Depraved Immortal Supernormal Artists (DISA) - Volume 2: A Love that Echoes through Time

By Jason W. Chan

Come along as a group of immortal supernormal artist friends bands together to solve mysteries and fight crime and other evils while they struggle with their own addictions and depravities.

In Volume 2, the love story of Wind and Flower is revealed, starting with a shocking murder in Tang Dynasty China and continuing with an exciting cat-and-mouse chase and harrowing escape along the Silk Road. The reason behind Yan’s hatred of and revenge on Wind is also revealed.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jason W. Chan
• Release date: Nov 22, 2022
• ISBN: 9780463135006

Jason W. Chan

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Book preview

Prologue

The Peach Tree of Immortality

Long ago, the Jade Emperor (玉皇大帝) and his wife, the Queen Mother of the West (西王母 ) planted a Peach Tree of Immortality in Paradise for the gods and goddesses, one that would grant permanent immortality to whoever ate its sweet fruits.

One day, the Queen Mother of the West was playing mahjong with some of the Eight Immortals of traditional Taoist lore. Just as she was about to win, she got so excited that she raised her hands high above her head in victory…and knocked off a single peach on a branch of the Peach Tree of Immortality that was directly behind her.

Unbeknownst to her, the peach fell to the Earth and landed in the soft soil. Over the years, the seed from the peach sprouted into a new Peach Tree of Immortality.

Those lucky enough to eat the peaches from this new Peach Tree of Immortality would first be instantly cured of any disease or ailment. And then, their life spans would be extended by a few average human lifetimes. The exact number of years each person’s lifespan was extended by would vary, since everyone’s bodies reacted differently to the magic peaches.

Since this was the imperfect mortal realm, even a Peach Tree of Immortality on Earth couldn’t grant its eaters permanent immortality, unlike that in Paradise.

But because the eaters would never die by disease or old age until their time was up, they essentially gained a kind of semi-immortality, both a blessing and a curse.

Everybody that ate a peach from this tree would automatically have the image of a peach blossom emblazoned on their wrist, in the form of a tattoo. As long as the tattoo of the peach blossom looks vibrant and doesn’t wither, they themselves would also never die, at least not by disease or old age, but only by blunt trauma.

However, as the legend goes, when the last petal of the tattooed blossom withers and dies, causing the tattoo to fade away, and they cannot find more peaches to consume, they will show their true age…and might even die instantly because of it.

Chapter 1

DaMing Palace/大明宫,

Chang An/長安,

Capital of the Tang Dynasty/唐朝,

Imperial China,

797 CE/Common Era

The 18th year of the reign of Emperor DeZong (德宗) of the Tang Dynasty

Wind/Zhang Qing Feng (張清風)

Wind was struggling to paint the portrait of the Emperor’s second cousin, Lord Zhang, when he was blindsided by the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in more than 10,000 years on Earth.

The woman glided across the room, her hair and gown like a goddess.

Wind lowered his paintbrush and just gawked at her.

He was glad for this distraction.

For a while now, he had been having artist’s block: he had been unable to create. In fact, his painting of the Emperor’s second cousin was quite hideous and he was hoping that no one would judge the painting too harshly. In his experience, the only cure to artist’s block was an artistic muse. And he thought he had just found the right woman to be his muse.

The Emperor’s second cousin shifted his plump body in his reclining seat and frowned. Don’t even think about Flower. She’s way out of your league.

But Wind liked a challenge. How’s that now?

Lord Zhang said, For one, Flower is the daughter of a wealthy salt merchant, who happens to be my friend. She’s about to marry the Emperor’s first cousin, the even richer Marquess of WeiJie and jiedushi or military commander of WuNing. She’ll go live with him in XuZhou after they’re married.

Wind barely listened as he continued to gape at her.

Surrounded by a handful of attendants, Flower adjusted her elaborate one-foot-tall updo hairstyle (which was called the Lofty Ji, a noblewoman’s fashion at the time of the Tang Dynasty), while she floated across the Xuanzheng Hall, the Middle Court of the Imperial Palace.

Wind admired the way her hair, decorated with gold ornaments and lotus blossoms, was piled high on top of her head.

Then, his eyes lowered to admire her low neckline, the floor-length sleeves of her scarlet gown

and the wide gauze scarves worn draped across her arms.

It was all a feast for the eyes.

But it wasn’t just the hairstyle or the elegant dress she was wearing that attracted him to her.

It was the way she stared brazenly back at him, something Wind had never seen a noblewoman do in all his few hundred years in China.

Unabashed and unblushing, Flower stared right back at Wind, as though daring him to go up to her and stop her from marrying the Marquess of Weijie, thus rescuing her from the boring and protocol-driven life of a military commander’s wife.

She stood there for a while and then, as though bored with him now, finally continued gliding away, her maidservants trailing after her.

In that moment, he knew he was now obsessed with her. That look she had given him electrified him. He knew he could never rest until he had her all to himself. If only he could contrive a way to see her again.

As if reading this thoughts, Lord Zhang, said, I know she’ll be at the Lantern Festival tonight. She’s singing at LianHu Lake.

Wind stared at Lord Zhang quizzically. I thought you said I shouldn’t even think about her.

Lord Zhang shrugged. What can I say? I guess I’m a romantic. I’m a sucker for love. I also like rooting for the underdog.

Underdog? You don’t think I have a chance with her? he said, running a hand through his long loose dark hair.

Lord Zhang gave Wind a wry smile. Look, you’re handsome enough. But this is Flower we’re talking about. She’s the most eligible bachelorette in all of China. Her father is the richest salt merchant in the entire Celestial Empire. Her hand has been promised to someone high up in society.

Wind stared at him blankly.

He pretended not to understand, but the implication was clear: Wind was too low born for her. He was too much of a poor artist to be a good match for her.

Lord Zhang took a swig of his rice wine, then wiped his mouth. Go see her tonight and see what happens. I’m rooting for you, young man.

Wind returned to his painting. And just like that, the artist’s block was gone. He finished the painting of the Emperor’s second cousin and everything looked great.

He stood back to admire his handiwork.

Flower had had an excellent effect on his painting. It was like magic. She would definitely have to be his muse now.

Lord Zhang stood up and waddled over to inspect it. Wow, I look great. Such a flattering portrait of me.

Wind was about to say something when a gruff voice barked out, Wind, you bastard! I finally found you!

Wind turned his head.

His heart pounded in his chest when he realized who it was.

He would be dead if he didn’t get out of there right then and there.

Chapter 2

Flower/Ru Gui Hua (如貴花)

Flower was a gambling addict.

She owed her creditors thousands of wen of the coin called Kaiyuan Tongbao (開元通寶), which was the currency in use in the Tang Dynasty as well as the East Asia region at the time. That was another reason she was due to marry the Marquess of Weijie, the Emperor’s first cousin, and become his third concubine. As a wealthy landowner, he had promised to pay off her debts and most of her father’s bad debts too.

But she didn’t actually want to marry a boring aristocrat and settle into the tedious life of a military commander’s consort in XuZhou. She knew her post-marriage schedule would be predictable and stifling, with every minute of every day planned out for her in advance in excruciating detail. She also heard through the grapevine that he was a cruel man who regularly beat his concubines.

What was even worse was that she would be expected to give up her singing career. After all, performing on a stage in public was not considered a respectable profession nor was it an appropriate activity for a concubine of a marquess to do on the side.

The problem was that she had a thrill-seeking personality that demanded a constant fix of adrenaline.

In other words, she was an adrenaline junkie.

She wanted adventure and excitement and marrying someone with the infamous boring personality of the Marquess of Weijie was not her idea of a fun life.

And that was why she was whiling away her time at a casino that day.

She wanted to have fun.

Gambling was thrilling and fun to her. The Marquess of Weijie was not.

More importantly, she wanted to engage in an activity that was the opposite of her tedious fiancé. She didn’t want anything to remind her of him.

The wedding was only a week away. Time was strangling her in a chokehold. She felt trapped. There must be another way. How could she escape her marriage to the Marquess. She was only 20 years old. She didn’t want to sign away the rest of her life, especially just to become a mere concubine. She wasn’t even the main wife. In China, only the primary wife had any real authority in the household and respectability in society. Being just a concubine - and the third one at that - didn’t appeal to her one bit.

She wracked her brain, but no ideas came to her.

She could always just flee, but what about her dear father? Her father, like half the country, was in the Marquess’ debt. Once her father had been a wealthy salt merchant, but he had actually lost most of his wealth through bad investments. The family was about to go bankrupt. Only her marriage to the rich marquess could save her whole family from the brink of destruction.

But she couldn’t just run away and leave her father in the lurch, could she? And if she did, what would become of him? And of her?

She wasn’t rich nor did she hold high social status. Although she dressed like an aristocrat, she didn’t actually come from a noble family. She was merely the daughter of a formerly prosperous salt merchant. She was able to keep up appearances because her fiancé had given her many expensive dresses and jewelry as engagement presents. But now that she was probably leaving him, she would have to give it all back to him.

She realized all she had in her favor was her renowned beauty and that would fade sooner or later.

She would always have her musical ability for she loved singing and was good at it, but that one measly talent probably wouldn’t be enough to guarantee her a good life.

She was standing at a crossroads. She was right on the precipice of a cliff. Her decision from now on would affect the rest of her life…and her descendants too.

She felt like she had no options. She hated that feeling.

Place your bets! Place your bets! shouted the tan kun or dealer/croupier.

The sharp voice shook her out of her thoughts.

Flower tried to concentrate on the game. She was playing fan tan, which was a Chinese game of pure chance similar to roulette, but her mind was elsewhere.

Now, she was thinking about that painter who had gawked at her earlier that day.

He was among the most handsome men she had ever seen. Quite athletic-looking, he looked like a mix of Central Asian and Northern Han Chinese with a little bit of wild Mongol horseman thrown in.

He had a certain bohemian charm about him, what with his long loose hair, his tall lean muscular frame and his intense dark eyes.

The way he looked at her made her feel alive.

There was a certain exciting passion about him that was very attractive to her.

He would be a good man to have a fling with after she was married to the marquess, a man she hardly knew and didn’t love.

She was intrigued by the bold painter. She wondered if she would see him again.

Amid the din of noisy conversation, she heard the dealer reveal the results of the bets for that round.

She had lost again.

She inspected her purse. She was down to her last wen.

She knew she should probably stop, but she was too addicted to gambling to stop.

Oh well, she thought. If lose it all, at least my new husband would pay my debts.

She was about to place a bet with her last coin when a hand tapped her shoulders and a gruff voice said, My boss wants his money back now!

Without turning around, she leapt up from her seat and then raced out of the casino.

Flower was used to sudden demands of payment.

Besides, she knew who it was. She didn’t have to turn around to know that it was Mr. Zhao, an ugly overgrown lackey of her main creditor. She would recognize that voice anywhere.

She bolted past houses, stores and medical clinics, with Mr. Zhao hot on her trail.

She rounded a corner and that was when she realized she had rushed into a dead-end. It was a narrow alley. There was a wall blocking her path forward and houses on both sides.

Shit! she thought to herself.

She could hear Mr. Zhao’s boots pounding the ground not far behind her.

She didn’t have much time left, so she did the only thing that could help her evade her creditors.

She turned into a beautiful crimson heart-shaped flower and then fell into the haystack by the wall. To the average person, she was just a plant lying in the hay.

You see, Flower was a Lamprocapnos spectabilis flower spirit, otherwise known as an Asian Bleeding Heart Flower. She was born that way. Her mother had been one too, and so had her grandmother. It was a curse that was passed down via the female members of her family.

Her father had said that it was a form of punishment. A female ancestor on her mother’s side had offended a certain nature god when she was out wandering the woods one day and as her punishment, she was cursed to transform into a Lamprocapnos spectabilis flower at random moments, passing the curse onto her descendants too.

In China, the plant was known as 荷包牡丹 or HeBao MuDan, meaning purse peony, because they resembled upside-down purses. It was actually a symbol of romantic love in East Asia, much like red roses in Europe.

Flower had been using this transformation ability