It took a while before Zhe Yan was able to pin down Ye Hua's aura. He was hiding in the peachtree groove at the back of Kunlun's Mountain. Not many people went there, perhaps that was why.

Ye Hua lifted his head up when he noticed a pair of feet appeared just in front of him. In a cold, detached voice, he asked. "What wisdom you wish to impart to me now, High God Zhe Yan?" It was obvious he wanted to be left alone.

"It was you outside Mo Yuan's room," Zhe Yan stated plainly without a hint of disapproval or accusation. Then he flipped the end of his robe backward and sat down besides him. "I did not tell him about your offer to make the Elixir, nor your accidental hearing of her condition." Zhe Yan decided Mo Yuan had more than enough on his plate right now. He did not need to concern himself about Ye Hua's interference as well.

"I am here to tell you something, whether you want to acknowledge it or not, he is still your brother. The same one who spent over a hundred years looking out for you tirelessly." Zhe Yan pulled out a wine bottle from his sleeve pocket, took a swig from the bottle and offered it to Ye Hua. Since his unwilling, silent companion showed disinterest; he shrugged then continued.

"Back then the Heavenly Father used half of his remaining power to create an immortal fetus and turn it into the golden lotus, which is you, Ye Hua. Even so an immortal spirit still needs nourishment to gain power. Mo Yuan would never say it but keeping you safe and nurturing your spirit had not been an easy task for him."

"One hundred and twenty thousand years ago, after the Heavenly Father faced his Calamity and departed for the realm of Nothingness, there was a war between Celestial and Demon Clan. Mo Yuan suffered fatal injuries after taking on the Demon's Overlord. He almost did not make it. Even as he struggled to remain alive; a part of his cultivation was spent on you. That was not the only time; in the following years, Mo Yuan had been through almost every skirmish and battles both within and between clans, you can guess how often he was injured."

"Some thought him spending a lot of time in seclusion to replenish his cultivation. Others said he was just that dedicated to the way of Taoism. Only a few know the true reason behind his frequent absence. Those extra cultivation was used to sustain and nurture your spirit. His only hope was that one day you be strong enough to take your human form again. Before the last Ghost War ended, he went to see Lingbao Tianzun and asked him to take care of you, were something happened to him."

Ye Hua never once interrupted Zhe Yan's chattering. At first he ignored most of it; not being in the mood to listen to anything about him. Zhe Yan either did not care for his response or just wanted to vent it out; so he kept going on. Before he even knew it; he was drawn in by the tale. The name of Lingbao Tianzun gave him a jolt of recognition; Ye Hua always felt the venerated God was affectionate and kind to him. He just did not know the reason behind his actions until now.

"I am not saying all this to make you feel obligated to repay his kindness. Mo Yuan would never want such charity either. I just want you to understand him better. Your brother remained celibate and devoted his long life to safeguard peace of all realms out of his unfailing dedication for the sake of others. During the peaceful times, he taught and shaped up younger generation, molding them to follow his cause, his vision. You see his disciples; they were his pride and joy, almost his children. For a long time, your well-being, the peace of all realms and his disciples were all that matters to him."

"When I sent Fifth sister to Mo Yuan, I hope her carefree spirit and temperament would liven up his monotonous life just a little. I never thought Mo Yuan would come to care about her deeply or their feeling would be mutual. For her, he did many things I never thought he would, you may heard some of them." Zhe Yan gave out a long, deep sigh. "Alas, fate was never on their side. Mo Yuan, in the end, chose the duty over his love for her. He had done what was demanded of him. Wait for me, he said in his final moment. I guess there was something he cannot just let go after all."

"After first twenty thousands of years, I lost all hope of him ever coming back, even with the trust I had in him. Fifth sister however remained steady in her belief; years after years she looked for his return. I asked her once, if another fifty thousand years pass and Mo Yan still not coming back, what then? She told me then she will wait for another fifty thousand years or an eternity. I never know what give her the courage to cling to the hopelessness of his return."

Ye Hua's hands that gripped his kneecaps curled into white-knuckle fists. He knew that she had waited for him but never thought she was willing to forsake an eternity waiting.

"When Mo Yuan woke up, he told me it was almost impossible patching his spirit back piece by piece all those years, but he did it anyway. I suspect then his feeling for her must be deep-rooted. From what I saw today, I guess I underestimated his feelings for her yet again."

Ye Hua never admitted it but seeing High God Mo Yuan almost followed Qian Qian into oblivion forced him to look at him in a new light. The God of War was not perfect nor infallible as they painted him to be. He too was flawed, blinded by his feelings, his love for a woman.

Zhe Yan turned to face toward the younger man, his eyes narrowed down. "Ye Hua, I hope you know that your brother would not hesitate to sacrifice his life for you. Bai Qian is different though. He is no longer able to give her up, not because he did not want to but because he can not. She becomes the very reason he lives for now. I am saying this, not because I am discounting your feelings for her. I know you also love her. But you already have your chance at happiness. You have Ali and your family. What does he have? What I am asking is, before you decide to do anything in the future, take all those years he watched over you out of a brother's love into consideration."

Ye Hua turned slightly away from Zhe Yan; his eyes staring into the unknown, thinking, pondering what was being said, what was asking of him.

"You must think I am asking too much but take it from someone who has the experience, sometimes being with the one you love is not as important as seeing her happy. " Zhe Yan eyes took on a distant look as he began reminiscing the old times.

"In my youth, I was enamored with Bai Qian's mother. She is unlike any woman I know. Above her ethereal beauty, she is vivacious, elegant, witty and charming. I found her utterly desirable and wanted her as my wife, I never fell for anyone that hard before. Back then, Bai Zhi and I pursued her relentlessly. He and I began as love rivals, competing for her heart. She favored him though. In the beginning, I did not see his appeals at all. He was dense, rigid, quick to anger and hard-headed. Only after our head literally butt against each other, I began to see what she saw in him."

Zhe Yan gave a light-hearted chuckle; remembered how they went all out at each other that day. "He is brutally honest, loyal to the fault and totally devoted to her. Most important, he brought smiles to her lips and joys into her heart. Just being with him lit up her face and made her delirious happy, so I decided to let her go."

"Looking back, it was the hardest and at the same time the best decision I ever made. I lose a lover that day but gained so much more. Her family becomes my family. A big one at that. My life is never dull with her children around. I gain confidantes, companions, both old and young, and successors of my trade and wisdom. Anyway that is my choice of loving her, I could not be the voice of reason for you. Whatever you want to do next is on yours then."

Ye Hua glanced at him from the corner of his eyes when he got up and prepared to head back inside. His parting words still reverberated in his mind long after he departed.

Mo Yuan traced his finger lightly along her spotless cheek; not a single of blood drop was left. He took note of the slight color that returned to her once colorless face. For a while, it seemed like her continue survival was a touch and go; now the danger had passed. He let out a soft, relieved sigh knowing Zhe Yan's Elixir had taken its effect. His spiritual-enhanced medicine would replenish and strengthen her reserves which was alarmingly lacking ever since she sacrificed her own for him. It would be a long, arduous recovery for her but he planned to be there for her every step of the way, just like she once did for him. He planned to ask her parents to let her stay here indefinitely. Kunlun Mountain's aura was heavily saturated with divine energy; it would speed up the healing and restoring of her essence even as she slumbered.

It was then a bone-deep weariness had set in, Mo Yuan felt like he suddenly aged thousands of years in day. He carefully arranged her body to settle comfortably against a nest of pillows; her unbound hair spread loosely on them and the bedding. Then he settled down beside her, slowed his breathe and begun to meditate. There was several matters waiting for him to settle later, right now it was imperative for him to gain back his peace of mind and some much needed strengths.

After a brief stop to check up on Xiao Jiu, Bai Zhen went to to find Zhe Yan. A Kunlun's disciple manning the medicine room claimed he left for Mo Yuan's room some time ago. Bai Zhen did not want to disturb their rest and decided to wait for him in his designated room.

It was quite late when the old phoenix came back to the room. Bai Zhen's earlier anger at him melt as he took in his exhausted demeanor. It was not often he looked so worn out; the Phoenix, in his advanced years, was usually full of spirit. Perhaps it was his laid-back attitude that made it seemed so. Grudgingly, Bai Zhen decided to forgive him for hiding the truth about his sister from him; today he had done well saving her life after all.

He softened his stern face and asked. "Are you alright? You look terrible."

"You are not raving mad at me anymore?" Zhe Yan asked, a little wary.

"Do you even know when to stop?" Bai Zhen scowled lightly. His earlier annoyance reared its ugly head again. "I told you I am not done with you yet."

Zhe Yan wiped a weary hand back across his face, it had been a long, tiring day. "I will tell you everything, Zhen Zhen, just promise you will not be mad at me again before I finish."

Bai Zhen pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes. "That depends on what you are going to tell me."

Zhe Yan spend half of the night repeating the same tale he told MoYuan earlier that day to Bai Zhen; then watched him pacing back and forth in agitation. At some point the young fox could not stop growling and baring his teeth. Zhe Yan had to ask him to sit and calmed down.

"I should have killed him where he stood." Bai Zhen's palm hit the table with a loud bang.

"Great, then we can go to war with the Ninth Heaven." Zhe Yan's voice was heavy with sarcasm.

"You, of all people, are saying we should pretend nothing happened?" He asked incredulously.

"What I am suggesting is," Zhe Yan began patiently, he rubbed his temples in slow, circular motions, "before you go to your parents, let us give Mo Yuan a chance to talk with Ye Hua first."

Bai Zhen retorted, almost shouting. "What is there to talk about? How my sister suffered at his hands?"

"Perhaps about what you do not already know?" Zhe Yan snapped back at him, irritated, then sighed deeply. "Peace, Zhen Zhen. You are too emotional right now and not helping.

All I ask is time for Mo Yuan to clear things up with him. Do you think you are the only one furious with his horrible treatment of Fifth sister?"

Bai Zhen glared daggers at him for a long time. "Three days, that's how long I will wait," he practically growled out.

"Give him two weeks at least. Do you really think he will leave Fifth sister's side at this time? It has been hundreds of years, what is but a few more days?" Zhe Yan took his silence as a sign of agreement.

"How is she, Zhe Yan?" Bai Zhen made a quiet inquiry. "Her senior said you already brought her the Elixir. I went to Mo Yuan's room after you but the room was sealed-off with a barrier. I decided against entering and came here instead."

"Nothing the Elixir, certain amount of time to recuperate and a Soul Gathering lamp could not fix." Zhe Yan decided not to mention about her pregnancy. That was between Fifth sister and Mo Yuan alone.

Bai Zhen furrowed his brow, groaned. "We have to borrow that lamp again?"

"That is why I told you to stay put for the time," Zhe Yan shook his head at Bai Zhen's quick temper. Young people really had no patience, he thought.

"I remember a certain Arsehat Lord still owes you a big favor for saving his equally stuck-up grandchild," Bai Zhen snorted decisively; ignoring the phoenix's disapproving glance at his cussing.

"That is one card I do not want put on the table, Zhen Zhen. Actually, I do not want to use any card at all," he admitted, never wanted to get involve with that family's messy affairs more than absolutely necessary.

He changed the topic abruptly. "Are you going back to Qing Qiu tomorrow? Your parent must be worried sick by now."

"Do not worry, I already sent Bi Fang home with my message." Bai Zhen got up and gave him a nod. "If Feng Jiu is well enough to travel, then yes. If not, I will wait a few days. I think I am going to rest now; you should as well."

"What a day it is," he mumbled softly on his way out. "I hope this time all of Fifth sister's bad lucks had run out. She can not kept us on our toes like this again; it is a good thing we are not weak-minded."

The first thing Mo Yuan did the next morning was checking up on Seventeenth. Her overall physical health had improved quite a lot from last night. Her spiritual wound was another concern, he needed the Soul Gathering lamp for her broken spirit. Maybe he would ask for it when he visited Ye Hua.

It was only then Mo Yuan realized the Jade Purity fan was not with her. With everything going down yesterday, he completely forgot about her weapon. Mo Yuan quickly conjured the summoning spell, soon it appeared, hovering in the air in front of him. As he grabbed it in his hand, Mo Yuan took an immediate notice of its altered essence. He inspected the fan closely and found traces of Seventeenth's essence within the fan's core.

He looked carefully into its composition again, the result remained the same. Her essence had bonded with the fan's. That should not be possible, he never taught her such a dangerous practice. Besides the method was already lost to the time; not many living person knew about it. It became forbidden for its highly destructive side-effects on the spell user.

Then another thought hit him, Mo Yuan's mouth pressed into a hard line as he concentrated, three fourth of those in the knows currently resided here, at Kunlun Mountain. Under any circumstance, Bai Zhi would never ever suggested it to her. Zhe Yan might but he doubted it, he cared about Seventeenth as much as he did.

Yet there was one person who would not pay much attention to how harmful or disastrous it would be in her hand; given the outcomes met the goals he had in mind. What he hoped to accomplish? Mo Yuan thought furiously. He knew Dong Hua very well, actually understood his ways of thinking better than anyone, he never did anything without good reasons but this time he really went too far and crossed the line.

Mo Yuan peered down at her sleeping face thoughtfully then sighed. "What have you done, Seventeenth? Why would you endanger yourself like this?" He tightened the fan in his grip and left looking for Dong Hua. On his way, he crossed path with Chang Shan and told him to keep watch over her for the time.

Dong Hua opened his eyes and got off his meditation when the door of his room swung open. He lifted his brows at how Mo Yuan strode quickly inside the room without uttering a single greeting.

The Master of Kunlun put down the Jade Purity fan in front of him and asked. "Why?" His voice betrayed the agitation he felt churning inside.

Dong Hua, barely glanced at the fan, got up and move away from Bai Feng Jiu's bedside.

"Why what?"

Mo Yuan toned down his voice, still glaring at him. "You know what I am talking about"

"I am?" Dong Hua looked back at him blankly. "Which one are you asking again, Mo Yuan? Why did she came to me and not you? Why did I tell her about the spell? Why do you not know of what she planned? Or why she decided to do it even after I told her the downside of it?"

"I know why she went to you, the one I can not figure out is you. Why did you decided it is a good idea to send her to her death?" Mo Yuan demanded angrily. "I could have handled Qing Cang on my own."

Dong Hua snorted at the absurdity of Mo Yuan's claim. "Why should I not? She already made up her mind when she came see me. Do you think the outcome will be any different; had I not told her the spell? Then you are more deluded than I first suspected, Mo Yuan."

A part of him knew it would not matter. It was just how she was, stubborn to the fault. There was no going back once she made up her mind. Even then he can not forgive Dong Hua either. He could have contacted him and warn him of her plan; instead after practically pushed her off the cliff he chose to remain silent.

Mo Yuan walked up closer and got into his face when Dong Hua did not even try to deny his accusation. "Perhaps because you knew, even with the essence-binding spell, there was no way she would be strong enough to defeat Qing Cang on her own. That is suicidal."

"Did you just mentioned the possibility of a better outcome? Fine, let us talk about it." Dong Hua took on the brunt of his anger unfazed. "With the meager of cultivation she gave you and your barely recovered power, you are absolutely certain you will win. Is that what you are saying?"

"No, you would be dead as well." He said as matter of factly, no judgement in his voice. "She came to me because she wished to protect you and was willing to pay the price. I have two choices: let you died, again, or let her take her chance with Qing Cang. Between her life and yours, it is not really a hard choice, I picked you. She had better chance against him than you anyway."

"Mo Yuan, you are the Heavenly Father's son, need I remind you of your duties to all those people out there? They need your strength, your unwavering dedication. You may not be able to sacrifice her but I am; I would do it again if it mean all living beings will survive at the end of the day." Dong Hua made it clear that he meant what he said.

Before he even knew, Mo Yuan brought his fist back and swung hard at Dong Hua's face.

one after another. The blows made him stumbled backward and landed in a heap on the floor. A stretch of silence hang between the two of them, saved for Mo Yuan harsh breathing, no one made the move to speak.

Dong Hua sat up and wiped the blood from his the corner of his nose and mouth. "Are you feeling any better now?" He winced with the effort of talking, Mo Yuan really packed a punch this time.

Mo Yuan, having composed himself once again, said unamused. "Not really, just for your second comment, I am considering decking you a few more times. You really should have told me."

"For someone who seems to know it all, you failed to anticipate a possibility." His voice wavered slightly before continued. "It was not just her life you have sacrificed, Dong Hua, she was pregnant with my child."

Unbeknownst to them, the sound of their scuffle had disturbed her peaceful resting and woke her up. They were too busy arguing to pay attention to the faint, gasping voice coming from the bed anyway.

Dong Hua's head bowed down, eyes closed, jaws tightened. "If I were you, I would have ran a sword through me by now," he admitted. The sound of his voice somber and heavy with regret. "I apologize for what it is worth."

Mo Yuan blew out his breathe heavily. "It did not have to turn out like this. I already planned to ask Ye Hua to help me destroy the Bell." He too flopped down on the floor; feeling exhausted after letting off his bottled-up anger at Dong Hua.

"When did she went to see you?" Mo Yuan wondered aloud

"A few days after Qing Cang crimson-hellfire's spreading got worst." Dong Hua's long fingers rubbed the bridge of his nose; trying to soothe the throbbing pain. "I heard you already went into your seclusion at the time," he added.

It was that long, Mo Yuan realized, even before they went to the Mortal Realms. He knew she was worried about Qing Cang since that meeting at the Ninth Heaven, he just did not expected she would go behind his back and seek Dong Hua out.

During their time together in the hut, she rarely asked about Qing Cang, he should have noticed something was off. She usually talked of anything and everything. The fact that she avoided that specific topic should clue him in. Sometimes, he forgot she was no longer the little fox who loved to blurt out her every thought to him. She learned to conceal her feelings and mastered the arts of feigning ignorance.

She even asked for the sword lesson, Mo Yuan was angry at himself. Seventeenth had planned to confront Qing Cang all along; he just did not realize it in time. He wished he could blame her for deceiving him but could not; he never asked and she simple did not informed him.

"She made that decision because you refused to tell her anything." Dong Hua said; it was not hard to guess the direction of his thoughts. "You asked her to be your wife, your lifelong companion, but you still coddle her, treating her as you would your disciple."

"I certainly did not," Mo Yuan denied.

The corner of Dong Hua's mouth tugged up a little; then he frowned. "Then you did not hide things from her to protect her? You know very well once she learns of your plan, she would not allow you to take the risk. She might even beg you to let her do it. The two of you really make a pair, do you know that?"

"I can not risk her life, Dong Hua, and I will not." Mo Yuan took a deep breathe; trying to keep at bay the sense of despair that threatened to take over him again. The sight of her lifeless, blood-soaked body still haunted even his waking moment.

"She is not a helpless child that needs your constant protection anymore. If only you would stop underestimating her and see it." Dong Hua reminded him. "While you were sleeping, she grew up, got stronger, found her own resolves. Is it such a surprise that she wants to protect you as much as you would do for her? You shielding her from the truths is the danger in itself. Talk to her, open up with her and do what you have to sort out your issues. What happened yesterday cannot be repeated again."

"You are the one to talk," Mo Yuan glanced sideways at the one sleeping on the bed and looked squarely back at him. "You can not even take your own advice."

"Our situation is different," Dong Hua said stiffly, he looked uncomfortable out of the sudden, .

Mo Yuan snickered at his rebuttal and threw his words, from earlier, right back at him. "If you really believe that, then you are more deluded than I first thought."

No woman could ever get close to him, if Dong Hua did not allowed it. He usually threw them out of his palace so fast and without a second glance. Yet he turned blind eyes when it came to Bai Feng Jiu and let her followed him like a lost puppy. Right now she was incapacitated and can not hold on to him; the fact that Dong Hua still stayed with her, by his own free will, spoke volumes of his less than noble feelings for her.

They both fell into their troubled thoughts after that.

"There is one more thing we need to discuss." Dong Hua said, he prolonged his stay over the night just to address this issue with Mo Yuan. "At the Roushui River, did you perhaps take note of something amissed?"

"The backup troop did not show up, yes, I noticed." Mo Yuan nodded. "I can not say I really am surprised at his pettiness, after what happened between us. It just that he picked the worst timing to vent it."

"I care not about his personal feelings, nor his mindless revenge. He overstepped his bound this time and risked the safety of all realms with his thoughtlessness. That, my friend, is unacceptable."

"He has been blind-sighted by his lust for power for a while now, you and I know this. I just hope he could gather his act together and change somehow. But enough is enough, I see your point, Hao De is no longer fit to rule." Mo Yuan figured out certain actions needed to be taken. The two of them looked at each other in the eyes and nodded in silent agreement.

"I thought you just questioned my ability to judge a moment ago," Dong Hua said sardonically then added. "It will be a lot easier if you could convince him to help."

"I will pay him a visit." Mo Yuan ignored the jab; Dong Hua loved to hold grudge like that. "We have a lot to talk about anyway."

Dong Hua gave him a knowing look, the awkward predicament Mo Yuan found himself in with his brother was certain entertaining. Perhaps he could convince Zhe Yan to spy on them later. Things were pretty boring as of late. "I am sure you do. What do you think of him?"

"He has no valid reasons to refuse." Mo Yuan thought of the well-hidden defiance flashed in his eyes when he looked at the Sky Lord at time. "He is definitely not one to remain shackled and controlled for long."

Note: Special thanks to loreinacadis0412 for your wonderful insights & suggestions. Sorry but next update might take a while since I have to work this weekend. =="

#weiss freya : I'm so sorry for the pain. TT_TT But it will be the challenge they need to face together as a couple. As for her debts, I guess we will get to that later. I miss our talk, hope you're having a great time. :)

#Guest : There's a lot of loose ends that need to be tied for the time. But you comment is noted.

#lexi : Duly noted. It'll take a while but I think we will see that, eventually. :)

#Vero Diaz : The fact that you still read this story, even if you hate the pairing right from the start, if anything, I will take it as a compliment. I said before and I will say it again, everyone is entitled to their own opinion and I can respect that.