As he was flying in the sky in his dragon form with Tara riding on his back, he said, “Would you like to visit your friends and family today?”
“Yes! I miss my dad so dearly. Sorry for the trouble and thank you so much for the help,” said Tara as she ruffled the mane on Prince Chen’s neck.
“That’s ticklish! But I like it, hahaha…” laughed Prince Chen. “It’s my pleasure, don’t mention it.”
"By the way, Prince Chen, sometimes I wonder. Why was I transferred to work in the library? I would prefer to work in the same place as my dad.”
“The Dragon Library is my father’s private library and I’m sure the transfer is his decision. Only his family members, close relatives, and spiritual teachers are permitted to access it. In the past, special permission was given to a human called Nagarjuna who learned the Buddha’s teachings in the library and brought all the wisdom back to the human world. I guess my father must have seen your dragon tattoo. That’s why you were transferred from the Dung Department to his private library. Tara, do you know that you have the golden colored dragon tattoo back? This means you carry the royal dragon lineage. It’s pretty unusual since you are a human and not a dragon.”
Who am I? Why do I have a golden dragon tattoo on my back? Why am I here in the dragon world?
“Anyway, whether you are a human or a dragon, my feelings for you will never change. I will always love you for who you are, forever and ever,” declared Prince Chen boldly and unabashedly. He was expecting some kind of aggressive bashing from Tara but surprisingly, she was quiet and non-reactive.
Tara did not even hear Prince Chen’s declaration of love. She was deep in thought, trying to connect the dots between her dragon dreams and her freak encounter on her wedding day and her transportation to the dragon world. Questions about her true identity deluged her mind.
Soon, they reached the tea plantation. Tara was mesmerized by the magnificent layered hills abundant with luxurious green tea. With baskets on their backs, many dragon-humans were busy plucking the tea leaves.
Upon seeing Prince Chen at the tea plantation factory, the Head Supervisor immediately came over to greet him by placing his fist on his left heart, “Auspicious greetings to Prince Chen. It’s a surprise to see you here. How may I be of assistance?”
“Arrange a suitable venue for this lady to have a get-together with her family and friends,” ordered Prince Chen, putting his hands behind his back.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Not long later, all of Tara’s family members and friends were gathered in a spacious meeting room at the tea plantation factory. There was a large painting on the wall – the painting of a Dragon Flower Tree superimposed with the Seven-jeweled Lighthouse. In front of the painting were two lion thrones, separated by a round table in the middle.
The moment Tara saw her father, she sprinted over to give him a warm embrace. “Daddy, I’m so thrilled to see you again! Oh, I miss you so much. How have you been? You have lost so much weight.”
“I’m fine. It’s such a delight to see you again, my child. Where have you been transferred to?” asked Patrick.
“I was transferred to work in the Dragon Library in the deepest ocean. It’s not convenient to travel there daily but I’m doing fine with the help of my friend,” said Tara, tilting her head towards Prince Chen who was also sitting in the room. “Daddy, I promise to bring you back to the human world one day, so that you don’t have to toil over here forever. In the meantime, please do take good care of yourself, alright?”
“I will, you must do the same. I love you sweetie,” Patrick gave Tara another warm hug.
“I love you too, daddy.”
Tara went over to give Auntie Siew Lan a warm hug as well. “Auntie Siew Lan, thank you for helping me look after my dad while I am not around. I miss you all so much.”
“I miss you too, Tara. Glad to know you are doing well, I am sure it must be the blessings of that handsome prince over there,” said Auntie Siew Lan with a chuckle, casting a quick glance at Prince Chen sitting over at the lion throne in the front of the room, sipping his dragon tea.
Tara blushed, feeling a little embarrassed the moment Auntie Siew Lan mentioned Prince Chen. “He is Prince Chen. We are just friends, but I’m grateful for his help in the workplace transfer.”
“It’s always wonderful to have a benevolent friend beside you, isn’t it? Well, from the way I see it, I do sense that he is not just treating you as a friend, just my two-cents observations to share with you,” whispered Auntie Siew Lan in Tara’s ear.
“Yes, I know he likes me, but he is really not my type of a man. You know I like someone who is compassionate, not someone as shamelessly frivolous as he is,” Tara whispered back while taking a quick glance at Prince Chen.
“Alright, please do look after yourself. Since we are in an unfamiliar world, it’s always good to stay safe and vigilant, especially when you’re alone with a man,” cautioned Auntie Siew Lan in a light-hearted way.
“Thank you for the advice, Auntie. I will take note of that. Don’t worry about me. I know how to protect myself,” said Tara, giving her another warm hug. “I promise to take you all back home one day, so just hang on for a while over here. Love you, Auntie Siew Lan.”
“Love you too, Tara,” said Auntie Siew Lan with a smile on her fac
e.
Next, Tara shared a warm embrace with her best friend, Mayreen. “It’s so good to see you again, Mayreen. I miss you too. How have you been?”
“Tara, I miss you so much. Thanks for the help in the transfer, life over here is so much better,” said Mayreen. “I miss home, but we’re glad to have Auntie Siew Lan who has been looking after us well. Her delicious home-cooked cuisine makes us feel at home.”
“I’m delighted to know all of you are doing much better over here. Yes, Auntie Siew Lan is a top-notch chef. I wonder how her seafood restaurant is doing without her and Uncle Yong,” said Tara with a chuckle.
“I’ve noticed that Prince Chen keeps staring at you,” whispered Mayreen. “Auntie Siew Lan might be right; he’s not just treating you as a friend. Who knows he might be harboring other plans. Perhaps making you his girlfriend? I’m not sure it will be a good idea to get involved in a relationship with a dragon.”
“Thanks Mayreen. Yes, he takes a fancy to me but what can I do? I need him to teach me the martial arts so that I stand a chance of going back home. I’ll be spending a lot of time with him, even though I really can’t stand his impudent behavior and frivolous attitude. He is really not my cup of tea. Oh, I miss Prakash so much, how I wish he was here with us,” said Tara, overwhelmed by a tinge of sadness thinking about her late husband.
After Tara had a brief catch-up with Uncle Yong, Kai Wen, Balakrishnan, Virginia, Rashid, Roshni, Geetha, and Jun Yang, it was time to leave.
Prince Chen had been patiently waiting for her to finish what she needed to do. When she was done, he quickly went over to accompany her.
“Tara, I saw you enjoyed catching up with your loved ones,” said Prince Chen, his eyes were glued to Tara’s green eyes.
“Yes, many thanks for arranging this gathering, Prince Chen. I’m thinking of giving them something. Do you have any idea what I can give?”
“How about dragon tea? We have plenty of it in the tea factory.”
“That’s a good idea. Would you mind helping me arrange some for the gifting?” said Tara, trying to control her pent-up simmering at Prince Chen’s impertinent leer at her.
“Sure, I’m happy to do anything for you,” replied Prince Chen dreamily.
“When can I see my family and friends again?” asked Tara. She hoped to meet them more regularly, especially her father, Mayreen, and Auntie Siew Lan.
“While you can visit your family and friends once a while, it’s not appropriate for you, a captive, to visit them all the time. Besides, it’s not convenient for me to bring you here too often. I hope you get what I mean?” Prince Chen said, matter-of-factly.
“Okay, I understand.” Tara was crestfallen knowing that the opportunities of meeting her loved ones would be limited while in the dragon world. “I just hope my loved ones are well-taken care of. Will you be able to help me?”
“Oh, that’s a sure thing,” Prince Chen said. “I’ll make sure the supervisor treats them well in the dragon tea plantation.”
“Thank you, Prince Chen.”
“So long as you are around with me, your loved ones will be well-treated. That I promise you.”
My loved ones will have better lives under the aegis of Prince Chen. Does that mean I have no choice but to stick with him?
After the gifting was done, Prince Chen took Tara to Cloud Nine, his dragon abode in mid-air, for martial arts training.
CHAPTER 19
MARTIAL ARTS
Sitting on the back of Prince Chen’s dragon body, Tara arrived at Cloud Nine, the floating mountain in the dragon world, to start her first day of martial arts lessons with Prince Chen.
“Welcome to Cloud Nine, an unparalleled haven for you to train with me, Prince Ao Chen, the pre-eminent magical beast tamer,” he boasted unabashedly.
“Am I hearing it correctly? You’re a beast tamer training a beast?” Tara blurted out. She certainly did not like the idea of learning martial arts from a self-proclaimed beast tamer. It made her feel like a ‘disempowered beast’ being tamed by a ‘licentious beast’.
“Yeah, so what if I’m an accomplished ‘martial art teacher’ of the magical beasts? I’m proud and passionate about my profession. Mind you, I only train the most talented beasts … and the most ravishing beauty,” said Prince Chen in a pompous yet flirtatious manner.
“You’re such a shamelessly egotistical jackanapes!” Tara said without trying to hide her scorn. She was not sure whether to laugh or puke at Prince Chen’s self-aggrandizing behavior. He just laughed.
They continued their peregrination toward his private abode. The vast expanse in front of his abode was an ideal battleground for the duo.
“That’s my humble abode,” said Prince Chen, pointing to a medium-sized dwelling space partially veiled by a misty cloud floating by.
“What a lovely name! I like the name, humble abode,” Tara exclaimed. Her mind drifted to the time when her mother taught her a wonderful poetry, The Inscription of the Humble Abode, written by Tang dynasty’s poet, Liu Yu Xi:
It is not the height of the mountain, but the presence of a deity, that makes the mountain famous. It is not the depth of the water, but the presence of a dragon, that makes the water magical.
My humble abode is permeated with the fragrance of my virtue. The stone stairs are filled with emerald moss and the curtain is grass green.
The abode is not a place for the crude boor, but a place of conversational joy with scholars of sophisticated cultivation. I can play the zither and read the golden scriptures. There is no cacophony of instruments, nor is there bodily strain of paperwork.
It resembles Zhu Ge’s sanctuary in Nanyang and even Zi Yun’s gazebo in West Shu. Confucius says, ‘What crudeness is there?’
Tara started to wonder if his humble abode was a sign that Prince Chen was a virtuous man who just appeared to be frivolous.
“What are you thinking about?” Prince Chen asked, squinting at Tara who was absorbed in her own thought.
“I was thinking about my late mother. I miss her. She had passed away many years back, but she lives in my heart forever.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. It seems that you’re close to your mother.”
“Yes. I love my mother deeply. She is my harbour of refuge in times of distress.”
As Tara followed Prince Chen into his humble abode, she was surprised by the quiet opulence of the minimalistic interior décor. It was the antithesis of his frivolous and flamboyant personality. “You are a dragon prince. Don’t you have a palace of your own?”
“Yes of course! My Sapphire Palace is down below, not far from my Father’s Imperial Crystal Palace. I also have another palace in the ocean called the Ocean Sapphire Palace. Of all my abodes, this humble dwelling of mine on Cloud Nine is my favorite. It’s an unrivalled paradise of seclusion, perfect for my spiritual cultivation,” boasted Prince Chen.
“Are you sure you are into spiritual cultivation? It seems to me you are more like a Don Juan,” said Tara sarcastically.
Having heard that, Prince Chen pulled her toward him with a slight force. Grasping her slender waist and gazing into her enchanting green eyes, he said in the most seductive tone, “Will you be happy if I am the Don Juan only for you, and you alone?”
His movement was so sudden and unexpected that it caught her by surprise. Staring right into his sensual amethyst eyes, Tara could not help but feel her heart palpitating wildly, and her face and ears blushed with a pinkish hue.
She was sure he was not the man she adored but she desperately wanted to learn the dragon martial arts from him so that she would be equipped with the skills to fight the demons and go back home. Yet, she did not want to appear weak in front of him, thinking that he could just fool around with her as he pleased.
“Please let go of me now,” said Tara firmly, scowling at him.
“The bird is already within my grasp, it’s impossible for it to escape. Tell me, why should I let you go?” said Prince Chen with a lewd smirk.
“Ouch!” Prince Chen released his grasp immediately.
Infuriated, she slapped his face with all her might and stormed off.
Instead of feeling irate, Prince Chen grinned contentedly, touching his heated face where she had slapped him. She has the grit of a warrior, I like it.
Prince Chen went out to look for Tara. She was sitting on the grass plain mindlessly plucking the grass.
“I was just joking with you, don’t take it too seriously, alright?” said Prince Chen, trying to soothe her. “Do you still want to learn the martial art?”
Tara stood up and said firmly, “Yes! I want to master the martial art so that I can trounce the demon of Don Juan first before any other demons.”
Prince Chen burst out laughing. “It takes about six years to completely master the Twelve Fists of the True Cloud Dragon martial art. Before you can successfully thrash me, I’ve already subdued you. Don’t think too highly of yourself, Tara.”
Tara stood with gritted teeth and a clenched fist. She was so livid that she almost wanted to slap him one more time.
“If you don’t treat your teacher with some respect, I can always choose not to teach you,” Prince Chen said, lifting his head up and putting his hands on his back. “Anyway, going back home is your aspiration, not mine.”
You need to learn the martial art to return home. Be patient. Tara thought. “I’m sorry, Prince Chen. Let’s get started.”
“That’s more like it,” said Prince Chen with his impertinent grin. “The Twelve Fists of the True Cloud Dragon is a powerful martial art in the dragon world. It has twelve forms which appear differently depending on whether you can transform yourself into a dragon. First, let me demonstrate the forms to you in the form of a dragon.”
He transformed himself into a dragon and soared into the misty azure sky. Leaping, swiveling, tumbling, and diving, he swished his tails, splashed water from his mouth, and multiplied his body into a thousand duplicates, showcasing his majestic powers and the dazzling possibilities of an accomplished dragon prince.
Tara Zenyora : and the Seven-Jeweled Lighthouse Page 13
