When Qian Qian - Si Yin joined them later, Ye Hua let his eyes soak up her appearance. Dressed in disciple's plain white robe, hair bound high on the head, she looked no different than any other disciples of Kunlun Mountain. The disguised magic she wrought on her person was solid and impenetrable. Was this how she concealed herself and lived among them for so long?
He stole a glance at Mo Yuan. Did he know all along that she was a female? If so, why did he accept her as his disciple? He heard the God had long set the rule; to never accept female disciples.
He had asked his third uncle about them. Lian Song confirmed that these two certainly had something going on between them even back then. High God Mo Yuan was known for being tolerant and impassive, yet he was willing to alienate High Goddess Yao Guang for Si Yin. How deep was their relationship before his demise? His brows furrowed in concentration.
"Master, on the way back, can we drop by Dong Huang Mountain?" Bai Qian pulled at the bottom of her mentor's sleeve. "The last time we went there, you were still recovering from your injuries. We hardly had time to explore the area. I remember the sunset there was really magnificent."
"The Dong Huang Mountain?" he repeated. "Perhaps. If you want to."
Her face lit up with delight. "Master, when you are out of your seclusion, we should go to the Mortal Realm. You still owe me that promise to take me to the Teahouse and listen to the storytelling. You're not going to go back on me, are you?"
"You don't remember the tactical strategies or magical skills I taught you," he said, amused. "But you remember such a trivial matter?"
"Eh. It's not trifling at all," she protested. "I'd never forget what you said to me, Master."
Ye Hua watched the familiar way they interacted with each other. He never saw Qian Qian act so cheerful like this before. She always tried to pose herself as a level-headed goddess. She feigned ignorance and hardly took other's words seriously. But in front of her mentor, Qian Qian didn't care as much about what she said. She even made a quip at him. And Mo Yuan seemed to allow it with considerable mirth. Was this how they were around each other back then? How was he supposed to win her heart back?
When the three of them reached the Nine Heaven's Grand Hall, their paths crossed with the Lord of Numinous Treasures, Lingbao Tianzun.
"Mo Yuan, is that really you?" he seemed surprised to see him here. "I heard you came back. This is really great." Then he looked to the side. "Si Yin is here with you too. It has been a long time since we've met."
Bai Qian bowed to the Lord, "It has indeed."
"You're here to see the Sky Lord, right?" he asked Mo Yuan. "When you're done, you should visit the Realm of Supreme Purity and soak in my spring. It would help speed up your recovery."
"I certainly will. I thank you for your hospitality, Lingbao Tianzun," replied Mo Yuan.
"Do you want someone to attend you? I'll make the preparation," he offered.
"Please don't bother. I'll manage on my own."
"Of course, Si Yin is here. He can take care of you." Lingbao Tianzun glanced at Si Yin who choked out of turn at the mention of her name.
"When you have free time, we should have tea together." He said jovially before bidding them farewell.
When Mo Yuan entered the Grand Hall, only the Sky Lord and his eldest son were present. The Sky Lord immediately came down from the dais to congratulate Mo Yuan on his return and praise him for his sacrifice that returned peace to common people of four seas and eight realms.
Mo Yuan just nodded and stood there stoically.
"And who did you bring here?" The Lord of Sky gave a curious look at the handsome man standing behind Mo Yuan.
At her mentor's imperceptive nod, Bai Qian gave him the customary greeting. "Si Yin greets the Sky Lord."
He looked up and down and suddenly the name clicked. "You're Si Yin? The troublesome fox Zhe Yan had adopted and sent to Mo Yuan?"
"The one who threatened to wipe out the entire Ghost Clan when they already surrendered. The one who refused to let Mo Yuan's body be laid to rest in the Sea of Innocence then disappeared with him for seventy thousands of years," his voice boomed. He finally met the one responsible for those transgressions in the past. "That was you? You had a lot to answer to."
"I beg to differ." Bai Qian said drily. She had heard of the Lord's overbearing attitude before. It seemed the rumor wasn't overly exaggerated.
"I thought the Sky Lord should instead thank me. Had I not brought my mentor with me, he would rot and waste away in the Sea of Innocence. Then how could the God of War return and take on his prestigious mantle and glory once again."
"You! Presumptuous!" The Sky Lord snapped, a purple vein popped out on his forehead.
Ye Hua who stood by the side grew worried about her boldness. Though Qian Qian was a royalty in her own rights, the Sky Lord was not one to trifle with after all. He was about to appease to the Lord's mood when Mo Yuan stepped up and place himself in front of Bai Qian
"Lord," he called out. "My disciple merely followed my command. Since I told them to wait for my return, he only did what he believed was best for me."
"Besides this was Kunlun Mountain's matter. I hope you would understand," said Mo Yuan in his no-nonsense tone. "Today you invited me here to discuss Qing Cang, didn't you? Shouldn't we focus on the matter at hand and let the past be the past?"
The Sky Lord suddenly remembered the old gossips of how Mo Yuan favored this particular disciple. Seeing his protective stance today, he decided the rumors did have some merit. Though, even now, he can't see what was so special about the fox. Still, he bit his tongue and swallowed what he was about to say at that reminder.
Kunlun Mountain's authority remained attested and unchallenged by any since the ancient days. Save for Mo Yuan alone, no one held an ounce of jurisdiction over the Holy Land. Mo Yuan, as the only son of Heavenly Father, certainly never bowed to anyone's wishes or command. The Sky Lord begrudgingly sat down and waved his hand at the guard who quickly showed the Ghost Lord inside.
"Ah Yin," Li Jing looked startled when he saw her there. He rushed to her side and grabbed her arm tightly. "I've been looking for you everywhere."
In front of these many people, Bai Qian was truly stunned by his audacity. She pulled her arm back and hurriedly put some distance between them.
"Ghost Lord, let's get to the point. We're here today to talk about Qing Cang," reminded Ye Hua who seethed at the way he held her intimately.
Li Jing looked at her longingly. Soon he started giving an account of the recent developments of Qing Cang's possible break out. Qing Cang's crimson mist had spread out further, signifying that his strength was indeed slowly growing. He summarized without Mo Yuan's spirit controlling the Bell, it won't be long before Qing Cang gained enough strength and broke out. It could be years or a few months, no one knew for certain.
The more Bai Qian listened, the more worried she became. She never thought Qing Cang would be so ruthless, using his own children to boost his power. Her mentor was still recuperating. It would take him another hundred if not thousand years to regain his former strength. He was unfit to fight with Qing Cang under any circumstance.
Bai Qian's face turned grim; if Qing Cang successfully escape from the Bell, there was no doubt he will use the Bell of Eastern Emperor to threaten them again. Her mentor would never allow that to come to pass. Her hands turned cold and clammy. The possibility of losing him again began to suffocate her. Never again. She will not lose him again.
"And you want my Master to do exactly what, Ghost Lord?" Bai Qian's bitterness and anger was so palpable. "He spent seventy thousands of years patching his spirit and just came back to life. Are you saying he should go out there to fight again?"
"Ah Yin, that's not what I'm saying," he protested vehemently.
"Really?" She took a menacing step toward him, decorum was all but forgotten. The Jade Purity fan of Kunlun was held threateningly in front of him.
"We're in this predicament because of your father's lust and greed for power. It's true that the Ghost Clan had admitted their defeat after the war. Yet I don't see you doing anything for your clansmen."
The Ghost Lord's face twisted at her accusation. His head was bowed down in shame, she was right. His whole life was empty and meaningless. She was the only ray of hope in it and he sabotaged their relationship with his own selfishness.
"Such Insolence." The Sky Lord roared in anger. "He's the Ghost Lord. How dare you infringe upon his honor?"
She said dangerously, "Why not? I just speak truthfully. And he knew it."
"Seventeenth." Mo Yuan urged her to stop.
"Sky Lord, please rest assured. When the time comes, we, disciples of Kunlun Mountain are no cowards." She bit out between gritted teeth. "If it came to that last resort, you need not bother my mentor. Any one of us are willing to fight in his place. His aspiration and effort to maintain the peace of common people will not be wasted."
"We'll see," he glowered at the insolent brat.
"Although Seventeenth spoke out of turn but he was right. Kunlun Mountain will handle this matter indefinitely."
Mo Yuan took Si Yin away with him and left the Ninth Heaven.
Bai Qian followed her mentor to the Realm of Supreme Purity. Her mind was preoccupied with the thoughts of Qing Cang's impending break out and how to prevent her mentor from another disastrous confrontation. This time, she would do anything to keep him from harm.
"Are you going to stay and help me?" Mo Yuan's voice shook her out of her brooding.
She lift up her head and looked around in surprise; so lost in her thought that she didn't realize they had arrived inside the spring chamber. Her mentor was taking off his outer robe and was about to get into the spring.
She quickly averted her eyes. "What did you just say?"
His eyes danced with amusement when she refused to look up at him. "I'm asking are you going to stay here and help," he gestured at the spring. "soaking might be good for your injuries as well."
Bai Qian face flushed very red at the mere thought of soaking in the spring alone with him. "No, I'll leave. You should relax here and perhaps meditate a little," she said hastily. "I'll just waiting for you outside. Master, please take your time." She hurried outside still hearing his lighthearted chuckle behind her.
Bai Qian was making her way to the garden when her arm was grabbed and she was pulled against someone's hard chest. She glanced back and saw it was Ye Hua. She gulped. He looked upset, his mouth compressed into a grim line. She tried to think if she had offended him somehow.
"Ye Hua, I thought you're still in the council with the Sky Lord," she tapped his chest with her fan in greeting, before smoothly extricating herself from his hold. "So how was the unrest in the East, you are not injured are you?" she said in a conversational tone, trying to appease his foul mood.
"Are you worried about me, Qian Qian?" his stern face softened, her concern seemed to brighten him up a bit.
"I knew you'd be fine. If you are here, everything must've went smoothly," she praised.
"I went to see you in Qing Qiu a couple of times, Qian Qian," he said. "Mi Gu said you were away."
"Well, I haven't gone back home for sometime. Have you heard? The Crown Prince of the West Sea had been ill for a long time, Zhe Yan and I spent literally weeks trying to find the right medicine for him. Now he is recovered, isn't that nice?"
"Then, Master suddenly came back; I haven't had the time to go home for a while," she explained quickly, trying to weasel her way out of his piercing eyes.
"Why don't we go back together? Ali misses you and the three of us should have a dinner together," he smiled and took both of her hands in his.
"I'm sorry but I'll stay at Kunlun Mountain for a while. Master is still recuperating, I want to take care of him," she said guiltily. She missed playing with Ali as well.
"For how long, Qian Qian?"
"I don't know as long as it needs, I guess," she laughed awkwardly.
"What about us then? Do you plan to stay with him until the day we wed?" he asked, his stormy eyes immediately darkened.
She pulled her hands free. "Uh, about that, there's something I really want to discuss with you. Ye Hua… about our engagement, why don't we just … cancel it," she said haltingly.
He was stunned. "What did you say?"
"Ye Hua, the Sky Lord will pass on the throne to you soon. During the coronation, you and I will have to take eighty-one sacred blazes and nine holy thunderbolts. Rightfully, I should endure that with you. But I have transferred my own spiritual energy to my mentor. I can't take on those fires of karma with you. Not for another thirty thousands of years."
She tried to be honest with him as much as she could. He deserved that much.
"We weren't supposed to be married in the first place anyways. It was all because of Sang Ji's mistake that embarrassed Qing Qiu. The Sky Lord didn't want to look bad so he arranged for us to be engaged," she continued. "This time, leave it to Qing Qiu to break off the engagement. We don't really have to care too much about the past."
Ye Hua looked at her in disbelief. She really did that, giving up her own cultivation for Mo Yuan. Did she love him that much?
"Are you mad? Why did you do that?" He grabbed her arms and shook her hard.
"Master has always been kind to me. He had shielded me from my heavenly trial and saved my life many times. This is but a small thing I could do for him," she said, refused to meet his eyes.
"Li Jing was right, he's here and you don't care about anyone else," he said sharply. "What about me? What about us? I love you, Qian Qian."
Bai Qian looked up in alarm at his confession. She never thought he would have such strong feelings for her. "Ye Hua, don't joke about this. You can't joke about this kind of thing," she said weakly.
"I've never been more serious in my life," he insisted. "I love you, Qian Qian. I won't love anyone else."
Seeing she was still bewildered at his profession, he added, "I can wait for you. I will wait for you no matter how long it takes."
She shook her head, denying him. "No, Ye Hua. I'm so sorry but I can't marry you."
"Why? Because of him? Mo Yuan? Do you love him?" he squeezed her arms, seeking to find the truth of her hearth.
Bai Qian remained silent, not knowing how to answer that question. Suddenly, he pushed her back against the lamp post and kissed her hard. She muffled her gasp of surprise, his lips was hard and unyielding against her. She pressed her fists against his chest trying to push him away but failed. He was kissing her harder, deeper, with a fervor to the point of desperation. Then he buried his face into her neck, pulled her collar apart and pressed his searing lips between her now gaping necklines.
"Stop," she struggled with him. "Ye Hua, don't."
But he didn't stop, his kiss became even more brutal. He moved down lower and lower then suddenly he froze. Above her heart, the scar left behind from feeding her blood to her mentor for seventy thousands of years was never fully gone. It was still visible to this day.
She shoved him away from her and slapped his face, hard. Her own breath shortened to a pant. One of her hands held the collar closed at the neck, trying to salvage her dignity. Tears of frustration welled up in her eyes.
He stood there; looking forlornly at the place he knew the scar marked her body. "I'm sorry," he spoke brokenly then promptly turned away from her.
Note: As always, a special thanks to Midorizawa who proofread this story for us. :)
#mystery-angel128 : I think a lot of us are BQ/MY shippers. Of course, she'll get it back one way or another. Yes, I remember someone mentioned that before (17=little wife) All the more proofs (aside they name), they were intended to be together at first; before the plot was adjusted.
#Kaz : Thank you for following this story and let me know. Love it. ^^
#SkylerKnight : lol How can you missed Chapter 10! It was drool worthy. ..hehe..Yep, awoke & knew what she wanted. Kunlun is MY's turf without any good reason, I doubt YH will show up there. And I think we all know he won't let go of her that easily. Well, you got one of your answer in this new update; :D
#loreinacadis0412 : I think he was still trying to process it. All his life, he practically lived under the fame of MY. To find out the person you love/hate (?) is your own brother must be a shock. You wish may come true someday, already wrote that part *hint hint* Knowing BQ's stubbornness, we all know she'd thought of something.
#Weissfreya : I hope you're writing a 3L3W fanfic. An adult one would be even more nice. lol
Yes, I googled that song as well and kept it on my everyday playlist. - I'm an addicted (to GuZeng) now.
I'm trying to write one and I don't even know where to start. Small moment of ShifuxBQ here.
Xian Nu also looked what 70-80% like her (with the spell) so I don't think people'll link them together unless hints are dropped.