After Reborn's 'talk', Fang Hao became much more cooperative, answering any question that Liao Mochen asked, so long as he didn't bring that 'demon' back out.
It was quite strange, the Evil Alchemist being so genuinely terrified of what he thought was a demon. Weren't Evil Alchemists supposed to be demon worshippers?
The entire thing made the President uncomfortable, as Lingyue's 'imaginary friend' had frightened an Evil Alchemist into submission. It went against everything he believed he understood about the sweet little girl.
He would never accuse her of being an Evil Alchemist. She was far too good a child for such a thing, but he did have his concerns about what 'Reborn' was. "Miss Ye, I'm sorry to ask but, what exactly is Reborn?" Liao Mochen asked.
"Reborn is… Reborn is the strongest of the strongest. The Arcobaleno of the Sun." Lingyue said, looking at a point a few feet in front of her. "Reborn never fights himself. He says it goes against his policies to interfere in his student's battles, but I don't think I've met anyone stronger than he is."
Wu Chong was strong, strong enough to compare to her and Byakuran in her previous life, but she didn't think he was Reborn strong. Perhaps that was just her personal bias though. There was a comfort for her in knowing that regardless of what happened, Reborn would always be the strongest.
"Is he really that strong?" Cai'er said uncomfortably, thinking about the tiny baby figure.
"Compared to how much flames I have right now, he is thousands of times stronger than me." Lingyue said with a shake of the head. If measured on the scales they used in the future, she had about 10,000 units of flames to work with, since she lacked the Vongola Ring to act as an amplifier. A far cry from the 20,000,000 units she had after returning to the past, and even then, she had always had the impression that Reborn was still stronger than her.
When Byakuran and his Funeral Wraiths were smirking down at them, completely confident in their abilities after the Choice match, the mere mention from Reborn that he might enter the fight had made the lot of them visibly recoil in fright.
"Arcobaleno?" Liao Mochen said, struggling to even pronounce the word.
"It is what they call the seven strongest flame users. They are the ones that guard the Trinisette." Lingyue said.
"...And that is?"
"Don't really know. Though I've been told it has the power to create worlds."
The way she described him… was Reborn a god?
It made some sense. Gods were forbidden from directly involving themselves with the lives of mortals and wouldn't appear in person. Instead, they would speak through a mouthpiece, usually a descendant or a puppet beast.
If Lingyue was being advised by a god, it would certainly explain a lot, though also bring up even more questions, such as why a god would be interested in such a simple girl, and what exactly had he been teaching her.
...Whatever happened to the world where things were simple?
Liao Mochen wept internally.
He had recently received a summons from the King to explain the sudden appearance of a new 9th Cauldron Alchemist, as well as give any progress they had with Fang Hao, and he wasn't looking forward to giving his report.
While he was crying to himself, the two young ladies wandered off, figuring they were done with their business there.
"So, do you want to have dinner back at the Drunken Immortal?" Lan Cai'er asked casually as they walked towards where they had left her carriage.
"That would be nice. I still need to pick up one of the barrels of wine. I want to see if I can put it in the Red Mist Sky and have it mature faster there." Lingyue admitted.
"I can only imagine." Lan Cai'er weakly chuckled.
The Five Treasure Wine that An Ming Xia's mom made was worth around 10,000 gold a barrel, though only a few such barrels could be made each year because of scarcity of ingredients. Lan Cai'er didn't doubt that whatever it was that Lingyue and An Ming Xia cooked up together, it would probably be far superior to the famous brew.
That was definitely going to cause problems between An Ming Xia and her mother. Those two hated healthy competition, even from each other. Luckily, the pair weren't the type to result to poisoning, but Lan Cai'er was going to have to keep an eye out for sabotage in the future.
"Oh no, not another one." Lingyue said with dread in her voice as she ducked behind Lan Cai'er, trying to use her as a shield for what was coming towards them.
Cai'er looked up and couldn't help but to snort in amusement as she saw the golden yellow paper crane fluttering down towards them. "Another of your love letters? I wonder which young master is trying to suit you this time." Cai'er teased.
People hadn't gotten the hint about Lingyue not wanting to join any faction and still turned up on her doorstep or sent letters requesting her to join them. Some of them had apparently purchased products that Lingyue had made, and were using her Spirit Force signature to send the paper cranes to her, so that she couldn't even get away from it by leaving her house.
"Don't joke! It's creepy and weird and I don't like it!" Lingyue cried out and then yelped as the paper bird dive bombed her. She didn't know that in this case, the bird had no target, and had only gone to her because she had the strongest Spirit Force around.
Cai'er arm moved out in a flash, and she snatched the bird out of the air before it could reach Lingyue. "Let's see what the damage is like this time. ...What the hell is this?" Cai'er said as she looked down at what she had assumed would be some pitch for trying to recruit the young genius, but which turned out to be just some really poorly made poem. "Who the hell writes a poem on top grade Alchemy Paper? This stuff costs a 100 gold a piece. And they are such a whiner. If there is stuff you want to do, just do it, don't complain all day."
Curious, Lingyue looked up at the page.
I force a smile when I'm awake.
Because the world of dreams is where I'm free.
No wind can be without the sky.
Nor can the beauty of a flower withstand the fate of winter's fall.
Shame my life is but a fleeting moment.
For I have too many regrets left undone in this life.
...Lan Cai'er was right, it really was kind of lousy poetry.
But more than that, she felt repulsed by his attitude towards life.
"Big sister, do you have a pen I can borrow." Lingyue said.
Cai'er blinked in surprise and retrieved a pen and ink from the carriage, watching as Lingyue scribbled her reply before folding the paper back up.
"Now go back to where you came from." Lingyue said as she poured a bit of her own Spirit Force into the paper bird.
The golden bird jumped up into the air, flying back toward the direction it had come, its color changing to a bright orange as it flew and a soft glow surrounding its body.
Though the paper crane had been flying aimlessly for hours, in its supercharged and focused state, it made the return journey to the Phoenix Mansion in a matter of seconds.
Feng Shen was sitting in his room, going over a list of documents dealing with some of the various businesses that his family owned. As the head of house, he was in charge of all of it, as well as much of the finances of the Underground Palace as well, since Wu Chong was too lazy to run his organization properly.
While such mass market and underhanded dealings kept him occupied, he'd hardly claim to enjoy them. They only served to fill the empty void that sat between him and the grave. He didn't really care what he did or what happened till then, or even what happened after that.
The Heaven's Tower already predicted that he would die at the age of 20. He didn't really have to worry about the consequences of his actions, as he wouldn't die before then, and he wouldn't live after it. After all, the stars did not lie and they were never wrong. Not that he even cared enough to try to fight his fate.
This had been his mindset for years. Ever since he was rescued from the bastards who killed his mother. Ever since he first became sick. Ever since Wu Chong first appeared.
Feng Shen was snapped out of his thoughts by the sound of something knocking against the window and looked up to see a paper crane, one of a color that he had never seen before and surrounded by a bright orange aura.
For some reason, the mean sight of the bird caused something in his heart to jump.
Walking over, he opened up the window to let the paper crane in and the bird swiftly landed in his hand.
"Wait, this is my poem…" Feng Shen said in surprise as he saw his own handwriting and the poem he had written on a very different paper crane hours ago. But now something different was scribbled underneath it in a rather messy handwriting that had squeezed together in places in order to fit. Though it was still recognizably female.
You're wrong.
Regardless of what people might think, there is nothing sadder than dying without regrets. To have things that we still want to do, to have things that we wish to resist death in order to continue doing, that is the proof that our lives still have meaning. A life that could end without any regrets is a life that has lost all meaning.
So I say, to die without regrets is the most tragic death of all, and to focus on how much time we have in the world is to waste the time we could spend with the people and doing the things that make life worth living.
So stop whining and start living.
Feng Shen stared at the words in disbelief as a feeling of warmth spread from the letter into his body through his fingers. He couldn't help but to smile, the first real smile he had had since he could remember, though he didn't understand why.
He wondered what this anonymous sender would think if they knew that he was chronically ill and that his parents were dead.
But even as Feng Shen made his excuses to himself, Wu Chong could only snort with disgust at his weaker half.
The feeling of Lingyue's energy nearby had drawn the Ghost Emperor's consciousness back up towards the surface and he saw the letter, and he couldn't help but to laugh at her message.
Such words were wasted on Feng Shen, for the boy was someone who did nothing but complain.
He was the richest man in the entire continent, to whom nearly every single woman and more than half the men he met fell in love with at first sight and who had armies of loyal servants who would do whatever he desired, and still all he ever did was whine about how pitiful it was to be him. Yet still, everyone always seemed to go on about how noble and pure he was.
It was enough to make the Ghost Emperor embittered, for while they were supposed to be the same person, everyone hated him, even though HE was the one who kept them alive. Even though it was HE who worked to protect the people close to them. Even though it was HE who worked to avenge their mother and father. Even though it was HE who refused to simply roll over and die, working to gain the power needed to defy their fate.
Feng Shen didn't even give enough of a shit to eat healthily, whining like a fucking five year old whenever anyone put greens on his plate.
Feng Shen was always surrounded by love, where Wu Chong was always viewed as a monster, only tolerated because of how much they all loved Feng Shen.
There were only two people who ever showed Wu Chong anything close to compassion, Lingyue and his sworn brother Yan Jiu, and Wu Chong was angry at the thought of having to share either of them. It was bad enough that Yan Jiu viewed Feng Shen as the bratty little brother of the group, he was NOT going to share Little Yue Yue as well.
'Admire her all you want, but do it from afar. That girl belongs to me.'
The sun was starting to go down as Lingyue returned to the New Sea Mountain Group mansion, having finished her business for the day with Lan Cai'er and An Ming Xia. Business that included the news that the Yin Yang Carps had aged at such a rapid rate within the Red Mist Sky, that the female appeared to be about to lay eggs of her own, and the question of what they were going to do with them.
Normally, the Yin Yang Carps wouldn't lay their first eggs until they were ten years old, but after just ten days, the girl seemed to be almost ready to lay them.
Lan Cai'er and An Ming Xia had a little spat when Cai'er joked about charging An Ming Xia extra for an egg. Though in the end, Cai'er said she would hand the eggs over to Lingyue to do as she wished, since the carps had been hers to begin with.
Lingyue was more than willing to give a pair to An Ming Xia, one for her and one to be given as a gift to her half brother. She also planned to give one to the Young Master Qing who they met in the capital. Meng Yao had also recently crossed into the Upper Celestial Realm and could make use of having the Yin Yang Carps' help. And, if there was still any left over, she would send them to her cousins back home to help them further their cultivation too. It would be a nice excuse to visit.
An Ming Xia had been surprised that Lingyue was planning on giving away 200,000 gold worth of Spirit Beasts as simple gifts, but was starting to accept that this was just part of the girl's personality and was grateful for being included this time around.
"I'm home!" Lingyue said out of habit as she entered her house and took off her outdoor shoes. Something that seemed to be pointless, as she looked at the floors and saw animal tracks all over the wood, making her feel sorry for the cleaning staff.
"Big sister!" Anqiu shouted, running to Lingyue, her voice full of panic. Right behind the girl was a sandy yellow and red panther-like spirit beast the size of an adult bull, Mitsuna and Uri at its sides.
Most would probably think that this was what the child was running from, but Nuan was that baby Red Mist Panther that they had gotten just ten days ago, and Anqiu loved her dearly.
Even among the Spirit Beasts they had hatched, Nuan had grown fast, and was already surpassing the expectations for an adult of her species. She was loyal to Anqiu and seemed to get along well with Mitsuna and Uri, even if she got jealous whenever Uri was paying more attention to Mitsuna than her.
Uri was surprisingly popular with the other Spirit Beasts, seemingly recognized as the Alpha even by the strongest of them, despite being so tiny himself. Each of them understood that he was simply of a higher breed.
"Anqiu, calm down. I've only been a little more busy today than I thought I would be." Lingyue said, patting the girl's head. She suspected that Anqiu was panicking because she was later coming home than she had thought.
Lingyue had left Uri and Mitsuna at home, since An Ming Xia didn't want animals in her kitchen. She'd been leaving them at home a lot lately, as many places for some reason didn't want you to bring your pets, and Uri hadn't known how to swim. He's first attempts in the water had been very embarrassing to the little fox, who sulked for hours after Mitsuna rescued him from drowning.
"Big Sister, Brother Yao is missing!" Anqiu said looking up at Lingyue, her eyes still full of panic. "Brother Yao had been acting really strange, and then he disappeared with one of the horses! I wondered what he was doing, and asked the stars, and they said that Brother Yao was about to die!"
Lingyue stiffened before her expression became more serious. "Ming Yao…" She'd also noticed his odd behavior, figuring he was going through an internal struggle, but having Anqiu saying he was about to die was beyond her expectations. "Do you know where he was going?"
"No… But the stars can help me find him." Anqiu said, bringing out the copper bowl that Lingyue had bought off the monk at the capital. An indescribable power flowed through Anqiu's body, down into her fingertips and into the bowl. The bowl began to fill with a shimmering liquid that's surface reflected a light brighter than anything around them.
...It was a locator spell.
"When did you learn to do this?" Lingyue asked in surprise.
"It's the bowl. The stars taught me how to use it." Anqiu said looking intently at the pool. "Brother Yao is north of here. Please Big Sister, we have to hurry!"
"Alright, lets go."
Been a little busy, though not extremely busy, so I don't know why this took so long.
I'm calling it here because I want to start the next chapter with the entrance of what will probably turn out to be the 'Big Bad Evil Guy' for the foreseeable future, as I kind of had a change of heart as to the direction of the story a bit. With what would be considered a realistic threat to Lingyue now going to evolve into a realistic threat to the continent in the future, or at least becoming the lackey of something that is.
The next chapter is also going to have an explanation as to just how ridiculous Anqiu is in terms of the setting, and why everyone would be after here.
In canon, Senior Alchemists are so powerful because they use there high Spirit Force in order to forcibly absorb Star Energy over a period of several years to be used in their Alchemy and Spells. But for Anqiu, she doesn't need to absorb the energy by force, because it willingly obeys her. Meaning she has the potential to be the most powerful thing around.
The more I write it and the more I look at the source material, the more it feels like Wu Chong has nothing but legitimist grievances, and Feng Shen was just a whiny little bitch at the beginning.
This is making things awkward, because I need to find a way of rectifying this without simply killing the Feng Shen personality, since that isn't exactly something Lingyue would approve of.
And for those of you how don't know, Wu Chong and Feng Shen are the same soul, so it is more of a split personality than two people in a single body. His personality is split between the part of him that rejects the power inside of him and the part that embraces who he is/was.