When Ai's mind was no longer able to dream, Kǎi would take the time to get any rest he could as he sat in a sitting position within the room where the Observation Mirror was kept. It had been a habit he recently as channeling his energy into the form of a Kun-Peng took up a lot of power and although he had done a lot of spiritual cultivation, he was still a mere guardian angel and needed to regain his power and strength in any way he could. Especially now that he was using his power to free human souls from their corpses.

The sliding door moved open and Yue Lao grinned as he said, "Wake up, my boy! The sun is rising on the other side."

Kǎi gave a soft smile as the God of Love came to wake him when sunrise came as was usual after he began fulfilling Ai's wish to see a Kun-Peng.

The old god revealed that he had a Peach of Immortality in his hand which made Kǎi's silver eyes widen. "What are you doing with that?"

Yue Lao laughed. "It's for you. Take it. Don't worry, this only blooms every 3,000 years and will make you strong and light, it's perfect for angels."

Angels were made of air, so they didn't need to consume food but were still able to.

"But… Xiwangmu*…"

Yue Lao replied. "Has granted me permission to take one for you. The Heavenly Emperor said members of the Heavenly clan couldn't help you in your task, not that we couldn't help you get stronger."

Kǎi closed his eyes and smiled. "Xiwangmu clearly is the Queen Mother." He reopened his eyes and said, "And I thank you as well, God Yue Lao."

"It is no trouble at all, Kǎi." The elderly god smiled.

~Later~

As the two of them walked, the angel could see the stars reflected in the mass of water below the clouds and he couldn't help but wonder if Ai had ever seen anything as beautiful as this. While the starlight was still strong enough to illuminate the seawater, they were so close to the stars that their light radiated even more beautifully in the reflection of the water.

Yue Lao telekinetically used his walking stick to measure the waters as it tapped the surface of the twinkling waters, creating ripples. After summoning his walking stick back to his side, he said "Ai ya! What are Taidi, the Heavenly Emperor, and the other gods doing? Do they not leave their homes and look below the clouds? At this rate, the waters of the Mortal Realm will soon reach our world."

Kǎi sternly replied. "I assume Taidi* is enjoying his retirement while most of the other gods including the Heavenly Emperor don't care for the fate of mortals."

Yue Lao angrily shook his walking stick as he looked up as he yelled "Fools! Are you trying to send me and Tu'er Shen into an early retirement?! Actually, without any mortals, we might as well all retire!"

Kǎi tried to calm the elderly god as he moved his hands up and down as it was too condescending to shush or clamp his hand over Yue Lao's mouth.

From far away, Tu'er Shen exclaimed "Don't jinx us, Old Man!"

The rabbit god's remark made Kǎi chuckle and Yue Lao laugh heartily as he leaned his head back.

After the god and angel reached the other side of the Heavenly realm where the sun was illuminating the sky and the clouds, Kǎi raised his white wings as the sunlight poured down upon his whole body, making his golden aura glow, and he could feel himself regaining more power.

"Good luck my boy."

"Thank you, God Yue Lao." The angel smiled at the elderly god before taking a deep breath in and his wings gave a powerful flap as he dived head into the water. He flapped his wings until he reached the place where he and the group of merpeople would gather to aid him in the arduous task of freeing the souls of mortals.

He saw them approach and the blond, short-haired merman, Yìngyù and Ai both waved at him in unison as they greeted him first before the others joined their voices in greeting him.

He waved as he exclaimed "Good morning!"

While they had acted suspiciously last night, he was grateful for this group and didn't think he could imagine any other being of the sea aiding him in his task although that seemed that fact would change in 8 days. Hopefully the Dragon Kings, the sovereigns of the sea, would also agree to the Mermaid Queen's plan. However, he was aware that Ao Guang, Dragon King of the East Sea, had once brought chaos to the world by creating disasters to torment the mortals. He could only hope the Mermaid Queen, who his companions served and was rumored to be a great beauty even amongst those of the Heaven clan could sway the Dragon Kings to unite under the cause of restoring the aura of the sea.

While Ai and the others were swimming towards their meeting spot, she did ask the others why they were acting suspiciously the other night, and she vehemently denied the chance of confessing the Queen's command to keep an eye on Kǎi.

Kǎi remained in his spot as the merpeople lined up to join their water manipulation abilities which carried several corpses before them then he pointed at the mass of corpses and a golden light shot forth from his fingertip and enveloped the bodies. When the golden light dissipated, many souls floated up high.

No matter how much the group of merpeople had seen this sight, the shining souls were something to behold. It proved that the soul within every living being was a thing of beauty, radiating light and essence.

After the human corpses were gathered and Kǎi freed their souls for the second time, Qing smiled at the glowing orbs of light. "Every time I see this sight, I feel relieved that their souls can move onto another realm."

Ai chimed in "I agree!"

Lín nodded as she said "Mmm" while Mei simply smiled.

Kǎi looked at the glowing orbs floating upwards. "The lives they lived will determine the fate of their next life."

Note: *Xiwangmu is the consort of the Jade Emperor. Taidi was the original deity of the Heavens before the Jade Emperor took over.